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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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11 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1994

Identification of Methanotrophic Biomarker Lipids in the Symbiont-Containing Gills of Seep Mussels

Mussels collected from hydrocarbon seeps in the Gulf of Mexico grow with methane as sole carbon and energy source due to a symbiotic association with methane-oxidizing bacteria. Transmission electron micrographs of mussel gills show cells with stacked intracytoplasmic membranes similar to type I methanotrophic bacteria. Methanotrophs are known to synthesize several types of cyclic triterpenes, hopanoids and methyl sterols, as well as unique monounsaturated fatty acid, double bond positional isomers that serve as biomarkers for this group. Lipid analysis of dissected mussels demonstrated the presence of these biomarkers predominantly in the gill tissue with much smaller amounts in mantle and remaining body tissues. Gill tissue contained 1150 micrograms/g dry wt. of hopanepolyol derivatives and diplopterol while the mantle tissue contained only 17 micrograms/g. The C16 monounsaturated fatty acids (16:1) characteristic of type I methanotrophic membranes dominated the gill tissue making up 53% of the total while only 5% 16:1 was present in the mantle tissue. The methyl sterol distribution was more dispersed. The predominant sterol in all tissues was cholesterol with lesser amounts of other desmethyl and 4-methyl sterols. The gill and mantle tissues contained 3461 micrograms (17% methyl) and 2750 micrograms (5% methyl) sterol per gm dry wt., respectively. Methyl sterol accounted for 44% of the sterol esters isolated from the gill, suggesting active demethylation of the methanotrophic sterols in this tissue. The use of lipid biomarkers could provide an effective means for identifying host-symbiont relationships.

Jahnke, L. L.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Identification of Methanotrophic Lipid Biomarkers in Cold-Seep Mussel Gills: Chemical and Isotopic Analysis

A lipid analysis of the tissues of a cold-seep mytilid mussel collected from the Louisiana slope of the Gulf of Mexico was used in conjunction with a compound-specific isotope analysis to demonstrate the presence of methanotrophic symbionts in the mussel gill tissue and to demonstrate the host's dependence on bacterially synthesized metabolic intermediates. The gill tissue contained large amounts of group-specific methanotrophic biomarkers, bacteriohopanoids, 4-methylsterols, lipopolysaccharide-associated hydroxy fatty acids, and type I-specific 16:1 fatty acid isomers with bond positions at delta-8, delta-10, and delta-ll. Only small amounts of these compounds were detected in the mantle or other tissues of the host animal. A variety of cholesterol and 4-methylsterol isomers were identified as both free and steryl esters, and the sterol double bond positions suggested that the major bacterially derived gill sterol(11.0% 4(alpha)-methyl-cholesta-8(14), 24-dien-3(beta)-ol) was converted to host cholesterol (64.2% of the gill sterol was cholest-5-en-3(beta)-ol). The stable carbon isotope values for gill and mantle preparations were, respectively, -59.0 and -60.4 per thousand for total tissue, -60.6 and -62.4 per thousand for total lipids, -60.2 and -63.9 per thousand for phospholipid fatty acids, and -71.8 and -73.8 per thousand for sterols. These stable carbon isotope values revealed that the relative fractionation pattern was similar to the patterns obtained in pure culture experiments with methanotrophic bacteria further supporting the conversion of the bacterial methyl-sterol pool.

Jahnke, Linda L.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Mussel Glue

A mytilus edilus, a common blue ocean mussel is attaching itself to the underside of a wet glass in a laboratory. It secretes a glue like substance in the form of multiple threads which attach to surfaces such as shells, rocks, piers and ships. This natural super glue hardens within minutes and tightly affixes to its selected platform even in the roughest seas. Its superior adhesive properties suggest many practical applications. One company, Bio-Polymers, Inc., has developed a synthetic mussel glue for the commercial market.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1996

STS-77 Flight Day 6

On this sixth day of the STS-77 mission, the flight crew, Cmdr. John H. Casper, Pilot Curtis L. Brown, Jr., and Mission Specialists Andrew S.W. Thomas, Ph.D., Daniel W. Bursch, Mario Runco, Jr., and Marc Garneau, Ph.D., spend some time relaxing, then go back to working in the Spacehab module and preparing to revisit a small cylindrical satellite that they deployed on the mission's third day. Commander John Casper and Pilot Curt Brown monitor Endeavour's systems. Mission Specialist Mario Runco tests an attitude determination system using the GPS attitude and navigation experiment called GANE. The remaining crew members, Mission Specialists Andy Thomas, Dan Bursch and Marc Garneau monitor the health of experiments ongoing in the Spacehab and on the middeck of the orbiter. The crew also conduct a health check of the Aquatic Research Facility (ARF) which contains starfish, mussels and sea urchins.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1996

STS-77 Flight Day 5

On this fifth day of the STS-77 mission, the flight crew, Cmdr. John H. Casper, Pilot Curtis L. Brown, Jr., and Mission Specialists Andrew S.W. Thomas, Ph.D., Daniel W. Bursch, Mario Runco, Jr., and Marc Garneau, Ph.D., spend the first half of their workday assisting payload controllers with investigations into materials processing of samples and the growth of crystals. The progress of starfish and mussel development in a spaceborne aquarium in the Spacehab module in the Shuttle's cargo bay is seen. The crew then move off in different directions to support work with many of the experiments that make up the fourth mission of the Spacehab pressurized module. Endeavour is about 64 miles away from the Passive Aerodynamically Stabilized Magnetically Damped Satellite-Satellite Test Unit, or PAMS-STU, which was deployed from a canister in the payload bay on day four. Since mission day five coincided with Memorial Day , the crew started the 'Indy 500' from earth orbit.

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NASA NTRS2005

Overview of Biomineralization and Nanobacteria

Biomineralization is a frequently used term in nanotechnology, astrobiology, geology, and medicine. In the process of biomineralization, a living organism provides a chemical environment that controls the nucleation and growth of unique mineral phases. Often these materials exhibit hierarchical structural order, leading to superior physical properties, not found either in their inorganic counterparts or in synthetic materials. Biomineralization is widespread in the biosphere and hundreds of different minerals are produced or assisted by a variety of organisms from bacteria to humans. Teeth, bones, kidney stones, and skeletons of algae, mussels, and magnetotactic bacteria are all examples of biomineralization. We do not fully understand the control mechanism of biomineralization either in primitive or in developed organisms. The presence of organic molecules, among other characteristics, can influence the coherence length for X-ray scattering in biogenic crystals. Control over biomineral properties can be accomplished at a myriad of levels, including the regulation of particle size, shape, crystal orientation, polymorphic structure, defect texture, and particle assembly. In the latter case, cellular processes enable control in both the spatial and temporal domain in such a way that hierarchical composite structures can be built which increase the toughness and durability of the material, which is invaluable for load-bearing materials such as bones, teeth, mollusk shells, etc. Durability of biominerals produces remarkably preserved bacterial and cyanobacterial microfossils from billions of years-old samples. The differentiation between microfossils and nonbiogenic artifacts has been a lively discussion subject in astrobiology especially in the last decade. Clearly, more detailed information on the mechanism of biomineralization, and the effect of organic matter on crystal formation/fossilization would help focus such discussions.

Ciftcioglu, N.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Boiling oxygen experimental studies in an electrically heated tube

An experimental study was made of subcooled flow boiling with LOX; data were obtained with thermocouples attached to the walls of an electrically heated tube through which the LOX flowed. Pressure levels in the tube ranged from 200 psia to supercritical values, and the cooling level varied from the saturated condition to 50 F. Reynolds numbers ranged from 1.5 x 10 to 3.5 x 10 to the 5th. Results show that an increase in either pressure, subcooling level, or Reynolds number produces an increase in the film boiling heat transfer coefficient. Data for this range of parameters were found to correlate in terms of the Stanton number vs (T sub w - T sub s)/(T sub s - T sub b), where T is temperature, w is the wall, s is the saturated condition, and b is the bulk.

Peroulias, C.↗