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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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Materials on the International Space Station - Forward Technology Solar Cell Experiment

This paper describes a space solar cell experiment currently being built by the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) in collaboration with NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC), and the US Naval Academy (USNA). The experiment has been named the Forward Technology Solar Cell Experiment (FTSCE), and the purpose is to rapidly put current and future generation space solar cells on orbit and provide validation data for these technologies. The FTSCE is being fielded in response to recent on-orbit and ground test anomalies associated with space solar arrays that have raised concern over the survivability of new solar technologies in the space environment and the validity of present ground test protocols. The FTSCE is being built as part of the Fifth Materials on the International Space Station (MISSE) Experiment (MISSE-5), which is a NASA program to characterize the performance of new prospective spacecraft materials when subjected to the synergistic effects of the space environment. Telemetry, command, control, and communication (TNC) for the FTSCE will be achieved through the Amateur Satellite Service using the PCSat2 system, which is an Amateur Radio system designed and built by the USNA. In addition to providing an off-the-shelf solution for FTSCE TNC, PCSat2 will provide a communications node for the Amateur Radio satellite system. The FTSCE and PCSat2 will be housed within the passive experiment container (PEC), which is an approximately 2ft x2ft x 4in metal container built by NASA Langley Research Center (NASA LaRC) as part of the MISSE-5 program. NASA LaRC has also supplied a thin film materials experiment that will fly on the exterior of the thermal blanket covering the PCSat2. The PEC is planned to be transported to the ISS on a Shuttle flight. The PEC will be mounted on the exterior of the ISS by an astronaut during an extravehicular activity (EVA). After nominally one year, the PEC will be retrieved and returned to Earth. At the time of writing this paper, the subsystems of the experiment are being integrated at NRL, and we are preparing to commence environmental testing.

Walters, R. J.↗

Georgia Energy III Project Summary - Identifying Habitat and Solar Site Conflict in Georgia by Developing an Environmental Sensitivity Public Mapping Too

The rapid expansion of the solar industry across the state of Georgia has a detrimental effect on the habitats of keystone and threatened species, such as the gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) and the American black bear (Ursus americanus). NASA DEVELOP collaborated with the Georgia Chapter of The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources to continue the research from two previous NASA DEVELOP projects in 2017. The team worked to assess the conflict between solar suitability and environmentally sensitive areas with the Land-Use Conflict Identification Strategy (LUCIS) and to determine how conflict has changed since the 2017 analysis. The project utilized Terra/Aqua Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) satellite data and other ancillary datasets to conduct and compare a general statewide LUCIS analysis from 2017 to 2019 and to complete an in-depth LUCIS analysis of Georgia’s fastest-growing solar counties—Taylor, Twiggs, Decatur, and Brooks. The analysis indicated that between 2017 and 2019, the entire state saw high conflict areas increase by 38%. Project partners will use these findings to target areas for promotion of conservation policy and education efforts. The team also provided the TNC with a publicly available web application, called the Environmental Sensitivity Mapping Tool (ESMT), that can be updated as new data are released. The ESMT will be used to educate interest groups, such as solar developers and conservationists, to help them recognize and mitigate the negative effects of solar development on the environment.

DEVELOP Project Summary↗

Colorado Eastern Plains Agriculture: Rangeland Monitoring to Inform Grazing Management in Eastern Colorado

Adaptive management on cattle ranches requires rangeland managers to decide the location and duration of the cattle grazing activity across different pastures. Biodiversity, forage availability, and cattle health are all affected by rangeland management. Virtual fencing is a tool that rangeland managers can use to potentially increase biodiversity and improve ranching operations. NASA DEVELOP and Colorado State University (CSU) collaborated with the Nature Conservancy (TNC), and Red Top Ranch to demonstrate the efficacy of virtual fencing. We sought to identify annual and monthly biomass patterns on the ranch through the creation of monthly max biomass productivity maps. We utilized a dataset from the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) to calculate biomass on the ranch. To validate our remotely-sensed results, we compared model-predicted biomass values to field-collected biomass clipping data and an additional biomass dataset from the Rangeland Analysis Platform (RAP). We used satellite imagery from Landsat 5 Thematic Mapper (TM), Landsat 7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+), Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager (OLI), Landsat 9 –OLI-2, and Sentinel-2 MultiSpectral Instrument (MSI) for 2021 and 2022. We found that there was heterogeneity in biomass across the ranch, with higher biomass on the western side. The highest peak of biomass was in the summer months, with a smaller peak in mid-September. The ARS biomass dataset had a significant relationship with RAP for 2021. ARS biomass did not have a significant relationship with the biomass field data collected in 2022. The results of our study are aimed to support rotation management, ranch production, biodiversity, and conservation management.

cattle↗

FATE: The drifting Fish Aggregating Device (dFAD) TrajEctory Modeling Tool for Marine Protected Area Management

Drifting fish aggregating devices (dFADs) routinely enter marine protected areas (MPAs) and may undermine MPA protections by drifting out of the MPA with the aggregated fish biomass, or grounding and damaging sensitive coral reef habitats. MPA managers must decide whether to deploy resources in response to dFAD intrusions. To address this issue, we propose to quantify dFAD activity in relation to ocean currents, fish biomass, and animal telemetry at Palmyra Atoll, part of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument in the central Pacific Ocean. Specifically, we propose to develop the dFAD TrajEctory Tool (FATE). FATE is an innovative decision support tool that will use NASA observations and numerical models to predict future dFAD trajectories and inform TNC and USFWS whether they should deploy tactical resources (boats, personnel) to monitor, intercept, or retrieve dFADs that have entered the Refuge. The objectives are to use NASA observational constraints on ocean winds and currents to assist with the ecological management of the Palmyra Atoll NWR and MPA. Specifically, we will deliver an operational software tool that quantifies the grounding risk associated with each tracked dFAD and decision support for grounding risk mitigation via intercept at sea. This project addresses Element 3.3: Protected area management of the 2022 Ecological Conservation Solicitation by developing a tool needed by MPA managers to make tactical and strategic decisions focused on improving the effectiveness of MPAs. By quantifying the riskof dFADs, this project will help monitor and better inform the deployment of tactical (ships/personnel) and strategic (legislative) resources to better manage MPAs. This project is a collaboration between The Nature Conservancy, who operate long-term projects within the Palmyra MPA, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, who have the authority to make decisions related to its management. We expect that the results of our proposal will benefit marine resources within the Palmyra MPA and could be transferred to other remote MPAs within the US and other island nations within the Pacific Ocean.

TrajEctory↗

Hawaiʻi Urban Development: Mapping Urban Infrastructure and Linkages to Wastewater Impacts across Hawaiʻi

Coastal ecosystems and human health across the Hawaiʻian islands are under threat from cesspools and other unpermitted wastewater infrastructure. Cesspools, or home sewage systems that hold wastewater effluent in porous concrete containers underground, discharge raw, untreated sewage directly into waterways. In fact, it is estimated that approximately 88,000 cesspools release 55 million gallons of raw sewage into Hawaiʻi’s waterways each day. Our partners, The Nature Conservancy, Hawaiʻi Regional Office (TNC) and University of Hawaiʻi, Mānoa (UHM), are heavily involved with the implementation and impact of Act 125, which was passed in 2017 by Hawaiʻi State Legislature to help combat these effects. This requires the conversion of cesspools to be upgraded and either converted to approved onsite disposal systems or connected to a sewer system so that the wastewater may be treated and to avoid leaching into the groundwater. Thus, identifying and locating cesspool and other unpermitted wastewater infrastructure is key to state and partner goals. Utilizing NASA Earth observations including Landsat 7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+), Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager (OLI), and Landsat 9 OLI-2 imagery, as well as pre-classified Sentinel-2 Multispectral Instrument (MSI) imagery in Esri’s Living Atlas, our team showcased the various perspectives that wastewater pollution research can use to assist in identifying and tracking urban development and concrete condition. This process was demonstrated by utilizing supervised object-based classification models, calculating various urban indices, and finding building size estimates to calculate effluent levels. Additionally, providing our partners with a GIS Methodology that can be built on to reach their future needs.

urban classification↗