Engineering topics
Publications and source records attributed to Giandomenico, A..
The Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) is a remote sensing instrument developed for the Cassini mission to Saturn by an international team representing the national space agencies of the United States, Italy, and France. A dual imaging spectrometer, VMS' unique design consists of two optical systems boresighted and operating in tandem, coordinated by a common electronics unit.
A mixer/vaporized chamber gasifies liquid fluorine before it is injected into lasing cavity of hydrogen fluoride/deuterium fluoride laser. Flourine vaporized by flow of helium.
The objective of this experiment was to demonstrate electrical power generation using a small free-piston Stirling engine and linear alternator in conjunction with a parabolic solar collector. A test bed collector, formerly used at the JPL Table Mountain Observatory, was renovated and used to obtain practical experience and to determine test receiver performance. The collector was mounted on a two-axis tracker, with a cold water calorimeter mounted on the collector to measure its efficiency, while a separate, independently tracking radiometer was used to measure solar insolation. The solar receiver was designed to absorb energy from the collector, then transfer the resulting thermal energy to the Stirling engine. Successful testing of receiver/collector assembly yielded valuable inputs for design of the Stirling engine heater head.
A wrench is described that is usable where limited access normally requires an open-end wrench, but which has substantially the high-torque capacity and small radial clearance characteristics of a closed-end wrench. The wrench includes a sleeve forming a nut-engageable socket with a gap in its side, and an adaptor forming a socket with a gap in its side, the adaptor closely surrounding the sleeve and extending across the gap in the sleeve. The sleeve and adaptor have surfaces that become fully engaged when a wrench handle is applied to the adaptor to turn it so as to tighten a nut engaged by the sleeve.
Two-element tool is designed for tightening closely-spaced nuts on adjacent tubing.
Set includes crimping tool and pull tube. Crimping tool is modified vise-grip pliers which has special jaws designed to crimp fittings. Pull tube has single thread on each end. Tube can be used once on each end before discarding.
Replacement of opposing smooth rollers with appropriately grooved rollers in manual tubing cutter allows smooth severance of tubing of different diameters and eliminates raised lip around cut end.
Synchronous detection system for detecting weak radio astronomical signals
Mechanical antenna beam switching device detects weak signals over atmospheric and equipment noise sources in microwave antennas. It periodically nutates the paraboloidal subdish in a Cassegrainian reflector system.