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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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3,255 records · Page 97
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2009

Battery Cell Voltage Sensing and Balancing Using Addressable Transformers

A document discusses the use of saturating transformers in a matrix arrangement to address individual cells in a high voltage battery. This arrangement is able to monitor and charge individual cells while limiting the complexity of circuitry in the battery. The arrangement has inherent galvanic isolation, low cell leakage currents, and allows a single bad cell in a battery of several hundred cells to be easily spotted.

Davies, Francis↗
NASA NTRS2026

Radiation-Conditioned Ti–hBN Coatings for Space Mechanisms: Bridging Tribology and Irradiation Effects from Laboratory to Low-Earth Orbit

The longevity of tribological components in extraterrestrial environments is challenged by abrasive regolith, extreme temperatures, and ionizing radiation. This study evaluates the performance of vacuum plasma sprayed (VPS) Ti-2vol.% hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) coatings applied to joint mechanisms such as rod and slot, ball and socket, and hinge assemblies, fabricated from Al6061 and Ti6Al4V for planetary structures. Coated and uncoated samples were tested under vacuum with lunar regolith simulant (JSC-1A), followed by environmental exposures including electron radiation and thermal cycling. Results show that coated samples consistently outperformed uncoated counterparts across all configurations. Wear depth in coated components was reduced by over 80%, as confirmed by 3D profilometry and surface imaging. SEM analysis revealed severe abrasion and localized plastic deformation in uncoated surfaces, while coated samples retained structural integrity due to synergy of hard protective phases formed during deposition and retained hBN providing solid lubrication in the sliding surface. Coated and exposed samples exhibited smoother actuation profiles and reduced friction, indicating a beneficial "conditioning" effect from environmental exposure. The coatings-maintained performance even on complex geometries with minimal delamination. These findings demonstrate the potential of VPS Ti-hBN coatings to extend the operational life of lunar mechanisms, bridging laboratory-scale tribology with flight-relevant mechanical applications.

tribology↗
DOE OSTI2026

Feedstock Choices for Advancing the Bioeconomy in the US and Policy Implications

Biomass feedstocks will be critical for scaling up the bioeconomy in the United States to meet multiple demands for biofuels, sustainable aviation fuel, bioproducts, and biochemicals. There is a wide range of choices of feedstocks, including a variety of dedicated energy crops and crop residues. There are substantial differences in the yields, costs of production, and carbon intensity of these feedstocks and for each feedstock across locations. These feedstocks also differ in the trade-offs they offer among multiple environmental impacts. We discuss the economic factors that will influence the production of these feedstocks and the implications of alternative biofuel and low-carbon policies for the mix of feedstocks that will be incentivized.

Khanna, Madhu (ORCID:0000000349944451)↗
NASA NTRS1993

Galileo Optical Experiment (GOPEX) Optical Train: Design and Validation at the Table Mountain Facility

The Galileo Optical Experiment (GOPEX) has demonstrated the first laser communications uplink to a deep space vehicle. This article describes the optical design and validation tests performed at the Table Mountain Facility (TMF) transmitter site. The system used a 0.6-m telescope and an optical system at coude focus to produce the uplink beam. The optical system used a pulsed neodymium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet (Nd:Yag) laser and beam diverger optics to produce the required optical output. In order to validate the optical design, a number of uplinks were performed on Earth-orbiting satellites (e.g., Lageos 1 and 2).

J Yu↗
NASA NTRS1977

A Survey of Lunar Rock Types and Comparison of the Crusts of Earth and Moon

The principal known types of lunar rocks are briefly reviewed, and their chemical relationships discussed. In the suite of low-KREEP highland rocks, Fe/(Fe + Mg) in the normative mafic minerals increases and the albite content of normative plagioclase decreases as the total amount of normative plagioclase increases, the opposite of the trend predicted by the Bowen reaction principle. Lunar highland samples analyzed are uniformly distributed in this sequence, in which normative plagioclase contents range from ~ 40 percent to ~ 100 percent. The distribution of compositions of rocks from terrestrial layered mafic intrusives is substantially different: here the analyses fall in several discrete clusters (anorthositic rocks, norites, granophyres and ferrogabbros, ultramafics), and the chemical trends noted above are not reproduced. It is suggested that the observed trends in lunar highland rocks could be produced by crystal fractionation in a deep global surface magma system if (1) plagioclase tended to float, upon crystallization, and (2) the magma was kept agitated and well mixed (probably by thermal convection) until crystallization was far advanced and relatively little residual liquid was left. When such a system was finally immobilized, the Fe-, Na-rich residual liquid would produce Fe-rich mafic minerals in the upper levels of the system, but could not much alter the composition of abundant calcic plagioclase. Conversely, the same liquid would produce sodic plagioclase deep in the sequence, but could not much alter the composition of abundant magnesian mafic minerals. After the crustal system solidified, but before extensive cooling had developed a thick, strong lithosphere, mantle convection was able to draw portions of the lunar anorthositic crust down into the mantle in a manner analogous to the present-day behavior of the terrestrial mantle and crust. At depth, the crustal material was heated; KREEP-rich norite was extracted by partial melting and erupted at the surface as a lava, analogous to terrestrial andesite eruptions.

John A Wood↗
NASA NTRS1966

A Review of Medical Results of Gemini 7 and Related Flights

On August 23, 1966, a review of the medical findings of the fourteen day Gemini 7 mission and related flights was conducted. This review was organized at the request of Dr. George E. Mueller, Associate Administrator for Manned Space Flight, and consisted of presentations by the Principal Investigators of the Gemini Medical Flight Experiments and by the Director, Medical Research and Operations, Manned Spacecraft Center. This document is a compilation of the material presented at the review. The Principals cooperated most significantly by reviewing a transcription of a tape recording of their presentation, editing and providing a final version for publication. Without this most generous assistance, this document could not have been published. Table I, which follows immediately after this Introduction, is presented to acquaint the reader with the scope and sequence of medical measurements and experiments which were conducted during Project Gemini. This review was held prior to the conduct of the Gemini 11 and 12 missions, therefore, material derived from those flights is not included in this document.

E J McLaughlin↗
DOE OSTI2025

Impact of Advances in Anion Exchange Membranes and Ionomers on Alkaline Fuel Cells

Abstract The operation of low‐temperature electrochemical energy conversion systems (fuel cells, electrolyzers) at high pH values is of perennial interest due to the possibility of moving away from expensive platinum group metal catalysts and reducing cost. Historically, the anion exchange membranes (AEMs) and ionomers have been hampered by performance (ionic conductivity, mechanical strength) and chemical stability issues. In this context, select developments over the past decade in alternate AEM chemistries, water management methods, and production of membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) that have enabled a significant leap in performance of alkaline fuel cells are examined. These developments are linked to performance improvements in alkaline H 2 /O 2 fuel cells and also consider developments in alkaline fuel cells using nitrogen‐containing fuels (ammonia, hydrazine), carbon‐containing fuels (alcohols, glycols), and boron‐containing fuels (sodium borohydride, ammonia borane). Finally, current challenges and bottlenecks are identified, and potential solutions are proposed.

Chemistry↗
NASA NTRS2010

The Extravehicular Maneuvering Unit's New Long Life Battery and Lithium Ion Battery Charger

The Long Life (Lithium Ion) Battery is designed to replace the current Extravehicular Mobility Unit Silver/Zinc Increased Capacity Battery, which is used to provide power to the Primary Life Support Subsystem during Extravehicular Activities. The Charger is designed to charge, discharge, and condition the battery either in a charger-strapped configuration or in a suit-mounted configuration. This paper will provide an overview of the capabilities and systems engineering development approach for both the battery and the charger

Russell, Samuel P.↗
NASA NTRS1997

FAST Spacecraft Battery Design and Performance

The Fast Auroral Snapshot (FAST) Explorer spacecraft is to study the physical processes that produce the aurora borealis and aurora australis. It is a unique plasma physics experiment that will take fundamental measurements of the magnetic and electrical fields. This investigation will add significantly to our understanding of the near-earth space environments and its effect. The FAST has a 1 year requirement and 3-year goal for its mission life in low earth orbit. The FAST power power system topology is a Direct Energy Transfer (DET) system based on the SAMPEX design. The FAST flight battery supplies power to the satellite during pre-launch operations, the launch phase, the eclipse periods for all mission phases, and when the load is about 50 watts.

Jung, David S.↗
NASA NTRS2019

Evaluation of Various Methods for Determining Bulk Compositions of Chondrules and Other Objects in Petrographic Thin Sections

Studies of many objects in petrographic thin section, such as melt inclusions in igneous rocks, chondrules and Ca-Al rich inclusions in chondritic meteorites, or clasts in lunar and other breccias, require or can benefit from knowledge of their bulk compositions. Given the scarcity of these materials, the reluctance of curators to provide more abundant material, and the extreme difficulty of cleanly separating such objects from their rock matrices, geochemical and cosmochemical studies need the ability to determine their bulk compositions from in situ methods, such as defocused beam analysis, or quantitative chemical mapping by electron beam methods.

Daniel Kent Ross↗
DOE OSTI2026

Electron-Deficient Phenazines: Synthesis, Structures, Redox, and Optoelectronic Properties in the Gas Phase, in Solution, and in the Solid State

High-temperature gas-phase reactions of 1,4-C4F8I2 with phenazine (PHNZ) afforded new thermally- and air-stable derivatives with cyclo-C4F8 substituents, viz. 1,2-PHNZ(C4F8), 2,3-PHNZ(C4F8), 1,2:6,7-PHNZ(C4F8)2, 1,2:7,8-PHNZ(C4F8)2, and 1,2:8,9-PHNZ(C4F8)2. Reactions in the presence of Cu powder resulted in reductive-defluorination/aromatization of some of the cyclo-C4F8 substituents to produce 2,3-PHNZ(C4F4), 2,3-PHNZ(C4HF3), and 1,2:6,7-PHNZ(C4F8)(C4F4), which are formally tri- or tetrafluoro derivatives of benzo[a]phenazine. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction structures of these compounds demonstrate the planarity of 2,3-PHNZ(C4F4) and 2,3-PHNZ(C4HF3) and ordered p-stacking in 1,2-PHNZ(C4HF3), 1,2-PHNZ(C4F4), 1,2-PHNZ(C4F8), and 2,3-PHNZ(C4F8). Low-temperature gas-phase photoelectron spectra of the PHNZ(C4F8)1,2 compounds show that they are strong electron acceptors, with the three PHNZ(C4F8)2 isomers having electron affinities exceeding that of C60. Cyclic voltammetry in acetonitrile show that the five PHNZ(C4F8)1,2 compounds exhibit reversible one-electron reductions with large positive shifts in their reduction potentials relative to unsubstituted PHNZ. Spectroelectrochemical absorption and EPR spectra of PHNZ(C4F8)1,2- • anion radicals and extensive DFT calculations revealed the significant role that the different substitution patterns have on determining the optoelectronic properties of the PHNZ(C4F8)1,2 derivatives and PHNZ(C4F8)1,2- • anion radicals. Time-resolved microwave conductivity measurements and photoluminescence spectra of blends of the PHNZ(C4F8)1,2 derivatives with the donor poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) were recorded to assess the possible use of the new compounds in optoelectronic devices.

Balser, Sebastian↗
DOE OSTI2026

Coexistence of Synchronization and Stochasticity in Thermally Coupled Mott Oscillators

Synchronization is conventionally regarded as a mechanism for suppressing variability and enforcing order in coupled systems, from pendula and lasers to neurons and electronic oscillators. Here, we show that synchronization can also embed stochasticity at finer scales. We observe this phenomenon in thermally coupled VO 2 neuristors, where robust in-phase synchronization at the microsecond scale coexists with spike onset fluctuations at the nanosecond scale, with no fixed leader. The coexistence of order and disorder originates from stochastic domain-level physics of the insulator–metal and metal–insulator transitions, where local variations in transition temperature drive cycle-to-cycle randomness in nucleation, percolation, and relaxation. A stochastic domain model reproduces this effect by generating synchronized spike trains with random lead–lag jitter, and experimental interspike interval statistics confirm the persistence of fine-scale variability despite macroscopic phase locking. These findings establish that synchronization and stochasticity can coexist within the same physical platform, revealing hidden disorder within collective order. Furthermore, this insight reframes synchronization as not purely deterministic, but as a universal context where microscopic variability can persist, with implications for electronics, cryptography, and the fundamental physics of order–disorder coexistence.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
NASA NTRS2026

Helicopter and Urban Air Mobility (UAM) Laboratory Comparison (HULC) Psychoacoustic Test

The Helicopter and Urban Air Mobility (UAM) Laboratory Comparison (HULC) psychoacoustic test was conducted in July 2025 to compare human annoyance responses to noise from UAM vehicles and helicopters. This document provides a literature review, describes the HULC test methodology including stimuli selection and test administration procedures, and presents results from an initial analysis using multilevel statistical modeling. The test utilized 123 sound stimuli from four helicopters and six UAM vehicles across three flight phases (departure, cruise, and approach), presented to 40 subjects in the Exterior Effects Room (EER) at NASA's Langley Research Center. Subjects rated their annoyance on a 0 to 10 scale while imagining hearing these sounds multiple times daily near their homes. Key findings revealed that, at the same A-weighted sound exposure levels, UAM vehicles and helicopters produced similar annoyance responses across all flight phases, with mean differences of only approximately 1 dB and overlapping confidence intervals. However, at equivalent observer distances, UAM vehicles had inherently quieter operations and lower mean annoyance ratings. These results suggest that UAM vehicles and helicopters may be assessed in a similar manner for community noise impact. The quieter noise characteristics of UAM vehicles may provide advantages for operating in communities and integrating into urban environments.

psychoacoustics↗
DOE OSTI2024

Method for implant and anneal for high voltage field effect transistors

In an example, the present invention provides a method of forming a semiconductor device on a gallium and nitrogen containing material. The method includes providing a substrate member comprising a surface region, the substrate member comprising a gallium and nitrogen bearing material. The method includes causing an implanted species to electrically activate the implant profile while removing one or more crystalline damage from the epitaxial material to change the amorphous state to a single crystalline state, and thereby creating a substantially electrically activated crystalline material.

Shealy, James R.↗