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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 1,027 records · Page 57
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2024

An Integrated Architecture Study for Autonomous Lunar Construction

Lunar construction is an expanding field within NASA’s Moon to Mars objectives that presents many challenges and requires innovative and reliable forms of autonomous operations on the surface of the Moon to further the technologies needed for human space exploration. Marshal Space Flight Center’s (MSFC) Advanced Concepts Office (ACO) addressed Lunar Infrastructure Objective LI-4 l by developing a Pre-Phase A, integrated architecture to inform a demonstration for lunar construction operations. The ACO study traded three architectures that would survey and prepare a construction area to build a landing pad out of lunar regolith using MMPACT (Moon-to-Mars Planetary Autonomous Construction Technology) platforms, rovers, and navigation outposts. The main trades examined navigation for the system/architecture, options for rover navigation, battery vs continuous tether power for the MMPACT robotic arm, and assigning site prep functionality to the rovers vs the platforms. Results of the study determined that the best options for the scenario provided would be local navigation (more accurate and continuous), a combination of Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) for initial site mapping with subsequent Smart Video Guidance Sensors (SVGS) to save power for construction, and using tethered power to decrease mission duration. The team also concluded that assigning site prep functionality to either the rovers or the platforms has benefits and challenges; future studies could explore having that functionality on both the rovers and platforms. Lastly, the team provided a Concept of Operations (ConOps) timeline that can be used in real-time ground demonstrations to explore the mission timeline, construction processes, autonomous operations, and communication systems that can be tested using MSFC’s lunar regolith field and Lunar Utilization Control Area (LUCA).

Sarah Triana↗
NASA NTRS1997

Digital storage and analysis of color Doppler echocardiograms

Color Doppler flow mapping has played an important role in clinical echocardiography. Most of the clinical work, however, has been primarily qualitative. Although qualitative information is very valuable, there is considerable quantitative information stored within the velocity map that has not been extensively exploited so far. Recently, many researchers have shown interest in using the encoded velocities to address the clinical problems such as quantification of valvular regurgitation, calculation of cardiac output, and characterization of ventricular filling. In this article, we review some basic physics and engineering aspects of color Doppler echocardiography, as well as drawbacks of trying to retrieve velocities from video tape data. Digital storage, which plays a critical role in performing quantitative analysis, is discussed in some detail with special attention to velocity encoding in DICOM 3.0 (medical image storage standard) and the use of digital compression. Lossy compression can considerably reduce file size with minimal loss of information (mostly redundant); this is critical for digital storage because of the enormous amount of data generated (a 10 minute study could require 18 Gigabytes of storage capacity). Lossy JPEG compression and its impact on quantitative analysis has been studied, showing that images compressed at 27:1 using the JPEG algorithm compares favorably with directly digitized video images, the current goldstandard. Some potential applications of these velocities in analyzing the proximal convergence zones, mitral inflow, and some areas of future development are also discussed in the article.

NASA Discipline Cardiopulmonary↗
DOE OSTI2023

A study of explosive-induced fracture in polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA)

The fracture response of geologic materials is of interest for applications, including geothermal energy harnessing and containment of underground explosions. To better understand the explosively induced fracture response of geomaterials, polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) was used as a transparent rock surrogate to allow imaging of internal shock propagation and fracture growth processes. Experiments were conducted using high-speed shadowgraphy and photon Doppler velocimetry (PDV), which were compared to numerical simulations. Experiments measured fractures produced in 304.8mm × 304.8mm × 304.8mm PMMA cubes with two simultaneously initiated detonators. The cubes were subjected to varying amounts and directions of externally applied uniaxial stresses, including no stress, 2 MPa stress, and 20 MPa stress. The fracture radius as a function of time was extracted from the high-speed videos. Post-test images of the PMMA cubes aided in the determination of three-dimensional effects not directly imaged by the cameras. The surface velocity history and the shock response captured in PDV and the high-speed videos were compared to the simulated explosive-induced shock response. The simulation results indicate that the shock drives the fracture for the first 20 μs corresponding to a fracture radius of approximately 15 mm in the experiments. The gas-driven fracture extent was estimated analytically using an equilibrium stress distribution calculated after the shock wave propagation through the sample. Reduction in the gas pressure due to the leakage of the explosive products through the crack as a function of time was accounted for. In conclusion, the estimated fracture lengths were in agreement with the experimentally observed fracture lengths.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗
NASA NTRS1987

The Fringe Reading Facility at the Max-Planck-Institut fuer Stroemungsforschung

A Mach-Zehnder interferometer is used for optical flow measurements in a transonic wind tunnel. Holographic interferograms are reconstructed by illumination with a He-Ne-laser and viewed by a video camera through wide angle optics. This setup was used for investigating industrial double exposure holograms of truck tires in order to develop methods of automatic recognition of certain manufacturing faults. Automatic input is achieved by a transient recorder digitizing the output of a TV camera and transferring the digitized data to a PDP11-34. Interest centered around sequences of interferograms showing the interaction of vortices with a profile and subsequent emission of sound generated by this process. The objective is the extraction of quantitative data which relates to the emission of noise.

Becker, F.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Development of a high-speed H-alpha camera system for the observation of rapid fluctuations in solar flares

A solid-state digital camera was developed for obtaining H alpha images of solar flares with 0.1 s time resolution. Beginning in the summer of 1988, this system will be operated in conjunction with SMM's hard X-ray burst spectrometer (HXRBS). Important electron time-of-flight effects that are crucial for determining the flare energy release processes should be detectable with these combined H alpha and hard X-ray observations. Charge-injection device (CID) cameras provide 128 x 128 pixel images simultaneously in the H alpha blue wing, line center, and red wing, or other wavelength of interest. The data recording system employs a microprocessor-controlled, electronic interface between each camera and a digital processor board that encodes the data into a serial bitstream for continuous recording by a standard video cassette recorder. Only a small fraction of the data will be permanently archived through utilization of a direct memory access interface onto a VAX-750 computer. In addition to correlations with hard X-ray data, observations from the high speed H alpha camera will also be correlated and optical and microwave data and data from future MAX 1991 campaigns. Whether the recorded optical flashes are simultaneous with X-ray peaks to within 0.1 s, are delayed by tenths of seconds or are even undetectable, the results will have implications on the validity of both thermal and nonthermal models of hard X-ray production.

Kiplinger, Alan L.↗
NASA NTRS2009

Spatial Modulation Improves Performance in CTIS

Suitably formulated spatial modulation of a scene imaged by a computed-tomography imaging spectrometer (CTIS) has been found to be useful as a means of improving the imaging performance of the CTIS. As used here, "spatial modulation" signifies the imposition of additional, artificial structure on a scene from within the CTIS optics. The basic principles of a CTIS were described in "Improvements in Computed- Tomography Imaging Spectrometry" (NPO-20561) NASA Tech Briefs, Vol. 24, No. 12 (December 2000), page 38 and "All-Reflective Computed-Tomography Imaging Spectrometers" (NPO-20836), NASA Tech Briefs, Vol. 26, No. 11 (November 2002), page 7a. To recapitulate: A CTIS offers capabilities for imaging a scene with spatial, spectral, and temporal resolution. The spectral disperser in a CTIS is a two-dimensional diffraction grating. It is positioned between two relay lenses (or on one of two relay mirrors) in a video imaging system. If the disperser were removed, the system would produce ordinary images of the scene in its field of view. In the presence of the grating, the image on the focal plane of the system contains both spectral and spatial information because the multiple diffraction orders of the grating give rise to multiple, spectrally dispersed images of the scene. By use of algorithms adapted from computed tomography, the image on the focal plane can be processed into an image cube a three-dimensional collection of data on the image intensity as a function of the two spatial dimensions (x and y) in the scene and of wavelength (lambda). Thus, both spectrally and spatially resolved information on the scene at a given instant of time can be obtained, without scanning, from a single snapshot; this is what makes the CTIS such a potentially powerful tool for spatially, spectrally, and temporally resolved imaging. A CTIS performs poorly in imaging some types of scenes in particular, scenes that contain little spatial or spectral variation. The computed spectra of such scenes tend to approximate correct values to within acceptably small errors near the edges of the field of view but to be poor approximations away from the edges. The additional structure imposed on a scene according to the present method enables the CTIS algorithms to reconstruct acceptable approximations of the spectral data throughout the scene.

Bearman, Gregory H.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Orbit determination for a Jupiter orbiter tour of the Galilean satellites

Current NASA planning envisions an ambitious Jupiter tour mission which will arrive at the planet in the year, 1984. The objectives of this mission are to broaden our knowledge of the outer solar system and in particular to extend our understanding of the physical processes at work in the Jupiter and Galilean satellite environment. To achieve these goals, precise spacecraft navigation is a fundamental requirement inasmuch as very near encounters with the satellites are necessary both for the planned scientific investigations and to reduce fuel requirements necessary for orbital insertion about the planet. This paper, deals with problems of producing precise spacecraft state estimates relative to the Galilean satellites, with the aid of both earth-based radio and on-board video data.

Russell, R. K.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Development of an interchangeable end effector mechanism for the Ranger telerobotic vehicle

The Ranger program at the Space Systems Laboratory (SSL) at the University of Maryland is a demonstration of an extremely low cost, space flight experiment. The Ranger vehicle is designed to perform teleoperated spacecraft maintenance. Completing the various tasks included in spacecraft maintenance requires several specific tools. This paper describes the Ranger interchangeable end effector mechanism (IEEM). Its design allows Ranger to change end effectors to utilize the appropriate tool for the various tasks. The Ranger vehicle is designed with four manipulators. A seven degree-of-freedom (DOF) grappling manipulator securely attaches the vehicle to the work site. A 6 DOF camera positioning manipulator allows the operator to position a stereo pair of video cameras for visual feedback. The two remaining manipulators are the 7 DOF dexterous arms. They are the primary means by which Ranger accomplishes its required tasks. At the end of each of these dexterous manipulators is an IEEM. This paper begins with a brief overview of the Space Systems Laboratory and the Ranger program. The constraints leading to the requirements for an IEEM are described. The following section then describes the design strategies and the down selection process resulting in two candidate designs, taper and pneumatic connector type. Next, the leading candidate design is described in detail, followed by a preliminary discussion of failure modes and planned testing. The paper concludes with a brief review and a section discussing future work.

Cohen, Robert↗
NASA NTRS1994

COSMIC monthly progress report

Activities of the Computer Software Management and Information Center (COSMIC) are summarized for the month of May 1994. Tables showing the current inventory of programs available from COSMIC are presented and program processing and evaluation activities are summarized. Nine articles were prepared for publication in the NASA Tech Brief Journal. These articles (included in this report) describe the following software items: (1) WFI - Windowing System for Test and Simulation; (2) HZETRN - A Free Space Radiation Transport and Shielding Program; (3) COMGEN-BEM - Composite Model Generation-Boundary Element Method; (4) IDDS - Interactive Data Display System; (5) CET93/PC - Chemical Equilibrium with Transport Properties, 1993; (6) SDVIC - Sub-pixel Digital Video Image Correlation; (7) TRASYS - Thermal Radiation Analyzer System (HP9000 Series 700/800 Version without NASADIG); (8) NASADIG - NASA Device Independent Graphics Library, Version 6.0 (VAX VMS Version); and (9) NASADIG - NASA Device Independent Graphics Library, Version 6.0 (UNIX Version). Activities in the areas of marketing, customer service, benefits identification, maintenance and support, and dissemination are also described along with a budget summary.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1992

Titan III Mars Explorer Transfer Orbital Stage Delivery to the PHSF

This NASA Kennedy Space Center video presents live footage of the delivery of the Titan III Mars Explorer Transfer Orbital Stage (TOS) to the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility (PHSF). The TOS is a single-stage, solid propellant upper stage vehicle used to propel a spacecraft from low Earth orbit toward it's ultimate destination. The TOS is delivered to the PHSF where it is designed to accommodate a variety of NASA and NASA customer payloads and can be used as a payload processing facility (PPF) or a hazardous processing facility (HPF).

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2005

Solar System Visualizations

Solar System Visualization products enable scientists to compare models and measurements in new ways that enhance the scientific discovery process, enhance the information content and understanding of the science results for both science colleagues and the public, and create.visually appealing and intellectually stimulating visualization products. Missions supported include MER, MRO, and Cassini. Image products produced include pan and zoom animations of large mosaics to reveal the details of surface features and topography, animations into registered multi-resolution mosaics to provide context for microscopic images, 3D anaglyphs from left and right stereo pairs, and screen captures from video footage. Specific products include a three-part context animation of the Cassini Enceladus encounter highlighting images from 350 to 4 meter per pixel resolution; Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter screen captures illustrating various instruments during assembly and testing at the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at Kennedy Space Center; and an animation of Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity's 'Rub al Khali' panorama where the rover was stuck in the deep fine sand for more than a month. This task creates new visualization products that enable new science results and enhance the public's understanding of the Solar System and NASA's missions of exploration.

Brown, Alison M.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Video-signal improvement using comb filtering techniques.

Significant improvement in the signal-to-noise performance of television signals has been obtained through the application of comb filtering techniques. This improvement is achieved by removing the inherent redundancy in the television signal through linear prediction and by utilizing the unique noise-rejection characteristics of the receiver comb filter. Theoretical and experimental results describe the signal-to-noise ratio and picture-quality improvement obtained through the use of baseband comb filters and the implementation of a comb network as the loop filter in a phase-lock-loop demodulator. Attention is given to the fact that noise becomes correlated when processed by the receiver comb filter.

Arndt, G. D.↗
DOE OSTI2018

Validation and optimization of batch and continuous particle separation processes

Recent advances in simulation capabilities coupled with advanced manufacturing can be leveraged to create highly efficient compact reactors with low emissions, low cost, high reliability, and high flexibility for energy conversion. This type of reactor is especially important for conversion of bio-mass, a storable, renewable and fast-growing energy source, considering the distributed nature of raw material and cost of biomass collection and transportation. To achieve this goal, it is critical to developing new process technologies that are significantly more efficient than traditional processes for which the added manufacture provides a fast way of realization and evaluation. Based upon the flagship MFiX multiphase computational fluid dynamic software suite, NETL has developed an Optimization Toolset to facilitate the CFD simulation based reactor design and optimization, and process intensification. This technical report presents the recent development and application of the Optimization Toolset and the framework for process optimization of particle separation in batch and continuous processes. In these processes, a fluidized bed reactor under proper operating condition was used to separate particles of different physical properties. MFiX-DEM simulations were conducted for a batch system to simulate the process covering a wide range of superficial gas velocities from which the optimal operational parameter can be determined through analyzing the system response. After successful demonstration of the framework, a continuous system for particle separation was designed based on CFD simulations. Similar optimization exercises were conducted for the continuous particle separation considering multiple operating parameters. The design was then fabricated in the laboratory through 3D printing for testing. The particle separation performance was carefully measured through high-speed video for particle tracking. Quantitative comparison between numerical results and experimental measurements were conducted for confirmation and validation.

30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION↗
NASA NTRS1996

STS-78 Post Flight Presentation

The flight crew of the STS-78 mission, Cmdr. Terence T. Henricks, Pilot Kevin R. Kregel, Payload Cmdr. Susan J. Helms, Mission Specialists Richard M. Linnehan, Charles E. Brady, Jr., and Payload Specialists Jean-Jacques Favier, Ph.D. and Robert B. Thirsk, M.D., back from their seventeen day mission, offer a video and still photo presentation of their journey. Included in the presentation are pre-launch, launch, and post-launch activities; experiments performed in the Spacelab; and re-entry; and the landing at KSC. Each of the STS-78 crew members discuss particular aspects of the mission including the 22 LMS life science and microgravity experiments. The experiments address human physiology, metallic alloys and protein crystal growth, and the study of the behavior of fluids and materials processing in the near-weightless environment of space.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2016

Modeling Ullage Dynamics of Tank Pressure Control Experiment during Jet Mixing in Microgravity

A CFD model for simulating the fluid dynamics of the jet induced mixing process is utilized in this paper to model the pressure control portion of the Tank Pressure Control Experiment (TPCE) in microgravity1. The Volume of Fluid (VOF) method is used for modeling the dynamics of the interface during mixing. The simulations were performed at a range of jet Weber numbers from non-penetrating to fully penetrating. Two different initial ullage positions were considered. The computational results for the jet-ullage interaction are compared with still images from the video of the experiment. A qualitative comparison shows that the CFD model was able to capture the main features of the interfacial dynamics, as well as the jet penetration of the ullage.

active control↗
NASA NTRS2004

Methods and apparatus for constructing and implementing a universal extension module for processing objects in a database

Methods and apparatus for providing a multi-tier object-relational database architecture are disclosed. In one illustrative embodiment of the present invention, a multi-tier database architecture comprises an object-relational database engine as a top tier, one or more domain-specific extension modules as a bottom tier, and one or more universal extension modules as a middle tier. The individual extension modules of the bottom tier operationally connect with the one or more universal extension modules which, themselves, operationally connect with the database engine. The domain-specific extension modules preferably provide such functions as search, index, and retrieval services of images, video, audio, time series, web pages, text, XML, spatial data, etc. The domain-specific extension modules may include one or more IBM DB2 extenders, Oracle data cartridges and/or Informix datablades, although other domain-specific extension modules may be used.

Li, Chung-Sheng↗
NASA NTRS2012

Requirements Flowdown for Prognostics and Health Management

Prognostics and Health Management (PHM) principles have considerable promise to change the game of lifecycle cost of engineering systems at high safety levels by providing a reliable estimate of future system states. This estimate is a key for planning and decision making in an operational setting. While technology solutions have made considerable advances, the tie-in into the systems engineering process is lagging behind, which delays fielding of PHM-enabled systems. The derivation of specifications from high level requirements for algorithm performance to ensure quality predictions is not well developed. From an engineering perspective some key parameters driving the requirements for prognostics performance include: (1) maximum allowable Probability of Failure (PoF) of the prognostic system to bound the risk of losing an asset, (2) tolerable limits on proactive maintenance to minimize missed opportunity of asset usage, (3) lead time to specify the amount of advanced warning needed for actionable decisions, and (4) required confidence to specify when prognosis is sufficiently good to be used. This paper takes a systems engineering view towards the requirements specification process and presents a method for the flowdown process. A case study based on an electric Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (e-UAV) scenario demonstrates how top level requirements for performance, cost, and safety flow down to the health management level and specify quantitative requirements for prognostic algorithm performance.

video acuity↗
NASA NTRS1991

Determination of cytoplasmic calcium concentration in Dryopteris spores: a developmentally non-disruptive technique for loading of the calcium indicator fura-2

Germination of Dryopteris spores is mediated by the physiologically active, far-red-absorbing form of phytochrome, Pfr, and external Ca2+ is necessary for the transduction of the light signal. Because knowledge about the cytoplasmic calcium ion concentration, [Ca2+]i, is of great importance for understanding the role of calcium during signal transduction, this value was measured using fura-2 in fern spores undergoing the normal developmental progression into germination. Fura-2 was loaded into the spores by electroporation, which does not disrupt the normal process of germination. The intensity of the fluorescence emission of the loaded fura-2 was analysed by a microspectrophotometric assay of single spores, and successful loading could be obtained by the application of ten electrical pulses (field strength 7.5 kV cm-1, half-life (time constant) 230 microseconds). Fura-2 was alternately excited by light of wavelengths 355 and 385 nm through an inverted fluorescence microscope, and the emitted fura-2 fluorescence was collected by a silicon-intensified video camera. The cytoplasmic calcium ion concentration was calculated from the ratio of the camera output obtained for both wavelengths and displayed by a pseudo-color technique. Spores responded to changes of the extracellular Ca2+ concentration, and this observation is considered as evidence that fura-2 is loaded into the cytoplasm. The substitution of a low external [Ca2+] (1 mM ethyleneglycol-bis(2-aminoethylether)-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid (EGTA)) by 1 mM CaCl2 caused a fast increase of [Ca2+]i from approx. 50 nM to above 500 nM. In contrast, the subsequent substitution of CaCl2 by EGTA decreased [Ca2+]i again below 100 nM within 0.5 h. Furthermore, the application of ionomycin could initiate a change in [Ca2+]i according to the Ca2+ gradient established between the extracellular medium and cytoplasm. In spores sown on a Ca(2+) -free medium, [Ca2+]i, analysed in a buffer containing EGTA, was found to be around 50 nM during the first days of cultivation, independent of the irradiation protocol. However, if spores were grown in darkness on a Ca(2+) -containing medium and analysed in EGTA, [Ca2+]i was significantly higher (> or = 500 nM). In red-light-irradiated spores, [Ca2+]i was found to decrease with increasing time after irradiation, and was determined to be less than 100 nM when analysis was done 44 h after germination was initiated by the light treatment.

NASA Discipline Plant Biology↗