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Hudson, B.

Publications and source records attributed to Hudson, B..

13 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2011

Four Interstellar Dust Candidates from the Stardust Interstellar Dust Collector

In January 2006, the Stardust sample return capsule returned to Earth bearing the first solid samples from a primitive solar system body, Comet 81P/Wild2, and a collector dedicated to the capture and return of contemporary interstellar dust. Both collectors were approx. 0.1 sq m in area and were composed of aerogel tiles (85% of the collecting area) and aluminum foils. The Stardust Interstellar Dust Collector (SIDC) was exposed to the interstellar dust stream for a total exposure factor of 20 sq m/day. The Stardust Interstellar Preliminary Examination (ISPE) is a consortium-based project to characterize the collection using nondestructive techniques. The goals and restrictions of the ISPE are described . A summary of analytical techniques is described.

Westphal, A. J.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Analysis of "Midnight" Tracks in the Stardust Interstellar Dust Collector: Possible Discovery of a Contemporary Interstellar Dust Grain

In January 2006, the Stardust sample return capsule returned to Earth bearing the first solid samples from a primitive solar system body, Comet 81P/Wild2, and a collector dedicated to the capture and return of contemporary interstellar dust. Both collectors were approximately 0.1m(exp 2) in area and were composed of aerogel tiles (85% of the collecting area) and aluminum foils. The Stardust Interstellar Dust Collector (SIDC) was exposed to the interstellar dust stream for a total exposure factor of 20 m(exp 2) day. The Stardust Interstellar Preliminary Examination (ISPE) is a three-year effort to characterize the collection using nondestructive techniques.

Westphal, A. J.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Doppler radar detection of vortex hazard indicators

Wake vortex experiments were conducted at White Sands Missile Range, NM using the AN/MPS-39 Multiple Object Tracking Radar (MOTR). The purpose of these experiments was twofold. The first objective was to verify that radar returns from wake vortex are observed for some time after the passage of an aircraft. The second objective was to verify that other vortex hazard indicators such as ambient wind speed and direction could also be detected. The present study addresses the Doppler characteristics of wake vortex and clear air returns based upon measurements employing MOTR, a very sensitive C-Band phased array radar. In this regard, the experiment was conducted so that the spectral characteristics could be determined on a dwell to-dwell basis. Results are presented from measurements of the backscattered power (equivalent structure constant), radial velocity and spectral width when the aircraft flies transverse and axial to the radar beam. The statistics of the backscattered power and spectral width for each case are given. In addition, the scan strategy, experimental test procedure and radar parameters are presented.

Nespor, Jerald D.↗
NASA NTRS1988

I-129/I-127 variations among enstatite chondrites

The iodine isotopic compositions and corresponding I-Xe ages were obtained for eight enstatite chondrites, bringing the total number of enstatite chondrites examined by the I-Xe technique to 11. Iodine isotopic compositions of these 11 chondrites indicate a well-defined hiatus correlated with the hiatus in chemical composition defining the two distinct enstatite groups: EH(4,5) and EL(6). Judging by the I-129/I-127 ratios and assuming that both the EH and EL groups originated from a reservoir with a uniform initial iodine isotopic composition, the EH(4,5) chondrites were estimated to be about 4 mln older than the El chondrites.

Kennedy, B. M.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Troctolite 76535 - A study in the preservation of early isotopic records

The lunar rock considered in the present investigation is a coarse-grained troctolite granulite containing about 58(vol)% plagioclase, 37% olivine, 4% pyroxene, and less than 1% accessory phases with a texture which indicates formation as a cumulate at depths between 10 and 30 km followed by an extended period of slow cooling. A description is presented of noble gas studies of separated minerals from 76535. The quantity of fission xenon from the in situ decay of Pu-244 provides further evidence for different, mineral-specific, isotopic closure times. The presented data shows that 76535 loses its surface-correlated xenon component upon disaggregation. No other xenon component is lost. The presence of solar gases in 76535 would seem to argue in favor of the external acquisition of the parentless extinct isotope effects and consequently favor 'thermal diffusion' and 'adsorption' over local redistribution models.

Caffee, M.↗
NASA NTRS1982

I-Xe ages of individual Bjurbole chondrules

Initial iodine isotopic compositions have been obtained for 10 individual chondrules from the meteorite Bjurbole, with a total range in well determined values of 6.5%, which would correspond to an age difference of 1.6 m.y. These results can be interpreted as distinct formation ages, metamorphic ages, or isotopic inhomogeneities in the early solar system, and can serve to constrain models for chondrule formation. Two of the chondrules show evidence of either isotopic inhomogeneities or disturbances of their I-Xe systems.

Caffee, M. W.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Shock disturbance of the I-Xe system

Three separate samples of the meteorite Bjurbole were artificially shocked at pressures of 70 kb, 200 kb, and 400 kb. Analysis of xenon released in stepwise heating shows that the I-Xe system of the 400 kb sample is substantially altered by the shock loading, and it is no longer possible to infer an age or trapped xenon composition for that sample. The 200-kb and 70-kb samples display isotopic structures progressively less altered demonstrating the gradations in shock disturbance likely to be found in natural systems. Interpretations of the I-Xe and Ar-40-Ar-39 systems for several naturally shocked meteorites are also presented. New data for Arapahoe do not confirm the previously reported age and trapped xenon composition, demonstrating instead that its I-Xe structure has been strongly disturbed by shock.

Caffee, M. W.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Xenon spallation systematics in Angra dos Reis

Literature Xe data for the Angra dos Reis meteorite have been resolved into constituent spallation, fission and trapped components. The spallation Xe compositions vary over a range wider than observed in any other samples, including lunar samples. These variations are due to the mixing of spallation Xe from Ba and rare earth element targets. It is possible to infer the Ba and rare earth spallation Xe compositions. Angra dos Reis spallation Xe compositions are systematically different from those observed in lunar samples, possibly because of differences in the irradiation conditions (geometry and shielding). Thus the Angra dos Reis data appear to be superior to lunar data for predicting spallation Xe compositions in other meteorites.

Hohenberg, C. M.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Fission xenon in troctolite 76535

Xenon released in stepwise heating of troctolite 76535 shows remarkable similarity to that from the gas-rich breccias. The low temperature fractions are highly enriched in fissiogenic xenon from Pu-244. Although the quantity of fission xenon is not inconsistent with reported age data, release patterns demonstrate that this component is not due to in situ decay. However, in contrast with the gas-rich breccias, the parentless radionuclear component in 76535 is not accompanied by solar wind xenon. Mechanisms for the emplacement of this component in 76535 cannot, therefore, involve exposure on the lunar surface but most likely involve adsorption along intergranular boundaries or thermally driven redistribution. The fact that xenon released from a gas-poor igneous cumulate can mimic that from gas-rich breccias, except for the presence of solar wind xenon in the latter, suggests that direct exposure to space is not required for the incorporation of these weakly bound, surface-correlated, parentless radionuclear components in lunar samples.

Hohenberg, C. M.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Noble gas component organization in 14301

A study is conducted of the organization of noble gases in the Apollo 14 breccia 14301, giving particular attention to xenon from the extinct radionuclides I-129 and Pu-244. An essential ingredient of this work is the intercomparison between noble gases released in single-stage melts of grain size fractions and those released in stepwise extractions. This approach resolves 'functional' noble gas components, which are organized by siting, into the specific genetic contributions on the basis of the 'activation energies' for diffusive loss. The procedure makes it possible to resolve various genetic components on the basis of the chemical and structural differences in their specific locations. Consequently, distinctions can be made among components acquired by different processes and among components which have undergone different regolith histories.

Bernatowicz, T. J.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Excess fission xenon at Apollo 16

Results are reported of stepwise heating analyses of Xe and Kr in four Apollo 16 low-grade breccias: 60019, 60225, 60275, and 67455. All four samples contain significant amounts of solar wind gases and at least three contain excess fission Xe. This observation indicates that the excess fission Xe effect is global rather than local, i.e., results from moon-wide redistribution of fission Xe rather than local redistribution in KREEP-rich Apollo 14 material. It is suggested that the excess fission Xe phenomenon represents a temporal variation in the amount of fission Xe available for redistribution, that it is prominent in samples from both highland sites simply because they are older than mare sites, and that samples from these sites had experienced at least some of their surface exposure at an early epoch.

Bernatowicz, T. J.↗