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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 847 records · Page 47

Sensorimotor aspects of high-speed artificial gravity: III. Sensorimotor adaptation

As a countermeasure to the debilitating physiological effects of weightlessness, astronauts could live continuously in an artificial gravity environment created by slow rotation of an entire spacecraft or be exposed to brief daily "doses" in a short radius centrifuge housed within a non-rotating spacecraft. A potential drawback to both approaches is that head movements made during rotation may be disorienting and nauseogenic. These side effects are more severe at higher rotation rates, especially upon first exposure. Head movements during rotation generate aberrant vestibular stimulation and Coriolis force perturbations of the head-neck motor system. This article reviews our progress toward distinguishing vestibular and motor factors in side effects of rotation, and presents new data concerning the rates of rotation up to which adaptation is possible. We have studied subjects pointing to targets during constant velocity rotation, because these movements generate Coriolis motor perturbations of the arm but do not involve unusual vestibular stimulation. Initially, reaching paths and endpoints are deviated in the direction of the transient lateral Coriolis forces generated. With practice, subjects soon move in straighter paths and land on target once more. If sight of the arm is permitted, adaptation is more rapid than in darkness. Initial arm movement trajectory and endpoint deviations are proportional to Coriolis force magnitude over a range of rotation speeds from 5 to 20 rpm, and there is rapid, complete motor adaptation at all speeds. These new results indicate that motor adaptation to high rotation rates is possible. Coriolis force perturbations of head movements also occur in a rotating environment but adaptation gradually develops over the course of many head movements.

Non-NASA Center↗

PrEP: Probability of Encounter between Ports of Entry A case study of the US-Mexico border

PrEP aims to explore the field of psychophysics as it applies to the movement of adversaries across international borders. This test experiment uses the US-Mexico border as a case study – beginning with certain assumptions regarding the adversary, the model utilizes environmental and population data to estimate risk perception, and predict routes that a smuggler may take. Additionally, I analyze the impact that destination-based attractive forces may have on agent movement. I found that these attractive forces may improve the validity of the model if they carry less influence that the repulsive forces.

45 MILITARY TECHNOLOGY, WEAPONRY, AND NATIONAL DEF↗

Structure of mycobacterial 3'-to-5' RNA:DNA helicase Lhr bound to a ssDNA tracking strand highlights distinctive features of a novel family of bacterial helicases

Mycobacterial Lhr is a DNA damage-inducible superfamily 2 helicase that uses adenosine triphosphate (ATP) hydrolysis to drive unidirectional 3'-to-5' translocation along single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) and to unwind RNA:DNA duplexes en route. ATPase, translocase and helicase activities are encompassed within the N-terminal 856-amino acid segment. The crystal structure of Lhr-(1–856) in complex with AMPPNP•Mg 2+ and ssDNA defines a new helicase family. The enzyme comprises two N-terminal RecA-like modules, a winged helix (WH) domain and a unique C-terminal domain. The 3' ssDNA end binds in a crescent-shaped groove at the interface between the first RecA domain and the WH domain and tracks 5' into a groove between the second RecA and C domains. A kissing interaction between the second RecA and C domains forms an aperture that demarcates a putative junction between the loading strand tail and the duplex, with the first duplex nucleoside bookended by stacking on Trp597. Intercalation of Ile528 between nucleosides of the loading strand creates another bookend. Coupling of ATP hydrolysis to RNA:DNA unwinding is dependent on Trp597 and Ile528, and on Thr145 and Arg279 that contact phosphates of the loading strand. The structural and functional data suggest a ratchet mechanism of translocation and unwinding coupled to ATP-driven domain movements.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Patterns, drivers, and a predictive model of dam removal cost in the United States

Given the burgeoning dam removal movement and the large number of dams approaching obsolescence in the United States, cost estimating data and tools are needed for dam removal prioritization, planning, and execution. We used the list of removed dams compiled by American Rivers to search for publicly available reported costs for dam removal projects. Total cost information could include component costs related to project planning, dam deconstruction, monitoring, and several categories of mitigation activities. We compiled reported costs from 455 unique sources for 668 dams removed in the United States from 1965 to 2020. The dam removals occurred within 571 unique projects involving 1–18 dams. When adjusted for inflation into 2020 USD, cost of these projects totaled $\$1.522$ billion, with per-dam costs ranging from $\$1$ thousand (k) to $\$268.8$ million (M). The median cost for dam removals was $\$157$k, $\$823$k, and $\$6.2$M for dams that were< 5 m, between 5–10 m, and > 10 m in height, respectively. Geographic differences in total costs showed that northern states in general, and the Pacific Northwest in particular, spent the most on dam removal. The Midwest and the Northeast spent proportionally more on removal of dams less than 5 m in height, whereas the Northwest and Southwest spent the most on larger dam removals > 10 m tall. We used stochastic gradient boosting with quantile regression to model dam removal cost against potential predictor variables including dam characteristics (dam height and material), hydrography (average annual discharge and drainage area), project complexity (inferred from construction and sediment management, mitigation, and post-removal cost drivers), and geographic region. Dam height, annual average discharge at the dam site, and project complexity were the predominant drivers of removal cost. The final model had an R 2 of 57% and when applied to a test dataset model predictions had a root mean squared error of $\$5.09$M and a mean absolute error of $\$1.45$M, indicating its potential utility to predict estimated costs of dam removal. We developed a R shiny application for estimating dam removal costs using customized model inputs for exploratory analyses and potential dam removal planning.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

Systems analysis of the vestibulo-ocular system

The vestibulo-ocular system is examined from the standpoint of system theory. The evolution of a mathematical model of the vestibulo-ocular system in an attempt to match more and more experimental data is followed step by step. The final model explains many characteristics of the eye movement in vestibularly induced nystagmus. The analysis of the dynamic behavior of the model at the different stages of its development is illustrated in time domain, mainly in a qualitative way.

Schmid, R. M.↗

US Army Corps of Engineers program

The application of satellite remote sensing technology in hydrologic studies and regulatory programs of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is discussed. Site selection, location of construction material, environment impact assessment, analysis of hydrologic systems, reservoir system analysis, water quality, quantity and quality of runoff from urban areas, river hydraulics, and sediment movement are among the applications described. Emphasis is placed on introducing automatic classification of multispectral data into modeling techniques used in hydrologic studies.

Jarman, J.↗

Observations near the magnetopause at the onset of the July 29, 1977, sudden storm commencement

Characteristics of an earthward movement of the magnetopause caused by the arrival of an interplanetary shockwave are derived from data acquired by the GEOS 1 spacecraft on July 29, 1977. Data were taken on electric field, plasma, magnetic field, energetic particles, and composition before, during, and after leaving the magnetopause. Correlative examinations were made with information gathered by the IMP 7, IMP 8, and ATS 6 satellites. The magnetopause was found to move earthward at 95 km/sec and had a thickness of 500 km. The existence of three different regions is postulated, one with field lines connected directly to the earth, the magnetosphere, a second, the magnetosheath, with no magnetic field line connection to the earth, and a thir; with one end of the field lines connected to the earth and the other to the interplanetary medium, called the transition region.

Knott, K.↗

The effect of varying task difficulty on subjective workload

The effect of different difficulty distribution patterns on subjective workload, and the presence of a primacy/recency effect in subjective ratings are examined. Eight subjects performed the perceptual central processing required for response selection and manual target acquisition for response execution. The reaction time, movement time, and the percent of correct pattern matching and arithmetic equations are analyzed. The data reveal that subjective rating is unaffected by different task difficulty and no primacy/recency effects are observed in subjective ratings. It is concluded that subjective workload reflects the experience of an ongoing integration process.

Yeh, Y.-Y.↗

Laboratory simulation of meteoritic noble gases. III - Sorption of neon, argon, krypton, and xenon on carbon - Elemental fractionation

The sorption of Ne, Ar, Kr, and Xe was studied in carbon black, acridine carbon, and diamond in an attempt to understand the origin of trapped noble gases in meteorites. The results support a model in which gases are physically adsorbed on interior surfaces formed by a pore labyrinth within amorphous carbons. The data show that: (1) the adsorption/desorption times are controlled by choke points that restrict the movement of noble gas atoms within the pore labyrinth, and (2) the physical adsorption controls the temperature behavior and elemental fractionation patterns.

Wacker, John F.↗

Tertiary structure and thermal history of the Harquahala and Buckskin Mountains, west central Arizona - Implications for denudation by a major detachment fault system

A regional geometrical model for the Whipple-Buckskin-Bullard detachment system (referred to as the Whipple detachment system) is developed. Mineral separates from samples collected in the Harquahala and Buckskin mountains, which lie in the footwall of the Whipple detachment system, are analyzed by the Ar-40/Ar-39 age spectrum technique to determine the cooling history of the mountain range and the age of the metamorphism. Based on the cooling history of the mountains and the bedrock geology of the Harquahala Mountains, the initial geometry of the Whipple detachment system is reconstructed. Next, estimates of slip on the detachment fault and extension within the upper plate terrane are used to determine the regional pattern of extension. The data on the cooling history, structural geometry, and extension pattern are combined into a geometrical model which reconciles the geological data, according to which the breakaway zones represented by the Harquahala Mountains were unroofed by movement on the gently to moderately dipping segment of a great normal fault system as it cut through the upper crust.

Richard, Stephen M.↗

Reduction of ocular counter-rolling by adaptation to space

We studied the three-dimensional vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) of rhesus monkeys before and after the COSMOS Biosatellite 2229 Mission of 1992-1993. This included tests of ocular counter-rolling (OCR), the gain of the vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR), and spatial orientation of velocity storage. A four-axis vestibular and oculomotor stimulator was transported to the Institute of Biomedical Problems in Moscow for the pre- and postflight ground-based testing. Twelve normal juvenile male rhesus monkey were implanted surgically with eye coils and tested 60-90 days before spaceflight. Two monkey (7906 and 6151), selected from the twelve as flight animals, flew from 12/29/92 to 1/10/93. Upon recovery, they were tested for 11 days postflight along with three control animals. Compensatory ocular torsion was produced in two ways: (1) Lateral head tilts evoked OCR through otolith-ocular reflexes. OCR was also measured dynamically during off-vertical axis rotation (OVAR). (2) Rotation about a naso-occipital axis that was either vertical of horizontal elicited torsional nystagmus through semicircular canal-ocular reflexes (roll VOR). OCR from the otoliths was substantially reduced (70 percent) for 11 days after reentry on both modes of testing. The gain of the roll VOR was also decreased, but less than OCR. These data demonstrate that there was a long-lasting depression of torsional or roll eye movements after adaptation to microgravity in these monkeys, especially those movements produced by the otolith organs.

Dai, Mingjia↗

High Resolution Mapping of Soils and Landforms for the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan (DRECP)

The Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan (DRECP), a major component of California's renewable energy planning efforts, is intended to provide effective protection and conservation of desert ecosystems, while allowing for the sensible development of renewable energy projects. This NASA mapping report was developed to support the DRECP and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). We outline in this document remote sensing image processing methods to deliver new maps of biological soils crusts, sand dune movements, desert pavements, and sub-surface water sources across the DRECP area. We focused data processing first on the largely unmapped areas most likely to be used for energy developments, such as those within Renewable Energy Study Areas (RESA) and Solar Energy Zones (SEZs). We used imagery (multispectral and radar) mainly from the years 2009-2011.

Mapping↗

Surface Pressure Results for the NATO AVT-298 SWiFT Configuration in the National Transonic Facility

A high Reynolds number wind tunnel test of the Swept Wing Flow Test (SWiFT) configuration was conducted in the National Transonic Facility at the NASA Langley Research Center during the summer of 2023. The test campaign was the culmination of an international collaboration under the NATO AVT-298 research task group. The main objective of the test was to investigate Reynolds number scaling effects on the low-speed stability & control characteristics of the SWiFT model. Surface pressure results corroborate the force & moment results and help to provide more insight into the observed flow behavior. The effect of angle of attack and Reynolds number on the low-speed surface pressure results are analyzed particularly around the leading edge of the model. The onset and progression of flow separation on the wings particularly near the wing crank is also investigated, as well as the cause of an observed double-stall behavior. Finally, the transonic results showed a slight forward movement of the shock location with decreased shock strength as Reynolds number was increased. The data acquired from the test will ultimately help improve computational aerodynamic analysis and design tools for application to future BWB-type vehicle configurations.

NATO AVT-298↗

Surface Pressure Results for the NATO AVT-298 SWiFT Configuration in the National Transonic Facility

A high Reynolds number wind tunnel test of the Swept Wing Flow Test (SWiFT) configuration was conducted in the National Transonic Facility at the NASA Langley Research Center during the summer of 2023. The test campaign was the culmination of an international collaboration under the NATO AVT-298 research task group. The main objective of the test was to investigate Reynolds number scaling effects on the low-speed stability & control characteristics of the SWiFT model. Surface pressure results corroborate the force & moment results and help to provide more insight into the observed flow behavior. The effect of angle of attack and Reynolds number on the low-speed surface pressure results are analyzed particularly around the leading edge of the model. The onset and progression of flow separation on the wings particularly near the wing crank is also investigated, as well as the cause of an observed double-stall behavior. Finally, the transonic results showed a slight forward movement of the shock location with decreased shock strength as Reynolds number was increased. The data acquired from the test will ultimately help improve computational aerodynamic analysis and design tools for application to future BWB-type vehicle configurations.

NATO AVT-298↗

Considerations in Range of Motion Testing for Characterizing Spacesuit Mobility Capabilities

Mobility is a critical aspect for spacesuits as it directly influences how astronauts can perform tasks safely and efficiently, while wearing the pressurized suit. Spacesuit motion is dissimilar to human movement and consists of unique movement patterns as result of pressurization and the complex mechanical joint configurations. Thus, it is important to quantify the variations in suited movement patterns and the resulting performance of the wearer for the evaluation of the spacesuit itself and hardware interfaces such as payloads and tools. Traditionally, an individual body joint is assessed for the segment-wise range of motion. For example, the knee is measured through an isolated maneuvering of the joint between the max-to-max positions (e.g., flexion/extension), and the outcome represents the mobility capabilities. These measurements are often conducted using optical motion capture system with respect to anatomical planes. However, there are several considerations for range of motion assessments that are unique to the spacesuit. The purpose of this paper is to describe and provide examples of these additional challenges in representing spacesuit mobility capabilities. Specifically, joint mobility and the variations in suit movement patterns were investigated and compared between functional tasks and isolated range of motion measurements. Motion capture data from the next-gen spacesuit design verification testing was evaluated to compare isolated range of motion tasks to functional tasks, such as one-knee kneeling and squatting. The trajectories from the upper and lower body joint centers with respect to the spacesuit hardware were also calculated. Additionally, the joint trajectories for various functional tasks are presented and compared against the isolated range of motion measurements. In general, range of motion differs between isolated and functional tasks, where functional tasks may even induce greater joint angle excursions. Additionally, there is a large variation in joint range of motion across functional tasks. Combined with several relevant factors (spacesuit fit, physical strength, simulation facility, etc.), spacesuit mobility characterization efforts will need to incorporate the specific contexts, such as task demands and movement mechanisms, when evaluating range of motion assessments.

Linh Q Vu↗

Considerations for Range of Motion Testing During Spacesuit Mobility Characterization

Mobility is a critical aspect for spacesuits as it directly influences how astronauts can perform tasks safely and efficiently, while wearing the pressurized suit. Spacesuit motion is dissimilar to human movement and consists of unique movement patterns as result of pressurization and the complex mechanical joint configurations. Thus, it is important to quantify the variations in suited movement patterns and the resulting performance of the wearer for the evaluation of the spacesuit itself and hardware interfaces such as payloads and tools. Traditionally, an individual body joint is assessed for the segment-wise range of motion. For example, the knee is measured through an isolated maneuvering of the joint between the max-to-max positions (e.g., flexion/extension), and the outcome represents the mobility capabilities. These measurements are often conducted using optical motion capture system with respect to anatomical planes. However, there are several considerations for range of motion assessments that are unique to the spacesuit. The purpose of this paper is to describe and provide examples of these additional challenges in representing spacesuit mobility capabilities. Specifically, joint mobility and the variations in suit movement patterns were investigated and compared between functional tasks and isolated range of motion measurements. Motion capture data from the next-gen spacesuit design verification testing was evaluated to compare isolated range of motion tasks to functional tasks, such as one-knee kneeling and squatting. The trajectories from the upper and lower body joint centers with respect to the spacesuit hardware were also calculated. Additionally, the joint trajectories for various functional tasks are presented and compared against the isolated range of motion measurements. In general, range of motion differs between isolated and functional tasks, where functional tasks may even induce greater joint angle excursions. Additionally, there is a large variation in joint range of motion across functional tasks. Combined with several relevant factors (spacesuit fit, physical strength, simulation facility, etc.), spacesuit mobility characterization efforts will need to incorporate the specific contexts, such as task demands and movement mechanisms, when evaluating range of motion assessments.

Linh Q Vu↗

Geotail MCA Plasma Wave Investigation Data Analysis

The primary goals of the International Solar Terrestrial Physics/Global Geospace Science (ISTP/GGS) program are identifying, studying, and understanding the source, movement, and dissipation of plasma mass, momentum, and energy between the Sun and the Earth. The GEOTAIL spacecraft was built by the Japanese Institute of Space and Astronautical Science and has provided extensive measurements of entry, storage, acceleration, and transport in the geomagnetic tail and throughout the Earth's outer magnetosphere. GEOTAIL was launched on July 24, 1992, and began its scientific mission with eighteen extensions into the deep-tail region with apogees ranging from around 60 R(sub e) to more than 208 R(sub e) in the period up to late 1994. Due to the nature of the GEOTAIL trajectory which kept the spacecraft passing into the deep tail, GEOTAIL also made 'magnetopause skimming passes' which allowed measurements in the outer magnetosphere, magnetopause, magnetosheath, bow shock, and upstream solar wind regions as well as in the lobe, magnetosheath, boundary layers, and central plasma sheet regions of the tail. In late 1994, after spending nearly 30 months primarily traversing the deep tail region, GEOTAIL began its near-Earth phase. Perigee was reduced to 10 R(sub e) and apogee first to 50 R(sub e) and finally to 30 R(sub e) in early 1995. This orbit provides many more opportunities for GEOTAIL to explore the upstream solar wind, bow shock, magnetosheath, magnetopause, and outer magnetosphere as well as the near-Earth tail regions. The WIND spacecraft was launched on November 1, 1994 and the POLAR spacecraft was launched on February 24, 1996. These successful launches have dramatically increased the opportunities for GEOTAIL and the GGS spacecraft to be used to conduct the global research for which the ISTP program was designed. The measurement and study of plasma waves have made and will continue to make important contributions to reaching the ISTP/GGS goals and solving the significant problems of sun-earth connections. Plasma waves are involved in the energization and de-energization of plasma and energetic particles via numerous wave-particle interaction processes. Plasma waves in many instances are the source for the heating or cooling of the particles. They can cause particle precipitation by scattering particles into the loss cone. They move particles across boundaries in mass and energy dependent ways. Identifying the waves and the instabilities which produce them are thus crucial for understanding the plasma processes. Wave-particle interaction processes are especially important at various boundaries between the different regions of geospace including the bow shock, magnetopause, and interfaces in the geomagnetic tail between the magnetosheath, lobe, plasmasheet, boundary layers, and neutral sheet. In addition to identifying the characteristics of the instabilities and generation mechanisms encountered, plasma wave measurement are used in conjunction with other fields and particle measurements to identify the region of space the spacecraft is in or the boundary that is being crosed.

Anderson, Roger R.↗

Determining Desirable Cursor Control Device Characteristics for NASA Exploration Missions

The Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) that will travel to the moon and Mars, and all future Exploration vehicles and habitats will be highly computerized, necessitating an accurate method of interaction with the computers. The design of a cursor control device will have to take into consideration g-forces, vibration, gloved operations, and the specific types of tasks to be performed. The study described here is being undertaken to begin identifying characteristics of cursor control devices that will work well for the unique Exploration mission environments. The objective of the study is not to identify a particular device, but to begin identifying design characteristics that are usable and desirable for space missions. Most cursor control devices have strengths and weaknesses; they are more appropriate for some tasks and less suitable for others. The purpose of this study is to collect some initial usability data on a large number of commercially available and proprietary cursor control devices. A software test battery was developed for this purpose. Once data has been collected using these low-level, basic point/click/drag tasks, higher fidelity, scenario-driven evaluations will be conducted with a reduced set of devices. The standard tasks used for testing cursor control devices are based on a model of human movement known as Fitts law. Fitts law predicts that the time to acquire a target is logarithmically related to the distance over the target size. To gather data for analysis with this law, fundamental, low-level tasks are used such as dragging or pointing at various targets of different sizes from various distances. The first four core tasks for the study were based on the ISO 9241-9:(2000) document from the International Organization for Standardization that contains the requirements for non-keyboard input devices. These include two pointing tasks, one dragging and one tracking task. The fifth task from ISO 9241-9, the circular tracking task was not used because it is a movement that is not applicable to most of the applications used on aviation displays. Additionally, we opted to add a multi-size and multi-distance pointing task, and two ecologically more valid tasks which included text selection, and interaction with drop down menus, sliders, and checkboxes. The Visual Basic test battery tracks the task and trial numbers, measures the pointing, tracking or dragging time, as well as the number and types of errors. The testing session includes a practice set for each input device, then the randomized 7 tasks, and finally a questionnaire about the device. This is repeated for all the devices tested within a session. The experiment is a within-subjects design, with participants returning for multiple sessions to test additional devices. The input devices will be compared based on objective performance data from the tasks, as well as subjective feedback and ratings on the questionnaire.

Aniko Sandor↗