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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 NTRS2013

An Assessment of Environmental Health Needs

Environmental health fundamentally addresses the physical, chemical, and biological risks external to the human body that can impact the health of a person by assessing and controlling these risks in order to generate and maintain a health-supportive environment. In manned spacecraft, environmental health risks are mitigated by a multi-disciplinary effort, employing several measures including active and passive controls, by establishing environmental standards (SMACs, SWEGs, microbial and acoustics limits), and through environmental monitoring. Human Health and Performance (HHP) scientists and Environmental Control and Life Support (ECLS) engineers consider environmental monitoring a vital component to an environmental health management strategy for maintaining a healthy crew and achieving mission success. ECLS engineers use environmental monitoring data to monitor and confirm the health of ECLS systems, whereas HHP scientists use the data to manage the health of the human system. Because risks can vary between missions and change over time, environmental monitoring is critical. Crew health risks associated with the environment were reviewed by agency experts with the goal of determining risk-based environmental monitoring needs for future NASA manned missions. Once determined, gaps in environmental health knowledge and technology, required to address those risks, were identified for various types of exploration missions. This agency-wide assessment of environmental health needs will help guide the activities/hardware development efforts to close those gaps and advance the knowledge required to meet NASA manned space exploration objectives. Details of the roadmap development and findings are presented in this paper.

Macatangay, Ariel V.↗
NASA NTRS2013

An Assessment of Environmental Health Needs for Manned Spacecraft

Environmental health fundamentally addresses the physical, chemical, and biological risks external to the human body that can impact the health of a person by assessing and controlling these risks in order to generate and maintain a health‐supportive environment. Environmental monitoring coupled with other measures including active and passive controls and the implementation of environmental standards (SMACs, SWEGs, microbial and acoustics limits) are used to ensure environmental health in manned spacecraft. NASA scientists and engineers consider environmental monitoring a vital component to an environmental health management strategy for maintaining a healthy crew and achieving mission success. Environmental monitoring data confirms the health of ECLS systems, in addition to contributing to the management of the health of human systems. Crew health risks associated with the environment were reviewed by agency experts with the goal of determining risk-based environmental monitoring needs for future NASA manned missions. Once determined, gaps in knowledge and technology, required to address those risks, were identified for various types of Exploration missions. This agency‐wide assessment of environmental health needs will help guide the activities/hardware development efforts to close those gaps and advance the knowledge required to meet NASA manned space exploration objectives. Details of this assessment and findings are presented in this paper.

Macatangay, Ariel V.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Operational Phase Life Cycle Assessment of Select NASA Ground Test Facilities

NASA's Aeronautics Test Program (ATP) is responsible for many large, high-energy ground test facilities that accomplish the nation s most advanced aerospace research. In order to accomplish these national objectives, significant energy and resources are consumed. A select group of facilities was analyzed using life-cycle assessment (LCA) to determine carbon footprint and environmental impacts. Most of these impacts stem from electricity and natural gas consumption, used directly at the facility and to generate support processes such as compressed air and steam. Other activities were analyzed but determined to be smaller in scale and frequency with relatively negligible environmental impacts. More specialized facilities use R-134a, R-14, jet fuels, or nitrogen gas, and these unique inputs can have a considerable effect on a facility s overall environmental impact. The results of this LCA will be useful to ATP and NASA as the nation looks to identify its top energy consumers and NASA looks to maximize research output and minimize environmental impact. Keywords: NASA, Aeronautics, Wind tunnel, Keyword 4, Keyword 5

Sydnor, George H.↗
NASA NTRS2016

AIRNOISE: A Tool for Preliminary Noise-Abatement Terminal Approach Route Design

Noise from aircraft in the airport vicinity is one of the leading aviation-induced environmental issues. The FAA developed the Integrated Noise Model (INM) and its replacement Aviation Environmental Design Tool (AEDT) software to assess noise impact resulting from all aviation activities. However, a software tool is needed that is simple to use for terminal route modification, quick and reasonably accurate for preliminary noise impact evaluation and flexible to be used for iterative design of optimal noise-abatement terminal routes. In this paper, we extend our previous work on developing a noise-abatement terminal approach route design tool, named AIRNOISE, to satisfy this criterion. First, software efficiency has been significantly increased by over tenfold using the C programming language instead of MATLAB. Moreover, a state-of-the-art high performance GPU-accelerated computing module is implemented that was tested to be hundreds time faster than the C implementation. Secondly, a Graphical User Interface (GUI) was developed allowing users to import current terminal approach routes and modify the routes interactively to design new terminal approach routes. The corresponding noise impacts are then calculated and displayed in the GUI in seconds. Finally, AIRNOISE was applied to Baltimore-Washington International Airport terminal approach route to demonstrate its usage.

aircraft noise↗
NASA NTRS2021

Bhutan Water Resources II: Comparing Phenology, Precipitation, and Temperature Data in Bhutan to Assist the Himalayan Environmental Rhythm Observation and Evaluation System (HEROES) Project

Bhutan is vulnerable to climate fluctuations that can affect vegetation phenology patterns. Changes in the climate have raised concerns from local farmers about altered growing seasons. In response, the DEVELOP team assessed annual vegetation phenology trends across Bhutan from 1981-2014 by comparing vegetation phenology-derived data and meteorological data. The project assessed phenology change using Vegetation Index and Phenology (VIP) Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) products from the Advanced Very High-Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) and the Terra and Aqua Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensors. We also used Climate Hazards Center Infrared Precipitation with Station (CHIRPS) precipitation data and Famine Early Warning System Network Land Data Assimilation System (FLDAS) temperature data to assess climate trends in the country. The team assessed VIP phenology data for 1981-2014 to assess trends for the start of season, day of peak, and length of season. For the main growing season, the results indicated that the start of season and day of peak were delayed, while the length of season increased by 22 days. Analysis of temperature and precipitation data for the early 1980s to present indicted that Bhutan’s temperature has become warmer and precipitation has increased. Satellite-based precipitation and temperature data were compared to in situ precipitation and temperature data, yielding high correlations for both precipitation (R=0.85) and temperature (R=0.9). The project results and methods were shared with the Ugyen Wangchuck Institute for Conservation and Environmental Research (UWICER) to help assess climate change impacts in Bhutan.

DEVELOP Tech Paper↗
NASA NTRS2006

Science Overview: The LTTG Technology Review Meeting March 2006 Summary Report

This report presents an overview of the latest scientific consensus understanding of the effect of aviation emissions on the atmosphere for both local air quality and climate change in order to provide a contextual framework for raising future questions to help assess the environmental benefits of technology goals. Although studies of the two issues share a common framework (of quantifying the emissions, the change in concentrations in the atmosphere, and the environmental impacts), the communities of practitioners are distinctly different. The scientific community will continue to provide guidelines on trade-off among different contributors to a specific environmental impact, such as global climate, or local air quality. Ultimately, monetization of the costs and benefits of mitigation actions is the proper tool for quantifying and analyzing trade-offs between the two issues. Scientific assessment of the impacts and their uncertainties are critical inputs to these analyses. Until environmental effects of aviation emerge as a policy driven issue, there is little incentive within the scientific community to focus on research efforts specific to trade-off studies between local and global impacts.

Bruning, Claus↗
NASA NTRS2014

Evaluating Tradeoffs Between Environmental Impact and Operational Costs for Enroute Air Traffic

The rapid growth of air traffic has drawn attention to aircraft-induced environmental impact. Aviation operations affect the environment mainly through the release of emissions and by the formation of contrails. Recent research has shown that altering aircraft cruise altitudes can reduce aviation environmental impact by reducing Absolute Global Temperature Change Potential, a climate assessment metric that adapts a linear system for modeling the global temperature response to aviation emissions and contrails. However, these methods will increase fuel consumption that leads to higher operational costs imposed on airlines resulting in reluctance to adopt a new routing strategy. This paper evaluates the tradeoff between environmental impact reduction and the corresponding added operational costs for enroute air traffic. The concept of social cost of carbon and the carbon auction price from California's recent cap-and-trade system were used to provide estimates and a methodology to evaluate environmental costs for carbon dioxide emissions and contrail formations. Depending on the specific environmental policy, the strategy is considered favorable when the reduction in environmental costs exceeds the increase in operational costs. The results show how the net environmental bene t varies with different decision-making time horizons, different carbon and fuel costs, and different days. The study provides guidance towards the development of the environmental reduction strategies.

environmental impact↗
NASA NTRS2010

Launch Pad Flame Trench Refractory Materials

The launch complexes at NASA's John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC) are critical support facilities for the successful launch of space-based vehicles. These facilities include a flame trench that bisects the pad at ground level. This trench includes a flame deflector system that consists of an inverted, V-shaped steel structure covered with a high temperature concrete material five inches thick that extends across the center of the flame trench. One side of the "V11 receives and deflects the flames from the orbiter main engines; the opposite side deflects the flames from the solid rocket boosters. There are also two movable deflectors at the top of the trench to provide additional protection to shuttle hardware from the solid rocket booster flames. These facilities are over 40 years old and are experiencing constant deterioration from launch heat/blast effects and environmental exposure. The refractory material currently used in launch pad flame deflectors has become susceptible to failure, resulting in large sections of the material breaking away from the steel base structure and creating high-speed projectiles during launch. These projectiles jeopardize the safety of the launch complex, crew, and vehicle. Post launch inspections have revealed that the number and frequency of repairs, as well as the area and size of the damage, is increasing with the number of launches. The Space Shuttle Program has accepted the extensive ground processing costs for post launch repair of damaged areas and investigations of future launch related failures for the remainder of the program. There currently are no long term solutions available for Constellation Program ground operations to address the poor performance and subsequent failures of the refractory materials. Over the last three years, significant liberation of refractory material in the flame trench and fire bricks along the adjacent trench walls following Space Shuttle launches have resulted in extensive investigations of failure mechanisms, load response, ejected material impact evaluation, and repair design analysis (environmental and structural assessment, induced environment from solid rocket booster plume, loads summary, and repair integrity), assessment of risk posture for flame trench debris, and justification of flight readiness rationale. Although the configuration of the launch pad, water and exhaust direction, and location of the Mobile Launcher Platform between the flame trench and the flight hardware should protect the Space Vehicle from debris exposure, loss of material could cause damage to a major element of the ground facility (resulting in temporary usage loss); and damage to other facility elements is possible. These are all significant risks that will impact ground operations for Constellation and development of new refractory material systems is necessary to reduce the likelihood of the foreign object debris hazard during launch. KSC is developing an alternate refractory material for the launch pad flame trench protection system, including flame deflector and flame trench walls, that will withstand launch conditions without the need for repair after every launch, as is currently the case. This paper will present a summary of the results from industry surveys, trade studies, life cycle cost analysis, and preliminary testing that have been performed to support and validate the development, testing, and qualification of new refractory materials.

Calle, Luz M.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Ozone Response to Aircraft Emissions: Sensitivity Studies with Two-dimensional Models

Our first intercomparison/assessment of the effects of a proposed high-speed civil transport (HSCT) fleet on the stratosphere is presented. These model calculations should be considered more as sensitivity studies, primarily designed to serve the following purposes: (1) to allow for intercomparison of model predictions; (2) to focus on the range of fleet operations and engine specifications giving minimal environmental impact; and (3) to provide the basis for future assessment studies. The basic scenarios were chosen to be as realistic as possible, using the information available on anticipated developments in technology. They are not to be interpreted as a commitment or goal for environmental acceptability.

Ko, Malcolm K. W.↗
NASA NTRS2015

Using Science Skills to Understand Ecophysiology and Manage Resources

Presentation will be for a general audience and focus on plant science and ecosystem science in NASA. Examples from the projects involving the presenter will be used to illustrate. Specifically, the California Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta project. This collaboration supports the goals of the Delta Plan in developing science-based, adaptive-management strategies. The mission is to improve reliability of water supply and restore a healthy Delta ecosystem while enhancing agriculture and recreation. NASA can contribute gap-filling science understanding of overall functions in the Delta ecosystem and assess and help develop management plans for specific issues. Airborne and satellite remote-sensing, ecosystem modeling, and biological studies provide underlying data needed by Delta stakeholders to assess and address water, ecosystem restoration, and environmental and economic impacts of potential actions in the Delta. The California Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, the hub for California's water supply, supports important ecosystem services for fisheries, supplies drinking water for millions, and distributes water from Northern California to agriculture and urban communities to the south; millions of people and businesses depend on Delta water. Decades of competing demands for Delta resources and year-to-year variability in precipitation has resulted in diminished overall health of the Delta. Declines in fish populations, threatened ecosystems, endangered species, invasive plants and animals, cuts in agricultural exports, and increased water conservation is the result. NASA and the USDA, building on previous collaborations, aide local Delta stakeholders in assessing and developing an invasive weed management approach. Aquatic, terrestrial, and riparian invasive weeds threaten aquatic and terrestrial ecosystem restoration efforts. Aquatic weeds are currently detrimental economically, environmentally, and sociologically in the Delta. They negatively impact the redistribution of water and disrupt the ecology of the Bay Delta food web. Filling current science gaps in the Delta Plan and improving management practices within the Delta are important to achieving the mission of improved Delta health. Methods developed can become routine land and water management tools. New high-resolution NASA sensor systems could be used to provide data packages specifically designed for water system The presenter will also speak about his personal experience and the role Delaware Valley College played in preparation for a professional career science.

Water↗
NASA NTRS1998

Experiment 8: Environmental Conditions in the ASTROCULTURE(trademark) Plant Chamber During the USML-2 Mission

Conducting plant research to assess the impact of microgravity on plant growth and development requires a plant chamber that has the capability to control other environmental parameters involved in plant growth and development. The environmental control in a space-based plant chamber must be equivalent to that available in such facilities used for terrestrial plant research. Additionally, plants are very sensitive to a number of atmospheric gaseous materials. Thus, the atmosphere of a plant chamber must be isolated from the space vehicle atmosphere, and the plant growth unit should have the capability to remove any such deleterious materials that may impact plant growth and development. The Wisconsin Center for Space Automation and Robotics (WCSAR), University of Wisconsin-Madison, has developed a totally enclosed controlled environment plant growth unit. The flight unit was used to support the ASTROCULTURE(TM) experiment conducted during the USML-2 mission. The experiment had two major objectives: 1) Provide further validation of the flight unit to control the experiment-defined environmental parameters in the plant chamber, and 2) support a plant experiment to assess the capability of potato plant material to produce tubers in microgravity. This paper describes the temperature, humidity, and carbon dioxide conditions of the plant chamber during the mission, from launch to landing. Another paper will present the plant response data.

Bula, R. J.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Proceedings of the Space Shuttle Environmental Assessment Workshop on Stratospheric Effects

Various aspects of the potential environmental impact of space shuttle exhaust are explored. Topics include: (1) increased ultraviolet radiation levels in the biosphere due to destruction of atmospheric ozone; (2) climatic changes due to aerosol particles affecting the planetary albedo; (3) space shuttle propellants (including alternate formulations); and (4) measurement of space shuttle exhaust products.

Potter, A. E.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Report of activities of the advanced coal extraction systems definition project, 1979 - 1980

During this period effort was devoted to: formulation of system performance goals in the areas of production cost, miner safety, miner health, environmental impact, and coal conservation, survey and in depth assessment of promising technology, and characterization of potential resource targets. Primary system performance goals are to achieve a return on incremental investment of 150% of the value required for a low risk capital improvement project and to reduce deaths and disability injuries per million man-hour by 50%. Although these performance goals were developed to be immediately applicable to the Central Appalachian coal resources, they were also designed to be readily adaptable to other coals by appending a geological description of the new resource. The work done on technology assessment was concerned with the performance of the slurry haulage system.

Lavin, M. L.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Comparison of dynamic isotope power systems for distributed planet surface applications

Dynamic isotope power system (DIPS) alternatives were investigated and characterized for the surface mission elements associated with a lunar base and subsequent manned Mars expedition. System designs based on two convertor types were studied. These systems were characterized parametrically and compared over the steady-state electrical output power range 0.2 to 20 kWe. Three methods of thermally integrating the heat source and the Stirling heater head were considered, depending on unit size. Figures of merit were derived from the characterizations and compared over the parametric range. Design impacts of mission environmental factors are discussed and quantitatively assessed.

Bents, David J.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Preliminary environmental assessment for the Satellite Power System (SPS). Volume 2: Detailed assessment

Volume 2 provides a preliminary assessment of the impact of the Satellite Power System (SPS) on the environment in a technically detailed format more suitable for peer review than the executive summary of Vol. 1. It serves to integrate and assimilate information that has appeared in documents referenced herein and to focus on issues that are purely environmental. It discloses the state-of-knowledge as perceived from recently completed DOE-sponsored studies and defines prospective research and study programs that can advance the state-of-knowledge and provide an expanded data base for use in an assessment planned for 1980. Alternatives for research that may be implemented in order to achieve this advancement are also discussed.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1990

Monitoring thermal impact resulting from solid rocket motor test operations

The use of remote sensing is discussed with respect to determining the thermal conditions and the immediate environmental effects of large-scale rocket propulsion tests. Data acquired during a test firing of a solid rocket motor are presented including thermal data and surface temperatures from before, during, and after the firing. Thermal impact directly behind the nozzle is assessed, temperature values within the plume are determined, and data are generated for use in an environmental monitoring system which can analyze and forecast impact. The airborne multispectral scanner and thermocouples behind the solid rocket motor discerned that radiant temperatures are higher than predictions indicate and that the testing affects 34 acres of ground. The results are of use in determining the design and area required for developing testing facilities for rocket motors.

Davis, Bruce A.↗
NASA NTRS2024

Fault Diagnosis of Power Components with Reliability Assessment in Extraterrestrial Microgrids

This research investigates the possible failures caused by aging and other environmental and external factors that could significantly impact the performance of extraterrestrial power systems. Additionally, it presents a reliability assessment model for the space microgrid based on fault tree analysis (FTA). The reliability assessment model developed in this paper represents a tool that can be used by engineers to harden the system design for operational and economic benefits. To improve the reliability of the system, this work provides a broad review of the different fault detection and diagnosis (FDD) algorithms used for power microgrids and space applications. Using data sets from the Habitat Simulator developed through the NASA-funded Resilient Extraterrestrial Habitat Institute, this paper compares the applicability and accuracy of the different FDD methods. The primary FDD approach proposed and assessed in this work is based on the Markov reliability model. It predicts and detects future faults in the space microgrids by using past data samples and categorizing them into different classes. Data-driven-based models such as artificial neural networks are also investigated, tested, and evaluated using simulation data sets. According to the simulation results and the broad FDD algorithm comparison, this study provides the crew or maintenance engineers with a clear methodology to detect and localize power system failures.

Leila Chebbo↗
NASA NTRS2000

A Computer Learning Center for Environmental Sciences

In the fall of 1998, MacMillan Hall opened at Brown University to students. In MacMillan Hall was the new Computer Learning Center, since named the EarthLab which was outfitted with high-end workstations and peripherals primarily focused on the use of remotely sensed and other spatial data in the environmental sciences. The NASA grant we received as part of the "Centers of Excellence in Applications of Remote Sensing to Regional and Global Integrated Environmental Assessments" was the primary source of funds to outfit this learning and research center. Since opening, we have expanded the range of learning and research opportunities and integrated a cross-campus network of disciplines who have come together to learn and use spatial data of all kinds. The EarthLab also forms a core of undergraduate, graduate, and faculty research on environmental problems that draw upon the unique perspective of remotely sensed data. Over the last two years, the Earthlab has been a center for research on the environmental impact of water resource use in and regions, impact of the green revolution on forest cover in India, the design of forest preserves in Vietnam, and detailed assessments of the utility of thermal and hyperspectral data for water quality analysis. It has also been used extensively for local environmental activities, in particular studies on the impact of lead on the health of urban children in Rhode Island. Finally, the EarthLab has also served as a key educational and analysis center for activities related to the Brown University Affiliated Research Center that is devoted to transferring university research to the private sector.

Mustard, John F.↗