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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
NASA NTRS1964

Copper-Wire-Card Detectors

Card Design - Each copper-wire-card detector consisted of a winding of fine wire mounted to a 1.45- by 7 .00-inch rectangular card. Two wire sizes were used - 2-mil and 3-mil (fourteen 2-mil cards and thirty-two 3-mil cards). The total exposed effective area was about 1.2 square feet (0.11 square meters). A sketch of a detector is shown in figure X-1. These detectors are similar to the detectors flown on previous satellites. Quadrant Design - The 36 cards are arranged in four groups of 12 cards each with four pairs of 3-mil cards in parallel and four single 2-mil cards in parallel. Each group is mounted on a fiber-glass support that can readily be removed from the payload for repairs or replacements with appropriate spares. Individual cards can be replaced readily if necessary. The assembly of the quadrants is shown in figure II-2. Temperature-Balance Experiment - The grids for the temperature-balance experiment were wound with insulated wire. The thermal balance of such a winding has been examined under conditions approximating flight environment. One card of 3-mil wire with a thermistor attached was enclosed in a bell jar and exposed to the sun after evacuation. External radiation was reduced by shading the bell jar except for a window which allowed the sun's rays to strike the winding. The temperature of the thermistor was recorded at intervals. Figure X-2 shows that the temperature does not rise beyond 65° C in 20 minutes of continuous exposure to the sun. Complementary tests made by Dr. Roger E. Gaumer of Lockheed Aircraft Corp. give a ratio of absorptivity to emissivity of 1 for this type of enamel insulated wire. Compensation for Resistance Changes - Temperatures at the wire-card surfaces were expected to extend from -10° C to a maximum of 60° C. Since copper has a thermal coefficient of resistance of 0.33 percent per °C, the resistance of the wire would change 22 percent and a compensator had to be provided. A 100-ohm thermistor with a negative coefficient of -3-9 percent per °C was selected, wired in parallel with a 300-ohm fixed resistor and installed in series with each 2-mil card and with each pair of 3-mil cards. The effective resistance of 2-mil and 3-mil compensated cards is shown in figure X-3 for various temperatures and compared with the resistance of uncompensated copper. The increase in resistance from 20° C to 60° C is 12 ohms or 2.7 percent. Below 20° C the effective resistance also increases and the curve is similar to that obtained for high temperatures.

Detector↗
NASA NTRS1975

Interpretation of Various Radiation Backgrounds Observed in the Gamma-Ray Spectrometer Experiments Carried on the Apollo Missions and Implications for Diffuse Gamma-Ray Measurements

Since the report of a preliminary analysis of cosmic gamma-ray measurements made during the Apollo 15 mission, an improved calculation of the spallation activation contribution has been made including the effects of short-lived spallation fragments, which can extend the correction to 15 MeV. In addition, a difference between Apollo 15 and 16 data enables an electron bremsstrahlung contribution to be calculated. A high level of activation observed in a crystal returned on Apollo 17 indicates a background contribution from secondary neutrons. These calculations and observations enable an improved extraction of spurious components and suggest important improvements for future detectors.

C S Dyer↗
NASA NTRS1979

The 60-MW Shuttle Interaction Heating Facility

An arc-heated wind-tunnel system described in the present paper will simulate aerodynamic heating in large-scale tests of the thermal protection system of the Shuttle Orbiter Vehicle during entry. The system provides for large-scale subsystem tests in high-enthalpy streams with boundary layer flows at high Reynolds numbers and for large test-body sizes in stagnation flows. The discussion covers the design concept of the arc-jet systems, the extensive hardware developments of the arc heater to provide reliable operation, and verification and performance measurements of the system's operating envelopes.

W Winovich↗
NASA NTRS1977

Lunar Igneous Rocks and the Nature of the Lunar Interior

Lunar igneous rocks, properly interpreted, can give useful information about mineral assemblages and mineral chemistry as a function of depth in the lunar interior. Though intensely brecciated, terra rocks reveal, in their chemistry, evidence for a magmatic history. Partial melting of feldspathic lunar crustal material occurred in the interval 4.6 to 3.9 Gy. Melting of ilmenite-bearing cumulates at depths near 100 km produced parent magmas for Apollo 11 and 17 titaniferous mare basalts in the interval 3.8 to 3.6 Gy. Melting of ilmenite-free olivine pyroxenites (also cumulates?) at depths greater than 200 km produced low-titanium mare basalts in the interval 3.4 to 3.1 Gy. No younger igneous rocks have yet been recognized among the lunar samples and present-day melting seems to be limited to depths greater than 1000 km.

James Fred Hays↗
NASA NTRS2002

Proceedings of the 36th Aerospace Mechanisms Symposium

The Aerospace Mechanisms Symposium (AMS) provides a unique forum for those active in the design, production, and use of aerospace mechanisms. A major focus is the reporting of problems and solutions associated with the development and flight certification of new mechanisms. Organized by the Mechanisms Education Association, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company (LMSSC) share the responsibility for hosting the AMS. Now in its 36th year, the AMS continues to be well attended, attracting participants from both the United States and abroad. The 36th AMS, hosted by the Glenn Research Center (GRC) in Cleveland, Ohio, was held May 15, 16, and 17, 2002. During these three days, 32 papers were presented. Topics included deployment mechanisms, tribology, actuators, pointing and optical mechanisms, International Space Station mechanisms, release mechanisms, and test equipment. Hardware displays during the supplier exhibit gave attendees an opportunity to meet with developers of current and future mechanism components.

Boesiger, Edward A.↗
NASA NTRS2013

Battery Charge Equalizer with Transformer Array

High-power batteries generally consist of a series connection of many cells or cell banks. In order to maintain high performance over battery life, it is desirable to keep the state of charge of all the cell banks equal. A method provides individual charging for battery cells in a large, high-voltage battery array with a minimum number of transformers while maintaining reasonable efficiency. This is designed to augment a simple highcurrent charger that supplies the main charge energy. The innovation will form part of a larger battery charge system. It consists of a transformer array connected to the battery array through rectification and filtering circuits. The transformer array is connected to a drive circuit and a timing and control circuit that allow individual battery cells or cell banks to be charged. The timing circuit and control circuit connect to a charge controller that uses battery instrumentation to determine which battery bank to charge. It is important to note that the innovation can charge an individual cell bank at the same time that the main battery charger is charging the high-voltage battery. The fact that the battery cell banks are at a non-zero voltage, and that they are all at similar voltages, can be used to allow charging of individual cell banks. A set of transformers can be connected with secondary windings in series to make weighted sums of the voltages on the primaries.

Davies, Francis↗
DOE OSTI2024

X-ray linear dichroic tomography of crystallographic and topological defects

Abstract The functionality of materials is determined by their composition 1–4 and microstructure, that is, the distribution and orientation of crystalline grains, grain boundaries and the defects within them 5,6 . Until now, characterization techniques that map the distribution of grains, their orientation and the presence of defects have been limited to surface investigations, to spatial resolutions of a few hundred nanometres or to systems of thickness around 100 nm, thus requiring destructive sample preparation for measurements and preventing the study of system-representative volumes or the investigation of materials under operational conditions 7–15 . Here we present X-ray linear dichroic orientation tomography (XL-DOT), a quantitative, non-invasive technique that allows for an intragranular and intergranular characterization of extended polycrystalline and non-crystalline 16 materials in three dimensions. We present the detailed characterization of a polycrystalline sample of vanadium pentoxide (V 2 O 5 ), a key catalyst in the production of sulfuric acid 17 . We determine the nanoscale composition, microstructure and crystal orientation throughout the polycrystalline sample with 73 nm spatial resolution. We identify and characterize grains, as well as twist, tilt and twin grain boundaries. We further observe the creation and annihilation of topological defects promoted by the presence of volume crystallographic defects. The non-destructive and spectroscopic nature of our method opens the door to operando combined chemical and microstructural investigations 11,18 of functional materials, including energy, mechanical and quantum materials.

Science & Technology - Other Topics↗
DOE OSTI2026

Thermal Reservoir Networks for Modularly Expandable Thermal Microgrids

The Department of Defense (DoD) faces the substantial challenge of cost-effectively retrofitting one to two installations per month, each comprising approximately 1,000 buildings, to improve resilience, reduce energy consumption, and enhance energy supply security. Achieving these objectives requires optimal system selection and effective risk mitigation during system integration. To address this need, we introduce Platform-Based Design (PBD), a structured, hierarchical methodology adapted from other industrial sectors to the domain of energy system retrofits. We demonstrate the effectiveness of PBD through a techno-economic feasibility study comparing geothermal-coupled thermal energy networks (TENs) with conventional energy systems for heating, cooling, and powering 17 buildings at Joint Base Andrews (JBA) in Maryland. Our analysis illustrates that the PBD approach enables rigorous, data-driven, sequential decision making, resulting in a family of Pareto-optimal systems, among which the TEN emerged as the most promising solution. The selected TEN design integrates geothermal borefields, heat recovery heat pumps, photovoltaic (PV) arrays, and battery storage. Compared to the baseline system – gas heating combined with air-source chillers – the proposed TEN reduces annual imported energy by 74% and peak electricity demand by 45%, achieves a levelized cost of energy of $\$0.210$/kWh, and substantially enhances resilience. Life-cycle costs increase by approximately 6%, and initial investment costs are about 2.5 times higher than the baseline. However, if central plant infrastructure, district loops, and utility-scale PV and battery systems are privately funded and operated, the initial investment would fall below the baseline system cost. Critical to achieving these significant performance improvements were detailed nonlinear dynamic simulations coupling geothermal heat transfer, energy system operation, and realistic feedback control logic. These simulations identified essential design modifications and control strategy refinements that substantially reduced energy use, peak demand, and compressor shortcycling, thereby improving durability and reliability—issues that would have been significantly more expensive to resolve during operation. Additionally, the verification step highlighted sensitivities to key design parameters that could reduce initial investment by approximately $\$2$ million and reduce annual life-cycle costs more than $\$300,000$. We recommend adopting the PBD methodology for future feasibility studies and TEN pilot projects to gain valuable operational experience. Furthermore, we recommend that DoD invest in transferring and scaling the PBD methodology to other installations. This entails developing standardized computational frameworks and component libraries as well as training industry in conducting PBD. Such investments would enable rapid, robust, reliable, and cost-effective retrofits, supporting DoD’s ambitious energy system modernization goals.

Wetter, Michael [Lawrence Berkeley National Labora↗
DOE OSTI2026

Thermodynamics of Tritium Trapping by Point Defects at Interfacial Cr-based Phases of the Al Coating

Density functional theory (DFT) simulations have been carried out to evaluate the potential for tritium trapping by metal vacancies in four phases Cr-containing phases (i.e., Cr3Si, Al0.3Cr0.7, Al8Cr5-HT, and Al8Cr5) identified near the interface between the Al coating and 316 stainless steel (316 SS) cladding. In addition, an ab initio thermodynamics approach has been employed to predict the temperature and T2-partial pressure dependence on the thermodynamics of singly tritiated defects. Key results in this work suggest that metal vacancies in the four phases have the potential to favorably trap tritium species, especially Si vacancies in Cr3Si phase. This overall thermodynamic trend can be correlated to the energy cost of having an interstitial tritium in the lattice, which has been calculated to range from 0.17 eV in Al8Cr5-HT to 0.89 eV in Cr3Si. A comparison of the results from this study with previous theoretical works investigating tritium behavior in other Fe-Al phases identified in the aluminide coating, suggests that metal vacancies are generally able to trap tritium in various Fe-Al aluminide phases. Especially, it was found that Si and Al vacancies would be the most efficient to trap for tritium, followed by Cr vacancies, then Fe and Ni vacancies. In the four Cr-based material phases investigated in this work, it is interesting to note that, in the absences of Fe or Ni species, strong interactions between tritium and the metal vacancies are always occurring by the formation of preferential Cr—T bonds (i.e., no Si—T or Al—T bonds were formed).

Sassi, Michel J.↗
NASA NTRS1983

VII. Plasma Effects

Radio communication with space probes requires sending signals through the Earth's ionosphere and usually the solar wind. During planetary flybys, the signal may also pass through the ionosphere of another planet. These ionized media can perturb the radio signal in a variety of ways. Examples of these perturbations are variations in the electrical length between the spacecraft and the ground station, Faraday rotation of linearly polarized signals, amplitude and phase scintillations, and spectral and angular broadening. These plasma effects can have undesirable influences on telemetry performance and thus need to be understood from a communications engineering viewpoint. The plasma effects are, however, useful from a scientific viewpoint, since the effects on the communications link can often be inverted to estimate the physical conditions in the plasma.

John W Armstrong↗
NASA NTRS1978

The 1977 Goddard Space Flight Center Battery Workshop

The papers presented were derived from transcripts taken at the Tenth Annual Battery Workshop held at the Goddard Space Flight Center, November 15-17, 1977. The Workshop was attended by manufacturers, users, and government representatives interested in the latest results of testing, analysis, and development of the sealed nickel cadmium cell system. The purpose of the Workshop was to share flight and test experience, stimulate discussion on problem areas, and to review the latest technology improvements.

G Halpert↗
DOE OSTI2026

Virtual Growth of SRF Materials

Niobium's native surface oxide affects SRF cavity and superconducting qubit performance, motivating interest in controlling its crystalline structure. We combine a literature-derived machine-learning analysis with temperature-dependent XRD to study crystalline ordering in Nb2O5. Random Forest models, trained on 74 processing conditions from 17 papers and validated by leave-one-group-out cross-validation, predicted broad crystallinity outcomes well (balanced accuracy 0.809), but struggled with specific polymorph identity (0.577). Annealing temperature was the dominant predictor across all targets; oxygen partial pressure showed negligible importance, reflecting narrow literature coverage rather than physical irrelevance. Temperature-dependent XRD on anodized and H2O2-treated Niobium showed structural evolution consistent with the machine learning predictions. Our model and overall approach provide a data-driven framework for identifying and optimizing conditions that promote crystallization in initially amorphous oxides. This framework can guide the selection of growth and post-annealing conditions for Nb surfaces by narrowing the experimental parameter space, thereby reducing trial-and-error efforts in developing oxide structures relevant to SRF applications.

Tilkin, Anthony [Fermilab]↗
DOE OSTI2026

The Dark Energy Survey supernova program: a reanalysis of cosmology results and evidence for evolving dark energy with an updated Type Ia supernova calibration

We present improved cosmological constraints from a re-analysis of the Dark Energy Survey (DES) 5-year sample of Type Ia supernovae (DES-SN5YR). This re-analysis includes an improved photometric cross-calibration, recent white dwarf observations to cross-calibrate between DES and low-redshift surveys, retraining the salt3 light-curve model and fixing a numerical approximation in the host-galaxy colour law. Our fully recalibrated sample, which we call DES-Dovekie, comprises ~1600 likely Type Ia SNe from DES and ~200 low-redshift SNe from other surveys. With DES-Dovekie, we obtain Ω m = 0.330 ± 0.015 in flat Lambda-cold dark matter (⁠ΛCDM) which changes Ω m by –0.022 compared to DES-SN5YR. Combining DES-Dovekie with cosmic microwave background data from Planck, Atacama Cosmology Telescope, and South Pole Telescope and the DESI DR2 measurements in a flat CDM cosmology, we find ω 0 = –0.803 ± 0.054 and ω a = –0.72 ± 0.21⁠. Our results hold a significance of 3.2σ, reduced from 4.2σ for DES-SN5YR, to reject the null hypothesis that the data are compatible with the cosmological constant. This significance is equivalent to a Bayesian model preference odds of approximately 5:1 in favour of the flat ω 0 ω a CDM model. Using generally accepted thresholds for model preference, our updated data exhibits only a weak preference for evolving dark energy.

dark energy↗
NASA NTRS2025

Radiation-Resistant Ti/BN Coatings: Insights From 171 Days Exposure to Space Radiation and Atomic Oxygen in Low Orbit

Atmospheric Plasma Spray (APS) and Vacuum Plasma Spray (VPS) techniques were used to develop Ti/2 vol.% hBN coatings, for extreme space environments and tested aboard the International Space Station as part of the MISSE-17 (Materials International Space Station Experiments) program. The coatings were exposed to atomic oxygen, space radiation, and low-orbit thermal cycling. VPS coatings showed a 56% increase in microhardness, a 26% rise in elastic modulus, minimal porosity and crack density changes compared to APS coatings. The change in mechanical properties is attributed to the formation of TiO, TiO₂ and TiN from nitrogen retention, alongside radiation-induced dislocations, which enhanced surface hardening. The oxidation of titanium led to the formation of TiO and TiO₂, while boron nitride was retained and underwent transmutation in VPS coatings. XPS and EDS analyses confirmed the enhanced space-environment resistance of VPS coatings, making them ideal for long-term spacecraft protection in lunar and Martian conditions.

Abhijith Kunneparambil Sukumaran↗
DOE OSTI2026

Structural and spectroscopic characterization of a Tb(IV) polyoxometalate

There has been a renaissance in high valent lanthanide chemistry, which has resulted in the first examples of tetravalent praseodymium (Pr) and terbium (Tb) in molecular systems. These feats have been achieved with tailored ligands that facilitate tetravalent lanthanide stability in non-aqueous conditions. The next step in realizing the potential of high valent lanthanide chemistry is moving towards complexes that are stable in ambient and aqueous conditions. In this investigation, we advance this paradigm by obtaining definitive evidence of Tb(IV) in a molecular system under aqueous conditions utilizing the lacunary Wells-Dawson polyoxometalate, K 10 P 2 W 17 O 61 •20H 2 O. Herein we present the single crystal structure of K 16 Tb(IV)(P 2 W 17 O 61 ) 2 •39.85H 2 O (Tb(IV)W 34 ) as well as extensive spectroscopic evidence obtained via UV–Vis-NIR, X-ray absorption near edge spectroscopy, continuous wave X-band electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy and SQUID magnetometry measurements to confirm the oxidation state of Tb in W 34 complexes as +4.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
NASA NTRS2026

A Study of Space Environment Effect on Highly Thermally Conductive Hybrid Carbon Fiber Polymer Composites

A set of novel highly thermally conductive hybrid carbon fiber (CF) polymer composites has been developed for lightweight thermal radiator applications in space missions. This study investigates the effects of the space environment on these materials following exposure in low-Earth orbit (LEO) during the Materials International Space Station Experiment (MISSE)-17 flight mission, where samples experienced 159 days of combined atomic oxygen (AO), ultraviolet (UV) radiation, high vacuum, space radiation and thermal cycling. Post-flight characterization included weight loss, surface morphology, thermo-optical properties, molecular structures, glass transition temperature, thermal degradation and thermal conductivity analyses. The pyrolytic graphite sheet (PGS) samples exhibited negligible weight loss, stable thermo-optical property, and only minor oxidation signature on the exposed surface. Although AO erosion of the epoxy polymer matrix was evident, carbon nanotube (CNT)-infused PGS/CF epoxy composites retained high thermal emissivity and preserved their high thermal conductivities. These results demonstrate that the novel highly thermally conductive hybrid CF composites possess strong environmental resilience and are promising candidates for lightweight thermal radiators and thermal management components in future space exploration missions.

Space Environment↗
NASA NTRS1993

Design Criteria for Integrated Flight/Propulsion Control Systems for STOVL Fighter Aircraft

As part of NASA's program to develop technology for short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) fighter aircraft, control system designs have been developed for a conceptual STOVL aircraft. This aircraft is representative of the class of mixed-flow remote-lift concepts that was identified as the preferred design approach by the US/UK STOVL Joint Assessment and Ranking Team. The control system designs have been evaluated throughout the powered-lift flight envelope on Ames Research Center's Vertical Motion Simulator. Items assessed in the control system evaluation were: maximum control power used in transition and vertical flight, control system dynamic response associated with thrust transfer for attitude control, thrust margin in the presence of ground effect and hot gas ingestion, and dynamic thrust response for the engine core. Effects of wind, turbulence, and ship airwake disturbances are incorporated in the evaluation. Results provide the basis for a reassessment of existing flying qualities design criteria applied to STOVL aircraft.

James A Franklin↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Characterization Testing of a 20 Kelvin Cryocooler for Space Applications

Future NASA space exploration missions will require long-duration storage and liquefaction of cryogenic liquids, enabled by active cooling provided by cryocoolers. Recent gap analyses of Lunar and Mars transportation systems have identified 20 K-class cryocoolers as a critical enabling technology for chemical and nuclear thermal propulsion architectures using liquid hydrogen propellant. To address this technology gap, NASA has undergone the development of a high-efficiency, high-capacity 20 K cryocooler via an SBIR partnership with Creare. While the January 2025 testing demonstrated functionality and compliance with contractual requirements, the objective of the NASA-led characterization effort was to generate a dataset for supporting future mission designs across a broader operating envelope, including off-nominal conditions. The cryocooler demonstrated strong performance, achieving a peak coefficient of performance of 17.68% relative to Carnot efficiency and a maximum lift capacity of 24.4 W at 21 K. Overall, the results confirm that the 20 W 20 K cryocooler provides a flexible range of capabilities to enable zero boil-off storage of liquid hydrogen for future Lunar and Mars missions. The data collected provide a strong foundation for model validation and future system design efforts.

Cryocooler↗