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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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At least 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2026

Robotics for Energy Infrastructure Construction on Earth and Beyond: Pilot Study Exploring Level 3-4 Semi-Autonomous Installation of a Reduced-Scale Photovoltaic Power Plant Prototype: Preprint

There is a growing need to build energy infrastructure at massive scale on both Earth and in space. On Earth, increasing electricity demand from applications such as AI data centers is driving rapid expansion of power systems, while in space, long-duration missions such as lunar operations require reliable and resilient energy infrastructure that can be deployed quickly. These needs outpace the capabilities of conventional construction methods. Robotic construction offers a path to faster, lower-cost, and more consistent deployment, yet most existing approaches focus on automating individual tasks rather than end-to-end assembly. The Industrialized Construction Innovation (ICI) team at the National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR), in collaboration with the Colorado School of Mines, has been investigating robotics and automation strategies for rapid end-to-end energy infrastructure construction. This paper presents a pilot study demonstrating level 3-4 semi-autonomous, end-to-end robotic assembly of a reduced-scale photovoltaic power plant prototype under terrestrial conditions. The approach combines hardware redesign of photovoltaic components for robotic compatibility, discrete-event and physics-based robotic simulations in synthetic environments, and sim-to-real deployment to execute end-to-end robotic assembly of[NM1.1][NM1.2] tracking components, structural members, photovoltaic modules, and embedded electrical connections. The pilot identifies key limitations like tolerance management, perception and localization, end effector capability, fastening methods, and multi-physics simulation fidelity, that must be addressed to enable end-to-end robotic assembly of full-scale energy infrastructure. The study highlights how these insights inform scaling strategies for terrestrial energy infrastructure and adaptation to unstructured and extreme environments, including off-world scenarios such as robotic assembly of vertical tall lunar towers.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2020

Infrasound and Gravity Waves Over the Andes Observed by a Pressure Sensor on Board a Stratospheric Balloon

The study of infrasound (acoustic) and gravity waves sources and propagation in the atmosphere of a planet gives us precious insight on atmosphere dynamics, climate, and even internal structure. The implementation of modern pressure sensors with high rate sampling on stratospheric balloons is improving their study. In our work we analyzed the data from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Ultra Long Duration Balloon mission (16 May to 30 June 2016). Here, we focus on the balloon's transit of the Andes Mountains. We detected gravity waves that are associated to troposphere convective activity and mountain waves. An increase of the horizontal wavelengths from 50 to 70 km with increasing distance to the mountains is favoring the presence of mountain waves. We also report on the detection of infrasounds generated by the mountains in the 0.01–0.1 Hz range with a pressure amplitude increase by a factor 2 relative background signal. Besides, we characterized the decrease of microbaroms power when the balloon was flying away from the ocean coast. These observations suggest, in a way similar to microseisms for seismometers, that microbaroms are the main background noise sources recorded in the stratosphere even far from the ocean sources. Finally, we observed a broadband signal above the Andes, between 0.45 and 2 Hz, probably associated with a thunderstorm. The diversity of geophysical phenomena captured in less than a day of observation stresses the interest of high rate pressure sensors on board long-duration balloon missions.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Microscopic analysis of irradiated UN–Mo–W for space nuclear propulsion

Nuclear propulsion is an effective method of providing thrust in deep space, allowing for shorter mission duration for long-term surface missions to Mars. The fuel for nuclear propulsion systems must exhibit superior mechanical and thermal properties, to decrease the possibility of fuel failure and to increase reactor efficiency. Here, the objective of the Sirius project is to fabricate and irradiate cermet fuels at the Idaho National Laboratory Transient Reactor Facility to determine the properties of the fuel after irradiation at prototypical nuclear propulsion start-up conditions. The Sirius project featured 3 test capsules, Sirius-1 featured uranium nitride fuel dispersed in a matrix of tungsten and rhenium, while Sirius-2A and -2B featured uranium nitride-molybdenum-tungsten fuel (UN-Mo-W). The fuel samples from the Sirius-2A and -2B capsules were examined after irradiation using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction analyses. The mechanical properties of the fuel from Sirius-2A and -2B are discussed in a previous work. In this study, the results of the optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction analyses are discussed.

11 - NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2025

External perturbation-driven Sabatier breakthrough

The Sabatier reaction (CO 2 + 4H 2 → CH 4 + 2H 2 O) is gaining renewed interest due to its potential to reduce energy carrier storage costs, serve as a feedstock for various organic chemicals, and supply in-situ propellant and life-support resources for long-duration Mars missions. This study demonstrates that combining a modest 2 mA electric field with H 2 feed modulation markedly elevates the CO 2 hydrogenation activity of 2 wt% Ru/CeO 2 catalyst. CO 2 conversion reaches 88 % and 93 % with a CH 4 yield of 83 % and 89 % at 350 °C and 450 °C, respectively. A simple lumped kinetic model reveals that the combined external perturbations not only shift the reaction mechanism but also redistribute key surface-adsorbed intermediates such as hydrogen adatoms and hydrogen-activated CO 2 among the Ru clusters, Ru/CeO 2 interface, and ceria surface. The electric field accelerates the conversion of adsorbed CO 2 to the hydrogenated CO 2 species on Ru and boosts CH 4 formation rate constant, while simultaneously suppresses the formation of undesired, non-reactive surface intermediates. Degree-of-rate-control analysis pinpoints proton migration across the metal-support interface as the decisive lever under these coupled perturbations. In conclusion, these findings establish that rational pairing of metal-support design with well-tuned electric fields and feed oscillations can unlock unprecedented Sabatier rates, guiding the development of next-generation reactors for efficient CO 2 to CH 4 conversion.

10 - SYNTHETIC FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2026

Urea-to-Ammonia Conversion at Proteus mirabilis Modified Pt–Ni/BDD Electrodes

Efficient wastewater recycling technologies are essential for long-duration space missions and sustainable water management on Earth. Here, a bioelectrochemical system integrating Proteus mirabilis with a platinum–nickel-modified boron-doped diamond electrode (Pt–Ni/BDDE) for urea-to-ammonia conversion in synthetic urine is presented. Immobilized P. mirabilis catalyzes enzymatic ureolysis, converting urea into ammonia, which is subsequently oxidized electrochemically, and no direct electrochemical urea oxidation is observed. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) of P. mirabilis on Pt–Ni/BDDE in 0.1 M urea and synthetic urine revealed a broad anodic oxidation peak at approximately 0.55–0.75 V vs Ag/AgCl (sat. KCl), corresponding to ammonia oxidation. Control experiments using bare BDDE and Pt–Ni/BDDE in synthetic urine showed no oxidation peak, establishing that the bioelectrocatalytic response originates exclusively from the bioelectrode interface. Chronoamperometry studies revealed that immobilization potential and time critically influenced bacterial adhesion and electrochemical response, with optimal conditions yielding a maximum current density of 0.0055 mA·cm –2 . These quantitative results establish that microbial ureolysis can be efficiently coupled with advanced electrode materials for urea-to-ammonia conversion, offering a promising self-sustaining strategy for urine processing and water recovery in closed-loop life support systems.

Ammonia↗
DOE OSTI2020

The influence of spaceflight on the astronaut salivary microbiome and the search for a microbiome biomarker for viral reactivation

Background: Spaceflight impacts astronauts in many ways but little is known on how spaceflight affects the salivary microbiome and the consequences of these changes on astronaut health, such as viral reactivation. In order to understand this, the salivary microbiome was analyzed with 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing, and saliva viral titers were analyzed with quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) with primers specific for Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), herpes simplex virus (HSV), and varicella zoster virus (VZV) from 10 astronauts pre-flight, in-flight, and post-flight. Results: Streptococcus was the most abundant organism in the saliva, making up 8% of the total organisms detected, and their diversity decreased during spaceflight. Other organisms that had statistically significant changes were Proteobacteria and Fusobacteria which increased during flight and Actinobacteria which decreased during flight. At the genus level, Catonella , Megasphera , and Actinobacillus were absent in more than half of saliva samples collected pre-flight but were then detected during flight. In those subjects that already had these genera pre-flight, their relative abundances increased during flight. Correlation analyses between the microbiome and viral titers revealed a positive correlation with Gracilibacteria , Absconditabacteria , and Abiotrophia and a negative correlation between Oribacterium , Veillonella , and Haemophilus . There was also a significant positive correlation between microbiome richness and EBV viral titers. Conclusions: This is the first study to look at how the salivary microbiome changes as a result of spaceflight and the search for bacterial biomarkers for viral reactivation. Further studies examining the role of specific organisms that were shown to be correlative and predictive in viral reactivation, a serious problem in astronauts during spaceflight, could lead to mitigation strategies to help prevent disease during both short and long duration space missions.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2026

Dynamic Electric Field Assisted CO 2 Methanation

Energy-efficient advanced chemical reactions are essential for accelerating the growth of hydrocarbon economy. Sabatier reaction stands out for its potential to effectively transform carbon dioxide into valuable hydrocarbons and is an asset for long-duration Mars missions. This study explores a novel catalytic approach that harnesses electric field-assisted catalysis to substantially enhance the efficiency of the Sabatier reaction. Application of a dynamically perturbed electric field at 1000 Hz resulted in remarkable enhancements, increasing methane formation rates by over 100% at 350 °C and by 74% at 400 °C. Post-reaction catalyst characterization further revealed reduced blockage of active catalytic surface area under the applied electric field, emphasizing improved catalytic longevity and sustained activity. These results underscore the potential of tailored electric field waveforms to dynamically modulate elementary reaction kinetics and surface processes, positioning electric field-assisted catalysis as a transformative strategy for energy-efficient, cost-effective chemical manufacturing and energy conversion technologies.

42 - ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2021

Effects of Low Dose Space Radiation Exposures on the Splenic Metabolome

Future space missions will include a return to the Moon and long duration deep space roundtrip missions to Mars. Leaving the protection that Low Earth Orbit provides will unavoidably expose astronauts to higher cumulative doses of space radiation, in addition to other stressors, e.g., microgravity. Immune regulation is known to be impacted by both radiation and spaceflight and it remains to be seen whether prolonged effects that will be encountered in deep space can have an adverse impact on health. In this study, we investigated the effects in the overall metabolism of three different low dose radiation exposures (γ-rays, 16O, and 56Fe) in spleens from male C57BL/6 mice at 1, 2, and 4 months after exposure. Forty metabolites were identified with significant enrichment in purine metabolism, tricarboxylic acid cycle, fatty acids, acylcarnitines, and amino acids. Early perturbations were more prominent in the γ irradiated samples, while later responses shifted towards more prominent responses in groups with high energy particle irradiations. Regression analysis showed a positive correlation of the abundance of identified fatty acids with time and a negative association with γ-rays, while the degradation pathway of purines was positively associated with time. Taken together, there is a strong suggestion of mitochondrial implication and the possibility of long-term effects on DNA repair and nucleotide pools following radiation exposure.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
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↗
DOE OSTI2023

Energy Resilience for Mission Assurance: Case Study Scoping Document

The Energy Resilience for Mission Assurance (ERMA) project—a Department of Energy Grid Modernization Lab Consortium effort carried out via a partnership among five national laboratories— seeks to develop metrics to quantify how improvements to energy system resilience translate to improved Department of Defense (DoD) mission assurance (MA) during wide-scale, long-duration outages of the bulk power system. DoD missions are integral to national security and highly dependent on electric power. However, energy system planners—both civilian and military—lack a clear and quantifiable mapping between electric power system resilience and MA, leaving a gap in their ability to understand and consider national security outcomes within their planning efforts. The ERMA project seeks to fill this gap, providing stakeholders with new capabilities to understand the impact of electric power system resilience on MA during hazard scenarios.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2024

Expected Gamma-Ray Burst Detection Rates and Redshift Distributions for the BlackCAT CubeSat Mission

We report the results of an extensive set of simulations exploring the sensitivity of the BlackCAT CubeSat to long-duration gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). BlackCAT is a NASA APRA-funded CubeSat mission for the detection and real-time subarcminute localization of high-redshift (z ≳ 3.5) GRBs. Thanks to their luminous and long-lived afterglow emissions, GRBs are uniquely valuable probes of high-redshift star-forming galaxies and the intergalactic medium. In addition, each detected GRB with a known redshift serves to localize a region of high-redshift star formation in three dimensions, enabling deep follow-on searches for host galaxies and associated local and large-scale structures. We explore two distinct models for the GRB redshift distribution and luminosity function, both consistent with Swift observations. We find that, for either model, BlackCAT is expected to detect a mean of 42 bursts per year on orbit, with 6.7% to 10% of these at z > 3.5. BlackCAT bursts will be localized to an r 90 ≲ 55'' precision and reported to the community within seconds. Due to the mission orbit and pointing scheme, bursts will be located in the night sky and well placed for deep multiwavelength follow-up observations. BlackCAT is on schedule to achieve launch readiness in 2025.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Space radiation measurements during the Artemis I lunar mission

Space radiation is a notable hazard for long-duration human spaceflight. Associated risks include cancer, cataracts, degenerative diseases and tissue reactions from large, acute exposures. Space radiation originates from diverse sources, including galactic cosmic rays, trapped-particle (Van Allen) belts5 and solar-particle events. Previous radiation data are from the International Space Station and the Space Shuttle in low-Earth orbit protected by heavy shielding and Earth’s magnetic field and lightly shielded interplanetary robotic probes such as Mars Science Laboratory and Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. Limited data from the Apollo missions and ground measurements with substantial caveats are also available. Here we report radiation measurements from the heavily shielded Orion spacecraft on the uncrewed Artemis I lunar mission. At differing shielding locations inside the vehicle, a fourfold difference in dose rates was observed during proton-belt passes that are similar to large, reference solar-particle events. Interplanetary cosmic-ray dose equivalent rates in Orion were as much as 60% lower than previous observations. Furthermore, a change in orientation of the spacecraft during the proton-belt transit resulted in a reduction of radiation dose rates of around 50%. These measurements validate the Orion for future crewed exploration and inform future human spaceflight mission design.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2026

Phosphonic-Acid-Reinforced Polymer Hole Transport Layers for Deployable p-i-n Perovskite Photovoltaics

The long-term durability prospects of halide perovskite solar cells are rapidly improving; however, the interface between the hole transport layer (HTL) and the perovskite remains a source of degradation. Alone, polymer- or carbazole-based HTLs suffer from incomplete coverage of the underlying indium tin oxide glass, leading to degradation and compromised performance. Here, we show a multi-HTL approach whereby a polymer HTL is reinforced using a phosphonic acid modification leading to better protection of the buried perovskite interface and more columnar growth of perovskite film, resulting in an ~40-mV open-circuit voltage (VOC) improvement indicative of suppressed interfacial recombination across multiple p-i-n device architectures. Solar cells with this reinforced HTL show higher tolerance to several accelerated stress tests. We report, among the best durabilities for unencapsulated cells, a T90 ~3,000 h (T80 ~5,900 h) at 65 degrees C under continuous 1.2 sun AM 1.5G illumination and maximum power point tracking, representing a nearly 4-fold increase compared with [2-(9H-carbazol-9-yl)ethyl]phosphonic acid (2PACz)-only devices. Furthermore, we deployed a device with this reinforced HTL on a cube satellite, with long-duration operational space testing results exceeding T80 for the complete mission duration of ~100 days in low Earth orbit.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

EUSO-SPB2 Fluorescence Telescope trigger test within the EUSO@TurLab Project

The second generation Extreme Universe Space Observatory on a Super-Pressure Balloon (EUSO-SPB2) mission is on track to be approved by NASA for a long duration flight (up to 100 days) in 2023 from Wanaka, New Zealand. EUSO-SPB2 will monitor the night atmosphere of the Southern hemisphere from 33 km altitude to detect Ultra-High Energy Cosmic Rays (UHECRs) and search for astrophysical and cosmogenic neutrinos. EUSO-SPB2 features two telescopes, a Cherenkov (CT) and a Fluorescence (FT) Telescope. The hardware implementation and performance of the FT trigger logic were tested at the TurLab facility, hosted at the University of Turin. In conclusion, the tests proved the correct hardware implementation of the trigger logic and its ability to detect μs timescale transient signals.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2025

Antihelium-3 sensitivity for the GRAMS experiment

The Gamma-Ray and AntiMatter Survey (GRAMS) is a next-generation balloon/satellite mission utilizing a Liquid Argon Time Projection Chamber (LArTPC) detector to measure both MeV gamma rays and antinuclei produced by dark matter annihilation or decay. The GRAMS can identify antihelium-3 events based on the measurements of X-rays and charged pions from the decay of the exotic atoms, Time of Flight (TOF), energy deposition, and stopping range. This paper shows the antihelium-3 sensitivity estimation using a GEANT4 Monte Carlo simulation. For the proposed long-duration balloon (LDB) flight program (35 days x 3 flights) and future satellite mission (2-year observation/10-year observation), the sensitivities become 1.47 × 10 −7 [m 2 s sr GeV/n] −1 and 1.55 × 10 −9 [m 2 s sr GeV/n] −1 /3.10 x 10 -10 [m 2 s sr GeV/n] −1 , respectively. The results indicate that GRAMS can extensively investigate various dark matter models through the antihelium-3 measurements.

Antihelium-3↗
DOE OSTI2024

Energy Storage

This Energy Exchange 2024 session explores Energy Storage, from currently available to cutting edge systems, and explores benefits and shortcomings related to key mission goals of sustainment, resilience, and emissions reduction. Specifically, this session will explore advancements in long-duration energy storage, organic flow batteries, and rechargeable/non-rechargeable storage. Additionally, we will explore usage advantages (DoD, Commercial, Utility, Residential), system sustainment issues and challenges, and advantages/disadvantages in the integration into existing and legacy electrical systems. The Panel will have a mix of DoD, commercial, and lab/academic experts.

emissions↗
DOE OSTI2026

A Faster-Than-Real-Time Framework for Reliability-Oriented Simulation of PV Inverters

Physics-of-Failure (PoF) based reliability assessment for photovoltaic (PV) inverters requires long-duration electrical and electrothermal stress histories, yet generating such stress histories with high-fidelity switching models over year long mission profiles is computationally prohibitive. Conventional methods either sacrifice modeling fidelity for speed or require runtimes that are impractical for design iteration and uncertainty studies. To address this bottleneck, this paper presents a High-Performance Computing (HPC) based simulation frame work for faster-than-real-time reliability-oriented simulation. The proposed framework integrates the Average-to-Switching (A2S) method with parallel computing techniques to accelerate switching-level waveform reconstruction. We further introduce optimization strategies, including cluster merging and sensitivity based mission profile screening, to reduce the computational burden. Evaluated using real-world mission profile inputs and a MATLAB/Simulink switching-model reference, the framework reduces the simulation time for a one-year mission from an intractable multi-year duration to approximately 7.3 minutes while maintaining low waveform error. This acceleration provides a practical reliability-oriented simulation engine that can be coupled with component-specific aging models for subsequent PV inverter PoF assessment.

High-performance Computing↗
DOE OSTI2023

Robotic Staffing Augmentation

The Robotic Augmentation & Novel Applications team at Los Alamos National Laboratory is working to produce autonomous systems to augment staffing for tasks that are tedious, dangerous, or require high precision. This is intended to reduce risks to staff, programs and facilities while also freeing up personnel resources to better support laboratory missions, particularly pit manufacturing. The primary focus of this effort is to utilize cutting edge automation to augment long duration radiation surveys, allowing RCTs to work on critical production activities.

42 ENGINEERING↗