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NASA NTRS1920

The aerodynamic properties of thick aerofoils suitable for internal bracing

The object of this investigation was to determine the characteristics of various types of wings having sufficient depth to entirely inclose the wing bracing, and also to provide data for the further design of such sections. This type of wing is of interest because it eliminates the resistance of the interplane bracing, a portion of the airplane that sometimes absorbs one-quarter of the total power required to fly, and because these wings may be made to give a very high maximum lift. Results of the investigation of the following subjects are given: (1) effect of changing the upper and lower camber of thick aerofoils of uniform section; (2) effect of thickening the center and thinning the tips of a thin aerofoil; (3) effect of adding a convex lower surface to a tapered section; (4) effect of changing the mean thickness with constant center and tip sections; and (5) effect of varying the chord along the span.

Norton, F H↗

NASA NTRS1995

Identification And Survival Of Bacteriohopanepolyol In A Hot Spring Microbial Mat

The polar lipids of a hot spring microbial mat located in Yellowstone National Park were examined for the presence of bacteriohopanepolvols (BHP). BHP are a group of molecules consisting of a hopanoid (peotacyclic triterpene) linked via a n-alkyl polyhydroxylated chain to a variety of polar end groups. BHP have been isolated in varying amounts from phylogenetically diverse eubacterial groups including cyanobacteria, methanotrophs and the Rhodospirillaceae. The hopanoids are excellent biomarkers and have been detected in sedimentary rocks as old as 1.7 bya. In order to interpret the ancient organic record, it is important to understand the abundance, source and fate of such biomarker compounds in microbial mats. A 40 sq cm mat section was taken from a 52 to 55 C site in the effluent channel of Octopus Spring and was sampled vertically over approximately 16 mm. The first 5-6 mm was sectioned into a top green layer (310 mg dry weight) and several subjacent, deep orange layers (240 and 250 mg, respectively). The lower 10 mm of the mat was sectioned into two gelatinous orange layers containing a siliceous gritty material (260 and 440 mg) which increased with depth, and a bottom layer composed almost exclusively of siliceous sinter (4.1 g). The progressive decrease in total organic carbon from 45% in the top green layer to only 4% in the bottom layer reflects the observed increase in siliceous deposition. GC-MS analysis of the phospholipid and glycolipid fatty acids yielded predominantly saturated normal chain acids, n-15 to n-18, and iso-branched acids, i-15 to i-17. Small amounts of unsaturated fatty acids (16:1, two positional isomers of 18:1, and two cyclopropyl acids, C(sub 17) and C(sub 19)) were present mainly in the top layer. Esterified fatty acid which is a good index for intact cellular membrane, i.e. viable organisms, was highest in the top two layers (203 and 231 micro g/mg total lipid, respectively) and gradually decreased to 66 micro g/mg total lipid in the bottom layer. Small amounts of BHP were present in all six layers, however in this case, BHP was lowest in the top green and subjacent deep-orange layers (118 and 172 micro g/mg total lipid, respectively) and increased with depth reaching almost 400 micro g/mg in the bottom two layers. This data suggest that BHP are survivina the initial phase of mat degradation and may be preferentially enriched in any organic record of such thermal environments. The relatively low level of BHP in the top layer also suggests that cyanobacteria may not be the major source of BHP in this mat. Since Chloroflexus a major component of the deep-orange layer has been reported to lack BHP, this material may prove a valuable biomarker for some other mat inhabitant. Further isotopic characterization of this BHP should help resolve this finding.

Janke, Linda L.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Association of a new type of gliding, filamentous, purple phototrophic bacterium inside bundles of Microcoleus chthonoplastes in hypersaline cyanobacterial mats

An unidentified filamentous purple bacterium, probably belonging to a new genus or even a new family, is found in close association with the filamentous, mat-forming cyanobacterium Microcoleus chthonoplastes in a hypersaline pond at Guerrero Negro, Baja California Sur, Mexico, and in Solar Lake, Sinai, Egypt. This organism is a gliding, segmented trichome, 0.8-0.9 micrometer wide. It contains intracytoplasmic stacked lamellae which are perpendicular and obliquely oriented to the cell wall, similar to those described for the purple sulfur bacteria Ectothiorhodospira. These bacteria are found inside the cyanobacterial bundle, enclosed by the cyanobacterial sheath. Detailed transmission electron microscopical analyses carried out in horizontal sections of the upper 1.5 mm of the cyanobacterial mat show this cyanobacterial-purple bacterial association at depths of 300-1200 micrometers, corresponding to the zone below that of maximal oxygenic photosynthesis. Sharp gradients of oxygen and sulfide are established during the day at this microzone in the two cyanobacterial mats studied. The close association, the distribution pattern of this association and preliminary physiological experiments suggest a co-metabolism of sulfur by the two-membered community. This probable new genus of purple bacteria may also grow photoheterotrophically using organic carbon excreted by the cyanobacterium. Since the chemical gradients in the entire photic zone fluctuate widely in a diurnal cycle, both types of metabolism probably take place. During the morning and afternoon, sulfide migrates up to the photic zone allowing photoautotrophic metabolism with sulfide as the electron donor. During the day the photic zone is highly oxygenated and the purple bacteria may either use oxidized species of sulfur such as elemental sulfur and thiosulfate in the photoautotrophic mode or grow photoheterotrophically using organic carbon excreted by M. chthonoplastes. The new type of filamentous purple sulfur bacteria is not available yet in pure culture, and its taxonomical position cannot be fully established. This organism is suggested to be a new type of gliding, filamentous, purple phototroph.

NASA Discipline Exobiology↗

NASA NTRS2011

Phyllosilicate Deposits in Shalbatana Vallis

Shalbatana Vallis is an ancient river valley on Mars, the westernmost of the southern Chryse outflow channels. The geologic history of this area has significant implications for understanding Mars' hydrologic and climate history. The highland flood basalts are cut by large collapse depressions, multiple outflow channels, and chaotic terrain. An intravalley paleolake with a depth of over 400 m, in the 125 km diameter Orson Welles crater (Fig. 1) and the adjacent section of Shalbatana Vallis, was deduced from Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) topography, evidence of shorelines and the occurrence of fan-delta deposits, including Gilbert-style deltas [1]. A number of CRISM (Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars) images with strong phyllosilicate signatures have been identified throughout the channel and nearby highlands (Fig. 1). A majority of the signatures are concentrated in areas exposed by impact cratering. Since such minerals can form by a variety of different geological processes, such as weathering, burial diagenesis, and hydrothermal alteration [2], the nature of the phyllosilicate deposits in the Shalbatana Vallis region may provide insights into the formation processes that took place and help to place constraints on the early aqueous activity in the region.

Wintzer, Anne E.↗

NASA NTRS2012

Estimation and Bias Correction of Aerosol Abundance using Data-driven Machine Learning and Remote Sensing

Air quality information is increasingly becoming a public health concern, since some of the aerosol particles pose harmful effects to peoples health. One widely available metric of aerosol abundance is the aerosol optical depth (AOD). The AOD is the integrated light extinction coefficient over a vertical atmospheric column of unit cross section, which represents the extent to which the aerosols in that vertical profile prevent the transmission of light by absorption or scattering. The comparison between the AOD measured from the ground-based Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) system and the satellite MODIS instruments at 550 nm shows that there is a bias between the two data products. We performed a comprehensive analysis exploring possible factors which may be contributing to the inter-instrumental bias between MODIS and AERONET. The analysis used several measured variables, including the MODIS AOD, as input in order to train a neural network in regression mode to predict the AERONET AOD values. This not only allowed us to obtain an estimate, but also allowed us to infer the optimal sets of variables that played an important role in the prediction. In addition, we applied machine learning to infer the global abundance of ground level PM2.5 from the AOD data and other ancillary satellite and meteorology products. This research is part of our goal to provide air quality information, which can also be useful for global epidemiology studies.

Malakar, Nabin K.↗

NASA NTRS2022

Modeling the Influence of Moulin Shape on Subglacial Hydrology

Subglacial models represent moulins as cylinders or cones, but field observations suggest that the upper part of moulins in the Greenland Ice Sheet has more complex shapes. These more complex shapes should cause englacial water storage within moulins to vary as a function of depth, a relationship not currently accounted for in models. Here, we use a coupled englacial-subglacial channel model to explore how moulin shape affects depth-dependent moulin water storage and water pressure dynamics within a subglacial channel. We simulate seven different moulin shapes across a range of moulin sizes. We find that the englacial storage capacity at the water level is the main control over the daily water level oscillation range and that depth-varying changes in englacial water storage control the temporal shape of this oscillation. Further, the cross-sectional area of the moulin within the daily oscillation range, but not above or below this range, controls pressures within the connected subglacial channel. Specifically, large cross-sectional areas can dampen daily to weekly oscillations that occur in the surface meltwater supply. Our findings suggest that further knowledge of the shape of moulins around the equilibrium water level would improve englacial storage parameterization in subglacial hydrological models and aid predictions of hydrodynamic coupling.

Moulin↗

NASA NTRS1979

Stratigraphy and depositional history of the Apollo 17 drill core

Lithologic abundances obtained from modal analyses of a continuous string of polished thin sections indicate that the Apollo 17 deep drill core can be divided into three main zones: An upper zone (0-19 cm depth) characterized by high abundances of agglutinates (30%) and a high ratio of mare to non-mare lithic fragments (less than 0.8); a coarse-grained layer (24-56 cm) rich in fragments of high-Ti mare basalts and mineral fragments derived from them, and poor in agglutinates (6%); and a lower zone (56-285 cm) characterized by variable but generally high agglutinate abundances (25%) and a low ratio of mare to nonmare lithic fragments (0.6). Using observations of the geology of the landing site, the principles of cratering dynamics, and the vast amount of data collected on the core, the following depositional history for the section of regolith sampled by the Apollo 17 drill core: was devised.

Taylor, G. J.↗

NASA NTRS1978

Saturn's rings: Particle composition and size distribution as constrained by microwave observations. I - Radar observations

The radar backscattering characteristics of compositional and structural models of Saturn's rings are calculated and compared with observations of the absolute value, wavelength dependence, and degree of depolarization of the rings' radar cross section (reflectivity). The doubling method is used to calculate reflectivities for systems that are many particles thick using optical depths derived from observations at visible wavelengths. If the rings are many particles thick, irregular centimeter- to meter-sized particles composed primarily of water ice attain sufficiently high albedos and scattering efficiencies to explain the radar observations. In that case, the wavelength independence of radar reflectivity implies the existence of a broad particle size distribution; a narrower size distribution is also a possibility. Particles of primarily silicate composition are ruled out by the radar observations. Purely metallic particles may not be ruled out on the basis of existing radar observations. A monolayer of very large ice 'particles' that exhibit multiple internal scattering may not yet be ruled out.

Cuzzi, J. N.↗

NASA NTRS1984

Microwave signature of thick-target electron beams in solar flares

The steady-state behavior of a flux of nonthermal electrons injected into a fully ionized thick target is examined. Owing to the (inverse square) energy dependence of the Coulomb collisional cross section, it is found that injected electron distributions that are monotonically decreasing functions of electron energy develop at finite depths into distributions that have 'humps' in velocity space; the electron energy corresponding to the hump correlates with the overlying particle column density to the target. This results in a two-stream unstable situation. The distribution is constantly being relaxed by quasi-linear relaxation and re-created by collisions; in this way a steady nonthermal level of Langmuir plasma waves is created, and these waves in turn produce microwave plasma radiation with a typical flux of 3 x 10 to the -16th erg/sq cm-sec. This flux can be enhanced by a factor of up to 100 by a high level of low-frequency (such as ion-acoustic) turbulence, which prevents quasi-linear relaxation for a sufficient fraction of the path length.

Emslie, A. G.↗

NASA NTRS1991

Offset truss hex solar concentrator

A solar energy concentrator system comprises an offset reflector structure made up of a plurality of solar energy reflector panel sections interconnected with one another to form a piecewise approximation of a portion of a (parabolic) surface of revolution rotated about a prescribed focal axis. Each panel section is comprised of a plurality of reflector facets whose reflective surfaces effectively focus reflected light to preselected surface portions of the interior sidewall of a cylindrically shaped solar energy receiver. The longitudinal axis of the receiver is tilted at an acute angle with respect to the optical axis such that the distribution of focussed solar energy over the interior surface of the solar engine is optimized for dynamic solar energy conversion. Each reflector panel section comprises a flat, hexagonally shaped truss support framework and a plurality of beam members interconnecting diametrically opposed corners of the hexagonal framework recessed within which a plurality of (spherically) contoured reflector facets is disposed. The depth of the framework and the beam members is greater than the thickness of a reflector facet such that a reflector facet may be tilted (for controlling the effective focus of its reflected light through the receiver aperture) without protruding from the panel section.

White, John E.↗

NASA NTRS1992

Application of left- and right-looking SAR stereo to depth measurements of the Ammavaru outflow channel, Lada Terra, Venus

Venusian channels are too narrow to be resolved by Magellan's radar altimeter, so they are not visible in the standard topographic data products. Stereo image data, in addition to their benefit to geologic mapping of Venus structures as a whole, are indispensible in measuring the topography across the channels. These measurements can then be used in conjunction with the regional topographic maps based on the altimeter data to produce cross-sectional areas for the channels and estimate the fluid discharge through them. As an example of the application of the stereo image data to venusian channels, a number of test depth and profile measurements were made of the large outflow channel system in Lada Terra, centered at 50 deg S latitude, 21 deg E longitude (F-MIDR 50S021). These measurements were made by viewing the cycle 1 and 2 digital FMIDRs in stereo on a display monitor, so as to minimize the errors in measuring parallax displacement as much as possible. The MIDRs are produced at a scale of 75 m/pixel. This corresponds to a vertical scale of about 17 m/pixel, when calculating the height of a feature from its parallax displacement. An error in placement determination of 1 pixel was assumed to characterize the vertical accuracy as plus or minus 17 m. When this technique was applied to the outflow channel, it was noted that the walls of the collapsed terrain source and 'trough reach' of the channel are laid over in both the cycle 1 and 2 images. This is evident when examining the distance between features on the plateau and the cliff walls in the two images. The layover 'shifts' the features closer to the apparent edge of the wall relative to the oppositely illuminated image.

Parker, T. J.↗

NASA NTRS1981

A theory for predicting boundary impedance and resonance frequencies of slotted-wall wind tunnels, including plenum effects

Wave-induced resonance associated with the geometry of wind-tunnel test sections can occur. A theory that uses acoustic impedance concepts to predict resonance modes in a two dimensional, slotted wall wind tunnel with a plenum chamber is described. The equation derived is consistent with known results for limiting conditions. The computed resonance modes compare well with appropriate experimental data. When the theory is applied to perforated wall test sections, it predicts the experimentally observed closely spaced modes that occur when the wavelength is not long compared with he plenum depth.

Barger, R. L.↗

NASA NTRS1980

Saturn's rings - Particle composition and size distribution as constrained by observations at microwave wavelengths. II - Radio interferometric observations

Theoretical models are presented of the brightness of Saturn's rings at microwave wavelengths (0.34-21.0 cm) including both intrinsic ring emission and diffuse scattering by the rings of the planetary emission. In addition, several previously existing sets of interferometric observations of the Saturn system at 0.83, 3.71, 6.0, 11.1, and 21.0 cm wavelengths are analyzed. A comparison of models and experimental data make it possible to establish improved constraints on the properties of the rings. In particular, it is found that (1) the maximum optical depths in the rings is 1.5 + or - 0.3 referred to visible wavelengths; (2) a significant decrease in ring optical depths from 3.7 to 21.0 cm makes it possible to rule out the possibility that more than 30% of the cross section of the rings is composed of particles larger than about a meter; and (3) the ring particles cannot be primarily of silicate composition (independently of particle size), and the particles cannot be primarily smaller than about 0.1 cm, independently of composition.

Cuzzi, J. N.↗

NASA NTRS1990

Science and engineering for space - Technologies from Space 88

This paper highlights technology development for space exploration. It draws on the proceedings of Space 88, Engineering, Construction, and Operations in Space, which includes 125 papers providing in-depth discussions of space policy, extraterrestrial basing, space stations and orbiting structures. In the space station and orbiting structures (orbital facilities) section, papers discuss the engineering, construction, and operations of orbiting space systems. Papers in the extraterrestrial basing section deal with the engineering, construction, and operations challenges faced in development of bases and operations on extraterrestrial bodies. The special interest (interacting disciplines) section provides a discussion of challenges facing us in meeting needs for space power, life support, human factors, astronomy, education, and management.

Johnson, Stewart W.↗

NASA NTRS2003

Water Impact Test and Simulation of a Composite Energy Absorbing Fuselage Section

In March 2002, a 25-ft/s vertical drop test of a composite fuselage section was conducted onto water. The purpose of the test was to obtain experimental data characterizing the structural response of the fuselage section during water impact for comparison with two previous drop tests that were performed onto a rigid surface and soft soil. For the drop test, the fuselage section was configured with ten 100-lb. lead masses, five per side, that were attached to seat rails mounted to the floor. The fuselage section was raised to a height of 10-ft. and dropped vertically into a 15-ft. diameter pool filled to a depth of 3.5-ft. with water. Approximately 70 channels of data were collected during the drop test at a 10-kHz sampling rate. The test data were used to validate crash simulations of the water impact that were developed using the nonlinear, explicit transient dynamic codes, MSC.Dytran and LS-DYNA. The fuselage structure was modeled using shell and solid elements with a Lagrangian mesh, and the water was modeled with both Eulerian and Lagrangian techniques. The fluid-structure interactions were executed using the fast general coupling in MSC.Dytran and the Arbitrary Lagrange-Euler (ALE) coupling in LS-DYNA. Additionally, the smooth particle hydrodynamics (SPH) meshless Lagrangian technique was used in LS-DYNA to represent the fluid. The simulation results were correlated with the test data to validate the modeling approach. Additional simulation studies were performed to determine how changes in mesh density, mesh uniformity, fluid viscosity, and failure strain influence the test-analysis correlation.

Fasanella, Edwin L.↗

NASA NTRS2002

Sensitivity of Stratocumulus Optical Depths to Droplet Concentrations: Satellite Observations and Large-Eddy Simulations

A number of observations and simulations have shown that increased droplet concentrations in ship tracks increase their total cross-sectional area, thereby enhancing cloud albedo and providing a negative (cooling) radiative forcing at the surface and the top of the atmosphere. In some cases cloud water has been found to be enhanced in ship tracks, which has been attributed to suppression of drizzle and implies an enhanced susceptibility of cloud albedo to droplet concentrations. However, observations from aircraft and satellite indicate that on average cloud water is instead reduced in daytime ship tracks. Such a reduction in liquid water may be attributable to cloud-burning caused by solar heating by soot within the ship exhaust, or by increased precipitation resulting from giant nuclei in the ship exhaust. We will summarize the observational evidence and present results from large-eddy simulations that evaluate these mechanisms. Along the way we will present our insights into the interpretation of satellite retrievals of cloud microphysical properties.

Ackerman, A. S.↗

NASA NTRS1986

Cosmogenic neutron-capture-produced nuclides in stony meteorites

The complete neutron-flux results and production rates for Cl-36, Ni-59, and Co-60 in stony meteorites of various radii and composition are presented. The relative neutron source strengths and neutron production-versus-depth profiles were determined by using calculated H-3 production rates. The absolute source strengths were normalized to that determined for the moon by Woolum et al. (1975). The energy spectrum of the source neutrons and the neutron transport calculations, which employed the ANISN computer code, were similar to those used for the moon by Lingenfelter et al. (1972). The production rates of the three radionuclides were determined as a function of depth in various spherical meteoroids from the calculated equilibrium neutron-flux distributions and from energy-dependent neutron-capture cross sections. Rates for producing these radionuclides by spallation reactions were also calculated.

Spergel, M. S.↗

NASA NTRS1987

On the hard X-ray spatial structure during the impulsive phase of solar flares

A simplified form of the bremsstrahlung cross-section is used to obtain an analytic expression for the intensity of electron-beam-produced hard X-ray emission with depth in solar flares which can be used in a first-order analysis of imaging data. The results indicate that the conditions for the appearance of bright footpoint emission, in terms of loop parameters such as density and length, are much less restrictive than previously suggested. The analysis shows that the observed footpoint structure of many flares in hard X-rays is consistent with the thick-target bombardment model, and that the intensity of the footpoint emission relative to the spatially integrated flux can be used as a diagnostic tool of coronal column density.

Emslie, A. Gordon↗