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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 NTRS1984

NASA's Exobiology Program

The goal of NASA's Exobiology Program is to understand the origin, evolution, and distribution of life, and life-related molecules, on earth and throughout the universe. Emphasis is focused on determining how the rate and direction of these processes were affected by the chemical and physical environment of the evolving planet, as well as by planetary, solar, and astrophysical phenomena. This is accomplished by a multi-disciplinary program of research conducted by over 60 principal investigators in both NASA and university laboratories. Major program thrusts are in the following research areas: biogenic elements; chemical evolution; origin of life; organic geochemistry; evolution of higher life forms; solar system exploration; and the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI).

Devincenzi, D. L.↗
NASA NTRS2013

Development and Testing of a New Family of Supersonic Decelerators

The state of the art in Entry, Descent, and Landing systems for Mars applications is largely based on technologies developed in the late 1960's and early 1970's for the Viking Lander program. Although the 2011 Mars Science Laboratory has made advances in EDL technology, these are predominantly in the areas of entry (new thermal protection systems and guided hypersonic flight) and landing (the sky crane architecture). Increases in entry mass, landed mass, and landed altitude beyond MSL capabilities will require advances predominantly in the field of supersonic decelerators. With this in mind, a multi-year program has been initiated to advance three new types of supersonic decelerators that would enable future large-robotic and human-precursor class missions to Mars.

Clark, Ian G.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Satellite servicer system flight demonstration program

A program to develop the capability of servicing satellites in remote locations, where a series of flight that will demonstrate autonomous rendezvous and docking, supervised autonomous Orbital Replacement Unit (ORU) exchange, supervised autonomous fluid transfer and, proximity operations for Space Station Freedom were planned, is described. The flight demonstrations are the results of several mission scenarios with complex technical objectives. Three Shuttle flights are planned to complete the multi-objective program. The major hardware elements of the program are described and discussed. Demonstration objectives and technical approaches to the flight demonstrations are discussed. Existing and developing technologies are assessed for applicability to the Satellite Servicer System (SSSFD) program.

James S. Moore↗
DOE OSTI2024

Fusion Ignition and the Path to Inertial Fusion Energy

The achievement of fusion ignition at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's (LLNL) National Ignition Facility (NIF) in December 2022 was the culmination of more than 60 years of research and development in laser-driven inertial confinement fusion at LLNL. That historic scientific, engineering, and technological accomplishment, a prime example of the value of ingenuity and commitment in the face of a grand scientific challenge, marked a significant advance in LLNL's support of the National Nuclear Security Administration's science-based Stockpile Stewardship Program to maintain the reliability and security of the nation's nuclear deterrent without underground testing. It also furthered Livermore's research in high energy density science and established the fundamental scientific basis for inertial fusion energy (IFE), emboldening further public and private research into the development of IFE as a potential source of abundance clean, safe, and reliable energy. Finally, the U.S. government has funded a multi-disciplinary, multi-institutional program that LLNL is now leading to make inertial fusion energy a reality.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
NASA NTRS2021

Kinetically Tunable, Active Auxetic, and Variable Recruitment Active Textiles from Hierarchical Assemblies

Multifunctional textiles with programmable, multi-axial, distributed, and scalable actuation are highly desirable and presently unrealized. 1D torque-unbalanced active yarns within 2D textile structures are exploited to produce soft and scalable active textiles that exhibit tunable displacements, forces, stiffnesses, and kinematic deformations. Through a textile hierarchy spanning active material composition, yarn construction, textile geometry, and system architecture, these active textiles accomplish kinetic tunability, variable recruitment behaviors, and auxetic effects without mechanical contact, called active auxetic effects. New modes of pre-programmed multi-axial performance are enabled by geometrically manipulating—specifically pre-stressing and constraining—active filaments in torsion and leveraging their structural elastic instability within a textile geometry. The new kinematic motion afforded by torque-unbalanced active yarns enhances the performance of active textiles, which accomplish tensile strokes over 40%, generated blocked forces up to 308 N m−1, and specific work over 0.4. kJ kg−1. Advances in active textiles are demonstrated through multifunctional 3D applications, including a variable constriction pump that exhibits sequential actuation, a wearable that conforms multi-axially around the body, and a soft exoskeleton that performs assistive motions and on-body anchoring simultaneously. By harnessing the capabilities of active materials within a textile hierarchy, advances in the potentiality of multifunctional textiles are presented.

Active auxetic effects↗
NASA NTRS2003

Design Through Manufacturing: The Solid Model - Finite Element Analysis Interface

State-of-the-art computer aided design (CAD) presently affords engineers the opportunity to create solid models of machine parts which reflect every detail of the finished product. Ideally, these models should fulfill two very important functions: (1) they must provide numerical control information for automated manufacturing of precision parts, and (2) they must enable analysts to easily evaluate the stress levels (using finite element analysis - FEA) for all structurally significant parts used in space missions. Today's state-of-the-art CAD programs perform function (1) very well, providing an excellent model for precision manufacturing. But they do not provide a straightforward and simple means of automating the translation from CAD to FEA models, especially for aircraft-type structures. The research performed during the fellowship period investigated the transition process from the solid CAD model to the FEA stress analysis model with the final goal of creating an automatic interface between the two. During the period of the fellowship a detailed multi-year program for the development of such an interface was created. The ultimate goal of this program will be the development of a fully parameterized automatic ProE/FEA translator for parts and assemblies, with the incorporation of data base management into the solution, and ultimately including computational fluid dynamics and thermal modeling in the interface.

Rubin, Carol↗
NASA NTRS2007

Repair of Electronics for Long Duration Spaceflight

To reduce mission risk, long duration spaceflight and exploration activities will require greater degrees of self-sufficiency with regards to repair capability than have ever been employed before in space exploration. The current repair paradigm of replacing Orbital Replacement Units (ORUs) of malfunctioning avionics and electronic hardware will be impractical, since carrying all of the spares that could possibly be needed for a long duration mission would require upmass and volume at unprecedented and unacceptable levels. A strategy of component-level repair for electronics, however, could significantly reduce the mass and volume necessary for spares and enhance mission safety via a generic contingency capability. This approach is already used to varying degrees by the U.S. Navy, where vessels at sea experience some similar constraints such as the need for self sufficiency for moderately long time periods, and restrictions on volume of repair spares and infrastructure. The concept of conducting component-level repairs of electronics in spacecraft requires the development of design guidelines for future avionics (to enable repair), development of diagnostic techniques to allow an astronaut to pinpoint the faulty component aboard a vastly complex vehicle, and development of tools and methodologies for dealing with the physical processes of replacing the component. This physical process includes tasks such as conformal coating removal and replacement, component removal, replacement, and alignment--all in the difficulty of a reduced gravity environment. Further, the gravitational effects on the soldering process must be characterized and accounted for to ensure reliability of the newly repaired components. The Component-Level Electronics-Assembly Repair (CLEAR) project under the NASA Supportability program was established to develop and demonstrate the practicality of this repair approach. CLEAR involves collaborative efforts between NASA s Glenn Research Center, Langley Research Center, Johnson Space Center, the National Center for Space Exploration Research, and the U.S. Navy. The project goals are 1) develop and demonstrate a manually-operated electronics repair capability to be conducted in a spacecraft environment; and 2) develop guidelines for designs of electronics that facilitates component-level repair for future space exploration efforts. This multi-faceted program utilizes a cross-disciplinary approach to examine pre- and post-repair diagnostics, conformal coating removal and replacement, component soldering, and electronics design for supportability. These areas are investigated by a combination of trade studies, ground based testing, reduced gravity aircraft testing, and actual spaceflight testing on the International Space Station (ISS) in multiple experiments. This paper details the efforts of this program, with emphasis on early trade study results, ground-based efforts, and two upcoming ISS experiments.

Pettegrew, Richard D.↗
NASA NTRS2008

RACER: Effective Race Detection Using AspectJ

The limits of coding with joint constraints on detected and undetected error rates Programming errors occur frequently in large software systems, and even more so if these systems are concurrent. In the past, researchers have developed specialized programs to aid programmers detecting concurrent programming errors such as deadlocks, livelocks, starvation and data races. In this work we propose a language extension to the aspect-oriented programming language AspectJ, in the form of three new built-in pointcuts, lock(), unlock() and may be Shared(), which allow programmers to monitor program events where locks are granted or handed back, and where values are accessed that may be shared amongst multiple Java threads. We decide thread-locality using a static thread-local objects analysis developed by others. Using the three new primitive pointcuts, researchers can directly implement efficient monitoring algorithms to detect concurrent programming errors online. As an example, we expose a new algorithm which we call RACER, an adoption of the well-known ERASER algorithm to the memory model of Java. We implemented the new pointcuts as an extension to the Aspect Bench Compiler, implemented the RACER algorithm using this language extension and then applied the algorithm to the NASA K9 Rover Executive. Our experiments proved our implementation very effective. In the Rover Executive RACER finds 70 data races. Only one of these races was previously known.We further applied the algorithm to two other multi-threaded programs written by Computer Science researchers, in which we found races as well.

data analysis↗
NASA NTRS2004

The Rocket Engine Advancement Program 2 (REAP2)

The Rocket Engine Advancement Program (REAP) 2 program is being conducted by a university propulsion consortium consisting of the University of Alabama in Huntsville, Penn State University, Purdue University, Tuskegee University and Auburn University. It has been created to bring their combined skills to bear on liquid rocket combustion stability and thrust chamber cooling. The research team involves well established and known researchers in the propulsion community. The cure team provides the knowledge base, research skills, and commitment to achieve an immediate and continuing impact on present and future propulsion issues. through integrated research teams composed of analysts, diagnosticians, and experimentalists working together in an integrated multi-disciplinary program. This paper provides an overview of the program, its objectives and technical approaches. Research on combustion instability and thrust chamber cooling are being accomplished

Harper, Brent↗
NASA NTRS1988

Model based trajectory planning using preview

The control of manipulators is seen here as a two-level process. A method is described to convert information available at the programming level into trajectories suitable to be tracked by a servo control system. The goal of the servo is to absorb the unmodeled dynamics. Tracking accuracy will depend mainly on the acceleration demand of the nominal trajectory setpoint, in particular, the actuator output demand must remain bounded. Our scheme adaptively takes into consideration at the trajectory computation level the dynamics of the underlying system, dynamically available information acquired through sensors, various types of constraints, such as path accuracy, and manipulator optimization. This scheme is meant to be implemented on-line, to drive mechanical systems such as manipulators. It is developed in the context of a multi-manipulator programming and control environment for space applications developed as part of a collaborative effort between McGill University and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Hayward, Vincent↗
NASA NTRS2003

High-Level Data Races

Data races are a common problem in concurrent and multi-threaded programming. They are hard to detect without proper tool support. Despite the successful application of these tools, experience shows that the notion of data race is not powerful enough to capture certain types of inconsistencies occurring in practice. In this paper we investigate data races on a higher abstraction layer. This enables us to detect inconsistent uses of shared variables, even if no classical race condition occurs. For example, a data structure representing a coordinate pair may have to be treated atomically. By lifting the meaning of a data race to a higher level, such problems can now be covered. The paper defines the concepts view and view consistency to give a notation for this novel kind of property. It describes what kinds of errors can be detected with this new definition, and where its limitations are. It also gives a formal guideline for using data structures in a multi-threading environment.

Artho, Cyrille↗
NASA NTRS1986

Space vehicle concepts

This paper presents several concepts of chemical-propulsion Space Vehicles (SVs) for manned Mars landing missions. For vehicle sizing purposes, several specific missions were chosen from opportunities in the late 1990's and early 2000's, and a vehicle "system" concept is then described which is applicable to the full range of missions and opportunities available. In general, missions utilizing planetary opposition alignments can he done with smaller vehicles than those utilizing planetary opposition alignments (reference I) The conjunction missions have a total mission time of about 3 years, including a required stay-time of about 60 days. Both types of missions might be desirable during a Mars program, the opposition type for early low-risk missions and/or for later unmanned cargo missions, and the conjunction type for more extensive science/exploration missions and/or for Mars base activities. Since the opposition missions appeared to drive the SV size more severely, there were probably more cases examined for them. Some of the concepts presented utilize all-propulsive braking, some utilize an all aerobraking approach, and some are hybrids. Weight statements are provided for various cases. The aerobraking cases have significant advantages in size and weight. Cryogenic propellants were used for the main propulsive elements in all cases, due to their significant weight advantage over storable propellants (reference 1). Extensive use is made of existing propulsive elements and other systems. Most of the work was done on O-g vehicle concepts, but partial-g and 1-g concepts are also provided and discussed. A recommendation is added that efforts be made to find ways to offset the long-term O-g effects on the crew, other than providing a g-field for the total SV or spacecraft, since this causes significant design and operations impacts. Several options for habitable elements are shown, such as large-diameter modules and Space Station (SS) types of modules. The latter were used as a reference because of their cost advantage as existing elements Several options are shown for the Mars landing vehicle, and a landing "system" is recommended which makes use of a large aeroshell to allow landing of payloads of various sizes and shapes over the course of a multi-year program. Because of the large size and weight of the SV it will be necessary to launch individual elements and assemble them in low Earth orbit (LEO). A configuration of one potential assembly concept is provided.

Michael Tucker↗
DOE OSTI2025

Ultra-light antennas via charge programmed deposition additive manufacturing

Abstract The demand for lightweight antennas in 5 G/6 G communication, wearables, and aerospace applications is rapidly growing. However, standard manufacturing techniques are limited in structural complexity and easy integration of multiple material classes. Here we introduce charge programmed multi-material additive manufacturing platform, offering unparalleled flexibility in antenna design and the capability for rapid printing of intricate antenna structures that are unprecedented or necessitate a series of fabrication routes. Demonstrating its potential, we present a transmitarray antenna composed of an interconnected, multi-layered array of dielectric/conductive S-ring unit cells, reducing 94% mass of conventional antenna configurations. A fully printed circular polarized transmitarray system fed by a source and a Risley prism antenna system operating at 19 GHz both show close alignment between testing results and numerical simulations. This printing method establishes a universal platform, propelling discovery of new antenna designs and enabling data-driven design and optimizations where rapid production of antenna designs is crucial.

Science & Technology - Other Topics↗
DOE OSTI2024

2023 Project Peer Review Report

The Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) within the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy supports the research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) of technologies aimed at mobilizing domestic renewable carbon resources for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions across the U.S. economy. BETO systematically prioritizes RD&D into technology opportunities across a range of emerging scientific breakthroughs and technology readiness levels in the subprogram areas illustrated in Figure 1. This approach supports a diverse portfolio while developing the most promising and widely applicable technologies, testing technologies as integrated processes, and demonstrating integrated processes to support scale-up. These technologies will use a broad variety of renewable carbon resources to produce increasing volumes of biofuels and bioproducts. More information on BETO’s mission, goals, and strategic approaches can be found in the Bioenergy Technologies Office Multi-Year Program Plan. The biennial Peer Review process enables external stakeholders to provide feedback on the responsible use of taxpayer funding and develop recommendations for the most efficient and effective ways to accelerate the development of a bioenergy industry. This report includes the results of the Project Peer Review meeting held on April 3–7, 2023, in Denver, Colorado.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Institute for Catalysis in Energy Processes (ICEP) (Final Report)

The Institute for Catalysis in Energy Processes (ICEP) was a multi-PI program located at the Northwestern University Center for Catalysis and Surface Science from 2006-2024. Over several renewal cycles and several organizing themes, ICEP addressed fundamental questions in catalysis science. In turn, the scientific questions addressed were directly relevant to the efficient use of the nation’s resources to produce fuels and commodity chemicals, harness alternate energy sources for chemical reactions such as light or electricity, reduce emissions and waste, and minimize the impact of our use of plastics. Selective oxidation, (oxidative) dehydrogenation, deNOx, CO 2 reduction, hydrogen release, polymer decomposition / depolymerization, and many other reactions of intense interest to the US Department of Energy were studied in the center. Major ICEP strengths were in catalyst synthesis, in measurements that elucidated catalyst properties, in reaction mechanisms and kinetics, and in predictive theory and modeling. ICEP researchers were often the inventors or developers of materials and methods that were brought to bear on the Institute’s catalytic systems. Key characterization tools advanced through this project included resonance Raman and related techniques, sum frequency generation, and X-ray standing wave spectroscopy. Center members relied extensively on computational tools such as density functional theory and microkinetic modeling to fully investigate catalyst structures and catalytic mechanisms. ICEP researchers were early developers of atomic layer deposition (ALD) for catalyst synthesis and were early pioneers of metal organic frameworks for catalysis. ICEP innovations are found in areas of intense research such as single-atom catalysts, catalytic deconstruction of plastics, and catalytic MOFs, to name a few. Research areas initiated by ICEP indirectly led to DOE EFRCs, startup companies, and other achievements. Over its 18 years of existence, ICEP involved two different PIs (Stair and Notestein) and 24 senior investigators across several academic disciplines at Northwestern University. There were tight collaborations with Argonne National Laboratory, including specialized equipment and experiments permanently located there. The center supported ~400 person-years of effort by graduate students and postdocs, either directly through DOE support or indirectly by leveraging independent support provided to the trainees, e.g. through the NSF GRFP or internal fellowships. The project resulted in 328 manuscripts and numerous conference presentations.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

2024 Results for Avian Monitoring at the Technical Area 36 Minie Site, Technical Area 39 Point 6, Technical Area 16 Burn Ground, and DARHT at Los Alamos National Laboratory

Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) biological subject matter experts in the Environmental Protection and Compliance Division initiated a multi-year program in 2013 to monitor avifauna (birds) at two open detonation sites and one open burn site on LANL property. Additional monitoring began in 2017 at a third firing site, the Dual-Axis Radiographic Hydrodynamic Test (DARHT) Facility. In this annual report, we compare monitoring results from these efforts among years to identify and evaluate firing and open burn site impacts on the local bird community. The objectives of this study are • to determine whether LANL operations impact bird abundance, species richness, or diversity; • to examine occupancy and nest success of secondary-cavity nesting birds that use nest boxes; and • to examine chemical concentrations (such as radionuclides, inorganic elements, and/or organic compounds) in nonviable eggs and deceased nestlings that are collected opportunistically with the upper-level bounds of background concentrations, when available. During May through July 2024, LANL biologists completed multiple avian point count surveys at each of the following treatment sites: • Technical Area (TA) 36 Minie Site, • TA-39 Point 6, • TA-16 Burn Ground, and • DARHT. We recorded a total of 1,088 birds that represented 65 species at the four treatment sites and compared these results with data from their associated control sites. In 2024, abundance and species richness at treatment and control sites continued to trend similarly from year to year, with minor random deviations expected from bird communities. Species richness at firing sites differed little from the previous year’s values. Two new bird species were observed at the firing sites—cedar waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum) and pinyon jay (Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus). Shannon diversity values at TA-36 Minie Site, TA-39, and DARHT were statistically higher than one or more of their associated controls. Annual species diversity at treatment sites was high in 2024 across all firing sites relative to similar habitat control sites. We also monitored avian nest boxes to compare occupancy and nest success data from nest boxes at treatment sites with the overall avian nest box monitoring network and against a subset of relevant control sites. Nest box success has decreased at both treatment and control sites since monitoring began, suggesting that overlapping climatic factors are responsible for patterns of declining nest success. In 2024, nonviable avian eggs and one nestling were opportunistically collected at Bandelier National Monument, TA-16 Burn Ground, TA-36 Minie, TA-39 Point 6, and DARHT. All egg samples and the one nestling sample were evaluated for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, which were detected from all locations, including the control site at Bandelier National Monument. Overall results from 2024 continue to suggest that operations at the four treatment sites are not negatively impacting bird populations. This long-term project will continue to monitor for any changes over time.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗