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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

Airport Information Sharing Concept Architecture

The National Airspace System (NAS) Air Traffic management, control and operation depends on a timely and efficient distribution of real time information generated by stakeholders and published from a variety of sources. The Federal Aviation Administration System Wide Information Management (SWIM) is a service oriented architecture design to provide stakeholders with timely NAS information. However, there are other sources of useful information generated by stakeholders that can be included in the management of NAS operations. Airport facilities are host to most stakeholders operating in the NAS (airspace user, airport authority, ground handling, controller tower) and thus large information is generated and consumed at these facilities. The NASA Glenn Research center has been investigating an information exchange architecture framework that would enable the timely, efficient and secure gathering and distribution information generated at airport facilities. This presentation describes the framework architecture concept for the efficient information exchange of airport information.

Airports↗

The evaluation of ASOS for the Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility

This report documents the Applied Meteorology Unit's (AMU) evaluation of the effectiveness and utility of the Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS) in terms of spaceflight operations and user requirements. In particular, the evaluation determines which of the Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF) observation requirements can be satisfied by ASOS. This report also includes a summary of ASOS' background, current configuration and specifications, system performance, and the possible concepts of operations for use of ASOS at the SLF. This evaluation stems from a desire by the Air Force to determine if ASOS units could be used to reduce the cost of SLF meteorological observations.

Yersavich, Ann↗

Fuel Flexible Gas Turbine Combustor Flametube Facility Upgraded

In fiscal year 2003, test cell 23 of the Research Combustion Laboratory (RCL 23) at the NASA Glenn Research Center was upgraded with the addition of gaseous hydrogen as a working propellant and the addition of a 450-psig air-supply system. Test flexibility was further enhanced by upgrades to the facility control systems. RCL 23 can now test with gaseous hydrogen flow rates up to 0.05 lbm/sec and jet fuel flow rates up to 0.62 lbm/sec. Research airflow rates up to 3 lbm/sec are possible with the 450-psig supply system over a range of inlet temperatures. Nonvitiated, heated air is supplied from a shell and tube heat exchanger. The maximum nonvitiated facility air temperature is 1100 F at 1.5 lbm/sec. Research-section exhaust temperatures are limited to 3200 F because of material and cooling capacity limits. A variety of support systems are available depending on the research hardware configuration. Test section ignition can be provided via either a hydrogen air torch system or an electronic spark system. Emissions measurements are obtained with either pneumatically or electromechanically actuated gas sample probes, and the electromechanical system allows for radial measurements at a user-specified axial location for measurement of emissions profiles. Gas analysis data can be obtained for a variety of species, including carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrogen oxides (NO and NOx), oxygen (O2), unburnt hydrocarbons, and unburnt hydrogen. Facility control is accomplished with a programmable logic control system. Facility operations have been upgraded to a system based on graphical user interface control screens. A data system is available for real-time acquisition and monitoring of both measurements in engineering units and performance calculations. The upgrades have made RCL 23 a highly flexible facility for research into low emissions gas turbine combustor concepts, and the flame tube configuration inherently allows for a variety of fuel nozzle configurations to be tested in a cost-effective manner. RCL 23 is poised to be a leading facility for developing modern low-emission fuel nozzles for use with jet fuel and alternative fuels.

Little, James E.↗

Causal Directions Matter: How Environmental Factors Drive Convective Cloud Detrainment Heights

This study investigates how environmental factors influence the level of maximum detrainment (LMD) in deep convective clouds. Through a novel application of the Linear Non‐Gaussian Acyclic Model (LiNGAM), we discover causal structures between environmental variables and LMD, observed at six tropical sites operated by the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) user facility. LiNGAM effectively identifies causal directions among variables of interest, revealing robust relationships such as those among the lifting condensation level (LCL), level of free convection (LFC), and convective inhibition (CIN), aligning with prior knowledge. Relative humidity is shown to directly influence LMD; however, this relationship exhibits strong nonlinearity and becomes difficult to detect when the contrast between oceanic and continental environments is excluded from the analysis. This study highlights the importance of establishing causal relationships before performing statistical inference.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Spacelab program requirements, level 1

The design and development of Spacelab is reported including the ground support equipment, facilities, and operational planning. The shuttle interface, and user requirements are discussed along with product assurance and safety.

Source record↗

Shell stability analysis in a computer aided engineering (CAE) environment

The development of 'DISDECO', the Delft Interactive Shell DEsign COde is described. The purpose of this project is to make the accumulated theoretical, numerical and practical knowledge of the last 25 years or so readily accessible to users interested in the analysis of buckling sensitive structures. With this open ended, hierarchical, interactive computer code the user can access from his workstation successively programs of increasing complexity. The computational modules currently operational in DISDECO provide the prospective user with facilities to calculate the critical buckling loads of stiffened anisotropic shells under combined loading, to investigate the effects the various types of boundary conditions will have on the critical load, and to get a complete picture of the degrading effects the different shapes of possible initial imperfections might cause, all in one interactive session. Once a design is finalized, its collapse load can be verified by running a large refined model remotely from behind the workstation with one of the current generation 2-dimensional codes, with advanced capabilities to handle both geometric and material nonlinearities.

Arbocz, J.↗

Zero Gravity Research Facility User's Guide

The Zero Gravity Research Facility (ZGF) is operated by the Space Experiments Division of the NASA John H. Glenn Research Center (GRC) for investigators sponsored by the Microgravity Science and Applications Division of NASA Headquarters. This unique facility has been utilized by scientists and engineers for reduced gravity experimentation since 1966. The ZGF has provided fundamental scientific information, has been used as an important test facility in the space flight hardware design, development, and test process, and has also been a valuable source of data in the flight experiment definition process. The purpose of this document is to provide information and guidance to prospective researchers regarding the design, buildup, and testing of microgravity experiments.

Thompson, Dennis M.↗

The US National Transonic Facility, part 1

The construction of the National Transonic Facility was completed in September 1982, and checkout operations started the following month, with the maximum Reynolds number being obtained in May 1983. Following, most of the effort was devoted to installing the model access housings, and adjusting or altering various tunnel hardware systems. In May 1984, preliminary aerodynamic calibration of the tunnel was initiated in parallel with checkout of the tunnel operating systems, and in August 1984, the tunnel was declared operational and turned over to the user organization for a complete aerodynamic calibration and research and development testing. The facility has been operated in both the air and nitrogen modes covering a Mach number range of 0.2 to 1.22 at pressures up to 8.5 atm and at temperatures down to 100K. This paper presents a status of the tunnel operating systems and an overview of the major milestones during checkout.

Bruce, W. E., Jr.↗

Liquid helium servicing from the Space Station

The current concept of liquid helium resupply from the Space Station is discussed with regard to user and Space Station requirements, as well as requirements of the liquid helium servicing facility itself. A number of trade-offs which will affect both the hardware and the operation of the facility are presented. A total of 12 potential users have been identified. The users are divided into two groups: large volume users which are serviced every one to two years and small volume users which are serviced every few months. Both groups have a very strong impact on the definition of the liquid helium servicing facility. The facility components will be based on results of the Superfluid Helium On Orbit Transfer flight demonstration being conducted by NASA. Currently, the Space Station design includes a customer servicing bay which provides electrical power, thermal and contamination control, and connections for control and data handling systems. Restrictions on venting and vibrational disturbances on the Space Station may preclude servicing during quiescent periods when accelerations are minimal.

Breon, S. R.↗

Payload Operations Center - Lessons from Commercial Engagement

The International Space Station (ISS) Payload Operations and Integration Center (POIC) at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in Huntsville, Alabama, United States, has gone through an evolution from supporting exclusively government ISS users to providing 50% (or more) of their support to commercial users. At the same time, they have expanded ground and facility operations to support a United States Orbital Segment crew expansion from three to four astronauts allowing an additional of 34 hours crew time per week. These additional hours are dedicated to utilization and have already surpassed the 100 hour peak weekly milestone in July 2018. This paper discusses the Center's changes in planning, staffing, coordination, and operations while addressing topics from the addition of secondary flight control positions to dynamic operations product reviews. MSFC's Human Exploration and Development Operations Office, which manages payload operations, seeks through this paper to highlight the higher priority commercial users now receive in replanning and in additional crew time.

Watkins, Bobby J.↗

A shared-world conceptual model for integrating space station life sciences telescience operations

Mental models of the Space Station and its ancillary facilities will be employed by users of the Space Station as they draw upon past experiences, perform tasks, and collectively plan for future activities. The operational environment of the Space Station will incorporate telescience, a new set of operational modes. To investigate properties of the operational environment, distributed users, and the mental models they employ to manipulate resources while conducting telescience, an integrating shared-world conceptual model of Space Station telescience is proposed. The model comprises distributed users and resources (active elements); agents who mediate interactions among these elements on the basis of intelligent processing of shared information; and telescience protocols which structure the interactions of agents as they engage in cooperative, responsive interactions on behalf of users and resources distributed in space and time. Examples from the life sciences are used to instantiate and refine the model's principles. Implications for transaction management and autonomy are discussed. Experiments employing the model are described which the authors intend to conduct using the Space Station Life Sciences Telescience Testbed currently under development at Ames Research Center.

Johnson, Vicki↗

Field Validation of Cloud Properties Sensor Field Campaign Report

The purpose of this campaign is to deploy Aerodyne Research Inc.’s extended wavelength cloud optical properties sensor (TWST-EN) in an operationally relevant environment with co-located, validated sensors. The Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) user facility’s Southern Great Plains (SGP) observatory is ideal for this deployment because of the variety of operational sensors that can measure some of the same cloud properties using different modalities. While cloud property sensors have long existed, they tend to be costly to produce and maintain. Our sensor measures absolute spectral radiance in the two bands and will retrieve cloud optical depth (COD), droplet effective radius, and thermodynamic phase. Our prototype is built predominantly from off-the-shelf components and uses uncooled spectrometers. A lower-cost, easy-to-use sensor such as this could allow deployment at many more sites for greater spatial coverage. Analysis and retrieval algorithm development using the data from this deployment has been a central technical objective of our U.S. Department of Energy Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) Phase 2 contract (DE-SC0020473: Low-Cost Shortwave Spectroradiometer for Retrieval of Cloud Properties).

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Project Assessment for Biological and Environmental Research: Report from the BER Advisory Committee

The construction, operation, and stewardship of large-scale scientific user facilities and cutting edge capabilities have been integral to the mission of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science from its earliest days. To help identify and prioritize new or upgraded facilities critical to scientific innovation over the next 10 years, the Office of Science director issued a charge to the federal advisory committees of six of its program offices in December 2023, including the Biological and Environmental Research (BER) program. The charge letter (see p. ii) asked the advisory committees to: 1. Consider what new or upgraded facilities will be necessary to position the Office of Science at the forefront of scientific discovery. 2. Deliver a short letter report describing each facility in terms of two criteria: (a) the potential to contribute to world-leading science in the next decade and (b) the readiness for construction.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗

A user's guide to the Langley 16- by 24-inch water tunnel

The Langley 16 x 24 inch Water Tunnel is described in detail, along with all the supporting equipment used in its operation as a flow visualization test facility. These include the laser and incandescent lighting systems; and the photographic, video, and laser fluorescence anemometer systems used to make permanent records of the test results. This facility is a closed return water tunnel capable of test section velocities from 0 to 0.75 feet per second with flow through the 16 x 24 inch test section in a downward (vertical) direction. The velocity normally used for testing is 0.25 feet per second where the most uniform flow occurs, and is slow enough to easily observe flow phenomena such as vortex flow with the unaided eye. An overview is given of the operational characteristics, procedures, and capabilities of the water tunnel to potential users of the facility so that they may determine if the facility meets their needs for a planned study.

Pendergraft, Odis C., Jr.↗

ARM FY2025 Aerosol Operations Plan

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Atmospheric Radiation Measurement user facility (ARM) deploys at each of ARM’s observatories a suite of aerosol and trace gas (further mention of aerosols will assume inclusion of trace gases) instrumentation that constitute the Aerosol Observing Systems (AOS; Uin et al. 2019).

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

ARM FY2026 Aerosol Operations Plan

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Atmospheric Radiation Measurement User Facility (ARM) deploys at each of ARM’s observatories a suite of aerosol and trace gas (further mention of aerosols will assume inclusion of trace gases) instrumentation that constitute the Aerosol Observing System (AOS; Uin et al. 2019).

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

The Manned Space Platform as an evolutionary means to achieve a permanent manned orbital operations facility

An evolutionary approach to permanently manned on-orbit facilities is discussed, and it is noted that the Science and Applications Manned Space Platform, which is the first step in this evolution, can be based primarily on existing and currently planned hardware. It is shown how by upgrading the systems capabilities of the Spacelab modules, the platform can be reconfigured to provide a permanent manned research and operations facility. The facility can grow in size and capability to accommodate increases in user requirements, more experiment modules, and larger crews and to provide additional power and heat rejection. It is noted that the Growth-Permanently Manned Facility can be used for science activities and/or to support various operations functions such as space construction, servicing and maintaining space systems, and vehicle assembly.

Schwartz, J. M.↗

User manual for NASA Lewis 10 by 10 foot supersonic wind tunnel

This manual describes the 10- by 10-Foot Supersonic Wind Tunnel at the NASA Lewis Research Center and provides information for users who wish to conduct experiments in this facility. Tunnel performance operating envelopes of altitude, dynamic pressure, Reynolds number, total pressure, and total temperature as a function of test section Mach number are presented. Operating envelopes are shown for both the aerodynamic (closed) cycle and the propulsion (open) cycle. The tunnel test section Mach number range is 2.0 to 3.5. General support systems, such as air systems, hydraulic system, hydrogen system, fuel system, and Schlieren system, are described. Instrumentation and data processing and acquisition systems are also described. Pretest meeting formats and schedules are outlined. Tunnel user responsibility and personnel safety are also discussed.

Soeder, Ronald H.↗