Wind-vehicle interaction in flight - Methods of analysis
Wind effects on launch vehicle and equations of motion of vehicle
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Wind effects on launch vehicle and equations of motion of vehicle
Wind effects on nighttime E region ionization layer distribution
Electromagnetic drifts and neutral air winds effects on F 2 region derived from electron continuity equation, using Jacchia model atmosphere
Wind effects on rigid launch vehicle guidance and control system design, using model incorporating structural bending and fuel sloshing
Launch vehicle design, considering tradeoffs between wind effects and analysis time
Atmospheric vertical temperature sounding from geosynchronous satellite, discussing instrumentation, cloud cover and wind effects, etc
Solar wind effects on thermal control coatings reflectance and absorptance, noting simulation and thermophysical measurement requirements
Cosmic ray energy loss in interplanetary medium, discussing solar wind effects on low energy particles
Mercury filled pendulum damper for controlling bending vibration induced by wind effects
Neutral wind effects on redistribution of E region ionization and recombination, comparing electron density profiles to vertical ion drift velocities
Interplanetary magnetic field measurements from lunar surface and lunar orbit, discussing solar wind effects on bulk electrical conductivity of lunar crust
The principle of using bimetal helical coils to cause solar arrays to track the sun in space is presently under consideration for array orientation on several spacecraft. Adaptation of this thermal heliotrope to terrestrial applications introduces additional design considerations. The dominance of solar-radiation energy input to the helical coil over convective energy losses has to be ensured, and wind effects must be minimized. As long as the cost of solar cells remains high, orientation will always result in a significant cost saving for the converter.
Martian south polar pits and etched terrain attest to alternating episodes of eolian deposition and erosion. Sometimes the south polar area has served as a sump for the accumulation of airborne debris and associated particles of frozen volatiles. At other times, the wind patterns or wind effectiveness change, and the atmosphere begins to remove the blanket of material it has earlier spread over the south polar region.
On the original Taylor column theory of Jupiter's Great Red Spot, the fixed latitude of the Spot is taken to imply that the Taylor column in Jupiter's atmosphere is associated with a disturbance such as a topographic feature of the surface Q underlying the atmosphere. The alternative suggestion that the Taylor column is produced by a solid raft floating at depth in the atmosphere is somewhat easier to reconcile with the approximately 10s difference between the respective rotation periods P sub S and P sub R of the Red Spot and of the radio sources, but it does not account so readily for the fixed latitude of the Spot unless it can be shown that the raft is in stable equilibrium under the north-south components of the dynamical forces, including wind effects, acting upon it. A slight wavering of the upper end of the Taylor column relative to the lower end could account at least in part for the most rapid variations in P sub S, but the slow large-amplitude variations in P sub S must reflect changes in the longitudinal motion of either the surface Q or of the raft. By generalizing the Proudman-Taylor theorem to the case of a non-homogeneous fluid it is shown that the Taylor column theory does not imply very special and therefore unlikely horizontal and vertical temperature variations in Jupiter's atmosphere, thus refuting a widely-held belief to the contrary.
A study of the display requirements for final approach management of the space shuttle orbiter vehicle is presented. An experimental display concept, providing a more direct, pictorial representation of the vehicle's movement relative to the selected approach path and aiming points, was developed and assessed as an aid to manual flight path control. Both head-up, windshield projections and head-down, panel mounted presentations of the experimental display were evaluated in a series of simulated orbiter approach sequence. Data obtained indicate that the experimental display would enable orbiter pilots to exercise greater flexibility in implementing alternative final approach control strategies. Touchdown position and airspeed dispersion criteria were satisfied on 91 percent of the approach sequences, representing various profile and wind effect conditions. Flight path control and airspeed management satisfied operationally-relevant criteria for the two-segment, power-off orbiter approach and were consistently more accurate and less variable when the full set of experimental display elements was available to the pilot. Approach control tended to be more precise when the head-up display was used; however, the data also indicate that the head-down display would provide adequate support for the manual control task.
Airframe noise measurements are reported for the DC-9-31 aircraft flown at several speeds and with a number of flap, landing gear, and slat extension configurations. The data are corrected for wind effects, atmospheric attenuation, and spherical divergence, and are normalized to a 1 meter acoustic range. The sound pressure levels are found to vary approximately as the fifth power of flight velocity. Both lift and drag dipoles exist as a significant part of the airframe noise. The sideline data imply that a significant side-force dipole exists only for the flap- and gear-down configurations; for others, the data imply the existence of only the lift and drag dipoles. The data are compared with airframe noise predictions using the drag element and the data analysis methods. Although some of the predictions are good, further work is needed to refine the methods, particularly for the flap- and gear-down configurations.
Mission objectives for the Venus Orbital Imaging Radar (VOIR) project are outlined with attention to its scientific instrumentation. Design parameters of the SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) are described, including a high resolution capability of 200 m from a circular orbit of 375 km, which will be able to map the entire surface of the planet. Nineteen atmospheric experiments are foreseen, among them: CO2 stability assays, measurements of vertical mass transfer rates, observations of cloud circulation and composition, and an evaluation of solar wind effects on atmospheric dynamics. Navigation and orbital injection plans are reviewed, noting that the 1983 launch window (using STS) is optimum.
Regolith studies are summarized with attention given to isotope and solar wind effects, core studies, and soil maturation and agglutinates. Consideration is also given to radiometric, cosmic-ray and track chronologies for meteorites and lunar samples and to lunar impact phenomena.