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At least 1,081 records · Page 60

The Biotechnology Facility for International Space Station

The primary mission of the Cellular Biotechnology Program is to advance microgravity as a tool in basic and applied cell biology. The microgravity environment can be used to study fundamental principles of cell biology and to achieve specific applications such as tissue engineering. The Biotechnology Facility (BTF) will provide a state-of-the-art facility to perform cellular biotechnology research onboard the International Space Station (ISS). The BTF will support continuous operation, which will allow performance of long-duration experiments and will significantly increase the on-orbit science throughput. With the BTF, dedicated ground support, and a community of investigators, the goals of the Cellular Biotechnology Program at Johnson Space Center are to: Support approximately 400 typical investigator experiments during the nominal design life of BTF (10 years). Support a steady increase in investigations per year, starting with stationary bioreactor experiments and adding rotating bioreactor experiments at a later date. Support at least 80% of all new cellular biotechnology investigations selected through the NASA Research Announcement (NRA) process. Modular components - to allow sequential and continuous experiment operations without cross-contamination Increased cold storage capability (+4 C, -80 C, -180 C). Storage of frozen cell culture inoculum - to allow sequential investigations. Storage of post-experiment samples - for return of high quality samples. Increased number of cell cultures per investigation, with replicates - to provide sufficient number of samples for data analysis and publication of results in peer-reviewed scientific journals.

Goodwin, Thomas↗

Gesture Based Control and EMG Decomposition

This paper presents two probabilistic developments for use with Electromyograms (EMG). First described is a new-electric interface for virtual device control based on gesture recognition. The second development is a Bayesian method for decomposing EMG into individual motor unit action potentials. This more complex technique will then allow for higher resolution in separating muscle groups for gesture recognition. All examples presented rely upon sampling EMG data from a subject's forearm. The gesture based recognition uses pattern recognition software that has been trained to identify gestures from among a given set of gestures. The pattern recognition software consists of hidden Markov models which are used to recognize the gestures as they are being performed in real-time from moving averages of EMG. Two experiments were conducted to examine the feasibility of this interface technology. The first replicated a virtual joystick interface, and the second replicated a keyboard. Moving averages of EMG do not provide easy distinction between fine muscle groups. To better distinguish between different fine motor skill muscle groups we present a Bayesian algorithm to separate surface EMG into representative motor unit action potentials. The algorithm is based upon differential Variable Component Analysis (dVCA) [l], [2] which was originally developed for Electroencephalograms. The algorithm uses a simple forward model representing a mixture of motor unit action potentials as seen across multiple channels. The parameters of this model are iteratively optimized for each component. Results are presented on both synthetic and experimental EMG data. The synthetic case has additive white noise and is compared with known components. The experimental EMG data was obtained using a custom linear electrode array designed for this study.

Wheeler, Kevin R.↗

(abstract) Ulysses Solar Wind Ion Temperatures: Radial, Latitudinal, and Dynamical Dependencies

Observations of the Ulysses SWOOPS plasma experiment are used to determine the dependencies of solar wind ion temperatures upon radial distance, speed, and other parameters, and to estimate solar wind heating. Comparisons with three dimensional temperature estimates determined from the ion spectra by a least squares fitting program will be provided (only small samples of data have been reduced with this program).

Ulysses solar wind ions magnetic field plasmas↗

Moon

The Earth's natural satellite. United States and Soviet spacecraft have obtained lunar data and samples, and Americans have orbited, landed, and roved upon the Moon.

Moon's properties↗

Communication system with adaptive noise suppression

A signal-to-noise ratio dependent adaptive spectral subtraction process eliminates noise from noise-corrupted speech signals. The process first pre-emphasizes the frequency components of the input sound signal which contain the consonant information in human speech. Next, a signal-to-noise ratio is determined and a spectral subtraction proportion adjusted appropriately. After spectral subtraction, low amplitude signals can be squelched. A single microphone is used to obtain both the noise-corrupted speech and the average noise estimate. This is done by determining if the frame of data being sampled is a voiced or unvoiced frame. During unvoiced frames an estimate of the noise is obtained. A running average of the noise is used to approximate the expected value of the noise. Spectral subtraction may be performed on a composite noise-corrupted signal, or upon individual sub-bands of the noise-corrupted signal. Pre-averaging of the input signal's magnitude spectrum over multiple time frames may be performed to reduce musical noise.

Kozel, David↗

High-Energy 2-Micrometers Doppler Lidar for Wind Measurements

High-energy 2-micrometer wavelength lasers have been incorporated in a prototype coherent Doppler lidar to test component technologies and explore applications for remote sensing of the atmosphere. Design of the lidar is presented including aspects in the laser transmitter, receiver, photodetector, and signal processing. Calibration tests and sample atmospheric data are presented on wind and aerosol profiling.

Koch, Grady J.↗

Pharmacodynamics of Promethazine in Human Subjects

Promethazine (PMZ) is the drug of choice for the treatment of symptoms associated with space motion sickness in astronauts. Side effects of PMZ include sedation, dizziness and cognitive performance impairment. In this study, we examined pharmacodynamics (PD) in human subjects and validated methods for evaluating cognitive performance effects of medications in space. METHODS: PMZ (12.5,25, and 50 mg) or placebo was administered by IM injection to human subjects in a randomized double-blind treatment design. Samples and data were collected for 72 h post dose. PD evaluation was performed using a battery of performance tests administered using WinSCAT (Windows based Space Cognitive Assessment Test) on a laptop computer, and ARES (ANAM Readiness Evaluation System) on a PDA, plasma concentrations of PMZ were measured using a LC-MS method. RESULTS: Results indicate a linear correlation between PMZ concentration and cognitive performance parameters (p<0.01). Test accuracy decreased and test completion time and response time increased significantly with increasing plasma PMZ concentration. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest a concentration dependent decrement in cognitive performance associated with PMZ. WinSCAT and ARES are sensitive tools for the assessment PMZ PD and may be applicable for such evaluations with other neurocognitive drugs.

Gatlin, K. T.↗

Northwest Africa 5298: A Basaltic Shergottite

NWA 5298 is a single 445 g meteorite found near Bir Gandouz, Morocco in March 2008 [1]. This rock has a brown exterior weathered surface instead of a fusion crust and the interior is composed of green mineral grains with interstitial dark patches containing small vesicles and shock melts [1]. This meteorite is classified as a basaltic shergottite [2]. A petrologic study of this Martian meteorite is being carried out with electron microprobe analysis and soon trace element analyses by laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). Oxygen fugacity is calculated from Fe-Ti oxides pairs in the sample. The data from this study constrains the petrogenesis of basaltic shergottites.

Hui, Hejiu↗

Determining Aliasing in Isolated Signal Conditioning Modules

The basic concept of aliasing is this: Converting analog data into digital data requires sampling the signal at a specific rate, known as the sampling frequency. The result of this conversion process is a new function, which is a sequence of digital samples. This new function has a frequency spectrum, which contains all the frequency components of the original signal. The Fourier transform mathematics of this process show that the frequency spectrum of the sequence of digital samples consists of the original signal s frequency spectrum plus the spectrum shifted by all the harmonics of the sampling frequency. If the original analog signal is sampled in the conversion process at a minimum of twice the highest frequency component contained in the analog signal, and if the reconstruction process is limited to the highest frequency of the original signal, then the reconstructed signal accurately duplicates the original analog signal. It is this process that can give birth to aliasing.

Source record↗

Evidence for Interlayer Collapse of Nontronite on Mars from Laboratory Visible and Near-IR Reflective Spectra

Dioctahedral smectites (e.g., nontronite and montmorillionite) are interpreted to occupy the optical surface of Mars at a number of locations on the basis of spectral features derived from interlayer H2O and MOH (M=Fe(3+)2, Fe(3+)Al, Al2, etc.) as observed by orbiting MRO-CRISM and MEx-OMEGA hyperspectral imaging spectrometers. At wavelengths shorter than approximately 2.7 micrometers, the strongest bands from interlayer H2O occur at approximately 1.4 and 1.9 micrometers from 2v1 and v1+v2, respectively, where v1 and v2 are the fundamental stretching and bending vibrations of the H2O molecule. Smectite MOH vibrations occur near 1.4 micrometers (stretching overtone) and in the region between 2.1 and 2.7 micrometers (stretching + bending combination). Because interlayer H2O can exchange with the martian environment, a number of studies have examined the strength of the interlayer H2O spectral features under Mars-like environmental conditions. The relationship between spectral properties and the underlying crystal structure of the smectites was not determined, and the extent of interlayer H2O removal was not established. We report combined visible and near-IR (VNIR), Mossbauer (MB), and powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) data for samples of the Fe-bearing smectite nontronite where the interlayer was collapsed by complete removal of interlayer H2O.

Morris, Richard V.↗

The First Experiment with VLBI-GPS Hybrid System

In this paper, we introduce our GPS-VLBI hybrid system and show the results of the first experiment which is now under way. In this hybrid system, GPS signals are captured by a normal GPS antenna, down-converted to IF signals, and then sampled by the VLBI sampler VSSP32 developed by NICT. The sampled GPS data are recorded and correlated in the same way as VLBI observation data. The correlator outputs are the group delay and the delay rate. Since the whole system uses the same frequency standard, many sources of systematic errors are common between the VLBI system and the GPS system. In this hybrid system, the GPS antenna can be regarded as an additional VLBI antenna having multiple beams towards GPS satellites. Therefore, we expect that this approach will provide enough data to improve zenith delay estimates and geodetic results.

Kwak, Younghee↗

Clouds and Earth Radiant Energy System (CERES), a Review: Past, Present and Future

The Clouds and Earth Radiant Energy System (CERES) project s objectives are to measure the reflected solar radiance (shortwave) and Earth-emitted (longwave) radiances and from these measurements to compute the shortwave and longwave radiation fluxes at the top of the atmosphere (TOA) and the surface and radiation divergence within the atmosphere. The fluxes at TOA are to be retrieved to an accuracy of 2%. Improved bidirectional reflectance distribution functions (BRDFs) have been developed to compute the fluxes at TOA from the measured radiances with errors reduced from ERBE by a factor of two or more. Instruments aboard the Terra and Aqua spacecraft provide sampling at four local times. In order to further reduce temporal sampling errors, data are used from the geostationary meteorological satellites to account for changes of scenes between observations by the CERES radiometers. A validation protocol including in-flight calibrations and comparisons of measurements has reduced the instrument errors to less than 1%. The data are processed through three editions. The first edition provides a timely flow of data to investigators and the third edition provides data products as accurate as possible with resources available. A suite of cloud properties retrieved from the MODerate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) by the CERES team is used to identify the cloud properties for each pixel in order to select the BRDF for each pixel so as to compute radiation fluxes from radiances. Also, the cloud information is used to compute radiation at the surface and through the atmosphere and to facilitate study of the relationship between clouds and the radiation budget. The data products from CERES include, in addition to the reflected solar radiation and Earth emitted radiation fluxes at TOA, the upward and downward shortwave and longwave radiation fluxes at the surface and at various levels in the atmosphere. Also at the surface the photosynthetically active radiation and ultraviolet radiation (total, UVA and UVB) are computed. The CERES instruments aboard the Terra and Aqua spacecraft have served well past their design life times. A CERES instrument has been integrated onto the NPP platform and is ready for launch in 2011. Another CERES instrument is being built for launch in 2014, and plans are being made for a series of follow-on missions.

Smith, G. L.↗

Fast-Acquisition/Weak-Signal-Tracking GPS Receiver for HEO

A report discusses the technical background and design of the Navigator Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver -- . a radiation-hardened receiver intended for use aboard spacecraft. Navigator is capable of weak signal acquisition and tracking as well as much faster acquisition of strong or weak signals with no a priori knowledge or external aiding. Weak-signal acquisition and tracking enables GPS use in high Earth orbits (HEO), and fast acquisition allows for the receiver to remain without power until needed in any orbit. Signal acquisition and signal tracking are, respectively, the processes of finding and demodulating a signal. Acquisition is the more computationally difficult process. Previous GPS receivers employ the method of sequentially searching the two-dimensional signal parameter space (code phase and Doppler). Navigator exploits properties of the Fourier transform in a massively parallel search for the GPS signal. This method results in far faster acquisition times [in the lab, 12 GPS satellites have been acquired with no a priori knowledge in a Low-Earth-Orbit (LEO) scenario in less than one second]. Modeling has shown that Navigator will be capable of acquiring signals down to 25 dB-Hz, appropriate for HEO missions. Navigator is built using the radiation-hardened ColdFire microprocessor and housing the most computationally intense functions in dedicated field-programmable gate arrays. The high performance of the algorithm and of the receiver as a whole are made possible by optimizing computational efficiency and carefully weighing tradeoffs among the sampling rate, data format, and data-path bit width.

Wintemitz, Luke↗

Constraints on Determining the Eruption Style and Composition of Terrestrial Lavas from Space

The surface temperatures of active lavas relate to cooling rates, chemistry, and eruption style. We analyzed 61 hyperspectral satellite images acquired by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration s Earth Observing-1 (EO-1) Hyperion imaging spectrometer to document the surface temperature distributions of active lavas erupted at 13 volcanoes. Images were selected to encompass the range of common lava eruption styles, specifically, lava fountains, flows, lakes, and domes. Our results reveal temperature distributions for terrestrial lavas that correlate with composition (i.e., a statistically significant difference in the highest temperatures retrieved for mafic lavas and intermediate and felsic lavas) and eruption style. Maximum temperatures observed for mafi c lavas are approx.200 C higher than for intermediate and felsic lavas. All eruption styles exhibit a low-temperature mode at approx.300 C; lava fountains and 'a' a flows also exhibit a higher-temperature mode at approx.700 C. The observed differences between the temperatures are consistent with the contrasting rates at which the lava surfaces are thermally renewed. Eruption styles that allow persistent and pervasive thermal renewal of the lava surface (e.g., fractured crusts on channel-fed 'a' a flows) exhibit a bimodal temperature distribution; eruption styles that do not (e.g., the continuous skin of pahoehoe lavas) exhibit a single mode. We conclude that insights into composition and eruption style can only be gained remotely by analyzing a large spatio-temporal sample of data. This has implications for determining composition and eruption style at the Jovian moon Io, for which no in situ validation is available.

Wright, Robert↗

Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer

We present WISE (Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer) mid-infrared photometry of young stellar object candidates in the Canis Majoris clouds at a distance of 1 kpc. WISE has identified 682 objects with apparent 12 and 22 micron excess emission in a 7 deg x 10 deg field around the CMa Rl cloud . While a substantial fraction of these candidates are likely galaxies, AGB stars, and artifacts from confusion along the galactic plane, others are part of a spectacular cluster of YSOs imaged by WISE along a dark filament in the R1 cloud. Palomar Double Spectrograph observations of several sources in this cluster confirm their identity as young A and B stars with strong emission lines. In this contribution, we plot the optical -mid-infrared spectral energy distribution for the WISE YSO candidates and discuss potential contaminants to the sample . The data demonstrate the utility of WISE in performing wide-area surveys for young stellar objects.

Padgett, Deborah↗

From EXOSAT to the High Energy Astrophysics Science Archive (HEASARC): X-ray Astronomy Comes of Age

In May 1983 the European Space Agency launched EXOSAT, its first X-ray astronomy observatory. Even though it lasted only 3 short years, this mission brought not only new capabilities that resulted in unexpected discoveries, but also a pioneering approach to operations and archiving that changed X-ray astronomy from observations led by small instrument teams, to an observatory approach open to the entire community through a guest observer program. The community use of the observatory was supported by a small dedicated team of scientists, the precursor to the data center activities created to support e.g. Chandra and XMM-Newton. The new science capabilities of EX OS AT included a 90 hr highly eccentric high earth orbit that allow unprecedented continuous coverage of sources as well as direct communication with the satellite that allowed real time decisions to respond to unexpected events through targets of opportunity. The advantages of this orbit demonstrated by EXOSAT resulted in Chandra and XMM-Newton selecting similar orbits. The three instruments on board the EXOSAT observatory were complementary, designed to give complete coverage over a wide energy band pass of 0.05-50 keY. An onboard processor could be programmed to give multiple data modes that could be optimized in response to science discoveries: These new capabilities resulted in many new discoveries including the first comprehensive study of AGN variability, new orbital periods in X-ray binaries and cataclysmic variables, new black holes, quasi-periodic oscillations from neutron stars and black holes and broad band X-ray spectroscopy. The EXOSAT team generated a well-organized database accessible worldwide over the nascent internet, allowing remote selection of data products, making samples and undertaking surveys from the data. The HEASARC was established by NASA at Goddard Space Flight Center in 1990 as the repository of NASA X-ray and Gamma-ray data. The proven EXOSAT database system became the core of the HEASARC infrastructure. The HEASARC pioneered many concepts now taken for granted including standardized formats using FITS files, restoring data from earlier missions, multi-mission analysis tools and a searchable archive over the world wide web.

White, Nicholas E.↗

2014 ISS Potable Water Characterization and Continuation of the DMSD Chronicle

During 2014 the crews from Expeditions 38-41 were resident on the International Space Station (ISS). In addition to the U.S. potable water reclaimed from humidity condensate and urine, the other water supplies available for their use were Russian potable water reclaimed from condensate and Russian ground-supplied potable water. Beginning in June of 2014, and for the fourth time since 2010, the product water from the U.S. Water Processor Assembly (WPA) experienced a rise in the total organic carbon (TOC) level due to organic contaminants breaking through the water treatment process. Results from ground analyses of ISS archival water samples returned on Soyuz 38 confirmed that dimethylsilanediol (DMSD) was once again the contaminant responsible for the rise. With this confirmation in hand and based upon the low toxicity of DMSD, a waiver was approved to allow the crew to continue to consume the water after the TOC level exceeded the U.S. Segment limit of 3 mg/L. Several weeks after the WPA multifiltration beds were replaced, as anticipated based upon experience from previous rises, the TOC levels returned to below the method detection limit of the onboard TOC analyzer (TOCA). This paper presents and discusses the chemical analysis results for the ISS archival potable water samples returned in 2014 and analyzed by the Johnson Space Center's Toxicology and Environmental Chemistry laboratory. These results showed compliance with ISS potable water quality standards and indicated that the potable water supplies were acceptable for crew consumption. Although DMSD levels were at times elevated they remained well below the 35 mg/L health limit, so continued consumption of the U.S potable water was considered a low risk to crew health and safety. Excellent agreement between inflight and archival sample TOC data confirmed that the TOCA performed optimally and it continued to serve as a vital tool for monitoring organic breakthrough and planning remediation action.

Straub, John E., II↗

Research from the NASA Twins Study and Omics in Support of Mars Missions

The NASA Twins Study, NASA's first foray into integrated omic studies in humans, illustrates how an integrated omics approach can be brought to bear on the challenges to human health and performance on a Mars mission. The NASA Twins Study involves US Astronaut Scott Kelly and his identical twin brother, Mark Kelly, a retired US Astronaut. No other opportunity to study a twin pair for a prolonged period with one subject in space and one on the ground is available for the foreseeable future. A team of 10 principal investigators are conducting the Twins Study, examining a very broad range of biological functions including the genome, epigenome, transcriptome, proteome, metabolome, gut microbiome, immunological response to vaccinations, indicators of atherosclerosis, physiological fluid shifts, and cognition. A novel aspect of the study is the integrated study of molecular, physiological, cognitive, and microbiological properties. Major sample and data collection from both subjects for this study began approximately six months before Scott Kelly's one year mission on the ISS, continue while Scott Kelly is in flight and will conclude approximately six months after his return to Earth. Mark Kelly will remain on Earth during this study, in a lifestyle unconstrained by this study, thereby providing a measure of normal variation in the properties being studied. An overview of initial results and the future plans will be described as well as the technological and ethical issues raised for spaceflight studies involving omics.

Kundrot, C.↗