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NASA NTRS2013

Internship at NASA Kennedy Space Center's Cryogenic Test laboratory

NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC) is known for hosting all of the United States manned rocket launches as well as many unmanned launches at low inclinations. Even though the Space Shuttle recently retired, they are continuing to support unmanned launches and modifying manned launch facilities. Before a rocket can be launched, it has to go through months of preparation, called processing. Pieces of a rocket and its payload may come in from anywhere in the nation or even the world. The facilities all around the center help integrate the rocket and prepare it for launch. As NASA prepares for the Space Launch System, a rocket designed to take astronauts beyond Low Earth Orbit throughout the solar system, technology development is crucial for enhancing launch capabilities at the KSC. The Cryogenics Test Laboratory at Kennedy Space Center greatly contributes to cryogenic research and technology development. The engineers and technicians that work there come up with new ways to efficiently store and transfer liquid cryogens. NASA has a great need for this research and technology development as it deals with cryogenic liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen for rocket fuel, as well as long term space flight applications. Additionally, in this new era of space exploration, the Cryogenics Test Laboratory works with the commercial sector. One technology development project is the Liquid Hydrogen (LH2) Ground Operations Demonstration Unit (GODU). LH2 GODU intends to demonstrate increased efficiency in storing and transferring liquid hydrogen during processing, loading, launch and spaceflight of a spacecraft. During the Shuttle Program, only 55% of hydrogen purchased was used by the Space Shuttle Main Engines. GODU's goal is to demonstrate that this percentage can be increased to 75%. Figure 2 shows the GODU layout when I concluded my internship. The site will include a 33,000 gallon hydrogen tank (shown in cyan) with a heat exchanger inside the hydrogen tank attached to a refrigerator capable of removing 850 Watts at 20 Kelvin (shown in green). The refrigerator and most of its supporting equipment will be kept in a standard shipping container (shown in pink). Currently, GODU is in the fabrication process and some of the large components have already been purchased.

Holland, Katherine↗
NASA NTRS1998

Industrial Engineering Lifts Off at Kennedy Space Center

When the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) began the Space Shuttle Program, it did not have an established industrial engineering (IE) capability for several probable reasons. For example, it was easy for some managers to dismiss IE principles as being inapplicable at NASA's John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC). When NASA was formed by the National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958, most industrial engineers worked in more traditional factory environments. The primary emphasis early in the shuttle program, and during previous human space flight programs such as Mercury and Apollo, was on technical accomplishments. Industrial engineering is sometimes difficult to explain in NASA's highly technical culture. IE is different in many ways from other engineering disciplines because it is devoted to process management and improvement, rather than product design. Images of clipboards and stopwatches still come to the minds of many people when the term industrial engineering is mentioned. The discipline of IE has only recently begun to gain acceptance and understanding in NASA. From an IE perspective today, the facilities used for flight hardware processing at KSC are NASA's premier factories. The products of these factories are among the most spectacular in the world: safe and successful launches of shuttles and expendable vehicles that carry tremendous payloads into space.

Barth, Tim↗
NASA NTRS2011

Kennedy Space Center - "America's Gateway to Space"

KSC fits into the overall NASA vision and mission by moving forward so that what we do and learn will benefit all here on Earth. In January of last year, KSC revised its Mission and Vision statements to articulate our identity as we align with this new direction the Agency is heading. Currently KSC is endeavoring to form partnerships with industry, , Government, and academia, utilizing institutional assets and technical capabilities to support current and future m!issions. With a goal of safe, low-cost, and readily available access to space, KSC seeks to leverage emerging industries to initiate development of a new space launch system, oversee the development of a multipurpose crew vehicle, and assist with the efficient and timely evolution of commercial crew transportation capabilities. At the same time, KSC is pursuing modernizing the Center's infrastructure and creating a multi-user launch complex with increased onsite processing and integration capabilities.

Petro, Janet↗
NASA NTRS2021

Application of Whole Genome Sequencing and MALDI-TOF to the Identifcation of Bacillus Species Isolated from Cleanrooms at NASA Johnson Space Center

Astromaterial cleanrooms at NASA Johnson Space Center are built environments that hold samples, such as lunar rocks, from different space exploration missions. Bacillus sp. are frequently detected in routine microbial monitoring of these facilities. Since this, and related genera, can form endospores that can withstand harsh conditions, they could contaminate astromaterials. This could confound searches for extraterrestrial life. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) is widely used for identifying bacterial strains and tracking their source; however, WGS is expensive and time consuming. Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization– time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF) shows promise as a low-cost, rapid method of identifying strains of bacteria, but few studies have compared this proteomics method to WGS. To evaluate a high throughput method of tracking the source of contamination of this built environment, WGS and MALDI-TOF was conducted on 18 bacterial strains isolated from surfaces in astromaterials cleanrooms. WGS identified 14 Bacillus, 2 Paenibacillus, 1 Solibacillus and 1 Alcaligenes strains. These isolates showed similarity to strains commonly observed in spacecraft assembly cleanrooms at other facilities. Cluster analysis of mass spectra generated by MALDI-TOF grouped strains together that were greater than 94% similar to each other in terms of amino acid sequences of single copy core genes, as assessed by WGS. This suggests that MALDI-TOF and WGS results are consistent with each other and MALDI-TOF can rapidly identify strains of Bacillus sp. isolated from cleanroom environments with a resolution comparable to WGS. Based on phylogenomic analysis, these results also suggest the presence of a cosmopolitan class of Bacillus sp. that are more likely to be found in cleanrooms and similar built environments than in natural systems.

Farnaz Mazhari↗
NASA NTRS1990

The Johnson Space Center management information systems: User's guide to JSCMIS

The Johnson Space Center Management Information System (JSCMIS) is an interface to computer data bases at the NASA Johnson Space Center which allows an authorized user to browse and retrieve information from a variety of sources with minimum effort. The User's Guide to JSCMIS is the supplement to the JSCMIS Research Report which details the objectives, the architecture, and implementation of the interface. It is a tutorial on how to use the interface and a reference for details about it. The guide is structured like an extended JSCMIS session, describing all of the interface features and how to use them. It also contains an appendix with each of the standard FORMATs currently included in the interface. Users may review them to decide which FORMAT most suits their needs.

Bishop, Peter C.↗
NASA NTRS2010

American Alligator Research on the Kennedy Space Center

This slide presentation reviews the research conducted at the Kennedy Space Center on the American Alligator. The objectives of the research were to establish life history baseline at the Kennedy Space Center and at the Merit Island National Wildlife Reserve (MINWR). Some of the factors that were examined are: nesting success, movement patterns, and population structure. Another objective was to determine the overall health of the alligator population, by analyzing blood and tissue chemistry, and urine analysis. A third objective was to compare alligators at KSC/MINWR to the statewide population. Some of the results are shown in charts and graphs.

Lowers, Russell H.↗
NASA NTRS2007

All Source Solution Decision Support Products Created for Stennis Space Center in Response to Hurricane Katrina

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and in response to the needs of SSC (Stennis Space Center), NASA required the generation of decision support products with a broad range of geospatial inputs. Applying a systems engineering approach, the NASA ARTPO (Applied Research and Technology Project Office) at SSC evaluated the Center's requirements and source data quality. ARTPO identified data and information products that had the potential to meet decision-making requirements; included were remotely sensed data ranging from high-spatial-resolution aerial images through high-temporal-resolution MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) products. Geospatial products, such as FEMA's (Federal Emergency Management Agency's) Advisory Base Flood Elevations, were also relevant. Where possible, ARTPO applied SSC calibration/validation expertise to both clarify the quality of various data source options and to validate that the inputs that were finally chosen met SSC requirements. ARTPO integrated various information sources into multiple decision support products, including two maps: Hurricane Katrina Inundation Effects at Stennis Space Center (highlighting surge risk posture) and Vegetation Change In and Around Stennis Space Center: Katrina and Beyond (highlighting fire risk posture).

Ross, Kenton W.↗
NASA NTRS1971

Fifteen-foot diameter modular space station Kennedy Space Center launch site support definition (space station program Phase B extension definition)

This document defines the facilities, equipment, and operational plans required to support the MSS Program at KSC. Included is an analysis of KSC operations, a definition of flow plans, facility utilization and modifications, test plans and concepts, activation, and tradeoff studies. Existing GSE and facilities that have a potential utilization are identified, and new items are defined where possible. The study concludes that the existing facilities are suitable for use in the space station program without major modification from the Saturn-Apollo configuration.

Bjorn, L. C.↗
NASA NTRS1997

Commercialization of Kennedy Space Center Instrumentation Developed to Improve Safety, Reliability, Cost Effectiveness of Space Shuttle Processing, Launch, and Landing

Priorities and achievements of the Kennedy Space Center (KSF) Instrumentation Laboratories in improving operational safety and decreasing processing costs associated with the Shuttle vehicle are addressed. Technologies that have been or are in the process of technology transfer are reviewed, and routes by which commercial concerns can obtain licenses to other KSF Instrumentation Laboratory technologies are discussed.

Helms, William R.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Airborne measurements of cloud forming nuclei and aerosol particles at Kennedy Space Center, Florida

Results of airborne measurements of the sizes and concentrations of aerosol particles, ice nuclei, and cloud condensation nuclei that were taken at Kennedy Space Center, Florida, are presented along with a detailed description of the instrumentation and measuring capabilities of the University of Washington airborne measuring facility (Douglas B-23). Airborne measurements made at Ft. Collins, Colorado, and Little Rock, Arkansas, during the ferry of the B-23 are presented. The particle concentrations differed significantly between the clean air over Ft. Collins and the hazy air over Little Rock and Kennedy Space Center. The concentrations of cloud condensation nuclei over Kennedy Space Center were typical of polluted eastern seaboard air. Three different instruments were used to measure ice nuclei: one used filters to collect the particles, and the others used optical and acoustical methods to detect ice crystals grown in portable cloud chambers. A comparison of the ice nucleus counts, which are in good agreement, is presented.

Radke, L. F.↗
NASA NTRS2007

Earth Observations to Assess Impact of Hurricane Katrina on John C. Stennis Space Center

The peril from hurricanes to Space Operations Centers is real and is forecast to continue; Katrina, Rita, and Wilma of 2005 and Charley, Frances, Ivan, and Jeanne of 2004 are sufficient motivation for NASA to develop a multi-Center plan for preparedness and response. As was demonstrated at SSC (Stennis Space Center) in response to Hurricane Katrina, NASA Centers are efficiently activated as local command centers, playing host to Federal and State agencies and first responders to coordinate and provide evacuation, relocation, response, and recovery activities. Remote sensing decision support provides critical insight for managing NASA infrastructure and for assisting Center decision makers. Managers require geospatial information to manage the federal city. Immediately following Katrina, SSC s power and network connections were disabled, hardware was inoperative, technical staff was displaced and/or out of contact, and graphical decision support tools were non-existent or less than fully effective. Despite this circumstance, SSC EOC (Emergency Operations Center) implemented response operations to assess damage and to activate recovery plans. To assist Center Managers, the NASA ASP (Applied Sciences Program) made its archive of high-resolution data over the site available. In the weeks and months after the immediate crisis, NASA supplemented this data with high-resolution, post-Katrina imagery over SSC and much of the affected coastal areas. Much of the high-resolution imagery was made available through the Department of Defense Clear View contract and was distributed through U.S. Geological Survey Center for Earth Resources Observation and Science "Hurricane Katrina Disaster Response" Web site. By integrating multiple image data types with other information sources, ASP applied an all-source solutions approach to develop decision support tools that enabled managers to respond to critical issues, such as expedient access to infrastructure and deployment of resources, provision of temporary shelter, logistical control of critical supplies, and the mobilization and coordination of assets from ground crews to aircraft/airspace management. Furthermore, ASP developed information products that illustrate risks to SSC's infrastructure from surge, inundation, and flood. Current plans include developing wind-risk prototype products for refinement and adoption into EOC plans.

Graham, William D.↗
NASA NTRS1997

Kennedy Space Center Annual Report, FY 1997

The John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC) has a nearly 40-year tradition of excellence in processing and launching space vehicles and their payloads. The Center's outstanding record of achievements in America's space program has earned it an honored place in history and an essential role in the present; KSC also intends to play a vital part in the future of space exploration.

John F. Kennedy space Center (KSC)↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Students Planting Research Of Use To Space (SPROUTS) Networking and Engagement of Interns at Kennedy Space Center

Beginning in 2016, the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) internship program for life sciences was re-envisioned. Rather than hosting interns in the summer only with numerous innovative small projects, the current model is to offer internship opportunities every semester, so that research is continuous and sustained. Since 2016 we have had 64 internship opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students in space crop production and microgravity simulation. 52 separate individuals have participated in this program, with some participating in more than one term. While interns primarily worked with individual mentors on a main project, most also worked on group projects or developed smaller secondary projects on their own initiative. Additionally, interns participated in a weekly Lunch, Learn, and Discuss seminar series where they presented their research, learned from scientists at KSC, and engaged with members of the space life sciences community. When the face-to-face spring 2020 internship ended prematurely, the weekly seminar series continued as a virtual event, which led to the concept of engaging former interns. Current and former interns were invited to participate in the on-going virtual series, and 46 asked to be included on the mailing list. Our current seminar series involves remote seminars from contacts within and outside of the agency, and engages a large network of current scientists and former interns with weekly participation averaging ~40 people. Speakers include experts from industry, academia, and other space agencies working on topics of interest to KSC researchers. This series has also served as a brainstorming platform for KSC scientists to discuss new ideas and concepts and invite feedback. Remote work and virtual platforms have allowed engagement in a new way that will continue as future interns are integrated into this network of individuals interested in space research. This work is funded by NASA’s Space Biology Program.

Space Crop Production↗
NASA NTRS2016

Technology Development for Hydrogen Propellant Storage and Transfer at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC)

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is a major user of liquid hydrogen. In particular, NASA's John F. Kennedy (KSC) Space Center has operated facilities for handling and storing very large quantities of liquid hydrogen (LH2) since the early 1960s. Safe operations pose unique challenges and as a result NASA has invested in technology development to improve operational efficiency and safety. This paper reviews recent innovations including methods of leak and fire detection and aspects of large storage tank health and integrity. We also discuss the use of liquid hydrogen in space and issues we are addressing to ensure safe and efficient operations should hydrogen be used as a propellant derived from in-situ volatiles.

cryogenics↗
NASA NTRS1990

Geology, geohydrology, and soils of NASA, Kennedy Space Center: A review

Sediments underlying Kennedy Space Center (KSC) have accumulated in alternating periods of deposition and erosion since the Eocene. Surface sediments are of Pleistocene and Recent ages. Fluctuating sea levels with the alternating glacial-interglacial cycles have shaped the formation of the barrier island. Merritt Island is an older landscape whose formation may have begun as much as 240,000 years ago, although most of the surface sediments are not that old. Cape Canaveral probably dates from less than 7,000 years B.P. (before present) as does the barrier strip separating Mosquito Lagoon from the Atlantic Ocean. Merritt Island and Cape Canaveral have been shaped by progradational processes but not continuously so, while the Mosquito Lagoon barrier has been migrating landward. Deep acquifers beneath KSC are recharged inland but are highly mineralized in the coastal region and interact little with surface vegetation. The Surficial acquifer has formed in the Pleistocene and Recent deposits and is recharged by local rainfall. Sand ridges in the center of Merritt Island are important to its recharge.

Schmalzer, Paul A.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Kennedy Space Center environmental health program

The Kennedy Space Center's environmental health organization is responsible for programs which assure its employees a healthful workplace under diverse and varied working conditions. These programs encompass the disciplines of industrial hygiene, radiation protection (health physics), and environmental sanitation/pollution control. Activities range from the routine, such as normal office work, to the highly specialized, such as the processing of highly toxic and hazardous materials.

Marmaro, G. M.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Kennedy Space Center network documentation system

The Kennedy Space Center Network Documentation System (KSC NDS) is being designed and implemented by NASA and the KSC contractor organizations to provide a means of network tracking, configuration, and control. Currently, a variety of host and client platforms are in use as a result of each organization having established its own network documentation system. The solution is to incorporate as many existing 'systems' as possible in the effort to consolidate and standardize KSC-wide documentation.

Lohne, William E.↗