NASA Technical Memorandum 104 745

JSC Director's Discretionary Fund

Program

1991 Annual Report

Compiled by

New Initiatives Office

Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center

Houston, Texas

November 1991

Preface

The ability of the JSC Director's Discretionary Fund (DDF) to effectively support research

projects at the Johnson Space Center (JSC) was enhanced by the early distribution of project

funding from NASA Headquarters. Those research projects are described in this report, which

will demonstrate the benefits gained from building a bridge between research and engineering.

In addition, assigning individual projects to teams of both young and experienced engineers

provided an opportunity for motivation and training. The $1,540,00 funding for FY91 was

distributed among 29 projects representing participation across the Center directorates.

Selection of proposed projects for funding was generally based on the following criteria: an

emphasis on in-house work; a project span of 3 years or less - at a nominal funding level of $50k

per year (provided funding is not available from other sources) - and on an early identifiable

product with the potential for a new start with specific funding support. Research benefits for

Space Exploration Initiative (SEI)-related projects were channeled toward the SEI Program.

The initiation of a project on in situ resource utilization supplemented the ongoing projects of

regenerative life support, human spacecraft design, and lunar surface habitat. By taking these

steps, JSC has been able to maintain a viable program of life sciences, space sciences, and

engineering research in the absence of exploration program resources.

The following is a brief status report on selected projects with potential for broader applications.

The investigation of the potential use of in situ materials on the Moon was initiated by

experimenting with the modified sulfate process to obtain lunar oxygen, setting up a

hydrogen reduction laboratory, establishing a sintering laboratory, and verifying the

compositions and structures of simulated lunar glass.

The Human Space Transportation Project provided requirements definition, analyses and

trade studies, conceptual designs, and systems engineering and integration activities for

space transportation systems that will take humans to the Moon and to Mars, and return

them safely to Earth.

The Regenerative Life Support Systems Test Bed Project completed buildup and checkout

testing of the Variable Pressure Growth Chamber. The plant growth systems were verified

during four, 30-day lettuce crop growth tests.

The design and construction of the Hybrid Regenerative Water Recovery System and initial

component testing was completed. Waste water was collected from shower, hand wash,

laundry, and urinal sources and processed through a two-stage, aerobic trickling filter

biological reactor integrated with two physiochemical processes - reverse osmosis and

photocatalytic oxidation.

• The project to eliminate body degradation at zero gravity showed promising results. Work is

under way to develop a protocol for effectively restoring plasma volume by exposing the

iii
crewmember to lower body pressure, thereby increasing the orthostatic tolerance. This will

better facilitate reentry and landing after emerging from a zero gravity state. By developing

the optimum protocol which could restore plasma volume and orthostatic responses with a

minimum of time and discomfort, crew risk during and after reentry may be minimized. We

anticipate that the 2-hour, sinusoidal lower-body negative pressure treatment may prove at

least as effective as the current 4-hour continuous pres,sure treatment.

The first KC-135 flight series using the Phillips Laboratory/Foster-Miller experiment

package was conducted to investigate two-phase (gas-liquid) flow regimes and pressure drops

in pipe components under variable gravity conditions. :

Tests demonstrated that grid bumpers fragment the hypervelocity meteoroids or debris

particles upon impact with the efficiency of continuous shields, as had been postulated.

This change to the Space Station Freedom shields will be proposed.

Preliminary studies have provided an experimental foundation for study of the effect of

cytokines on B cell sensitivity to radiation. The research may provide ways to protect the

astronauts on long space flights.

• Locating flaws in structural materials using holography has been validated. Application of

these techniques will enhance the quality control in NASA-wide programs.

NASA, as a whole, benefits from the activities and fur_ctions of the team at the White

Sands Test Facility. This team's effective use of DDF funds extends their ability to respond

to Agency needs. The White Sands facilities and individuals provide a unique capability in

materials, testing, and system interactions that could be exploited with additional resources.

For additional information on the projects listed in this report, contact the individual

investigators or contact Lyle Jenkins at (713) 283-5405.

Will/lm J7 I-fl/fstetler

Manager, New Initiatives Office

iv
Contents

Project Page

Regenerative Life Support Systems (RLSS) Test Bed Project

Donald L. Henninger, Ph.D .................................................................. 1

Lunar Surface Systems

Nathan Moore .................................................................................. 3

In-Situ Resource Utilization

David S. McKay, Ph.D. and Thomas A. Sullivan, Ph.D .................................. 5

Human Space Transportation (HST) Project

Katherine R. Daues ............................................................................ 9

Threshold Low-Cost Intermediate Technology Experiment (T-LITE)

Body Mass Measurement Device

Edgar Castro and Kelley Cyr .................................................................. 12

High-Temperature Superconductor (HTS) Antenna Investigation

Phong H. Ngo .................................................................................. 15

Orbital Debris Radar Ground Studies

G. D. Arndt and P. Fink ...................................................................... 17

Two-Phase Flow Characterization for Fluid Components and

Variable Gravity Conditions

John Dzenitis and Katy Miller ................................................................. 19

Hybrid Regenerative Water Recovery System (HRWRS)

Eugene H. Winkler ............................................................................ 22

Programmable Remapper Interface Upgrade

Timothy E. Fisher .............................................................................. 24

Thermal Analyzer for Planetary Soils (TAPS)

James L. Gooding, Ph.D ...................................................................... 26

Backscatter Mossbauer Spectrometer (BaMS) for Analysis of

Planetary Surface Materials

Richard V. Morris, Ph.D ...................................................................... 30

Comparison of Continuous and Discontinuous Collisional Shields

Friedrich HOrz .................................................................................. 33

Lymphocyte Activation in Simulated Microgravity and Hypergravity

Clarence E Sams, Ph.D ....................................................................... 36
Project Page

Evaluationof NewBodyCompositionTechniquesin VariableG's

Steven F. Siconolfi, Ph.D ....................................................................... 39

Plasma Volume and Orthostatic Tolerance

Suzanne M. Fortney, Ph.D .................................................................. 42

Determining Human Energy Utilization During Space Flight

Using Doubly Labeled Water

Helen W. Lane, Ph.D., Everett K. Gibson, Ph.D., and RandaU J. Gretebeck, Ph.D ..... 45

Search Coil System to Record Eye Movements for Studies

of Eye, Head, Hand Coordination

Jacob J. Bloomberg, Ph.D .................................................................... 48

Solid-Phase Enzyme Partitioning for Liquid Waste Recycling

Glenn Spaulding, M.D .................................. ; ..................................... 51

B Cell Radiosensitivity and Protection by Cytokines

Peggy Whitson, Ph.D .......................................................................... 52

Adaptive Control of a Robot Arm Using an Artificial Neural Net

With Stereo Vision Input

Timothy E Cleghorn, Ph.D ................................................................... 56

Distributed Artificial Intelligence-Based Schedule Assessment

for Space Shuttle Flight Software Production

John E Muratore ............................................................................... 58

Virtual Environments for Training

Robert T. Savely ............................................................................... 60

Optical Analysis Systems

John Mulholland ................................................................................ 62

Diluent Gas Studies in High-Pressure Oxygen Systems

Radel Bunker ................................................................................... 64

Development of Alloys with Improved Bum-Resistance

Joel Stoltzfus .................................................................................... 67

Evaluation of Pressurized Vessels Subject to Hypervelocity Particle Impact

Michelle A. Rucker ............................................................................ 70

Long-Term Material/Fuel Interactions Predicted by Micrcr:alorimetry

Radel Bunker ................................................................................... 72

Real-Time Multipurpose Monitor for Assessing the Integr: ty of Confined Atmospheres

Harold D. Beeson .............................................................................. 75

vi
Tables

Table Page

HST Task Update - 10/91 .........................................................................................

Threshold Pressure for Combustion for Some Elements ...........................................

11

68

Figures

Figure Page

3

4

7

8

9

10

11

12

Mature lettuce crop in variable pressure growth chamber ........................................

Oxygen release from iron oxide in lunar simulant glass

as a function of temperature (1 hour) ........................................................................

Oxygen release from iron oxide in lunar simulant glass as a

function of time ( 1000 °C) ........................................................................................

Back-scattered electron image of sintered lunar simulant

basalt (frame width = 500 ram) .................................................................................

Compressive strength of sintered lunar simulant basalt as a

function of sintering temperature ( 1 hour) ...............................................................

The BMMD in use on the Orbiter middeck. The BMMD

may use the same fittings used to attach the crew seats

to the floor during ascent and entry. If additional headroom

is necessary, the BMMD could be placed in the seat location

directly under the middeck access opening ...............................................................

HTS antenna .............................................................................................................

Front-end RF electronics for debris tracking antenna ..............................................

Debris radar tracking receiver ....................................................................................

USAF Phillips Laboratory/Foster-Miller Test Package aboard

the KC-135 ................................................................................................................

HRWRS schematic ....................................................................................................

Functional block diagram for TAPS Mark-1 sensor test bed. Six different

signals comprise output from sample (Sx, Sy) and reference (Rx, Ry) sensors

that measure temperature (T), water-vapor concentration (W), and differential

calorimetric power (P) ................................................................................................

13

16

18

18

20

22

27

vii
Figure Page

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

Representative test data for synthetic gypsum acquired with

the TAPS Mark-1 sensor test bed. The various signals correspond

to those identified in figure 12 ................................................................................... 28

Mossbauer spectrum of metallic iron foil obtained a,ith the miniature

velocity transducer operating in sinusoidal mode. Fransducer specifications:

size = 1.5 × 3.5 cm, weight = 19 g; power < lmW .................................................... 31

Representative grid penetrations at three different impact velocities

employing custom-made grids manufactured from welding rods

that have identical center-to-center mesh distances (M = Dp = .13 in.),

yet two different scaled thicknesses Dp/T = 2 and 5. Note {hat target

damage increases with velocity; also, total displaced target mass decreases

with increasing Dp/T (e.g., compare experiments #803 and #806) .......................... 34

Rear-witness plates simulating flight systems that are damaged by

debris particles generated during the penetration of single membranes and multiple grids (all at 6 kin/s, using .13 in. projectiles).

Note the degree of damage as a function of absolute areal shield

mass (g/cm 2) and that the grid bumper vastly outperforms the

continuous shield at equivalent mass (e.g., #812 versus #826) ................................. 35

Activation of suspended lymphocytes. Peripheral lymphocytes

were activated with the surface active mitogen, PHA (fig. 17a), or

the phorbal ester, PMA (fig. 17b) while in suspension on a hematology rocker. The expression of the CD69 activation marker is

along the vertical axis, and the expression of the 1-cell marker, leu 4,

is along the horizontal axis. The activated T cells are those expressing both the CD69 and leu 4 markers ...................................................................... 37

Comparison of bioelectrical resistance estimates of total body water

with true (O-18 labeled water) measures in 14 subiects. Estimates

of total body water were made with regression equ:_tions from

Lukaski, et al. [ 0 ] (ref. 3, Kushner & Schoeller [[ ] (ref. 4), and

from the new [A ] 3rd order polynomial model ........................................................ 40

Comparison of limb volumes (simulated) to computer limb

volumes using compliance volumenometery. The mean error rate

for these measures was less than 0.15 percent ........................................................... 40

Comparison of the change in limb volume to the computed change

in limb volume using compliance volumenometry. The mean error

rate for these measures was less than 1 percent ......................................................... 40

Comparison of the limb blood flow (simulated) to _:he computed

limb blood flow using compliance volumenometry. The mean

error rate for these measures was less than 1 percm Lt................................................ 40

viii
Figure Page

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

31

32

33

34

35

36

37

Deuterium elimination rate, energy/GI men's bed rest study ....................................

Oxygen-18 elimination rate, women's study - subject 1 ...........................................

2-propanol to acetone ................................................................................................

Effect of sig expression on CESS radiosensitivity ......................................................

B cell activating agents ..............................................................................................

Bebe Ly of the Information Systems Directorate's Software

Technology Branch demonstrates the VPL research equipment ..............................

Hologram of flat structure showing four evident cracks ............................................

Phase map/wire-frame plot of cracked structure ........................................................

Schematic of test chamber .........................................................................................

Minimum diluent concentration (MDC) in diluent/oxygen

mixtures required for Teflon PTFE self-extinguishment ...........................................

MDC in diluent/oxygen mixtures required for KEL-F 81

self-extinguishment ....................................................................................................

MDC in diluent/oxygen mixtures required for Viton

self-extinguishment ....................................................................................................

Vacuum arc-melting furnace for making new alloys .................................................

Swaging machine for forming test specimens ............................................................

Example of an alloy that has been cast and partially swaged ....................................

Bench-scale apparatus used to verify concept of real-time mass spectral analysis .......

46

46

51

54

54

61

63

63

65

66

66

66

68

68

69

76

ix

TITLE OF INVESTIGATION: Regenerative Life Support Systems (RLSS)

Test Bed Project

PROJECT MANAGER: Donald L. Henninger, Ph.D./EC3/( 713) 483-5034

FUNDING: FY89 FY90 FY91 FY92 FY93

In-house: $0 $300k $300k $300k $500k

Contractors: 0 0 0 0 0

Grants: 0 0 0 0 0

Total funds: $0 $300k $300k $300k $500k

OBJECTIVE AND APPROACH

The objective of the RLSS Test Bed Project is

to use higher plants grown in a closed, controlled environment in conjunction with

physicochemically based life support subsystems to provide an integrated biological/

physicochemical life support system test bed

for evaluation of various RLSS approaches.

The biological component of the test bed will

be fully automated to grow candidate crops

from seed to harvest without the need for

human intervention. Additionally, one of the

test bed's two growth chambers will be operable at both ambient and reduced atmospheric

pressures to more closely duplicate candidate

lunar and martian habitat environments. The

test bed will be complemented by incorporation of a high-fidelity human metabolic simulator which will supply variable metabolic

loads to the system to simulate the presence

of a crew. Major objectives of the test bed

include quantification of life support capabilities of higher plants (i.e., oxygen production,

carbon dioxide uptake, and water conditioning via transpiration), determination of interactions between the biological and physicochemical life support system components, and

investigation of integrated control system

approaches for providing variable life support

capabilities on demand. Data from the RLSS

Test Bed Project will be used to define

requirements for the planned Human-Rated

RLSS Test Facility to be developed at the

Johnson Space Center.

FY91 ACCOMPLISHMENTS

The RLSS Test Bed Project achieved several

key accomplishments during FY91, including

completion of buildup and checkout testing

of the variable pressure growth chamber

(VPGC) and verification of its plant growth

systems during a successful 30-day lettuce

crop growth test (refs. 1 and 2). Three subsequent lettuce crops were grown during FY91

to gather baseline characterizations of the

crops' life support capabilities and to obtain

data on systems interactions to support the

VPGC systems modelling effort. Figure 1

shows a mature lettuce crop grown within the

VPGC which is undergoing harvesting operations. In addition to the VPGC buildup and

testing activities, the ambient pressure

growth chamber (APGC) was concurrently
Figure 1.- Mature

lettuce crop in variable pressure growth

chamber.

undergoing design, equipment and materials

procurement, and buildup of subsystems.

Other key activities performed in FY91

include supporting off-line plant growth

experiments, biomass production analyses,

and prototype hardware evaluations in the

RLSS Laboratory.

PLANNED FUTURE WORK

Anticipated FY92 accomplishments include

completing buildup and performing functional

testing of the APGC, retrofitting the VPC;C

for reconfigurable hydroponic/solid support

plant growth and reduced pressure testing,

conducting a verification test of the VPGC's

reduced pressure operations capability, and

performing integrated testing of one of the

plant growth chambers with a physicochemical carbon dioxide concentration system.

These various testing activities slated for FY92

will result in the production of several crops of

lettuce and wheat grown hydroponically and

in various solid support substrate media.

Of additional significance is the planned

develop,_ent, fabrication, and testing of the

human metabolic simulator for integration

into the test bed.

REFERENCE DOCUMENTS

. Hemfinger, D. L., et al., "Regenerative

Li,e Support Systems (RLSS) Test Bed

Performance - Characterization of

Pl;,nt Performance in a Closed,

C{ ,ntrolled Test Chamber," 21 st

International Conference on

Environmental Systems, Society of

Automotive Engineers, 1991.

, Tri, l: O., et al., "Regenerative Life

Support Systems (RLSS) Test Bed

D_ velopment at NASA--Johnson

SI: ace Center," 21 st International

C{,nference on Environmental

Systems," Society of Automotive

Epgineers, 1991.
TITLE OF INVESTIGATION:

PROJECT MANAGER:

FUNDING: FY89

In-house: lOOk

Contractors:

Grants:

Total funds: 100k

Lunar SurfaceSystems

Nathan Moore/SP-33/(713) 483-6036

(Projected)

FY90 FY91 FY92

148k 100k 75k

148k 100k 75k tbd

FY93

tbd

OBJECTIVE AND APPROACH

FY91 objectives for the JSC Director's Discretionary Fund Program investigation centered

around two main projects: the design and

development of an initial Mars habitat and of

a hyperbaric lunar airlock. The objectives for

these projects were 1) to arrive at a set of

design guidelines and assumptions which

would serve as the framework for a conceptual design to be built around, and 2) to develop designs documented in the form of computer multimedia presentations; desktop

models; and low-fidelity, full-size mockups.

The approach taken for these projects was as

follows: background assumptions, design

guidelines, and mission drivers were identified and documented; conceptual design

options were presented and evaluated; and

candidate design solutions were selected. At a

specified time (near the midpoint of the project) a conceptual design solution was designated and frozen to change. The remainder of

the project entailed the development and

presentation of the design solution in model

and mockup forms, followed by evaluations.

FY91 ACCOMPLISHMENTS

In FY91, design teams were assembled with

specialists from the following NASA organizations: the Man-Systems Division, the

Lunar/Mars Exploration Program Office, the

Medical Sciences Division, the Systems Engineering Division, and the Mission Operations

Directorate. These teams met regularly to discuss and generate background information to

support the two design projects.

Final designs for the habitat and the airlock

were completed and documented in the form

of computer hypermedia presentations. The

background assumptions, design guidelines,

and information about the missions which

these designs support were documented in

textual reports. A desktop model showing

exterior and interior elements of the initial

Mars habitat was fabricated. Drawings were

also produced which specify a full-size mockup

(to be build in FY92) of the airlock project.

PLANNED FUTURE WORK

FY92 activity will continue work on the airlock project in the form of a full-scale mockup.
New startsfor FY92will includeinitial developmentof arapidhabitatprototypingtool, a

lunardustcontrol study,andtheupgradeof a

partial-gravitysimulator.

systemelements.Potentialphysicalremoval

techniquesincludebrushing/shaking, opengrateflooring,overgarmentremoval,protective overboots,andlaminarairflowsystems.

The rapidhabitat prototypingtool will facilitate thedevelopmentof habitat prototype

conceptsandoptional configurationswhich

will includeaselectionof optionsfor crew

size,missionlength,systemconfiguration,

andcriteriafor conceptevaluations.

The paltial gravity simulator(POGO) isa

projectto upgradeandenhancethe Apollo

partial-gsimulator.

Thedustcontrolstudywill focuson dust

removaltechniquesandproceduresfor extravehicularactivity/extravehicularmobility unit
TITLE OF INVESTIGATION:

PROJECT MANAGERS:

FUNDING: FY89

In house: $0

Contractors

andgrants: $0

Total funds: $0

In.Situ Resource Utilization

David S. McKay, Ph.D. and Thomas A. Sullivan, Ph.D.

Mission Science & Technology Office/SN 14/( 713 ) 483-5048

(Pr_ected)

FY90 FY91 FY92 FY93

$0 $150k $150k $200k

$o $o $o $o

$0 $150k $150k $200k

OBJECTIVE AND APPROACH

Three separate studies have been conducted

under this project. The production of oxygen

from lunar regolith material is the goal of two

different chemical techniques, the sulfate

process and hydrogen reduction. If oxygen for

propellant can be produced from local lunar

resources, an enormous savings in lunar base

transportation costs may result. The third

project examines sintering, the bonding of

solid material by melting the particle edges.

"Bricks" formed from sintered regolith could

be used for radiation shielding and basic construction material at a lunar outpost. Sintering is synergistic with the oxygen processes in

that preheated material from either of the

oxygen routes can act as a feedstock for sintered block manufacture. In addition, the

chemical processes related to oxygen extraction may, in some cases, enhance sintering.

Sulfate Process

This project has explored modifications to a

terrestrial commercial process so as to release

oxygen from ilmenite. The reactions are carried out largely in solution. Two of the three

major process steps have been studied to

explore their kinetics and yields. Concept

development based on this and other data

suggests that an efficient process is likely and

points the way to future lab studies which will

be done in the coming year.

Hydrogen Reduction

Direct reduction of the iron in lunar glass by

hydrogen is being investigated as a method of

liberating oxygen. The oxygen can be liquifled and stored. The hydrogen can be recycled over and over in the process. The experimental program builds on preliminary results

reported by McKay et al. (ref. 1 ). The objectives of this program are to define the conditions under which reduction occurs and measure the sensitivity of the process to variables

including temperature, run time, hydrogen

flow rate, and degree of clevitrification. This

process offers several important advantages,

including basic simplicity and the high glass

abundance at certain lunar sites.

Sintering

The purpose of this study is to investigate the

sintering behavior of glass and basalt of lunar

composition. Experiments are designed to
determinethe rangeof conditionsunder

which sinteringtakesplaceandthe effectsof

temperature,heatingtime,andgrainsizeon

thecompressivestrengthandmicrostructure

of simulatedlunarbricks.An efficientprocess

for makingconcrete-likelunarbricks,blocks,

andother shapesmayresultin largetransportedmass(cost)savingsduringconstruction of a lunarbase.

FY91 ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Sulfate Process

Lab work on the modified sulfate process to

lunar oxygen has determined the reaction

kinetics of ilmenite at various acid concentrations, and has also determined many of the

decomposition temperatures of sulfates in the

calcination step. Electrolysis experiments

have only proceeded to the equipment setup

and checkout stage. Systems engineering

studies are ongoing with overall process optimization in mind. A great deal of work was

completed in upgrading the laboratory, and a

computer speadsheet of three versions of the

process was developed. A patent application

which protects six explicit versions of this

process has been submitted (ref. 2), and a

paper describing the work has been written

(ref. 3).

Hydrogen Reduction

The initial work on this project included setting up a hydrogen reduction laboratory and

verifying the compositions and structures of

lunar glass simulants. To date, 50 reduction

experiments have been conducted using an

Apollo 11 soil simulant. The reduced glass

was shown to have textures and mineral compositions similar to those of lunar glass beads

from the Apollo samples. The kinetics of oxygen release were determined from Mossbauer

spectroscopy and weight loss data. Reaction

mechanisms were verified by analytical

electron microscopy. Weight losses corresponding to 60 percent of the oxygen associated with iron in the glass were achieved in 1

hour at 1100 °C (fig. 2) and in 3 hours at

1000 °C (fig. 3). A lunar oxygen plant operating at _his efficiency and utilizing Apollo 17

orange glass as a feedstock could produce

29.4 kg _f oxygen per ton of soil processed.

This yieid is 2 to 10 times greater than likely

yields from the hydrogen reduction of

ilmenite process. These results will be presented at Space '92 (ref. 4).

Sintering

The FY91 effort included establishing a sintering laboratory and determining the compositions of lunar simulant glass and basalt. This

year, a matrix of 59 experiments was conducted to define the conditions under which sintering occurs and its relationship to temperature, dm ation, and grain size. The degree of

sinterin_: was assessed by microanalysis (fig. 4)

and corr pressive strength testing. The compressive strength of sintered basalt is strongly

dependent on grain size, with the maximum

strength corresponding to grain sizes in the

range of lunar regolith particles. Test specimens with the strength of concrete were produced bv sintering basalt at 1100 °C (fig. 5).

The same process on the Moon is predicted

to prodt:ce stronger material due to the

nature cf the lunar soil and environment.

The pm:esses of sintering and oxygen production from lunar soil are synergystic, and

could bc combined to produce two extremely

useful ploducts at a lunar base. Our studies, to

date, ha ¢e been accepted for publication

(ref. 5).

PLANNED FUTURE WORK

Sulfate Process

More detailed lab investigations of the sulfate

process will determine operating conditions
100-

811"-

=

o_ 40"

20-

0

1000

IO0-

8O- 0

. [] []

• - 6O- []

[]

' I I I I

1050 1100 1150 0 t 2 3 4 5 6 7

Temperature (°C) Time (hr)

Figure 2.- Oxygen release from iron oxide in lunar

simulant glass as a function of temperature ( 1 hour).

Figure 3.- Oxygen release from iron oxide in lunar

simulant glass as a function of time (1000 °C).

Figure 4.- Back-scattered electron image of sintered

lunar simulant basalt (frame width = 500 mm).

3000--

g

_ 2000--

- 1000-

0

1000

Concrete

I I

1050 1100

Temperature (°C)

Figure 5.- Compressive strength of sintered lunar simulant basalt as a function of sintering temperature

(1 hour).

for the electrolysis step as well as the fate of

minerals other than ilmenite. By the end of

the year it is planned that a rough, batch-type

or continuous prototype system will be able to

take feedstock and produce oxygen in an

operable process. Work in the third year will

include process optimization studies and

experiments to develop the data necessary to

design a prototype pilot plant and flight

experiment concept.

Hydrogen Reduction

A major goal of work in FY92 will be to

determine optimum conditions and oxygen

yield. This will involve experiments in both

static and fluidized beds. We will further

investigate the synergy between oxygen production and sintering. Our experimental

setup in laboratory furnaces will be upgraded

to a self-contained, PC-controlled test bed.

When completed in FY93, this prototype will
serveasthedesignbasisfor alunardemonstrationplant.

Sintering

The matrixof testswill beexpandedin FY92

to demonstratehow to producesuitable

brickswith the minimumexpenditureof mass

andenergy.Experimentalsinteringby

microwaveandinductiveheatingwill

attemptto lowerpowerrequirements.

Separatetestsof the sinteringbehaviorof

glassandbasaltwill befollowedbyexperimentscombiningthe two in amorerealistic

simulationof lunarsoil.A benchtoptestbed

will becompletedin FY93anddesignwork

will beinitiated forflight hardware.

SupportviaResearchandTechnology

ObjectivesandPlans(RTOP)fundingfor

theseproposalsisexpectedfor FY93.RTOP

fundsfor FY91forrelatedwork havealso

beenreceived.

.

.

.

.

Sullivan, T. A.: Method for Producing

Oxygen from Lunar Materials. U. S.

patent pending.

Sullivan, T. A.: "A Modified Sulfate

Prc_zess to Lunar Oxygen," Space 92,

1992, in press.

Allen, C. C.; McKay, D. S.; and Morris,

R.V.: "Lunar Oxygen - The Reduction

of Glass by Hydrogen," Space 92, 1992,

in press.

Allen, C. C.; Hines, J. A.; McKay, D. S.;

and Morris, R.V.: "Sintering of Lunar

Gl_ss and Basalt," Space 92, 1992, in

press.

REFERENCE DOCUMENTS

. McKay, D. S.; Morris, R. V.; and Jurewicz,

A.J.: "Reduction of Simulated Lunar

Glass by Carbon and Hydrogen and its

Implications for Lunar Base Oxygen

Production," Lunar and Planetary

Science XXII, 1991, pp. 881-882.
TITLE OF INVESTIGATION:

PROJECT MANAGER:

FUNDING: FY89

In-house: $0

Total funds: $0

Human Space Transportation (HST) Project

Katherine R. Daues/IE3/(713) 283-5302

(Projected)

FY90 FY91 FY92 FY93

$0 $50k $0 $0

S0 $50k S0 S0

OBJECTIVE AND APPROACH

The primary objectives of the HST Project for

CY91 were to:

• Identify and resolve fundamental human

space transportation mission and system

issues.

• Identify technology development and precursor requirements.

• Develop and assess system and mission

requirements for lunar/Mars missions,

including interfaces with ground operations; Earth-to-orbit launch vehicles; and

planet surface systems and nodes. This

will be accomplished by conducting trade

studies and analyses of major system design

issues, developing conceptual designs of

human space transfer and excursion vehicles, and developing a data base of parametric data for vehicle subsystems.

• Support the Marshall Space Flight Center

(MSFC)/Space Exploration Initiative

(SEI) Space Transportation (IA)

programs.

• Ensure a Johnson Space Center (JSC) inhouse level of expertise to support future

human missions to the Moon and to Mars.

The HST Project was planned with the support of several JSC directorates as shown in

Table 1.- HST Task Update - 10/91. A number of tasks were identified to provide

requirements definition, analyses and trade

studies, conceptual designs, and systems engineering and integration activities for space

transportation systems that will take humans

to the Moon and to Mars and return them

safely to Earth.

FY91 ACCOMPLISHMENTS

The HST project produced significant findings that can be expected to influence the

development of the space exploration program.

• Human.Interface Requirements Study - A

human system interface requirements task

initiated definition of additional research

and information required to update the

Man-Systems Integration Standards

(MSIS) (NASA-STD-3000) in support of

the exploration programs. Sections of the

MSIS requiring additional inputs were

identified. Distribution of a survey questionnaire assisted in identification of

research projects currently under way in

several key areas covered by the MSIS. A

report containing recommendations for

the MSIS update was provided.

• Crew Acceleration Requirements - This

task presents preliminary recommendations for crew acceleration limits during

launch and trajectory change operations,

braking maneuvers, vehicle operations
employingartificialgravity,andnominal

operations.

• Crew Radiation Requirements - This task

presents preliminary recommendations for

minimizing crew radiation exposure during a Mars mission.

,, Zero-Gravity Countermeasures - Preliminary recommendations for microgravity countermeasures requirements for a

Mars Transportation System (MTS) were

drafted. Operational issues for specified

human maintenance goals were identified. Preflight, inflight, and post-flight

considerations were specified. Specific

examples of countermeasures for various

human parameters (e.g., ability to perform

work, normal bodily state and functions,

normal risk levels) were provided.

• Exploration Transportation System Crew

Health Maintenance and Emergency Care -

Preliminary recommendations for crew

health monitoring and emergency care

requirements for an MTS were identified

for opposition class and for conjunction

class missions. System concepts, operational considerations, health monitoring,

and environmental health needs were

identified. Assessment of medical care,

vehicle design, and operations needs for

transfer and excursion vehicles was

provided.

• MTS Issues Focused Effort - The major

spacecraft design issues associated with a

human mission to Mars were identified

and analyzed.

• Crew Sizing Study - A computer program

was developed to perform Mars Transfer

Vehicle (MTV) Life Support System

trade studies for variable crew size, mission duration, degree of closure, and hardware selection. Several issues (e.g., storage of hygiene wastewater) were brought

to light from the life support subsystem

(LSS) trade studies.

" MT:; Enroute Training Study - This task

devdoped concepts and requirements for

training while enroute to Mars; explored

alternative approaches for enroute training; and identified, evaluated, and recommer_ded a preferred approach.

• Crew Psychosocial Impact Study - A psychomcial impact study for an MTV identifie:l parameters that affect crew productivit y and performance; presented

potential crew responses to the MTV

enwronment; introduced parameters for

crew selection, training, and health mainten_:nce; and provided requirements for

the MTV internal design.

• Env:ronmental Closed Life Support

Sub:_ystem (ECLSS) vs Regenerative Life

Sup, _ort Subystem ( RLSS ) Trade Study -

Thi_ task collected data on physicochemical ire support hardware and developed a

spreadsheet program to perform LSS trade

studies for variable crew size, mission

duration, degree of closure, and hardware

selection.

• Exporation Transport System (ETS) Viewing

Req _irements Study - A crew viewing study

pro,,ided the following: an overview of

previous manned spacecraft experience;

general viewing requirements from crew

constraints, vehicle concerns, extravehicular activity, and natural environments perspe_ rives; and specific vehicle/module and

hun tan viewing requirements.

• Lurar Excursion Vehicle (LEV) Crew

Module Design & Mockup - An integrated

conceptual design for an LEV crew module

was developed for a crew of four with short

sta} time. Design and operational ground

ruk s and assumptions were defined. The

conceptual design was rendered in a hypermedia (computer graphics) presentation

and a scale model. Drawings for a fullscaie mockup were initiated for production next year.

10
• MTS Crew Module Internal Architectures - PLANNED FUTURE WORK

Illustrations of a variety of crew module

internal architectures for an MTS were

developed at a conceptual design level.

Activities defining spacecraft system requirements to support crew needs for the exploration program will be continued under a

starworks project.

Table 1.- HST Task Update - 10/91

Task

1.2.1

1.2.2

1.2.3

1.2.4

1.2.5

Name

Human-Interface Requirements

Crew Acceleration Requirements

Crew Radiation Requirements

Zero-Gravity Countermeasures

ETS Crew Health Maintenance

and Emergency Care

Lead

SP3

SD5

SD4

SD5

SD2

Status

Final report due 11/25/91

Draft due 12/91, final due 3/92

Final report due 12/91

Draft by 10/91, final by 12191

Draft received 9/20/91; final received 10/16/91

2.1

2.2

2.3

2.7

2.9

2.10

MTS Issues-Focused Effort

Crew Sizing Study

MTS Enroute Training Study

Crew Psychosocial Impact Study

ECLSS vs RLSS Trade Study

ETS Viewing Requirements Study

ET2

DA

DA

SD5

EC3

SP3

Three workshops and other meetings held 1/91 to

3/91

White paper received on 6/12/91

Received 9/90 draft

Received draft position paper 9/16/91; final by

12/91

Due date is 11/25/91

Report due 11/8/91

3.3

3.1.1

LEV Crew Module Design & Mockup

MTS Crew Module Internal

Architecture illustrations

SP3

IE3

Hypermedia demo is ready; drawings due 12/91;

mockup due 3/92; needs $45k more

Bell & Trotti support; due 1/2/92

11
TITLE OF INVESTIGATION:

PROJECT MANAGERS:

FUNDING: FY89

In-House: 0

Contractors: 0

Grants: 0

Total funds: 0

Threshold Low-Cost Intermediate Technology

Experiment (T-LITE) Body Mass Measurement Device

Edgar Castro/ES 221/(713) 483-8841

Kelley Cyr/XP/(715) 283-5466

(Projected)

FY90 FY9! FY92 FY93

$1k $10k $20k $30k

0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0

$1k $10k $20k $30k

OBJECTIVE AND APPROACH

The T-LITE is an activity sponsored by the

threshold group to provide NASA employees

with the opportunity to build teamwork and

leadership skills by working on a Shuttle flight

experiment. The T-LITE concept calls for the

extensive use of in-house resources and offthe-shelf components to keep cost down. The

experiment selected for the initial T-LITE

project was the Body Mass Measurement

Device (BMMD) proposed by Tim Pelischek.

The BMMD uses the principle of linear acceleration to determine the mass of a crewmember in a microgravity environment. One of

the effects of weightlessness is a loss of body

mass, and unusual weight loss or gain may be a

sign of health problems. The purpose of this

device is to provide the crew with a convenient means of weighing themselves while in

space on long-duration missions. The target

accuracy of the device is repeatability within

+_ 1 lb. Since the device will be used primarily

to monitor weight trends, the absolute accuracy of the device is not as critical. The device

will be designed to fit inside a standard

Shuttlemiddeck locker with a goal of fitting

inside a half-size locker. The BMMD will be

flown as a detailed test objective or a detailed

supplementary objective and will be designed

to meet the requirements associated with

those p lyloads.

The BI_IMD uses Newton's second law of

motion the acceleration of an object is

directly proportional to the force acting on it

and inversely proportional to the mass of the

object. _or a mass m, force F, and acceleration

a, this l;lw can be rewritten as m = F/a. In

other w )rds, the mass of an object can be

determi ned by applying a known force to it

and measuring the resulting acceleration. In

the BMMD, an elastomer tube is used to apply

force to a three-sided device resembling a

scissor-j ack. The force is transferred through a

triangulation of load cells to a plate on which

the crmJ person may stand or kneel. The base

of the device will be attached to the floor of

the Orl: iter middeck (fig. 6). An accelerometer atta,'.hed to the device will measure the

acceler_:tion. Data from the instruments will

be sent to a data analysis system where the

mass will be computed. For the initial flight

experm ents, the BMMD data will be stored in

12
thepayloadgeneralsupportcomputeronboard

theOrbiterforlateranalysis.Eventually,the

BMMD will includeamicroprocessoranda

digitaldisplay.The BMMD will becapableof

measuringmassesbetween95and265lb.

The potentialapplicationsfortheBMMD

include: long-durationShuttlemissions,

Spacelablifesciencesmissions,extendedduration Orbitermissions,90-dayOrbitermissions,

SpaceStationFreedom,lunarbasemissions,

andMarsmissions.Someotherapplications

for massmeasurementincludeweighingthe

payloadto becarrieddownfromthe Space

StationFreedomin theOrbiterandweighing

samplesof lunaror Marssurfacematerial.

FY91 ACCOMPLISHMENTS

In 1990,theteamevaluatedthe linearacceleration methodof estimatingmassbyconducting testsof variousapproachesonaprecision

air-bearingfloor.Basedon theresultsof the

tests,twodesignconceptsweredeveloped.

The designconceptthat waseventually

selectedoperatedin adifferentwaythanhad

previouslybeentested,soit wasdecidedto

build alow-fidelitymockupof the deviceand

testit furtheronthe air-bearingfloor. The

preliminary results of the mockup testing

proved that the new configuration would

work and that reasonable results could be

expected. There were also a number of lessons

learned from the testing that will be incorporated into future designs and test activities.

Figure 6.- The BMMD in use on the Orbiter middeck. The BMMD may use the same fittings used to attach the

crew seats to the floor during ascent and entry. If additional headroom is necessary, the BMMD could be placed in

the seat location directly under the middeck access opening.

13
While themockupwasbeingfabricatedand

tested,designwork continuedon aprototype

which will beusedfortestingon thezerogravityaircraft.Theprototypewascompleted

andinstalledin atestbedin Building13.Also

duringFY91,the instrumentationanddata

acquisitionsystemsfortheflight hardware

wereselectedandthe initial setof sensorswas

purchased.

PLANNED FUTURE WORK

The activity planfor FY92will focuson the

goalof conductingazero-gravitytestflight on

the KC-135.An engineeringtestbedwill be

setupon theair-bearingfloor facility in

Building 13.The testbedwill beusedto continue testingtheprototypewith the aimof

refiningthe mechanicalandelectronicsystemsand thedataanalysissoftware.Prototype

testingwill beconductedwith bothdeadweightsandhumansubjects.Meanwhile,

detaileddesignworkwill proceedon the triggeringandshockabsorbingmechanisms.

Onceff_eobjectivesof the prototypetest

phasea_ereached,the testbedwill bemodifiedto simulatethe zero-gravitytest.Because

of the vibration andairturbulenceonboard

the KC-135,it will benecessaryto "free-fly"

the experiment.This will involveusinga

largeco_mtermass,andthe motion of the

countermasswill haveto betakeninto

accountin the masscalculation.The plan is

to developthe necessarymodificationson the

testbedandsimulatethe free-flyingmodeon

the air-bearingfloor.

The KC-135testingwill consistof twoseries

of two flightseach.The firstflight seriesis

scheduledfor theend of May 1992(subjectto

availabilityof the aircraft).The follow-on

flight testisscheduledforthe endof

December1992.Assumingthat the KC-135

testingissuccessful,the planisto conductan

Orbiter testflight in FY93.

14
TITLE OF INVESTIGATION:

PROJECT MANAGER:

FUNDING FY89 FY90

In-house: $50k $50k

Contractors: 0 0

Grants: 60k 60k

Total funds: $11 Ok $11 Ok

High.Temperature Superconductor (HTS) Antenna

Investigation

Phong H. Ngo/EE3/(713) 483-7990

(Projected)

FY91 FY92 FY93 FY94

$50k $0 $100k $300k

0 0 0 0

60k 50k (?) 0 0

$110k $50k $100k $300k

OBJECTIVE AND APPROACH

The recent discovery of HTSs has drawn considerable attention towards the search for

applications that will enhance the performance of communication systems. With the

natural cooling abilities of space, many potential space applications have been identified

(ref. 1). One such application is through the

use of HTS materials in microwave and millimeter-wave feed networks for large antenna

arrays. This will greatly enhance their performance and allow the replacement of the low

loss, but bulky, waveguide feed structures with

smaller, lighter planar structures. The objective of this investigation is to study and develop a 16-element antenna array which can be

integrated into an HTS/advanced communications technology satellite (ACTS) receiver

experiment as a joint Johnson Space Center/

Lewis Research Center (LeRC) effort.

FY91 ACCOMPLISHMENTS

* Completed antennae test setup (refer to

fig. 7)

• Designed one 12-GHz, all-metal aperture

coupled patch (ACP) antenna

• Fabricated two test fixtures for testing of

ACP antennae

• Characterized five resonator circuits

(three HTSs, two gold) deposited on

MgO substrate

• Initiated preliminary design concepts for

1996 HTS/ACTS flight experiment

PLANNED FUTURE WORK

• Complete fabrication and test of all metal

and HTS ACP antennas

• Extend ACP antennas into 16-element

array

• Integrate antenna array with receiver for

1996 flight experiment with LeRC

REFERENCE DOCUMENTS

° Heinon, O.V.; Bhasin, K. B.; Long, K. J.:

Emerging Applications of High

Temperature Superconductors for

Space Communications. NASA

Technical Memorandum 103629.

15
Figure 7.- HTS

antenna.

16
TITLE OF INVESTIGATION:

PROJECT MANAGERS:

FUNDING FY89 FY90 FY91

In-house: $40k $45k $40k

Contractors: 0 0 0

Orbital Debris Radar Ground Studies

G. D. Amdt and P. Fink/EE3/(713) 483-1438 & 483-0973

Grants: 50k

(University)

0 0

Total funds: $90k $45k $40k

OBJECTIVE AND APPROACH

There are two primary objectives of this

study. The first objective is to define a lowcost ground demonstration radar system capable of detecting and tracking small particles

simulating orbital debris. This ground system

is a precursor to a possible spaceborne radar

for tracking incoming orbital debris. The second objective of this study is to perform a

system-level integration study with a

microwave radar for ranging and an optical

detection system for angle acquisition.

The approach was to first develop and test a

Ku-band phased array using microstrip patch

antennas as the subarrays. The antennas and

array electronics (fig. 8) were completed in

FY90. In FY91, a sensitive radar receiver (fig.

9) was designed to interface with the antenna; this receiver is now being constructed and

should be available for testing by April 1992.

An integrated Research and Technology

Objectives and Plans (RTOP) proposal covering four technical areas (microwave tracking,

laser tracking, optical detection, and debris

management) was submitted to Code M for

possible funding.

FY91 ACCOMPLISHMENTS

* Completed control software development

and digital control boards 2/91

', Design of receiver completed and fabrication underway

" Microwave tracking antenna/optical

acquisition system integration study under

way

" Discussions with Sandia National

Laboratories regarding possible utilization

of their receiver technology in this

project

PLANNED FUTURE WORK

• Complete receiver; integrate with

antenna and test

• Complete microwave/optical system

integation study

17
• Utilize Sandia's expertise in receiver REFERENCE DOCUMENTS

technology

Get RTOP proposal funded Technical paper submitted for World Space

Conference to be held in Washington,

August 1992.

Figure 8.- Front-end

RF electronics for

debris tracking

antenna.

LNA- Low-noiseamplifier

HPA- High-poweramplifier

RF - Radiofrequency

Subarray no, 1

Timl;g _ Timing From transmitter To receiver

I_'m_4-bll phase srdlfle__

L L !

ST1. '_ ST1.2 $T1.3

Figure 9.- Debris

radar tracking

receiver.

From

-2ODD

expanded pulse

l .,o.zi.'--

I Dlsper=lve delay

RF switch line (pulse

/

, compression)

Timing & control

J

(

BPF- Band-passfilter

18
TITLE OF INVESTIGATION:

PROJECT MANAGERS:

Two-Phase Flow Characterization for Fluid

Components and Variable Gravity Conditions

John Dzenitis/EC7/(FTS) 525-9147

Katy MiIler/EP5/(FTS) 525-4546

FUNDING:

JSC Director's Discretionary Fund (for variable gravity testing)

(Projected)

FY89 FY90 FY91 FY92

In-house: $0 $0 $5k $35k

Contractors: 0 0 0 0

Grants: 0 0 45k 15k

Total funds: $0 $0 $50k $50k

Space Station Fund (in support of the Space Station thermal bus)

FY93

$0

0

0

$0

(Projected)

FY89 FY90 FY91 FY92 FY93

In-house: $0 $0 $66k $30k $0

Contractors: 0 0 0 0 0

Grants: 0 0 54k 70k 0

Total funds: $0 $0 $120k $100k $0

OBJECTIVE AND APPROACH

This program was initiated in FY91 to investigate gas-liquid flow regimes and pressure

drops in pipe components and variable gravity conditions. This project supports both the

Space Station Freedom thermal bus design

and the Space Exploration Initiative activities for low-g (e.g., Moon-g, Mars-g) fluid

studies.

The JSC Director's Discretionary Fund

Program is providing for the variable gravity

testing to support the development of thermal control systems for Moon and Mars missions. In addition, both the Propulsion and

Power Division, and the Crew and Thermal

Systems Division at the NASA Johnson

Space Center (JSC) are providing Space

Station funding to investigate flow regimes

and pressure drops expected in the Station

19
thermalbusandutility distribution system.

Theobjectivesof this programinclude

• A studyof the two-phaseflow phenomena in fluid components {e.g., smooth

pipes, bellow lines, quick disconnect fittings) at zero-g conditions

• An expansion of the data base for twophase flow for zero-g conditions

• Development of a data base for two-phase

flow for low-g conditions (e.g., Moon-g,

Mars-g)

• Validation of models for two-phase flow

analysis

• Providing data and models to support the

Space Station Thermal Bus and future

two-phase systems design

Zero-g and low-g data will be gathered using

the USAF Phillips Laboratory/Foster-Miller

experiment package, which is on loan to

NASA/JSC for the duration of this program.

Four test fight series are scheduled aboard

the NASA KC-135 aircraft at Ellington Air

Force Base to collect the variable gravity

data. In addition, test flights will be conducted to insure that all instrumentation for the

experiment package can operate adequately

in the KC-135 test environment. Ground

testing will be conducted at the Thermochemical Test Area (TTA) at JSC and at

Texas A&M University. The package will be

modified at the TTA prior to the first flight

series in August 1991 and shipment of the

equipment to Texas A&M for continuation

of the program.

• Fabricated bellow lines and other components

• Installed paddle wheel flowmeter, venturi

flowmeters, and rotometers

• Replaced glass condenser section with

copper section

Two instrument flights were completed to

investigate the differential pressure transducer and the paddle wheel flowmeter operations. Bath were found to operate adequately

if mounted transverse in the aircraft to

decrease their sensitivity to the axial accelerations. Minimal ground testing was conducted at the TTA prior to the first flight series to

characterize the two-phase pump and conduct

checkout of the smooth pipe and bellows

lines. The first flight series using the Phillips

Laboratory/Foster-Miller experiment package

was conducted the week of August 19, 1991.

Figure 1 _ shows the experiment in its test

configuration aboard the KC-135. The testing consisted of 4 flight days, with 2 days

each of 10.4 mm inner diameter smooth pipe

and bellows lines. Data on flow regime and

pressure drops in zero g was obtained.

Calibrat ions and data reduction are in

progress at Texas A&M University.

FY91 ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Modifications to the experiment package

completed include

• An added inlet length to test sections

Figure 10 - USAF Phillips Laboratory/Foster-Miller

Test Package aboard the KC-135.

20
PLANNED FUTURE WORK

Ground testing will be conducted at Texas

A&M University prior to the next scheduled

flight series in November 1991. The remaining flights are described as follows:

• Series II, November 11-15, 1991, 4 flight

days, zero g

• Series III, December 16-20, 1991, 4 flight

days, 2 days zero g, 2 days Moon g

• Series IV, January 27-31, 1992, 4 flight

days, 1 day Moon g, 3 days Mars g

Final reports and articles can be expected

throughout the completion of this project, at

the end of FY92.

Future Research and Technology Objectives

and Plans proposals will be initiated by the

NASA JSC Crew and Thermal Systems

Division relating to the development of twophase thermal control systems for the Moon

and Mars missions.

REFERENCE DOCUMENTS

The following article has been accepted for

publication in January 1992:

Dzenitis, John M.; and Miller, Kathryn

M.: Two-Phase Flow Characterization

for Fluid Components and Variable

Gravity Conditions. Proceedings of the

9th Symposium on Space Nuclear

Power Systems, January 12-16, 1992.

Additional articles and the final reports will

be available in 1992.

21
TITLE OF INVESTIGATION: Hybrid Regenerative Water Recovery System

(HRWRS)

PROJECT MANAGER: Eugene H. Winkler/EC3/(713) 483-9255

(Projected)

FUNDING- FY89 FY90 FY91 FY92 FY93

In-house: $0 $0 $50k $300k $300k

Contractors: 0 0 0 0 0

Grants: 0 0 0 0 0

Total funds: $0 $0 $50k $300k $300k

OBJECTIVE AND APPROACH

The major objective of the HRWRS is to

demonstrate that waste water can be processed

into potable/hygiene quality water for reuse.

The system is designed for collecting and processing waste waters from a four-person crew

using both physicochemical and biological

processes. The waste water is collected from

shower, hand wash, laundry, and urinal sources

and processed through the use of a 2-stage,

aerobic, trickling filter/biological reactor integrated with two physicochemical processes:

reverse osmosis and photocatalytic oxidation.

A schematic of the system is shown in figure

11. Inoeganic salts are removed to less than

100 ppm and organic carbon-containing compounds are removed to less than 500 ppb.

Microbial disinfection is accomplished by the

photociltalytic oxidation system. Automation

of syste n operation and data collection will be

demon_' trated. Data from the HRWRS will be

Shower /

hand wash

I Laundry _-J

Aerobic

bioreactor

Micron Photo- Residential

filters catalytic disinfection

t_ Recycle Potable

fluid water

drain

Figure 11.- HRWRS schematic.

22
used to define requirements for future humanrated regenerative life support system testing

(ref. 1).

FY91 ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Major accomplishments during FY91 included the design and construction of the

HRWRS and initial component testing. The

facility has been outfitted with the four waste

water production sources (shower, hand wash,

urinal, and laundry), three processing systems

(bioreactors, reverse osmosis, and photocatalytic oxidation), and data acquisition and

control systems.

PLANNED FUTURE WORK

Anticipated FY92 accomplishments will

include continuous testing of the HRWRS for

up to 180 days. This evaluation will involve

collection, processing, and complete characterization of the waste and product water.

Alternate technologies for waste water treatment will be evaluated and trade studies performed. A dedicated data acquisition and control system will be purchased and integrated

with the HRWRS. An alternate post-treatment system with continuous processing capability will be investigated, designed, procured,

and integrated with the system.

EXPECTED COMPLETION DATE

The JSC Director's Discretionary Fund

(DDF) Program portion of this project is

scheduled for completion in October 1993

(i.e., 3 years of DDF support). After this date,

continued funding of this project is anticipated through the Research and Technology

Objectives and Plans Program.

REFERENCE DOCUMENTS

° Tri, T. O., et al.: Regenerative Life

Support Systems (RLSS) Test Bed

Development at NASA Johnson Space

Center. Presented at the 21 st

International Conference on

Environmental Systems, Society of

Automotive Engineers, 1991.

23
TITLE OF INVESTIGATION:

PROJECT MANAGER:

FUNDING: FY89

In-house: $0

Contractors: 0

Grants: 0

Total Funds: $0

Programmable Remapper Interface Upgrade

Timothy E. Fisher/EE6/483-1456

FY90 FY91 FY92 FY93

$o $50k $o $0

0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0

$o $50k $0 $o

OBJECTIVE AND APPROACH

The Programmable Remapper is a very capable

digital image warping machine designed by

NASA and constructed by Texas Instruments

(TI) (ref. 1). Initial development funding did

not allow completion of the video interface to

required specifications. The objective of this

project was to redesign the delivered video

interface to allow the Programmable

Remapper to interface with other hardware at

the Johnson Space Center (JSC) -- an optical

correlator.

The approach to this effort involved a rewrite

by the project engineer of the video specifications to reflect current requirements. The

actual design and implementation would be

completed by the original contractor that built

the Remapper.

FY91 ACCOMPLISHMENTS

A primary goal for this project was to have the

specifications completed in the second quarter

of FY91 in time for the contract modification

with TI to be in place. This schedule would

allow TI to make the required modifications

for the Programmable Remapper to support an

aggressive summer research program at JSC.

However, delays in the contract negotiations

between NASA and TI resulted in the delay of

contract modifications until May 1991. Due to

this slip in schedule, the Remapper stayed at

JSC to support the summer research program

with its limited interfacing ability. At the end

of the summer research program, the

Remapper was shipped to TI for the required

modifications. The Remapper is currently at

TI. Mcdifications are expected to be completed in November 1991, and the Remapper

returned to its research at JSC.

PLAN NED FUTURE WORK

No follow-on funding is requested from the

JSC Director's Discretionary Fund. However,

the Remapper will continue to be an active

participant in the Optical Correlator Program

and th,." Human Low-Vision Technology

Utiliza:ion Program (ref. 2). In addition, an

advan¢ed version of the Programmable

Remal:per has been designed (ref. 3), and we

are see,:ing funding from external sources for

development. The existing Remapper is playing an important role in fostering and demonstrating the unique advantages offered by flexible video-rate image warping hardware.

24
REFERENCE DOCUMENTS

. Fisher, T. E.; Juday, R. D.: A programmable video image remapper. Proc.

SPIE, vol. 938: 1988, pp. 122-128.

3. Fisher, T. E.; Juday, R. D.: An improved

architecture for video rate image transformations. Proc. SPIE, vol. 1098:

1989, pp. 224-231.

. Loshin, D. S.; Juday, R. D.: The programmable remapper: Clinical applications for patients with field defects.

Optometry and Vision Science, vol. 66:

1989, pp. 389-395.

25
PROJECT TITLE:

PROJECT MANAGER:

TEAM MEMBERS:

FUNDING:

In-house:

Contractors:

Grants:

Totalfunds:

ThermalAnalyzerfor Planetary Soils (TAPS)

James L. Gooding, Ph.D./SN21/(713) 483-5126

Judith H. Allton (LESC)

Terry B. Byers (LESC)

Keith J. Draper (LESC)

Robert P. Dunn (LESC)

Frank L. Gibbons (LESC)

Howard V. Lauer, Jr. (LESC)

Daniel B. Pate (LESC)

A. James Kettle (University of Newfoundland, Canada)

FY89 FY90 FY91

$45k $43k $23k

0 2 2

0 0 0

$45k $45k $25k

OBJECTIVE AND APPROACH

Exploration of the solar system requires

compact instruments for in-situ analysis of

water and related substances in planetary

geologic materials. Motivations for such

analyses include scientific investigation of the

nature and histories of planetary surfaces as

well as evaluation of the resource potential of

planetary materials.

The TAPS project was intended to define the

scope, purpose, and design considerations for

miniaturized, automated instruments that

would perform -- through thermoanalytical

methods -- in-situ identification of ices,

water-bearing minerals, and related

substances in planetary surface soils. The

main objective was to define the experiment

functions and performance requirements in

sufficient detail that a technical proposal to

the NASA Planetary Instrument Definition

and Development Program (PIDDP) could be

used to obtain support for development of a

flight e _periment.

The th "ee important functions embodied in

TAPS i_re: acquisition of a solid sample,

thermodynamic analysis of the solid sample,

and analysis of gases evolved from the sample

during '-teating (refs. 1 and 2). The approach

taken i:l this project was to conceptually

design,.'xperiment options that would meet

the needs of the most likely near-term flight

opportunities. Given NASA's exploration

plans in FY89, a Mars rover/sample return

mission appeared to be the most probable user

of TAPS in the late 1990s. Accordingly,

26
conceptualdesignswerecompletedin FY89for

sophisticatedversionsofTAPSthat includeda

differentialscanningcalorimeter(DSC) asthe

thermodynamicanalyzer(TA), andeithera

massspectrometeror aninfraredinterferometerastheevolved-gasanalyzer(EGA). In

addition,asmallsample-acquisitiondevice

wasdesignedandafunctionalmodelwasbuilt

andsuccessfullytestedin the laboratory(ref.

3).ByFY90,however,budgetaryconstraints

onNASA planninghaddisplacedMarsrovers

in favorof small,low-coststationarylanders.

Theembodimentof the multiple,small-station

approachbecamethe MarsEnvironmental

Survey(MESUR),whichiscurrentlycarried

byNASA asapossiblenew-startspaceflight

project for F¥97.

Work performed in FY90-91 was reoriented

toward designs that would serve the needs of

MESUR, which had included a generic TAEGA experiment in its strawman payload.

Work in FY90 focused on the determination

of TA and EGA sensitivities using laboratory

instruments applied to Mars-analogous

geologic samples (refs. 4 and 5). In addition, a

low-cost, customized laboratory system for

testing various TA-EGA sensor combinations

was designed. In view of the highly

constrained mass, volume, and electrical

power available to MESUR experiment

packages, sophisticated multiple-function

EGA systems were eliminated in favor of

small, single-function water sensors. Water

sensor technology was reviewed and

exploratory tests were performed with a

simple bench-top sensor system.

FY91 ACCOMPLISHMENTS

The TAPS Mark-1 sensor test bed (fig. 12)

was constructed from a combination of commercially available components and custombuilt components. Late in FY91, a small

increment of funds ($10k) was received from

the Exploration Technologies Program

(NASA Headquarters, Code R) to support

laboratory testing of the completed system.

The principal hardware design problem was

to provide a physical interface between the

DSC and the water sensors that would

support transfer of purge gas while minimizing

heat transfer. Toward that end, a stainlesssteel manifold was designed in-house and

Figure 12.- Functional

block diagram for

TAPS Mark-1 sensor

test bed. Six different

signals comprise output

from sample (Sx, Sy)

and reference (Rx, Ry)

sensors that measure

temperature (T),

water-vapor

concentration (W),

and differential

calorimetric power (P).

Interface / 12-bitADC

am 31ifier (+/- 10 V)

C;

i80386 ___

computer /

DT2805 / D'F707

1

2

3

6

WRy _ t----

TRy F

TSxl RX

__ |

P(Sx-Rx) /'4

Water sensor

(Vaisala HMD 30YB)

Purge gas outlet

© ©

t '

t

Y

__,

Purge gas inlet

Thermodynamic sensor

___ (Perkin-Elmer DSC-1 B)

WSy

27
fabricated under contract with a local

machine shop. The bisymmetrical manifold

features two equivalent tubes that separately

direct gas flow from the sample and reference

sides of the DSC to their respective water

sensors. Comparison of signals from the

sample and reference sides defines the magnitude of water release from the sample.

A typical experimental result is shown in

figure 13, which depicts the dehydration of

synthetic gypsum (calcium sulfate dihydrate)

in a chemically inert atmosphere. In figure

13, the water-release signal [WSy] lags behind

the differential calorimetric signal [P(Sx-Rx)]

as a consequence of the time delay between

dehydration of the solid and conductance of

the evolved water vapor past the gas sensor;

the lag time can be adjusted by changes in

the gas purge rate. For the calorimetric and

water signals, the integrated peak areas are

directly proportional to the amount of

gypsum and the amount of evolved water,

respectively. Work in progress includes

quantitative calibration of the sensors and a

parametric study of the principal variables

that affect peak position, strength, and

resolution. The main variables are heating

rate, purge rate, and composition of the purge

gas.

PLANNED FUTURE WORK

Additional work is needed on sampleacquisition mechanisms. The Mark-1 sample

probe, although proven in principle, appears

too complex for application to MESUR.

Several alternative concepts are in hand but

require fabrication as hardware that will

permit demonstration tests. In addition,

several major hardware revisions are needed

to make the sensor assembly smaller, lighter,

and compatible with direct loading of

samples.

Work performed in FY91 completes the

program of research supported by the JSC

Director's Discretionary Fund. A formal

technkal proposal submitted to PIDDP in

May 1591 requested funds, beginning in

Januar3 1992, to continue TAPS

development.

Figure 13.-

Representative test

data for synthetic

gypsum acquired with

the TAPS Mark- 1

sensor test bed. The

various signals

correspond to those

identified in figure 12.

>-

_- 100

CO

Z

i,i

80

Z

60 <{

Z

(O

_% 4O

C_

o 2O

u')

7 F

SAMPLE TEMPERATURE (C)

10( 200

' I ' I

C(]SO4 2H20 (:) _ CoS04(s) + 2 H20(g)

%

I

6.8 mg •

20 K/min heotiml " "

• ; _,----P(Sx-Rx)

3 •

65 cm Ar/min , •

• oo__. WSy

TSx ,# o° •

300 400 500

SAMPLE TEMPERATURE (K)

28
REFERENCES

° Gooding, J. L.: Differential scanning

calorimetry (DSC) and evolved-gas

analysis (EGA) applied to planetary

surface exploration. In I. R. Harrison

(Ed.), Proc. 18th North American

Thermal Analysis Society (NATAS)

Conference, vol. 1, 1989, pp. 222-228.

. Gooding, J. L.: Thermal Analyzer for

Planetary Soils (TAPS) experiment:

Functions and design options. In Lunar

and Planetary Science XXII, Lunar and

Planetary Institute, Houston, Texas,

1991, pp. 457-458.

4_ Goading, J. L.; Kettle, A. J.; and Lauer, H.

V., Jr.: DSC signatures of water-bearing

geologic materials relevant to Mars and

comets. In I. R. Harrison (Ed.), Proc.

19th North American Thermal

Analysis Society (NATAS)

Conference, vol. 1, 1990, pp. 9-15.

5, Gooding, J. L.; Kettle, A. J.; and Lauer, H.

V., Jr.: DSC sensitivity to hydrated

minerals in planetary samples. In Lunar

and Planetary Science XXII, Lunar and

Planetary Institute, Houston, Texas,

1991, pp. 463-464.

o Allton, J. H.; Lauer, H. V., Jr.; Draper, K.

J.; and Gooding, J. L.: Thermal

Analyzer for Planetary Soils: Results of

Initial Testing of Mark-1 Sample Probe

Prototype. NASA Johnson Space

Center, Houston, Texas, JSC 24572.

29
TITLE OF INVESTIGATION:

PROJECT MANAGER:

INITIATION YEAR:

FUNDING FY89

In-House: $18k

Contractors: 0

Grants: 12k

Total funds: $30k

Backscatter Mossbauer Spectrometer (BaMS) for

Analysis of Planetary Surface Materials

Richard V. Morris, Ph.D./SN2/FTS 525-5040

FY89

FY90 FY91

$30k $30k

0 0

0 0

$30k $30k

OBJECTIVES

Spacecraft missions with landers to the Moon

and Mars, asteroids, and other solid solar system objects require instrumentation for analysis of surface materials. Analysis provides

characterization of the surface materials and,

for sample return missions, a basis for selection of representative samples. Operation of a

lunar base required similar instrumentation

for in situ resource utilization. Iron Mossbauer

spectroscopy is specific for the element and

sensitive to its oxidation states and chemical

environment. The technique provides quantitative information on the mineralogy of ironbearing phases and on the relative proportions of those phases. On the Moon, for

example, it is an ideal probe for the mineral

ilmenite, which is a source of 0 2 for life support and He 3 for nuclear fusion. Because of

this high selectivity to mineralogy, the inherent simplicity of the instrumentation, and no

requirements for sample preparation, a BaMS

is a highly viable candidate for inclusion on a

surface lander. The purpose of this project is

to 1) document that backscatter Mossbauer

spectroscopy can provide the necessary mineralogical data (proof-of-concept), and (2)

build a brassboard instrument. Technology

development areas for brassboard subsystems

include miniaturization of the velocity transducer, incorporation of a solid-state detector,

and testing of detector arrays (both solid state

and proaortional counter). This project is the

basis for proposals to the Planetary Instrument Definition and Development Program

(PIDDP) for full development of a flight

instrum.mt. The project is conducted by the

Solar S_ stem Exploration Division for the

Johnsor Space Center.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN FY91

For the proof-of-concept phase of the project,

a resear.:h-grade Mossbauer spectrometer,

capable of operation in both the normal

transmi +sion mode and in backscatter mode,

was obt fined during FY89. Analysis of samples per:inent to planetary applications of

30
• ,o'...'°-o.%_,°.'._'.-.oo'.,,..... ..o.°° .'ou°°_, ,.°_O.'o.'°..Oo_._,°'.o'°'.°.So._.°,°_..._ .._,°o_.°'°*_o°_ ,°, ....

"'o .%° o'°o °.._o ,o° ° °, ._. .°°" o_o

• • • °% °"°° ° %. • _°o °_

"o

°° °o

Figure 14.- Mossbauer spectrum of metallic iron foil obtained with the miniature velocity transducer operating in

sinusoidal mode. Transducer specifications: size = 1.5 x 3.5 cm, weight = 19 g; power < 1 mW.

Mossbauer spectroscopy is under way. Transmission Mossbauer spectra for a martian

meteorite, palagonitic soils (analogues of

weathered martian material), and lunar simulants have been obtained. Computer programs have been developed to parameterize

the Mossbauer spectra. For the brassboard

phase of the project, piezoelectric and miniaturized conventional velocity transducers

were built and tested as an alternative to the

bulky and heavy velocity transducer present

in laboratory systems. The performance of the

miniaturized conventional velocity transducer was found to be superior. A Mossbauer

spectrum obtained with it is shown in figure

14. Alternative transducer designs are also

under investigation. A Mossbauer spectrum

was also successfully obtained with a twodetector configuration, which demonstrates

the concept of multiple detector arrays for

Mossbauer spectroscopy.

PLANNED FUTURE WORK

A proposal has been submitted to the PIDDP

for future funding of this project. Collection

of Mossbauer spectra of putative martian surface materials will continue with an expected

project completion date of September 30,

1991.

PUBLICATIONS FROM PROJECT

. Morris, R. V.; Agresti, D. G.; Shelfer, T. D.;

and Wdowiak, T.J.: Mossbauer backscatter spectroscopy: A new approach

for mineralogical analysis on planetary

surfaces. In Lunar and Planetary Science

XX, The Lunar and Planetary Institute,

Houston, 1989, pp. 723-724.

31
.

°

.

Morris, R. V.; Agresti, D. G.; Lauer, H. V.,

Jr.; Newcomb, J. A.; Shelfer, T. D.;

and Murali, A. V.: Evidence for pigmentary hematite on Mars based on

optical, magnetic, and Mossbauer

studies of superparamagnetic (nanocrystalline) hematite. J. Geophys.

Res., 94, 1989, pp. 2760-2778.

Agresti, D. G.; Wills, E. L.; Shelfer, T. D.;

Iwanczyk, J. S.; Dorri, N.; and Morris,

R.V.: Development of a solid state

Mossbauer spectrometer for planetary

missions. In Lunar and Planetary Science XXI, The Lunar and Planetary

Institute, Houston, 1990, pp. 5-6.

Morris, R. V.; Gooding, J. L.; Lauer, H. V.,

Jr.; and Singer, R. B.: Origins of Marslike spectral and magnetic properties

of a Hawaiian palagonitic soil. J. Geophys, Res., 95, 1990, pp. 14427-14434.

o

,

o

Agresti, D. G.; Shelfer, T. D.; Pimperl, M.

M.; Wills, E. L.; and Morris, R. V.:

Mossbauer spectrometer for planetary

surfaces, Bull. Am. Phys. Soc., 36,

1991, p. 627.

Shelfer, T. D.; Pimperl, M. M.; Agresti, D.

G.; Wills, E. L.; and Morris, R. V.:

Backscatter Mossbauer spectrometer

(BaMS) for planetary applications:

Transducer design considerations. In

Lunar and Planetary Science XXII, The

Lunar and Planetary Institute, Houston, 1991, pp. 1229-1230.

Agresti D. G.; Shelfer, T. D.; Pimperl, M.

M.; Wills, E. L.; and Morris, R. V.:

Combined backscatter Mossbauer

spectrometer and X-ray fluorescence

analyzer (BaMS/XRF) for planetary

surface materials. In Program and

Abstracts for Clay Minerals Society 28th

Annual Meeting, 1991.

32
TITLE OF INVESTIGATION:

PROJECT MANAGER:

Comparison of Continuous and Discontinuous

Collisional Shields

Friedrich H6rz/SN2/(713) 483-5042

(Projected)

FUNDING: FY89 FY90

In-house $0 $0

Contractors 0 0

Grants 0 0

Total Funds 0 0

FY91 FY92 FY93

$35k $50k Program- Source

0 0 ?

0 0

$35k $50k 0

OBJECTIVE AND APPROACH

Natural particles and man-made debris combine into a substantial collisional hazard to

spacecraft in low Earth orbit, even more so, if

future activities in space would cause the

man-made particle population to increase (ref.

1 ). Traditionally, contiguous sheets of material

are employed as protective shields that will

destroy the hypervelocity impactors by shockinduced vaporization, melting, or fragmentation. The mass contained in such shields or

"bumpers" translates into launch mass and

has, therefore, not only practical limits, but

substantial fiscal and operational consequences. The thrust of past and ongoing

bumper developments is, therefore, to devise

the most lightweight bumpers possible (ref. 2).

The intent of this work is to verify theoretical

expectations that the initialization of a shock

wave in the impactor does not require a target

that is laterally continuous beyond typical

projectile dimensions. Grid-like structures

may suffice, provided their mesh-opening (M)

is smaller than the projectile diameter (Dp) to

assure contact with the bumper. A series of

meshes that have progressively smaller meshopenings and wire thicknesses seems especially

promising because they would progressively

comminute and decelerate the fragments generated by the first, most massive grid (ref. 3).

Suitable impact experiments were conducted

using powder propellant and light gas gun ballistic ranges to accelerate spherical soda-lime

glass projectiles, some .13 in. or .25 in. in

diameter, to velocities between 1 and 6 km/s.

They impacted targets of carefully controlled

thicknesses that were dimensionally scaled to

Dp, such as Dp/T = 2, 5, and 10. Both continuous and grid-targets were exposed for direct

comparison. A few experiments with multiple

mesh targets were performed as well at 6 km/s.

RESULTS OF FIRST YEAR

INVESTIGATIONS (FY 91)

As documented in a detailed report (ref. 4),

the equivalence of T for both bumper designs

could be demonstrated. The largest secondary

crater on witness plates represents the most

kinetic fragment (Fma x) and, thus, the most

serious remaining threat to a flight system.

Neither continuous nor discontinuous

bumpers produced a single, outstandingly

kinetic fragment -- but instead, a fair number

33
( N > 10typically) of similarsized,largefragments.Importantly,Fmax doesnot systematicallyvarybetweencontinuousanddiscontinuoustargetsat identicalT. This demonstrates

that gridbumperscollisionallyfragmentthe

impactorwith the efficiencyof continuous

shieldsaspostulated.The grid bumpersoutperformthe continuoustargetsin everycategoryof displacedmassthat wasmeasured,

suchastotal targetmassdisplacedor the

physicallyrecoveredtotal ejectaandspall

products.The unevenmassdistributionof

grid bumpers,however,leadsto localizedclusteringandclumpingof secondarycraters,a

distinctly unfavorableproperty.A few

exploratoryexperimentsexposingmultiple

meshesrevealthat multiple shocksnot only

induceadditional,progressivecomminution,

butthat they alsoresultin substantially

increaseddispersionsof the relativelyfinegraineddebris.Thus,mosttheoreticalpredictionsof single-gridpenetrationscouldbeverifiedexperimentally,andgrid-likematerials

seemsuitablefor collisional bumpers.Figures

15and16illustraterepresentativeresultsof

thetotal of 45 impactexperimentsconducted

to date.

PLANN ED FUTURE WORK

Effortsin yeartwowill extendtheseexperimentsto multiple, successivegridsandto specific detailof grid design,suchasround

Figure 15.- Representative grid penetrations at three different impact

velocities employing custom-made

grids manufactured from welding

rods that have identical center-tocenter mesh distances (M = Dp =

.13 in.}, yet two different scaled

thicknesses Dp/T = 2 and 5. Note

that target damage increases with

velocity; also, total displaced target

mass decreases with increasing Dp/T

{e.g., compare experiments #803

and #806).

Dp = 1/8"

~1.6 km/s

Dp/TF = 2

8,111!1

Dp/TF = 5

-5 km/s

--6 km/s

34
Figure 16.- Rear-witness plates

simulating flight systems that

are damaged by debris particles

generated during the penetration of single membranes and

multiple grids (all at 6 km/s,

using .13 in. projectiles). Note

the degree of damage as a function of absolute areal shield

mass (g/cm z) and that the grid

bumper vastly outperforms the

continuous shield at equivalent

mass (e.g., #812 versus #826).

Dp/T = 12

0.069

(g/cm2)

D p/T = 5

0.169

Continuous Discontinuous

1 Grid

0.012

(g/cm2)

3 Grids

0.036

Dp/T = 2

0.424

5 Grids

0.060

profiles and weaves versus regular machined

or etched grids of square cross-section. At the

end of year two, it is expected that the utility

of discontinuous bumpers is demonstrated.

This effort must be viewed as basic experimental inquiry, rather than as a development

of flight systems. The latter will be a major,

collaborative undertaking of many individuals and laboratories.

REFERENCES

. Kessler, D.J.: Orbital Debris Environment for Spacecraft in Low Earth

Orbit. J. Spacecraft, vol. 28, 3, 1991,

pp. 347-351.

,

°

.

Christiansen, E. L.: Advanced Meteoroid

and Debris Shielding Concepts.

AIAA/NASA/DOD Orbital Debris

Conference, 1990, AIAA 90-136.

Hfrz, E: Discontinuous Meteorite

Bumper, Disclosure of Invention.

MSC-21769-1, NASA JSC, 1990.

Hfrz, E: Comparison of Continuous and

Discontinuous Bumpers for Collisional

Protection of Spacecraft. DDF Progress

Report, 1991.

35
TITLE OF INVESTIGATION: Lymphocyte Activation in Simulated Microgravity

and Hypergravity

PROJECT MANAGER: Clarence E Sams, Ph.D./SD4/(713) 483-7160

FUNDING: FY89 FY90 FY91 FY92

In-house: $50k $35k $30k $0

Contractors: 0 0 0 0

Grants: 0 0 0 0

Total funds: $50k $35k $30k $0

OBJECTIVE AND APPROACH

Lymphocytes have been repeatedly examined

during space flight and in ground-based

experiments and have consistently demonstrated an apparent gravitational influence on

in vitro activation with mitogenic lectins (ref.

1). While these data have reproducibly

demonstrated an effect of gravity on lymphocyte activation, it is impossible to determine

the operative mechanisms from these studies.

Gravity may affect any of a number of critical

events regulating progression through the

activation cascade. In addition, in vitro activation of lymphocytes has a demonstrated

sensitivity to alterations in cell culture environment, such as cell concentration and

culture vessel geometry. Changes in these

characteristics may accompany culture in

non-unit gravity. We hypothesize that gravity

influences lymphocyte activation through one

or both of the following general mechanisms:

1 ) alteration of the cell culture environment

(e.g., cell-cell or ceU-substrate contact) or 2)

changes in specific elements of the activation

cascade. The objective of this task was to

examine these alternatives and determine the

mechanisms responsible for the gravity sensitivity of the activation response.

All experiments in this study were performed

in the Biomedical Operations and Research

Laboratories of the Johnson Space Center.

The studies required significant capability for

biochemical and molecular analysis of cells.

The laboratory facilities included equipment

for tissue culture, biochemical analysis,

radioisotope work, fluorescence microscopy,

and flow cytometry. During the course of the

research, enhancement of specific capabilities

was required to support the ongoing research.

These inc uded addition of multiparameter

analysis hardware to the flow cytometer, support for acquisition of a new fluorescence

microscope, and additions to tissue culture

and molecular analysis equipment.

FY91 ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Early experiments (FY89 and FY90) focused

on the effects of culture environment-induced

changes on activation. Previous reports have

documented a significant decrease in mitogen

36
activationof lymphocytesduringculturein

clinostats.Theseresultshavebeenattributed

to areductionof theapparentgravityon the

cellsto approximately1/100gor lessby the

clinorotationat appropriatespeeds.An alternativeexplanationisthat clinostatsevenly

dispersethecellsandinterferewith the cellcell andcell-surfaceinteractionsrequiredfor

mitogen-drivenactivation.Totestwhether

simpledispersionwassufficientto inhibit activation,wetreatedlymphocyteswith 2_g/ml

PHA whileeitherstaticor maintainedin suspensiononahematologyrocker.Thehematologyrockerprovidedgentlesuspension

without themicrogravitysimulationof clinorotation.Suspendingthe cellscauseda60

to 70percentdecreasein T cellsexpressing

the CD69activationmarker(fig. 17a)comparedto thestaticcontrol.Tritiatedthymidineuptakeat 48hourswasalsodecreasedby

50to 60percent.No decreasein the viability

of thesuspendedsamplewasobservedas

determinedbypropidiumiodidestainingand

flowcytometry.Theseresultssuggestthat dispersionof the cellsissufficientto accountfor

thedecreasedresponsivenessobservedin clinostatswithoutrequiringthecontributionof

hypogravity effects. In addition, these data

indicate that early events in the activation

sequence are affected by changes in culture

environment when surface-active mitogens

are used.

Phorbol esters function as direct activators of

protein kinase C (PKC) and, in conjunction

with appropriate accessory signals, are effective activators of peripheral lymphocytes.

These compounds bypass the initial cell

surface-mediated signaling events and provide an alternate means for activating the

cells, potentially independent of surface contact. Preliminary studies have shown that

treatment of lymphocytes with 50 ng/ml

phorbol myristate acetate (PMA), either static or suspended, induced the expression of

CD69 on approximately 90 percent of the T

Z

O

O3

O3

LEU 4 EXPRESSION

Figure 17.- Activation of suspended lymphocytes. Peripheral lymphocytes were activated with the surface active

mitogen, PHA (fig. 17a), or the phorbol ester, PMA (fig. 17b) while in suspension on a hematology rocker. The

expression of the CD69 activation marker is along the vertical axis, and the expression of the T-cell marker, leu 4,

is along the horizontal axis. The activated T cells are those expressing both the CD69 and leu 4 markers.

37
cellsafter24hours(fig. 17b). The lack of

sensitivity to the degree of cell dispersion

observed with PMA indicates that bypassing

the receptor-mediated signaling mechanisms

allows the initiation of early activation

events in the suspended state. These results

further support our hypothesis that the early

surface-mediated events may be critical determinants in the apparent gravity sensitivity of

lymphocyte activation.

From the above results it is apparent that

environmental or indirect effects have significant impact on mitogen activation and may

account for a significant portion of the

observed effects in clinostats or microgravity.

These effects can be observed at very early

points during the sequence of activation

events and are different for surface active

mitogens and transmembrane active mitogem. Overall, the preliminary data confirm

the validity of examining the activation

sequence with different mitogens and culture

conditions to determine specific cellular

mechanisms which are potentially responsive

to direct or indirect effects of altered gravity.

PLANNED FUTURE WORK

The studies outlined above provided the basis

for a new research proposal entitled

"Mechanisms of Altered Lymphocyte

Activation in Simulated Microgravity and

Hypergravity," which was submitted in

response to a NASA Research Announcement far Gravitational Biology (NRA-91-

OSSA-15). The proposed research will focus

on the effects of altered gravity and cell culture er.vironment on the early signal transduction pathways involved in T-ceU activation. Specific signaling pathways which are

critical to activation include the inositol

phosphate pathways, intracellular calcium

levels, protein phosphorylation, oncogene

expres._ion, and modulation of cytoskeletal

structure. These studies will provide critical

insighl into environmental and cellular factors responsible for the gravity sensitivity of a

cell in culture.

REFERENCE DOCUMENT

. Graunder, E K.; and Cogoli, A.: 1988.

_pp. Micrograv. Tech., vol. I, pp. 115-

[22.

38
TITLE OF INVESTIGATION:

PROJECT MANAGER:

FUNDING: FY89

In-House: $40k

Contractors: 0

Grants: 0

Total funds: $40k

Evaluation of New Body Composition Techniques

in Variable G's

Steven E Siconolfi, Ph.D./SD5/(713 ) 483-7110

(Projected)

FY90 FY91 FY92 FY93

$30k $5k $0 $0

0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0

$30k $5k $0 $0

OBJECTIVE AND APPROACH

The development of new methodologies that

can measure changes in body fluids and lean

mass (muscle) is the cornerstone for evaluating

microgravity-induced changes in body composition with Siri's (ref. 1.) 3-compartment

model (water, dry lean mass, and fat mass).

This project evaluated estimates of total body

water and new techniques to measure body

volumes. Three basic approaches were undertaken to meet this objective.

Characterize the bioelectrical responses of

the body with different skin temperatures,

input frequencies, and electrode configurations relative to body positions.

Examine the relationships between bioelectrical responses to low voltage, multifrequency electrical inputs and body fluid

compartments (total body water, extracellular fluid volume, and plasma/blood volume). Develop new bioelectrical models

for the estimation of body fluids.

• Develop a system to measure limb and

body volumes utilizing compliance

volumenometry. Expand the system (if

possible) to measure limb blood flow.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN FY91

Developed a new bioelectrical model for

estimating total body water (ref. 2.) The

new model has comparable estimation

abilities for subjects with larger (>40 1)

measures of total body water, but has

improved (47 percent reduction of error

rate) the assessment for subjects with

smaller measures of total body water

(fig. 18).

A measurement system for limb volume

has been completed with an average error

of less than 0.15 percent (fig. 19).

A measurement system for detecting the

change in limb volume (fig. 20) and

blood flow (using occlusion plethysmography) has been completed with an average

error of 1 percent (fig. 21).

• A patent application has been filed for

the limb compliance volumenometer.

39
60 157C

55 0 A 1560

50 1550

45 154G

N o°Y I _

35 lOoo ol 1520

30 _ 151C

25 155C , : , : , : , : , ' , ' , '

25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 15001510 1520 1530 1540 1550 1560 1570

Estimatesoftotalbodywater(liters) Computedlimbvolume(ml)

Figure 18.- Comparison of bioelectrical resistance estimates of total body water with true (O-18 labeled water)

measures in 14 subjects. Estimates of total body water

were made with regression equations from Lukaski, et al.

[ 0 ] (ref. 3, Kushner & Schoeller [ [3] (ref. 4), and from

the new [A] 3rd order polynomial model.

Figure 19.- Comparison of limb volumes (simulated) to

computer limb volumes using compliance volumenometery. The mean error rate for these measures was less

than 0.15 percent.

70

-I

0

E

60

50

40

30

20

10

1 , l , I , i , i , O , O

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70

ComputedA limbvolume(ml)

Figure 20.- Comparison of the change in limb volume to

the computed change in limb volume using compliance

volumenometry. The mean error rate for these measures

was lessthan I percent.

5O

40

°° 30

E

2o

10

---- . . ---- . 8 I

i i | i I

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

Computedflow(ml/min/100ml)

Figure21.- Comparison of the limb b/_ flow (simulated) m the computed limb blood flow using compliance

volumenometry. The mean error rate for these measures

was less daan 1 percent.

40
Use of gas dilution for total body volume

was not effective.

A pressure volumenometer (whole body

plethysmography) for measuring body volume was initially evaluated and shows

promise.

PLANNED FUTURE WORK

• Completion of data collection for evaluation of blood and extracellular fluid volumes from bioelectrical responses.

• Further evaluation of the pressure volumenometer.

.

°

.

Siconolfi, S. E, Kear, K.T.: A New Model

for Estimating Total Body Water from

Biolectrical Resistance. Submitted for

presentation at the Aerospace

Medicine Association Meeting, 1992.

Lukaski, H. C., Bolonchuk, W. W., Hall,

C. B., Siders, W .A.: Validation of

tetrapolar bioelectrical impedance

method to assess human body composition. J. Appl. Physiol., vol. 60: 1986,

pp. 1327-32.

Kushner, R., Schoeller, D.: Estimation of

total body water by bioelectrical

impedance analysis. Am. J. Clin.

Nutr., vol. 44: 1986, pp. 414-24.

REFERENCE DOCUMENTS

o Siri, W.E.: Body Composition from Fluid

Spaces and Density: Analysis of

Methods. Report 19. Berkeley, CA.

University of California Press, 1956.

41
TITLE OF INVESTIGATION: Plasma Volume and Orthostatic Tolerance

PROJECT MANAGER: Suzanne M. Fortne_, Ph.D./SD5/FTS 525-7213

(Projected)

FUNDING: FY89 FY90 FY91 FY92 FY93

In-house: $60k $60k $60k $0k $0k

Contractors: 0 0 0 0 0

Total funds: $60k $60k $60k $0 $0

OBJECTIVE AND APPROACH:

Hyatt and West (ref. 1) have shown that a

4-hour continuous exposure to -30 mmHg

lower body negative pressure (LBNP) and the

simultaneous ingestion of 1 I of an isotonic

saline solution will restore plasma volume

(PV) and orthostatic responses (OR) for up to

18 hours following 1 week of simulated space

flight (bedrest(BR)). The objective of this project is to develop the optimum protocol (LBNP

profile and rehydration solution) which

restores PV and OR for at least 24 hrs with a

minimum time, commitment, discomfort, and

risk. To accomplish this goal, the optimum

LBN P pressure, pressure profile, and exposure

time must be determined. Once the protocol is

established, it can be immediately implemented into ongoing flight studies (DSO 478).

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

1988

A 13-day BR study was performed by 10

healthy, young men. Each subject underwent

a single, 13-day, 6 ° head-down BR, in which

the protocol of Hyatt and West (a 4-hour

continuous exposure to -30 mmHg and ingestion of 1 l of isotonic saline) was performed.

Also, each subject underwent a shortened 2-

hour treatment. The subjects were randomly

assigned to groups A and B. Group A received

the 4-hour treatment first and the 2-hour

treatment later. Group B received the 2-hour

treatment first and the 4-hour treatment

later. "[he objectives of this study were: 1 ) to

verify that the 4-hour treatment will improve

PV and OR for at least 24 hours, and 2) to

determine whether the 2-hour treatment

would "_e equally effective.

The re,'ults of this study were reported in the

JSC Director's Discretionary Fund Program

1989 Annual Report. Both 2-hour and 4-hour

treatments expanded PV for up to 24 hours

after treatment. However, significant improvement ill OR was only seen after the 4-hour

treatment. Therefore, the project team recommenda :ion was to continue to manifest the

4-hour protocol. To date, four Shuttle

crewmembers (two from STS-32 and two from

STS-43) have performed this protocol.

1989

After _ erifying the effectiveness of the 4-hour

LBNP treatment in men, the project team

was asked to repeat the study in women. Ten

women were recruited to perform an identical

BR protocol as that of the 1989 study of male

42
subjects.However,insteadof repeatingthe

2-hour,continuous-30mmHgLBNPtreatment, thepressureprofileof the 2-hourtreatmentwasaltered.Wehypothesizedthat

changingfrom acontinuous-30mmHgpressureto aconstantlychangingpressureprofile

(sinusoidalpressureprofilewith pressure

changingfrom 0to -60mmHgeachminute)

wouldbemoreeffectivein 1) stimulating

fluid retention,2) stimulatingcarotidbaroreceptorfunction, and3) restoringlowerbody

venouscompliance.Therefore,asinusoidal

LBNPtreatmentmightbemoreeffectivein

restoringPVand improvingOR.

Again,wefoundthat both 2-hourand4-hour

LBNPtreatmentsrestoredPV.However,the

effectivenessof eventhe4-hourcontinuous

LBNPtreatmentto restoreOR waslessconsistent in women.The heartrateandstrokevolumeresponsesto LBNPof only4 outof 10of

the womenwereimproved24hoursafterthe

4-hourtreatment.The 2-hoursinusoidal

LBNPtreatmentwasfoundto beequallyeffective - with improvementin OR evidentin 4

of the 10subjects.Thereappearedto beno

correlationbetweenmenstrualcyclestageat

thetimeof treatmentandtheeffectivenessof

treatment.

Ourconclusionsfromthisstudywereequivocal.It appearsthat theeffectof the4-hour

LBNPtreatmentmaybelessconsistentin

women.Womens'bodyfluid responsesare

alteredbyhormonesassociatedwith themenstrualcycle.It ispossiblethat theseeffects

causevariationsin PVandOR whichoverride

theeffectsof BRorcountermeasuretreatment.

1990

A 6-day BR study evaluated the 2-hour sinusoidal LBNP countermeasure. The purposes of

this study are: 1) to determine whether a

2-hour sinusoidal LBNP treatment will restore

PV and ORs after 5 days of BR, and 2) to

determine whether the 2-hour sinusoidal

treatment is more effective if the saddle of the

LBNP device is removed and pressure is

applied to the feet during each sinusoidal pressure fluctuation. The hypothesis is that periodically stimulating the lower body musculature

may improve countermeasure effectiveness to

restore skeletal muscle tone, possibly venous

tone, and thus better improve OR after BR.

The protocol for this study involves 12 subjects each undergoing two 6-day hospitalizations. On one day of ambulatory baseline,

PR-BR measurements of PV and ORs are

obtained during a presyncopal limited LBNP

test. During one hospitalization (control BR),

no treatment is given. After 5 days of BR, an

LBNP test is administered to evaluate OR.

During the second BR (treatment BR), the

2-hour sinusoidal LBNP treatment is administered on BR day 4. Twenty-four hours later,

the post BR LBNP test is administered to

evaluate OR.

To date, three subjects have completed both

BRs, and three additional subjects have completed a single BR (two controls and one

treatment). Treatments have all been with

saddle support. In all subjects who have

received the sinusoidal LBNP treatment

except one, PV was increased during BR after

treatment. The subject who had no improvement had gastrointestinal (GI) problems

throughout both BRs, which may have

accounted for his lack of response to treatment. Of the three subjects who have completed both BRs, two have had improvement

in their post-BR orthostatic tolerance. The

third subject had GI problems.

The results from this study, thus far, are

promising. It is anticipated that the 2-hour

sinusoidal LBNP treatment may prove at least

as effective as the 4-hour continuous pressure

treatment and may soon be substituted in the

ongoing Shuttle countermeasure program

(DSO 478).

43
PLANNED FUTURE WORK

The sinusoidal LBNP countermeasure study is

targeted for completion within the next 6

months. In addition, the effectiveness of the

countermeasure may be improved by substituting a rehydration solution which does not

contain sodium (sodium in the rehydration

solution may decrease aldosterone secretion

and retard fluid retention during the 24-hour

interval after treatment). Funding for these

additional studies has been obtained from the

cardiopulmonary Research and Technology

Objectives and Plans Program.

REFERENCE

1. Hyatt, K. H.; and West, D. A.: Reversal of

bedrest-induced orthostatic intolerance

by lower body negative pressure and

saline. Aviat. Space Environ. Med. 48:

1977, pp. 120-124.

PUBLICATIONS FROM THIS PROJECT

Fortney, S. M.: Development of Lower Body

Negative Pressure as a Countermeasure

for Orthostatic Intolerance. In press. J.

Clinical Pharmacology.

Melchior, E M.; and Fortney, S. M.:

Measurement of leg compliance using

mercury strain gauge and thigh occlusion

during bedrest. Submitted to J. Appl.

Physiol.

Wood, M.; Dussack, L. G.; Fortney, S.:

Orthostatic responses during lower body

negative pressure with and without saddle

support. Aviat. Space Environ. Med.

62:472, 1991.

Fortnev, S. M.; Troell, M.; Dussack, L.; and

Cintron, N. M.: Plasma volume, fluid

balance, and endocrine responses to prolonged lower body negative pressure during bedrest. FASEB J. 5: A1015, 1991.

Bondar, R. L.; Kassam, M. S.; Stein, E;

Dunphy, P. T.; Fortney, S.; and Charles, J.:

The usefulness of transcranial Doppler in

predicting loss of orthostatic tolerance

during lower body negative pressure.

Aviat. Space Environ. Med. 62: 469, 1991.

Jones, M.; Dussack, L.; Rehbein, T.; Fortney,

S.; Charles, J.; and Bungo, M.: Evaluation of prolonged lower body negative

pressure and saline ingestion on restoring

orthostatic responses during bedrest.

Av/at. Space Environ. Med. 61: 470, 1990.

Rehbein, T.; Dussack, L.; Jones, M.; Lanehart,

D.; Fortney, S.; Charles, J.; and Bungo,

M.: Cardiovascular response to prolonged

lower body negative pressure and isotonic

saline ingestion. Aviat. Space Environ.

Med. 61:469, 1990.

Dussac_, L.; Rehbein, T.; Steinmann, L.;

For:ney, S.; Charles, J.; and Bungo, M.:

Effect of 13 days of bedrest on cardiac

responses during presyncopal lower body

negative pressure. Aviat. Space Environ.

Met. 61: 490, 1990.

Melchior, E M.; and Fortney, S. M.: Changes

in leg compliance during a 12-day bedrest

study. Aviat. Space Environ. Med. 496,

1990.

44
TITLE OF INVESTIGATION:

PROJECT MANAGERS:

FUNDING: FY89

In-house: $0

Contractors: 0

Grants: 0

Total funds: $0

Determining Human Energy Utilization During

Space Flight Using Doubly Labeled Water

Helen W. Lane, Ph.D.

SD4/Biomedical Operations & Research 483-7188

Everett K. Gibson, Ph.D.

SN 21/Plane tary Science 483-6224

Randall J. Gretebeck, Ph.D.

NRC Postdoctoral Associate

SD4/Biomedical Operations & Research 483-9945

(Projected)

FY90 FY91 FY92 FY93

$50k $50k $60k $0

0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0

$50k $50k $60k $0

OBJECTIVE AND APPROACH

Exposure to microgravity induces physiological and biochemical changes that may interfere with the health and normal functioning

of humans in space. For example, by the end

of a flight, a crewmember's energy stores may

be insufficient for unaided egress in an emergency. The availability of nutrients from food

and the energy (calories) required in microgravity may differ from the availability of

nutrients and energy that would be required

on the ground. Traditional methods for calculating human energy utilization are difficult

or impossible to perform in space. This project seeks to 1) use water labeled with the stable isotopes deuterium and oxygen-18 to

measure energy utilization noninvasively in

humans and to 2) develop this technology to

measure the energy used by crewmembers

during space flight. In service of this goal, the

first objective was to build and test the analytical systems necessary to purify hydrogen

and oxygen from human blood, urine, and

saliva samples. From these data, models will

be developed to use doubly labeled water as a

means of calculating the energy used in performing specific activities in space.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

The components of the isotope purification

system were obtained in FY90; the system for

oxygen analysis was completed and tested in

FY90/91. A state-of-the-art, stable-isotope laboratory with the capability of performing the

sophisticated techniques involved in doubly

labeled water analyses is now in place. Pilot

studies to validate the precision and accuracy

of the oxygen and hydrogen purification systems included, respectively, splitting samples

45
7.00 7.C0

A

C_

O

.J

z

o

C_

m

o

6.85

6.70

6.55

6.40

AMBULATORY PHASE

y..0.0866X÷6.8929

" i l i = , -- ,

.9986

0 I 2 3 4 5 6

o 6.85

z

v

0 6.7O

3E

0_

-_ 6..=5

o

6._,0

EDREST PHASE

,.::::;::,o7

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

DAYS DAYS

Figure 22.- Deuterium elimination rate, energ,,/Gl men's bed rest study.

and comparing the results with those of an

established, independent laboratory and using

international water standards. A methodological study of our oxygen analytical

method, which uses a novel approach, was

presented at the International Conference on

Geochronology, Geochemistry, and Isotopic

Geochemistry in Canberra, Australia, in

1990; a report is currently in review for publication in Analytical Chemistry. Another series

of studies is under way to establish baseline

isotope concentrations in the Orbiter water.

The water produced during flight by the fuel

cells, which is used by the crew for drinking

and food preparation, has been found to have

higher concentrations of deuterium and

6.00

o 5.50

.J

Z

o 5.00

=E

03

¢u

-_ 4.50

Q

4.00

!

y- -0.104x_-5.7325._

I I

O 5 10 15

DAYS

Figure 23.- Oxygen-18 elimination rate, women's

study- subject 1.

oxyger,-18 than the normal ground water

used to fill the Orbiter tanks before launch.

Another ongoing study, supported by extended duration Orbiter (EDO) funds, is under

way to measure energy utilization in adult

men during bed rest. Figure 22 shows the deuterium elimination rate in one subject for

both tile ambulatory and bed rest phase of the

study. This project is expected to end in FY92.

Another experiment, supported by Research

and Technology Objectives and Plans

Program funds, involves testing the effects of

drinking water that has been enriched with

isotolx s to simulate the enrichment of Orbiter

water. Figure 23 shows the oxygen-18 elimination rate in a subject consuming simulated

Orbiter water. Finally, an EDO-supported

flight experiment will use doubly labeled

water Io measure energy utilization in 36

crewmembers during space flight. This study

has be,.'n manifested on STS-45 and is under

consid._ration for STS-47.

PLANNED FUTURE WORK

The current, ground-based studies will be completed in FY92. In other studies, models will be

developed to aid prediction of isotopic elimination during the unique circumstances of

46
space flight. The oxygen purification system

will be modified to accommodate microliter

sample sizes in order to maximize use of physiological samples collected during flight.

Another EDO proposal to continue tracking

the enrichment of Orbiter water will be submitted in FY92. The flight study will continue

until 36 subjects have been tested.

° Wong, W. W.; and Klein, P. D.: A review of

techniques for the preparation of biological samples for mass-spectrometric measurements of hydrogen-2/hydrogen- 1 and

oxygen- 18/oxygen- 16 isotope ratios. Mass

Spectrometry Reviews, vol. 5, 1986, pp.

313-342.

REFERENCE DOCUMENTS

1. Schoeller, D. A.; Field, C. R.; and Brown,

K.H.: Energy expenditure by doubly

labeled water: Validation and clinical

application. In: Synthesis and

Applications of Isotopically Labeled

Compounds, Muccino, R. R., ed.

Amsterdam: Elsevier Science

Publications, 1985.

47
TITLE OF INVESTIGATION:

PROJECT MANAGER:

FUNDING FY91

In-house: $50k

Contractors: 0

Grants (Research and)

Technology Objectives

and Plans): 0

Total Funds: $50k

Search Coil System to Record Eye Movements For

Studies of Eye, Head, Hand Coordination

Jacob J. Bloomberg, Ph.D./SD5/( 713) 483-0436

FY92 FY93

$30k $15k

0 0

75k 75k

$105k $90k

OBJECTIVE AND APPROACH

The central nervous system integrates multisensory information to determine body spatial

orientation relative to the environment.

Exposure to microgravity during space flight

induces alteration in this internal construct

producing perceptual and sensory-motor disturbances during adaptation to zero g and

readaptation to a one-g environment. With

plans for extended duration missions (specifically, involving development of the proposed

Space Station and future missions to Mars),

these alterations in perceptual and sensorymotor constructs are of particular importance.

The ability to accurately coordinate eye,

head, and hand movements is essential for

safe Shuttle operation. Astronauts' vestibular

responses are known to change both on

achieving orbit and following return to Earth.

Little is known, however, about the role

vestibular information plays in the coordination of eye, head, and hand movements.

Therefore, the first objective of this study is

to inve.qtigate the role vestibular information

plays ir_ the formulation of goal-directed eye

and hand localization of targets.

The second objective of this study is to determine if adaptive alterations in eye-head coordinatioa produce commensurate alterations

in the _bility to manually locate target positions; and conversely, if adaptive modification in eye-hand coordination transfers to the

eye-head system. This investigation will help

elucidate the basic mechanisms underlying

the spatial programming of coordinated eye,

head, a _d hand movements along with their

adapti,v e properties.

Subjecl s will be seated on a rotatable chair

for premntation of whole-body, passive rotation. Following termination of a transient

rotational displacement, in darkness, they

will be asked to point and generate eye movements towards the position of a previously

seen stationary Earth-fixed target; the errors

between the perceived and true target positions will be recorded. These tests will then

48
berepeatedfollowing exposureto stimuli

which causevariouscombinationsof visual,

vestibular,andproprioceptiveconflict. Postadaptationtestresultswill help determinethe

adaptivetransfercharacteristicsbetweenthe

eye-headandeye-handsystemsbasedon

observederrorsin manualandocularlocalization of the stationarytarget.

Developingabasicscientificunderstandingof

theunderlyingmechanismsinvolvedin the

adaptationprocesswill aidin theidentification andtestingof countermeasuresthat will

reduceor eliminatethe riskassociatedwith

theseneuraladaptivechanges.A countermeasurewhich canreadaptonesystemmayactually help readaptall of thesesensorimotorsystems.Conversely,it maybethat eachsystem

needsits ownreadaptationcountermeasure.

Measurementof Gaze,Head,andArm

Motion

The angleof gaze(angulareyepositionwith

respectto space)andheadrotation will be

obtaineddirectly usingthe magneticfield/

scleralsearchcoil techniquewith a6-ft3field

coil system(CNC Engineering,Seattle,WA).

This systembasicallyworksasfollows.A

rotating magneticvectoris establishedabout

the subjectusingfield coils driven by an oscillator. The subject wears a contact lens (sylastic annulus) with a very fine copper wire

embedded in it. The alternating magnetic

field induces a minute current within this

search coil. The phase of the signal induced in

the search coil is compared with the phase of

the signal induced in a stationary reference coil

using special phase-detector amplifiers. The

resulting phase difference indicates the angle

of the coil (and thus, the angle of the eye) in

space. A similar coil may be attached to the

head to measure angular head position.

A video-based motion analyzing system

(Motion Analysis Corporation, Santa Rosa,

CA) will be used to measure and analyze arm

movement during manual target localization.

This system has the capability of tracking passive reflective or active markers placed on the

body and analyzing their interrelationships

producing a three-dimensional biomechanical assessment of body movement. In the present experiments, the pointing response will

be recorded by placing infrared light emitting

diode (LED) markers on the shoulder and

index finger. The LED marker trajectories

produced by the arm and finger will be

recorded with video cameras. The video

image from each of the cameras is fed into a

video processor where the outline edges of

the markers are extracted and passed to the

system's host computer for analysis.

The Motion Analysis System will provide,

among other things, the angle in the horizontal plane between a zero-degree reference line

and the line connecting the finger and shoulder markers. This angle will provide our measure of pointing direction.

FY91 ACCOMPLISHMENTS

,, The magnetic field scleral search coil system used to record eye and head movements is operational and integrated with

the video-based motion analysis system.

,, The Research and Technology Objectives

and Plans Program proposal has been

reviewed and was selected to be part of

the Life Sciences Biomedical Research

Program.

49
PLANNED FUTURE WORK

These experiments will provide initial investigations of the possible interactions between

various sensory-motor systems when one or

more of these systems has been altered. In the

future, we hope to expand these studies to

include similar experiments involving active

(subject initiated) head motion, as active

head rotation and displacement due to locomotion are more natural activities. Also, all

of the head motion we will use in the proposed experiments will be in the horizontal

plane. We eventually hope to expand these

studies to investigate the possible exchange of

information between different sensory-motor

systems in response to vertical or pitch motion.

To better appreciate the effects of adaptation

to altered sensory stimuli, we also plan to

extend existing mathematical models relating

target and head motion with measured eye

rotation to account for the observed adaptation effects. This will eventually include

modifications to describe the effects of active

head rotation, the distributed effects of both

far and near visual targets, and the possible

influence of the otoliths in both translational

and rotational motion. Such a model could

then be used to provide what if... ? simulations that will help direct future experimental

inquiries.

Future plans include extending the results

of this study towards developing in-flight

eye-head-hand coordination studies.

50
TITLE OF INVESTIGATION: Solid PhaseEnzymePartitioning for Liquid Waste

Recycling

PROJECT MANAGER: Glenn Spaulding, M.D./SD4/(713) 483-2357

FUNDING FY90 FY91 FY92

In-House: $0 $25k $0

Total funds: $0 $25k $0

OBJECTIVE AND APPROACH

The objective of this feasibility study was to

immoblize enzymes to a solid phase for the

degradation of specific low molecular weight

species that are not removed by current water

reclamation processes. An example of a class

of difficult-to-claim species on Space Station

Freedom would be the low molecular alcohols. This study chose propanol as a test

species. An enzyme, alcohol dehydrogenase,

was covalently coupled to a porus membrane.

A solution containing 2-propanol was cycled

across the membrane and through a diode

array spectrophotometer. Adsorption was

monitored at 295 nm for the acetone byproduct and at 208 nm for protein leaching.

Alpha-NADP and beta-NADP analogs were

utilized to modulate the degradation process

through competitive inhibition.

FY91 ACCOMPLISHMENTS

The enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase was successfully covalently coupled to a solid-phase

partition. Converting 2-propanol to acetone

was specific and could be competitively

inhibited by mixing alpha- and beta-NADP

analogs; the effectiveness increased with the

sole addition of the alpha-NADP analog

(fig. 24). Secondary leaching was monitored

at 208 nm and minimal leaching was

observed. The data indicates that specific

contaminated water can be removed from

polished water utilizing cost-effective enzymatic reduction techniques.

PLANNED FUTURE WORK

The information, results, and technologies

have been presented to the Johnson Space

Reclamation Group for evaluation and incorporation into current models and polishing

strategies

0.285

0.28

0.275

0.27

AUo 5

0.26

0.255

0.25

0.245

c_NADP

0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400

Figure 24.- 2-propanol to acetone.

51
TITLE OF INVESTIGATION:

PROJECT MANAGER:

FUNDING: FY90

In-house: $0

Contractors: 0

Grants: 0

Total funds: $0

B Cell Radiosensitivity and Protection by Cytokines

Peggy Whitson, Ph.D/SD4/(713) 483-7046

FY91 FY92

$35k $25

0 0

0 0

$35k $25

OBJECTIVE AND APPROACH

A number of naturally occurring hormones

termed cytokines have been shown to be

capable of protecting lymphocytes from ionizing radiation under both in vivo and in vitro

conditions. This property is believed to be

due to the ability of these agents to reduce

the transition time from a radiosensitive quiescent (Go) state to a less radiosensitive activated (G 1) state. Mature bone-marrowderived lymphocytes, or B cells, circulate

throughout the vascular system in a quiescent

state exhibiting a relatively high radiosensitivity to ionizing radiation. Because B cells

are solely responsible for the production of

antibodies, and, as such, are indispensible for

human survival, their radiosensitivity (particularly during long-duration space flights)

could lead to immune suppression which, in

turn, could severely limit the mission goals or

threaten crewmembers' lives. It was hypothesized that the well-characterized inhibitory

effects of sublethal (low dose) radiation on

B-cell activation by antigenic or mitogenic

stimuli damaged specific radiosensitive sites

in the lymphocyte activation cascade. This

inherent radiosensitivity of one or more activation events would then be responsible for

precluding lymphocyte entry into the cell

cycle and subsequent differentiation into

antibody-producing cells. This project is now

in the process of identifying the activation

event(s) that are radiosensitive and, thus,

most likely to be involved in the differential

radiosensitivity between quiescent and activated B lymphocytes. It was further hypothesized that pretreatment of B lymphocytes

with specific permissive cytokines abrogates or

significantly reduces B cell radiosensitivity.

To perform these studies, purified human

periph_ ral B cells are gamma-irradiated at the

Univer ;ity of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB)

and analyzed at the Johnson Space Center

using both tissue culture and molecular biology techniques and equipment.

FY91 ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Effect of Surface Ig Expression on B Cell

Radiosensitivity

Riggs and coworkers (ref. 1) have shown that

B cells bearing a high-surface immunoglobulin

M (slgM):slgD ratio were more radiosensitive

than B cells bearing a low slgM:slgD ratio. Did

functionally defined B lymphocytes show different radiosensitivities if they were irradiated

in vitro? The initial approach to this question

52
wasto irradiateanEpstein-Barrtransformed

(EBV)-humanBcell line (termedCESS)

that expressed surface IgG (i.e., slg+). This

strategy, although not addressing directly the

relative radiosensitivities of slgM/slgD-bearing B cells, would enable the program team to

develop the technical expertise of isolating

subpopulations of specific slg-bearing cells

and to ask a more basic question related to

the radiosensitivity of cells expressing a single

Ig isotype. Using a panning technique, slg-rich

CESS and slg-poor CESS cell fractions were

obtained that contained approximately 80

and 20 percent of IgG-bearing cells, respectively, when measured by direct flow cytometry (FCM) with fluorescently conjugated

anti-IgG.

To measure CESS cell radiosensitivity, a softagar cloning assay was established as

described (ref. 2). Briefly, both nonirradiated

CESS test cells and irradiated CESS feeder

cells (2000 rad l"Cs delivered at 80 rad/min

at room temperature) were seeded into media

containing 0.3 percent agar and aliquoted

into six well plates. Each well contained 3150

nonirradiated test cells and 105 irradiated

CESS feeder cells. The cultures had been

incubated for 14 days when colonies of 50

cells or greater were counted. Colony-forming

efficiency (CFE) was 2.4 + 0.9 percent (mean

+ SD, N=3). More recently, it was discovered

that irradiated feeder cells could be replaced

by CESS conditioned medium without significantly changing the CFE. The results reported below were obtained from this system.

While the results reported here (fig. 25) are

preliminary, the data obtained thus far from

two separate trials (i.e., 83 and 78 percent

slg + vs 27 and 14 percent slg + slg-poor) suggest that differences in the surface expression

of IgG in EBV-transformed B cells do not significantly affect cell radiosensitivity.

While these preliminary studies have focused

on a continuously cycling cell line, they do

demonstrate the ability to quantitate lymphocyte subpopulations using fluorescent antibodies and FCM. Bromodeoxyuridine

(BrdU)/anti-BrdU has also been used to

determine CESS cell cycling, and this technique will continue to be used to determine B

cell cycling in response to gamma irradiation

and cytokines. Finally, these studies have

enabled us to gain experience in using the

['TCs] irradiator at UTMB in Galveston and

have given the team as well, the opportunity

to work closely with Dr. Ullrich, the director

of this facility.

B Cell Activation

Depending upon the particular reagent or

reagent combination used, resting B cells can

be activated either into G 1 phase or all the

way into S phase and beyond (i.e., proliferation as well as differentiation and antibody

secretion). To test the ability of various activation agents on B cells, lymphocytes were

obtained from a healthy human volunteer

and isolated using Ficoll/Hypague (Pharmacia). The B cells were further purified

using Lympho-Kwik (One Lambda, Inc., Los

Angeles, CA). Using FCM, the final B cell

preparation routinely was found to contain 80

percent CD 20 + (B cells); 20 percent CD4 +

(T cells); and < 0.1 percent monocytes

(Leukogate; Becton-Dickinson, Menlo Park,

CA). Purified B cells were then incubated for

70 hours in the presence of anti-IgM, antiIgM/cytochalasin B(CB), anti-IgM/TPA

(phorbal ester), and S. aureus Cowans I

(SAC). After incubation for 72 hours, tetrazolium salt (MTT) was added during the final

2 hours of the assay. Results (see fig. 26)

demonstrate that MTT conversion was significantly enhanced by each of the test reagents,

indicating that each of these reagents was

successful in activating B lymphocytes.

Moreover, the magnitude of formazan product

detected was as expected from those reagents

53
10-

.

°

O

L_ -

.

== .

.m .

.1--

03 2

.

.

.

.

.01-

0

•..o... 83/78 sig+

-.O-. 27/14 sig+

m ! m I

100 200

Dose (rad)

+SAC

+algMfrPA

•_ +algM/CB

._.

•_ +anti-lgM

Media

O.O0 0.05 0.10 0.15 0.20 0.25 0.30

OD560

Figure 25.- Effect of sig expression on CESS

radiosensitivity.

Figure 26.- B cell activating agents.

known to promote B cells to cycle into the S

phase (i.e., TPA, CB, and SAC). These preliminary studies have provided an experimental foundation for the initiation of our proposed studies on protein kinase C (PKC)

radiosensitivity.

PLANNED FUTURE WORK

A Research and Technology Objectives and

Plans procedure entitled "B cell radiosensitivity and protection by cytokines" was submitted

on October 12, 1991, to the NASA Radiation

Health Program. Review of this proposal

should be completed by December 1991. During the coming year, all efforts will be directed

toward identification of radiosensitive events

in the B cell activation cascade beginning with

PKC. Previous studies have demonstrated that

stimulation of B cells through surface immunoglobulin results in the activation of PKC, suggesting that PKC may participate in the initial

activation of B cells by antigen. This, together

with the finding that PKC mRNA levels are

elevated in Syrian hamster embryo cells by as

much as 2.3 fold by 25 cGy gamma radiation,

indicates that PKC radiosensitivity in B cell

activation may contribute to the differential

radiose_sitivity between quiescent and activated B lymphocytes. The project team intends to

determ ne whether B cell PKC activity or

PKC m RNA levels exhibit radiosensitivity to

low-doE gamma radiation. To answer this

question, purified B cells will be exposed at

room temperature to a predetermined

dose/dose-rate of *'Cs (i.e., a dose/dose-rate

sufficie:_t to significantly reduce anti-IgM activation :vents), then activated 2 hours later

with ar ti-IgM-sepharose. Poly A + mRNA will

then be isolated and probed using a labeled

1.7-kilobase human PKC beta fragment.

Relative mRNA levels between control and

irradiated/activated cells will then be determined T_ydensitometric analysis of the resulting No, them blots. In conjunction with the

PKC m RNA studies, cellular PKC enzyme levels will be determined by Western blot using

polyclonal anti-PKC (Oncogene Science,

Manhasset, NY). Later studies on B cell activation events will then be initiated with

respect to F-actin levels, and with respect to

protein.tyrosine kinase activation -- both

important events in the antigen-directed activation of human B cells.

54
REFERENCES

, Riggs, J. E.; Lussier, A. M.; Lee, S. K.;

Appel, M. C.; and Woodland, R. T.:

Differential radiosensitivity among B

cell subpopulations. J. Immunol., vol.

141:1988, pp. 1799-1807.

° Bouck, N.; and DiMayorca, G.: Evaluation of chemical carcinogenicity by in

vitro neoplastic transformation.

Methods in Enzymology. (W. B. Jakoby

and I. H. Pastan) Academic Press, Inc.

New York, 1979, pp. 299-300.

55
TITLE OF INVESTIGATION:

PROJECT MANAGER:

Adaptive Control of a Robot Arm Using an Artificial

Neural Net With Stereo Vision Input

Timothy E Cleghorn, Ph.D./PT41/(713) 483-8090

(projected)

FUNDING: FY90 FY91 FY92

In-house $0 $16k $0

Contractor: 50k 44k 60k

Total funds: $50k $60k $60k

OBJECTIVES AND APPROACH

As NASA prepares to move into the Space

Station era in the late 1990's and beyond, it is

becoming clear that some major space activities must be performed by unsupervised robots

operating in autonomous modes. There are

several types of tasks for which this approach

can prove highly effective. Autonomous robots

can perform tasks in locations which are not

readily accessible to manned vehicles, such as

polar or geosynchronous orbits. In addition,

the robots can perform hazardous tasks to

which extravehicular activity (EVA) astronauts should not be exposed. The robots can

also perform highly repetitive tasks, thus freeing astronauts for more productive work. Finally, robots are not subject to the limitations of

humans, particularly from the standpoints of

endurance and rapid EVA availability.

The overall objectives of this project are to

develop, for NASA, the technologies needed

to perform autonomous robotics space operations, and to ensure their availability at the

Johnson Space Center. In order to demonstrate the potential uses of artificial neural

net technology with respect to robotic space

operations, a commercially developed robot

demonstration system is being enhanced and

will uh imately include capabilities such as

collisicn avoidance and grasping of moving

target _bjects. This system, developed by Dr.

Michael Kuperstein, president of Symbus

Technologies, Inc. of Brookline, Massachusetts, originally consisted of a MICROBOT

robot arm which used stereo camera input to

an ada )tive neural network to learn to grasp a

cylin& ical target object. Unlike other artificial ne lral nets, this system does not map out

its 3-dimensional environment, but rather it

associates the camera images with the robot

actuator drive positions, much as a human

baby leams eye-to-hand coordination. A

graphi_:s simulation has been built, which

permit; progressively more complex behaviors

to be nlodeled.

FY91 ACCOMPLISHMENTS

At the end of FY91, an enhanced simulation,

plus source code, was delivered to the Johnson Space Center. This simulation, which

56
runson aSiliconGraphicscomputer,illustratesaRoboticsResearchCorp.K-16077-

DOF armlearningto graspeithera cylinder

or a sphere.The accuracyof thegrasphas

beenimprovedoverthat of the FY90version,

which alsocouldgrasponly asphericaltarget.

Also includedin theFY91versionof the programareleft andright cameraviews,aswell

asthe globalviewsof the arm,camerasetup,

andtarget.

PLANNED FUTURE WORK

The work plannedfor FY92consistsof incorporatingasinglemajorenhancementinto the

simulation.Specifically,the armwill learnto

graspa movingtargetobject.In addition,

fundingfromother sourceswill besought

(ResearchandTechnologyObjectivesand

PlansProgram)forthe additionof force

feedback.This will allowobstacleavoidance

to beincludedin the system.The ultimate

goalis to havemovingtargetsandobstacles,

andto port this systemto arealhardware

environment.

REFERENCE DOCUMENTS

. Kuperstein, M.: Adaptive Visual-Motor

Coordination in Multijoint Robots

Using Parallel Architecture. Proceedings from IEEE International Conference on Automation & Robotics,

Raleigh, NC, 1987, pp. 1595-1602.

6 Kuperstein, M.; and Rubenstein, J.:

Implementation of an Adaptive Neural

Controller for Sensory-Motor Coordination. IEEE Control Systems Magazine,

April 1989, pp. 25-30.

57
TITLE OF INVESTIGATION: Distributed Artificial Intelligence-Based Schedule

Assessment for Space Shuttle Flight Software Production

PROJECT MANAGER: John E Muratore/DP/(713) 483-0796

FUNDING: FY90 FY91 FY92 Total

Funding $40k $40k $0 $80k

Cost 13k 27k 0 40k

Carryover $27k $0 $0 $0

OBJECTIVES

The objective of this project is to develop a

tool to assist the Mission Operations Directorate Reconfiguration Management Division

(DP) in the coordination of the many schedule details involved in the production of

flight software. The development of multiple

options for evaluation is required. The goal of

this project is the effective application of new

technology to the flight software reconfiguration scheduling process. This local workstation system shall have the capability to perform what-if options for evaluation using a

combination of conventional and artificial

intelligence-based tools. The final results will

be communicated electronically back to the

mainframe-based scheduler. These capabilities shall enhance the flight software production process by providing multiple options for

evaluation. Quality improvements are expected in the generation of better scheduling,

planning, and resource utilization of the flight

software production process, including the

integration of multimission planning. The use

of a local workstation will allow a faster

response to changes and earlier identification

of schedule problems, thus, allowing more

time to work resource problems, which will

become more critical as the flight rate

increases.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN FY90

The prototype system was successfully electronically interfaced with the mainframe

scheduling system. Two workstations were

updated with hardware/software in order to

implement a full up integrated system with

graphics support. This system is currently

being used to conduct schedule evaluations.

The us,.' of this system has resulted in a manpower ,,avings of five people that would

otherw se be required for flight software

production schedule assessments.

PLAN NED FUTURE WORK

This or ;anization is committed to the continued uti ization of artificial intelligence-based

schedule assessment techniques for space

flight software production. The success of this

58
projecthassupportedthe seedrequirements

for futureResearchandTechnologyObjectivesandPlansproposals.

EXPECTED COMPLETION DATE

The current scope of this project has been

completed.

59
TITLE OF INVESTIGATION:

PROJECT MANAGER:

FUNDING: FY89

In-house: $0

Contractors: 0

Grants: 0

Total funds: $0

Virtual Environments for Training

Robert T. Savely/PT4/Software Technology Branch

(713) 483-8105

(Projected)

FY90 FY91 FY92 FY93

$0 $74k $67k $50k

0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0

$0 $74k $67k $50k

OBJECTIVE AND APPROACH

This investigation is a joint project between

the Space Station Training Office (DT) and

the Software Technology Branch (PT4).

Training is a major cost element for existing

and future NASA operations. Virtual environment technology may provide alternatives

to physical simulators (especially for part-task

training) and avoid their high initial and

maintenance costs. The integration of the

Johnson Space Center's (JSC's) intelligent

computer-aided training (ICAT) technology

with virtual environment technology will

permit ICAT systems to address a larger variety of training tasks with the potential for

unprecedented realism for the visual, auditory, and tactile senses. In addition to the integration of ICAT technology with virtual

environment technology, this project will

compare a virtual environment approach to

Space Station cupola training with projection

dome and pancake window approaches. Ultimately, the project team intends to produce

an ICAT application for a suitable Space

Shuttle or Space Station training task.

Finally, this project will explore the longdistance networking of virtual environment

systems for data visualization and engineering

design applications.

As an ancillary to the project, technology

requirements to drive virtual environment

research and development will be determined.

FY91 ACCOMPLISHMENTS

• JS(; Director's Discretionary Funds were

useJ to procure a VPL Research, Inc.,

Ey_ phone/DataGlove System and secure

training for two software developers.

• De ilivery of the VPL Research System was

made in the latter part of September 1991

(fig. 27).

• A simple Space Station Freedom cupola

mo]el was developed during the training

ses.,ion attended by the JSC software

developers.

• The virtual environment system was

integrated with graphics computers and

became operational on October 18, 1991.

6o
Figure 27.- Bebe Ly of

the Information

Systems Directorate's

Software Technology

Branch demonstrates

the VPL research

equipment.

PLANNED FUTURE WORK

Complete comparative study on cupola

training with the Space Station Training

Office.

Select, in cooperation with the Space

Station Training Office, a suitable candidate for an ICAT application that utilizes

the virtual environment technology and

begin development of that application.

Upgrade the virtual environment system

to support higher resolution graphics,

digitized images, and video.

Initiate, in cooperation with the Marshall

Space Flight Center, a network

demonstration of the long-distance

sharing of a single virtual environment by

two or more individuals; the probable

application will be engineering reviews of

Space Station Freedom models.

• Work cooperatively with the Robotic

Applications Labs (ER42) to utilize JSC

graphics development software.

• Integrate digitized images and videos with

graphics to provide greater realism and

shorten development time.

• Evaluate commercially available systems

for tactile and force feedback.

• Identify technology needs to enhance the

ability of virtual environment technology

to support future training requirements.

61
TITLE OF INVESTIGATION:

PROJECT MANAGER:

FUNDING: FY89

$40k

Optical Analysis Sysl ems

John Mulholland/RAiFTS 572-5516

FY91 FY92

$50k $65k

OBJECTIVE AND APPROACH

The objective of this project was to develop

self-contained, portable test equipment and

procedures for rapid response testing and

evaluation of space-related critical components. The specific need for this type of system became apparent during the STS-26

dynatube leak anomaly investigation. There

were no in.place techniques to nonintrusively

determine stresses, strains, torque, cracks,

etc., on this component while installed in the

vehicle. There are many Space Shuttle and

Space Station Freedom systems where limited

physical access also prohibits the use of traditional test methods such as ultrasonics and

X ray. This project was designed to provide

holographic test apparatus capable of accessing and providing quantitative failure analysis

on components in restrictive areas.

FY91 ACCOMPLISHMENTS

The final interferometer and software system

was completed this year. The software system

provides automatic quantitative deformation

measurements with accompanying wire-frame

displacement plots. A test matrix to determine the applicability of using holographic

methods to determine cracks in structures was

completed this year. The results revealed that

holographic test methods are a very attractive

analysis option, capable of providing a realtime, whole-field view of large structural

areas. Figure 28 shows a typical hologram

view of a flat structure with four machined

cracks heated with a test lamp. The flaws are

obvious with the typical bull's-eye stress concentration pattern around the flaw area. Figure 29 is a phase map and wire-frame plot of

the previous hologram showing the actual

displacement field. An additional test matrix

was conducted in support of the hard upper

torso shell disbond analysis test project. The

prelimin _ry results of this test matrix show

holography capable of detecting flaws in composite materials.

PLANNED FUTURE WORK

Vehicle l Lealth monitoring and nondestructive

evaluatic n has been determined to be a highpriority i _gency need. Holographic test methods have proven to be a very effective nondestructive analysis tool. A second presentation

to NASA Headquarters, in early FY92, is

scheduled to discuss the possibility of using

holographic methods to structurally analyze

the new _huttle turbopumps and to investigate

primary Jeaction control subsystem engine

combustion instability. Additionally, a

Research and Technology Objectives and

Plans proposal is being coordinated with the

NASA-Johnson Space Center's (JSC's)

62
StructuresandMechanicsDivision to provide

structuralanalysisonthe White SandsTest

Facility fleetleadervehicles.Working in

conjunctionwith JSC,TexasA&M will be

contractedto providethecomputercodesfor

aprojectthat couldleadto averyattractive

agingaircraftanalysispackage.

Figure 28.- Hologram

of flat structure showing four evident

cracks.

Figure 29.- Phase

map/wire-frame plot of

cracked structure.

Hologram of Flat

Structure Showing Four Evident

Cracks

63

Phase Map/Wire Frame

Plot of Cracked Structure
TITLE OF INVESTIGATION: Diluent Gas Studies in High-Pressure Oxygen Systems

PROJECT MANAGER: Radel Bunker/RA/FTS 572-5733

FUNDING: Total (Projected)

Prior Years FY91 FY92

In-house $100k $15k

KSC -$15k

OBJECTIVE AND APPROACH

Life support systems designed for Space Shuttle and Space Station Freedom will use nonmetallic materials in high-pressure oxygen

systems. When exposed to ignition sources,

most nonmetals ignite and burn in oxygen

environments (ref. 1). Burning nonmetals in

high-pressure oxygen systems could cause

catastrophic system failures. Adding small

quantities of nontoxic gases to oxygen might

prevent burning of nonmetals in the highpressure oxygen systems. The objective of this

project was to determine if a physiologically

acceptable diluent gas can be added to oxygen to significantly reduce the ignition or

combustion of nonmetals.

To determine the effect of diluents on combustion of nonmetals, downward-flame propagation flammability tests were conducted on

test samples using diluent/oxygen mixtures

with various diluent concentrations. The test

logic was to determine the minimum diluent

concentration in a diluent/oxygen mixture

required for sample self-extinguishment at

1000, 3000, and 5000 psia.

Helium, nitrogen, argon, and neon were the

diluent gases used during testing. Three

nonmetals, which are used extensively in

high-pressure oxygen systems, were used in

this evaluation: Teflon PTFE, KelF 81, and

Viton.

FY91 ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Tests w{ re conducted at 1000 psia on Teflon

PTFE u.qng neon diluent. The tests were conducted in a cylindrical stainless steel chamber

fitted w,.th a copper liner (fig. 30). The results

indicated that at this pressure, neon was as

effective as nitrogen for preventing flame

propagation on Teflon PTFE. Comprehensive

results fi_r tests at 1000 and 3000 psia are presented i:a figures 31, 32, and 33. Tests conducted _t 5000 psia on Teflon PTFE and KeI-F

81, using nitrogen diluent, resulted in complete combustion of samples in environments

of 19 pement oxygen/81 percent nitrogen.

The dat _ indicates that at pressures of 1000

psia and higher, the most commonly used

nonmet ds in oxygen systems would burn,

even in environments having low oxygen

concentrations. Small quantities of diluents

were ineffective in preventing flame propagation of nonmetals. Large quantities of diluents, approximately 60 percent and higher,

64
90 cm /- Sight

(a) Exterior

Port

igniter

Terminals

Prot

Insulation

---Ignition Wire

g {_ _Test Sample

s Drip Cup

N

XN

_-Test Chamber

Base Plate

(b) Interior

Figure 30.- Schematic of test chamber.

were required to prevent flame propagation.

Helium was the most effective diluent for preventing flame propagation, following nitrogen, neon, and argon. The effectiveness of

helium could be explained by its thermal conductivity, which could have resulted in

reduced heat feedback to the burning material.

The differences between the diluents regarding

their effectiveness for preventing flame propagation decreased with increasing pressures.

This phenomenon might be explained in part

by the pressure effects on thermal conductivity.

Nonmetals considered nonflammable in air at

ambient pressures could ignite and bum in air

pressure greater than 3000 psia, indicating

that high-pressure air systems require safety

precautions and should not be treated as

high-pressure nitrogen systems. Based on

these results, high-pressure air systems above

3000 psia need to be evaluated and treated as

high-pressure oxygen systems from the standpoint of propagation of combustion after ignition. Other material currently used for highpressure air systems should be evaluated for

ignition and combustion propagation. Based

on the results from the high-pressure tests,

helium should be tested at low pressures to

evaluate for possible fire extinguishment

applications.

65
00

90

_ 80

_ 7o

60

50

0

O N_trogen

Heliur_

Argon

Neon

5 10 15 2O 25

Total Pressure, MPo

Figure 31.- Minimum diluent concentration (MDC)

in diluent/oxygen mixtures required for Teflon PTFE

self-extinguishment.

_00

gO

"_" 80

C_E

_ 7o

6O

50

0

J , i

O Nitrogen

A Helium

[3 Argon

lllll

5

J L _ i t l , 1 i t n a i I I I I

10 15 2O 25

Totat Pressure, MPO

Figure 32.- MDC in diluent/oxygen mixtures required

for KEL-F 81 self-extinguishment.

PLANNED FUTURE WORK

The results from this program will be summarized and submitted in a paper to a fire science journal. The project was completed in

FY91. The John E Kennedy Space Center is

currently defining a test series to look at

high-pressure air systems.

REFERENCE DOCUMENTS

° Hirsch, D. B.; Bunker, R. L.; Janoff, D.:

"Effects of Oxygen Concentration,

Diluents, and Pressure on Ignition and

Flame Spread Rates of Nonmetals: A

Review Paper." Flammability and Semitivity of Materials in Oxygen-Enriched

Atmospheres. Stoltzfus, J. M.; and

Mcllroy, K. eds., vol. 5, ASTM STP

1111, American Society for Testing

and Materials, Philadelphia, 1991.

1,30

90

_" 80

_8

>

6@

50

0

C} Nitrogen

z_ Helium

[] Argon

......... -El

i t J L i i h 1 L , , k _ , _ i n i i _ t ,

5 lO 15 20 25

Totcfl Pressure. MPCI

Figure 33.- MDC in diluent/oxygen mixtures required

for Viton self-extinguishment.

66
TITLE OF INVESTIGATION:

PROJECT MANAGER:

FUNDING: Total

prior years

In-house $90k

Other sources 180k

Total funds $270k

Development of Alloys with Improved Burn-Resistance

Joel Stoltzfus/RA/FTS 572-5731

FY92

$0

55k

$55k

OBJECTIVE AND APPROACH

The selection of bum-resistant metal alloys

for use in oxygen systems has long been an

important issue for designers of ground support and flight systems. Fires in oxygen systems are usually catastrophic and may result

in loss of hardware and human life. Recent

advances in the testing methodology have led

to the ability to rank metals and alloys with

respect to their flammability in oxygen. However, the alloys that have the greatest resistance to burning do not always have the best

mechanical and physical properties. This has

led to the need to develop new alloys with

improved burn-resistance and more favorable

mechanical and physical properties. The

objective of this project is to develop the

technology to formulate and test alloys with

these advanced properties. This includes the

capability of designing, making, forming, and

performing flammability tests on the alloys.

The flammability test results will be fed back

into the design stage to improve the required

properties and obtain the desired end product. This iterative loop will be repeated as

required.

FY91 ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Equipment for making the alloys and for producing test specimens has been installed and

achieved. This includes a vacuum arc melting

furnace for making the alloys (fig. 34) and a

swaging machine for forming the test specimens (fig. 35). A series of 25 pure metals has

been purchased.

Several pure metals, binary alloys, and commercial alloys have been tested. These tests

are being conducted to understand the basic

combustion properties so that an informed

alloy design process may be accomplished.

The interaction of alloying elements in commercial alloys also provides significant information to the data base on the ignition and

combustion of metals and alloys. The minimum oxygen pressure required to support

combustion of a 1/8-in. diameter cylindrical

rod of pure metals is listed in table 3.

Commercially available titanium-, nickel-,

base, and iron-based alloys have also been

tested in the past year. To date, all of the

commercially available titanium-based alloys

show poor burn resistance. Nickel-based

alloys, however, show a great deal of promise.

67
Figure 34.- Vacuum arc-melting furnace for making

new alloys.

Figure 35.- Swaging machine for forming test specimens.

Table 2.- Threshold Pressure for

Combustion for Some Elements

Pure element Threshold

(psi) pressure

Tungsten 50

Vanadium 200

Zinc 800

Silicon 4000

Cobalt >6000

Pure lead, pure tin, and a series of binary

lead-tin alloys were tested this year. For a

1/8-in. diameter cylindrical rod, the threshold

pressure for combustion of pure lead is - 750

psig, and that for pure tin is - 200 psig. In the

binary alloys it has been observed that the

addition of approximately 2 wt percent tin or

more to pure lead causes the alloy to burn at

- 200 psig. Ignition tests also indicate a very

strong dependency on the composition of the

alloys. A detailed analysis of the tests has

been reported in reference 1.

Three nickel-base alloys were successfully

prepared at the White Sands Test Facility

(WSTF). The purpose of making these alloys

was to determine the maximum amount of

aluminum additions that could be made to

pure nickel before the nickel-based alloy

becomes flammable. The alloys prepared are

Ni-20 at percent AI (-10 wt percent AI), Ni50 at percent AI (-30 wt percent A1), and

Ni-80 a_:percent A1 (-65 wt percent AI).

These atloys were then tested for chemical

composition, both for the purposes of verifying the chemical composition of the alloys

attempted, and also to check the homogeneity of the alloys. Efforts are under way to prepare samples from these alloys for the purposes of making test specimens (fig. 36).

PLANNED FUTURE WORK

The Ma:erials Processing Facility will be very

active lit the coming years and will be instrumental in the development of new bumresistant alloys at WSTE Efforts to understand the effect of alloying elements on the

combustion properties of alloys will continue.

This eff_rt will continue to be approached,

both from the fundamentals of the theories of

alloying and property development, and also

from th{ point of view of experimental

68
verifications. We will continue to focus on

nickel-, iron-, aluminum- and titanium-based

alloys. Also, new methods of alloy making

and shaping will be examined to produce

more exotic alloys. The results of these and

all other future tests will be incorporated in a

data base which will be accessed by various

means, including artificial intelligence software. It is expected that this data and the relevant software will enable us to make appropriate decisions when designing

burn-resistant alloys.

REFERENCE DOCUMENTS

° Sircar, S.; Stoltzfus, J. M.; and Gunaji, M.

V.: The Relative Ignitability and

Flammability of Lead-Tin Binary

Alloys. Flammability and Sensitivity of

Materials in Oxygen Enriched Atmospheres, vol. 5, ASTM STP 1111, J.

Stoltzfus and K. Mcllroy, eds., American Society for Testing and Materials,

Philadelphia, 1991, pp. 260-269.

EXPECTED COMPLETION DATE

The JSC Director's Discretionary Fund Program objective of implementing the Materials

Processing Facility has been completed in

FY91. Flammability testing and new alloy

development will continue as supported by

supplementary funding sources.

Figure 36.- Example of an alloy that has been cast and

partially swaged.

69
TITLE OF INVESTIGATION:

PROJECT MANAGER:

Evaluationof Pressurized Vessels Subject to

Hypervelocity Particle Impact

Michelle A. Rucker/RA/FTS 572-5730

(Projected)

FUNDING: FY89 FY90 FY91 FY92 FY93

In-house $0 $0 $15k $80k $60k

Contractors: 0 0 0 50k 50k

Grants: 0 0 0 35k 70k

Total funds: $0 $0 $15k $165k $180k

OBJECTIVE AND APPROACH

The objective of this test program is to document the future modes of various types of

pressure vessels following hypervelocity projectile impact (such as that occurring during

an orbital debris collision). In particular,

whether such vessels fragment or simply burst

and relieve pressure will be useful to pressure

system designers. Test articles of interest will

include thin- and thick-walled vessels of various construction; vessels containing liquid,

gas, or two-phase media; and vessels subject

to various projectile impact angles. A twostage, light gas gun will be used to simulate

orbital debris impacts on pressurized test vessels; subsequent failures will be monitored

using witness plates, high-speed cameras, and

computer-enhanced motion analysis.

FY91 ACCOMPLISHMENTS

The original JSC Director's Discretionary Fund proposal was presented at a

Johnson Space Ccenter Meteoroid and

Debris Protection Working Group

(MDPWG) meeting. Input from

MDPWG members, McDonnell Douglas, and interested Marshall Space

Flight Center (MSFC) and Lewis

Research Center personnel was incorporatell into the final test plan (ref. 1).

A s_ ries of checkout tests, using empty

stainless steel vessels, verified that the

proposed test system and instrumentation were operating correctly.

Glmm Ecord/ES5 arranged a meeting

between White Sands Test Facility

(WSTF) and TRW. TRW has agreed to

prm ide all test articles needed for this

program free-of-charge in exchange for

access to test data.

McI)onnell Douglas (Huntington

Bea_:h) has expressed interest in this

prog ram and is actively seeking internal

research and development funding for

folio w-on work.

Jenrdfer Horn/ED52 (MSFC) is closely

monitoring WSTF's progress and has

7o
encouragedBoeing/MSFCto review

datafor possibleapplicationsto Space

Stationhardware.

PLANNED FUTURE WORK

The first shipment of TRW vessels is expected

to arrive in early F¥92. Bare aluminum shells

and graphite-epoxy (Gr-Ep), overwrapped

aluminum shells will be evaluated during

Phase I testing. Multiple test article variations

(different liner thicknesses, various coatings,

glass-filled Gr-EP, etc.) will be provided by

TRW as needed. Based on the results of the

first 50 tests (scheduled to be completed by

mid-FY92), Phase II and Phase III test matrices will be developed. Results will be compiled into a data base and reported during

monthly MDPWG meetings. A final report

will be issued in FY93.

REFERERENCE DOCUMENTS

1. Rucker, M. A.; and Garcia, B.: Evaluation of Pressure Vessels Subject to

Hypervelocity Projectile Impact.

National Aeronautics and Space

Administration, White Sands Test

Facility, test plan no. TP-WSTF-668.

71
TITLE OF INVESTIGATION:

PROJECT MANAGER:

FUNDING: FY91

In-house:$30k $65k

Contractors: 0

Grants: 0

Total funds: $30k

Long-Term Material/Fuel Interactions Predicted

by Microcalorimetry

Radel Bunker/RA/FTS 572-5733

(Projected)

FY92 FY93

$55k

0 0

0 0

$65k $55k

OBJECTIVE AND APPROACH

The objective of the proposed study is to

determine if microcalorimetry can be used to

predict long-term effects of materials on

hypergolic fuels such as hydrazine.

Space Shuttle, Space Station Freedom, and

future planetary mission vehicles will use

hypergolic fuels such as hydrazine (refs. 1 and

2). The White Sands Test Facility (WSTF)

has shown, using accelerating rate calorimetry (ARC), that materials do accelerate the

decomposition of hydrazine, which can lead

to explosions (ref. 3). Currently, a method

has not been developed which can predict

the long-term effects of materials on the

decomposition of hydrazine (refs. 4 and 5).

Pursuing this research could lead to a safer

design of hypergolic propulsion systems which

will be in use for extended periods of time.

The approach is to develop experimental procedures for the use of microcalorimetry to

measure the ultra-low rate of heat release

caused by the slow rate of the metal-catalyzed

decom:)osition of hydrazine at, or near, room

temperature. Using these procedures, the catalytic effects of a number of metals and alloys

on the rate of hydrazine decomposition will

be studied. Methods would then be developed

to identify and separate short-term effects

from those effects important in determining

long-to rm compatibility.

These _nethods and procedures will be validated by comparison of the microcalorimetric-based inferences to the results of in-house,

long-to rm experiments and the results of

other t._st methods. To further validate our

conclu ;ions, we would compare our results to

previot ts long-term work from other sources.

In FY9[, three major activities were emphasized. 1'he experimental design and activities

in suprort of the long-term experiments,

which a,ill be performed over the duration of

this project (approximately 3 years), will be

initiated. Survey and actual selection of a

microc._lorimeter, which will meet the needs

72
of this project,will bemade.Developmentof

computermodelsforthe microcalorimetry

dataanalysisto assistin predictingthe longterm effectsof materialson fuelswill becompleted.

In FY92,the microcalorimeterselectedin

FY91will beprocured.Microcalorimetry

studiesonmaterialsusedin the long.term

experiments will also be initiated and standard methods will be established. Data relationships between microcalorimetry studies

and the existing WSTF ARC studies will also

be made. In parallel to these activities in

FY92, analysis of some of the samples from

the long-term experiments will be performed

and correlation of this data to the

microcalorimetry studies will be made.

In FY93, the major effort will be to analyze

and correlate data from the long-term experiments and microcalorimetry studies will be

made (refs. 4 and 5). This correlation will be

used to verify the validity of computer models

written that will extrapolate the data

obtained from the microcalorimetry studies to

predict the long-term effects of materials on

hydrazine.

FY91 ACCOMPLISHMENTS

PLANNED FUTURE WORK

If the proposed method is successful in predicting, or is able to assist in the prediction of

the long-term effects of metals on the decomposition of hydrazine, further evaluations on

the effects of nonmetallic materials on the

decomposition of hydrazine will be performed.

The information from this work and future

work will be incorporated into the updated

editions of the NASA reference document

"Fire, Explosion, Compatibility, and Safety

Hazards of Hydrazine" (RD-WSTF-0002).

REFERERENCE DOCUMENTS

lo Bennet, C. R.; Saw, D. R. B.; and Sutton,

D.: "Laboratory Test at Elevated Temperatures for the Prediction of the

Rates of Pressure Rise in Hydrazine

Tanks at Normal Storage Temperatures," Journal of Hazardous Materials,

vol. 4 (1980) p. 23.

, Moran, C. M.; and Bjorklund, R. A.: Test

Program to Demonstrate the Stability

of Hydrazine in Propellant Tanks. Final

Report, JPL Publication 83-37, April

1983.

Design of the long-term experiments Which

will be performed over the duration of this

project (approximately 3 years) has been initiated. This task involved the selection of

material to be tested and of an experimental

test system, and the development of a method

to measure the pressure of each system accurately. Selection of the microcalorimeter,

which will meet the needs of this project, has

been made. The computer model that will be

used for the analysis of the microcalorimetry

data has been completed.

3,

,

Davis, D. D.; and Wedlich, R. C.: Transition Metal Catalysis of the Heterogenous Decomposition of Hydrazine:

Adiabatic Kinetics by Accelerating

Rate Calorimetry. Thermochimica

Acta, 175, 1991, 175.

Schmnidt, E. W.: Hydrazine and its

Derivatives, Preparation, Properties

and Applications. John Wiley & Sons,

NY, 1984.

73
, Chang, E. T.; and Gokcen, N. A.: Compatibility of Alloys with Hydrazine

Containing Freon. The Aerospace Corporation, El Segundo, CA, report no.

SAMSO-TR-76-34, February 1976.

74
TITLE OF INVESTIGATION:

PROJECT MANAGER:

FUNDING: FY90

JSC Dir. Disc. Fund $40k

Other $5k

Real-Time Multipurpose Monitor for Assessing the

Integrity of Confined Atmospheres

Harold D. Beeson/RA/FTS 572-5542

(Projected)

FY91 FY92 FY93

$60k $60k

OBJECTIVE AND APPROACH

The objective of this study is to develop and

demonstrate a prototype system capable of

real-time monitoring of confined atmospheres

with artificial intelligence (AI) generated

feedback.

The project is divided into three phases that

correspond to the 3 years of requested funding. In Phase 1 (FY91), existing detector

technology was reviewed, and appropriate gas

and vapor data was identified and collected.

The fabrication of a bench-scale test and

monitoring system began using existing hardware. The end result of Phase 1 was a demonstration of the feasibility of Phase 2.

In Phase 2 (FY92), hardware will be purchased, and fabrication of the bench-scale

test and monitoring system will be completed.

The design of a configurational test system

will be initiated, and the data base and diagnostic software for the next phase of testing

will be developed. The software development

will include an AI interface capable of

automating the data acquisition and analysis

process.

Phase 3 (FY93) will complete the study and

will require the completion of the AI interface and a checkout of the configurational

test system. The monitoring system (hardware and software) will be evaluated using

the configurational test system as a mockup

environment.

FY91 ACCOMPLISHMENTS

In FY91, 46 literature references have been

accumulated describing on-line monitoring

methods or pattern recognition techniques as

part of our technical review. These references

have been organized into a Keyword data

base. The technology review also involved

attendance at key scientific meetings and

contacts with knowledgeable experts in related fields. The result of information gained

was that a mass spectrometric-based detector

is the best candidate for this study.

An atmospheric interface for the mass spectrometer has been identified and tested using

a temporary test fixture for acquiring signatures on overheated wires with Kapton-based

wire insulations. This temporary test fixture,

shown in figure 37, was used to develop

75
Injection port --_

He Supply .

1o _/_

Electrical

Supply

0-25 amps

0-30 volts

GC oven left at

ambient temperature \

1

-- Silicone rubber Quartz i

j septum tube

26 AWG wire

MIL-W-81381/7-26-10

_/_

_J

mira'-

Jet

Separator

Hewlett Packard

MSD

Model 5970

Figure 37.- Bench-scale apparatus used to verify concep :of real-time mass spectral analysis.

design requirements for the bench-scale test

fixture. The procedures necessary to construct

part of the required event data base from offgas data present at the White Sands Test

Facility were established.

Importantly, the feasibility of FY92 tasks was

demonstrated. That is, drastically different

events show visually discernible mass spectral

features. More subtle differences in events

(wire at use temperature, overheated, and at

thermal runaway) also show different mass

spectral features. It was therefore concluded

feasible to develop unsupervised pattern

recognition algorithms.

software. Furthermore, data acquisition and

unsupervised pattern recognition techniques

will be developed and integrated into the AI

interface.

Phase 5 (FY93) is targeted for completion of

the AI interface and establishment of a supervised learning system for characterizing

unknown classifications of events. The configurational test system will undergo checkout,

and the entire monitoring system (hardware/

softwae) will be evaluated in the mockup

environment.

PLANNED FUTURE WORK

In Phase 2 (FY92), the project team will work

to identify and purchase all necessary hardware

to fabricate the configurational test system

and to develop the data base and diagnostic

76

REPORT DOCUMENTATION PAGE FormApproved

OMB No. 0704-0188

Public reporting burden for this collection of mformation is estimated to average 1 hour per response, including the _ime for rev=ewmg mstructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and

maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information Send comments regardlng this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collectton of information,

including suggestions for reducing this burden, to Washington Headquarte'_ Services, Directorate for Information Operations and Reports. 1215 Jefferson Davis Highway, Sutte 1204. Arlington, VA

22202-4302, and to the Office of Management and Budget, Paperwork Reduction Project (0704-0188), Washington, OC 20503.

1. AGENCY USE ONLY (Leave blank) 2. REPORT DATE 3. REPORT TYPE AND DATES COVERED

November 29, 1991 Annual FY91

4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE 5 FUNDING NUMBERS

JSC Center Director's Discretionary Fund Program 307-51

1991 Annual Report

6 AUTHOR(S)

Lyle M. Jenkins, Editor

7. PERFORMINGORGANIZATIONNAME(S)ANDADDRESS(ES)

New Initiatives Office

NASA Johnson Space Center

Houston, Texas 77058

9. SPONSORING/MONITORINGAGENCYNAME(S)ANDADDRESS(ES)

NASA

Washington, DC 20546

8, PERFORMING ORGANIZATION

REPORT NUMBER

S-664

10. SPONSORING / MONITORING

AGENCY REPORT NUMBER

TM 104745

11. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES

12a.DISTRIBUTIONIAVAILABILITYSTATEMENT

Unclassified, unlimited

12b. DISTRIBUTION CODE

13. ABSTRACT (Maximum 200 words)

The JSC Center Director's Discretionary Fund Program 1991 Annual Report provides a

brief status of the projects undertaken during the 1991 fiscal year. For this year,

four space exploration initiative related issues were focused on:

regenerative life support, human spacecraft design, lunar surface habitat, and

insitu resource utilization. In this way, a viable program of life sciences,

space sciences, and engineering research has been maintained. For additional

information on any single project, the individual investigator should be contacted.

14 SUBJECT TERMS

Space Exploration

spacecraft design,

in situ resources,

17k SECURITY CLASSIFICATION

OF REPORT

Unclassified

Initiative, regenerative life support, human

lunar surface habitat, artificial intelligence,

18. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION

OF THIS PAGE

Unclassified

19 SECURI FY CLASSIFICATION

OF ABS TRACT

Unclassified

15, NUMBEROF PAGES

84

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