URC assessment method publication - Supplementary files
Supplementary files associated with the Unconventional Rare earth and Critical minerals (URC) Resource Assessment method publication (Link/DOI to publication TBD).
Critical Minerals↗
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URC Assessment Method
This tool evaluates the potential occurrence of URC resources using a series of validated heuristics as outlined in "Creason, C.G., Justman, D., Rose, K. et al. A Geo-Data Science Method for Assessing Unconventional Rare-Earth Element Resources in Sedimentary Systems. Nat Resour Res (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11053-023-10163-x"
Critical Minerals↗
NASA University Research Centers Technical Advances in Aeronautics, Space Sciences and Technology, Earth Systems Sciences, Global Hydrology, and Education
This volume chronicles the proceedings of the 1998 NASA University Research Centers Technical Conference (URC-TC '98), held on February 22-25, 1998, in Huntsville, Alabama. The University Research Centers (URCS) are multidisciplinary research units established by NASA at 11 Historically Black Colleges or Universities (HBCU's) and 3 Other Minority Universities (OMU's) to conduct research work in areas of interest to NASA. The URC Technical Conferences bring together the faculty members and students from the URC's with representatives from other universities, NASA, and the aerospace industry to discuss recent advances in their fields.
T L Coleman↗
Pure Water From a Pure Genius
Ammonium perchlorate is widely used throughout the aerospace, munitions, and pyrotechnics industries as a primary ingredient in solid rocket and missile propellants, fireworks, and explosive charges. This highly soluble salt has tainted soils and water sources all over the world, and is believed to be an endocrine disrupter, adversely affecting the growth patterns of a fetus or a young child. UMPQUA Research Company (URC), once a small drinking water testing laboratory and a research and development contractor for NASA's manned spaceflight applications, has evolved to become a leader in water purification and analysis. With a total of 11 patents issued for new technologies created by URC under NASA SBIR contracts and a 25-year commitment to water recycling, the company clearly possessed the qualifications necessary to tackle the presence of perchlorate in water. An SBIR contract with NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center that concentrated on the stringent water quality requirements of long-term, manned spaceflight was the source for URC's process and catalyst to facilitate the destruction of perchlorate and nitrate in water. URC licensed the rights of its unique reduction reaction process to Calgon Carbon Corporation for use with the company's perchlorate/nitrate remediation process, otherwise known as ISEP(R).
Source record↗
Modeling Needs to Support the Reconstruction Strategy of Ukraine
Ukraine has been facing difficult times. Russia started a full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022, and has caused huge human and infrastructure losses. As a result of the invasion, more than 8 million people left their homes. The Russian army has targeted Ukrainian energy sources, destroying or damaging over 50% of thermal power generation capacity (coal and gas), 30% of solar generation, and 90% of wind generation. The Russians are also threatening Ukrainian energy security, as they currently control the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant – Europe’s largest. In addition, Russia has destroyed 121,000 buildings, including 5,300 multistory buildings - more buildings than Ukraine built during the past five years. The occupiers destroyed or damaged 343 district heat boiler stations (destroyed 12 / damaged 331) and 8 CHPs (destroyed 4/ damaged 4). There is no doubt that Ukraine will be able to protect its sovereignty and restore its territorial integrity; however, this will be a long process. The Government of Ukraine needs to simultaneously focus on many issues, from waging war to the restoration of electricity, water, and heat supply in the territories close to the front line. In addition to these time-sensitive issues, the government also needs to plan a long term multi-sector strategy for the reconstruction of Ukraine’s economy. Ukraine initiated a broad-based political process for recovery at the International Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC 2022) in Lugano, Switzerland. Prior to URC 2022, Ukraine applied for EU membership on February 28 and was granted the status of candidate country by the European Council on June 23, 2022. More than 40 nations are fully committed to supporting Ukraine throughout its path from early to long-term recovery. In addition, these countries link a successful recovery to Ukraine’s European future (URC, 2022a). The reconstruction process will be long. The government also recognizes that it is not enough to build energy infrastructure back – it should be built back better. The government is committed to building a more sustainable and cleaner energy sector. Energy modeling can provide important insights into paths to decarbonize Ukraine’s economy while rebuilding it after the war. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and the Institute for Economics and Forecasting of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (IEF) work on modeling decarbonization scenarios in the energy sector of Ukraine. The teams focus on the heat sector, which includes district heat, autonomous and individual heating, and energy consumption by final energy consumption sectors, including buildings. Since the teams use world-class integrated assessment models, other sectors will be analyzed as well. The purpose of the document is to describe the needs of key Ukrainian ministries in modeling the reconstruction process. The scope of this document is limited to modeling energy consumption by the power and heat sectors, final energy consumption by buildings, and GHG emissions from these two sectors. The rest of this policy memo is organized as follows. After this introduction, Chapter 2 discusses key provisions of the reconstruction strategy with a focus on energy, buildings, heat supply, environment, and European integration aspirations. Section 3 provides an overview of recent developments and key decisions of the Government of Ukraine in the area of energy efficiency and decarbonization. Finally, Section 4 provides key suggestions on how PNNL and IEF can help the Government of Ukraine in developing strategic documents.
29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
Automated Derivation of Complex System Constraints from User Requirements
The Payload Operations Integration Center (POIC) located at the Marshall Space Flight Center has the responsibility of integrating US payload science requirements for the International Space Station (ISS). All payload operations must request ISS system resources so that the resource usage will be included in the ISS on-board execution timelines. The scheduling of resources and building of the timeline is performed using the Consolidated Planning System (CPS). The ISS resources are quite complex due to the large number of components that must be accounted for. The planners at the POIC simplify the process for Payload Developers (PD) by providing the PDs with a application that has the basic functionality PDs need as well as list of simplified resources in the User Requirements Collection (URC) application. The planners maintained a mapping of the URC resources to the CPS resources. The process of manually converting PD's science requirements from a simplified representation to a more complex CPS representation is a time-consuming and tedious process. The goal is to provide a software solution to allow the planners to build a mapping of the complex CPS constraints to the basic URC constraints and automatically convert the PD's requirements into systems requirements during export to CPS.
Foshee, Mark↗
Pterodactyl: An Uncoupled Range Control Approach to Fully Numerical Predictor-Corrector Entry Guidance
Entry, descent, and landing (EDL) has been identified as a core area of investment in NASA's Strategic Technology Investment Plan (NASA STIP). STIP lists the space technologies needed to help achieve NASA's science, technology, and exploration goals across the agency. Within the EDL core area, deployable hypersonic decelerators, also known as deployable entry vehicles (DEVs), have been identified as an area of investment, due to its potential to revolutionize payload delivery methods to Earth and other planets. These vehicles, which can deploy their heat shields or alter their shape before entry, exploit an increased and more effective drag ratio by using less mass than traditional blunt body vehicles with rigid aeroshells. DEVs like Adaptive Deployable Entry and Placement Technology (ADEPT) and Hypersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator (HIAD) have demonstrated the capability of transporting the equivalent science payloads of blunt body rigid aeroshells, while using a significantly smaller diameter when stowed within a launch vehicle. While DEVs' increased energy dissipation for less mass is an attractive feature, their ability to contract and expand would require advancements in the current state-of-the-art guidance and control (G&C) architectures used by traditional rigid vehicles. Pterodactyl, a project funded by NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD), aims to provide feasible integrated G&C solutions for DEVs, complete with optimized vehicle designs and packaging analyses. Structural and aerodynamic analyses for the explored control systems suggested a need for a bank angle guidance algorithm, a heritage guidance approach that has been used in many entry precision targeting vehicles, as well as an additional need for the development of a non-bank angle guidance. For this reason, Pterodactyl will consider four different G&C configurations during its design phase: i) a reaction control system for bank (sigma) control, ii) a mass movement system for angle of attack (alpha) sideslip (beta) control, iii) flaps for alpha - beta control, and iv) flaps for sigma control. To increase the applicability of each proposed integrated G&C architecture, an 11 km/s lunar return demonstration mission is selected to stress the developed technology capability. The Lifting Nano-ADEPT (LNA) vehicle is chosen as the DEV to demonstrate the integrated solutions. This paper will detail the trajectory design for a lunar return mission, using the validated bank control guidance algorithm Fully Numerical Predictor-Corrector Entry Guidance (FNPEG) and a newly developed guidance algorithm: FNPEG Uncoupled Range Control (URC). FNPEG-URC diverges from traditional bank angle guidances by producing alpha and beta commands to thereby decouple downrange and crossrange control. This presentation will discuss the development and overall performance of FNPEG and FNPEG-URC for each of the four G&C configurations. Successful G&C configurations are defined as those that can deliver payloads to the intended descent and landing site while abiding by trajectory constraints in the face of dispersions.
Johnson, Breanna↗
NASA University Research Centers Technical Advances in Education, Aeronautics, Space, Autonomy, Earth and Environment
This first volume of the Autonomous Control Engineering (ACE) Center Press Series on NASA University Research Center's (URC's) Advanced Technologies on Space Exploration and National Service constitute a report on the research papers and presentations delivered by NASA Installations and industry and Report of the NASA's fourteen URC's held at the First National Conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico from February 16-19, 1997.
Jamshidi, M.↗
Microgravity and Hypogravity Compatible Methods for the Destruction of Solid Wastes by Magnetically Assisted Gasification
This report summarizes a three-year collaborative effort between researchers at UMPQUA Research Company (URC) and the Chemical Engineering Department at Oregon State University (OSU). The Magnetically Assisted Gasification (MAG) concept was originally conceived as a microgravity and hypogravity compatible means for the decomposition of solid waste materials generated aboard spacecraft, lunar and planetary habitations, and for the recovery of potentially valuable resources. While a number of methods such as supercritical water oxidation (SCW0), fluidized bed incineration, pyrolysis , composting and related biological processes have been demonstrated for the decomposition of solid wastes, none of these methods are particularly well- suited for employment under microgravity or hypogravity conditions. For example, fluidized bed incineration relies upon a balance between drag forces which the flowing gas stream exerts upon the fluidization particles and the opposing force of gravity. In the absence of gravity, conventional fluidization cannot take place. Hypogravity operation can also be problematic for conventional fluidized bed reactors, because the various factors which govern fluidization phenomena do not all scale linearly with gravity. For this reason it may be difficult to design and test fluidized bed reactors in lg, which are intended to operate under different gravitational conditions. However, fluidization can be achieved in microgravity (and hypogravity) if a suitable replacement force to counteract the forces between fluid and particles can be found. Possible alternatives include: centripetal force, electric fields, or magnetic fields. Of these, magnetic forces created by the action of magnetic fields and magnetic field gradients upon ferromagnetic media offer the most practical approach. The goal of this URC-OSU collaborative effort was to develop magnetic hardware and methods to control the degree of fluidization (or conversely consolidation) of granular ferromagnetic media and to employ these innovations in sequential filtration and fluidized bed processes for the segregation and decomposition of solid waste materials, and for the concentration and collection of inorganic residue (ash). This required the development of numerous enabling technologies and tools.
Atwater, James E.↗
URC/HRC Selection Guidance
Given the importance of the URC and HRC thresholds as part of a physical security program that is designed to protect against radiological sabotage, it is important to provide guidance on how to assign those thresholds consistent with a State’s level of risk tolerance. Without such guidance, most States will be challenged to establish appropriate thresholds or appropriately establish regulations. This document provides guidance on establishing dose limits and where they apply, as well as the timeframe for which the dose limits should be measured. For dose limits, it offers examples of established thresholds based on safety and emergency response thresholds. Whereas, for timeframes, a process to identify possible timeframes is offered.
45 MILITARY TECHNOLOGY, WEAPONRY, AND NATIONAL DEF↗
Development of KSC program for investigating and generating field failure rates. Volume 1: Summary and overview
A summary of the KSC program for investigating the reliability aspects of the ground support activities is presented. An analysis of unsatisfactory condition reports (RC), and the generation of reliability assessment of components based on the URC are discussed along with the design considerations for attaining reliable real time hardware/software configurations.
Bean, E. E.↗
RCOP: Research Center for Optical Physics
During the five years since its inception, Research Center for Optical Physics (RCOP) has excelled in the goals stated in the original proposal: 1) training of the scientists and engineers needed for the twenty-first century with special emphasis on underrepresented citizens and 2) research and technological development in areas of relevance to NASA. In the category of research training, there have been 16 Bachelors degrees and 9 Masters degrees awarded to African American students working in RCOP during the last five years. RCOP has also provided research experience to undergraduate and high school students through a number of outreach programs held during the summer and the academic year. RCOP has also been instrumental in the development of the Ph.D. program in physics which is in its fourth year at Hampton. There are currently over 40 graduate students in the program and 9 African American graduate students, working in RCOP, that have satisfied all of the requirements for Ph.D. candidancy and are working on their dissertation research. At least three of these students will be awarded their doctoral degrees during 1997. RCOP has also excelled in research and technological development. During the first five years of existence, RCOP researchers have generated well over $3 M in research funding that directly supports the Center. Close ties with NASA Langley and NASA Lewis have been established, and collaborations with NASA scientists, URC's and other universities as well as with industry have been developed. This success is evidenced by the rate of publishing research results in refereed journals, which now exceeds that of the goals in the original proposal (approx. 2 publications per faculty per year). Also, two patents have been awarded to RCOP scientists.
Tabibi, Bagher M.↗
Automated Derivation of Complex System Constraints from User Requirements
International Space Station (ISS) payload developers submit their payload science requirements for the development of on-board execution timelines. The ISS systems required to execute the payload science operations must be represented as constraints for the execution timeline. Payload developers use a software application, User Requirements Collection (URC), to submit their requirements by selecting a simplified representation of ISS system constraints. To fully represent the complex ISS systems, the constraints require a level of detail that is beyond the insight of the payload developer. To provide the complex representation of the ISS system constraints, HOSC operations personnel, specifically the Payload Activity Requirements Coordinators (PARC), manually translate the payload developers simplified constraints into detailed ISS system constraints used for scheduling the payload activities in the Consolidated Planning System (CPS). This paper describes the implementation for a software application, User Requirements Integration (URI), developed to automate the manual ISS constraint translation process.
Muery, Kim↗
Pterodactyl: The Development and Performance of Guidance Algorithms for a Mechanically Deployed Entry Vehicle
Pterodactyl is a NASA Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) project focused on developing a design capability for optimal, scalable, Guidance and Control (G&C) solutions that enable precision targeting for Deployable Entry Vehicles (DEVs). This feasibility study is unique in that it focuses on the rapid integration of targeting performance analysis with structural & packaging analysis, which is especially challenging for new vehicle and mission designs. This paper will detail the guidance development and trajectory design process for a lunar return mission, selected to stress the vehicle designs and encourage future scalability. For the five G&C configurations considered, the Fully Numerical Predictor-Corrector Entry Guidance (FNPEG) was selected for configurations requiring bank angle guidance and FNPEG with Uncoupled Range Control (URC) was developed for configurations requiring angle of attack and sideslip angle guidance. Successful G&C configurations are defined as those that can deliver payloads to the intended descent and landing initiation point, while abiding by trajectory constraints for nominal and dispersed trajectories.
Johnson, Breanna J.↗
Pterodactyl: Guidance and Control of a Symmetric Deployable Entry Vehicle using an Aerodynamic Control System
The NASA-funded Pterodactyl project seeks to advance the current state-of-the-art for entry vehicles by developing novel guidance and control technologies for Deployable Entry Vehicles (DEVs). This paper presents the guidance and control design and analysis for a mechanically-deployed DEV with a symmetric aeroshell and aerodynamic control surfaces. We present guidance tuning using both bank angle modulation with the Fully-Numerical Predictor Corrector Entry Guidance technique (FNPEG) and angle of attack and sideslip modulation with FNPEG with uncoupled range control (FNPEG URC). We show the control system design and simulation results for tracking both types of guidance commands.
Benjamin W L Margolis↗
Pterodactyl: Guidance and Control of a Symmetric Deployable Entry Vehicle using an Aerodynamic Control System
The NASA-funded Pterodactyl project seeks to advance the current state-of-the-art for entry vehicles by developing novel guidance and control technologies for Deployable Entry Vehicles (DEVs). This paper presents the guidance and control design and analysis for a mechanically-deployed DEV with a symmetric aeroshell and aerodynamic control surfaces. We present guidance tuning using both bank angle modulation with the Fully-Numerical Predictor Corrector Entry Guidance technique (FNPEG) and angle of attack and sideslip modulation with FNPEG with uncoupled range control (FNPEG URC). We show the control system design and simulation results for tracking both types of guidance commands.
Benjamin Margolis↗
Pterodactyl: Coupled 6-Dof Integration of Guidance and Control Algorithms in Genesis
The NASA-funded Pterodactyl project seeks to advance the current state-of-the-art for entry vehicles by developing novel guidance and control technologies for Deployable Entry Vehicles (DEVs). This paper builds upon the Pterodactyl architecture that employed eight individually articulating flaps with two options for guidance, bank angle modulation with the Fully Numerical Predictor Corrector Entry Guidance technique (FNPEG) and angle of attack and sideslip modulation with FNPEG uncoupled range control (FNPEG URC). These, with a linear quadratic regulator (LQR) controller, had previously been presented in uncoupled 3-DOF trajectories. This work will show results from fully coupled 6-DOF simulations, leveraging recent advancements in trajectory simulation software, namely the Julia-based Genesis package. Preliminary results show good performance for angle of attack and sideslip modulation when using a controller designed at high dynamic pressure conditions.
range targeting↗
A Multi-scale, Geo-data Science Method for Assessing Unconventional Critical Mineral Resources
Critical minerals (CM) supply raw materials that constitute many of our essential infrastructure, defense, technology, and electrification needs. Currently, production and refinement of these materials from conventional sources is limited to few regions globally, which makes supply of these resources particularly venerable to disruption. To help overcome these risks and meet growing demand, attention has focused on identifying and developing resource potential of unconventional geologic CM sources, such as rare-earth elements in sedimentary systems. However, the unconventional nature of these types of sources means they are often poorly characterized and/or under-explored with respect to conventional counterparts. We present a regional case study for an Unconventional Rare-earth and Critical minerals (URC) assessment method for predicting and identifying REE resource potential and occurrence in unconventional systems in the Central Appalachian Basin (CAB). The method utilizes a geologic and geospatial data-driven approach, informed and guided by knowledge of REE enrichment processes, to systematically predict and identify areas of higher enrichment. Results from the test case indicate locations with potential for different types of coal-REE deposits, demonstrating its utility for reducing the area of exploration and identifying sites for more detailed investigation. Building upon the regional scale assessment capability, ongoing science-based enhancements to the method will allow for finer-scale (e.g., mine-scale) predictions required to support technical and economic assessments.
Creason, Christopher↗