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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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NASA NTRS2005

Refining Martian Ages and Understanding Geological Processes From Cratering Statistics

Senior Scientist William K. Hartman presents his final report on Mars Data Analysis Program grant number NAG5-12217: The third year of the three-year program was recently completed in mid-2005. The program has been extremely productive in research and data analysis regarding Mars, especially using Mars Global Surveyor and Mars Odyssey imagery. In the 2005 alone, three papers have already been published, to which this work contributed.1) Hartmann, W. K. 200.5. Martian cratering 8. Isochron refinement and the history of Martian geologic activity Icarus 174, 294-320. This paper is a summary of my entire program of establishing Martian chronology through counts of Martian impact craters. 2) Arfstrom, John, and W. K. Hartmann 2005. Martian flow features, moraine-like rieges, and gullies: Terrestrial analogs and interrelationships. Icarus 174,32 1-335. This paper makes pioneering connections between Martian glacier-like features and terrestrial glacial features. 3) Hartmann, W.K., D. Winterhalter, and J. Geiss. 2005 Chronology and Physical Evolution of Planet Mars. In The Solar System and Beyond: Ten Years of ISSI (Bern: International Space Science Institute). This is a summary of work conducted at the International Space Science Institute with an international team, emphasizing our publication of a conference volume about Mars, edited by Hartmann and published in 2001.

Hartmann, William K.↗
NASA NTRS1965

Report from Mars - Mariner IV, 1964-1965

The successful mission of Mariner IV is a most gratifying conclusion to the first generation of lunar and planetary exploration, which has been based on lightweight automatic unmanned spacecraft in constant communication with Earth, designed for lunar impact or planetary encounter. The flight of this first Mars probe is noteworthy not only for the outstanding quantity and quality of scientific data but also as the verification of large and useful advances in a number of technological areas. The Mariner Mars Project of 1964-1965 was conducted for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory; it was made possible by the valued assistance and support of many government agencies, scientific institutions, and industrial concerns. Among these are NASA's Lewis Research Center (Launch Vehicle Systems Manager) and their prime contractors, Lockheed Missiles and Space Corporation and General Dynamics/Convair; Goddard Space Flight Center (Launch Operations) and other agencies at Cape Kennedy; the agencies of the Australian, South African, and Spanish governments which operate overseas tracking stations; many hundreds of American industrial contractors and vendors; and a number of scientists in various fields of endeavor. The Project was established in late 1962 with the objective of conducting scientific observations near the planet Mars and returning the data to Earth for study and analysis; secondary objectives were to develop and study the equipment and techniques involved and to make certain scientific measurements of the interplanetary environment on the way to Mars. Successful accomplishment of these objectives under the severe constraints which were a part of the mission is a tribute to every single individual who shared in the preparation and execution of the Mariner Mars Project.

MARINER IV SPACE PROBE↗
NASA NTRS1992

Planet-B: A Japanese Mars aeronomy observer

An introduction is given to a Japanese Mars mission (Planet-B) which is being planned at the Institute of Space and Aeronautical Science (ISAS), Japan. Planet-B aims to study the upper atmosphere of Mars and its interaction with the solar wind. The launch of Planet-B is planned for 1996 on a new launcher, M-L, which is being developed at ISAS. In addition to the interaction with the solar wind, the structure of the Martian upper atmosphere is thought to be controlled by the meteorological condition in the lower atmosphere. The orbit of Planet-B was chosen so that it will pass two important regions, the region where the solar wind interacts with the Martian upper atmosphere and the tail region where ion acceleration is taking place. Considering the drag due to the Martian atmosphere, the periapsis altitude of 150 km and apoapsis of 10 Martian radii are planned. The orbit plane will be nearly parallel to the ecliptic plane. The altitude of the spacecraft will be spin stabilized and its spin axis will be controlled to the point of the earth. The dry weight of the spacecraft will be about 250 kg, including the scientific payload which consists of a magnetometer, plasma instruments, HF sounder, UV imaging spectrometer, and lower atmosphere monitor.

Tsuruda, K.↗
NASA NTRS2007

Unleashing Gen Y: Marketing Mars to Millennials

Space advocates need to engage Generation Y (born 1977-1999).This outreach is necessary to recruit the next generation of scientists and engineers to explore Mars. Space advocates in the non-profit, private, and government sectors need to use a combination of technical communication, marketing, and politics, to develop messages that resonate with Gen Y. Until now, space messages have been generated by and for college-educated white males; Gen Y is much more diverse, including as much as one third minorities. Young women, too, need to be reached. My research has shown that messages emphasizing technology, fun, humor, and opportunity are the best means of reaching the Gen Y audience of 60 million (US population is 300 million). The important things space advocates must avoid are talking down to this generation, making false promises, or expecting them to "wait their turn" before they can participate. This is the MTV generation! We need to find ways of engaging Gen Y now to build a future where human beings can live and work on the planet Mars. In addition to the messages themselves, advocates need to keep up with Gen Y' s social networking and use of iPods, cell phones, and the Internet. NASA and space advocacy groups can use these tools for "viral marketing," where young people share targeted space-related information via cell phones or the Internet because they like it. Overall, Gen Y is a socially dynamic and media-savvy group; advocates' space messages need to be sincere, creative, and placed in locations where Gen Y lives. Mars messages must be memorable!

Leahy, Bart D.↗
NASA NTRS2006

Isotope Variations in Terrestrial Carbonates and Thermal Springs as Biomarkers: Analogs for Martian Processes

Stable isotope measurements of carbonate minerals contained within ALH84001 [1] suggest that fluids were present at 3.9 Gy on Mars [2, 3, 4, 5]. Both oxygen and carbon isotopes provide independent means of deciphering paleoenvironmental conditions at the time of carbonate mineral precipitation. In terrestrial carbonate rocks oxygen isotopes not only indicate the paleotemperature of the precipitating fluid, but also provide clues to environmental conditions that affected the fluid chemistry. Carbon isotopes, on the other hand, can indicate the presence or absence of organic compounds during precipitation (i.e. biogenically vs. thermogenically-generated methane), thus serving as a potential biomarker. We have undertaken a study of micro scale stable isotope variations measured in some terrestrial carbonates and the influence of organic compounds associated with the formation of these carbonates. Preliminary results indicate that isotope variations occur within narrow and discrete intervals, providing clues to paleoenvironmental conditions that include both biological and non-biological activity. These results carry implications for deciphering Martian isotope data and therefore potential biological prospecting on the planet Mars. Recently, Fourier Transform Spectrometer observations have detected methane occurring in the Martian atmosphere [6] that could be attributed to a possible biogenic source. Indeed, Mars Express has detected the presence of methane in the Martian atmosphere [7], with evidence indicating that methane abundances are greatest above those basins with high water concentrations.

Socki, Richard A.↗
DOE OSTI2024

First Observation of Harmonics of Magnetosonic Waves in Martian Magnetosheath Region

Abstract The present study provides an evidence for the generation of harmonics of magnetosonic waves in the Martian magnetosheath region. The wave signatures are manifested in the magnetic field measurements recorded by the fluxgate magnetometer instrument onboard the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution missioN (MAVEN) spacecraft in the dawn sector around 5–10 LT at an altitude of 4,000–6,000 kms. The wave that is observed continuously from 19.1 to 20.7 UT below the proton cyclotron frequency (f ci ≈ 46 mHz) is identified as fundamental mode of the magnetosonic wave. Whereas harmonics of the magnetosonic wave are observed during 19.7–20.3 UT at frequencies that are multiple off ci . The ambient solar wind proton density and plasma flow velocity are found to vary with a fundamental mode frequency of 46 mHz. It is noticed that the fundamental mode is mainly associated with the left‐hand (LH), and higher frequency harmonics are associated with the right‐hand (RH) circular polarizations. A clear difference in the polarization and ellipticity is noticed during the time of occurrence of harmonics. The magnetosonic wave harmonics are found to propagate in the quasi‐perpendicular directions to the ambient magnetic field. The results of linear theory and Particle‐In‐Cell simulation performed here are in agreement with the observations. The present study provides a conclusive evidence for the occurrence of harmonics of magnetosonic wave in the close vicinity of the magnetosheath region of the unmagnetized planet Mars.

Astronomy & Astrophysics↗
NASA NTRS2005

Future Visions for Scientific Human Exploration

Today, humans explore deep-space locations such as Mars, asteroids, and beyond, vicariously here on Earth, with noteworthy success. However, to achieve the revolutionary breakthroughs that have punctuated the history of science since the dawn of the Space Age has always required humans as "the discoverers," as Daniel Boorstin contends in this book of the same name. During Apollo 17, human explorers on the lunar surface discovered the "genesis rock," orange glass, and humans in space revamped the optically crippled Hubble Space Telescope to enable some of the greatest astronomical discoveries of all time. Science-driven human exploration is about developing the opportunities for such events, perhaps associated with challenging problems such as whether we can identify life beyond Earth within the universe. At issue, however, is how to safely insert humans and the spaceflight systems required to allow humans to operate as they do best in the hostile environment of deep space. The first issue is minimizing the problems associated with human adaptation to the most challenging aspects of deep space space radiation and microgravity (or non-Earth gravity). One solution path is to develop technologies that allow for minimization of the exposure time of people to deep space, as was accomplished in Apollo. For a mission to the planet Mars, this might entail new technological solutions for in-space propulsion that would make possible time-minimized transfers to and from Mars. The problem of rapid, reliable in-space transportation is challenged by the celestial mechanics of moving in space and the so-called "rocket equation." To travel to Mars from Earth in less than the time fuel-minimizing trajectories allow (i.e., Hohmann transfers) requires an exponential increase in the amount of fuel. Thus, month-long transits would require a mass of fuel as large as the dry mass of the ISS, assuming the existence of continuous acceleration engines. This raises the largest technological stumbling block to moving humans on site as deep-space explorers, delivering the masses required for human spaceflight systems to LEO or other Earth orbital vantage points using the existing or projected fleet of Earth-to-orbit (ETO) launch vehicles. Without a return to Saturn V-class boosters or an alternate path, one cannot imagine emplacing the masses that would be required for any deep-space voyage without a prohibitive number of Shuttle-class launches. One futurist solution might involve mass launch systems that could be used to move the consumables, including fuel, water, food, and building materials, to LEO in pieces rather than launching integrated systems. This approach would necessitate the development of robotic assembly and fuel-storage systems in Earth orbit, but could provide for a natural separation of low-value cargo (e.g., fuel, water).

Garvin, James↗
NASA NTRS2014

Hydrogen (H) Isotope Composition of Type II Kerogen Extracted by Pyrolysis-GC-MS-IRMS: Terrestrial Shale Deposits as Martian Analogs

Described here is a technique for H isotope analysis of organic compounds pyrolyzed from kerogens isolated from gas‐ and liquids‐rich shales. Application of this technique will progress the understanding of the use of H isotopes not only in potential kerogen occurrences on Mars, but also in terrestrial oil and gas resource plays. H isotope extraction and analyses were carried out utilizing a CDS 5000 Pyroprobe connected to a Thermo Trace GC interfaced with a Thermo MAT 253 IRMS. Also, a split of GC‐separated products was sent to a DSQ II quadrupole MS to make qualitative and semi‐quantitative compositional measurements of these products. Kerogen samples from five different basins (type II and II‐S) were dehydrated (heated to 80 C overnight under vacuum) and analyzed for their H isotope compositions by Pyrolysis‐GC‐MS‐TC‐IRMS. This technique takes pyrolysis products separated via GC and reacts them in a high temperature conversion furnace (1450 C), which quantitatively forms H2. Samples ranging from ~0.5 to 1.0mg in size, were pyrolyzed at 800 C for 30s. and separated on a Poraplot Q GC column. H isotope data from all kerogen samples typically show enrichment in D from low to high molecular weight. H2O average delta D = ‐215.2 per mille (V‐SMOW), ranging from ‐ 271.8 per mille for the Marcellus Shale to ‐51.9 per mille for a Polish shale. Higher molecular weight compounds like toluene (C7H8) have an average delta D of ‐89.7 per mille, ranging from ‐156.0 per mille for the Barnett Shale to ‐50.0 per mille for the Monterey Shale. We interpret these data as representative of potential H isotope exchange between hydrocarbons and sediment pore water during basin formation. Since hydrocarbon H isotopes readily exchange with water, these data may provide some useful information on gas‐water or oil‐water interaction in resource plays, and further as a possible indicator of paleoenvironmental conditions. Alternatively, our data may be an indication of H isotope exchange with water and/or acid during the kerogen isolation process. Either of these interpretations will prove useful when deciphering H isotope data derived from kerogen analyses. Understanding the role that these H‐bearing compounds play in terrestrial shale paleo‐environmental reconstruction may also prove useful as analogs for understanding the interactions of water and potential kerogen/organic compounds on the planet Mars.

Socki, Richard A.↗
DOE OSTI2023

Exposure to multiple ion beams, broadly representative of galactic cosmic rays, causes perivascular cardiac fibrosis in mature male rats

Long-duration space exploratory missions to the Earth’s moon and the planet Mars are actively being planned. Such missions will require humans to live for prolonged periods beyond low earth orbit where astronauts will be continuously exposed to high energy galactic cosmic rays (GCRs). A major unknown is the potential impact of GCRs on the risks of developing degenerative cardiovascular disease, which is a concern to NASA. A ground-based rat model has been used to provide a detailed characterization of the risk of long-term cardiovascular disease from components of GCRs at radiation doses relevant to future human missions beyond low earth orbit. Six month old male WAG/RijCmcr rats were irradiated at a ground-based charged particle accelerator facility with high energy ion beams broadly representative of GCRs: protons, silicon and iron. Irradiation was given either as a single ion beam or as a combination of three ion beams. For the doses used, the single ion beam studies did not show any significant changes in the known cardiac risk factors and no evidence of cardiovascular disease could be demonstrated. In the three ion beam study, the total cholesterol levels in the circulation increased modestly over the 270 day follow up period, and inflammatory cytokines were also increased, transiently, 30 days after irradiation. Perivascular cardiac collagen content, systolic blood pressure and the number of macrophages found in the kidney and in the heart were each increased 270 days after irradiation with 1.5 Gy of the three ion beam grouping. These findings provide evidence for a cardiac vascular pathology and indicate a possible threshold dose for perivascular cardiac fibrosis and increased systemic systolic blood pressure for complex radiation fields during the 9 month follow up period. The development of perivascular cardiac fibrosis and increased systemic systolic blood pressure occurred at a physical dose of the three ion beam grouping (1.5 Gy) that was much lower than that required to show similar outcomes in earlier studies with the same rat strain exposed to photons. Further studies with longer follow up periods may help determine whether humans exposed to lower, mission-relevant doses of GCRs will develop radiation-induced heart disease.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1962

SPACE SCIENCE - MOON AND PLANETS

Exploration of the solar system during the next decade will concentrate on the Earth, Sun, Moon, and the near planets, Mars and Venus. In the previous paper, the exploration of the Earth and Sun by means of sounding rockets and satellites was discussed. In this paper, our most active projects to explore the Moon, Mars, and Venus will be reviewed briefly.

Moon↗
NASA NTRS1972

Development of performance criteria for advanced Viking seismic experiments

The characteristics and requirements of the seismic instrument for mapping the internal structure of the planet Mars are briefly described. The types of signals expected to exist are microseismic background generated by wind and pressure variations and thermal effects, disturbances of or in the landed vehicle, signals caused by faulting and volcanic activity, and signals due to meteoritic impacts. The advanced instrument package should include a short-period vertical component system, a long-period or wide-band 3-component system, a high frequency vertical component system, and a system for detection and rejection of lander noises. The Viking '75, Surveyor, and Apollo systems are briefly described as potential instruments to be considered for modification. Data processing and control systems are also summarized.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1973

Viking landing sites

A valley near the mouth of the 20,000-foot-deep Martian Grand Canyon has been chosen by NASA as the site of its first automated landing on the planet Mars. The landing site for the second mission of the 1975-76 Viking spacecraft will probably be an area about 1,000 miles northeast of the first site, where the likelihood of water increases the chances of finding evidence of life.

Panagakos, N.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Martian thermal boundary layers: Subhourly variations induced by radiative-conductive heat transfer within the dust-laden atmosphere-ground system

Radiative-conductive heat transfer has been investigated for the ground-atmosphere system of the planet Mars. The basic goal was the quantitative determination of time dependent vertical distributions of temperature and static stability for Southern-Hemispheric summer season and middle and polar latitudes, for both dust-free and dust-laden atmospheric conditions. The numerical algorithm which models at high spatial and temporal resolution the thermal energy transports in the dual ground-atmosphere system, is based on solution of the applicable heating rate equation, including radiative and molecular-conductive heat transport terms. The two subsystems are coupled by an internal thermal boundary condition applied at the ground-atmosphere interface level. Initial data and input parameters are based on Mariner 4, 6, 7, and 9 measurements and the JPL Mars Scientific Model. Numerical experiments were run for dust-free and dust-laden conditions in the midlatitudes, as well as ice-free and ice-covered polar regions. Representative results and their interpretation are presented. Finally, the theoretical framework of the generalized problem with nonconservative Mie scattering and explicit thermal-convective heat transfer is formulated, and applicable solution algorithms are outlined.

Pallmann, A. J.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Verification of performance of the Mariner 9 television cameras.

The large volume of picture data produced by the Mariner 9 Television Experiment, in addition to providing a description of the planet Mars, emphasizes the need for in situ verification of camera performance. Such data provide the basis for initial quantitative image interpretation by confirmation of the relevance of preflight measurement. This information must be the result of planned calibration sequences rather than extraction from nominal mission photography. A lack of sufficient numbers of frames restricted Mariner camera verifications to only limited operational modes under optimal conditions and required significant extrapolation over the duration of the mission. The evidence does suggest that measurable photometric changes occurred, whereas agreement with preflight data is observed for other parameters.

Thorpe, T. E.↗