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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 73 records · Page 4

A 190 by 244 charge-coupled area image sensor with interline transfer organization

A 190 x 244 element charge coupled area image sensor has been designed, fabricated and tested. This sensor employs an interline transfer organization and buried n-channel technology. It features a novel on-chip charge integrator and a distributed floating gate amplifier for high and low light level applications. The X-Y element count has been chosen to establish the capability of producing an NTSC compatible video signal. The array size is also compatible with the Super 8 lens format. The first few sample devices have been successfully operated at full video bandwidth for both high and low light levels with the charge amplifier system.

Walsh, L. R.

Inexpensive portable drug detector

Inexpensive, easy-to-use, self-scanning, self-calibrating, portable unit automatically graphs fluorescence spectrum of drug sample. Device also measures rate of movement through chromatographic column for forensic and medical testing.

Dimeff, J.

OSHA medical and workplace surveillance requirements and NIOSH recommendations (for employees exposed to toxic substances and other work hazards)

Both OSHA medical and work place surveillance requirements and NIOSH recommendations were prepared as a desk reference to help occupational health professionals to perform their duties. The medical surveillance information focuses on frequency of physical examinations, specific problems that may arise as a result of exposure (e.g., decreased immunocompetence, weight loss, ets.), conditions that intensify the harmful effects of exposure (e.g., medication an exposed employee may be taking, cigarette smoking, etc.), the areas that should be scrutinized in medical and work histories and during the physical exam, and specific clinical tests that should be conducted. Recordkeeping requirements are also specified. The workplace surveillance information consists of monitoring requirements, personal protective equipment requirements, and recordkeeping requirements. Such details as the sampling devices that should be used, the type of respirators that should be worn, and the frequency of inspections are included. This document does not specify the training, labeling and posting, and safe work practice requirements and recommendations due to space considerations.

Cooper, L. P.

Small convolution kernels for high-fidelity image restoration

An algorithm is developed for computing the mean-square-optimal values for small, image-restoration kernels. The algorithm is based on a comprehensive, end-to-end imaging system model that accounts for the important components of the imaging process: the statistics of the scene, the point-spread function of the image-gathering device, sampling effects, noise, and display reconstruction. Subject to constraints on the spatial support of the kernel, the algorithm generates the kernel values that restore the image with maximum fidelity, that is, the kernel minimizes the expected mean-square restoration error. The algorithm is consistent with the derivation of the spatially unconstrained Wiener filter, but leads to a small, spatially constrained kernel that, unlike the unconstrained filter, can be efficiently implemented by convolution. Simulation experiments demonstrate that for a wide range of imaging systems these small kernels can restore images with fidelity comparable to images restored with the unconstrained Wiener filter.

Reichenbach, Stephen E.

Multiple dataset water-quality analyses in the vicinity of an ocean wastewater plume

The White's Point ocean outfall is the method of disposal for approximately 374 million gallons of treated wastewater per day from Los Angeles County. The photosynthetic characteristics and particle distributions have well-defined properties that can be exploited to yield information on transport of the plume, mixing dynamics, and resuspension of bottom sediments during periods of bottom current velocity in excess of ca. 0.1 m/s. This plume of particles serves as a conservative tracer, which was studied using a number of sampling platforms and strategies, including underway sawtooth, or 'tow-yo' sampling, moored arrays of instruments, stationary profiling, and now for the first time with remotely-sensed multispectral color imagery. Research in this area previously focused on examination of the plume as it relates to the local current field and transport of particles, and on the resuspension of bottom sediments during periods of increased currents. In addition, Wu et al elucidated techniques for separating the particle signal into photosynthetic and nonphotosynthetic components, based on the beam attenuation to chlorophyll fluorescence ratio. High-frequency time series measurements of the current field and bio-optical characteristics at a site close to the waste diffusers were also collected. These are being analyzed for the spectral characteristics of the longer-timescale variability, in order to predict particle transport through simple meteorological measurements. With the advent of high spectral and spatial resolution imaging spectrometers such as AVIRIS, it is now possible to construct causal relationships between particle distributions and signature of the upwelled radiance from the surface. The availability of a constant and well-characterized source of material lends itself well to models which predict upwelled radiance from the surface. The availability of a constant and well-characterized source of material lends itself well to models which predict upwelled light as a function of particle distributions, photosynthetic pigments, colored dissolved organic material, and detrital and degradation products of photosynthesis. In addition, the spatial coverage provided by the tow-yo sampling device, combined with the profile measurements of the light field, should facilitate the best inverse modeling attempts possible thus far.

Hamilton, Michael

Poling of Microwave Electro-Optic Devices

The desire to transmit high frequency, microwave RF signals over fiber optic cables has necessitated the need for electro-optic modulation devices. However, in order to reap these potential benefits, it is necessary to develop the devices and their associated fabrication processes, particularly those processes associated with the poling of the devices. To this end, we entered into a cooperative research agreement with Richard Kunath of NASA LeRC. A graduate student in my group, Tony Kowalczyk, worked closely with the group at NASA to develop processes for construction of a microwave frequency electro-optic modulator. Materials were commercially obtained from Amoco Chemical and in collaboration with Lockheed-Martin. The photolithography processes were developed at NASA LeRC and the electric-field poling process was carried out in our laboratory at CWRU. During the grant period, the poling process conditions were investigated for these multilayer devices. Samples were poled and the resulting nonlinear optical properties were evaluated in our laboratory. Following the grant period, Kowalczyk went to NASA under a NRC fellowship, and I continued to collaborate as a consultant. Publications listed at the end of this report came out of this work. Another manuscript is in preparation and will be submitted shortly.

Singer, Kenneth D.

Rapid System to Quantitatively Characterize the Airborne Microbial Community

Bioaerosols have been linked to a wide range of different allergies and respiratory illnesses. Currently, microorganism culture is the most commonly used method for exposure assessment. Such culture techniques, however, generally fail to detect between 90-99% of the actual viable biomass. Consequently, an unbiased technique for detecting airborne microorganisms is essential. In this Phase II proposal, a portable air sampling device his been developed for the collection of airborne microbial biomass from indoor (and outdoor) environments. Methods were evaluated for extracting and identifying lipids that provide information on indoor air microbial biomass, and automation of these procedures was investigated. Also, techniques to automate the extraction of DNA were explored.

Macnaughton, Sarah J.

Properties of Subsurface Soil Cores from Four Geologic Provinces Surrounding Mars Desert Research Station, Utah: Characterizing Analog Martian Soil in a Human Exploration Scenario

The DOMEX program is a NASA-MMAMA funded project featuring simulations of human crews on Mars focused on science activities that involve collecting samples from the subsurface using both manual and robotic equipment methods and analyzing them in the field and post mission. A crew simulating a human mission to Mars performed activities focused on subsurface science for 2 weeks in November 2009 at Mars Desert Research Station near Hanksville, Utah --an important chemical and morphological Mars analog site. Activities performed included 1) survey of the area to identify geologic provinces, 2) obtaining soil and rock samples from each province and characterizing their mineralogy, chemistry, and biology; 3) site selection and reconnaissance for a future drilling mission; 4) deployment and testing of Mars Underground Mole, a percussive robotic soil sampling device; and 5) recording and analyzing how crew time was used to accomplish these tasks. This paper summarizes results from analysis of soil cores

Stoker, C. R.

Space Resource Technologies

This is a very general presentation being given to students about Swamp Works and what kind of work we do here. It contains images of our labs, an overview of the four labs' areas of focus, and several sample projects that revolve around developing ISRU (in-situ resource utilization) capabilities - living off the land in space - such as mining robots and sampling devices.

Space Resources

Phobos Environment Model and Regolith Simulant for MMX Mission

Phobos and Deimos, the two moons of Mars, are considered to be scientifically important and potential human mission's target. Martian Moons eXplorer (MMX) is the JAXA's mission to explore Phobos (and/or Deimos), which is scheduled to be launched in 2024. The main spacecraft of MMX will perform in-situ observations of both Phobos and Deimos, land on one of them (most likely, Phobos), and bring samples back to Earth. Small landing modules may be included in the mission as for the Hayabusa-2 mission. The designs of both the landing and sampling devices depend largely on the surface conditions of the target body and on how this surface reacts to an external action in the low gravity conditions of the target. Thus, the Landing Operation Working Team (LOWT) of MMX, which is composed of both scientists and engineers, is studying Phobos' surface based on previous observations and theoretical/experimental considerations. Though engineering motivation initiated this activity, the results will be extremely useful for scientific purposes.

mmx

The Hayabusa2 Sample Return Mission and Its Small Carry-On Impactor Experiment

On December 3, 2014 the Hayabusa2 Spacecraft was launched by JAXA to investigate and return samples from carbonaceous Asteroid (162173) Ryugu. The spacecraft's payload contains several remote sensing instruments that are designed to characterize the asteroid's surface and to help identify scientifically interesting locations from which samples can be obtained safely. The data collected by these instruments will also help place any obtained samples in context with respect to the global characteristics of Ryugu. In addition to the suite of remote sensing instruments and the sampling device, Hayabusa2 also includes a small carry-on impactor (SCI) payload experiment, which is designed to impact the surface of the asteroid and excavate fresh material for subsequent collection. The SCI consists of a 30 cm diameter 2 kg copper disk that is accelerated by an explosive charge into the surface of Ryugu at approximately 2 km/s. The resultant crater formed during this experiment is estimated to be approximately between 2 - 10 meters in diameter with an ejecta blanket extending to 10 - 100 meters on the asteroid. Hayabusa2 will not be able to observe the impact experiment directly due to considerations of spacecraft safety since there is some risk of collisions with debris from the explosion and ejecta from the crater. However, prior to moving safely away, the spacecraft will deploy a small imaging system called Deployable Camera 3 (DCAM3). DCAM3 will detach from Hayabusa2 just before the detonation of the SCI and will image the moment of impact, crater formation, and ejecta propagation. These data will be transmitted to Hayabusa2 and will help constrain the near-surface properties of Ryugu and also impact scaling laws for small bodies in low gravity environments. These data could also be useful for gaining insights into determining asteroid physical properties from higher velocity impact events (e.g., DART and HERA data of Didymos).

Abell, Paul A.

A core handling device for the Mars Sample Return Mission

A core handling device for use on Mars is being designed. To provide a context for the design study, it was assumed that a Mars Rover/Sample Return (MRSR) Mission would have the following characteristics: a year or more in length; visits by the rover to 50 or more sites; 100 or more meter-long cores being drilled by the rover; and the capability of returning about 5 kg of Mars regolith to Earth. These characteristics lead to the belief that in order to bring back a variegated set of samples that can address the range of scientific objetives for a MRSR mission to Mars there needs to be considerable analysis done on board the rover. Furthermore, the discrepancy between the amount of sample gathered and the amount to be returned suggests that there needs to be some method of choosing the optimal set of samples. This type of analysis will require pristine material-unaltered by the drilling process. Since the core drill thermally and mechanically alters the outer diameter (about 10 pct) of the core sample, this outer area cannot be used. The primary function of the core handling device is to extract subsamples from the core and to position these subsamples, and the core itself if needed, with respect to the various analytical instruments that can be used to perform these analyses.

Gwynne, Owen

Enhancement of X-ray performance with new GEC charged coupled devices (CCD)

Samples of two GEC charge coupled devices with enhanced X-ray performance have been tested. The P8607, fabricated with reduced linear dimensions, gives the lowest detector noise reported for Fe-55 with a CCD. The deep depletion device P8600-HR gives the best combination of energy resolution and quantum efficiency at 6 keV. The energy resolution vs quantum efficiency trade-off curve are discussed.

Schwartz, D. A.

Apparatus and method for centrifugation and robotic manipulation of samples

A device for centrifugation and robotic manipulation of specimen samples, including incubating eggs, and uses thereof are provided. The device may advantageously be used for the incubation of avian, reptilian or any type of vertebrate eggs. The apparatus comprises a mechanism for holding samples individually, rotating them individually, rotating them on a centrifuge collectively, injecting them individually with a fixative or other chemical reagent, and maintaining them at controlled temperature, relative humidity and atmospheric composition. The device is applicable to experiments involving entities other than eggs, such as invertebrate specimens, plants, microorganisms and molecular systems.

Vellinger, John C.