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Results for “STORAGE STABILITY”

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 127 records · Page 7
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1979

Magnetic suspension system for a laboratory model annular momentum control device

Feasibility of the annular momentum control device (AMCD) for the control and stabilization of spacecraft is presented. The AMCD is momentum storage equipment consisting of a thin rim, magnetically suspended and rotated by noncontacting electromagnetic actuators. The laboratory model AMCD, the rim, and the magnetic suspension system are described, along with their evaluation tests. Because it utilizes permanent magnet flux biased magnetic bearing elements, the original laboratory model magnetic suspension system produced control limitations, and a new suspension system which used zero flux bias was designed and fabricated. Tests of the improved system show that a medium control loop bandwidth is required to achieve stability at low rim velocities, but at higher rim speed the bandwidth of the control loop interacts with bending modes of the rim and causes instability. Decreasing the bandwidth by changing to a precession control mode is discussed, and the results of such a computer simulation are presented.

Groom, N. J.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Storage and recycling of water and carbon dioxide in the earth

The stabilities and properties of water- and carbon-bearing phases in the earth have been determined from phase equilibrium measurements, combined with new data on the equations of state of water, carbon dioxide, carbonates and hydrates. The data have then been used to predict the fate of calcite and hydrous phases in subducting oceanic lithosphere. From the compositions of MORB's one can estimate concentrations of water and carbon of around 200 ppm and 80 ppm respectively in the upper mantle. Lower mantle estimates are very uncertain, but 1900 ppm water and 2000 ppm C are plausible concentrations. Measurements of the density of supercritical water to 3 GPa demonstrate that this phase is less compressible than anticipated from the equations of state of Haar et al. or Saul and Wagner and is closer to predictions based on molecular dynamics simulations. Conversely, fugacity measurements on carbon dioxide to 7 GPa show that this fluid is more compressible than predicted from the MRK equation of state. The results imply that hydrates are relatively more stable and carbonates less stable at pressures greater than 5 GPa than would be predicted from simple extrapolation of the low pressure data. Nevertheless, carbonates remain extremely refractory phases within both the upper and lower mantle.

Wood, Bernard J.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Developing a Genetic Variant Calling Pipeline for Quantifying the Complex Mutagenic Load Accumulated in BioNutrients-1 Production Pack Samples

Microorganisms hold great promise for on demand production of labile nutrients and pharmaceuticals as well recycling and in situ resource utilization. The utilization of microorganisms for such tasks on space missions is hindered by the limited data on how microbes respond to spaceflight. For example, the genetic stability of microorganisms, and the genomic engineered traits added to deliver desired functions, over long-term storage in the spacecraft environment is poorly understood. The BioNutrients-1 (BN-1) mission conducted a 5-year study of desiccated storage in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) to evaluate the suitability of eight synthetic biology chassis organisms for long-duration space missions. We are employing high-depth, whole genome sequencing (WGS) to determine the mutagenic load that accumulated during long-term storage. Mutation analysis pipelines are well established for homogenous culture grown from a single colony, but the mutational landscape of the BN-1 samples present a unique analysis challenge, as every cell in the BN-1 samples had a unique genetic journey of DNA damage and repair. Consequently, sequence variants are expected at low allele frequency within samples. To address this genetic complexity, we apply two distinct computational approaches to identify mutations in pre-existing WGS data collected from populations of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii that were exposed to UV mutagenesis and growth in LEO. For reference genome free mutation detection, we utilized DiscoSNP++, which is a de Bruijn graph approach. For reference genome-based mutation detection we utilize GATK for Microbes, which is a Bayesian probabilistic approach. We will benchmark these approaches against the mutations originally identified using CRISP, a method optimized for pooled samples. Ultimately, quantifying the mutation load imposed by storage or growth on the ISS will help identify chassis organisms with both high levels of genome stability and viability, which are desirable traits for implementation of bioproduction in long-duration missions.

SNP↗
NASA NTRS1992

Stability of metal particle and metal particulate media

Metal particulate (MP) video tape was launched for 8 mm video tape in 1985. Since then MP tapes have been applied to several consumer formats and instrumental formats because of its superior electrical performance. Recently data storage media, such as DDS and D-8, have started employing MP tape. However, there are serious concerns with archival stability of MP tape particularly in the case of data storage use, as metal particles essentially have problems with chemical instability and are susceptible to oxidation and corrosion. Although there were some studies about the archival stability of metal particles or MP tapes, a clear understanding has yet to be reached. In this paper, we report the stability of magnetic properties of current metal particles, and then discuss the new technologies to improve the stability further.

Okamoto, Kazuhiro↗
NASA NTRS2009

Assessment of Nutrient Stability in Space Foods

Maintaining an intact nutrient supply in the food system flown on spacecraft is a critical issue for mission success and crew health and safety. Early polar expeditions and exploration expeditions by sailing vessels have taught us that a deficiency, or excess, of even a single vitamin in the food supply can be catastrophic. Evidence from ground-based research indicates that some vitamins are destroyed and fatty acids are oxidized (and therefore rendered dangerous or useless) by different types of radiation and by conditions of long-term storage. We hypothesize that radiation and long-term storage in the space-flight environment will affect the stability of vitamins, amino acids, and fatty acids in the space food system. The research objectives of our ongoing stability studies are to determine the stability of water- and fat-soluble vitamins, fatty acids, and amino acids in the space food supply before and after space flight on the International Space Station (ISS). Foods were analyzed after 2 weeks (a flight control), 11, 19, and 28 months of flight. Along with the space-flown foods, ground-based controls matched for time, light, and temperature are analyzed. The flight studies complement planned ground-based studies of the effects of radiation on vitamins, amino acids, and fatty acids. Flight studies are needed because a model based on ground-based data cannot predict all of the effects of the space-flight environment. Flight studies provide a more accurate test system to determine the effects on these nutrients of the temperature, and radiation conditions in the space-flight environment. Ground studies are required to evaluate longer missions and higher radiation levels expected outside low-Earth orbit. In addition to providing information about nutrient stability in space, the results of these studies will help NASA determine if a need exists to develop special packaging that can ensure stability of foods and nutrients in space, or if further studies of nutrient metabolism or nutrient requirements are needed.

Zwart, S. R.↗
NASA NTRS2015

Functional Foods Baseline and Requirements Analysis

Current spaceflight foods were evaluated to determine if their nutrient profile supports positioning as a functional food and if the stability of the bioactive compound within the food matrix over an extended shelf-life correlated with the expected storage duration during the mission. Specifically, the research aims were: Aim A. To determine the amount of each nutrient in representative spaceflight foods immediately after processing and at predetermined storage time to establish the current nutritional state. Aim B. To identify the requirements to develop foods that stabilize these nutrients such that required concentrations are maintained in the space food system throughout long duration missions (up to five years). Aim C. To coordinate collaborations with health and performance groups that may require functional foods as a countermeasure.

Cooper, M. R.↗
NASA NTRS2020

Enhanced Eddy Activity in the Beaufort Gyre in Response to Sea Ice Loss

The Beaufort Gyre freshwater content has increased since the 1990s, potentially stabilizing in recent years. The mechanisms proposed to explain the stabilization involve either mesoscale eddy activity that opposes Ekman pumping or the reduction of Ekman pumping due to reduced sea ice?ocean surface stress. However, the relative importance of these mechanisms is unclear. Here, we present observational estimates of the Beaufort Gyre mechanical energy budget and show that energy dissipation and freshwater content stabilization by eddies increased in the late-2000s. The loss of sea ice and acceleration of ocean currents after 2007 resulted in enhanced mechanical energy input but without corresponding increases in potential energy storage. To balance the energy surplus, eddy dissipation and its role in gyre stabilization must have increased after 2007. Our results imply that declining Arctic sea ice will lead to an increasingly energetic Beaufort Gyre with eddies playing a greater role in its stabilization.

Armitage, Thomas W.K.↗
NASA NTRS1993

ICI optical data storage tape: An archival mass storage media

At the 1991 Conference on Mass Storage Systems and Technologies, ICI Imagedata presented a paper which introduced ICI Optical Data Storage Tape. This paper placed specific emphasis on the media characteristics and initial data was presented which illustrated the archival stability of the media. More exhaustive analysis that was carried out on the chemical stability of the media is covered. Equally important, it also addresses archive management issues associated with, for example, the benefits of reduced rewind requirements to accommodate tape relaxation effects that result from careful tribology control in ICI Optical Tape media. ICI Optical Tape media was designed to meet the most demanding requirements of archival mass storage. It is envisaged that the volumetric data capacity, long term stability and low maintenance characteristics demonstrated will have major benefits in increasing reliability and reducing the costs associated with archival storage of large data volumes.

Ruddick, Andrew J.↗
NASA NTRS1971

Development of a High Temperature Heater using an Yttria Stabilized Zirconia Cored Brick Matrix

The Ames pilot heater is a ceramic regenerative heater that provides high temperature air for aerodynamic and combustion experiments. The development of this heater to provide a heat storage bed with temperature capability of about 4600 R is described. A bed was designed and installed having cored brick elements of yttria-stabilized zirconia. The bed dimensions were 14 inches in diameter by 10 feet high. The thermal stress limitations of the bed were studied and maximum air flow rates based upon these limits were established. A combustion reheat system was designed and installed to provide the necessary control over the bed temperature distribution. The revised heater system was successfully operated at a maximum bed temperature of 4600 R. The successful operation demonstrated that yttria-stabilized zirconia cored brick can satisfy the high temperature-long duration requirement for storage heater applications.

Smith, K. W.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Designing Molten Salt Eutectics: A Combined Thermodynamic Modeling and Machine Learning Approach

Designing stable electrolytes with target properties is an important challenge in realizing next generation energy storage devices. Molten salt eutectics-based electrolytes are known for their stability with minimal parasitic reactions when compared to traditional organic electrolytes and are an attractive option for different battery chemistries. The operating temperature of the molten salt batteries depends on the melting temperature of the eutectic and hence there is a necessity to discover novel low melting temperature molten salt eutectic mixtures for energy storage applications. In this work we develop a high throughput computational screening approach for molten salt mixtures using thermodynamic modeling and machine learning (ML). COSMO-SAC model and ML approaches were independently developed based on the existing experimental data and these models were further used to predict the eutectic melting temperature and composition of several new binary, ternary, and quaternary mixtures. We show that combining ML and thermodynamic modeling strategies is effective in exploring the vast design space of molten salt mixtures.

Thermodynamics↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Designing Molten Salt Eutectics

Designing stable electrolytes with target properties is an important challenge in realizing next generation energy storage devices. Molten salt eutectics-based electrolytes are known for their stability with minimal parasitic reactions when compared to traditional organic electrolytes and are an attractive option for different battery chemistries. The operating temperature of the molten salt batteries depends on the melting temperature of the eutectic and hence there is a necessity to discover novel low melting temperature molten salt eutectic mixtures for energy storage applications. In this work we develop a high throughput computational screening approach for molten salt mixtures using thermodynamic modeling and machine learning (ML). COSMO-SAC model and ML approaches were independently developed based on the existing experimental data and these models were further used to predict the eutectic melting temperature and composition of several new binary, ternary, and quaternary mixtures. We show that combining ML and thermodynamic modeling strategies is effective in exploring the vast design space of molten salt mixtures.

Ashwin Ravichandran↗
NASA NTRS2009

Stability of Pharmaceuticals in Space

Stability testing is a tool used to access shelf life and effects of storage conditions for pharmaceutical formulations. Early research from the International Space Station (ISS) revealed that some medications may have degraded while in space. This potential loss of medication efficacy would be very dangerous to Crew health. The aim of this research project, Stability of Pharmacotherapeutic Compounds, is to study how the stability of pharmaceutical compounds is affected by environmental conditions in space. Four identical pharmaceutical payload kits containing medications in different dosage forms (liquid for injection, tablet, capsule, ointment and suppository) were transported to the ISS aboard a Space Shuttle. One of the four kits was stored on that Shuttle and the other three were stored on the ISS for return to Earth at various time intervals aboard a pre-designated Shuttle flight. The Pharmacotherapeutics laboratory used stability test as defined by the United States Pharmacopeia (USP), to access the degree of degradation to the Payload kit medications that may have occurred during space flight. Once these medications returned, the results of stability test performed on them were compared to those from the matching ground controls stored on Earth. Analyses of the results obtained from physical and chemical stability assessments on these payload medications will provide researchers additional tools to promote safe and efficacious medications for space exploration.

Nguyen, Y-Uyen↗
NASA NTRS1973

Biomedical support systems

Biomedical support hardware for SMEAT consisted basically of two systems, the inflight medical support system, and the operational bioinstrumentation system. The former is essentially a diagnostic and therapeutic kit; the latter is a belt equipped with sensors worn by the crewman to permit monitoring of his vital signs. Special attention was given during to the use and verification of the items in the systems so that changes required in the equipment could be pinpointed and effected prior to the Skylab mission. During the in-chamber testing, evaluations were made of the effectiveness of the proposed microbiology procedures, techniques, equipment, and the stability of media and reagents over the extended period of storage.

Brockett, R. M.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Development of anion-selective membranes

Methods were studied of preparing anion-exchange membranes that would have low resistance, high selectivity, and physical and chemical stability when used in acidic media in a redox energy storage system. Of the twelve systems selected for study, only the system that was based on crosslinked poly-4-vinylpyridinium chloride produced physically strong membranes when equilibrated in l M HCl. The resistivity of the best membrane was 12 ohm-cm, and the transference number for chloride ions was 0.81.

Lacey, R. E.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Advanced technology lightweight fuel cell program

The potential of the alkaline electrolyte fuel cell as the power source in a multi hundred kilowatt orbital energy storage system was studied. The total system weight of an electrolysis cell energy storage system was determined. The tests demonstrated: (1) the performance stability of a platinum on carbon anode catalyst configuration after 5000 hours of testing has no loss in performance; (2) capability of the alkaline fuel cell to operate to a cyclical load profile; (3) suitability of a lightweight graphite electrolyte reservoir plate for use in the alkaline fuel cell; (4) long life potential of a hybrid polysulfone cell edge frame construction; and (5) long term stability of a fiber reinforced potassium titanate matrix structure. The power section tested operates with passive water removal eliminating the requirement for a dynamic hydrogen pump water separator thereby allowing a powerplant design with reduced weight, lower parasite power, and a potential for high reliability and extended endurance. It is concluded that two perovskites are unsuitable for use as a catalyst or as a catalyst support at the cathode of an alkaline fuel cell.

Martin, R. E.↗
NASA NTRS1991

The Mees CCD imaging spectrograph

The Mees CCD (MCCD0 instrument is an imaging spectroscopy device which uses the 25-cm coronagraph telescope and the 3.0-m Coude spectrograph at Mees Solar Observatory on Haleakala, Maui. The instrument works with resolving power up to about 200,000 with significant throughput from 3934 A (Ca II K) to about 10,000 A. A fast guiding active mirror stabilizes the image during observations. A rapidly writing magnetic tape storage system allows observations to be recorded at 256 kbytes/s. Currently, the MCCD is used for imaging spectroscopy of solar flares at 6563 A (H-alpha), and velocity measurements of umbral oscillations; future plans include emission line studies of active region coronae, and photospheric studies of solar oscillations.

Penn, Matthew J.↗
NASA NTRS2025

Innovative Drug Selection, Storage, and Shelf-Life Strategies for Exploration Spaceflight

Medications have been a part of space travel dating back to the Apollo missions. A safe and effective medication formulary is essential to maintaining crew health and performance during long-duration spaceflight outside of low Earth orbit (LEO). Distance from Earth creates four key operational changes that increase medical risks, including communication, resupply, crewmember health, and evacuation. The current spaceflight pharmaceutical formulary consists of medications indicated to treat a variety of anticipated medical events and healthcare needs during spaceflight, but depends on a robust consumables resupply chain, which may be strained for a Lunar, and possibly non-existent for a Mars mission. The specific medications selections for the formulary may change to optimally align with the mission, crew compliment, and spacecraft design. Medical support at long-duration exploration missions will differ from LEO missions due to mission duration, lack of consumables resupply, prolonged exposure to space radiation, and the absence of emergency medical return capability. Loss of medication resupply limits or removes the ability to replace medications that have been exhausted or degraded, potentially exacerbating the medical risk posture. To address these anticipated risks, long-duration missions must consider use of novel medical technologies, treatment modalities, and smart medical systems that offer greater crew autonomy, such as physiologically based pharmacokinetic modeling, drug repurposing, on demand drug synthesis, or wearable drug delivery / monitoring devices. Once an ideal formulary for exploration space is determined, it is essential to establish the chemical and physical stability of each medication compound, as well as its safety by identifying its degradation profiles and products. Although few studies have been conducted to provide evidence on the physicochemical stability of pharmaceuticals during space missions, the data suggests that the spaceflight environment may promote degradation in some pharmaceuticals. Formulary drug purity and efficacy should be verified by pharmaceutical stability assessments, and can be realized non-destructively, and accessed in remote environments. Non-destructive pharmaceutical analysis and statistical modelling techniques could optimize exploration spaceflight medical care by enabling early detection of suboptimal therapeutics. Likewise, novel packaging, storage strategies, and dosage form innovations are promising countermeasures to optimize pharmaceutical shelf life, purity, and quality of exploration spaceflight medications. As we prepare for more distant exploration missions, risk management planning for astronaut healthcare should include the assembly of a medication formulary that is comprehensive enough to prevent or treat anticipated medical events, remains safe and chemically stable, and retains sufficient potency to last for the duration of the mission. Following extensive review of the literature, we will present innovative formulary optimization strategies, pharmaceutical stability assessment techniques, and storage and packaging solutions that could enhance drug safety and efficacy for future exploration spaceflight missions.

Vernie R Daniels↗