Engineering topics

Samir, Uri

Publications and source records attributed to Samir, Uri.

4 records

NASA NTRS2000

Research on Orbital Plasma: Electrodynamics (ROPE)

Enhancements of the temperature of electrons in spacecraft plasma wakes have been reported for numerous cases and this phenomenon has been discussed both empirically and theoretically. However, very few measurements seem to have been made of the ion temperature within plasma wakes-possibly because the great majority of ion measurements were focussed on obtaining geophysical parameters and, hence, were confined to the region ahead of the spacecraft. Recently, however, an enhancement of the temperature of ions was discovered in data obtained in the wake of the Space Shuttle during the Spacelab-2 mission. At the time of that publication, this was the only known observation of this type. Herein, we report an additional case of ion temperature enhancement in a plasma wake. The data were taken during the Tethered Satellite System Reflight mission (TSS-1R) in the wake of the tethered satellite during passive (no current flow) operations. The measurements were obtained with the Differential Ion Flux Probe, or DIFP.

Samir, Uri↗

NASA NTRS1986

The interaction of small and large spacecraft with their environment

The most significant results from small scientific satellites and from the space shuttle mission STS-3 regarding body-plasma interactions are presented and discussed. The causes for the above information being meager and fragmentary are given. The research avenues to be followed in the future in order to correct this situation are mentioned, including practical ways to achieve this goal.

Samir, Uri↗

NASA NTRS1986

The plasma dynamics of hypersonic spacecraft: Applications of laboratory simulations and active in situ experiments

Attempts to gain an understanding of spacecraft plasma dynamics via experimental investigation of the interaction between artificially synthesized, collisionless, flowing plasmas and laboratory test bodies date back to the early 1960's. In the past 25 years, a number of researchers have succeeded in simulating certain limited aspects of the complex spacecraft-space plasma interaction reasonably well. Theoretical treatments have also provided limited models of the phenomena. Several active experiments were recently conducted from the space shuttle that specifically attempted to observe the Orbiter-ionospheric interaction. These experiments have contributed greatly to an appreciation for the complexity of spacecraft-space plasma interaction but, so far, have answered few questions. Therefore, even though the plasma dynamics of hypersonic spacecraft is fundamental to space technology, it remains largely an open issue. A brief overview is provided of the primary results from previous ground-based experimental investigations and the preliminary results of investigations conducted on the STS-3 and Spacelab 2 missions. In addition, several, as yet unexplained, aspects of the spacecraft-space plasma interaction are suggested for future research.

Stone, N. H.↗

NASA NTRS1986

Ion acceleration - A phenomenon characteristic of the 'expansion of plasma into a vacuum'

The physics of the complex process by which plasma expands across a strong density gradient is briefly discussed with particular emphasis on the resulting ion acceleration. The results from a laboratory experiment that addresses the steady-state expansion of a collisionless, streaming plasma into the wake of a body are presented. The experimental results are in good qualitative agreement with theoretical predictions, thereby demonstrating the equivalence of expansion with distance in the flow direction to time in the one-dimensional theory. On this basis, the potential application of the plasma process in space plasma physics is mentioned.

Samir, Uri↗