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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 775 records · Page 43
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1987

Identification of salt-alloy combinations for thermal energy storage applications in advanced solar dynamic power systems

Thermodynamic calculations based on the available data for flouride salt systems reveal that a number of congruently melting compositions and eutectics exist which have the potential to meet the lightweight, high energy storage requirements imposed for advanced solar dynamic systems operating between about 1000 and 1400 K. Compatibility studies to determine suitable containment alloys to be used with NaF-22CaF2-13MgF2, NaF-32CaF2, and NaF-23MgF2 have been conducted at the eutectic temperature + 25 K for each system. For these three NaF-based eutectics, none of the common, commercially available high temperature alloys appear to offer adequate corrosion resistance for a long lifetime; however mild steel, pure nickel and Nb-1Zr could prove useful. These latter materials suggest the possibility that a strong, corrosion resistant, nonrefractory, elevated temperature alloy based on the Ni-Ni3Nb system could be developed.

Whittenberger, J. D.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Development of Prototype Micro-Lidar using Narrow Linewidth Semiconductor Lasers for Mars Boundary Layer Wind and Dust Opacity Profiles

We have developed a compact Doppler lidar concept which utilizes recent developments in semiconductor diode laser technology in order to be considered suitable for wind and dust opacity profiling in the Mars lower atmosphere from a surface location. The current understanding of the Mars global climate and meteorology is very limited, with only sparse, near-surface data available from the Viking and Mars Pathfinder landers, supplemented by long-range remote sensing of the Martian atmosphere. The in situ measurements from a lander-based Doppler lidar would provide a unique dataset particularly for the boundary layer. The coupling of the radiative properties of the lower atmosphere with the dynamics involves the radiative absorption and scattering effects of the wind-driven dust. Variability in solar irradiance, on diurnal and seasonal time scales, drives vertical mixing and PBL (planetary boundary layer) thickness. The lidar data will also contribute to an understanding of the impact of wind-driven dust on lander and rover operations and lifetime through an improvement in our understanding of Mars climatology. In this paper we discuss the Mars lidar concept, and the development of a laboratory prototype for performance studies, using, local boundary layer and topographic target measurements.

Menzies, Robert T.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Symbol synchronizer assembly instability study, part 2

Data processing to develop a third-order phase model and to translate all such processed data to the frequency realm for further analysis was described. The frequency study yields a long frequency modulation (FM) drift sinusoid (1600-sec period), an impressed secondary drift wave with a period of about 116 sec, and a set of even harmonics of twice the ramp period-the latter arising from, and used to modify, the phase detector model. The result is applied secondarily to estimate the strong-signal SSA phase detector response "out-of-lock." Finally, the main drift components are verified against all available data, and the result is used to estimate minimum lock conditions and the SSA drift effect under normal operating modes. The instability problem appears marginally resolvable if the acquisition technique is modified.

Bunce, R. C.↗
NASA NTRS2008

Electrostatic Charging of Lunar Dust by UV Photoelectric Emissions and Solar Wind Electrons

The ubiquitous presence of dust in the lunar environment with its high adhesive characteristics has been recognized to be a major safety issue that must be addressed in view of its hazardous effects on robotic and human exploration of the Moon. The reported observations of a horizon glow and streamers at the lunar terminator during the Apollo missions are attributed to the sunlight scattered by the levitated lunar dust. The lunar surface and the dust grains are predominantly charged positively by the incident UV solar radiation on the dayside and negatively by the solar wind electrons on the night-side. The charged dust grains are levitated and transported over long distances by the established electric fields. A quantitative understanding of the lunar dust phenomena requires development of global dust distribution models, based on an accurate knowledge of lunar dust charging properties. Currently available data of lunar dust charging is based on bulk materials, although it is well recognized that measurements on individual dust grains are expected to be substantially different from the bulk measurements. In this paper we present laboratory measurements of charging properties of Apollo 11 & 17 dust grains by UV photoelectric emissions and by electron impact. These measurements indicate substantial differences of both qualitative and quantitative nature between dust charging properties of individual micron/submicron sized dust grains and of bulk materials. In addition, there are no viable theoretical models available as yet for calculation of dust charging properties of individual dust grains for both photoelectric emissions and electron impact. It is thus of paramount importance to conduct comprehensive measurements for charging properties of individual dust grains in order to develop realistic models of dust processes in the lunar atmosphere, and address the hazardous issues of dust on lunar robotic and human missions.

Abbas, Mian M.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

A Machine Learning Approach to Determine Surface Radiative Fluxes based on CERES Observations

The Clouds and Earth’s Radiant Energy System (CERES) projects provides satellite-based observations of the radiative fluxes and clouds systems. CERES climate quality data products typically take several months of calibration and validation before release to the public. An alternative data product, Fast Longwave and Shortwave radiative Flux (FLASHFlux), was created to provide data to the applied sciences and educational users. FLASHFlux provides Top-of-Atmosphere radiative fluxes, Clouds properties, and parameterized surface radiative fluxes within four days for footprint (Level 2) data. We investigate the use of Artificial Neural Network (ANN) using MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) derived clouds properties and meteorology from the Global Assimilation and Meteorology Office (GMAO) scaled to the CERES footprint from the CERES Clouds Radiative Swath (CRS) data product to compute surface radiative fluxes. We test ANN produce fluxes against surface fluxes produced from the Fu-Liou model used in CRS and the Langley Parameterized Shortwave Algorithm (LPSA) and Langley Parameterized Longwave Algorithm (LPLA) used in FLASHFlux. We also validated each model with ground-based observations. Furthermore, we investigate Leave-One-Feature-Out Importance (LOFO) to evaluate the significance of each feature in our training and provide insight for future models. Advances in machine learning, along with increases in computational capabilities and available data allow us to estimate effects of unresolved processes in our climate without direct modeling. This work evaluates the ability to create accurate data-driven models to supplement or replace current models that estimate surface radiative fluxes.

Climatology↗
NASA NTRS2020

A Systematic Review of Local to Regional Yield Forecasting Approaches and Frequently Used Data Resources

Forecasting crop yields, or providing an expectation of ex-ante harvest amounts, is highly relevant to the whole agricultural production chain. Farmers can adapt their management, traders or insurers their pricing schemes, suppliers their stocks, logistic companies their routes, national authorities their food balance sheets to guide import or export and, finally, international aid organizations can mobilize reliefs. Evidence has grown in the literature that such forecasts with a meaningful lead time are possible on various geographic scales and for a broad range of crops. Here, we present a systematic review of the methods applied in end-of-season yield forecasting and three frequently used data sources: weather data, satellite data and crop masks. Our literature database comprises 362 studies (2004–2019) which were evaluated regarding methods, crops, regions, data sources, lead time and performance. Moreover, we present 24 sources of real-time and predictive weather data, 21 sources of remote sensing data and 16 crop masks. Yield forecasting in our literature sample has been performed for 44 crops in 71 countries, also including many non-staple crops, but with an apparent bias in regions and crops. Forecasting performance depends on various factors, including crop, region, method, lead time to harvest and input diversity. Our systematic review supports a broader application of locally successful approaches at larger scales by providing a comprehensive, accessible compendium of necessary information for yield forecasting. We discuss improvement potentials with respect to methodological approaches and available data sources. We additionally suggest standardization procedures for future forecasting studies and encourage studying additional crops and geographic regions. Implications of forecasts for different target groups on different scales and the adaptation towards climate change are also discussed.

Seasonal crop yield forecasting↗
NASA NTRS2000

Large Grooves in the South Polar Layered Deposits: Insights from Spacecraft Data and Terrestrial Analogs

The Martian polar layered deposits (PLD) are probably the best source of information about the recent climate history of Mars, but their origin and the mechanisms of accumulation are still a mystery. The polar layers are sedimentary deposits that most planetary scientists believe are composed of water ice and varying amounts of wind-blown dust, although their composition is poorly constrained. Interpretation of the observed polar stratigraphy in terms of global climate changes is complicated by the significant difference in surface ages between the north and south PLD inferred from crater statistics. The study reported here was undertaken as part of the landing site selection effort for the Mars Polar Lander (MPL) and Deep Space 2 (DS2) missions that made use of all available data. We used Mariner 9, Viking, and Mars Global Surveyor images of the south PLD in the area accessible to MPL and DS2 to evaluate the topography and morphology of grooves, terraced layers, and other features. Here we report on results from grooves that appear to have been carved by strong winds. Because these features are found throughout the interior of the PLD, where MPL and DS2 were targeted to land, their topographic characteristics were judged as important input for landing site safety assessment. The characteristics of the grooves also provide constraints and insights into aeolian processes in the polar regions and the effects these have on PLD ablation. Our results indicate that these grooves do not represent landing hazards at the scale of the images (approx. 80 m/pixel). Their topography and shape do not seem correlated with south PLD layering. No Earth analog of suitable scale exists, although the grooves bear some resemblance to smaller terrestrial deflation hollows found in soft sediment and ice. Additional information is contained in original extended abstract.

Bridges, N. T.↗
NASA NTRS1996

The Microgravity Research Experiments (MICREX) Data Base

An electronic data base identifying over 800 fluids and materials processing experiments performed in a low-gravity environment has been created at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center. The compilation, called MICREX (MICrogravity Research Experiments), was designed to document all such experimental efforts performed (1) on U.S. manned space vehicles, (2) on payloads deployed from U.S. manned space vehicles, and (3) on all domestic and international sounding rockets (excluding those of China and the former U.S.S.R.). Data available on most experiments include (1) principal and co-investigators (2) low-gravity mission, (3) processing facility, (4) experimental objectives and results, (5) identifying key words, (6) sample materials, (7) applications of the processed materials/research area, (8) experiment descriptive publications, and (9) contacts for more information concerning the experiment. This technical memorandum (1) summarizes the historical interest in reduced-gravity fluid dynamics, (2) describes the experimental facilities employed to examine reduced gravity fluid flow, (3) discusses the importance of a low-gravity fluids and materials processing data base, (4) describes the MICREX data base format and computational World Wide Web access procedures, and (5) documents (in hard-copy form) the descriptions of the first 600 fluids and materials processing experiments entered into MICREX.

Winter, C. A.↗
NASA NTRS1996

The Microgravity Research Experiments (MICREX) Data Base

An electronic data base identifying over 800 fluids and materials processing experiments performed in a low-gravity environment has been created at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center. The compilation, called MICREX (MICrogravity Research Experiments), was designed to document all such experimental efforts performed (1) on U.S. manned space vehicles, (2) on payloads deployed from U.S. manned space vehicles, and (3) on all domestic and international sounding rockets (excluding those of China and the former U.S.S.R.). Data available on most experiments include (1) principal and co-investigators, (2) low-gravity mission, (3) processing facility, (4) experimental objectives and results, (5) identifying key words, (6) sample materials, (7) applications of the processed materials/research area, (8) experiment descriptive publications, and (9) contacts for more information concerning the experiment. This technical memorandum (1) summarizes the historical interest in reduced-gravity fluid dynamics, (2) describes the experimental facilities employed to examine reduced gravity fluid flow, (3) discusses the importance of a low-gravity fluids and materials processing data base, (4) describes the MICREX data base format and computational World Wide Web access procedures, and (5) documents (in hard-copy form) the descriptions of the first 600 fluids and materials processing experiments entered into MICREX.

Winter, C. A.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Atmospheric degradation mechanisms of hydrogen containing chlorofluorocarbons (HCFC) and fluorocarbons (HFC)

The current knowledge of atmospheric degradation of hydrogen containing chlorofluorocarbons (HCFC 22 (CHClF2), HCFC 123 (CHCl2CF3), HCFC 124 (CHClFCF3), HCFC 141b (CFCl2CH3), HCFC 142b (CF2ClCH3)) and fluorocarbons (HFC 125 (CHF2CF3), HFC 134a (CH2FCF3), HFC 152a (CHF2CH3)) is assessed. Except for the initiation reaction by OH radicals, there are virtually no experimental data available concerning the subsequent oxidative breakdown of these molecules. However, from an analogy to the degradation mechanisms of simple alkanes, some useful guidelines as to the expected intermediates and final products can be derived. A noteable exception from this analogy, however, appears for the oxi-radicals. Here, halogen substitution induces new reaction types (C-Cl and C-C bond ruptures) which are unknown to the unsubstituted analogues and which modify the nature of the expected carbonyl products. Based on an evaluation of these processes using estimated bond strength data, the following simplified rules with regards to the chlorine content of the HCFC's may be deduced: (1) HCFC's containing one chlorine atom such as 22 and 142b seem to release their chlorine content essentially instantaneous with the initial attack on the parent by OH radicals, and for HCFC 124, such release is apparently prevented; (2) HCFC's such as 123 and 141b with two chlorine atoms are expected to release only one of these instantaneously; and the second chlorine atom may be stored in potentially long-lived carbonyl compounds such as CF3CClO or CClFO.

Zellner, Reinhard↗
NASA NTRS2008

Formation of Clustered DNA Damage after High-LET Irradiation: A Review

Radiation can cause as well as cure cancer. The risk of developing radiation-induced cancer has traditionally been estimated from cancer incidence among survivors of the atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. These data provide the best estimate of human cancer risk over the dose range for low linear energy transfer (LET) radiations, such as X- or gamma-rays. The situation of estimating the real biological effects becomes even more difficult in the case of high LET particles encountered in space or as the result of domestic exposure to particles from radon gas emitters or other radioactive emitters like uranium-238. Complex DNA damage, i.e., the signature of high-LET radiations comprises by closely spaced DNA lesions forming a cluster of DNA damage. The two basic groups of complex DNA damage are double strand breaks (DSBs) and non-DSB oxidative clustered DNA lesions (OCDL). Theoretical analysis and experimental evidence suggest there is increased complexity and severity of complex DNA damage with increasing LET (linear energy transfer) and a high mutagenic or carcinogenic potential. Data available on the formation of clustered DNA damage (DSBs and OCDL) by high-LET radiations are often controversial suggesting a variable response to dose and type of radiation. The chemical nature and cellular repair mechanisms of complex DNA damage have been much less characterized than those of isolated DNA lesions like an oxidized base or a single strand break especially in the case of high-LET radiation. This review will focus on the induction of clustered DNA damage by high-LET radiations presenting the earlier and recent relative data.

Hada, Megumi↗
NASA NTRS1998

The Use of Indirect Estimates of Soil Moisture to Initialize Coupled Models and its Impact on Short-Term and Seasonal Simulations

It is well known that soil moisture is a characteristic of the land surface that strongly affects the partitioning of outgoing radiation into sensible and latent heat which significantly impacts both weather and climate. Detailed land surface schemes are now being coupled to mesoscale atmospheric models in order to represent the effect of soil moisture upon atmospheric simulations. However, there is little direct soil moisture data available to initialize these models on regional to continental scales. As a result, a Soil Hydrology Model (SHM) is currently being used to generate an indirect estimate of the soil moisture conditions over the continental United States at a grid resolution of 36 Km on a daily basis since 8 May 1995. The SHM is forced by analyses of atmospheric observations including precipitation and contains detailed information on slope soil and landcover characteristics.The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the utility of initializing a detailed coupled model with the soil moisture data produced by SHM.

Lapenta, William M.↗
NASA NTRS2016

Modeling Global Water Use for the 21st Century: Water Futures and Solutions (WFaS) Initiative and Its Approaches

To sustain growing food demand and increasing standard of living, global water use increased by nearly 6 times during the last 100 years, and continues to grow. As water demands get closer and closer to the water availability in many regions, each drop of water becomes increasingly valuable and water must be managed more efficiently and intensively. However, soaring water use worsens water scarcity conditions already prevalent in semi-arid and arid regions, increasing uncertainty for sustainable food production and economic development. Planning for future development and investments requires that we prepare water projections for the future. However, estimations are complicated because the future of the world's waters will be influenced by a combination of environmental, social, economic, and political factors, and there is only limited knowledge and data available about freshwater resources and how they are being used. The Water Futures and Solutions (WFaS) initiative coordinates its work with other ongoing scenario efforts for the sake of establishing a consistent set of new global water scenarios based on the shared socio-economic pathways (SSPs) and the representative concentration pathways (RCPs). The WFaS "fast track" assessment uses three global water models, namely H08, PCR-GLOBWB, and WaterGAP. This study assesses the state of the art for estimating and projecting water use regionally and globally in a consistent manner. It provides an overview of different approaches, the uncertainty, strengths and weaknesses of the various estimation methods, types of management and policy decisions for which the current estimation methods are useful. We also discuss additional information most needed to be able to improve water use estimates and be able to assess a greater range of management options across the water-energy-climate nexus.

soaring↗
NASA NTRS1985

Heat flow in eastern Egypt - The thermal signature of a continental breakup

It is noted that the Red Sea is a modern example of continental fragmentation and incipient ocean formation. A consistent pattern of high heat flow in the Red Sea margins and coastal zone, including Precambrian terrane up to at least 30 km from the Red Sea, has emerged from the existing data. It is noted that this pattern has important implications for the mode and mechanism of Red Sea opening. High heat flow in the Red Sea shelf requires either a high extension of the crust in this zone (probably with major basic magmatic activity) or young oceanic crust beneath this zone. High heat flow in the coastal thermal anomaly zone may be caused by lateral conduction from the offshore lithosphere and/or from high mantle heat flow. It is suggested that new oceanic crust and highly extended continental crust would be essentially indistinguishable with the available data in the Red Sea margins, and are for many purposes essentially identical.

Morgan, P.↗
NASA NTRS2005

Optimal Estimation of Clock Values and Trends from Finite Data

We show how to solve two problems of optimal linear estimation from a finite set of phase data. Clock noise is modeled as a stochastic process with stationary dth increments. The covariance properties of such a process are contained in the generalized autocovariance function (GACV). We set up two principles for optimal estimation: with the help of the GACV, these principles lead to a set of linear equations for the regression coefficients and some auxiliary parameters. The mean square errors of the estimators are easily calculated. The method can be used to check the results of other methods and to find good suboptimal estimators based on a small subset of the available data.

stationary increments↗
NASA NTRS2016

Snow Process Estimation Over the Extratropical Andes Using a Data Assimilation Framework Integrating MERRA Data and Landsat Imagery

A data assimilation framework was implemented with the objective of obtaining high resolution retrospective snow water equivalent (SWE) estimates over several Andean study basins. The framework integrates Landsat fractional snow covered area (fSCA) images, a land surface and snow depletion model, and the Modern Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications (MERRA) reanalysis as a forcing data set. The outputs are SWE and fSCA fields (1985-2015) at a resolution of 90 m that are consistent with the observed depletion record. Verification using in-situ snow surveys showed significant improvements in the accuracy of the SWE estimates relative to forward model estimates, with increases in correlation (0.49-0.87) and reductions in root mean square error (0.316 m to 0.129 m) and mean error (-0.221 m to 0.009 m). A sensitivity analysis showed that the framework is robust to variations in physiography, fSCA data availability and a priori precipitation biases. Results from the application to the headwater basin of the Aconcagua River showed how the forward model versus the fSCA-conditioned estimate resulted in different quantifications of the relationship between runoff and SWE, and different correlation patterns between pixel-wise SWE and ENSO. The illustrative results confirm the influence that ENSO has on snow accumulation for Andean basins draining into the Pacific, with ENSO explaining approximately 25% of the variability in near-peak (1 September) SWE values. Our results show how the assimilation of fSCA data results in a significant improvement upon MERRA-forced modeled SWE estimates, further increasing the utility of the MERRA data for high-resolution snow modeling applications.

SWE↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Modeling Measurement Error in Dose-Response Models of Community Annoyance to Low-Noise Supersonic Flight

The primary research goal of the forthcoming NASA Quesst mission community test campaign is to collect representative community response data in support of the development of supersonic overflight noise certification standards. Beginning in 2026, NASA will fly the novel X-59 demonstrator aircraft over select communities in United States in order to demonstrate the possibility of low-noise supersonic flight over land and to collect objective measurements and subjective data on the perceptual experience of this new noise source. It is believed that a regression of a binary perceptual response (‘highly annoyed’ or ‘not’) on estimated noise levels (doses, measured in decibels) will provide a useful dose-response relationship for regulators. However, as these estimated doses will be subject to measurement error, naïve estimators of regression coefficients are inconsistent and slopes may be subject to attenuation bias. In this presentation, I contrast functional modeling of measurement error via simulation extrapolation (SIMEX) with structural Bayesian measurement error models. These methods are applied to available data collected during two NASA risk reduction studies in California in 2011 and Texas in 2018. I’ll conclude noting that in the presence of nonnegligible measurement errors, probabilities of annoyance may be overpredicted for low noise levels and underpredicted for high noise levels, therefore, methods of correcting for measurement error will be necessary to improve the utility of the dose-response relationship for policy-making purposes.

simulation↗
NASA NTRS1985

VLBI monitoring of the superluminal quasar 3C 273, 1977-1982

The compact ratio structure of the quasar 3C 273 has been monitored with a VLBI array at 5.0 and 10.7 GHz at six-month intervals during 1977-1982. THe VLBI monitoring observations, data reduction, calibration, and mapping techniques are described, and hybrid maps from the monitoring program are presented along with a brief discussion of the main features. Results on the source kinematics (superluminal motion of the knots and their time evolution) are given, and synchro-Compton models of the knots are presented and limits to their Doppler factors (delta) derived from X-ray measurements. The constraints on jet geometry provided by the combined measurements of delta and v/c are considered. For the core, the inhomogeneous jet model of Koenigl (1981) is compared with the available data. The relation between 3C 273 and the similar superluminal source 3C 345 is discussed.

Unwin, S. C.↗