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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
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2024

The Radical Atom: Mechanosynthetic 3D Printing of an Atomically Precise SPM Tip

This research effort sought to overcome current limitations in scanning probe-based atomic manipulation to enable atomically precise manufacturing (APM). Previous theoretical and experimental works on atom by atom and molecule by molecule fabrication of precise structures are limited to essentially to two-dimensions. APM will enable a paradigm shift in 21st century manufacturing practices in which every single atom in a electronic chip, device or machine can be placed in an exact and predefined position in three-dimensions. By providing a general method for generating reproducible SPM tip structure, this project will drive forward the entire field of atomically precise scanning probe microscopy, opening the door to positional control of nearly arbitrary covalent chemistry. Such control could, for example, be used in applications such as novel 2.5 or 3D microchip fabrication. The creation of a unique manufacturing method through APM has the potential to impact technologies at the theoretical limits of performance, weight, and utility including: solid-state quantum and spintronic computing systems, high efficiency optical antenna, solar power systems, defect engineered materials and extremely efficient catalysts. Although this experiment focused on pick-and-place non-scalable APM, the better understanding of the chemistry is crucial to the eventual goal of scalable APM. To place individual atoms into a specified location is a seminal aspiration of researchers and engineers in the many fields and may have early premium applications in medical devices and microelectronics.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Vibrational Signatures of Electronic Properties in Renewable-Energy Catalysis

The objective of this research program is to discover and develop new approaches for ab initio computational simulations of molecular motion. Specifically, this program aims to decipher the connection between the underlying electronic structure and the accordant molecular vibrations in reactive ions and radicals for renewable-energy purposes. Recent experimental progress in ion sources and optical spectroscopies has unearthed considerable new inner-sphere detail for these complexes, but the connection between these spectral signatures and mechanistic information often remains elusive, to the continued frustration of experimentalists. For this purpose, new anharmonic vibrational frequency methods, along with a publicly deployed software package, will be developed. Working closely with committed experimental collaborators, this conceptual and computational framework will be used to explain the results of new spectroscopy experiments, focusing specifically on the inner-shell mechanisms of renewable-energy catalysis. The oxidation half of catalytic water-splitting chemistry will be a central focus, along with fundamental studies of the manner in which strong ions and radicals activate solvent as a chemical species. The resulting products of the research program will include openly available software and algorithms for the ab initio simulation of challenging vibrational spectra, as well as critical mechanistic insight into energy-focused catalytic processes that are opaque to other existing analytical techniques.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2025

GEANT3 simulations for a beryllium Moderator for the Neutron Target Demonstrator (NTD)

Measurements of neutron-induced reactions, particularly on short-lived nuclei, are crucial for nuclear astrophysics and applications. The Neutron Target Demonstrator (NTD) aims to address this by using a strong mod erated spallation neutron source coupled with an ion storage ring. This work investigates the potential of improving the neutron moderator, a key component of the NTD. Using GEANT3 simulations, we compare the performance of the existing 80 cm carbon moderator with a new moder ator design, which utilizes beryllium pieces available at LANL to form a core surrounded by carbon. Simulations were performed 800 MeV pro tons incident on a tungsten target. The results demonstrate that the beryllium-core moderator increases the density of moderated neutrons within the central beam pipe by roughly a factor 4 compared to the pure carbon moderator. This enhancement makes the beryllium-core design a very promising option for future experiments focused on neutron-induced measurements in inverse kinematics.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2026

Intelligent Experiments through Real-Time AI: Fast Data Processing and Autonomous Detector Control for High-Energy Nuclear Experiments

The aim of this project is to develop software and hardware for fast real-time data processing and autonomous detector control and calibration for the sPHENIX and the future EIC experiments. Below summarizes Georgia Tech team efforts in the past year: 1. We developed a real-time clustering algorithm and FPGA-based pipeline architecture for processing fired pixel data from ALPIDE sensors in sPHENIX experiments. Our Columnar Clustering Co-Design introduces a hardware-aware, stream-friendly approach that segments pixel data by column pairs using a Column Pair Clustering (CPC) strategy, followed by Cluster Stitching to merge adjacent subclusters. Implemented in Vitis HLS, the pipeline comprises five stages—read-in, subclustering, stitching, analysis, and write-out—connected by tagged HLS streams with custom end-of-event signaling for robust synchronization. We designed a pipelined dataflow model optimized for throughput, low latency, and minimal buffering, enabling scalable clustering across events of arbitrary size. Our system maintains spatial precision via center-of-mass and shape key extraction and efficiently handles edge cases such as fragmented or nested clusters. Compared against DBSCAN in both software and hardware, our approach demonstrates competitive performance under FPGA constraints. 2. We also conducted a comprehensive algorithm-to-hardware co-design of connected component analysis tailored for sPHENIX experiments, focusing on real-time, low-latency processing using FPGAs and High-Level Synthesis (HLS). Starting from a Python-based particle tracking pipeline, the team translated the core logic—graph traversal via DFS and Union-Find—into an HLS-compatible C++ model, replacing dynamic memory and recursion with static arrays and pipelined control flow. The final design includes a fully streamed and dataflow-compatible Union-Find kernel optimized across five iterations, incorporating loop pipelining, array partitioning, AXI/FIFO interface tuning, and function flattening. Experimental results show up to 14.8× speedup over the CPU baseline, reducing per-graph latency to 1.58 μs and demonstrating strong resource efficiency with only ~7k LUTs and zero BRAM usage. The design maintains functional correctness against the Python reference using a Python-based C-simulation framework and Mean Squared Error metrics. This work validates the potential of HLS-driven FPGA designs for edge-level HEP data acquisition, laying a scalable foundation for future integration with real-time detector pipelines and multi-graph processing systems.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS1972

Shockwave determination of the shear velocity at very high pressures

A shock wave experiment is described for confirming changes in density, from seismic interpretation, for determining the properties of planet interiors. The experiment focuses on the problem of measurements in a pressure region, where the shear velocity tends to vanish, or become very small. Pressure-sensitive lattice stability, and the equations for an atomic model of the NaCl lattice are discussed along with the particle velocity shock technique.

Anderson, O. L.↗
NASA NTRS1976

The Large Area Crop Inventory Experiment (LACIE)

A Large Area Crop Inventory Experiment (LACIE) was undertaken to prove out an economically important application of remote sensing from space. The experiment focused upon determination of wheat acreages in the U.S. Great Plains and upon the development and testing of yield models. The results and conclusions are presented.

Macdonald, R. B.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Mathematical model for steady state, simple ampholyte isoelectric focusing: Development, computer simulation and implementation

The elimination of Ampholine from the system by establishing the pH gradient with simple ampholytes is proposed. A mathematical model was exercised at the level of the two-component system by using values for mobilities, diffusion coefficients, and dissociation constants representative of glutamic acid and histidine. The constants assumed in the calculations are reported. The predictions of the model and computer simulation of isoelectric focusing experiments are in direct importance to obtain Ampholine-free, stable pH gradients.

Palusinski, O. A.↗
NASA NTRS1981

AgRISTARS: Foreign commodity production forecasting. The 1980 US/Canada wheat and barley exploratory experiment

The crop identification procedures used performed were for spring small grains and are conducive to automation. The performance of the machine processing techniques shows a significant improvement over previously evaluated technology; however, the crop calendars require additional development and refinements prior to integration into automated area estimation technology. The integrated technology is capable of producing accurate and consistent spring small grains proportion estimates. Barley proportion estimation technology was not satisfactorily evaluated because LANDSAT sample segment data was not available for high density barley of primary importance in foreign regions and the low density segments examined were not judged to give indicative or unequvocal results. Generally, the spring small grains technology is ready for evaluation in a pilot experiment focusing on sensitivity analysis to a variety of agricultural and meteorological conditions representative of the global environment.

Payne, R. W.↗
NASA NTRS1983

The 1980 US/Canada wheat and barley exploratory experiment, volume 1

The results from the U.S./Canada Wheat and Barley Exploratory Experiment which was completed during FY 1980 are presented. The results indicate that the new crop identification procedures performed well for spring small grains and that they are conductive to automation. The performance of the machine processing techniques shows a significant improvement over previously evaluated technology. However, the crop calendars will require additional development and refinements prior to integration into automated area estimation technology. The evaluation showed the integrated technology to be capable of producing accurate and consistent spring small grains proportion estimates. However, barley proportion estimation technology was not satisfactorily evaluated. The low-density segments examined were judged not to give indicative or unequivocal results. It is concluded that, generally, the spring small grains technology is ready for evaluation in a pilot experiment focusing on sensitivity analyses to a variety of agricultural and meteorological conditions representative of the global environment. It is further concluded that a strong potential exists for establishing a highly efficient technology or spring small grains.

Bizzell, R. M.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Types of Tracking Errors Induced by Concurrent Secondary Manual Task

Future one-man helicopters may require the pilot to control flight with one hand, and simultaneously manipulate other instruments using the other hand. The nature of errors induced in a right hand tracking task (simulating flight control) when responses are required by the left hand are examined. The present experiment focused on detection of hesitations in which the tracking joy stick remained motionless for 1/3 sec. or longer.

Klapp, S. T.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Flight research with the MIT Daedalus prototype

The MIT Light Eagle human-powered aircraft underwent long-duration testing over Rogers Dry Lake in California during January, 1987. Designed as a prototype for the MIT Daedalus Project, the Light Eagle's forty-eight flights provided pilot training, established new distance records for human-powered flight, and provided quantitative data through a series of instrumented flight experiments. The experiments focused on: (1) evaluating physiological loads on the pilot, (2) determining airframe power requirements, and (3) developing an electronic flight control system. This paper discusses the flight test program, its results and their implications for the follow-on Daedalus aircraft, and the potential uses of the Light Eagle as a low Reynolds number testbed.

Bussolari, Steven R.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Experiments in advanced control concepts for space robotics - An overview of the Stanford Aerospace Robotics Laboratory

The Stanford University Aerospace Robotics Laboratory is actively developing and experimentally testing advanced robot control strategies for space robotic applications. Early experiments focused on control of very lightweight one-link manipulators and other flexible structures. The results are being extended to position and force control of mini-manipulators attached to flexible manipulators and multilink manipulators with flexible drive trains. Experimental results show that end-point sensing and careful dynamic modeling or adaptive control are key to the success of these control strategies. Free-flying space robot simulators that operate on an air cushion table have been built to test control strategies in which the dynamics of the base of the robot and the payload are important.

Hollars, M. G.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Changes in geometrical and biomechanical properties of immature male and female rat tibia

The differences in the geometry and mechanical properties of immature male and female rat tibiae were detailed in order to provide comparative data for spaceflight, exercise, or disease experiments that use immature rats as an animal model. The experiment focuses on the particularly rapid period of growth that occurs in the Sprague-Dawley rat between 40 and 60 d of age. Tibial length and middiaphysical cross-sectional data were analyzed for eight different groups of rats according to age and sex, and tibial mechanical properties were obtained via three-point bending tests to failure. Results indicate that, during the 15 d period of rapid growth, changes in rat tibial geometry are more important than changes in bone material properties for influencing the mechanical properties of the tibia. Male tibiae changed primarily in structural properties, while in the female rats major changes in mechanical properties of the tibia were only attributable to changes in the structural properties of the bone.

Zernicke, Ronald F.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Microgravity Experiments On Animals

Paper describes experiments on animal subjects planned for Spacelab Life Sciences 1 mission. Laboratory equipment evaluated, and physiological experiments performed. Represents first step in establishing technology for maintaining and manipulating rodents, nonhuman primates, amphibians, and plants during space flight without jeopardizing crew's environment. In addition, experiments focus on effects of microgravity on cardiopulmonary, cardiovascular, and musculoskeletal systems; on regulation of volume of blood and production of red blood cells; and on calcium metabolism and gravity receptors.

Dalton, B. P.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Correcting For Seed-Particle Lag In LV Measurements

Two experiments conducted to evaluate effects of sizes of seed particles on errors in LV measurements of mean flows. Both theoretical and conventional experimental methods used to evaluate errors. First experiment focused on measurement of decelerating stagnation streamline of low-speed flow around circular cylinder with two-dimensional afterbody. Second performed in transonic flow and involved measurement of decelerating stagnation streamline of hemisphere with cylindrical afterbody. Concluded, mean-quantity LV measurements subject to large errors directly attributable to sizes of particles. Predictions of particle-response theory showed good agreement with experimental results, indicating velocity-error-correction technique used in study viable for increasing accuracy of laser velocimetry measurements. Technique simple and useful in any research facility in which flow velocities measured.

Jones, Gregory S.↗
NASA NTRS1997

The 1996 NASA Aerospace Battery Workshop

The 1996 Workshop was held on three consecutive days and was divided into five sessions. The first day consisted of a General Primary Battery Session and a Nickel-Hydrogen Battery On-Orbit Reconditioning Experience Focused Session. The second day consisted of a Nickel-Hydrogen Session and a Nickel-Cadmium Session. The third and final day was devoted to an Other Secondary Technologies Session which covered sodium-sulfur, nickel-zinc, nickel-metal hydride, and lithium ion technologies.

Brewer, Jeffrey C.↗
NASA NTRS1995

High Energy Antimatter Telescope (HEAT) Balloon Experiment

This grant supported our work on the High Energy Antimatter Telescope(HEAT) balloon experiment. The HEAT payload is designed to perform a series of experiments focusing on the cosmic ray positron, electron, and antiprotons. Thus far two flights of the HEAT -e+/- configuration have taken place. During the period of this grant major accomplishments included the following: (1) Publication of the first results of the 1994 HEAT-e+/- flight in Physical Review Letters; (2) Successful reflight of the HEAT-e+/- payload from Lynn Lake in August 1995; (3) Repair and refurbishment of the elements of the HEAT payload damaged during the landing following the 1995 flight; and (4) Upgrade of the ground support equipment for future flights of the HEAT payload.

Beatty, J. J.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Thin Film Catalyst Layers for Direct Methanol Fuel Cells

One of the primary obstacles to the widespread use of the direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) is the high cost of the catalyst. Therefore, reducing the catalyst loading well below the current level of 8-12 mg/cm 2 would be important to commercialization. The current methods for preparation of catalyst layers consisting of catalyst, ionomer and sometimes a hydrophobic additive are applied by either painting, spraying, decal transfer or screen printing processes. Sputter deposition is a coating technique widely used in manufacturing and therefore particularly attractive. In this study we have begun to explore sputtering as a method for catalyst deposition. Present experiments focus on Pt-Ru catalyst layers for the anode.

Witham, C. K.↗