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pyQuARC: Open Source Library for Earth Observation Metadata Quality Assessment

Metadata quality is essential to effective data discovery and has become increasingly vital as more Earth Science data sets become available. The Common Metadata Repository (CMR) hosts metadata describing NASA’s Earth Observation data products, which are archived across 12 Distributed Active Archive Centers (DAACs). The Analysis and Review of CMR (ARC) Team, located at Marshall Space Flight Center, conducts metadata quality assessments to ensure that these data products are discoverable, accessible, and usable. To achieve these goals, the ARC team has developed a metadata quality assessment framework to evaluate metadata completeness, correctness, and consistency. ARC uses a combination of manual and automated methods to assess these three components and identify areas of improvement; the team then collaborates with the DAACs to resolve any findings. To streamline this process, ARC is currently developing a host of scripts, known as pyQuARC, to automate metadata quality assessments as much as possible. pyQuARC is an open source library for Earth Observation Metadata Quality Assessment, and the tool utilizes ARC’s metadata quality assessment framework to make basic validation checks, pinpoint inconsistencies between dataset-level (i.e. collection) and file-level (i.e. granule) metadata, and identify opportunities for more descriptive and robust information. Since pyQuARC is also customizable, other users can make modifications as needed, and future metadata standards can also be implemented. Once pyQuARC is fully developed, it will support multiple schema types to serve the broader EOSDIS metadata community. This presentation will provide an overview of pyQuARC and its process of development while showcasing the tool’s valuable features and uses.

Jenny Wood↗
NASA NTRS2004

Innovative Imagery System for Enhanced Habitability Onboard ISS: Desired Features and Possible Hardware Applications

With the advent of the ISS and the experience of Russian, European, and US crewmembers on Mir, the importance of the psychological element in long duration missions is increasingly recognized. An integrated imagery system or Magic Window System could enhance the habitability, performance, and productivity for long term stays in space. Because this is type of system is a new concept for space, functional and technical requirements need to be determined. As part of a three-year project, the functional and technical requirements for an Imagery System onboard the International Space Station (ISS) have been explored. Valuable information was gathered from a survey completed by participants that had been in analog environments (remote/isolated) such as Antarctica, Aquarius, ISS crewmember debriefs, and crew support meetings to identify key functions desired for an integrated Magic Window System. Exercise and medical care activities were identified as areas that could benefit from such a system. It was determined that for exercise, it was worth exploring the concept of displaying a dynamic screen that changes as the crewmember's speed changes while showing physiological measures in a combined display. In terms of enhancing the interfaces for medical care activities, the Magic Window System could show video clips along side procedures for just-in-time training scenarios through a heads-up display. In addition, the portability, usability, and reliability were stressed as important considerations for an integrated system of technologies or Magic Window System. In addition, a review of state-of-the-art screens and other existing technologies such as tablet PCs and Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) was conducted and contributed to defining technical requirements and feasibility of systems. Some heuristic evaluations of large displays and PDAs were conducted. Finally, feasibility for implementation onboard ISS has been considered. Currently, specific headset units are undergoing usability testing. The outcome of these activities will be valuable to determine the best candidates for an integrated system that could accommodate different needs depending on task.

Whitmore, Mihriban↗
DOE OSTI2025

Pavement condition and climatic data in southeast Texas: A dataset for evaluating flood impacts on pavement performance

Effective pavement maintenance is essential for economic stability, optimal network performance, and roadway safety. Achieving this requires thorough evaluation of pavement conditions, including structural integrity, surface roughness, and distress characteristics. Pavement performance indicators play a critical role in influencing vehicle safety and ride quality. Recent advances have emphasized the use of data-driven modeling to anticipate pavement behavior, with the goal of optimizing resource allocation and refining Maintenance and Rehabilitation (M&R) strategies through accurate condition assessment. A foundational requirement for these modeling efforts is the availability of standardized, high-quality datasets that can support robust and reproducible infrastructure analysis. This data article presents a comprehensive dataset assembled to facilitate pavement performance prediction, with a geographic focus on Southeast Texas, particularly the flood-vulnerable area of Beaumont. The dataset encompasses pavement and traffic attributes, meteorological records, flood simulation outputs, ground deformation measurements, and topographic indices, enabling detailed examination of both load-associated and non-load-associated degradation mechanisms. Data preprocessing was performed using ArcGIS Pro, Microsoft Excel, and Python to ensure consistency and usability in data-driven modeling applications, including machine learning workflows. Key contributions of this dataset include its utility in analyzing the climatic and environmental factors affecting pavement conditions, identifying critical predictive features, and enabling in-depth correlation analysis across diverse variables. By filling existing gaps in input variable selection resources, this dataset supports the development of predictive tools for estimating future maintenance demand and enhancing the resilience of pavement networks in flood-impacted areas. The resource highlights the importance of standardized datasets for advancing pavement management practices and provides a robust foundation for ongoing infrastructure performance modeling.

42 ENGINEERING↗
NASA NTRS2012

Airborne Precision Spacing for Dependent Parallel Operations Interface Study

This paper describes a usability study of proposed cockpit interfaces to support Airborne Precision Spacing (APS) operations for aircraft performing dependent parallel approaches (DPA). NASA has proposed an airborne system called Pair Dependent Speed (PDS) which uses their Airborne Spacing for Terminal Arrival Routes (ASTAR) algorithm to manage spacing intervals. Interface elements were designed to facilitate the input of APS-DPA spacing parameters to ASTAR, and to convey PDS system information to the crew deemed necessary and/or helpful to conduct the operation, including: target speed, guidance mode, target aircraft depiction, and spacing trend indication. In the study, subject pilots observed recorded simulations using the proposed interface elements in which the ownship managed assigned spacing intervals from two other arriving aircraft. Simulations were recorded using the Aircraft Simulation for Traffic Operations Research (ASTOR) platform, a medium-fidelity simulator based on a modern Boeing commercial glass cockpit. Various combinations of the interface elements were presented to subject pilots, and feedback was collected via structured questionnaires. The results of subject pilot evaluations show that the proposed design elements were acceptable, and that preferable combinations exist within this set of elements. The results also point to potential improvements to be considered for implementation in future experiments.

Volk, Paul M.↗
DOE OSTI2026

HDG-1 Experiment Irradiation Monitoring Data Qualification Final Report

SUMMARY The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Advanced Reactor Technologies (ART) Graphite Research and Development (GRD) Program is conducting a series of six experiments to quantify the effects of irradiation on nuclear-grade graphite. This report documents the qualification of irradiation monitoring data for the fifth experiment, High Dose Graphite-1 (HDG-1). Qualified monitoring data are required by the ART program to support the design and licensing of the first high-temperature reactor (HTR) nuclear plant. Data are classified as Qualified if they meet the usage requirements described in the experiment planning and quality assurance (QA) documents, Failed if they do not meet those requirements and provide no usable information, or Trend if they do not fully meet all requirements but still provide useful information subject to an assessment of how any deficiencies may affect a particular use of the data. HDG-1 irradiation began with Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) Cycle 168B on August 24, 2020, and concluded after Cycle 173C on January 27, 2025. The HDG-1 capsule was removed from the reactor core twice—during core internal change (CIC) Cycle 170A and powered axial locator mechanism (PALM) Cycle 172A—to prevent overheating of the graphite specimens during high-power PALM cycles. The capsule was therefore irradiated during a total of seven normal ATR cycles: 168B, 169A, 171A, 171B, 173A, 173B, and 173C. Irradiation monitoring data evaluated in this report include thermocouple (TC) temperature, gas flow rate, gas moisture, gas pressure, specimen load, and graphite stack displacement. Temperature. A total of 14,508,065 TC temperature records were captured. Of these, 13,901,785 (95.8%) are Qualified and 606,280 (4.2%) are Failed. The principal source of failed temperature data was the instrument failure of TC-9 (Zone 2) on June 24, 2024, and TC-10 (Zone 1) on July 5, 2024, near the end of Cycle 173A, which resulted in 595,554 Failed readings. An additional 379 missing values and 10,347 slightly negative values from TC-13 during ATR outages are also Failed. Neither TC-9 nor TC-10 was used as a temperature-control TC, and their failures did not compromise capsule condition monitoring. Correlation analysis of all 13 TCs found no evidence of virtual junction formation. Control chart analysis revealed clear downward drift of approximately 80°C for TC-6 (Zone 3) relative to other stable TCs, and possible downward drift of approximately 60°C for TC-13 relative to the Zone 5 control TC (TC-1), though TC-13 remained consistent with the Zone 2 control TC (TC-12). Gas flow. A total of 20,088,090 gas flow rate records were captured. Of these, 19,941,463 (99.3%) are Qualified and 146,627 (0.7%) are Failed due to missing values. All argon, helium, and total gas flow data were within expected ranges throughout the irradiation. Gas moisture. A total of 1,116,005 outlet gas moisture values were captured. Of these, 1,101,421 (98.7%) are Qualified and 14,584 (1.3%) are Failed, comprising 14,556 out-of-range values and 28 missing values. The out-of-range moisture values exceeded 22,000 ppmv for approximately 1 week at the beginning of Cycle 173A, when accumulated moisture evaporated after the capsule was retrieved from water storage during PALM Cycle 172A and reinserted into the east flux trap. Moisture levels returned to below 25 ppmv for the remaining three cycles, and the transient high-moisture event did not affect the integrity of specimen irradiation. Gas pressure. A total of 7,812,035 gas pressure values were captured. Of these, 6,642,048 (85.0%) are Qualified and 1,169,987 (15.0%) outlet pressure values are Failed, comprising 718,537 zero outlet pressure values due to sensor failure from Cycle 168B through Cycle 171B, 54,550 missing values, and 396,900 too-low outlet pressure values, ranging from 1.1 to 1.6 psia after sensor replacement during Cycle 173A. Load. A total of 6,696,030 load values were captured. Of these, 6,694,580 (99.98%) are Qualified and 1,450 (0.02%) are Failed due to missing values. Applied loads to the six specimen stacks were stable throughout the irradiation. Stack displacement. A total of 6,696,030 displacement values were captured. Of these, 5,713,297 (85.32%) are Qualified and 3,781 (0.06%) are Failed due to missing values. Stack displacement increased consistently throughout the irradiation, reaching approximately 3.08 in. for Channels 5 and 6 by the end of irradiation. 978,952 (14.62%) substantially elevated displacements observed for Channel 6 beginning in Cycle 171A and for Channel 5 beginning in Cycle 173A are assigned Trend status. Raising pressure. A total of 1,115,999 raising pressure values were captured. Of these, 1,115,430 (99.95%) are Qualified and 569 (0.05%) are Failed due to missing values. Ram pressure. A total of 6,696,030 ram pressure values were captured. Of these, 6,692,249 (99.95%) are Qualified and 3,484 (0.05%) are Failed due to missing values. Stack raising was perf

11 - NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
NASA NTRS1989

Sodium sulfur battery flight experiment definition study

Sodium-sulfur batteries were identified as the most likely successor to nickel-hydrogen batteries for space applications. One advantage of the Na/S battery system is that the usable specific energy is two to three times that of nickel-hydrogen batteries. This represents a significant launch cost savings or increased payload mass capabilities. Sodium-sulfur batteries support NASA OAST's proposed Civil Space Technology Initiative goal of a factor of two improvement in spacecraft power system performance, as well as the proposed Spacecraft 2000 initiative. The sodium-sulfur battery operates at between 300 and 400 C, using liquid sodium and sulfur/polysulfide electrodes and solid ceramic electrolyte. The transport of the electrode materials to the surface of the electrolyte is through wicking/capillary forces. These critical transport functions must be demonstrated under actual microgravity conditions before sodium-sulfur batteries can be confidently utilized in space. Ford Aerospace Corporation, under contract to NASA Lewis Research Center, is currently working on the sodium-sulfur battery space flight experiment definition study. The objective is to design the experiment that will demonstrate operation of the sodium-sulfur battery/cell in the space environment with particular emphasis on evaluation of microgravity effects. Experimental payload definitions were completed and preliminary designs of the experiment were defined.

Chang, Rebecca R.↗
DOE OSTI2024

Characterization of spent nuclear fuel canister surface roughness using surface replicating molds

In this study we present a replication method to determine surface roughness and to identify surface features when a sample cannot be directly analyzed by conventional techniques. As a demonstration, this method was applied to an unused spent nuclear fuel dry storage canister to determine variation across different surface features. In this study, an initial material down-selection was performed to determine the best molding agent and determined that non-modified Polytek PlatSil23-75 provided the most accurate representation of the surface while providing good usability. Other materials that were considered include Polygel Brush-On 35 polyurethane rubber (with and without Pol-ease 2300 release agent), Polytek PlatSil73-25 silicone rubber (with and without PlatThix thickening agent and Pol-ease 2300 release agent), and Express STD vinylpolysiloxane impression putty. The ability of PlatSil73-25 to create an accurate surface replica was evaluated by creating surface molds of several locations on surface roughness standards representing ISO grade surfaces N 3 , N 5 , N 7 , and N 8 . Overall, the molds were able to accurately reproduce the expected roughness average (R a ) values, but systematically over-estimated the peak-valley maximum roughness (R z ) values. Using a 3D printed sample cell, several locations across the stainless steel spent nuclear fuel canister were sampled to determine the surface roughness. These measurements provided information regarding variability in normal surface roughness across the canister as well as a detailed evaluation on specific surface features (e.g., welds, grind marks, etc.). The results of these measurements can support development of dry storage canister ageing management programs, as surface roughness is an important factor for surface dust deposition and accumulation. This method can be applied more broadly to different surfaces beyond stainless steel to provide rapid, accurate surface replications for analytical evaluation by profilometry.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
NASA NTRS2022

Turning Limitations into Opportunities in the Development of the Orion Medical System: Incorporation of mHealth Devices

INTRODUCTION: Selection of medical devices for the Orion medical system is a complex task which is dependent on the current state of terrestrial technology. In this work we review the interplay between NASA requirements, constraints, and opportunities for synergy during the development of the Orion medical system. METHODS: The “plan to treat” list of conditions, and subsequently the medical resource list for the Orion Artemis II lunar flyby mission was completed using semi-quantitative methods. During this process, some medical resources were excluded to comply with mass and volume limits, while other resources applicable to multiple medical requirements were prioritized for inclusion. Choices were also examined considering NASA level of care standards for the Artemis design reference missions. As a means to optimize capabilities in spite of mass and volume constraints, ideas for integration of multiple devices into a single platform were explored, including a ‘hackathon’ challenge which was conducted to generate and evaluate concepts for combining medical devices into a single app-based mobile device (ultrasound, ECG, etc.). RESULTS: The Orion team identified 128 medical conditions that we “plan to treat”, with 139 unique medical resources to address these conditions, including 5 digital diagnostic devices (ECG, otoscope, stethoscope, pulse oximeter, and blood pressure monitor). During selection of these digital devices the team noted that miniaturized medical devices often use mobile device platforms (mHealth), some displaying and transmitting data exclusively via mobile device. Of the 5 initially selected devices, all are capable of mobile connection, one which cannot function without a mobile device (ECG). Furthermore, only one of these devices connects natively to a Windows platform, which is currently the only operating system available on Orion. DISCUSSION: Significant savings in mass and volume as well as training and usability improvements can be achieved by leveraging mHealth technologies. However, the platform presents significant challenges for deployment within the Artemis Program including lack of internet connectivity, incompatible operating systems, and radiation concerns. Each of these drawbacks are surmountable with investment in the supporting vehicle architecture, which may become necessary to support the technology trends seen in commercially available medical devices today. Objective: Learn about the opportunities and challenges of leveraging mHealth devices in the development of medical capabilities for austere environments. Learn about the constraints of the NASA spaceflight environment with regards to digital medical device integration.

Douglas Ebert↗
DOE OSTI2024

Improving the User Interface of the DeepLynx Data Warehouse

DeepLynx is an open-source ontology-based data warehouse created by INL to support the creation and life cycle of digital engineering projects, with a particular emphasis on digital twins [1]. Digital twins are systems that represent physical assets and process in a real-time digital environment [1]. Most well-known commercial data warehouses use Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs) for users to interact with their systems [3]. Limited publications have addressed the design of these interfaces and understanding of their target users. The current users and development team acknowledge the need to improve the current UI, not just for aesthetics but to improve functionality and workflow of DeepLynx. Traditional data warehouse users are developers, data scientists and business analysts [2]. DeepLynx users have a vast range of experience using data warehouses, and diverse roles, including engineers, scientists and management positions. Because there is a broader audience of target users for DeepLynx than a typical data warehouse, it is essential that DeepLynx has a useable and intuitive user interface. To achieve this the team performed human-computer interaction methods, including a Heuristic Evaluation of current UI using Neilsen’s Usability Heuristic, create personas based on current users by designing a user survey, data analysis and develop of personas. Followed by a redesign of the UI following using Neilsen’s Usability Heuristic and Norman’s Principles of Interactive Design in industry standard software Figma. Lastly a Heuristic Evaluation of new UI design, using Neilsen’s Usability Heuristic and User testing of redesign UI and have a group of users complete a Thinking Aloud Test of the new UI. Preliminary results of the Heuristic Evaluation of current UI arise issue with Consistency and Standards, Visibility of System Status, Match System and Real World and Recognition Rather than Recall. These issues were addressed in the proposed redesign by applying Neilsen’s Usability Heuristic and Norman’s Principles of Interactive Design. Next steps include formalized list of lessons learned and design implications for future publications.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
NASA NTRS2008

Human Rating Requirements for NASA's Constellation Program

NASA s Constellation Program (CxP) will conduct a series of human space expeditions of increasing scope, starting with missions supporting the International Space Station and expanding to encompass the Moon and Mars. Although human-rating is an integral part of all CxP activities throughout their life cycle, NASA Procedural Requirements document NPR 8705.2B, Human-Rating Requirements (HRR) for Space Flight Systems, defines the additional processes, procedures, and requirements necessary to produce human-rated space systems that protect the safety of crew members and passengers on these NASA missions. In order to be in compliance with 8705.2B the CxP must show appropriate implementation or progression toward the HRR, or justification for an exception. Compliance includes an explanation of how the CxP intends to meet the HRR, analyses to be performed to determine implementation; and a matrix to trace the HRR to CxP requirements. The HRR requires the CxP to establish a human system integration team (HSIT), consisting of astronauts, mission operations personnel, training personnel, ground processing personnel, human factors personnel, and human engineering experts, with clearly defined authority, responsibility, and accountability to lead the human-system integration. For example, per the HRR the HSIT is involved in the evaluation of crew workload, human-in-the-loop usability evaluations, determining associated criteria, and in assessment of how these activities influenced system design. In essence, the HSIT is invaluable in CxP s ability to meet the three fundamental tenets of human rating: the process of designing, evaluating, and assuring that the total system can safely conduct the required human missions; the incorporation of design features and capabilities that accommodate human interaction with the system to enhance overall safety and mission success; and the incorporation of design features and capabilities to enable safe recovery of the crew from hazardous situations.

Berdich, Debbie↗
DOE OSTI2025

Recycling Disassembled Automotive Plastic Components for New Vehicle Components: Enabling the Automotive Circular Economy

As the automotive industry increasingly relies on plastic components to meet fuel efficiency and emissions targets, the challenge of managing end-of-life vehicle (ELV) plastics continues to grow. Currently, more than 80% of ELV plastics in the U.S. are landfilled due to limited economic incentives and technical barriers to recycling. This study examines a mechanical recycling pathway for thermoplastic components disassembled from ELVs and assesses their usability for reintegration into new vehicle parts. Four representative materials were chosen based on material labels embedded in recovered parts and aligned with their virgin industrial equivalents: polypropylene (PP), 10% talc-filled PP (PP-T10), 20% talc-filled PP (PP-T20), and a 20% glass-/mineral-filled polyamide (PA6 + GF7 + MF13). The materials underwent shredding, drying, and injection molding before being characterized by particle size analysis, density measurement, thermal analysis (TGA, DSC), mechanical testing, and heat deflection temperature (HDT) evaluation. The results in this work indicated that minor differences in crystallinity were observed and small differences between model materials and ELV materials could have contributed to these changes. Mechanical testing revealed that neat polypropylene suffered a 15–20% reduction in stiffness and tensile strength, but talc-filled polypropylene and glass/mineral-filled nylon retained >90% of their modulus, strength, and heat deflection temperature values relative to virgin controls. Differences between virgin and ELV materials could have been attributed to use life degradation, contamination during use life, or even chemical/processing differences in model materials and ELV materials. However, these findings suggest that mechanically recycled, disassembled ELV plastics can retain sufficient structural performance to support circularity efforts in the automotive sector.

automotive recycling↗
NASA NTRS2010

The Mission Assessment Post Processor (MAPP): A New Tool for Performance Evaluation of Human Lunar Missions

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration s (NASA) Constellation Program paves the way for a series of lunar missions leading to a sustained human presence on the Moon. The proposed mission design includes an Earth Departure Stage (EDS), a Crew Exploration Vehicle (Orion) and a lunar lander (Altair) which support the transfer to and from the lunar surface. This report addresses the design, development and implementation of a new mission scan tool called the Mission Assessment Post Processor (MAPP) and its use to provide insight into the integrated (i.e., EDS, Orion, and Altair based) mission cost as a function of various mission parameters and constraints. The Constellation architecture calls for semiannual launches to the Moon and will support a number of missions, beginning with 7-day sortie missions, culminating in a lunar outpost at a specified location. The operational lifetime of the Constellation Program can cover a period of decades over which the Earth-Moon geometry (particularly, the lunar inclination) will go through a complete cycle (i.e., the lunar nodal cycle lasting 18.6 years). This geometry variation, along with other parameters such as flight time, landing site location, and mission related constraints, affect the outbound (Earth to Moon) and inbound (Moon to Earth) translational performance cost. The mission designer must determine the ability of the vehicles to perform lunar missions as a function of this complex set of interdependent parameters. Trade-offs among these parameters provide essential insights for properly assessing the ability of a mission architecture to meet desired goals and objectives. These trades also aid in determining the overall usable propellant required for supporting nominal and off-nominal missions over the entire operational lifetime of the program, thus they support vehicle sizing.

Williams, Jacob↗
NASA NTRS2017

Biosignatures in the Context of Low Energy Flux

Many of the features that are thought of as biosignatures - including the mediation of chemical and physical processes with speed, specificity, and selectivity - result directly or indirectly from life's unique capability to mediate and direct energy flux. As such, it is important to consider the impact that differences in energy flux may have on the quantity and quality of evidence for life. Earth differs from every other body in our solar system in the magnitude of biologically-usable energy flux into a liquid water environment. On a global basis, the capture of light energy into photosynthesis and the flux of chemical energy represented in the products of that photosynthesis (organic material + O2) are about six and four orders of magnitude larger, respectively, than the flux of energy represented in geochemical sources. Our conception of what an inhabited world "looks like" and our intuition about how to search for life are based in this high-energy context. Energy fluxes on worlds beyond Earth may be better approximated by the million-fold smaller flux provided to Earth's biosphere by geochemical sources. As a result, the nature, abundance, and quality of evidence for life that could be expected on an inhabited extraterrestrial world within our solar system may differ profoundly from that found on Earth. Understanding this potential difference in quantitative terms provides important context for the formulation of life detection strategies. The influence of energy flux on biosignatures can be evaluated through reference to the two basic purposes into which life partitions energy flux: (1) Life expends energy to sustain existing biomass in a metabolic steady state (metabolically functional but non-growing). The formal representation of this relationship in the traditional microbiology literature equates biomass directly with energy flux. The direct implication is that worlds having lower energy flux will have correspondingly lower potential to support biomass. Life detection strategies that directly target extant organisms should therefore be prepared to encounter average biomass densities that may be many orders of magnitude smaller than those found in most of Earth's surface environments (2) Life expends energy to synthesize new biomass. An end-member case in which new biomass is created at the energy-limited rate and the corresponding cells are immediately destroyed (so that the energy partitioned to cell maintenance is minimized) establishes an upper bound on the rate at which biological material can enter a bulk global pool. For a specified bulk concentration [i] of any particular biological compound, i, or for biologically produced matter overall, this synthesis rate, R (sub i), defines a characteristic time scale tau (sub i) equals [i] divided by R (sub i). tau (sub i) can be thought of as (a) the minimum time required for biosynthesis to yield a specific bulk concentration (e.g., a detection threshold) of i, and (b) the average residence time of i within a bulk pool when [i] is held in steady state through a balance between biosynthesis and attrition by physical, chemical, or biological consumption. tau (sub i) becomes an important quantity in considering the potential utility of enantiomeric excess (as a product of homochiral biosynthesis) as a biosignature. Spontaneous racemization of amino acids acts to "erase" the signature of homochiral synthesis over time scales that may range from hundreds to hundreds of thousands of years, depending on temperature. For environments in which low energy flux translates to low rates of biosynthesis, including the synthesis of homochiral amino acids, amino acid residence times in pools having detectable concentrations may compare to or significantly exceed the time scale for racemization. This and similar consequences of long residence times should be considered in the formulation of life detection strategies based on detection of biologically-produced species. Fluxes of biologically-useful energy on potentially habitable worlds within our solar system are, at present, not well constrained. Improving such constraint has the potential to inform priorities in the formulation and targeting of search-for-life strategies, based on the implications of energy flux for the abundance and quality of biosignatures overall, and in specific categories.

ENERGY FLUX↗
NASA NTRS2024

Federal USS Synthesis Effort: 2023 Flight Test Report. A NASA and Department of Defense Joint Evaluation of Multi-Domain Airspace Integration

In recent years, advancements in technology have greatly improved the utility and applicability of Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS) and have highlighted the need for and importance of UAS Traffic Management (UTM). Onboard sense and avoid systems, ground-based sensors, and long- range command and control (C2) systems have significantly expanded the possibilities for UAS beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) operations. Initially, research on UTM flights focused on their interactions with other UTM operations, but that has since been expanded to include interactions with the flight profiles of Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) and upper Class E Traffic Management (ETM) operations. Recognizing the potential of these systems and the increase in UAS autonomy, the Department of Defense (DoD) is working towards integrating these missions and systems into a unified DoD Federal ecosystem. The Federal USS Synthesis Effort (FUSE) aims to develop a live system that can efficiently combine this wide range of UTM, AAM, and ETM systems, thus enabling expanded operations within a single common operating environment. The goal of the Federal USS Synthesis Effort (FUSE) is for NASA and the DoD to develop a live system that can efficiently combine UTM, AAM, and ETM systems. The most recent endeavor in this effort was a live flight test conducted near Grand Forks Air Force Base in June, 2023, where the FUSE ecosystem successfully demonstrated integrating UTM, AAM, and ETM operations while providing a single, shared COP to users. Additional investigations were made during the test, including assessing the usefulness of the system and its capability to support UAS weighing over 55 lbs.; testing user messaging capabilities and a DoD adaptation of a Federal USS; and assessing user workload, automated vs manual control, and the usability of NASA’s XTMClient.

Federal USS↗
NASA NTRS2000

Evaluation of DVD-R for Archival Applications

For more than a decade, CD-ROM and CD-R have provided an unprecedented level of reliability, low cost and cross-platform compatibility to support federal data archiving and distribution efforts. However, it should be remembered that years of effort were required to achieve the standardization that has supported the growth of the CD industry. Incompatibilities in the interpretation of the ISO-9660 standard on different operating systems had to be dealt with, and the imprecise specifications in the Orange Book Part n and Part Hi led to incompatibilities between CD-R media and CD-R recorders. Some of these issues were presented by the authors at Optical Data Storage '95. The major current problem with the use of CD technology is the growing volume of digital data that needs to be stored. CD-ROM collections of hundreds of volumes and CD-R collections of several thousand volumes are becoming almost too cumbersome to be useful. The emergence of Digital Video Disks Recorder (DVD-R) technology promises to reduce the number of discs required for archive applications by a factor of seven while providing improved reliability. It is important to identify problem areas for DVD-R media and provide guidelines to manufacturers, file system developers and users in order to provide reliable data storage and interchange. The Data Distribution Laboratory (DDL) at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory began its evaluation of DVD-R technology in early 1998. The initial plan was to obtain a DVD-Recorder for preliminary testing, deploy reader hardware to user sites for compatibility testing, evaluate the quality and longevity of DVD-R media and develop proof-of-concept archive collections to test the reliability and usability of DVD-R media and jukebox hardware.

Martin, Michael D.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

WIS and WIGOS Metadata as the Foundation for a Sustainable Framework for Global Greenhouse Gas Watch Data Exchange

Metadata (data about data) is a critical component of data discovery, description, evaluation, documentation, and preservation. Developing and propagating metadata standards has been a longstanding area of activity in WMO and beyond. The WIS2 and WIGOS metadata models are being actively developed and maintained by dedicated task teams, established under the WMO Expert Team on Metadata. The metadata representations and vocabularies are governed by well-established processes within WMO. These standards are being used in a number of metadata/data exchange activities (e.g., WMO Information System 2.0 (WIS2), WIGOS (WMDR), Climate Data Management Systems (CMDS), etc.). It should also be noted that the application of the WIS2 and WIGOS standards fully support the WMO Unified Data Policy and open data policy as well as greatly enhance the value of observations by fostering data F.A.I.R.ness. Furthermore, the WMO metadata standards can serve as the foundation for a framework that will facilitate metadata mapping between the existing schemas used in well-established data centres, e.g., WMO WDCGG (World Data Centre for Greenhouse Gases) and NOAA ObsPack (Observation Package Data Products) and to automate metadata exchange between data centres as well as with WMO. These activities will play a central role in integrating measurements sponsored by various member countries and organizations to provide a more comprehensive characterization of the temporal and spatial distribution of the greenhouse gases. At the same time, this metadata exchange can lead to member countries and partner organizations improving their current metadata collection process for data discoverability, interoperability, and (re)usability. This presentation will describe metadata activities in the context of WIS2 and WIGOS and how they apply to GGGW data integration via metadata mapping and exchange.

Gao Chen↗
NASA NTRS2019

In-Flight Evaluation of the Traffic Aware Planner on the NASA HU-25A Guardian Aircraft

NASA’s Traffic Aware Planner (TAP) software is a research-prototype decision support tool that provides pilots with time- and fuel-saving route recommendations that optimize their current trajectory. The software runs on a first-of-a-kind system architecture onboard three aircraft in revenue service conducting operational evaluations with a major domestic airline. Therefore, significant NASA-internal testing is required prior to releasing the software to the partner airline. This paper describes a flight test plan that exercises the functionality of the TAP software in a representative operational environment, describes the system architecture developed and implemented for the NASA Langley HU-25A Guardian aircraft to support the test objectives, presents outcomes of the flight test campaign, and discusses use cases that demonstrate the value of flight testing for this activity.Research into flight path optimization of transport aircraft conducted by the National Aeronautics and SpaceAdministration (NASA) has produced an operational concept known as Traffic Aware Strategic Aircrew Requests(TASAR) [1, 2]. This near-term concept [3] provides the aircrew with a flight deck decision support tool known asthe Traffic Aware Planner (TAP). The TAP software leverages a growing number of information sources on the flightdeck to make time- and fuel-saving route optimization recommendations to the aircrew while en route. The aircrewcan then use the suggestions provided by the tool to make route change requests with a greater likelihood of acceptanceby air traffic control (ATC). Since TASAR is a concept intended for the current operational environment, it isintentionally designed to have no safety-critical impact or require any changes to current Federal AviationAdministration (FAA) rules and procedures [4, 5].The research prototype TAP system [6–8], explained further in Section III.C, continually incorporates up-to-dateaircraft state data from onboard avionics, as well as the latest position of surrounding traffic, the most recent windforecast, and the most recent convective weather forecast, in order to calculate candidate trajectory modifications thatimprove upon the current active route. These trajectories account for user-selectable objective functions [3] of reducedfuel burn, reduced flight time, or an airline-derived combination of factors known as trip cost. Previous analyses andsimulations have estimated substantial savings for airlines employing this technique within the U.S. National AirspaceSystem (NAS) [9–11]. Operational evaluations with Alaska Airlines seek to validate these projected benefits usingmeasured data while simultaneously providing benefits to the airline [12, 13].The TAP software has undergone a number of human-in-the-loop simulations [14] and flight test activities[15–17] in order to validate the operational concept, evaluate human factors considerations (e.g., workload, usability,distraction, etc.), and to assess the ability of the software to function in a representative operational environment (e.g.,connected to live avionics data, using in-flight internet connectivity, etc.). However, these simulations and flight testcampaigns did not account for the hardware architecture implemented on the three aircraft for Alaska Airlines’operational evaluations of the TAP software. Therefore, a need was identified to thoroughly test the functionality ofthe software in a similar hardware architecture to that of the partner airline’s aircraft. Information regarding testapparatus and environments used to evaluate TAP prior to testing on the HU-25A can be found in reference [18].A campaign of flight trials on a NASA aircraft, the HU-25A Guardian, was conducted to ensure that the researchprototype TAP system functions well in a configuration similar to the Alaska Airlines aircraft prior to deployment.This airborne, networked environment enables an assessment of the operational factors unique to the flight environment. Additionally, this activity evaluated the effectiveness and benefit of new TAP functionality andoperation in a relevant flight environment while allowing the rapid prototyping of new concepts and features.This paper is organized as follows: Section II discusses the details of the flight test plan, flight profiles, and theduties of personnel involved with conducting flight operations. Section III describes the test platform, avionicsequipage, and system architecture. Section IV presents a discussion of results, and Section V contains concludingremarks.

Underwood, Matthew C.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Preliminary Evaluation of Joint Electricity-Hydrogen Concept of Operations

An initial thermal power dispatch (TPD) concept of operations was evaluated that couples a nuclear power plant to a nearby hydrogen production plant. GSE Systems’ generic pressurized water reactor full-scope simulator was modified with a TPD model comprised of a thermal power extraction and delivery system. A prototype human-system interface (HSI) was developed to interact with the TPD model and allow participants to execute the basic operating scenarios for normal operations. Four retired operators performed the evaluation, and due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, the original in-person experimental design was restructured to support a remote participator evaluation using a web meeting platform. Data from operator feedback, observations from the research team, and quantitative survey responses revealed that the initial TPD concept of operations is feasible. The operators were comfortable with the engineered system and HSI and could manage it without adverse impacts to reactor power, plant safety, or equipment. Findings are discussed in terms of both the TPD system design and HSI performance.

human factors↗