Engineering topics

Hill, J. R.

Publications and source records attributed to Hill, J. R..

At least 19 records

NASA NTRS2001

Vapor Grown Carbon Fiber/Phenolic Matrix Composites for Rocket Nozzles and Heat Shields

The ablation and mechanical and thermal properties of vapor grown carbon fiber (VGCF)/phenolic resin composites were evaluated to determine the potential of using this material in solid rocket motor nozzles. Composite specimens with varying VGCF loading (30%-50% wt) including one sample with ex-rayon carbon fiber plies were prepared and exposed to a plasma torch for 20 s with a heat flux of 16.5 MW/sq m at approximately 1650 C. Low erosion rates and little char formation were observed, confirming that these materials were promising for rocket motor nozzle materials. When fiber loadings increased, mechanical properties and ablative properties improved. The VGCF composites had low thermal conductivities (approximately 0.56 W/m-C) indicating they were good insulating materials. If a 65% fiber loading in VGCF composite can be achieved, then ablative properties are projected to be comparable to or better than the composite material currently used on the Space Shuttle Reusable Solid Rocket Motor (RSRM).

Patton, R. D.↗

NASA NTRS1986

The dynamical evolution of Saturn's E-ring

The dynamical evoluton of fine dust particles ejected from Encladus and subsequently electrically charged within the Saturnian magnetosphere is studied. it is shown that the gyro-phase drift, which is radially outwards due to the strong radial temperature and density gradients in the magnetospheric plasma, is, by far, the fastest transport mechanism of these grains. Maintenance of the E-ring in a steady state throughout the age of the solar system would need a mass loss from Encladus of about 2 parts in 1000.

Hill, J. R.↗

NASA NTRS1985

A Note on Jupiter's Gossamer Ring

The newly discovered gossamer ring of Jupiter, composed largely of micron-sized grains, exhibits a significant peak very near the synchronous radius. It is believed that this peak is associated with an unobserved source consisting of large bodies that straddle the synchronous orbit. An alternative evolutionary mechanism is offered, which is the gyrophase drift towards the synchronous orbit, of fine grains, which necessarily are electrostatically charged within the Jovian magnetosphere.

Mendis, D. A.↗

NASA NTRS1984

Magnetopause structure and the question of particle accessibility

A simple plane model of the magnetopause is used to address the question of particle accessibility. Particle motion in the current sheet region is analyzed, showing that the concept of gyromotion is useful even when the electric and magnetic fields vary significantly over the gyroradius, as long as the variation is perpendicular to the drift direction. The first adiabatic invariant for particle motion is defined in such a way that it is preserved in regions of large field gradients, provided that the gradients are in a direction primarily perpendicular to the particle drifts. This generalized invariant provides an adiabatically conserved quantity that can be used to characterize particles as they move from a source region through the drift region and into the magnetopause itself, helping to resolve the accessibility question. Some preliminary results are given for the magnetopause structure based on the location of particle guiding points.

Whipple, E. C.↗

NASA NTRS1984

Spatial estimation from remotely sensed data via empirical Bayes models

Multichannel satellite image data, available as LANDSAT imagery, are recorded as a multivariate time series (four channels, multiple passovers) in two spatial dimensions. The application of parametric empirical Bayes theory to classification of, and estimating the probability of, each crop type at each of a large number of pixels is considered. This theory involves both the probability distribution of imagery data, conditional on crop types, and the prior spatial distribution of crop types. For the latter Markov models indexed by estimable parameters are used. A broad outline of the general theory reveals several questions for further research. Some detailed results are given for the special case of two crop types when only a line transect is analyzed. Finally, the estimation of an underlying continuous process on the lattice is discussed which would be applicable to such quantities as crop yield.

Hill, J. R.↗

NASA NTRS1984

Electrodynamic processes in the ring system of Saturn

A number of recently observed Saturn ring phenomena are discussed in terms of their electrodynamic implications. Voyager 1 and 2 observations of the rotating near-radial spokes in the B Ring, waves and braids of the F Ring, and discrete episodic bursts of broadband radio emission, claimed by some to originate in a ring, are addressed. Several other phenomena are considered, including the origin and evolution of the diffuse E Ring and G Ring (which appear to be composed of fine dust), as well as the existence of a number of sharp discontinuities in the main ring system, within the context of gravitoelectrodynamics of charged dust in the magnetosphere.

Mendis, D. A.↗

NASA NTRS1983

The inner edge of Saturn's B ring

The sharp, 90-km wide transition from an optical depth of 0.2 in the C ring to 1 in the B ring begins at 91,970 km from Saturn's center. This radius is found to be almost exactly at the inward stability limit of charged particles launched in the ring plane at the local Kepler velocity, provided these particles have large charge to mass ratio. The zonal harmonic models of Saturn's magnetic field from the Voyager data and the gravitational field model from Pioneer data are essential to get the very close agreement between theory and observation. The theoretical stability limits are 91,973 + or - 145 km from Voyager 1 magnetic field data and 91,991 + or 145 km from Voyager 2 magnetic data. The zonal harmonic magnetic field lines are not perpendicular to the ring plane. Therefore, in addition to the magnetic mirror, gravitational, and centrifugal forces, an unknown force must be postulated to produce equilibrium in the ring plane and make the stability calculation meaningful.

Northrop, T. G.↗

NASA NTRS1983

The adiabatic motion of charged dust grains in rotating magnetospheres

Adiabatic equations of motion are derived for the micrometer-sized dust grains detected in the Jovian and Saturn magnetospheres by the Pioneer 10 and 11 spacecraft. The adiabatic theory of charged particle motion is extended to the case of variable grain charge. Attention is focused on the innermost and outermost limits to the grain orbit evolution, with all orbits tending to become circular with time. The parameters such as the center equation of motion, the drift velocity, and the parallel equation of motion are obtained for grains in a rotating magnetosphere. Consideration is given to the effects of periodic grain charge-discharge, which are affected by the ambient plasma properties and the grain plasma velocity. The charge-discharge process at the gyrofrequency is determined to eliminate the invariance of the magnetic moment and cause the grain to exhibit radial movement. The magnetic moment increases or decreases as a function of the gyrophase of the charge variation.

Northrop, T. G.↗

NASA NTRS1983

Charged dust in Saturn's magnetosphere

The overall distribution of fine dust in the Saturnian magnetosphere, its behavior, the cosmogony of the Saturnian ring system, and observations of the magnetosphere and ring system are synthesized and explained using gravito-electrodynamics. Among the phenomena discussed are the formation of waves in the F-ring, the cause of eccentricities of certain isolated ringlets, and the origin and morphology of the broad diffuse E-ring. Magnetogravitational resonance of charged dust with nearby satellites, gyro-orbital resonances, and magnetogravitational capture of exogenic dust by the magnetosphere are used to explain individual observations. The effect of a ring current associated with the charged dust is evaluated. Finally, the cosmogonic implications of the magnetogravitational theory are discussed.

Mendis, D. A.↗

NASA NTRS1982

The dynamical evolution of the Saturnian ring spokes

It is suggested that the radial spokes observed in rotation across Saturn's B ring are composed of fine, charged dust levitated off the surfaces of larger bodies by electrostatic forces when the latter are sporadically charged to high electrostatic potentials. The time evolution of a spoke is likened to the continuous unfolding of a fan whose vertex is at the synchronous orbit, and whose corotating edge is fixed in the radial direction. According to the present model, the angular velocity of the fan leading edge depends on the age of the spoke, and it is anticipated that the observed scatter of the measured velocities about the Kepler value is real, rather than due to measurement errors, despite their presence inside the expected error bars. It is also shown that the resettling of the grains of dust on the larger bodies in the ring plane, following their initial levitation, results in a differential transport of grains across the ring plane, establishing different multimodal size distributions of dust within the spokes at different planetocentric distances.

Hill, J. R.↗

NASA NTRS1982

On the dust ring current of Saturn's F-ring

The thin F-ring of Saturn, which is well within the corotating portion of the Saturnian magnetosphere, has been shown by Voyager 1 and 2 observations to be largely composed of small dust grains. Mendis et al. (1982) have argued that with plausible values of the ambient plasma density and temperature near the F-ring, these grains will be charged to around -40 volts. Mendis et al. have shown that within the corotating portion of the magnetosphere such negatively charged grains can move in circular orbits in the equatorial plane. In connection with a relative motion between the negatively charged grains and the corotating positive ions, the F-ring constitutes a ring current. The present investigation has the objective to calculate this current and to show that it would significantly alter the magnetospheric dipole field in the vicinity of the ring. A current of approximately 12,0000 A is obtained. The change in the magnetic field produced by the current could be measured by a spacecraft approaching to within 100 km above or below the F-ring plane.

Hill, J. R.↗

NASA NTRS1982

Stability of negatively charged dust grains in Saturn's ring plane

The boundary between the inner and outer parts of Saturn's B ring is located at the theoretical limit of stability of dust grains with large negative charge to mass ratio. A grain inside of this stability limit will move along magnetic field lines and strike Saturn if given a slight velocity component normal to the ring plane. Outside of this marginal stability radius, a perturbed grain merely oscillates back and forth through the ring plane. The theoretical location of the marginal stability radius is at 1.625 Saturn radius. Observations by Pioneer 11 and Voyager 2 in the infared see the boundary as a prominent change in ring brightness at this radius. The occultation of delta-Scorpii by the rings in the ultraviolet seen by Voyager 2 shows about a factor of two change in optical depth beginning very close to this radius.

Northrop, T. G.↗

NASA NTRS1982

The gravito-electrodynamics of charged dust in planetary magnetospheres

The orbital dynamics of small electrically charged dust grains within the corotating regions of planetary magnetospheres is considered. Equations are derived for the elliptical epicyclic motion of positively and negatively charged particles about the guiding center in an equilibrium circular orbit under the influence of small perturbations. Those orbits that are stable to the perturbations are found to have a ratio of the semiaxes of the epicycle between 1/2 and 1, depending on the specific charge, and a gyration frequency about the guiding center between the Kepler frequency and the grain gyrofrequency in a nonrotating frame. In the magnetospheres of Jupiter and Saturn, where the grains are expected to be negatively charged and move in a prograde sense, the guiding centers are predicted to have speeds intermediate to the Kepler speed and the corotation speed and thus may undergo a 1:1 magneto-gravitational resonance with a neighboring satellite. Results may be used in the interpretation of the waves in the F ring of Saturn in terms of the dust size distribution.

Mendis, D. A.↗

NASA NTRS1982

On the nature of particles in Saturn's spokes

It is noted that an observed deviation of the angular velocity of spoke features from the Keplerian value can yield the charge to mass (q/m) ratio of spoke particles. Observations in the literature of spoke motion are consistent with q/m in the neighborhood of -10 coul/kg. Since a lower limit on q is one electronic charge, this value yields a lower limit to the size of spoke particles of approximately 0.01 micron. The criteria for electrostatically ejecting small particles from larger parent bodies suggest an upper limit of approximately 1,000 m for the parent bodies. The stability of the grains to electrostatic disruption or field emission yields an upper limit of approximately 3 microns for the spoke particle size. It also leads to the conclusion that the spoke particles must consist of material that is stronger than loose dust balls.

Thomsen, M. F.↗

NASA NTRS1982

The isolated non-circular ringlets of Saturn

It is shown that the combined effect of electrodynamic and gravitational forces can account for a number of features observed by Voyagers 1 and 2 in the isolated fine dust rings of Saturn. These include the appearance and disappearance of the braids in the F-ring, the eccentricities of the F-ring and the ringlets within the Encke and Cassini divisions and a gap in the C-ring, and the kinks in the eccentric Encke ring. They may also account for the very existence of these rings.

Hill, J. R.↗

NASA NTRS1982

The gravito-electrodynamics of charged dust in planetary ring systems

The dynamics of micron and submicron sized dust grains moving under the combined influence of planetary gravitation and the electromagnetic forces within the corotating regions of planetary magnetospheres are discussed. Magnetogravitational capture of charged grains in planetary rings is outlined. The adiabatic motion of charged dust is reviewed.

Mendis, D. A.↗

NASA NTRS1981

Charged dust in the outer planetary magnetospheres. III - Satellite impact geometries

Interplanetary dust grains entering the Jovian plasmasphere become charged, and those in a certain size range get magneto-gravitationally trapped in the corotating plasmasphere. The trajectories of such dust grains intersect the orbits of one or more of the Galilean satellites. Orbital calculations of micron sized dust grains show that they impact the outermost satellite Callisto predominantly on its leading face, while they impact the inner three - Io, Europa and Ganymede - predominantly on the trailing face. These results are offered as an explanation of the observed brightness asymmetry between the leading and trailing faces of the outer three Galilean satellites. The albedo of Io is likely to be determined by its volcanism.

Hill, J. R.↗

NASA NTRS1981

On the electrostatic charging of the cometary nucleus

The paper demonstrates that a water-dominated cometary nucleus is not shielded from solar UV radiation or solar wind by protective atmospheres beyond a heliocentric distance of 5 AU. It is also shown that submicron dust particles can be electrostatically levitated and blown off the cometary surface. An upper limit on the total mass that can be lost from the sunlit hemisphere is derived using two solar wind models, and the dust mantle erosion is estimated at 5-12 cm. It is noted that the erosion is comparable to the mass of dust blown off a typical medium bright comet by the viscous drag of the sublimating gases during perihelium passage between 3.0 and 0.5 AU, and it is therefore proposed, that the surface dust blow-off be included in the current balance equation.

Mendis, D. A.↗