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Marshall Space Flight Center is essential to human space exploration and our work is a catalyst for ongoing technological development. As we address the challenges facing human deep space exploration, we advance new technologies and applications here on Earth, expand scientific knowledge and discovery, create new economic opportunities, and continue to lead global space exploration.
Introduction: “I think dust is probably one of our greatest inhibitors to a nominal operation on the Moon. I think we can overcome other physio-logical or physical or mechanical problems except dust.”– Gene Cernan, Apollo 17 Technical Debrief The Apollo missions revealed the impact of lu-nar dust on mechanisms. Lunar dust particles are jagged and electrostatically charged, giving them the ability to bind or damage mechanisms and alter thermal properties. Reports documented clogged equipment and jammed mechanisms in every mission, regardless of surface duration, as well as clogged mechanisms in the Extravehicular Mobility Suit (EMS), including zippers, wrist and hose locks, faceplates, and sunshades [1-2]. Several astronauts remarked they could not have sustained surface activity much longer because clogged joints would have frozen up completely [2]. Effective dust mitigation strategies are need-ed to support longer duration stays on the lunar surface [3-4]. State of the Art: Technology for mechanisms able to operate in dusty enviroments is advancing rapidly due to the needs of both Mars rovers and the Artemis program. Vacuum-tight connectors are essential for spacesuits and habitats, and their performance can be dependent on cleaning technologies, which have proven difficult on the lunar surface. Several TRL 3-5 technologies are undergoing tests with the expectation to reach TRL 6 within 1-2 years. Some mechanisms will be infused and tested on the VIPER (Volatiles Inves-tigating Polar Exploration Rover) mission planned for mid-2020s. NASA Funded Efforts: NASA has recognized the need for dust tolerant mechanisms, and has partnered with industry to advance the state-of-the-art. At NASA GRC, KSC, and JSC, the Dust Tolerant Mechanisms Project is working to devel-op advanced actuator seals for rotary joints and rotary bearing technologies for long-term sus-tained operation in lunar dust environments. An-other NASA project at NASA GRC, partnered with GSFC, JPL, and KSC is Motors for Dusty & Ex-treme Cold Environments (MDECE). MDECE is developing an unheated magnetically-geared mo-tor that can operate continuously for a long dura-tion at an ambient temperature of -243 ºC (33 K). NASA GRC has the capability to characterize the effects of dust on seals, mechanisms, and other mating surfaces and components under lunar conditions [5]. Through the SBIR/STTR program, NASA has funded several companies to advance dust toler-ant mechanisms via the Dust Tolerant Mecha-nisms sub-topic with applications in surface mobil-ity, spacesuits, connectors, joints, and more. LSIC and Community Efforts: The Lunar Surface Innovation Consortium (LSIC) Dust Miti-gation focus group has fostered collaborations across NASA, industry, and academia to develop solutions that minimizes the impact of lunar dust on robotic and human systems. Community ef-forts have included topical meetings on dust tol-erant mechanisms, featured technology presenta-tions, and feedback to NASA on potential gaps and needs. Testing: In 2021, NASA released NASA-STD-1008 [6]. This NASA Technical Standard estab-lishes minimum requirements and provides guid-ance for testing systems and hardware to be ex-posed to dust in planetary environments. The standard has specific sections dedicated to Mechanisms Testing (e.g. bearings, gears) as well as Seals and Mating Surfaces Testing (e.g. hatches, docking systems). Gaps and Needs: NASA is tracking dust tol-erant mechanisms as a gap in a cross-directorate analysis of capability areas needed to enable fu-ture human space-flight architectures. Two high-priority gap areas include additional facilities for testing mechanisms in lunar-surface conditions, and a better understanding of vulnerabilities to the smallest, nanometer-scale dust particles. Conclusion: Understanding and mitigating lu-nar dust is critical to successful, sustained opera-tions on the lunar surface – whether autonomous or otherwise. This presentation will discuss both the state-of-the-art and open needs in lunar dust tolerant mechanisms, technology impacts, mitiga-tion approaches, testing, LSIC community efforts, and more. References: [1] Gaier, J. R. (2020). The Im-pact of Dust on Lunar Surface Equipment During Apollo. Lunar Dust 2020. [2] GRC, & Gaier, J. R. (2005). The Effects of Lunar Dust on EVA Sys-tems During the Apollo Missions. [3] Johansen, M. R. (2020). An Update on NASA’s Lunar Dust Mitigation Strategy. Lunar Dust 2020. [4] ASI, CSA, ESA, JAXA, & NASA. (2016). Dust Mitiga-tion Gap Assessment Report. [5] Jimenez, N. et al (2022), LPSC Abstract 2572. [6] NASA-STD-1008, 2021.
The greatest potential risk from turbine operation continues to be perceived by regulators and other stakeholders to be that of marine animals colliding with turbine blades. These potential interactions are the most difficult to observe using common oceanographic instruments and must be undertaken in parts of the ocean where fast moving water and high waves make studies challenging. However, our collective understanding of the effects of marine renewable energy (MRE) devices on marine animals and their habitats has improved since the publication of the 2016 State of the Science report. https://tethys.pnnl.gov/publications/state-of-the-science-2020-chapter-10-environmental-monitoring
Intumescent materials are in wide use as protective coatings in fire protection or thermal management applications. These materials undergo chemical reactions occurring from approximately 300°C to 900°C, which outgas and expand the material, providing an appreciable increase in insulative performance. However, the complicated chemical mechanisms and large changes in materials properties complicate the incorporation of these materials into predictive thermal models. This document serves to outline the thermochemical characterization of select intumescent materials, the extraction of relevant parameters, and the incorporation of these parameters into the ChemEQ reaction model implemented in Aria. This work was performed in 2016 and documented in a draft SAND report in March 2017. In 2022, the draft SAND report was discovered and put through R&A.
Here, we report direct numerical simulations (DNS) of the Nusselt number Nu , the vertical profiles of mean temperature Θ(z) and temperature variance Ω(z) across the thermal boundary layer (BL) in closed turbulent Rayleigh–Bénard convection (RBC) with slippery conducting surfaces ( z is the vertical distance from the bottom surface). The DNS study was conducted in three RBC samples: a three-dimensional cuboid with length L=H and width W=H/4 ( H is the sample height), and two-dimensional rectangles with aspect ratios Γ≡L/H=1 and 10. The slip length b for top and bottom plates varied from 0 to ∞ . The Rayleigh numbers Ra were in the range 10 6 $⩽$Ra$⩽$10 10 and the Prandtl number Pr was fixed at 4.3 . As b increases, the normalised Nu/Nu 0 ( Nu 0 is the global heat transport for b =0 ) from the three samples for different Ra and Γ can be well described by the same function Nu/Nu 0 = N 0 tanh( b /λ 0 )+1 , with N 0 =0.8±0.03 . Here λ 0 ≡ L /(2 Nu 0 ) is the thermal boundary layer thickness for b =0 . Considering the BL fluctuations for Pr >1, one can derive solutions of temperature profiles Θ(z) and Ω(z) near the thermal BL for b $⩾$ 0 . When b =0 , the solutions are equivalent to those reported by Shishkina et al. ( Phys. Rev. Lett. , vol. 114, 2015, 114302) and Wang et al. ( Phys. Rev. Fluids , vol. 1, 2016, 082301(R)), respectively, for no-slip plates. For b >0, the derived solutions are in excellent agreement with our DNS data for slippery plates.
A typographical error contained in Quick et al. (2016) indicates the incorrect units for the value of the combined quantity (roh(exp. 3)o) that is the basis of Figs. 5, 6, and 7, and Tables 2 and 3. Using the values of ro and ho provided in Table 2, it can easily be shown that the combined quantity is correctly stated as roh(exp. 3)o =0.617 km(exp. 4). As correctly stated in Quick et al. (2016), the combined quantity of (roh(exp. 3)o) determines the family of curves shown in Fig. 5. The derivation of this relationship is shown below for completeness. Note that all results as reported in Quick et al. (2016) remained unchanged.
The Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS) mission was designed to study hurricane intensification by measuring wind speeds in tropical cyclones. However, the delay-Doppler maps (DDM) that are produced can be used to estimate the sea surface height (SSH) at the specular reflection point on the ocean surface. Proofof-concept studies that DDMs are suitable to solve for SSH have been recently reported (Clarizia et al., 2016; Mashburn et al., 2018), based on data acquired by the demonstration satellite experiment Tech Demo Sat - 1 (TDS-1) carrying a GNSS-R receiver similar to the ones onboard CYGNSS. Although the precision of each 1sec averaged SSH is considerably lower than that of the existing satellite altimeters, by virtue of the dense coverage and frequent revisit time exhibited by the constellation of 8 microsats, the error may be smoothed down considerably by optimal interpolation (Li et al., 2016). Hence the CYGNSS dataset presents a potential opportunity to sample the tropical oceans, and investigate the sensitivity of the SSH measurements to mesoscale eddies. Our objective is to analyze the CYGNSS data and test a suite of retrieval algorithms, including that of Mashburn et al., 2018 to obtain SSH, to understand the error sources and possible corrections when available. Because of the limited antenna gain of the CYGNSS instrument, the power SNR for general wind conditions is expected to be too low to accurately track the reflection point contribution, resulting in altimetry errors of the order of several meters. Other significant error sources are the CYGNSS satellites orbit knowledge, the ionosphere, the troposphere, the mean sea surface and the tides; some of these errors can be reduced by using models. The corrected SSH data will be assimilated into the ROMS high-resolution ocean model to investigate their ability to reproduce mesoscale eddies in the tropical oceans.
This report details the activities of the Oregon State University Industrial Assessment Center, funded by the US DOE for the period of 2016-2021.
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) promotes the production of advanced liquid transportation fuels from lignocellulosic biomass by funding fundamental and applied research that advances the state of technology (SOT). As part of its involvement with this mission, Idaho National Laboratory (INL) completes an annual SOT report for biomass feedstock logistics. This report summarizes supply system impacts of Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO)-funded research and development efforts at INL and elsewhere (such as the High-Tonnage Feedstock Logistics projects (Webb et al. 2013a, Webb et al. 2013b, Webb et al. 2013c, Webb and Sokhansanj 2014, Sokhansanj et al. 2014) that lead to improvements in feedstock supply systems. These include improvements to and observed performance of innovative harvest and collection methods, storage technologies, transportation and handling approaches, and advanced preprocessing technologies. Biomass quality and variability, and the interface between feedstock quality and conversion performance are key drivers in addition to delivered feedstock cost. In this report, we estimate the benefits of R&D improvements to individual supply system unit operations, and present the status of feedstock logistics technology development for converting biomass into biofuels. These analyses are supported by experimental data where possible, and help to align the SOT relative to the cost goals defined in the Multi-Year Program Plan. The 2018 Herbaceous SOT aligned feedstock logistic design with current biorefinery’s design capacity utilized by biochemical conversion platform. Currently biochemical conversion platform utilizes a 725,000 dry ton/year biorefiney design for the techno economic analysis. Hence, feedstock delivered cost in the 2018 Herbaceous SOT is calculated based on biorefinery’s 725,000 dry ton design capacity instead of 800, 000 dry ton capacity utilized in the 2017 Herbaceous SOT. Biomass availabilities in this SOT were updated to year 2018 data from the 2016 Billion-Ton Report (BT16) (DOE 2016a), with the exception of switchgrass, for which the 2018 Herbaceous SOT utilized the 2019 switchgrass availability data from BT16. The BT16 report (DOE 2016a) does not project switchgrass availability in 2018; the soonest switchgrass is available in the BT16 report is 2019. Therefore, availability of switchgrass for this analysis was that projected for 2019. The 2018 Herbaceous SOT incorporates same technologies utilized in the 2017 Herbaceous SOT. However, a sensitivity analysis is performed to understand the impact of variation of process parameters on those technologies on feedstock logistic cost. New R&D data that shows the variations of process parameters affecting process performance is incorporated in the 2018 SOT to measure the variations in delivered feedstock cost. The 2018 Herbaceous SOT has also provided projected delivered feedstock of 2022 design case based on near term technical target under BETO funded R&D project. Finally, updated biorefinery size of 725,000 dry ton/year was incorporated within least-cost formulation model to select optimal siting and depot scales during optimization of the least cost blend. This modification to the optimization algorithm allows the trade-off between the cost of increased supply radius and the savings from selecting biomass from higher producing counties to be assessed. Such optimization has also showed the economic benefit of decentralized depots in comparison to centralized preprocessing co-located with the biorefinery by decoupling the biorefinery and feedstock locations. The 2018 Herbaceous SOT report documents the current modeled cost of a herbaceous feedstock supply system (from harvest to the pretreatment reactor throat, including grower payment) for hydrocarbon fuel production via biochemical conversion, based on equipment and processes now available or potentially available in the near term. The modeled cost also considers both the required quality and the availability of the biomass resources. The 2018 Herbaceous SOT predicts a modeled delivered feedstock cost of $83.67/dry ton (2016$); this is a $0.23/dry ton (2016$) decrease from the 2017 Herbaceous SOT. The modification of biorefinery’s designed capacity and increased projected biomass availability in the same supply shed contributed to this modeled cost reduction. The least-cost formulation model to optimally site and scale local distributed preprocessing depots also contributed to the cost reduction by considering county-level grower payment and distance from the biorefinery as variables in the optimization algorithm. Sensitivity analysis on various process parameters that affect delivered feedstock cost in the 2018 Herbaceous SOT shows that the delivered cost could varies from $80.45-$88.83/dry ton. The top factors that causes such variations are: effective baling rate, bale density, hammer mill throughput, interest rate and storage dry matter loss.
Abstract Background Dengue fever is a mosquito-borne infection transmitted by Aedes aegypti and mainly found in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide. Since its re-introduction in 1986, Brazil has become a hotspot for dengue and has experienced yearly epidemics. As a notifiable infectious disease, Brazil uses a passive epidemiological surveillance system to collect and report cases; however, dengue burden is underestimated. Thus, Internet data streams may complement surveillance activities by providing real-time information in the face of reporting lags. Methods We analyzed 19 terms related to dengue using Google Health Trends (GHT), a free-Internet data-source, and compared it with weekly dengue incidence between 2011 to 2016. We correlated GHT data with dengue incidence at the national and state-level for Brazil while using the adjusted R squared statistic as primary outcome measure (0/1). We used survey data on Internet access and variables from the official census of 2010 to identify where GHT could be useful in tracking dengue dynamics. Finally, we used a standardized volatility index on dengue incidence and developed models with different variables with the same objective. Results From the 19 terms explored with GHT, only seven were able to consistently track dengue. From the 27 states, only 12 reported an adjusted R squared higher than 0.8; these states were distributed mainly in the Northeast, Southeast, and South of Brazil. The usefulness of GHT was explained by the logarithm of the number of Internet users in the last 3 months, the total population per state, and the standardized volatility index. Conclusions The potential contribution of GHT in complementing traditional established surveillance strategies should be analyzed in the context of geographical resolutions smaller than countries. For Brazil, GHT implementation should be analyzed in a case-by-case basis. State variables including total population, Internet usage in the last 3 months, and the standardized volatility index could serve as indicators determining when GHT could complement dengue state level surveillance in other countries.
The NASA Astrophysics Division's 30-Year Roadmap prioritized a future large-aperture space telescope operating in the ultra-violet/optical/infrared wavelength regime. The Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy envisioned a similar observatory, the High Definition Space Telescope. And a multi-institution group also studied the Advanced Technology Large Aperture Space Telescope. In all three cases, a broad science case is outlined, combining general astrophysics with the search for biosignatures via direct-imaging and spectroscopic characterization of habitable exoplanets. We present an initial technology assessment that enables such an observatory that is currently being studied for the 2020 Decadal Survey by the Large UV/Optical/Infrared (LUVOIR) surveyor Science and Technology Definition Team. We present here the technology prioritization for the 2016 technology cycle and define the required technology capabilities and current state-of-the-art performance. Current, planned, and recommended technology development efforts are also reported.
The NASA Astrophysics Divisions 30-Year Roadmap prioritized a future large-aperture space telescope operating in the ultra-violet-optical-infrared wavelength regime. The Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy envisioned a similar observatory, the High Definition Space Telescope. And a multi-institution group also studied the Advanced Technology Large Aperture Space Telescope. In all three cases, a broad science case is outlined, combining general astrophysics with the search for bio-signatures via direct-imaging and spectroscopic characterization of habitable exo-planets. We present an initial technology assessment that enables such an observatory that is currently being studied for the 2020 Decadal Survey by the Large UV-Optical Infrared (LUVOIR) surveyor Science and Technology Definition Team. We present here the technology prioritization for the 2016 technology cycle and define the required technology capabilities and current state-of-the-art performance. Current, planned, and recommended technology development efforts are also reported.
Evidence of the production of two Z bosons and a photon in proton-proton collisions is reported for the first time in CMS. The analysis uses data collected by the CMS experiment between 2016 and 2018 at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb - 1 . Evidence for the process p p → Z Z γ → 4 ℓ γ ( ℓ = e , μ ), with an observed (expected) significance of 3.7 (3.1) standard deviations in a fiducial region defined by p T γ > 20 GeV , | η γ | < 2.4 , Δ R ( ℓ , γ ) > 0.5 , m Z between 60 and 120 GeV, and the invariant mass of either of the two Z bosons combined with the photon ( m Z γ ) larger than 100 GeV, is reported. The measured (predicted) fiducial cross section is 60 - 22 + 27 ab ( 47.56 ± 0.04 ab ). Additionally, the inclusive production of p p → 4 ℓ γ is studied by removing the m Z γ requirement to include final state radiation where one Z boson decays to 2 ℓ γ , yielding an observed (expected) significance of 5.0 (4.2) standard deviations and a measured (predicted) fiducial cross section of 156 - 35 + 39 ab ( 99.97 ± 0.09 ab ).
Each year the U.S. Department of Energy Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) assesses progress in their research and development efforts toward sustainable production of renewable fuels (DOE 2016) through the annual state of technology (SOT) assessment. The SOT assessment evaluates the impact of the year’s research progress on the modeled minimum fuel selling price (MFSP) for selected biofuel conversion pathways and measures the current state of the technology relative to defined goal case projections. Supply chain sustainability analysis to track and guide research toward improved greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, energy usage, water usage and other environmental metrics for the pathway is performed by Argonne National Laboratory (Cai et al. 2018, 2020). Technical and cost targets for a projected goal case set for the year 2022 were previously established for the wet waste hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) and biocrude upgrading pathway and summarized in a design report (Snowden-Swan et al. 2017). Process performance advancements made for HTL and biocrude hydrotreating have resulted yearly reductions in the modeled MFSP relative to the initial SOT (2018) (Snowden-Swan et al. 2020, 2021). This report summarizes the research and associated techno-economic analysis (TEA) for the pathway 2021 SOT. Methods and economic assumptions for the nth plant analysis used for the TEA are consistent with the design report (Snowden-Swan et al. 2017), with the exception of updates in the modeled cost year (2016) and income tax rate (21%).
A measurement of the dijet production cross section is reported based on proton–proton collision data collected in 2016 at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV by the CMS experiment at the CERN LHC, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of up to 36.3 fb –1 . Jets are reconstructed with the anti-$k$ T algorithm for distance parameters of R = 0.4 and 0.8. Cross sections are measured double-differentially (2D) as a function of the largest absolute rapidity |y| max of the two jets with the highest transverse momenta $p$ T and their invariant mass $m$ 1,2 , and triple-differentially (3D) as a function of the rapidity separation $y$*, the total boost $y$ b , and either $m$ 1,2 or the average $p$ T of the two jets. The cross sections are unfolded to correct for detector effects and are compared with fixed-order calculations derived at next-to-next-to-leading order in perturbative quantum chromodynamics. The impact of the measurements on the parton distribution functions and the strong coupling constant at the mass of the Z boson is investigated, yielding a value of $α$ S ($m$ Z ) = 0.1179 ± 0.0019.
The DOE Technologist in Residence (TIR) program pairs a senior technical staff member from a National Laboratory (Lab Technologist), and a senior technical staff member(s) from a clean energy manufacturing company or consortium of companies (Industry Technologist). Each technologist may represent single or multiple national laboratories, or single or multiple companies. These pairs of Lab and industry technologists work together for a period of 18 to 24 months to accomplish several goals: 1) Identify the participating company’s (or companies’) technical priorities and challenges, and the resources and capabilities in DOE’s National Laboratories that may be highly suitable to address them; 2) Propose collaborative R&D efforts to develop science-based solutions to the company’s (or companies’) most strategic scientific, technological, and business issues; and 3) Develop a general framework agreement and begin developing specific scopes of work for the proposed collaborative R&D efforts. The proposed R&D will then take place outside of the program and will not use TIR program funds. Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and Pioneer Natural Resources were awarded a TIR project by DOE in late 2016 and the CRADA component of the project was initiated in 2017. This report describes work performed under the CRADA agreement between 2017 and 2020.
NASA has funded a project called the Hunt for Observable Signatures of Terrestrial Systems (HOSTS) to survey nearby solar type stars to determine the amount of warm zodiacal dust in their habitable zones. The goal is not only to determine the luminosity distribution function but also to know which individual stars have the least amount of zodiacal dust. It is important to have this information for future missions that directly image exoplanets as this dust is the main source of astrophysical noise for them. The HOSTS project utilizes the Large Binocular Telescope Interferometer (LBTI), which consists of two 8.4-m apertures separated by a 14.4-m baseline on Mt. Graham, Arizona. The LBTI operates in a nulling mode in the mid-infrared spectral window (8-13 micrometers), in which light from the two telescopes is coherently combined with a 180 degree phase shift between them, producing a dark fringe at the location of the target star. In doing so the starlight is greatly reduced, increasing the contrast, analogous to a coronagraph operating at shorter wavelengths. The LBTI is a unique instrument, having only three warm reflections before the starlight reaches cold mirrors, giving it the best photometric sensitivity of any interferometer operating in the mid-infrared. It also has a superb Adaptive Optics (AO) system giving it Strehl ratios greater than 98% at 10 micrometers. In 2014 into early 2015 LBTI was undergoing commissioning. The HOSTS. project team passed its Operational Readiness Review (ORR) in April 2015. The team recently published papers on the target sample, modeling of the nulled disk images, and initial results such as the detection of warm dust around eta Corvi. Recently a paper was published on the data pipeline and on-sky performance. An additional paper is in preparation on Beta Leo. We will discuss the scientific and programmatic context for the LBTI project, and we will report recent progress, new results, and plans for the science verification phase that started in February 2016, and for the survey.