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NASA NTRS1992

Toxic substances registry system: Index of material safety data sheets

The Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDSs) listed reflect product inventories and associated MSDSs which were submitted to the Toxic Substance Registry data base maintained by the Base Operations Contractors of the Biomedical Operations and Research Office of NASA Kennedy. The purpose of the index is to provide a means of accessing information on the hazards associated with the toxic and otherwise hazardous chemicals stored and used at NASA Kennedy. Indices are provided for manufacturers, trademarks, and stock numbers.

Source record↗

NASA NTRS2000

Nanotube Production and Applications at Johnson Space Center

Promise of applications of carbon nanotubes has led to an intense effort at NASA/JSC, especially in the area of nanotube composites. Using the extraordinary mechanical strength of nanotubes, NASA hopes to design this revolutionary lightweight material for use in aerospace applications. Current research focuses on structural polymeric materials to attempt to lower the weight of spacecraft necessary for interplanetary missions. Other applications of nanotubes are also of interest for energy storage, gas storage, nanoelectronics, field emission, and biomedical applications. In pursuit of these goals, we have set up both laser and arc production processes for nanotubes. An in-depth diagnostic study of the plasma plume in front of the laser target has been studied to try to determine nanotube growth mechanisms. Complementary studies of characterization of nanotube product have added to knowledge of growth conditions. Results of our preliminary experiments in incorporating nanotubes into composites will be presented. Morphology and mechanical properties of the nanotubes composites will be discussed.

Nikolaev, Pavel↗

NASA NTRS2010

Propulsion Design With Freeform Fabrication (PDFF)

The nation is challenged to decrease the cost and schedule to develop new space transportation propulsion systems for commercial, scientific, and military purposes. Better design criteria and manufacturing techniques for small thrusters are needed to meet current applications in missile defense, space, and satellite propulsion. The requirements of these systems present size, performance, and environmental demands on these thrusters that have posed significant challenges to the current designers and manufacturers. Designers are limited by manufacturing processes, which are complex, costly, and time consuming, and ultimately limited in their capabilities. The PDFF innovation vastly extends the design opportunities of rocket engine components and systems by making use of the unique manufacturing freedom of solid freeform rapid prototype manufacturing technology combined with the benefits of ceramic materials. The unique features of PDFF are developing and implementing a design methodology that uses solid freeform fabrication (SFF) techniques to make propulsion components with significantly improved performance, thermal management, power density, and stability, while reducing development and production costs. PDFF extends the design process envelope beyond conventional constraints by leveraging the key feature of the SFF technique with the capability to form objects with nearly any geometric complexity without the need for elaborate machine setup. The marriage of SFF technology to propulsion components allows an evolution of design practice to harmonize material properties with functional design efficiency. Reduced density of materials when coupled with the capability to honeycomb structure used in the injector will have significant impact on overall mass reduction. Typical thrusters in use for attitude control have 60 90 percent of its mass in the valve and injector, which is typically made from titanium. The combination of material and structure envisioned for use in an SFF thruster design could reduce thruster weight by a factor of two or more. The thrust-to-weight ratios for such designs can achieve 1,000:1 or more, depending on chamber pressure. The potential exists for continued development in materials, size, speed, accuracy of SFF techniques, which can lead to speculative developments of PDFF processes such as fabrication of custom human interface devices like masks, chairs, and clothing, and advanced biomedical application to human organ reconstruction. Other potential applications are: higher fidelity lower cost test fixtures for probes and inspection, disposable thrusters, and ISRU (in situ resource utilization) for component production in space or on Lunar and Martian missions, and application for embedding MEMS (microelectromechanical systems) during construction process of form changing aerostructure/dynamic structures.

Barnes, Daudi↗

NASA NTRS1984

STS science and applications payloads - An evolving perspective

The present investigation is mainly concerned with a reexamination of the Spacelab payload process. The candidate missions are considered in connection with discipline payloads or laboratories. Attention is given to the Space Biomedical Laboratory (SBL), the Space Plasma Lab (SPL), the Astronomy Research Laboratory (Astro), the Shuttle High Energy Astrophysics Laboratory (SHEAL), the Shuttle Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF), the Solar Optical Telescope (SOT), the Materials Sciences Laboratory (MLS), the Environmental Observations Mission (EOM), the Shuttle Radar Lab (SRL), the International Microgravity Laboratory (IML), and the Payload of Opportunity Carrier (POOC). The POOC is a low cost means of placing experiments aboard the Shuttle in the cargo bay.

Sander, M. J.↗

NASA NTRS1992

Biomedical Monitoring and Countermeasures Facility

The Space Station Freedom Program (SSFP) represents the transition within the US Space program from the 'heroic' era of space flight (characterized most vividly by the Mercury and Apollo programs) to an epoch characterized by routine access to the space environment. In this new era, the unique characteristics of the microgravity environment will enable new types of research activities, primarily in the life sciences, materials science, and biotechnology fields. In addition to its role as a'microgravity science laboratory,' Space Station Freedom (SSF) constitutes the operational platform on which the knowledge and skills needed to continue our exploration of space will be acquired. In the area of spacecraft operations, these skills include the ability to assemble, operate, and maintain large structures in space. In the area of crew operations, the potentially harmful effects of extended exposure to microgravity must be understood in order to keep the crew mission capable. To achieve this goal, the complex process of physiological deconditioning must be monitored, and countermeasures utilized as needed to keep the individual crew members within acceptable physiological limits. The countermeasures program under development for the SSF Program is titled the Biomedical Monitoring and Countermeasures (BMAC) program. As implied by the name, this activity has two primary products, a biomedical monitoring element and a countermeasures development effort. The program is a critical path element in the overall SSF Program, and should be considered an essential element of operations on board the space station. It is readily apparent that the capability to both protect and optimize the health and performance of the human operators on board SSF will be a critical element in the overall success of the SSFP. Previous experience within the Russian space program has demonstrated that the time required for countermeasures on extended missions can become a monumental operational burden. Therefore, one of the primary objectives of the countermeasures development activity will be to design and implement countermeasures which are significantly more effective than the existing generation. Other primary objectives include the following: to set health and human performance standards for all mission phases; to determine critical issues that affect performance or return to flight status; to develop and implement monitoring systems to follow health and performance status; and to understand risk, and balance the resource costs of countermeasures vs. the benefit gained.

Stewart, Donald F.↗

NASA NTRS1989

Making Polymeric Microspheres

Combination of advanced techniques yields uniform particles for biomedical applications. Process combines ink-jet and irradiation/freeze-polymerization techniques to make polymeric microspheres of uniform size in diameters from 100 to 400 micrometer. Microspheres used in chromatography, cell sorting, cell labeling, and manufacture of pharmaceutical materials.

Rhim, Won-Kyu↗

NASA NTRS1988

Transport of cosmic ray nuclei in various materials

Cosmic-ray heavy ions have become a concern in space radiation effects analyses. Heavy ions rapidly deposit energy and create dense ionization trails as they traverse materials. Collection of the free charge disrupts the operation of microelectronic circuits. This effect, called the single-event upset, can cause a loss of digital data. Passage of high linear energy transfer particles through the eyes has been observed by Apollo astronauts. These heavy ions have great radiobiological effectiveness and are the primary risk factor for leukemia induction on a manned Mars mission. Models of the transport of heavy cosmic-ray nuclei through materials depend heavily on our understanding of the cosmic-ray environment, nuclear spallation cross sections, and computer transport codes. Our group has initiated and pursued the development of a full capability for modeling these transport processes. A recent review of this ongoing effort is presented in Ref. 5. In this paper, we discuss transport methods and present new results comparing the attenuation of cosmic rays in various materials.

NASA Discipline Radiation Health↗

NASA NTRS2011

Carbon Nanotube Based Nanotechnology for NASA Mission Needs and Societal Applications

Carbon nanotubes (CNT) exhibit extraordinary mechanical properties and unique electronic properties and therefore, have received much attention for more than a decade now for a variety of applications ranging from nanoelectronics, composites to meeting needs in energy, environmental and other sectors. In this talk, we focus on some near term potential of CNT applications for both NASA and other Agency/societal needs. The most promising and successful application to date is a nano chem sensor at TRL 6 that uses a 16-256 sensor array in the construction of an electronic nose. Pristine, doped, functionalized and metal-loaded SWCNTs are used as conducting materials to provide chemical variation across the individual elements of the sensor array. This miniaturized sensor has been incorporated in an iPhone for homeland security applications. Gases and vapors relevant to leak detection in crew vehicles, biomedical, mining, chemical threats, industrial spills and others have been demonstrated. SWCNTs also respond to radiation exposure via a change in conductivity and therefore, a similar strategy is being pursued to construct a radiation nose to identify radiation sources (gamma, protons, neutrons, X-ray, etc.) with their energy levels. Carbon nanofibers (CNFs) grown using plasma enhanced CVD typically are vertical, individual, freestanding structures and therefore, are ideal for construction of nanoelectrodes. A nanoelectrode array (NEA) can be the basis for an affinity-based biosensor to meet the needs in applications such as lab-on-a-chip, environmental monitoring, cancer diagnostics, biothreat monitoring, water and food safety and others. A couple of demonstrations including detection of e-coli and ricin will be discussed. The NEA is also useful for implantation in the brain for deep brain stimulation and neuroengineering applications. Miniaturization of payload such as science instrumentation and power sources is critical to reduce launch costs. High current density (greater than 100 mA/per square centimeters) field emission capabilities of CNTs can be exploited for construction of electron gun for electron microscopy and X-ray tubes for spectrometers and baggage screening. A CNT pillar array configuration has been demonstrated, not only meeting the high current density needs but more importantly providing long term emitter stability. Finally, supercapacitors hold the promise to combine the high energy density of a battery with the high power density of capacitors. Traditional graphite electrodes have not delivered this promise yet. A novel design and processing approach using MWCNTs has shown a record 550 F/g capacitance along with significant device endurance. This supercapacitor is suitable for railgun launch application for NASA, powering rovers and robots, consumer electronics and future hybrid vehicles.

Li, Jing↗

NASA NTRS2023

Application of Bioengineering in Space Exploration - Sleep Study System

Bioengineering has spread roots far and wide among the needs of space exploration. The field creates many of paths to generate information from a variety of sources. One such source is the astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS). As of now the investigation is focused on the quality of sleep of crew members during a long duration flight. Our team is investing time into a piece of hardware’s comfort, waste, and operability. The hardware was not originally designed for space; therefore, the device must be modified to function at a optimal level in space. The design not made for space has generated some ailments, such as discomfort and decreased mobility. A function of the internship was to produce designs that would manage the wires to increase mobility and comfort. The wires excess slack was reduced by the part that was designed. The piece was adjustable, so the patient may adjust the system to their comfort and space compatible material was used. This product will help control the direction and length of the wires, thereby aiding in comforting the patient. This multifaceted design may be used in future for all other wire management for wearable biomedical sensor on orbit.

Biomedical↗

NASA NTRS1992

Toxic substances registry system: Index of material safety data sheets

The Jul. 1992 Revision of the KSC Toxic Substances Registry System (TSRS) Index of Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS's) is presented. The listed MSDS's reflect product inventories and associated MSDS's which were submitted to the Toxic Substance Registry Data Base maintained by the Base Operations Contractors of the Biomedical Operations and Research Office of KSC. The purpose of the index is to provide a means of accessing information on the hazards associated with the toxic and otherwise hazardous chemicals stored and used at KSC. Indices are provided for manufacturers, trademarks, and stock numbers.

Source record↗

NASA NTRS1992

Toxic substances registry system: Index of material safety data sheets

The Oct. 1992 Revision of the KSC Toxic Substances Registry System (TSRS) Index of Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS's) is presented. The listed MSDS's reflect product inventories and associated MSDS's which were submitted to the Toxic Substance Registry Data Base maintained by the Base Operations Contractors of the Biomedical Operations and Research Office of KSC. The purpose of the index is to provide a means of accessing information on the hazards associated with the toxic and otherwise hazardous chemicals stored and used at KSC. Indices are provided for manufacturers, trademarks, and stock numbers.

Source record↗

NASA NTRS1993

Toxic substances registry system: Index of material safety data sheets

The Jan. 1993 Revision of the KSC Toxic Substances Registry System (TSRS) Index of Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS's) is presented. The listed MSDS's reflect product inventories and associated MSDS's which were submitted to the Toxic Substance Registry Data Base maintained by the Base Operations Contractors of the Biomedical Operations and Research Office of KSC. The purpose of the index is to provide a means of accessing information on the hazards associated with the toxic and otherwise hazardous chemicals stored and used at KSC. Indices are provided for manufacturers, trademarks, and stock numbers.

Source record↗

NASA NTRS1979

Biomedical application in space, pilot program in the southern California region

A pilot program is presented which was to promote utilization of the Shuttle/Spacelab for medical and biological research applied to terrestrial needs. The program was limited to the Southern California region and consisted of the following five tasks: (1) preparation of educational materials; (2) identification of principal investigators; (3) initial contact and visit; (4)development of promising applications; and (5) evaluation of regional program methodology.

Kelton, A. A.↗

NASA NTRS2004

Low Gravity Materials Science Research for Space Exploration

On January 14, 2004, the President of the United States announced a new vision for the United States civil space program. The Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has the responsibility to implement this new vision. The President also created a Presidential Commission 'to obtain recommendations concerning implementation of the new vision for space exploration.' The President's Commission recognized that achieving the exploration objectives would require significant technical innovation, research, and development in focal areas defined as 'enabling technologies.' Among the 17 enabling technologies identified for initial focus were advanced structures; advanced power and propulsion; closed-loop life support and habitability; extravehicular activity system; autonomous systems and robotics; scientific data collection and analysis; biomedical risk mitigation; and planetary in situ resource utilization. The Commission also recommended realignment of NASA Headquarters organizations to support the vision for space exploration. NASA has aggressively responded in its planning to support the vision for space exploration and with the current considerations of the findings and recommendations from the Presidential Commission. This presentation will examine the transformation and realignment activities to support the vision for space exploration that are underway in the microgravity materials science program. The heritage of the microgravity materials science program, in the context of residence within the organizational structure of the Office of Biological and Physical Research, and thematic and sub-discipline based research content areas, will be briefly examined as the starting point for the ongoing transformation. Overviews of future research directions will be presented and the status of organizational restructuring at NASA Headquarters, with respect to influences on the microgravity materials science program, will be discussed. Additional information is included in the original extended abstract.

Clinton, R. G., Jr.↗

NASA NTRS2003

Removal of Biologically Active Organic Contaminants using Atomic Oxygen

Biomedical devices that are to come into contact with living tissue, such as prosthetic and other implants for the human body and the containers used to store and transport them, are together cleaned of non-living, but biologically active organic materials, including endotoxins such as lipopolysaccharides, and assembled into a hermetically sealed package without recontamination. This is achieved by cleaning both the device and package components together in an apparatus, which includes a hermetically sealed chamber, in which they are contacted with atomic oxygen which biocleans them, by oxidizing the biologically active organic materials. The apparatus also includes means for manipulating the device and container and hermetically sealing the cleaned device into the cleaned container to form the package. A calibrated witness coupon visually indicates whether or not the device and container have received enough exposure to the atomic oxygen to have removed the organic materials from their surfaces. Gamma radiation is then used to sterilize the device in the sealed container.

Bruce A Banks↗

NASA NTRS2003

Carbon-Based Wear Coatings: Properties and Applications

The technical function of numerous engineering systems - such as vehicles, machines, and instruments - depends on the processes of motion and on the surface systems. Many processes in nature and technology depend on the motion and dynamic behavior of solids, liquids, and gases. Smart surface systems are essential because of the recent technological push toward higher speeds, loads, and operating temperatures; longer life; lighter weight and smaller size (including nanotechnology); and harsh environments in mechanical, mechatronic, and biomechanical systems. If proper attention is not given to surface systems, then vehicles, machines, instruments, and other technical systems could have short lives, consume excessive energy, experience breakdowns, result in liabilities, and fail to accomplish their missions. Surface systems strongly affect our national economy and our lifestyles. At the NASA Glenn Research Center, we believe that proper attention to surface systems, especially in education, research, and application, could lead to economic savings of between 1.3 and 1.6 percent of the gross domestic product. Wear coatings and surface systems continue to experience rapid growth as new coating and surface engineering technologies are discovered, more cost-effective coating and surface engineering solutions are developed, and marketers aggressively pursue, uncover, and exploit new applications for engineered surface systems in cutting tools and wear components. Wear coatings and smart surface systems have been used widely in industrial, consumer, automotive, aerospace, and biomedical applications. This presentation expresses the author's views of and insights into smart surface systems in wear coatings. A revolution is taking place in carbon science and technology. Diamond, an allotrope of carbon, joins graphite, fullerenes, and nanotubes as its major pure carbon structures. It has a unique combination of extreme properties: hardness and abrasion resistance; adhesion and friction; thermal conductivity; chemical and thermal inertness; corrosion and wear resistance; radiation resistance and biocompatibility; electronic, acoustic, and electrochemical characteristics; and environmental compatibility. These properties make diamond attractive for a wide range of diverse applications. In particular, chemical-vapor-deposited (CVD) diamond coatings offer a broad potential, since size and cost are not as limiting. The production of large, superhard diamond films or sheets at low cost make designer materials possible. This presentation is divided into two sections: properties and applications of hard coatings. The first section is concerned with the fundamental properties of the surfaces of CVD diamonds and related materials. The surface properties of hard coatings with favorable coefficients of friction (less than or equal to 0.1) and dimensional wear coefficients (less than or equal to 10(exp -6) cubic millimeters/N.m) in specific environments are discussed. The second section is devoted to applications. Examples of actual, successful applications and of potential challenging applications of the coatings.such as CVD diamond, diamondlike carbon, and cubic boron nitride-are described. Cutting tools coated with CVD diamond are of immediate commercial interest. Other applications, such as microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), valves, and bearings of CVD diamond, are being developed, but at a slow pace. There is a continually growing interest in commercializing diamondlike carbon for wear parts applications, such as biomedical parts and implants, forming dies, transport guides, magnetic tapes and disks, valves, and gears. Cubic boron nitride films are receiving attention because they can be used on tools to machine ferrous materials or on wear parts in sliding contact with ferrous materials.

Miyoshi, Kazuhisa↗

NASA NTRS2005

Research Needs in Electrostatics for Lunar and Mars Space Missions

The new space exploratory vision announced by President Bush on January 14, 2004, initiated new activities at the National Science and Space Administration (NASA) for human space missions to further explore our solar system. NASA is undertaking Lunar exploration to support sustained human and robotic exploration of Mars and beyond. A series of robotic missions to the Moon by 2008 to prepare for human exploration as early as 2015 but no later than 2020 are anticipated. In a similar way, missions to the Moon and Mars are being planned in Europe, Japan and Russia. These space missions will require international participation to solve problems in a number of important technological areas where research is needed, including biomedical risk mitigation as well as life support and habitability on the surface of Mars. Mitigation of dust hazards is one of the most important problems to be resolved for both Lunar and Mars missions. Both Lunar and Martian regolith are unique materials and completely different from the terrestrial soils that we are exposed to on earth. The total absence of water and an atmosphere on the moon and the formation of soil and fine dust by micrometeorite impacts over billions of years resulted in a layer of soil with unique properties. The soil is primarily basaltic in composition with a high glass concentration. The depth of the soil layer varies from a few meters in the mare areas (dark areas on the Lunar near side) to tens of meters in the highland areas (the lighter mountainous areas) and the particle size distribution of this dust layer varies widely with a major mass fraction less than 10 micrometer in diameter. The hard soil from the moon which has been extensively studied by several researchers showed clearly unique properties of Lunar soil. Apollo astronauts became aware of the potentially serious threat to crew health and mission hardware that can be caused by the lunar dust. As reported by McKay and Carrier the mass fraction of the lunar dust with particle diameter smaller than 20p.m probably represents up to 30% of the total mass of regolith. Apollo astronaut Dr. Harrison Schmidt reported that these fine dust particles were clinging to the Extra Vehicular Activity (EVA) suits and to the visors and were limiting the activity on the surface of the moon. The dust particles that were transported with the EVA suits into the lunar module floated throughout the cabin. Crews inhaled the dust particles and noted that they smelled like gun smoke, caused a chocking sensation in the throat and eye irritation. In addition,, some of the mechanical systems were not functioning well because of the dust deposition. It appeared that the dust particles are highly charged electrostatically and Dr. Schmidt noted that future successful Lunar missions will require appropriate dust mitigation technology for protecting astronauts from inhaling toxic particles and mission's life supporting equipment from contamination with the dust particles.

Calle, Carlos I.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Production of Large-Particle-Size Monodisperse Latexes in Microgravity

A latex is a suspension of very tiny (micrometer-size) plastic spheres in water, stabilized by emulsifiers. The growth of billions of these tiny plastic spheres to sizes larger than can be grown on Earth is attempted while keeping all of them exactly the same size and perfectly spherical. Thus far on several of the Monodisperse Latex Reactor (MLR) flights, the latex spheres have been returned to Earth with standard deviations of better than 1.4%. In microgravity the absence of buoyancy effects has allowed growth of the balls up to 30 micrometers in diameter thus far. The MLR has now flown 5 times on the Shuttle. The MLR has now produced the first commercial space product; that is the first commercial material ever manufactured in space and marketed on Earth. Once it is demonstrated that these large-size-monodisperse latexes can be routinely produced in quantity and quality, they can be marketed for many types of scientific applications. They can be used in biomedical research for such things as drug carriers and tracers in the body, human and animal blood flow studies, membrane and pore-sizing in the body, and medical diagnostic tests.

Vanderhoff, J. W.↗