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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2024

Modeling and Proof-of-Concept of a Blackbody-Based Calibration Method in the InfraBREAD Detector

The Broadband Reflector Experiment for Axion Detection (BREAD) is an ongoing collaboration searching for the conversion of yet undiscovered axion-like dark matter particles to photons in the presence of a magnetic field. InfraBREAD, a pilot experiment realization of BREAD, uses a superconducting nanowire single photon detector (SNSPD), a high-efficiency and low-noise device, to specifically detect infrared-range photons produced by $\mathcal{O}$(eV) axion-like particles. The unique BREAD coaxial reflector setup allows for the focusing of converted signal photons to a 1mm $\times$ 1mm SNSPD. However, when the detector is cooled to cryogenic temperatures during operation, uneven thermal contraction of reflector components may lead to a small shift in the location of the focal spot. A novel calibration method using blackbody radiation is proposed to locate the true focal spot of the detector \textit{in situ}. Through ray tracing simulations done in FRED Optical Engineering Software, this method is demonstrated to locate the focus to within $\SI{50}{\micro\metre}$ in the axial dimension. Additionally, it is demonstrated that the blackbody photon source used in this calibration must be at a temperature of at least $\SI{15}{\kelvin}$ to $\SI{40}{\kelvin}$, depending on the sensitivity of the SNSPD.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2018

FY2017 annual report: Roll-to-Roll Advanced Materials Manufacturing DOE Laboratory Consortium Project

The following report provides a description of the program structure and technical accomplishments made during FY 2017 to overcome challenges for expanding use of R2R technologies and processing for clean energy applications. Technologies are under development that enable enhanced manufacturing of battery electrodes, fuel cells and water separation membranes that take advantage of advancements in new functional materials. Data mining, visualization, modeling and simulation for the materials, technologies and processes being developed allow for improvements in R2R manufacturing applications. This report documents the research conducted by four DOE national laboratories as a consortium in collaboration with industry partnerships. The research is directly applicable to AMM strategies that apply the National Science and Technology Council’s Materials Genome Initiative (NSTC 2011) approach to enhance the performance of battery, fuel cell and water membrane materials. This effort supports building the foundation of technologies, processes and a U.S. manufacturing base that will enable an order of magnitude in shorter process development cycles with the pathway for initial commercialization within months instead of years.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2021

Gearbox Reliability Collaborative 1.5 (GRC1.5) Project: Joint Industry Megawatt Scale Gearbox Field Tests: Cooperative Research and Development (Final Report) CRADA Number CRD-16-00608

A new DOE/NREL industry collaboration called the Gearbox Reliability Collaborative 1.5 (GRC1.5) will undertake field testing on a commercial multi-megawatt wind turbine gearbox to collect loading data as installed in the turbine to thoroughly characterize gearbox loads and responses during actual in-field conditions. A chief outcome is to provide publicly available operational loading data to the industry. This will provide a greater understanding of steady-state, transient, and fault response for both the input and output of the gearbox; thus, facilitating improvements in the gearbox components, lubrication system, power converter or turbine controller.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2020

Coupled Hydrothermal Extraction and Ligand-Associated Swellable Glass Media Recovery of Rare Earth Elements from Coal Fly Ash (Final Report)

Wayne State University (WSU) researchers, in collaboration with the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA) and Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), have successfully developed a new sorbent media used in a process that concentrated the rare earth content in a coal fly ash sample from southeast MI by >350×, resulting in >13 wt% REO powder. The project developed a new DTPA-associated media that was used to concentrate total REEs. This project demonstrated a coupled hydrothermal extraction and solid-liquid recovery process that produced REO powder from raw fly ash while nearly eliminating the use of organic solvents. The project successfully: 1) identified a commercially viable ash supply with >$2.5 M in REO value being deposited monthly, 2) hydrothermally extracted >77% of REEs in coal fly ash (20% more than acid alone), 3) developed a new sorbent media that was used to concentrate REEs, 4) and engineered a process that resulted in a >13 wt% REO powder. The media also demonstrates a selectivity for mid and heavy REEs over Ce and La and the potential for use in separating individual rare earth elements. An invention disclosure for the sorbent media has been filed with WSU and a patent application will be submitted in the near future. The project examined the potential to couple hydrothermal leaching of coal fly ash with the engineering of a custom ligand-associated media to provide an organic solvent-free method of extracting and recovering REEs. Fly ash feedstock was collected from Detroit area coal-fired power plants, characterized for REE content, and subjected to a bench-top batch hydrothermal leaching/dissolution process inside custom-build pressure reactors at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). This process applied a dissolution technique previously developed to process spent nuclear fuel and other nuclear materials. The modified ash was acidified and the resulting leachate was enriched with REEs along with Ca, Al, and Si. Ligands known to be effective in lanthanide/actinide separation were evaluated based on a series of criteria such as selectivity and association to organosilica through hydrophobicity. Batch experiments were conducted to establish the best conditions (e.g., pH, eluent, etc.) and best ligand systems for the effective extraction of REEs from the alkaline feed solution obtained from the hydrothermal leaching process. Once the organosilica-ligand extraction media was developed for REE concentration, an acidic solution was used to back extract and concentrate the REEs into a heavily REE-laden strip solution. The REEs in the strip solution were precipitated with oxalate to produce rare earth oxides.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗
DOE OSTI2013

A Program for Optimizing SRF Linac Costs

Every well-designed machine goes through the process of cost optimization several times during its design, production and operation. The initial optimizations are done during the early proposal stage of the project when none of the systems have been engineered. When a superconducting radio frequency (SRF) linac is implemented as part of the design, it is often a difficult decision as to the frequency and gradient that will be used. Frequently, such choices are made based on existing designs, which invariably necessitate moderate to substantial modifications so that they can be used in the new accelerator. Thus the fallacy of using existing designs is that they will frequently provide a higher cost machine or a machine with sub-optimal beam physics parameters. This paper describes preliminary results of a new software tool that allows one to vary parameters and understand the effects on the optimized costs of construction plus 10 year operations of an SRF linac, the associated cryogenic facility, and controls, where operations includes the cost of the electrical utilities but not the labor or other costs. It derives from collaborative work done with staff from Accelerator Science and Technology Centre, Daresbury, UK [1] several years ago while they were in the process of developing a conceptual design for the New Light Source project. The initial goal was to convert a spread sheet format to a graphical interface to allow the ability to sweep different parameter sets. The tools also allow one to compare the cost of the different facets of the machine design and operations so as to better understand the tradeoffs.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Superlative mechanical energy absorbing efficiency discovered through self-driving lab-human partnership

Energy absorbing efficiency is a key determinant of a structure’s ability to provide mechanical protection and is defined by the amount of energy that can be absorbed prior to stresses increasing to a level that damages the system to be protected. Here, we explore the energy absorbing efficiency of additively manufactured polymer structures by using a self-driving lab (SDL) to perform >25,000 physical experiments on generalized cylindrical shells. We use a human-SDL collaborative approach where experiments are selected from over trillions of candidates in an 11-dimensional parameter space using Bayesian optimization and then automatically performed while the human team monitors progress to periodically modify aspects of the system. The result of this human-SDL campaign is the discovery of a structure with a 75.2% energy absorbing efficiency and a library of experimental data that reveals transferable principles for designing tough structures.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2023

Development of the high energy engineering X-ray (HEX) superconducting wiggler, magnetic measurement, installation, and commissioning

The High energy Engineering X-ray (HEX) diffraction beamline at the National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II) at Brookhaven National Lab (BNL) is the first high-energy beamline capable of reaching 200 keV for a monochromatic beam. With the 3 GeV electron beam energy for the NSLS-II ring, only the superconducting wiggler (SCW) producing greater than 4 T peak field can cover these ranges with a sufficient number of photons. The 1.2 m-long HEX-SCW has a period length of 70 mm and a field strength on-axis of 4.3 T. It utilizes no liquid helium, and the vertical aperture size of the electron beam vacuum chamber is 8 mm. Unlike regular undulators/wigglers, there is no standard configuration for the magnetic measurement system for superconducting insertion devices. The NSLS-II Insertion Devices group has developed, in collaboration with the vacuum group, a novel in-vacuum Hall mapper with a 1.75 m in-vacuum linear motor and an in-vacuum flip coil system utilizing many commercial-off-the-shelf products. The measurements were conducted at the BNL, and the device was installed in the ring and commissioned. Here, this paper provides a description of the SCW and its magnetic measurement systems, as well as a brief account of the installation and commissioning efforts.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2015

Post-Service Examination of PWR Baffle Bolts, Part I. Examination and Test Plan

In support of extended service and current operations of the US nuclear reactor plants, the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), through the Department of Energy (DOE), Light Water Reactor Sustainability (LWRS) Program, is coordinating with Ginna Nuclear Power Plant, The Westinghouse Electric Company, LLC, and ATI Consulting, the selective procurement of baffle bolts that were withdrawn from service in 2011 and currently stored on site at Ginna. The goal of this program is to perform detailed microstructural and mechanical property characterization of baffle former bolts following in-service exposures. This report outlines the selection criteria of the bolts and the techniques to be used in this study. The bolts available are the original alloy 347 steel fasteners used in holding the baffle plates to the baffle former structures within the lower portion of the pressurized water reactor vessel. Of the eleven possible bolts made available for this work, none were identified to have specific damage. The bolts, however, did show varying levels of breakaway torque required in their removal. The bolts available for this study varied in peak fluence (highest dose within the head of the bolt) between 9.9 and 27.8x10 21 n/cm 2 (E>1MeV). As no evidence for crack initiation was determined for the available bolts from preliminary visual examination, two bolts with the higher fluence values were selected for further post-irradiation examination. The two bolts showed different breakaway torque levels necessary in their removal. The information from these bolts will be integral to the LWRS program initiatives in evaluating end of life microstructure and properties. Furthermore, valuable data will be obtained that can be incorporated into model predictions of long-term irradiation behavior and compared to results obtained in high flux experimental reactor conditions. The two bolts selected for the ORNL study will be shipped to Westinghouse with bolts of interest to their collaborative efforts with the Electric Power Research Institute. Westinghouse will section the ORNL bolts into samples specified in this report and return them to ORNL. Samples will include bend bars for fracture toughness and crack propagation studies along with thin sections from which specimens for bend testing, subscale tensile and microstructural analysis can be obtained. Additional material from the high stress concentration region at the transition between the bolt head and shank will also be preserved to allow for further investigation of possible crack initiation sites.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2015

Scientific Computing Strategic Plan for the Idaho National Laboratory

Scientific computing is a critical foundation of modern science. Without innovations in the field of computational science, the essential missions of the Department of Energy (DOE) would go unrealized. Taking a leadership role in such innovations is Idaho National Laboratory’s (INL’s) challenge and charge, and is central to INL’s ongoing success. Computing is an essential part of INL’s future. DOE science and technology missions rely firmly on computing capabilities in various forms. Modeling and simulation, fueled by innovations in computational science and validated through experiment, are a critical foundation of science and engineering. Big data analytics from an increasing number of widely varied sources is opening new windows of insight and discovery. Computing is a critical tool in education, science, engineering, and experiments. Advanced computing capabilities in the form of people, tools, computers, and facilities, will position INL competitively to deliver results and solutions on important national science and engineering challenges. A computing strategy must include much more than simply computers. The foundational enabling component of computing at many DOE national laboratories is the combination of a showcase like data center facility coupled with a very capable supercomputer. In addition, network connectivity, disk storage systems, and visualization hardware are critical and generally tightly coupled to the computer system and co located in the same facility. The existence of these resources in a single data center facility opens the doors to many opportunities that would not otherwise be possible.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2017

Internally Cooled Turbine Rotor for Small Gas Turbine

In collaboration with Brayton Energy LLC, ORNL worked to develop the necessary processing science for the high-gamma prime Ni-base superalloy CM247 for advanced small turbine applications. Preliminary monotonic testing indicated the behavior of electron beam melted (EBM) CM247 achieved similar properties of the cast counterpart. Brayton has applied these results to both radial and small axial turbine rotor designs. Preliminary results indicate that measurable increases in turbine inlet temperature may be achieved while respecting aerodynamic constraints.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2022

Cooperative Research and Development Agreement between National Energy Technology Laboratory and Princeton University (Abstract)

The National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) and Princeton University will collaborate in the development of microwave-plasma technology to convert methane into hydrogen and valuable solid carbon materials. The effort will combine NETL’s vast resources for microwave-enhanced process development, characterization, and design with Princeton University’s extensive expertise in the study of non-equilibrium plasmas employing supersonic nozzles. Lab-scale experiments will be conducted for different conditions to convert and compare their respective performance in hydrogen production. Computational modeling will be performed to verify results from experimental studies conducted in both labs.

08 HYDROGEN↗
DOE OSTI2021

A tidal disruption event coincident with a high-energy neutrino

Cosmic neutrinos provide a unique window into the otherwise hidden mechanism of particle acceleration in astrophysical objects. The IceCube Collaboration recently reported the likely association of one high-energy neutrino with a flare from the relativistic jet of an active galaxy pointed towards the Earth. However a combined analysis of many similar active galaxies revealed no excess from the broader population, leaving the vast majority of the cosmic neutrino flux unexplained. Here we present the likely association of a radio-emitting tidal disruption event, AT2019dsg, with a second high-energy neutrino. AT2019dsg was identified as part of our systematic search for optical counterparts to high-energy neutrinos with the Zwicky Transient Facility. The probability of finding any coincident radio-emitting tidal disruption event by chance is 0.5%, while the probability of finding one as bright in bolometric energy flux as AT2019dsg is 0.2%. Our electromagnetic observations can be explained through a multizone model, with radio analysis revealing a central engine, embedded in a UV photosphere, that powers an extended synchrotron-emitting outflow. This provides an ideal site for petaelectronvolt neutrino production. Assuming that the association is genuine, our observations suggest that tidal disruption events with mildly relativistic outflows contribute to the cosmic neutrino flux.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Joint United States: European Union Theoretical and Practical Course on Molecular Approaches for in situ Biogradation

The Joint United States - European Union Theoretical and Practical Course on Molecular Approaches for in situ Biodegradation was held May 24 through June 7 at The University of Oklahoma. Twenty-four graduate and postgraduate students from both the United States and the European Union attended the course. Nine states and ten European countries were represented. Students were assigned living quarters and laboratory partners to maximize interactions between US and EU participants as well as to mix people with different technical backgrounds together. The students used the latest methods in molecular biology to characterize beneficial microorganisms and genes involved in the biodegradation of pollutants at a nearby landfill as well as an active hydrocarbon-producing site, part of which is undergoing bioremediation. Seminars by distinguished scientists were organized to expose the students to the breadth of the environmental field, including field assay and engineering applications, laboratory scale bioreactors, microbiology, genetics, regulation, pathway analysis, design of recombinant bacteria, and application of the associated techniques to the field. Lectures were given by various OU faculty on the principles behind the techniques to be used in the laboratory. These lectures included troubleshooting hints and encouraged questions and comments from the audience. The laboratory experiments covered chemical, microbiological, and molecular genetic analyses of soils; bioavailability of contaminants; enrichment cultures; gene probing; PCR amplification of known genes and gene families; identification of microbes based traditional and nontraditional approaches, nutritional capabilities, and 16S rRNA sequence; mRNA detection; and enzyme assays. Field trips were made to the USGS landfill field sampling site, and to the Tall Grass Prairie Preserve, a Nature Conservancy site which also featured long-term studies of bioremediation of crude oil and brine spills by one of the Principal Investigators in collaboration with University of Tulsa faculty. The students are expected to bring the methods that they learned back to their laboratories to enrich their own and their colleagues' ability to perform state of the art environmental biotechnology research.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

Drivetrain Reliability Collaborative 1.5 (DRC1.5) Project: Joint Industry Megawatt Scale Gearbox Field Tests: Cooperative Research and Development (Final Report) CRADA Number CRD-17-00702

A new Department of Energy (DOE)/NREL industry collaboration called the Drivetrain Reliability Collaborative 1.5 (DRC1.5) will undertake field testing on a commercial multi-megawatt wind turbine drivetrain to collect loading data as installed in the turbine to thoroughly characterize drivetrain loads and responses during actual in-field conditions. A chief outcome is to provide publicly available operational loading data to the industry. This will provide a greater understanding of steady-state, transient, and fault response for both the input and output of the drivetrain; thus, facilitating improvements in the drivetrain components, lubrication system, power converter or turbine controller.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

High Energy Arcing Fault (HEAF): Sandia National Laboratories 2023 Report

High Energy Arcing Faults (HEAFs) are hazardous events in which an electrical arc leads to the rapid release of energy in the form of heat, vaporized metal, and mechanical force. In Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs), these events are often accompanied by loss of essential power and complicated shutdowns. To confirm the probabilistic risk analysis (PRA) methodology in NUREG/CR-6850, which was formulated based on limited observational data, the NRC led an international experimental campaign from 2014 to 2016. The results of these experiments uncovered an unexpected hazard posed by aluminum components in or near electrical equipment and the potential for unanalyzed equipment failures. Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), in support of the NRC work, collaborated with NIST, BSI, KEMA, and NRC to support the full-scale HEAF test campaign in 2023. SNL provided high speed and real time from visible and infrared video/data of tests that collected data from copper and aluminum busses from switchgears and bus-ducts. Part of SNL work was to place cameras with high-speed data collection capability at different vantage points that provide the NRC a more complete and granular view of the test events.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Synchronous Machine Governor Upgrade

Conventional generation sources play a critical role in the stability and reliability of the electrical grid, particularly as we transition towards more renewable energy sources. To understand and accurately emulate their behavior for optimizing grid operations and ensuring seamless integration with renewable technologies, it is essential to better emulate the grid- and plant-level impacts of conventional generation sources, such as natural gas (NG) driven heat recovery steam generators (HRSGs) and combustion turbines (CTs). Therefore, a governor model is developed in a programmable logic controller (PLC) to investigate the performance of the conventional generator under various dynamic operating conditions and to identify the impact on grid stability in a controlled environment. The governor model aims to enable the hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) based emulation of these conventional generation sources using the existing 2 MVA synchronous machine/generator that is driven by a flexible 2.5 MW variable speed drive. This setup will allow us to replicate the dynamic characteristics and response behaviors of NG-driven HRSGs and CTs. The controls for the emulated conventional plants follow the industry standard and are adjustable, ensuring they accurately reflect the operational capabilities and limitations of real-world systems. These controls include load-following capabilities, ramp rates, startup and shutdown sequences, and emissions characteristics. By incorporating these adjustable controls, we aim to capture the nuanced impacts of conventional generation, such as their ability to provide ancillary services like frequency regulation, voltage support, and spinning reserve. In this report, we simulate two types of dynamic operations: grid-connected and islanding. For each dynamic operation, representative starting sequences are tested, including turbine purge, ignition, speed ramping up, generator excitation and synchronizing, and breaker close. The HIL based tests provides insights for field deployment, specifically the high-fidelity governor model provides results to predict the potential stability and reliability risk and suggest possible integration measures (e.g., generation and load balancing, tuning of governor control parameters). Ultimately, this enhanced emulation capability will be integrated into our Advanced Research on Integrated Energy Systems (ARIES), enabling us to conduct comprehensive studies on the interactions between conventional and renewable energy sources. By better understanding these interactions, we can develop strategies to optimize the overall performance and reliability of the grid. This will support the deployment of advanced grid management techniques, such as demand response, grid-forming inverters, and energy storage systems. The main contributions are summarized as follows: (1) This report introduces a PLC-based governor model for gas turbines. This model accurately simulates the dynamic behavior of conventional generation sources under various operational scenarios; (2) The model is integrated with an HIL testbed that includes a 2.5 MW variable speed drive and a 2 MVA synchronous machine. This setup enables realistic, real-time emulation of conventional power plants, particularly NG driven HRSGs and CTs; (3) The developed model is adaptable to various gas turbine configurations and allows for precise control over parameters such as MW ramp rates. This flexibility makes it a valuable tool for future research and industry collaboration; and (4) By incorporating the model into the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's Advanced Research on Integrated Energy Systems, the report lays the groundwork for future studies on interactions between conventional and renewable energy sources, enhancing the ability to develop advanced grid management strategies.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2017

Investigation of Coupled Processes and Impact of High Temperature Limits in Argillite Rock: FY17 Progress. Predecisional Draft

The focus of research within the Spent Fuel and Waste Science and Technology (SFWST) (formerly called Used Fuel Disposal) Campaign is on repository-induced interactions that may affect the key safety characteristics of EBS bentonite and an argillaceous rock. These include thermal-hydrologicalmechanical- chemical (THMC) process interactions that occur as a result of repository construction and waste emplacement. Some of the key questions addressed in this report include the development of fracturing in the excavation damaged zone (EDZ) and THMC effects on the near-field argillaceous rock and buffer materials and petrophysical characteristics, particularly the impacts of temperature rise caused by waste heat. This report documents the following research activities. Section 2 presents THM model developments and validation, including modeling of underground heater experiments at Mont Terri and Bure underground research laboratories (URLs). The heater experiments modeled are the Mont Terri FE (Full-scale Emplacement) Experiment, conducted as part of the Mont Terri Project, and the TED in heater test conducted in Callovo-Oxfordian claystone (COx) at the Meuse/Haute-Marne (MHM) underground research laboratory in France. The modeling of the TED heater test is one of the Tasks of the DEvelopment of COupled Models and their VAlidation against EXperiments (DECOVALEX)-2019 project. Section 3 presents the development and application of thermal-hydrological-mechanical-chemical (THMC) modeling to evaluate EBS bentonite and argillite rock responses under different temperatures (100 °C and 200 °C). Model results are presented to help to understand the impact of high temperatures on the properties and behavior of bentonite and argillite rock. Eventually the process model will support a robust GDSA model for repository performance assessments. Section 4 presents coupled THMC modeling for an in situ test conducted at Grimsel underground laboratory in Switzerland in the Full-Scale Engineered Barrier Experiment Dismantling Project (FEBEX-DP). The data collected in the test after almost two decades of heating and two dismantling events provide a unique opportunity of validating coupled THMC models and enhancing our understanding of coupled THMC process in EBS bentonite. Section 5 presents a planned large in-situ test, “HotBENT,” at Grimsel Test Site, Switzerland. In this test, bentonite backfilled EBS in granite will be heated up to 200 °C, where the most relevant features of future emplacement conditions can be adequately reproduced. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) has very actively participated in the project since the very beginning and have conducted scoping calculations in FY17 to facilitate the final design of the experiment. Section 6 presents present LBNL’s activities for modeling gas migration in clay related to Task A of the international DECOVALEX-2019 project. This is an international collaborative activity in which DOE and LBNL gain access to unique laboratory and field data of gas migration that are studied with numerical modeling to better understand the processes, to improve numerical models that could eventually be applied in the performance assessment for nuclear waste disposal in clay host rocks and bentonite backfill. Section 7 summarizes the main research accomplishments for FY17 and proposes future work activities.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2019

Los Alamos Scientists Support Planetary Defense Efforts Worldwide

Every two years the International Academy of Astronautics brings scientists, engineers, spacecraft developers, disaster specialists, and government officials together to share research and ideas, and to consider how to find, and ultimately deflect or destroy, an asteroid that might be threatening Earth. Attending these Planetary Defense Conferences are scientists from Los Alamos National Laboratory who contribute considerable expertise in the areas of computer modeling and asteroid mitigation technologies. Los Alamos scientists work with NASA's Planetary Defense Coordination Office to assist in the location and tracking near-Earth objects, characterization of those objects to determine their orbit trajectory, size, shape, mass, composition, rotational dynamics and other parameters, and planning and implementation of measures to deflect or disrupt an object on an impact course, along with measures that can be taken on Earth to protect lives and property include evacuation of the impact area and movement of critical infrastructure. At the Planetary Defense Conferences scientists share research findings, collaborate on planetary defense strategies, and work on hypothetical scenarios that consider the many timelines and options that might occur during an asteroid threat. To be sure, that threat is rare, but these emergency exercises provide officials with valuable information that may one day protect us all during the real thing.

45 MILITARY TECHNOLOGY, WEAPONRY, AND NATIONAL DEF↗