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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 109 records · Page 6
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2011

Amine Swingbed Payload Project Management

The International Space Station (ISS) has been designed as a laboratory for demonstrating technologies in a microgravity environment, benefitting exploration programs by reducing the overall risk of implementing such technologies in new spacecraft. At the beginning of fiscal year 2010, the ISS program manager requested that the amine-based, pressure-swing carbon dioxide and humidity absorption technology (designed by Hamilton Sundstrand, baselined for the ORION Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle, and tested at the Johnson Space Center in relevant environments, including with humans, since 2005) be developed into a payload for ISS Utilization. In addition to evaluating the amine technology in a flight environment before the first launch of the ORION vehicle, the ISS program wanted to determine the capability of the amine technology to remove carbon dioxide from the ISS cabin environment at the metabolic rate of the full 6-person crew. Because the amine technology vents the absorbed carbon dioxide and water vapor to space vacuum (open loop), additional hardware needed to be developed to minimize the amount of air and water resources lost overboard. Additionally, the payload system would be launched on two separate Space Shuttle flights, with the heart of the payload the swingbed unit itself launching a full year before the remainder of the payload. This paper discusses the project management and challenges of developing the amine swingbed payload in order to accomplish the technology objectives of both the open-loop ORION application as well as the closed-loop ISS application.

Hayley, Elizabeth↗
NASA NTRS2013

Amine Swingbed Payload Project Management

The International Space Station (ISS) has been designed as a laboratory for demonstrating technologies in a microgravity environment, benefitting exploration programs by reducing the overall risk of implementing such technologies in new spacecraft. At the beginning of fiscal year 2010, the ISS program manager requested that the amine-based, pressure-swing carbon dioxide and humidity absorption technology (designed by Hamilton Sundstrand, baselined for the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle, and tested at the Johnson Space Center in relevant environments, including with humans, since 2005) be developed into a payload for ISS Utilization. In addition to evaluating the amine technology in a flight environment before the first launch of the Orion vehicle, the ISS program wanted to determine the capability of the amine technology to remove carbon dioxide from the ISS cabin environment at the metabolic rate of the full 6 ]person crew. Because the amine technology vents the absorbed carbon dioxide and water vapor to space vacuum (open loop), additional hardware needed to be developed to minimize the amount of air and water resources lost overboard. Additionally, the payload system would be launched on two separate Space Shuttle flights, with the heart of the payload-the swingbed unit itself-launching a full year before the remainder of the payload. This paper discusses the project management and challenges of developing the amine swingbed payload in order to accomplish the technology objectives of both the open -loop Orion application as well as the closed-loop ISS application.

Walsch, Mary↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Exploring Coupled Land-Atmosphere Carbon Dynamics and Seasonal Carbon Forecast Skill

Terrestrial biosphere is an integral part of the climate system and plays a vital role in controlling the dynamics of the Earth’s carbon cycle. In this talk, I will present recent efforts to explore coupled land-atmosphere carbon dynamics and seasonal carbon cycle predictability. First, by imposing an idealized spring drought in coupled land‐atmosphere ensemble simulations, we investigated the impact of a regional drought on land and atmospheric carbon. Through the drought-induced impact on remote meteorology, the capability of the land’s carbon uptake is altered in both the drought area and the adjacent areas. The induced anomalies of the atmospheric CO2 extend to an area up to three times of that of the imposed drought, which suggests that atmospheric transport needs to be considered in the interpretation of the drought impact on carbon anomalies. Increase in column‐averaged monthly CO2 is at the edge of the uncertainty from single soundings of current greenhouse gas observing satellites. Secondly, the seasonal carbon forecast skill was explored using NASA’s subseasonal-to-seasonal (S2S) ensemble forecast and terrestrial biosphere model. The result demonstrates an ability to accurately predict spring-summer carbon uptake in the Northern Hemisphere mid and high latitude land at multi-month leads. The prediction skill appears to be achieved by accurate forecasts of snow removal timing, which provides a latent predictability to the forecast system, and by proper initialization of carbon and nitrogen states. Additionally, I will briefly discuss other ongoing research to improve hydrometeorological prediction by integrating biogeochemical processes, to evaluate forecast skill of wildfire carbon, and to apply subseasonal forecasts to water resources management.

Eunjee Lee↗
NASA NTRS2003

Airborne Oceanographic Lidar (AOL) (Global Carbon Cycle)

This bimonthly contractor progress report covers the operation, maintenance and data management of the Airborne Oceanographic Lidar and the Airborne Topographic Mapper. Monthly activities included: mission planning, sensor operation and calibration, data processing, data analysis, network development and maintenance and instrument maintenance engineering and fabrication.

Source record↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Detectability of anthropogenic impacts on terrestrial carbon storage through space-based greenhouse gas observations

While changes in human activity and their impact on the terrestrial biosphere may be apparent in inventory and land-surface satellite data, reliably matching these changes to signals in atmospheric greenhouse gases remains challenging. The dominant signals in atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) are those of the seasonal and diurnal variability of the terrestrial biosphere. As a result, the historically large short-term change in anthropogenic fossil fuel emissions due to COVID-19 produced an atmospheric CO2 signal near the threshold of detectability of the current space-based observing system. Impacts of anthropogenic activity on terrestrial carbon storage are likewise expected to be difficult, if not impossible, to detect and validate with atmospheric observations. For example, many forest management projects involve reduction of wood removals that would otherwise be taken off site and decompose years later and are thus not reflected in immediate onsite carbon fluxes. Nevertheless, changes implemented over a jurisdictional scale, as opposed to individual projects, may be detectable. This presentation will analyze to what extent NASA’s Goddard Earth Observing System (GEOS)/Orbiting Carbon Observatory 2 (OCO-2) assimilated column CO2 (XCO2) product is able to detect anthropogenic changes to terrestrial carbon storage and the results of several simulation experiments meant to represent potential forest management scenarios. As examples, we consider past and future changes due to conversion in the Tropics to agricultural land use from slash-and-burn, e.g., from Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries (REDD+) efforts. This has the potential to inform what practices may be observable with current and future technology, e.g., Europe’s upcoming CO2 monitoring mission (CO2M), and where improvement is needed.

Brad Weir↗
NASA NTRS1999

ECLSS Design for the International Space Station Nodes 2 and 3

The International Space Station (ISS) modules Nodes 2 and 3 are currently under development by Alenia Spazio and the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). The design of the Environmental Control and Life Support Systems (ECLSS) for these two modules have some similarities but many differences. The Node 2 ECLSS provides inter- and intramodule ventilation, temperature and humidity control, fire detection and suppression, and distribution of atmosphere samples, low pressure and recharge oxygen and nitrogen, fuel cell water and wastewater. Design Review 1 was held in March 1998. Fabrication of the ducting, tubing, and support structure is ongoing with Design Review 2 planned for December 1999. In addition to providing the same functions as Node 2, the ECLSS for Node 3 includes carbon dioxide removal, trace contaminant control, atmosphere monitoring, atmosphere pressure control, oxygen generation, urine and potable water processing, waste management, and potable water distribution to support the habitability functions relocated from the U.S. Hab module. Scarring for future incorporation of carbon dioxide reduction is also included. Design Review 1 is planned for July 1999. An overview of each Node's system design as well as issues and challenges are discussed.

Carrasquillo, Robyn L.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Testing of Alternative Materials for Advanced Suit Bladders

Several candidate advanced pressure bladder membrane materials have been developed for NASA Johnson Space Center by DSM Biomedical for selective permeability of carbon dioxide and water vapor. These materials were elasthane and two other formulations of thermoplastic polyether polyurethane. Each material was tested in two thicknesses for permeability to carbon dioxide, oxygen and water vapor. Although oxygen leaks through the suit bladder would amount to only about 60 cc/hr in a full size suit, significant amounts of carbon dioxide would not be rejected by the system to justify its use. While the ratio of carbon dioxide to oxygen permeability is about 48 to 1, this is offset by the small partial pressure of carbon dioxide in acceptable breathing atmospheres of the suit. Humidity management remains a possible use of the membranes depending on the degree to which the water permeability is inhibited by cations in the sweat. Tests are underway to explore cation fouling from sweat.

Bue, Grant↗
NASA NTRS2011

NASA World Wind: Infrastructure for Spatial Data

The world has great need for analysis of Earth observation data, be it climate change, carbon monitoring, disaster response, national defense or simply local resource management. To best provide for spatial and time-dependent information analysis, the world benefits from an open standards and open source infrastructure for spatial data. In the spirit of NASA's motto "for the benefit of all" NASA invites the world community to collaboratively advance this core technology. The World Wind infrastructure for spatial data both unites and challenges the world for innovative solutions analyzing spatial data while also allowing absolute command and control over any respective information exchange medium.

Hogan, Patrick↗
NASA NTRS2020

Biomass Estimation from Simulated GEDI, ICESat-2 and NISAR Across Environmental Gradients in Sonoma County, California

Estimates of the magnitude and distribution of aboveground carbon in Earth’s forests remain uncertain, yet knowledge of forest carbon content at a global scale is critical for forest management in support of climate mitigation. In light of this knowledge gap, several upcoming spaceborne missions aim to map forest aboveground biomass, and many new biomass products are expected from these datasets. As these new missions host different technologies, each with relative strengths and weaknesses for biomass retrieval, as well as different spatial resolutions, consistently comparing or combining biomass estimates from these new datasets will be challenging. This paper presents a demonstration of an inter-comparison of biomass estimates from simulations of three NASA missions (GEDI, ICESat-2 and NISAR) over Sonoma county in California, USA. We use a high resolution, locally calibrated airborne lidar map as our reference dataset, and emphasize the importance of considering uncertainties in both reference maps and spaceborne estimates when conducting biomass product validation. GEDI and ICESat-2 were simulated from airborne lidar point clouds, while UAVSAR’s L-band backscatter was used as a proxy for NISAR. To estimate biomass for the lidar missions we used GEDI’s footprint-level biomass algorithms, and also adapted these for application to ICESat-2. For UAVSAR, we developed a locally trained biomass model, calibrated against the ALS reference map. Each mission simulation was evaluated in comparison to the local reference map at its native product resolution (25 m, 100m transect, and 1 ha) yielding RMSEs of 57%, 75%, and 89% for GEDI, NISAR, and ICESat-2 respectively. RMSE values increased for GEDI’s power beam during simulated daytime conditions (64%), coverage beam during nighttime conditions (72%), and coverage beam daytime conditions (87%). We also test the application of GEDI’s biomass modeling framework for estimation of biomass from ICESat-2, and fine that ICESat-2 yields reasonable biomass estimates, particularly in relatively short, open canopies. Results suggest that while all three missions will produce datasets useful for biomass mapping, tall, dense canopies such as those found in Sonoma County present the greatest challenges for all three missions, while steep slopes also prove challenging for single-date SAR based biomass retrieval. Our methods provide guidance for the inter-comparison and validation of spaceborne biomass estimates through the use of airborne lidar reference maps, and could be repeated with on-orbit estimates in any area with high quality field plot and ALS data. These methods allow for regional interpretations and filtering of multi-mission biomass estimates toward improved wall-to-wall biomass maps through data fusion.

GEDI↗
NASA NTRS2024

Lessons Learned from Running a Virtual Global Workshop

Online conferences simplify planning needs, lower barriers to participation for a global audience, and reduce environmental footprints, but scheduling, pacing, and moderating sessions can be challenging.

Conference planning↗
NASA NTRS2004

Waste Processing Research and Technology Development at NASA Ames Research Center

The current "store and return" approach for handling waste products generated during low Earth orbit missions will not meet the requirements for future human missions identified in NASA s new Exploration vision. The objective is to develop appropriate reliable waste management systems that minimize maintenance and crew time, while maintaining crew health and safety, as well as providing protection of planetary surfaces. Solid waste management requirements for these missions include waste volume reduction, stabilization and storage, water recovery, and ultimately recovery of carbon dioxide, nutrients and other resources from a fully regenerative food production life support system. This paper identifies the key drivers for waste management technology development within NASA, and provides a roadmap for the developmental sequence and progression of technologies. Recent results of research and technology development activities at NASA Ames Research Center on candidate waste management technologies with emphasis on compaction, lyophilization, and incineration are discussed.

Fisher, John↗
NASA NTRS2024

Interim Measures Work Plan: South Repeater Building: Solid Waste Management Unit 121: Hydraulic Containment and Groundwater Treatment System for Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances: Kennedy Space Center, Florida

This document presents the design details of a granular activated carbon (GAC) hydraulic containment and groundwater treatment system Interim Measures Work Plan for the South Repeater Building site (South Repeater, Solid Waste Management Unit 121), located at John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC), Florida. The interim measures (IM) treatment area includes the source area and downgradient property boundary, which have been impacted by per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). The objectives of the IM are to treat the source area and mitigate PFAS migration to areas outside of KSC boundaries. This document was prepared by AECOM Technical Services, Inc., for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration under Contract 80KSC019D0010, Task Order 80KSC021F0096. The IM consists of the installation and operation of 19 extraction wells and an associated groundwater treatment system. A total of 13 wells will be installed to a depth of 34 feet below land surface (bls) to target the upper medium-grained sand with shell layer. A total of six wells will be installed to a depth of 56 feet bls to target the lower layer of poorly graded sand with shell fragments. The system will be designed to operate each extraction well simultaneously using submersible pumps at flow rates of 5 or 10 gallons per minute (gpm), excluding one extraction well with a flow rate of 30 gpm. The extracted groundwater will be conveyed to a groundwater treatment system, where it will be treated via GAC prior to disposal via infiltration. To evaluate treatment system performance, baseline groundwater sampling will be conducted prior to treatment system startup. Performance monitoring will be completed quarterly for the first year. A total of eight performance monitoring wells will be installed to a depth of 12 feet bls, and eight performance monitoring wells will be installed to a depth of 30 feet bls. In addition to the installation of 16 performance monitoring wells, 12 existing monitoring wells will be incorporated into the performance monitoring program.

groundwater treatment↗
NASA NTRS1990

Low-temperature plasma technology as part of a closed-loop resource management system

The results of this testing indicate that the agitated low-temperature plasma reactor system successfully converted carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogen into gaseous products at residence times that were about ten times shorter than those achieved by stationary processing. The inorganic matrix present was virtually unchanged by the processing technique. It was concluded that this processing technique is feasible for use as part of a close-looped processing resource management system.

Hetland, Melanie D.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Development of EPA aircraft piston engine emission standards

Piston engine light aircraft are significant sources of carbon monoxide in the vicinity of high activity general aviation airports. Substantial reductions in carbon monoxide were achieved by fuel mixture leaning using improved fuel management systems. The air quality impact of the hydrocarbon and oxides of nitrogen emissions from piston engine light aircraft were insufficient to justify the design constraints being confronted in present control system developments.

Houtman, W.↗
NASA NTRS2001

NASA's Role in the North American Carbon Program

NASA's participation in the North American Carbon Program will include a significant effort for quantifying terrestrial and adjacent ocean sources and sinks of carbon using a variety of land, ocean, and atmospheric measurements. This effort will require improved remote sensing algorithms, new measurement technologies, refined model parameterizations of carbon cycle processes, advanced satellite data assimilation methodologies, and a data management strategy. NASA's plan for pursuing these activities will be presented. Examples of NASA data management capabilities such as the SeaWiFS on-line field data system will be discussed.

McClain, Charles R.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Carbon-Carbon Composite Radiator Development for the EO-1 Spacecraft

The Carbon-Carbon Space Radiator Partnership (CSRP), an informal partnership of Government and industrial personnel, was formed to promote the use of Carbon-carbon composites (C-C) as engineering materials for spacecraft thermal management applications . As a part of this effort the partnership has built a structural radiator for the Earth Orbiter - 1 (EO-1) spacecraft. This radiator, using C-C face-sheets with an aluminum honeycomb core, will demonstrate both the thermal and structural properties of C-C under actual service conditions as well as provide performance data from space flight. This paper will present results from the design of the radiator, the thermal/mechanical tests of the facesheet materials, and sub-component test results on the C-C/Al honeycomb sandwich material. The 29- by 28-inch radiator was designed to support two electronics boxes with a combined heat output of 60 watts maximum and a weight of 58 lbs. The analysis of the radiator design shows that the radiator constructed with 20-mil-thick facesheets of a P30-fiber-reinforced C-C from BFGoodrich is able to meet or exceed all the required thermal and mechanical requirements.

Vaughn, Wallace↗
NASA NTRS2012

CASA Forest Cover Change Data Sets

Deforestation and forest fires are global land cover changes that can be caused by both natural and human factors. Although monitoring forest fires in near-real time is critical for operational wildfire management, mapping historical wildfires in a spatially explicit fashion is also important for a number of reasons, including climate change studies (e.g., examining the relationship between rising temperatures and frequency of fires), fuel load management (e.g., deciding when and where to conduct controlled burns), and carbon cycle studies (e.g., quantifying how much CO2 is emitted by fires and for emissions reduction efforts under the United Nations programs for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation -- REDD).

Mapping↗