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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 91 records · Page 5
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Embracing the Fourth Industrial Revolution - Challenges, Opportunities and Path Forward for Propulsion

The aerospace industry is at a point where components are reaching design maturity and performance improvements are incremental. Aggressive goals to achieve sustainability and the threat of climate change necessitate a new paradigm. An artificial intelligence (AI) approach that enables revolutionary changes in system architecture, mission analysis and performance metrics is needed. The growing interest and development in the field of machine learning presents an opportunity to speed up by 10X or more the discovery, analysis and development of aerospace systems using artificial intelligence. Through IDEAS (Intelligent Design and Engineering of Aerospace Systems) we are embarking on a research and development effort that addresses this opportunity. The objective of IDEAS is to enable design of systems based on requirements. We discuss possible approaches to generating data, training models and applying them to near term applications. Results of recent workshops with industry, academia and other agencies to identify challenges to adopting AI and machine learning are presented.

Machine learning↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

NASA’s Space Launch System: Artemis I Results and the Path Forward

The Artemis era of human space exploration beyond low Earth orbit launched at 1:47 a.m. EST on November 16, 2022. Artemis I was the first integrated flight of the agency’s new super heavy-lift rocket, the Space Launch System (SLS), and the next-generation spacecraft for astronauts, Orion. The mission sent an uncrewed Orion spacecraft into a distant retrograde orbit about the Moon. During the 25-day mission, NASA collected valuable data on the performance of the launch vehicle and crew spacecraft and information on the deep space environment where crews will soon operate. Orion splashed down approximately 80 miles off the coast of Baja, California, at the conclusion of the mission December 11. This paper will provide a summary of the launch campaign from vehicle integration and testing through completion of the upper stage phase with primary emphasis on SLS. It will also discuss highlights of progress on manufacturing and testing of SLS hardware and software for upcoming Artemis missions.

John Honeycutt↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

NASA’s Space Launch System: Artemis I Results and the Path Forward

On Nov. 16, 2022, NASA launched the Artemis I mission on the agency’s new SLS (Space Launch System) rocket. The debut launch of the integrated vehicle sent an uncrewed Orion spacecraft into a distant retrograde (DRO) orbit about the Moon to accomplish multiple mission objectives, including evaluating Orion’s heatshield at lunar return velocities and collecting critical data from the first flight of the new superheavy lift launch vehicle. Post-flight data analyses show that the rocket performed with a high degree of precision and accuracy. In addition to completing testing and launch of the Artemis I SLS in 2022, notable progress was made on hardware for future launch vehicles that will support Artemis missions II, III, IV, and V. The Artemis II core stage is mostly complete, and its RS-25 engines were integrated in the fall of 2023. The Artemis II solid rocket booster motor segments were shipped to the launch site in September 2023. Propellant tanks are being manufactured for additional missions, solid booster segments are being cast and prepared, software is being developed, and production of new RS-25 engines is underway. A more capable upper stage is in development, as well as a large adapter to encapsulate a 10-metric ton (t) co-manifested payload. This paper will provide details on the Artemis I flight as well as cover hardware progress for the future flights as available.

John Honeycutt↗
DOE OSTI2017

Standardized Canisters for Spent Nuclear Fuel: Their Potential Impact and a Proposed Path Forward

This paper describes an evaluation completed in Fiscal Year 2016 (FY16) that investigates using standardized triple-purpose (storage, transportation, and disposal) canisters within an integrated waste management system (IWMS). The IWMS in this particular evaluation is focused on management of commercial spent nuclear fuel (SNF). Incorporation of a standardized canister system into the IWMS provides an opportunity to develop an integrated approach to address storage, transportation, and disposal issues. Regardless of implementation timing and method, deployment of such a canister system could cause significant system-wide impacts. Over the past few years, a number of system analyses have been performed for the US Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Nuclear Energy (NE) using logistic simulations to evaluate the impacts of incorporating these smaller canisters into the IWMS. Furthermore, these simulations predict the amount of resources (e.g., staff, canisters/casks, railcars, facilities), the size of facilities, the timing of operations, and rough-order-of-magnitude (ROM) cost estimates.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2017

U.S. Sodium Fast Reactor Codes and Methods: Current Capabilities and Path Forward

The United States has extensive experience with the design, construction, and operation of sodium cooled fast reactors (SFRs) over the last six decades. Despite the closure of various facilities, the U.S. continues to dedicate research and development (R&D) efforts to the design of innovative experimental, prototype, and commercial facilities. Accordingly, in support of the rich operating history and ongoing design efforts, the U.S. has been developing and maintaining a series of tools with capabilities that envelope all facets of SFR design and safety analyses. This paper provides an overview of the current U.S. SFR analysis toolset, including codes such as SAS4A/SASSYS-1, MC2-3, SE2-ANL, PERSENT, NUBOW-3D, and LIFE-METAL, as well as the higher-fidelity tools (e.g. PROTEUS) being integrated into the toolset. Current capabilities of the codes are described and key ongoing development efforts are highlighted for some codes.

safety codes↗