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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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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2023

Development of process parameters and post-build conditions for qualification of LPBF 316 SS

To harness the potential of laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) 316H stainless steel (SS) for use in advanced nuclear reactors, extensive research efforts are needed to develop optimal laser processing parameters and appropriate heat treatments, taking into account various manufacturing platforms and locations. Furthermore, it is crucial to assess the material properties in environments relevant to reactor operating conditions. In collaboration with Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) is dedicated to gaining insights into how the manufacturing process and post-build treatments impact the performance of LPBF 316H SS. This report provides an overview of ANL's research findings for FY23, focusing on LPBF 316H SS produced using a Renishaw AM400 laser system. Specifically, our research has concentrated on three key areas: 1) Optimum laser processing parameters: Leveraging the high-throughput printing technology, we systematically varied the laser power, exposure time and point distance within the same build. By measuring the as-printed porosity, we identified an optimum printing parameter window that produced materials with near-complete density; 2) Post-built treatment development: Materials printed with the optimum laser parameters underwent treatments including stress relief, solution annealing, and hot isostatic pressing. Subsequently, we fabricated tension, creep, and fatigue specimens from materials subjected to these different conditions. Over the next year, a series of scoping tests will be conducted to facilitate the selection of the most suitable post-build treatment condition; 3) Thermal aging effects on microstructure and properties: thermal aging at 550°C, 650°C and 750°C was conducted on LPBF 316H SS specimens up to 2500 h. Microstructural characterization was performed with electron microscopy, and the evolution of the dislocation cell structures and secondary phases was studied. Microhardness tests and tension tests were conducted to quantify changes in mechanical properties. The results revealed that the aged LPBF 316H SS exhibited a high density of Cr-rich and Mo-rich fine precipitates within grains due to the presence of a high density of dislocations and the globally distributed dislocation cell structures, which served as heterogeneous nucleation sites for secondary phases. Along grain boundaries, a Mo-Cr-rich phase, observed in 750°C-aged conditions, displayed significant thermal coarsening. Throughout the aging process, various mechanisms, including stress relaxation, dislocation cell structure recovery, solution hardening, and precipitation hardening, competed to influence materials strength. These results contribute towards establishing the technical basis for qualifying LPBF 316H SS for advanced nuclear reactor applications.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

A Framework to Demonstrate a DNP3 Interface With a CIM-Based Data Integration Platform: Preprint

The contemporary electrical grid is characterized by its complexity and abundance of data. A control-rich environment supported by information and communication technologies within an Advanced Distribution Management System (ADMS) presents a viable and cost-effective option for utility companies aiming to implement advanced real-time analytical schemes for monitoring and remotely controlling distribution feeders. Modular platform-based approaches to distribution operations require a structured framework for acquiring field device measurements, performing analytics, converting the setpoint to the correct protocol, and sending it on the appropriate communications network to the field devices. We present the development and deployment of an application service to integrate an open-source standardsbased platform with an ADMS test bed with field devices using the Distributed Network Protocol (DNP3) for data exchange. The step-by-step procedure for establishing the DNP3-Master service on an open-source distribution platform is outlined, comprehensively explaining the Master setup process. Moreover, sample use case results highlight the capabilities of the DNP3- Master service setup. Results demonstrate the scalability and configurability of the DNP3-Master service, making it adaptable for integration with other relevant applications, thus providing potential opportunities for real-world field trials and real-time assessments.

ADMS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Clear as mud redefined: Tunable transparent mineral scaffolds for visualizing microbial processes below ground

Microbes inhabiting complex porous microenvironments in sediments and aquifers catalyze reactions that are critical to global biogeochemical cycles and ecosystem health. However, the opacity and complexity of porous sediment and rock matrices have considerably hindered the study of microbial processes occurring within these habitats. Here, we generated microbially compatible, optically transparent mineral scaffolds to visualize and investigate microbial colonization and activities occurring in these environments, in laboratory settings and in situ. Using inexpensive synthetic cryolite mineral, we produced optically transparent scaffolds mimicking the complex 3D structure of sediments and rocks by adapting a suspension-based, freeze-casting technique commonly used in materials science. Fine-tuning of parameters, such as freezing rate and choice of solvent, provided full control of pore size and architecture. The combined effects of scaffold porosity and structure on the movement of microbe-sized particles, tested using velocity tracking of fluorescent beads, showed diverse yet reproducible behaviors. The scaffolds we produced are compatible with epifluorescence microscopy, allowing the fluorescence-based identification of colonizing microbes by DNA-based staining and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) to depths of 100 µm. Additionally, Raman spectroscopy analysis indicates minimal background signal in regions used for measuring deuterium and 13 C enrichment in microorganisms, highlighting the potential to directly couple D 2 O or 13 C stable isotope probing and Raman-FISH for quantifying microbial activity at the single-cell level. To demonstrate the relevance of cryolite scaffolds for environmental field studies, we visualized their colonization by diverse microorganisms within rhizosphere sediments of a coastal seagrass plant using epifluorescence microscopy. The tool presented here enables highly resolved, spatially explicit, and multimodal investigations into the distribution, activities, and interactions of underground microbes typically obscured within opaque geological materials until now.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Developing a Vision for Heliophysics Infrastructure: The LIKED Resource and the DIARieS Ecosystem

Heliophysics data and computational infrastracture are not equipped for 21st science, suffering from holes in the know-how to build better systems. Without a clear vision, efforts to improve the infrastructure have been incremental and incoherent. This poster presents both the vision and the technology required: an online LIbrary KnowledgE and Discovery (LIKED) resource for discovering and implementing knowledge, data, and infrastructure resources; and an online analysis ecosystem to simplify Discovery, Implementation, Analysis, Reproducibility, and Sharing (DIARieS) of scientific results and environments. The LIKED and DIARieS solutions adopt FAIR data principles and the best practices from the budding field of open science. The proposed new infrastructure components will close many of the current gaps in heliophysics’ infrastructure, such as the ability to search for data and knowledge by phenomenon across domains, and to find software and examples relevant to the desired data set (including model data). Further, these components will enable community members to more efficiently use the resources already present and improve upon the content via a community-curated and trusted library. Combining these solutions lowers the barriers to heliophysics resources for all, increasing the return on our investments. Finally, the structure behind these ideas are topic-agnostic, so they are fully extensible to other fields, leading to invaluable connections to other disciplines. Just as with the development and construction of a long-term satellite mission, we must work together as a community to build a vision of the infrastructure that will most benefit the community, and then collaborate to construct, assemble, and test all the necessary pieces individually and as a unit. Our purpose in presenting this work is to not only describe the proposed vision, but also to gather feedback from the community on this topic.

infrastructure↗
DOE OSTI2022

Oxygen and Proton Transport in Flooded Graphene Pores with N-Dopants and Defects

Reactant transport is an important consideration in the design of ideal electrode structures. For the oxygen reduction reaction catalyzed by Pt/C in proton exchange membrane fuel cell cathodes, O 2 and H + delivery to Pt surfaces and H 2 O transport away are required. Some Pt nanoparticles may only be accessible via micropores that are too small for ionomer molecules to enter, possibly requiring flooding for H + transport. Here, to test if these “buried” Pt particles can play a role in activity through this proposed transport mechanism, we have performed atomic-scale simulations based on reactive force field molecular dynamics with an emphasis on confinement below 20 Å. Diffusion coefficients as a function of the molar concentration and local environment have been evaluated in water domains confined in two-dimensional graphene nanochannels of various channel heights representing a morphological model for micropores in proton exchange fuel cell cathodes. Our study shows that local atomic-scale structures can strongly modify H + , O 2 , and H 2 O transport rates in flooded micropores less than 20 Å in size. We find that there is a critical crossover in diffusion behavior around the 20 Å spacing with larger pores having bulk-like diffusion properties and confinement below 20 Å monotonically decreases diffusion rates. As pore size decreases, we observe locally dispersed water regions that ultimately strand reactants from long-distance transport. These findings suggest that flooded micropores may in fact be viable transport pathways for relevant reactants and products if the pore walls on opposite sides remain separated by ≥10 Å separation. Furthermore, the confinement effect is so strong that N-doping and C-vacancy defects in the C pore wall have only a minimal impact on diffusion rates and their effects are counterintuitively more apparent at larger spacings. These findings provide valuable insight regarding cathode performance and the role “stranded” catalyst particles may play in fuel cell cathodes.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
NASA NTRS2008

Exploration of the Habitability of Mars with the SAM Suite Investigation on the 2009 Mars Science Laboratory

The 2009 Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) with a substantially larger payload capability that any other Mars rover, to date, is designed to quantitatively assess a local region on Mars as a potential habitat for present or past life. Its goals are (1) to assess past or present biological potential of a target environment, (2) to characterize geology and geochemistry at the MSL landing site, and (3) to investigate planetary processes that influence habitability. The Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) Suite, in its final stages of integration and test, enables a sensitive search for organic molecules and chemical and isotopic analysis of martian volatiles. MSL contact and remote surface and subsurface survey Instruments establish context for these measurements and facilitate sample identification and selection. The SAM instruments are a gas chromatograph (GC), a mass spectrometer (MS), and a tunable laser spectrometer (TLS). These together with supporting sample manipulation and gas processing devices are designed to analyze either the atmospheric composition or gases extracted from solid phase samples such as rocks and fines. For example, one of the core SAM experiment sequences heats a small powdered sample of a Mars rock or soil from ambient to -1300 K in a controlled manner while continuously monitoring evolved gases. This is followed by GCMS analysis of released organics. The general chemical survey is complemented by a specific search for molecular classes that may be relevant to life including atmospheric methane and its carbon isotope with the TLS and biomarkers with the GCMS.

Mahaffy, P. R.↗
NASA NTRS2013

Terrestrial Analog Field Investigations to Enable Science and Exploration Studies of Impacts and Volcanism on the Moon, NEAs, and Moons of Mars

Terrestrial analog studies are a critical component for furthering our understanding of geologic processes on the Moon, near-Earth asteroids (NEAs), and the moons of Mars. Carefully chosen analog sites provide a unique natural laboratory with high relevance to the associated science on these solar system target bodies. Volcanism and impact cratering are fundamental processes on the Moon, NEAs, and Phobos and Deimos. The terrestrial volcanic and impact records remain invaluable for our understanding of these processes throughout our solar system, since these are our primary source of firsthand knowledge on volcanic landform formation and modification as well as the three-dimensional structural and lithological character of impact craters. Regarding impact cratering, terrestrial fieldwork can help us to understand the origin and emplacement of impactites, the history of impact bombardment in the inner Solar System, the formation of complex impact craters, and the effects of shock on planetary materials. Volcanism is another dominant geologic process that has significantly shaped the surface of planetary bodies and many asteroids. Through terrestrial field investigations we can study the processes, geomorphic features and rock types related to fissure eruptions, volcanic constructs, lava tubes, flows and pyroclastic deposits. Also, terrestrial analog studies have the advantage of enabling simultaneous robotic and/or human exploration testing in a low cost, low risk, high fidelity environment to test technologies and concepts of operations for future missions to the target bodies. Of particular interest is the importance and role of robotic precursor missions prior to human operations for which there is little to no actual mission experience to draw upon. Also critical to understanding new worlds is sample return, and analog studies enable us to develop the appropriate procedures for collecting samples in a manner that will best achieve the science objectives.

complex impact craters↗
DOE OSTI2021

Study of Hydrogen Fuel Cell Technology for Freight Rail Propulsion and Review of Relevant Industry Standards.

Alternatives to conventional diesel electric propulsion are currently of interest to rail operators. In the U.S., smaller railroads have implemented natural gas and other railroads are exploring hydrogen technology as a cleaner alternative to diesel. Diesel, battery, hydrogen fuel cell, or track electrification all have trade-offs for operations, economics, safety, and public acceptability. A framework to compare different technologies for specific applications is useful to optimize the desired results. Standards from the Association of American Railroads (AAR) and other industry best practices were reviewed for applicability with hydrogen fuel cell technology. Some technical gaps relate to the physical properties of hydrogen, such as embrittlement of metals, invisible flames, and low liquid temperatures. A reassessment of material selection, leak/flame detection, and thermal insulation methods is required. Hydrogen is less dense and diffuses more easily than natural gas, and liquid hydrogen is colder than liquefied natural gas. Different densities between natural gas and hydrogen require modifications to tank designs and flow rates. Leaked hydrogen will rise rather than pool on the ground like diesel, requiring a modification to the location of hydrogen tanks on rolling stock. Finally, the vibration and shock experienced in the rail environment is higher than light-duty vehicles and stationary applications for which current fuel cell technology has been developed, requiring a modification in tank design requirements and testing.

08 HYDROGEN↗
NASA NTRS2011

Development of a Rover Simulation to Assess Operational Proficiency Following Long Duration Spaceflights

Following long-duration space transits, adaptive changes in sensorimotor and cognitive function may impair the crew s ability to safely control pressurized rovers designed to explore the new environment. We describe a rover simulation developed to quantify post-flight decrements in operational proficiency following International Space Station expeditions. The rover simulation consists of a serial presentation of discrete tasks to be completed as quickly and accurately as possible. Each task consists of 1) perspective taking using a map that defines a docking target, 2) navigation toward the target around a Martian outpost, and 3) docking a side hatch of the rover to a visually guided target. The simulator utilizes a Stewart-type motion base (CKAS, Australia), single seat cabin with triple scene projection covering approximately 150 horizontal by 40 vertical, and joystick controller. The software was implemented using Unity3 with next-gen PhysX engine to tightly synchronize simulation and motion platform commands. Separate C# applications allow investigators to customize session sequences with different lighting and gravitational conditions, and then execute tasks to be performed as well as record performance data. Preliminary tests resulted in low incidence of motion sickness (<15% unable to complete first session), with only negligible after effects and symptoms after familiarization sessions. Functionally relevant testing early post-flight will develop evidence regarding the limitations to early surface operations and what countermeasures are needed. This approach can be easily adapted to other vehicle designs to provide a platform to safely assess how sensorimotor and cognitive function impact manual control performance.

DeDios, Y. E.↗
NASA NTRS1997

Correlation of Chemical and Physical Test Data For the Environment Ageing of Coflon (PVDF)

This report aims to identify correlations between mechanical property changes and chemical/morphological structure changes for Coflon. It is intended both to illustrate the overall methodology and to indicate the testing that needs to be undertaken in order to obtain correlations. Many fluid exposures have now been carried out on Coflon during the project and many data generated as a result. The report summarises the changes observed in mechanical and physical properties and relates these as well as possible to the chemistry thought to be occurring during ageing. For this purpose, data have been collated from already-issued MERL and TRI technical and progress reports. Most of the mechanical testing of aged testpieces has been performed soon after the completion of the exposure; however, there is of necessity a delay in obtaining chemical analysis of the same testpieces, so that more physical than chemical data are shown. Three fluids have so far caused measurable deterioration of Coflon, these being: methanol (Fluid A), a methanol and amine mixture (Fluid G), and a mixture of methane, carbon dioxide gas and hydrogen sulphide gas plus aqueous amine (Fluid F). Only the effects of these fluids will be dealt with in any detail in this report, although other fluids are assessed to give relevant background information. Relevant test data collated here include: tensile modulus and related properties, mode of sample failure at break, fracture toughness, fatigue crack growth rate and resistance, stress relaxation rate, permeation coefficients, % crystallinity and molecular weight distributions together with changes in fluorine levels, and other observations where appropriate. However, not all of these were obtained for every ageing condition. Because of the wide range of tests employed, and the different ways in which their results are obtained, the following section has been included to serve as a background for making comparisons.

Morgan, G. J.↗
DOE OSTI2018

Quantum Chemical Approach for Calculating Stability Constants of Mercury Complexes

Stability constants are central to the multi-scale modeling of the thermodynamic speciation, cycling, and transport of mercury (Hg) and other contaminants in aquatic environments. However, for Hg, experimental values for many relevant complexes are not available, and for others can span ranges in excess of 10 log units. The missing data and large uncertainties mean there are significant knowledge gaps in predictions of thermodynamic speciation. As an alternative to experimental measurements, thermodynamic quantities can be calculated with quantum chemical methods. Among these, density functional theory (DFT) with a polarizable continuum solvent combines accuracy with practicability. In this paper, we present an accurate and quick approach in which we use DFT with continuum solvation to calculate stability constants of Hg complexes with inorganic and low molecular-weight organic ligands in aqueous solution. Specifically, we use the M06/[SDD]6-31+G(d,p) level of theory in combination with a modified version of the SMD solvent model in which the solute radii are re-optimized with a scaled solvent-accessible surface (sSAS) approach. For the set of 37 Hg complexes used for optimization, which contain environmentally relevant functional groups and have reliable experimental stability constants, we obtain a mean unsigned error of 1.4 log units. Testing the method on an independent set of 12 Hg complexes reproduces the experimental stability constants to a mean unsigned error of 1.6 log units. Finally, this approach is a substantial step toward generally applicable rapid stability constant derivation for a wide range of Hg complexes, including those present in dissolved organic matter.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2023

TRACER-Coastal Urban Boundary-Layer Interactions with Convection (TRACER-CUBIC) Field Campaign Report

To better understand the complicated web of processes governing convective cloud life cycle and aerosol-convection interactions, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) user facility supported deployment of a variety of advanced atmospheric measurement systems to the greater Houston, Texas, area from 1 October 2021 to 30 September 2022 as part of the Tracking Aerosol Convection Interactions Experiment (TRACER). Houston was selected as a study area because isolated convection and a variety of aerosol conditions are common in this region. This one-year ARM Mobile Facility (AMF) deployment featured a four-month intensive operational period (IOP) during summer 2022 (1 June–30 September). The ARM instrumentation was deployed at three sites along an east-west transect from La Porte, Texas to an ancillary site in a less-polluted rural region southwest of downtown Houston (Figure 1). At the La Porte Site, which is located near the Houston ship channel in an area that experiences significant pollution, the first ARM Mobile Facility (AMF1) was deployed. During the IOP, the ARM tethered balloon system (TBS) operated at the ancillary site. The second-generation C-Band Scanning ARM Precipitation Radar (CSAPR) operated near Pearland, Texas, roughly halfway between the Laporte and ancillary sites. As part of the TRACER- Coastal Urban Boundary-Layer Interactions with Convection (CUBIC) project, three boundary-layer profiling systems) were deployed along a north-south transect spanning from the University of Houston Coastal Center to the Aldine site north of downtown Houston (also blue dot in Figure 1) during the TRACER IOP. These systems included the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Severe Storms Laboratory CLAMPS2 (C2), which was deployed at the UHCC, the University of Wisconsin SPARC, which was deployed at the ARM CSAPR site near Pearland (orange diamond in middle of map in Figure 1), and the University of Oklahoma CLAMPS1 (C1), which was deployed at Aldine. These three systems have been successfully operated in various field campaigns, providing data sets that collectively offer new insights into atmospheric-boundary-layer (ABL) processes, sea-breeze (SB) circulations, and convection initiation (CI). For the TRACER IOP window, these systems ran continuously between 1 June and 26 September, 2022. Due to commitments to NOAA projects, the Doppler lidar at the UHCC site was not available until 24 June 2022. The CLAMPS and SPARC profiling systems are self-contained platforms that have benefited from several years of development and deployment. Instruments and data processing were maintained remotely, which made the 4-month deployment for the TRACER-CUBIC IOP period possible. The same basic instrument configuration comprises each system: a scanning Doppler wind lidar for flow characterization and passive profiler(s) for characterizing planetary-boundary-layer (PBL) thermodynamic properties. Each platform includes a Halo Streamline Doppler wind lidar, an Atmospheric Emitted Radiance Interferometer (AERI), and a surface meteorology station. CLAMPS1 and CLAMPS2 each also include a microwave radiometer (MWR, Figure 1d). The TRACER-CUBIC hypotheses included (i) Interactions of SB and urban circulations and how they affect the PBL structure in the Houston environment, causing spatially (horizontally and vertically) and temporally highly variable flow patterns, (ii) heat, moisture, and aerosol transport and mixing depend on these flow dynamics, and (iii) an improved understanding of the flow patterns and PBL structure are critical for investigating the processes leading to CI. To test these hypotheses, the project aimed at (i) characterizing SB circulations and their impacts on the diurnal evolution of the structure of the ABL, (ii) studying the evolution of Houston’s complex urban boundary layer, and (iii) identifying effects of urban-induced circulations on pre-convective environments. TRACER-CUBIC observations generally provide good coverage during the summer IOP. Initial screening of the data indicates a good number of cases with bay-breeze (BB) and/or SB signatures, local CI, and interesting boundary-layer features such as strong nocturnal low-level jets (LLJs, Table 1). The numbers listed in rows 3-5 in this table will be further updated as part of ongoing in-depth analyses and systematic identification of local circulations and CI events. More detailed information about the data availability and quality for each instrument is provided in the “readme” files that were submitted to the ARM Data Center along with each archived data sets. These “readme” files also provide instrument descriptions, information about the data collection and processing procedures, data formats, and any additional information relevant for further data analysis.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS2021

Investigation of several proxies to estimate sulfuric acid concentration in volcanic plume conditions

Sulfuric acid (H2SO4) is commonly accepted as a key precursor for atmospheric new particle formation (NPF). However, direct measurements of [H2SO4] remain challenging, thus preventing the determination of this important quantity, and, consequently, a complete understanding of its contribution to the NPF process. Several proxies have been developed to bridge the gaps, but their ability to predict [H2SO4] in very specific conditions such as those encountered in volcanic plumes (including in particular high sulphur dioxide mixing ratios) has not been evaluated so far. In this context, the main objective of the present study was to develop new proxies for daytime [H2SO4] in volcanic plume conditions and compare their performance to that of the proxies available in the literature. In specific, the data collected at Maïdo during the OCTAVE 2018 campaign, in the volcanic eruption plume of the Piton de la Fournaise, were first used to derive seven proxies based on the knowledge of sulphur dioxide (SO2) mixing ratio, global radiation, condensation sink (CS) and relative humidity (RH). In three of the seven proxies (F1–F3), all variables were given equal weight in the prediction of [H2SO4], while adjusted powers were allowed for the different variables in the other four proxies (A1–A4). Proxies A1–A4 were overall found to perform better compared to F1–F3, with, in specific, improved predictive ability for [H2SO4] > 2 × 108 per cu.cm. The CS was observed to play an important role in regulating [H2SO4], while, in contrast, the inclusion of RH did not improve the predictions. A last expression accounting for an additional sink term related to cluster formation, S1, was also tested and showed a very good predictive ability over the whole range of measured [H2SO4]. The newly developed proxies were in a second step further evaluated using airborne measurements performed in the passive degassing plume of Etna during the STRAP 2016 campaign. Increased correlations between observed and predicted [H2SO4] were obtained when the dependence of predicted [H2SO4] over CS was the lowest, and when the dependence over [SO2] was concurrently the highest. The best predictions were finally retrieved by the simple formulation of F2 (in which [SO2] and radiation alone were assumed to explain the variations of [H2SO4] with equal contributions), with a pre factor adapted to the STRAP data. All in all, our results illustrate the fairly good capacity of the proxy available in the literature to describe [H2SO4] in volcanic plume conditions, but highlight at the same time the benefit of the newly developed proxies for the prediction of the highest concentrations ([H2SO4] > 2–3 × 108 per cu.cm). Also, the contrasting behaviours of the new proxies in the two investigated datasets indicate that in volcanic plumes like in other environments, the relevance of a proxy can be affected by changes in environmental conditions, and that location specific coefficients do logically improve the predictions.

new particle formation↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Neuro-Vestibular Examination During and Following Spaceflight (Vestibular Health)

BACKGROUND Adaptation to microgravity during spaceflight causes neurological disturbances that are either directly or indirectly mediated by the vestibular system. These disturbances can include space motion sickness, spatial disorientation, and cognitive impairment, as well as changes in head-eye coordination, vestibulo-ocular reflexes, and control of posture and locomotion. Otolith-mediated reflex gains appear to adapt rapidly during spaceflight and after landing. However, animal studies have shown that structural modifications of the vestibular sensory apparatus develop during long-duration spaceflight. To date, no studies have characterized the severity of vestibular syndromes experienced by astronauts as a function of the duration of spaceflight or whether the effects are caused by changes at the peripheral end organs, midbrain, cerebellum, or vestibular cortex. OBJECTIVES We will investigate temporal vestibular changes in crewmembers of short, 6-month, and one-year missions to identify trends in adaptation of vestibular health and performance in orbit and after landing. We will also determine whether the vestibular organs and/or the central vestibular system undergo structural changes during long-duration exposure to microgravity, which could cause vestibular disorders when transitioning to a different gravitational environment. METHODS Recordings of eye, head, and body movements, as well as subjective reports of perception of motion, will be used to determine the presence of abnormal eye movements, dysmetria, motion sickness symptoms, and illusions of motion during head or body movements. This includes characterization of temporal trends in central compensation for vestibular (otolith) asymmetry. Pre-flight data will be collected 90 days before launch. In-flight examinations will be performed early in the mission (Flight Days 1 and 30) and once every two or three months thereafter. Post-flight examinations will be performed on the following days after return (R) from the mission: R+0, R+4, R+9, and R+30. Ground-based control tests have been performed on healthy volunteers in the laboratory to estimate mean normative responses. RESULTS Data collection for this study is ongoing. Data processing techniques are being refined. Our eye tracking method for measuring three-dimensional eye movement takes advantage of modern computer vision software (OpenCV) and advances in the field of iris recognition to improve measurement of ocular-counterolling. RELEVANCE If the observed symptoms in crewmembers are more deleterious after the year-long missions than those documented after 6-month missions, then relevant countermeasures will be required to maintain the health and operational performance of astronauts during longer missions. Depending on the etiology of the vestibular syndrome revealed by these tests, countermeasures will be proposed based on vestibular rehabilitation therapies currently used in patients with vestibular disorders, such as habituation, gaze stabilization, and/or balance training exercises.

T R Macaulay↗
NASA NTRS2014

Assessing the Risk of Crew Injury Due to Dynamic Loads During Spaceflight

Spaceflight requires tremendous amounts of energy to achieve Earth orbit and to attain escape velocity for interplanetary missions. Although the majority of the energy is managed in such a way as to limit the accelerations on the crew, several mission phases may result in crew exposure to dynamic loads. In the automotive industry, risk of serious injury can be tolerated because the probability of a crash is remote each time a person enters a vehicle, resulting in a low total risk of injury. For spaceflight, the level of acceptable injury risk must be lower to achieve a low total risk of injury because the dynamic loads are expected on each flight. To mitigate the risk of injury due to dynamic loads, the NASA Human Research Program has developed a research plan to inform the knowledge gaps and develop relevant tools for assessing injury risk. The risk of injury due to dynamic loads can be further subdivided into extrinsic and intrinsic risk factors. Extrinsic risk factors include the vehicle dynamic profile, seat and restraint design, and spacesuit design. Human tolerance to loads varies considerably depending on the direction, amplitude, and rise-time of acceleration therefore the orientation of the body to the dynamic vector is critical to determining crew risk of injury. Although a particular vehicle dynamic profile may be safe for a particular design, the seat, restraint, and suit designs can affect the risk of injury due to localized effects. In addition, characteristics intrinsic to the crewmember may also contribute to the risk of injury, such as crewmember sex, age, anthropometry, and deconditioning due to spaceflight, and each astronaut may have a different risk profile because of these factors. The purpose of the research plan is to address any knowledge gaps in the risk factors to mitigate injury risk. Methods for assessing injury risk have been well documented in other analogous industries and include human volunteer testing, human exposure to dynamic environments, post-mortem human subject (PMHS) testing, animal testing, anthropomorphic test devices (ATD), dynamic models of the human, numerical models of ATDs, and numerical models of the human. Each has inherent strengths and limitations. For example, human volunteer testing is advantageous because a population can be selected that is similar to the astronaut corps; however, because of the inherent ethical limitations, only sub-injurious conditions can be tested. PMHSs can be tested in a variety of conditions including injurious levels, but the responses are not completely analogous to living human subjects. In addition, it is exceedingly difficult to select a PMHS population that is similar to the astronaut corps. ATDs are currently widely used in the automotive industry and military because they are highly repeatable and durable. Unfortunately, because they are mechanical models of the human body, the biofidelity of the responses are limited to dynamic conditions used to validate the ATD. Numerical models of the ATD, in addition to the strengths and limitations for ATDs, are easy to use for a variety of designs before a design is fabricated, but also have additional limitations for ATDs, are easy to use for a variety of designs before a design is fabricated, but also have additional uncertainty. Dynamic models are simple and easy to use, but do not account for localized effects of the seat and suit. Finally, numerical models of the human have the potential to have the most advantages; however, the current models are not validated for the conditions expected during spaceflight. To properly assess spaceflight conditions with numerical human models, human data would be needed to optimize the model responses for those conditions. Using the appropriate assessment method with the knowledge gained for each risk factor, an appropriate approach for mitigating the risk of injury due to dynamic loads can be developed ensuring crew safety in future NASA vehicles.

Somers, J. T.↗
DOE OSTI2025

MaPSA Quality Control and AI-Enhanced Grading For the CMS Phase-II Tracker Upgrade

The Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) experiment will undergo changes as part of the Large Hadron Collider upgrade. The CMS tracker will be upgraded to cope with the new radiation environment and to provide tracking at the first level trigger. This upgrade features a new type of silicon module called PS Module, which combines a Pixel sensor and a Strip sensor in the same module. The pixel portion of the PS module has a sensor bump bonded to 16 Macro Pixel ASICs (MPA) to form a Macro Pixel Sub Assembly (MaPSA). At Fermilab, MaPSAs are tested for quality control before being assembled with the strip sensors, readout and service electronics to form a PS Module. All of this test data is stored in a centralized database, and is used to grade the final module to determine if it will be installed in the detector. The Phase II Outer Tracker Analyzer of Test Outputs (POTATO) is the software that processes this data and determines the module grades. Using recent technologies, an AI agent is being im plemented into POTATO in order to allow users to more efficiently sort through the large amounts of analysis data and ensure that only the user specified data is being considered. This poster will display the process of testing a MaPSA, how that test data is relevant to module assembly and grading, and how the POTATO grading tool is being improved with the use of an embedded AI agent.

Gzamouranis, Olivia [Purdue U.]↗
NASA NTRS2001

Effects of Electrons, Protons, and Ultraviolet Radiation on Thermophysical Properties of Polymeric Films

The response of coated thin polymer films to ultraviolet (UV), electron and proton radiation simultaneously has been evaluated, with selected measurements in situ. Exposure was intended to simulate the electron and proton radiation environment near the Earth-Sun Lagrangian points (LI and L2) for five years and approximately 1000 equivalent solar hours (ESH) UV. These orbital environments are relevant to several potential missions such as the Next Generation Space Telescope and Geomagnetic Storm Warning, both of which may use thin film based structures for a sunshade and solar sail, respectively. The thin film candidates (12.5 micrometers thick) consisted of commercially available materials (Kapton(R) E, HN, Upilex(R) S, CP-1, CP-2, TOR-RC, and TOR-LMBP) that were metalized on one side with vapor deposited aluminum. All of the films are aromatic polyimides, with the exception of TORLMBP, which is a copoly(arylene ether benzimidazole). The films were exposed as second surface mirrors and the effects of the exposure on solar absorptance, thermal emittance, and tensile properties were determined. The in situ changes in solar absorptance from Kapton(R) and Upilex(R) were less than 0. 1, whereas the solar absorptance of TOR and CP films increased by more than 0.3 without saturating. The thermal emittance measurements also showed that the Kapton(R) and Upilex(R) materials increased only 1-2%, but the remaining materials increased 5-8%. Based on tensile property measurements made in air following the test, the failure stress of every type of polymer film decreased as a result of irradiation. The polymers most stable in reflectance, namely Upilex(R) and Kapton(R), were also the strongest in tension before irradiation, and they retained the greatest percentage of tensile strength. The films less stable in reflectance were also weaker in tension, and lost more tensile strength as a result of irradiation. The apparent failure strain (as a percent of original gage length) of every type of polymer film except TOR-RC, decreased as a result of irradiation.

Russell, Dennis A.↗
DOE OSTI2022

Effects of Borate and Organics on U(VI) Solubility in WIPP Brine

The solubility of uranium (VI) in Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP)-relevant brine was determined to support ongoing WIPP recertification activities. This research was performed by the Los Alamos National Laboratory Carlsbad Operations (LANL-CO) Actinide Chemistry and Repository Science Program (ACRSP). The WIPP Actinide Source Term Program (ASTP) did not develop a model for the solubility of actinides in the VI oxidation state. The solubility of UO 2 2+ , in the absence of WIPP specific data, is presently set to be equal to a conservatively high 1 mM within the WIPP Performance Assessment (PA) for all expected WIPP conditions (SOTERM, 2019) as selected at the recommendation of the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) (EPA, 2005). According to the current WIPP chemistry model assumptions and conditions, the expected pC H+ is about 9.5 and controlled by MgO buffering CO 3 2- . The goal of this study is to perform screening experiments that account for the contributions of organics and borate on uranium solubility. In this report, the solubility of U(VI) was determined at pC H+ 9 WIPP brine in the absence or presence of borate and organics at under-saturation approach. Experiments were equilibrated for about 135 days. Organic compounds present in WIPP waste can form strong complexes with actinides and can affect the oxidation states of actinides. The organic compounds addressed in WIPP performance assessment include EDTA (Ethylenediaminetetraacetic Acid), oxalate, citrate, and acetate (SOTERM, 2019). These data quantify the effects of WIPP-relevant concentrations of borate and organics effects on the solubility of U(VI) to challenge the predictions of the WIPP actinide model and inform decisions and recommendations made in the upcoming recertification of the WIPP (CRA-2024). The experiments performed were done according to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) approved Test Plan entitled “Experimental Strategy to Challenge Actinide Solubility Predictions” and designated LCO-ACP-26. All data reported were obtained under the LANL-CO Quality Assurance Program, which is compliant with the DOE Carlsbad Field Office, Quality Assurance Program Document (CBFO/QAPD) (QAPD, 2017).

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗