Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “ACTIVATION ANALYSIS”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 181 records · Page 10

Measurement of trace levels of chlorine in the stratosphere

Mathematical models of stratospheric ozone have predicted a reduction in the total ozone due to chlorofluoromethanes released into the atmosphere. Analytical procedures for the collection of air in the stratosphere and for analysis of these air samples for trace levels of chlorine, regardless of the state of chemical composition were developed. Calibration experiments are conducted in order to validate all methods and procedures. Results of neutron activation analysis calibration procedures using standard chlorine gases are included.

Warren, D. C.↗

Radio detection of thunderstorm activity with an earth-orbiting satellite

A study was made to determine the feasibility of using artificial earth satellites to monitor thunderstorm activity. The nighttime noise-temperature measurements made with the earth-oriented vee antenna of the Radio Astronomy Explorer (RAE 1) satellite in the frequency range 0.2-9.2 MHz were correlated with reported surface thunderstorm activity. Analysis shows that the minimum nighttime HF noise level (in the absence of surface thunderstorms) at an altitude of 5850 km over the United States is fixed by man-made noise. When thunderstorms are active below the satellite, the noise level is increased by about 6-12 dB. The highest level is associated with the most intense storms. It is concluded that thunderstorm regions can be detected by an orbiting satellite using HF radio techniques, but ionospheric effects must be taken into account.

Herman, J. R.↗

Modeling and Visualization of Geomagnetic Storms at the CCMC

The Community Coordinated Modeling Center is greatly expanding activities in geospace in recent years, including the addition of new models or outputs (including WACCM-X, SAMI3-TIEGCM, HYPERS, GAMERA test runs and WAM-IPE real time outputs) that expand the range of available views or analysis activities in geospace during the upcoming Solar Maximum and Heliophysics Big Year. We are now routinely adding to a library of geomagnetic storms using anew request interface for the Space Weather Modeling Framework(SWMF). We are placing continuous run model simulation outputs as run series onto the CCMC web site where look at quick-look graphics, perform online visualization and request outputs for any day covered by the results.We demonstrate examples and results of online visualization and analysis tools that are also placed onto the cloud to support Open Science and collaborative research.

Lutz Rastaetter↗

Verbalization and imagery in the process of formation of operator labor skills

Sensorimotor control tests show that mastering operational skills occurs under conditions that stimulate the operator to independent active analysis and summarization of current information with the goal of clarifying the signs and the integral images that are a model of the situation. Goal directed determination of such an image requires inner and external speech, activates and improves the thinking of the operator, accelerates the training process, increases its effectiveness, and enables the formation of strategies in anticipating the course of events.

Mistyuk, V. V.↗

Lessons Learned from Deploying an Analytical Task Management Database

Defining requirements, missions, technologies, and concepts for space exploration involves multiple levels of organizations, teams of people with complementary skills, and analytical models and simulations. Analytical activities range from filling a To-Be-Determined (TBD) in a requirement to creating animations and simulations of exploration missions. In a program as large as returning to the Moon, there are hundreds of simultaneous analysis activities. A way to manage and integrate efforts of this magnitude is to deploy a centralized database that provides the capability to define tasks, identify resources, describe products, schedule deliveries, and generate a variety of reports. This paper describes a web-accessible task management system and explains the lessons learned during the development and deployment of the database. Through the database, managers and team leaders can define tasks, establish review schedules, assign teams, link tasks to specific requirements, identify products, and link the task data records to external repositories that contain the products. Data filters and spreadsheet export utilities provide a powerful capability to create custom reports. Import utilities provide a means to populate the database from previously filled form files. Within a four month period, a small team analyzed requirements, developed a prototype, conducted multiple system demonstrations, and deployed a working system supporting hundreds of users across the aeros pace community. Open-source technologies and agile software development techniques, applied by a skilled team enabled this impressive achievement. Topics in the paper cover the web application technologies, agile software development, an overview of the system's functions and features, dealing with increasing scope, and deploying new versions of the system.

O'Neil, Daniel A.↗

ATD-2 Briefing to Southwest Data Science Community

The purpose of this presentation is to provide Southwest Airlines, an ATD-2 (Airspace Technology Demonstration-2) airline industry partner, with a project overview and the breadth of ATD-2 data analysis activities.

ATD-2 (Airspace Technology Demonstration-2)↗

Europa Clipper Payload Verification and Validation: Test and Analysis Program Design

NASA’s Europa Clipper mission – which is planned to launch in the mid-2020s – is designed to investigate the habitability of the jovian moon Europa with a state-of-the-art suite of over 10 sensors and instruments. Now past its project critical design review, Europa Clipper is starting the execution of its verification and validation (V&V) program. The payload V&V function in particular is responsible for designing and coordinating a thorough test and analysis program that will confirm the proper functioning and performance of our payload instruments. Given the large number of instruments to manage, we have developed a suite of standardized tests and analyses that are designed to cover all of the common interfaces across instruments, while allowing for flexibility to support the unique needs of individual instruments. This suite of activities, coordinated and/or performed by the payload team, forms the bulk of our payload verification and validation campaign. This paper provides a detailed summary of the full set of V&V activities in that suite, covering the four categories of activities: analysis of lower-level evidence, analysis via simulation, testing in the system testbeds, and testing in assembly, test, and launch operations (ATLO). We will describe the purpose of each activity type, how the activities are developed, and the review process for each type of activity. We then define the complete list of activities written for each instrument and how subtleties specific to certain instruments are managed. The discussion will provide a comprehensive understanding of the activities in the payload V&V purview and how various interfaces with different levels of the project are managed. This paper also describes key metrics the payload team uses to track V&V progress and some insights into the teaming design and division of labor we use to ensure consistency and completeness across the entire payload suite. Finally, the paper will offer a snapshot of the status of the Payload V&V program prior to instrument delivery and offer insights into the upcoming phase of instrument delivery and the start of ATLO.

Lee, Dennis↗

Monte Carlo Shower Counter Studies

Activities and accomplishments related to the Monte Carlo shower counter studies are summarized. A tape of the VMS version of the GEANT software was obtained and installed on the central computer at Gallaudet University. Due to difficulties encountered in updating this VMS version, a decision was made to switch to the UNIX version of the package. This version was installed and used to generate the set of data files currently accessed by various analysis programs. The GEANT software was used to write files of data for positron and proton showers. Showers were simulated for a detector consisting of 50 alternating layers of lead and scintillator. Each file consisted of 1000 events at each of the following energies: 0.1, 0.5, 2.0, 10, 44, and 200 GeV. Data analysis activities related to clustering, chi square, and likelihood analyses are summarized. Source code for the GEANT user subprograms and data analysis programs are provided along with example data plots.

Snyder, H. David↗

Ascent/Descent Software

The Ascent/Descent Software Suite has been used to support a variety of NASA Shuttle Program mission planning and analysis activities, such as range safety, on the Integrated Planning System (IPS) platform. The Ascent/Descent Software Suite, containing Ascent Flight Design (ASC)/Descent Flight Design (DESC) Configuration items (Cis), lifecycle documents, and data files used for shuttle ascent and entry modeling analysis and mission design, resides on IPS/Linux workstations. A list of tools in Navigation (NAV)/Prop Software Suite represents tool versions established during or after the IPS Equipment Rehost-3 project.

Brown, Charles↗

CubeSat with Nanostructured Sensing Instrumentation for Planetary Exploration

This report provides a summary of the work performed under NIAC Phase I award NNX15AL86G entitled "CubeSat with Nanostructured Sensing Instrumentation for Planetary Exploration". The objective of this research is to investigate the feasibility of an innovative, low cost, CubeSat based planetary mission concept for in situ "ground truth"analysis of small asteroids and comets. The project includes an instrument study and a mission/spacecraft design study. The instrument study concerns with the development of anew TiO2 nanotube sensor with integrated compound semiconductor nanowires to determine surface composition element via neutron activated analysis (NAA). The mission/spacecraft design study concerns with the development of CubeSat based lander to small asteroids and comets. The Phase I study suggests that our concept is feasible and could provide significant benefit to NASA's future planetary missions. This research was carried out at the University of Southern California and the University of Utah.

Satellites↗

ISECG Global Exploration Roadmap: A Stepwise Approach to Deep Space Exploration

In 2011, ISECG released the Global Exploration Roadmap (GER), advancing the "Global Exploration Strategy: The Framework for Coordination" by articulating the perspectives of participating agencies on exploration goals and objectives, mission scenarios, and coordination of exploration preparatory activities. The GER featured a stepwise development and demonstration of capabilities ultimately required for human exploration of Mars. In 2013 the GER was updated to reflect the ongoing evolution of agency's exploration policies and plans, informed by individual agency and coordinated analysis activities that are relevant to various elements of the GER framework as well as coordinated stakeholder engagement activities. For this release of version 2 of the GER in the mid 2013 timeframe, a modified mission scenario is presented, more firmly reflecting the importance of a stepwise evolution of critical capabilities provided by multiple partners necessary for executing increasingly complex missions to multiple destinations and leading to human exploration of Mars. This paper will describe the updated mission scenario, the changes since the release of version 1, the mission themes incorporated into the scenario, and risk reduction for Mars missions provided by exploration at various destinations.

Martinez, Roland↗

Photochemical Phenomenology Model for the New Millennium

The "Photochemical Phenomenology Model for the New Millennium" project tackles the issue of reengineering and extension of validated physics-based modeling capabilities ("legacy" computer codes) to application-oriented software for use in science and science-support activities. While the design and architecture layouts are in terms of general particle distributions involved in scattering, impact, and reactive interactions, initial Photochemical Phenomenology Modeling Tool (PPMT) implementations are aimed at construction and evaluation of photochemical transport models with rapid execution for use in remote sensing data analysis activities in distributed systems. Current focus is on the Composite Infrared Spectrometer (CIRS) data acquired during the CASSINI flyby of Jupiter. Overall, the project has stayed on the development track outlined in the Year 1 annual report and most Year 2 goals have been met. The issues that have required the most attention are: implementation of the core photochemistry algorithms; implementation of a functional Java Graphical User Interface; completion of a functional CORBA Component Model framework; and assessment of performance issues. Specific accomplishments and the difficulties encountered are summarized in this report. Work to be carried out in the next year center on: completion of testing of the initial operational implementation; its application to analysis of the CASSINI/CIRS Jovian flyby data; extension of the PPMT to incorporate additional phenomenology algorithms; and delivery of a mature operational implementation.

Bishop, James↗

Subcomponent tests for composite fuselage technology readiness

An account is given of a NASA research effort aimed at the development of an all-composite transport aircraft fuselage incorporating joints and cutouts which meets all design requirements. The design, construction, and analysis activities associated with the 30-ft-long fuselage section gave attention to critically important subcomponent specimens, including shear-tee pulloff specimens, stiffened and unstiffened cutout panels, longitudinal and transverse skin splices, longeron runouts, transverse skin-longerons, stiffened shear panels, and window belt panels. The analysis of large cutouts was conducted with coupling FEM analyses incorporating accurate failure criteria for tension and shear; the strategic application of S2 glass fiber plies around cutouts was demonstrated both analytically and experimentally to increase load capacity with virtually no weight penalty.

Madan, R. C.↗

Photogrammetric and photometric investigation of a smoke plume viewed from space.

Use of detailed analyses of an Apollo 6 stereographic photograph of a smoke plume which originated in southern Arizona and crossed over into Mexico to illustrate how high-resolution photography can aid meteorologists in evaluating specific air pollution events. Photogrammetric analysis of the visible smoke plume revealed that the plume was 8.06 miles long and attained a maximum width of 4000 ft, 3.0 miles from the 570-ft chimney emitting the effluent. Stereometric analysis showed that the visible top of the plume rose nearly 2400 ft above stack top, attaining 90% of this total rise 1.75 miles downwind from the source. Photometric analysis of the plume revealed a field of plume optical density that portrayed leptokurtic and bimodal distributions rather than a true Gaussian distribution. A horizontal eddy diffusivity of about 650,000 sq cm/sec and a vertical eddy diffusivity of 230,000 sq cm/sec were determined from the plume dimensions. Neutron activation analysis of plume samples revealed the elemental composition of the smoke to be copper, arsenic, selenium, indium and antimony, with trace amounts of vanadium and scandium.

Randerson, D.↗

Chemical composition of Apollo 15, 16, and 17 samples

The authors analyzed 22 Apollo 15 samples, 21 Apollo 16 samples, 4 Luna 20 samples, and 6 Apollo 17 samples for 26 to 30 major, minor, and trace elements by instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA). Major attention is given to Apollo 16 results and recent Apollo 17 data. The roster of elements via INAA has been extended to include Nd, Ni, Ir, and Au in the Apollo 16 and 17 samples. The latter three elements are highly abundant in these samples. Sample preparation, activation conditions, and the detailed INAA analytical procedure are essentially the same as reported by Laul and Schmitt (1973).

Laul, J. C.↗

The measurement of trace elements in interplanetary dust and cometary particles by ultra-high sensitivity INAA

Today the major elemental composition of interplanetary dust particles (IDPs) is routinely determined in many laboratories. These and mineralogical studies have revealed the presence of at least two major types of IDPs, chondritic and refractory. Preliminary results of a successful attempt to determine abundances of a large suite of trace elements from both chondritic and refractory IDPs are reported. The analytical procedure can be used in the grain-by-grain analysis of returned cometary samples. Chondritic and refractory IDPs are characterized by standard scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive x ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX) techniques. With this system, detection limits for many elements are well below picogram levels, and some approach femtogram levels. This technique is non-destructive, although some sample handling is required, so particles can be analyzed by other techniques after instrument neutron activation analysis (INAA) is completed. Data is presently being reduced from the analyses of 7 IDPs. These are U2015E10, U2015F1, W7029-A2, W7029-A3, W7013A8, LACl (all chondritic) and 705 (refractory). So far, 17 different major and trace elements were detected and measured in these particles, including rare earths and some very volatile elements (Br and Zn).

Zolensky, M. E.↗

Lunar and Planetary Science XXXV: Asteroids, Meteors, Comets

Reports included:Long Term Stability of Mars Trojans; Horseshoe Asteroids and Quasi-satellites in Earth-like Orbits; Effect of Roughness on Visible Reflectance Spectra of Planetary Surface; SUBARU Spectroscopy of Asteroid (832) Karin; Determining Time Scale of Space Weathering; Change of Asteroid Reflectance Spectra by Space Weathering: Pulse Laser Irradiation on Meteorite Samples; Reflectance Spectra of CM2 Chondrite Mighei Irradiated with Pulsed Laser and Implications for Low-Albedo Asteroids and Martian Moons; Meteorite Porosities and Densities: A Review of Trends in the Data; Small Craters in the Inner Solar System: Primaries or Secondaries or Both?; Generation of an Ordinary-Chondrite Regolith by Repetitive Impact; Asteroid Modal Mineralogy Using Hapke Mixing Models: Validation with HED Meteorites; Particle Size Effect in X-Ray Fluorescence at a Large Phase Angle: Importance on Elemental Analysis of Asteroid Eros (433); An Investigation into Solar Wind Depletion of Sulfur in Troilite; Photometric Behaviour Dependent on Solar Phase Angle and Physical Characteristics of Binary Near-Earth-Asteroid (65803) 1996 GT; Spectroscopic Observations of Asteroid 4 Vesta from 1.9 to 3.5 micron: Evidence of Hydrated and/or Hydroxylated Minerals; Multi-Wavelength Observations of Asteroid 2100 Ra-Shalom: Visible, Infrared, and Thermal Spectroscopy Results; New Peculiarities of Cometary Outburst Activity; Preliminary Shape Modeling for the Asteroid (25143) Itokawa, AMICA of Hayabusa Mission; Scientific Capability of MINERVA Rover in Hayabusa Asteroid Mission; Characteristics and Current Status of Near Infrared Spectrometer for Hayabusa Mission; Sampling Strategy and Curation Plan of Hayabusa Asteroid Sample Return Mission; Visible/Near-Infrared Spectral Properties of MUSES C Target Asteroid 25143 Itokawa; Calibration of the NEAR XRS Solar Monitor; Modeling Mosaic Degradation of X-Ray Measurements of 433 Eros by NEAR-Shoemaker; Scattered Light Remediation and Recalibration of near Sheomaker s NIS Global Dataaset at 433 Eros; Evaluation of Preparation and Measuring Techniques for Interplanetary Dust Particles for the MIDAS Experiment on Rosetta; Chiron: a Proposed Remote Sensing Prompt Gamma Ray Activation Analysis Instrument for a Nuclear Powered Prometheus Mission;From Present Surveying to Future Prospecting of the Asteroid Belt; Asteroid Physical Properties Probe Microgravity Testing of a Surface Sampling System for Sample Return from Small Solar System Bodies;and Penetrator Coring Apparatus for Cometary Surfaces.

Source record↗