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Functional Task Tests in Partial Gravity During Parabolic Flight

BACKGROUND Understanding how critical mission tasks are performed in partial gravity such as on the moon or Mars is necessary to define effective and comprehensive countermeasure strategies for preserving crew performance during exploration missions. We studied the performance of tasks such as standing, walking, and jumping during the partial gravity phases of parabolic flight. We hypothesized that the acute effects of partial gravity on vestibular, proprioceptive, and sensorimotor functions would negatively impact performance. METHODS Twelve subjects were tested over three flights of 30 parabolas each, including 10 parabolas at 0.25g, 10 parabolas at 0.5g, and 10 parabolas at 0.75g. Subjects also performed tests in 1g between parabolas. During the sit-to-stand with obstacle walk task, subjects rose from a seated position and walked as quickly as possible straight ahead towards a cone (4 m distance), walked around the cone making a 180° left turn, returned, and sat in the chair. On the way to and from the cone, subjects stepped over a 30 cm high obstacle. For the recovery from fall task, subjects lay prone for the pull-up phase and initial 10 sec of the parabola. Then they were asked to rise as quickly as possible and maintain a quiet stance for 10 sec. The tandem rail balance task involved standing with both feet on a 4.5 cm wide rail. The time ended when subjects either stepped off the rail or grabbed on to support straps. The jump down task started with the subjects standing on a 30 cm high platform, then the subjects were instructed to step off the platform, land with both feet simultaneously, and settle in a quiet stance. The cone of stability task involved subjects leaning about the ankles as far as they could in the anterior, posterior, and lateral directions without unfolding their arms or taking a step. The center of pressure distance between endpoints was calculated. Data were collected using inertial measurement units (Opal V2, APDM, Portland, OR) worn on the head and trunk, heart rate monitors (RS800CX, Polar, Kempele, Finland), and a force plate (Bertec, Columbus, OH). RESULTS Gravity level had a significant effect on performance, with the greatest changes from 1g tending to be at the 0.25g level (Table 1). Lower gravity levels were associated with increased times to complete the sit-to-stand obstacle walk task and the recovery from fall task, decreased change in heart rate during the recovery from fall task, decreased rail balance times, and increased cone of stability distance in the anterior-posterior direction. Table 1. Functional task performance at different gravity levels during parabolic flight. Measure0.25g0.5g0.75g1gp-valueSit-to-stand with obstacle walk time (sec)9.8 ±1.4*7.2 ±0.76.9 ±0.8*7.4 ±0.9<0.001Recovery from fall time to settle (sec)5.3 ± 0.9*4.6 ± 0.84.2 ± 0.64.3 ± 0.70.002Recovery from fall change in heart rate (bpm)6.0 ± 7.3*11.2 ± 6.5*14.9 ± 4.915.9 ± 6.5<0.001Rail balance with eyes open time (sec)2.7 ±0.8*4.8 ±2.16.6 ±4.78.4 ±6.70.031Rail balance with eyes closed time (sec)1.6 ±0.4*2.1 ±0.42.4 ±0.62.6 ±0.8<0.001Jump down time to settle (sec)2.1 ± 0.41.9 ± 0.42.0 ± 0.31.8 ± 0.30.328Cone of stability –anterior-posterior (cm)20.8 ±2.7*18.8 ±2.218.6 ±1.717.9 ±2.00.039Cone of stability –lateral (cm)26.8 ±6.624.4 ±2.123.0 ±2.123.8 ±2.30.215p-value: one-way repeated measures analysis of variance; *Significant pairwise difference from 1g (p<0.05). DISCUSSION These data suggest that there is a dose-response relationship between gravity level and functional task performance. The largest changes in performance were expected at the lowest gravity level (0.25g) because subjects would no longer be able to use the gravitational reference for the perception of upright. Understanding the extent of performance deficits informs the risks and design of countermeasures for exploration spaceflight missions. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT This work is supported by NASA’s Human Research Program Human Health Countermeasures Element.

T R Macaulay↗
NASA NTRS2017

Orion Ammonia Boiler System Preflight Test Preparations

The Environmental Controls and Life Support Systems (ECLSS) branch at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) is currently undergoing preparations for ground testing of the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV) to prepare its subsystems for EM-1 (Exploration Mission-1). EM-1, Orions second unmanned flight, is a three-week long lunar mission during which the vehicle will complete a 6-day retrograde lunar orbit before returning to Earth. This paper focuses on the work done during the authors 16-week internship with the Mechanical Engineering Branch of KSCs Engineering Directorate. The authors project involved assisting with the preparations for testing the Orion MPCVs ammonia boiler system. The purpose of the ammonia boiler system is to keep the spacecraft sufficiently cool during the reentry portion of its mission, from service module (SM) separation to post-landing. This system is critical for keeping both the spacecraft (avionics and electronics) and crew alive during reentry, thus a successful test of the system is essential to the success of EM-1. XXXX The author was able to draft a detailed outline of the procedure for the ammonia system functional test. More work will need to be done on the vehicle power-up and power-down portions of the procedure, but the ammonia system testing portion of the procedure is thorough and includes vehicle test configurations, vehicle commands, and GSE. The author was able to compile a substantial list of questions regarding the ammonia system functional test with the help of her mentors. A significant number of these questions were answered in the teleconferences with Lockheed Martin.

Ammonia↗
DOE OSTI2023

Sequential Bayesian Methods for Analyzing Computer Models

Efficient analysis of computer models is essential for the validation and uncertainty quantification of those models. Surrogate models, and Gaussian processes in particular, are a common and powerful approach to analyzing computer models that treat computer models as a black-box function. Gaussian processes form a Bayesian model over a space of functions that gives a measure of uncertainty about the computer model output at unobserved locations and a framework for sequential sampling. This tutorial will show how to fit Gaussian processes on a series of test functions and apply sequential design techniques to estimate extrema, level sets, and reliabilities of those test functions.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
NASA NTRS2025

Functional Task Tests in Partial Gravity During Parabolic Flight

BACKGROUND Understanding how critical mission tasks are performed in partial gravity such as on the moon or Mars is necessary to define effective and comprehensive countermeasure strategies for preserving crew performance during exploration missions. We studied the performance of tasks such as standing, balancing, walking, and jumping during the partial gravity phases of parabolic flight. We hypothesized that the acute effects of partial gravity on vestibular, proprioceptive, and sensorimotor functions would negatively impact performance. METHODS Twelve subjects (6F, 6M; 40.2 ± 8.5 years) were tested over three flights of 30 parabolas each, including 10 parabolas at 0.25g, 10 parabolas at 0.5g, and 10 parabolas at 0.75g. Subjects also performed tests in 1g between parabolas. During the seat egress and walk task, subjects rose from a seated position and walked as quickly as possible straight ahead towards a cone (4 m distance), stepped over a 30 cm high obstacle, walked around the cone making a 180° left turn, returned to the chair, and sat down in the chair. Other tasks included a tandem stance on rails, jump down from a 30cm platform, recovery from fall (prone to stand), and limits of stability tasks. Data were collected using inertial measurement units (Opal V2, APDM, Portland, OR) worn on the head and trunk, heart rate monitors (Polar, Finland), and a force plate (Bertec, Columbus, OH). During the jump down and limits of stability tasks, falls were recorded if subjects took extra steps, lifted their heels/toes, or used their arms to recover balance. RESULTS Gravity level had a significant effect on performance, with the greatest changes from 1g tending to be at the 0.25g level (Table 1). Lower gravity levels were associated with increased times to complete the seat egress and walk task and the recovery from fall task, increased head-trunk coordination, decreased tandem stance rail balance times, decreased change in heart rate during the recovery from fall task, and increased cone of stability distance in the anterior-posterior direction. In addition, there were significantly more falls recorded at the lower gravity levels: 31 falls at 0.25g, 14 falls at 0.5g, 6 falls at 0.75g, and 6 falls at 1g. DISCUSSION These data suggest that there is a dose-response relationship between gravity level and functional task performance. The largest changes in performance were expected at the lowest gravity level (0.25g) because subjects would no longer be able to use the gravitational reference for the perception of upright. Understanding the extent of performance deficits informs the risks and design of countermeasures for exploration spaceflight missions.

T R Macaulay↗
NASA NTRS1973

Liapunov stability analysis of spinning flexible spacecraft.

The attitude stability of a class of spinning flexible spacecraft in a force-free environment is analyzed. The spacecraft is modeled as a rigid core having attached to it a flexible appendage idealized as a collection of elastically interconnected particles. Liapunov stability theorems are employed with the Hamiltonian of the system, constrained through the angular momentum integral so as to admit complete damping, used as a testing function. The Hamiltonian is written in terms of modal coordinates as interpreted by the hybrid coordinate formulation, thus allowing truncation to a level amenable to literal stability analysis. Testing functions are constructed for a spacecraft with an arbitrary (discretized) appendage, and closed form stability criteria are generated for the first mode of a restricted appendage model lying in a plane which contains the center of mass and is orthogonal to the spin axis. The criteria are (except for idealized cases on the stability boundary line in the parameter space) both necessary and sufficient for stability for any spacecraft characterized by the planar appendage model, such as a spacecraft containing solar panels and/or radial booms.

Barbera, F. J.↗
NASA NTRS2008

Functional Mobility Testing: A Novel Method to Create Suit Design Requirements

This study was performed to aide in the creation of design requirements for the next generation of space suits that more accurately describe the level of mobility necessary for a suited crewmember through the use of an innovative methodology utilizing functional mobility. A novel method was utilized involving the collection of kinematic data while 20 subjects (10 male, 10 female) performed pertinent functional tasks that will be required of a suited crewmember during various phases of a lunar mission. These tasks were selected based on relevance and criticality from a larger list of tasks that may be carried out by the crew. Kinematic data was processed through Vicon BodyBuilder software to calculate joint angles for the ankle, knee, hip, torso, shoulder, elbow, and wrist. Maximum functional mobility was consistently lower than maximum isolated mobility. This study suggests that conventional methods for establishing design requirements for human-systems interfaces based on maximal isolated joint capabilities may overestimate the required mobility. Additionally, this method provides a valuable means of evaluating systems created from these requirements by comparing the mobility available in a new spacesuit, or the mobility required to use a new piece of hardware, to this newly established database of functional mobility.

England, Scott A.↗
NASA NTRS2021

Functional Task Tests in Partial Gravity during Parabolic Flight

Critical mission tasks that are required by crews immediately after landing on a planetary surface are seat egress, jump, and walk. To be able to define an effective and comprehensive countermeasure strategy for preserving crew performance during exploration-class missions, there is a need to understand how these functional tasks are actually performed in partial gravity such as on the Moon or Mars. We propose to study the performance of the execution of these tasks during partial gravity phases (0.25g, 0.5g, 0.75g) of parabolic flight.

Gilles R Clement↗
DOE OSTI2019

Instrumented Lid: Full Instrumentation System Testing

This report describes full system testing of an instrumentation system for the monitoring of aluminum clad spent nuclear fuel (ASNF). The requirements for this system were laid out in a previous document, with respect to former studies, and the details of project actualization were reported. The reader is directed to these references for more background information. In short, a team composed of personnel from Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) and Idaho National Laboratory have been tasked with the design and fabrication of an instrumented assembly for remote sampling, monitoring, and radiation testing (SMART) for demonstration and surveillance of the dry storage environment and conditions of ASNF in a DOE standardized canister. SRNL proposed the fabrication of two systems to accomplish this goal: 1) an instrumentation system consisting of gas and particle collection, temperature, humidity, pressure, and radiation monitoring; and 2) a lid assembly consisting of a custom-designed lid and hat, together with a custom fuel basket. The corresponding instrumentation system is shown in the piping and instrumentation diagram. The individual functionality tests of the instrument system sensor components were performed, and the results were reported in the report “Instrumented Lid- System Functionality Testing.” Savannah River National Laboratory, September 1, 2019.7 The sensor components of instrumentation system have been mounted and tested in-line with a 6” diameter test canister, and the results are reported in this document.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2025

SAS4A/SASSYS-1 Verification Testing for Sodium Fast Reactor Application: Acceptance Testing Report

AS4A/SASSYS-1 (SAS) is a simulation tool used to perform deterministic analyses of anticipated events as well as design basis and beyond design basis accidents for advanced liquid-metal-cooled nuclear reactors. With its origin as SAS1A in the late 1960s, the SAS series of codes has been under continuous use and development for over sixty years and represents a critical investment in safety analysis capabilities for the U.S. Department of Energy. To support the dedication effort, this report has been generated to provide a detailed description of the available verification testing. The verification testing presented in this report captures functionality testing, focusing mainly on the testing of specific functions and algorithms for accuracy and precision of output, and interface testing, focusing mainly on the testing of critical input parameters and their valid ranges. Although SAS was developed to support the analysis of any liquid-metal-cooled nuclear reactor, the testing described in this document primarily focuses on the verification of SAS capabilities as they relate to a generic pool-type Sodium Fast Reactor (SFR).

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
NASA NTRS1998

Contrasting actions of pressor agents in severe autonomic failure

BACKGROUND: Orthostatic hypotension is the most disabling symptom of autonomic failure. The choice of a pressor agent is largely empiric, and it would be of great value to define predictors of a response. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In 35 patients with severe orthostatic hypotension due to multiple system atrophy or pure autonomic failure, we determined the effect on seated systolic blood pressure (SBP) of placebo, phenylpropanolamine (12.5 mg and 25 mg), yohimbine (5.4 mg), indomethacin (50 mg), ibuprofen (600 mg), caffeine (250 mg), and methylphenidate (5 mg). In a subgroup of patients, we compared the pressor effect of midodrine (5 mg) with the effect of phenylpropanolamine (12.5 mg). RESULTS: There were no significant differences in the pressor responses between patients with multiple system atrophy or pure autonomic failure. When compared with placebo, the pressor response was significant for phenylpropanolamine, yohimbine, and indomethacin. In a subgroup of patients, we confirmed that this pressor effect of phenylpropanolamine, yohimbine, and indomethacin corresponded to a significant increase in standing SBP. The pressor responses to ibuprofen, caffeine, and methylphenidate were not significantly different from placebo. Phenylpropanolamine and midodrine elicited similar pressor responses. There were no significant associations between drug response and autonomic function testing, postprandial hypotension, or plasma catecholamine levels. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that significant increases in systolic blood pressure can be obtained in patients with orthostatic hypotension due to primary autonomic failure with phenylpropanolamine in low doses or yohimbine or indomethacin in moderate doses. The response to a pressor agent cannot be predicted by autonomic function testing or plasma catecholamines. Therefore, empiric testing with a sequence of medications, based on the risk of side effects in the individual patient and the probability of a response, is a useful approach.

Clinical Trial↗
NASA NTRS2012

The Damper Spring Unit of the Sentinel 1 Solar Array

The Damper Spring Unit (DSU, see Figure 1) has been designed to provide the damping required to control the deployment speed of the spring driven solar array deployment in an ARA Mk3 or FRED based Solar Array in situations where the standard application of a damper at the root-hinge is not feasible. The unit consists of four major parts: a main bracket, an eddy current damper, a spring unit, an actuation pulley which is coupled via Kevlar cables to a synchro-pulley of a hinge. The damper slows down the deployment speed and prevents deployment shocks at deployment completion. The spring unit includes 4 springs which overcome the resistances of the damper and the specific DSU control cable loop. This means it can be added to any spring driven deployment system without major modifications of that system. Engineering models of the Sentinel 1 solar array wing have been built to identify the deployment behavior, and to help to determine the optimal pulley ratios of the solar array and to finalize the DSU design. During the functional tests, the behavior proved to be very sensitive for the alignment of the DSU. This was therefore monitored carefully during the qualification program, especially prior to the TV cold testing. During TV "Cold" testing the measured retarding torque exceeded the max. required value: 284 N-mm versus the required 247 N-mm. Although this requirement was not met, the torque balance analysis shows that the 284 N-mm can be accepted, because the spring unit can provide 1.5 times more torque than required. Some functional tests of the DSU have been performed without the eddy current damper attached. It provided input data for the ADAMS solar array wing model. Simulation of the Sentinel-1 deployment (including DSU) in ADAMS allowed the actual wing deployment tests to be limited in both complexity and number of tests. The DSU for the Sentinel-1 solar array was successfully qualified and the flight models are in production.

Doejaaren, Frans↗
NASA NTRS2009

Testing and Functions of the J2X Gas Generator

The Ares I, NASA s new solid rocket based crew launch vehicle, is a two stage in line rocket that has made its waytothe forefront of NASA s endeavors. The Ares I s Upper Stage (US) will be propelled by a J-2X engine which is fueled by liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen. The J-2X is a variation based on two of its predecessor s, the J-2 and J-2S engines. ET50 is providing the design support for hardware required to run tests on the J-2X Gas Generator (GG) that increases the delivery pressure of the supplied combustion fuels that the engine burns. The test area will be running a series of tests using different lengths and curved segments of pipe and different sized nozzles to determine the configuration that best satisfies the thrust, heat, and stability requirements for the engine. I have had to research the configurations that are being tested and gain an understanding of the purpose of the tests. I then had to research the parts that would be used in the test configurations. I was taken to see parts similar to the ones used in the test configurations and was allowed to review drawings and dimensions used for those parts. My job over this summer has been to use the knowledge I have gained to design, model, and create drawings for the un-fabricated parts that are necessary for the J-2X Workhorse Gas Generator Phase IIcTest.

Miller, Nicholas↗
DOE OSTI2017

E6 proteins of α and β cutaneous HPV types differ in their ability to potentiate Wnt signaling

We recently showed that E6 protein of human papillomavirus (HPV) 16, a mucosal high-risk α-PV type, can potentiate Wnt/β-catenin/TCF signaling. Here we investigated the transcriptional activities of E6 proteins of cutaneous HPV types from the β and α genera. Results from reporter-gene assays showed that similar to HPV16 E6, E6 of HPV10, a cutaneous α-HPV type that is prevalent in skin warts, efficiently enhances and stimulates Wnt/β-catenin/TCF transcription. HPV10 E6 also effectively elevated the expression levels of β-catenin and promoted its nuclear accumulation. E6 proteins of β-HPV types 8, 24, 38 and 49, which are prevalent in skin cancer, exhibited lower activities in all tested functions. The differences in activity correlated with E6's competence to interact with the ubiquitin ligase E6AP. This study reveals a role for E6 proteins of diverse cutaneous HPV types in potentiation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling, irrespective of their carcinogenic potential. - Highlights: • β- and α-HPV E6 proteins were compared for their effect on β-catenin signaling. • Promotion of β-catenin transcription, stability and nuclear accumulation was tested. • E6 of HPV10, a wart associated α-HPV, showed the highest activity in all tested functions. • E6s of the cancer associated, β-HPVs (8, 24, 38, 49), exhibited lower activities. • The difference correlated with E6 ability to bind the ubiquitin ligase E6AP.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS2014

Development and Testing of Functionally Operative and Visually Appealing Remote Firing Room Displays and Applications

This internship provided an opportunity for an intern to work with NASA's Ground Support Equipment (GSE) for the Spaceport Command and Control System (SCCS) at Kennedy Space Center as a remote display developer, under NASA technical mentor Kurt Leucht. The main focus was on creating remote displays and applications for the hypergolic and high pressure helium subsystem team to help control the filling of the respective tanks. As a remote display and application developer for the GSE hypergolic and high pressure helium subsystem team the intern was responsible for creating and testing graphical remote displays and applications to be used in the Launch Control Center (LCC) on the Firing Room's computers. To become more familiar with the subsystem, the individual attended multiple project meetings and acquired their specific requirements regarding what needed to be included in the software. After receiving the requirements for the displays, the next step was to create displays that had both visual appeal and logical order using the Display Editor, on the Virtual Machine (VM). In doing so, all Compact Unique Identifiers (CUI), which are associated with specific components within the subsystem, were need to be included in each respective display for the system to run properly. Then, once the display was created it was to be tested to ensure that the display runs as intended by using the Test Driver, also found on the VM. This Test Driver is a specific application that checks to make sure all the CUIs in the display are running properly and returning the correct form of information. After creating and locally testing the display it needed to go through further testing and evaluation before deemed suitable for actual use. For the remote applications the intern was responsible for creating a project that focused on channelizing each component included in each display. The core of the application code was created by setting up spreadsheets and having an auto test generator, generate the complete code structure. This application code was then loaded and ran on a testing environment set to ensure the code runs as anticipated. By the end of the semester-long experience at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, the individual should have gained great knowledge and experience in various areas of both display and application development and testing. They were able to demonstrate this new knowledge obtained by creating multiple successful remote displays that will one day be used by the hypergolic and high pressure helium subsystem team in the LCC's firing rooms to service the new Orion spacecraft. The completed display channelization application will be used to receive verification from NASA quality engineers.

Display Devices↗
DOE OSTI2018

An all-diamond X-ray position and flux monitor using nitrogen-incorporated ultra-nanocrystalline diamond contacts

Diamond X-ray detectors with conducting nitrogen-incorporated ultra-nanocrystalline diamond (N-UNCD) films as electrodes were fabricated to measure X-ray beam flux and position. Structural characterization and functionality tests were performed for these devices. The N-UNCD films grown on unseeded diamond substrates were compared with N-UNCD films grown on a seeded silicon substrate. Here, the feasibility of the N-UNCD films acting as electrodes for X-ray detectors was confirmed by the stable performance in a monochromatic X-ray beam. The fabrication process is able to change the surface status which may influence the signal uniformity under low bias, but this effect can be neglected under full collection bias.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗