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Propagation characteristics for varying wind and temperature atmospheric conditions are identified using physically-limiting propagation angles to define shadow boundary regions. These angles are graphically illustrated for various wind and temperature cases using a newly developed ray-tracing propagation code.
The results from a study aimed at improving the dynamic and aerodynamic characteristics of composite rotor blades through the use of extension-twist coupling are presented. A set of low twist model-scale helicopter rotor blades was manufactured with a view towards demonstrating the passive blade twist control concept. Hover testing of the blades was conducted to measure the change in blade twist as a function of rotor speed. The blades were spun through the 0-800 rpm range, with a corresponding sweep of collective pitch to determine the effect on the blade elastic twist. Hover data were obtained for both a ballasted and unballasted blade configuration in atmospheric conditions, where maximum twist changes of 2.54 and 5.24 degrees were respectively observed. These results compared well with those from a finite element analysis of the blade, which yielded maximum twists of 3.01 and 5.61 degrees for the unballasted and ballasted blade configurations, respectively. The aerodynamic-induced effects on the blade elastic twist, determined by testing a ballasted blade configuration in a near-vacuum condition, were found to be minimal with a maximum twist difference of 0.17 degrees observed between the two test environments. The effect of collective pitch sweep on the elastic twist was minimal.
A 1/50th scale model of the 80- by 120-Foot Wind Tunnel (hereafter referred to as the 80x120) was utilized to determine the magnitude of turbulence caused by buildings located upstream of the wind tunnel inlet. The 1/50th scale models of existing and proposed buildings were constructed to act as blockage for the test. Various inlet locations were sampled for turbulence intensity levels under a variety of blockage conditions including simple three-dimensional rectangular bodies creating quasi two-dimensional physics along the tunnel centerline, existing building structures in the vicinity of the full-scale wind tunnel inlet flow field, and proposed building structures that may someday be constructed at NASA Ames Research Center upwind of the inlet. Therefore, the testing performed and reported in this report can be considered representative of quiescent atmospheric conditions that exist when operating the full-scale 80x120 at night. At quiescent atmospheric conditions there is a measurable increase in turbulence intensity produced by upstream blockages. The blockages examined produced an average turbulence intensity level between 2% and 5% when measured at the inlet. Previous research has shown that the flow control of the 80x120 is capable of reducing this turbulence to less than 0.5% when measured in the test section. Additional research will need to be conducted to determine the influence of atmospheric wind on relative turbulence intensity at the inlet. These results show that for future buildings lying more than 1,000 ft upstream of the full-scale 80x120 inlet, these new buildings will have a negligible effect on the flow quality of the air entering the 80x120 test section under strictly quiescent atmospheric conditions. The Googleplex buildings modeled and tested in this experiment are located approximately 2,450 ft upstream and, as seen in this test campaign, have a negligible influence on the turbulence levels measured at the inlet under quiescent atmospheric conditions.
The vertical variations in atmospheric light attenuation under ambient conditions were identified, and a method through which aerial photographs of earth features might be corrected to yield quantitative information about the actual features was provided. A theoretical equation was developed based on the Bouguer-Lambert extinction law and basic photographic theory.
An analytical tool has been developed which enables the impact of nonequilibrium effects on outer planet entry heating to be estimated. The analysis combines recent shock tube experiments, flow field calculations, and planetary entry trajectory analysis. The thickness of the nonequilibrium layer and its variation around the entry body have been correlated by a reaction flow parameter over a wide range of entry conditions. The influence of nonequilibrium effects on heating during entry into Saturn and Jupiter model atmospheres has been studied and the effect of vehicle size and ballistic coefficient determined. A nonequilibrium layer of significant thickness was found to exist during portions of entry into Saturn and Jupiter warm atmospheres. However, the nonequilibrium layer was found to be thin during the peak heating portions of the trajectory and resulted in reductions in total probe heating of less than 15 per cent.
The combustion of pressure atomized fuel sprays in high pressure stagnant air was studied. Measurements were made of flame and spray boundaries at pressures in the range 0.1-9 MPa for methanol and n-pentane. At the higher test pressure levels, critical phenomena are important. The experiments are compared with theoretical predictions based on a locally homogeneous two-phase flow model. The theory correctly predicted the trends of the data, but underestimates flame and spray boundaries by 30-50 percent, indicating that slip is still important for the present experiments (Sauter mean diameters of 30 microns at atmospheric pressure under cold flow conditions). Since the sprays are shorter at high pressures, slip effects are still important even though the density ratio of the phases approach one another as the droplets heat up. The model indicates the presence of a region where condensed water is present within the spray and provides a convenient means of treating supercritical phenomena.
Techniques for remote sensing of particles, from cloud droplet to hailstone size, using optical and microwave frequencies are reviewed. The inherent variability of atmospheric particulates is examined to delineate conditions when the signal can give information to be effectively utilized in a forecasting context. The physical limitations resulting from the phase, size, orientation and concentration variability of the particulates are assessed.
The physics of the interiors of Jovian-class objects is reviewed, and its extension to substellar objects is discussed. Some results are presented for objects cooling from effective temperatures starting at 2500 K. The interior calculations are coupled to model atmosphere surface conditions computed by Lunine; the latter are continued to higher temperatures and pressures in the ideal gas region and are then matched by entropy to the strongly-coupled interior region. Except in the planetary-mass models, this transition region occupies a negligible fraction of the total mass. For the observed parameters of VB8B, only models with masses in excess of 0.05 solar mass have cooling ages above a billion years. Thus, for plausible VB8B lifetimes, this object is likely to be close to the critical hydrogen-ignition mass.
One important scientific objective of a Mars Rover Sample Return mission would be to look for traces of living and extinct life on Mars. An instrument to search for organic carbon may be the simplest instrument that could screen samples which are interesting from a biological point of view. An experimental program is described which would help to understand the nature of the oxidizing soil on Mars and the mechanism responsible for organic degradation on the Martian surface. This is approached by lab simulations of the actual conditions that occur on Mars, particularly the oxidant production by atmospheric photochemistry, and the combined effects of UV light and oxidants in decomposing organic compounds. The results will be used to formulate models of the photochemistry of the atmospheric, the atmosphere-soil interaction, and the diffusion of reactive compounds into the soils. This information will provide insights and constraints on the design of a sampling strategy to search for organic compounds on Mars.
Despite the development of relatively ice-free fuel-metering systems, the widespread use of alternate and heated-air intakes, and the use of alcohol for emergency de-icing, icing of aircraft-engine induction systems is a serious problem. Investigations have been made to study and to combat all phases of this icing problem. From these investigations, criterions for safe operation and for design of new induction systems have been established. The results were obtained from laboratory investigations of carburetor-supercharger combinations, wind-tunnel investigations of air scoops, multicylinder-engine studies, and flight investigations. Characteristics of three forms of ice, impact, throttling, and fuel evaporation were studied. The effects of several factors on the icing characteristics were also studied and included: (1) atmospheric conditions, (2) engine and air-scoop configurations, including light-airplane system, (3) type fuel used, and (4) operating variables, such as power condition, use of a manifold pressure regulator, mixture setting, carburetor heat, and water-alcohol injection. In addition, ice-detection methods were investigated and methods of preventing and removing induction-system ice were studied. Recommendations are given for design and operation with regard to induction-system design.
A sophisticated land-surface model, PLACE, the Parameterization for Land Atmospheric Convective Exchange, has been coupled to a 1.5-order turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) turbulence sub-model. Both have been incorporated into the Penn State/National Center for Atmospheric Research (PSU/NCAR) mesoscale model MM5. Such model improvements should have their greatest effect in conditions where surface contrasts dominate over dynamic processes, such as the simulation of warm-season, convective events. A validation study used the newly coupled model, MM5 TKE-PLACE, to simulate the evolution of Florida sea-breeze moist convection during the Convection and Precipitation Electrification Experiment (CaPE). Overall, eight simulations tested the sensitivity of the MM5 model to combinations of the new and default model physics, and initialization of soil moisture and temperature. The TKE-PLACE model produced more realistic surface sensible heat flux, lower biases for surface variables, more realistic rainfall, and cloud cover than the default model. Of the 8 simulations with different factors (i.e., model physics or initialization), TKE-PLACE compared very well when each simulation was ranked in terms of biases of the surface variables and rainfall, and percent and root mean square of cloud cover. A factor separation analysis showed that a successful simulation required the inclusion of a multi-layered, land surface soil vegetation model, realistic initial soil moisture, and higher order closure of the planetary boundary layer (PBL). These were needed to realistically model the effect of individual, joint, and synergistic contributions from the land surface and PBL on the CAPE sea-breeze, Lake Okeechobee lake breeze, and moist convection.
A test project was conducted to validate Test 18 of NASA Handbook (NHB) 8060.1C and, if necessary, identify and recommend improvements in the procedures or criteria of the test. The NHB 8060.1C, Test 18 test system was modified to produce better discrimination of test results. Changes, and their effects on test results, in the graphite immersion-depth, test timing sequence, and atmospheric conditions were investigated for the wire-insulation constructions tested. Based on the test results, the graphite immersion-depths (between 0.8 mm and 1.6 mm), the timing sequence, and the change in the test conditions from ambient to three environments common in manned spaceflight did not significantly affect test results. The criteria used in Test 18 of NHB 8060.1C was found to be appropriate for qualifying arc-tracking and arc-propagation characteristics of wire-insulation materials, Using the Test 18 criteria, Kapton and ETFE were considered inappropriate for use, while PTFE was considered appropriate. Recommendations from this test project for Test 18 of NHB 8060.1C include changing the experimental setup and configurational tests and performing qualification testing in air rather than in the three environments common in manned spaceflight.
The system and method allow spectroscopic analysis of vegetation or the like without effects from changing sun and cloud conditions, undesired portions of the area of interest or atmospheric disturbances. The system (1) includes a light source (5) such as a xenon flash lamp, a telescope (7), a spectrometer (9), an analog/digital converter (11), a memory (13), a display (15), and an on-board microprocessor (17) or a port (19) for attachment to a laptop computer. The system is taken to an area of interest in the woods (step 41), the vegetation is illuminated from below (step 43) and data are taken (step 45).
Clay minerals detected with orbital and in situ instruments in ancient Martian terrains constrain Mars' climate and aqueous alteration history. Early in its history, Mars experienced an atmospheric redox change and iron-bearing clay minerals may preserve the effects of that transition. Ferrous smectites, the thermodynamically predicted product of chemical weathering of basalts under anoxic conditions, may have undergone oxidation by exposure to chemical oxidants in the atmosphere or regolith, or by direct photooxidation at the surface. To assess these potential oxidation pathways, ferrous trioctahedral smectites of varying initial iron content were synthesized and subjected to oxidation by ultraviolet (UV) irradiation. Experimental UV irradiation under an anoxic atmosphere equivalent to approximately 7 years of flux on the Martian surface caused partial oxidation of smectite-bound Fe (Fe3+/ΣFe = 16–18%) and octahedral sheet contraction. Metal-OH vibrational bands in visible/near infrared (VNIR) reflectance spectra of oxidized smectites changed in band depth and asymmetry with higher iron content. X-ray diffraction patterns of UV irradiated samples indicate the formation of a mixed di- and trioctahedral smectite or a secondary nontronite phase, possibly on the surfaces of higher iron content smectites. These experiments suggest that UV irradiation is able to oxidize structurally bound iron in smectites without the presence of other chemical oxidants. Photooxidation may have influenced the mineralogy, both syndepositionally and postdepositionally, of Martian alteration assemblages formed near the surface and this process needs not be limited to one part of their formation history. Plain Language Summary: Martian mineral assemblages observed with orbiters and rover instruments allow us to understand the planet's past climate and aqueous activity. Hydrated minerals that contain Fe(II) are of particular interest as they would have been affected by the early atmosphere becoming more oxidizing overtime, changing the structural iron into Fe(III). In this study, we synthesized Fe(II) smectites with varying iron content and irradiated them with an ultraviolet (UV) light source to test whether they could be photooxidized. Iron in the smectite minerals was incompletely oxidized by UV radiation after being exposed for the equivalent of approximately 7 years of exposure on the early Mars surface. The smectites with higher iron content showed more changes with photooxidation in their visible/near infrared spectra as well as in their X-ray diffraction patterns, two datasets collected by instruments on currently active Martian missions. These results suggest that UV photooxidation is a plausible contributor to the mineralogy and redox state of clay mineral assemblages observed at the Martian surface.
A combustor segment 0.457 meter (18 in.) long with a maximum cross section of 0.153 by 0.305 meter (6 by 12 in.) was operated at inlet-air temperatures of 590 and 700 K, inlet-air pressures of 4 and 10 atmospheres, and fuel-air ratios of 0.014 and 0.018 to determine the effect of primary-zone water injection on pollutants from burning either propane or ASTM A-1 fuel. At a simulated takeoff condition of 10 atmospheres and 700 K, multiple-orifice nozzles used to inject water at 1 percent of the airflow rate reduced nitrogen oxides 75 percent with propane and 65 percent with ASTM A-1 fuel. Although carbon monoxide and unburned hydrocarbons increased with water injection, they remained relatively low; and smoke numbers were well below the visibility limit.
Numerical solutions are presented for the viscous shocklayer equations where the chemistry is treated as being either frozen, equilibrium, or nonequilibrium. Also the effects of the diffusion model, surface catalyticity, and mass injection on surface transport and flow parameters are considered. The equilibrium calculations for air species using multicomponent: diffusion provide solutions previously unavailable. The viscous shock-layer equations are solved by using an implicit finite-difference scheme. The flow is treated as a mixture of inert and thermally perfect species. Also the flow is assumed to be in vibrational equilibrium. All calculations are for a 45 deg hyperboloid. The flight conditions are those for various altitudes and velocities in the earth's atmosphere. Data are presented showing the effects of the chemical models; diffusion models; surface catalyticity; and mass injection of air, water, and ablation products on heat transfer; skin friction; shock stand-off distance; wall pressure distribution; and tangential velocity, temperature, and species profiles.
A measurement-based radiance estimation approach for vicarious radiometric calibration of spaceborne multispectral remote sensing systems has been developed. This simplified process eliminates the use of radiative transfer codes and reduces the number of atmospheric assumptions required to perform sensor calibrations. Like prior approaches, the simplified method involves the collection of ground truth data coincident with the overpass of the remote sensing system being calibrated, but this approach differs from the prior techniques in both the nature of the data collected and the manner in which the data are processed. In traditional vicarious radiometric calibration, ground truth data are gathered using ground-viewing spectroradiometers and one or more sun photometer( s), among other instruments, located at a ground target area. The measured data from the ground-based instruments are used in radiative transfer models to estimate the top-of-atmosphere (TOA) target radiances at the time of satellite overpass. These TOA radiances are compared with the satellite sensor readings to radiometrically calibrate the sensor. Traditional vicarious radiometric calibration methods require that an atmospheric model be defined such that the ground-based observations of solar transmission and diffuse-to-global ratios are in close agreement with the radiative transfer code estimation of these parameters. This process is labor-intensive and complex, and can be prone to errors. The errors can be compounded because of approximations in the model and inaccurate assumptions about the radiative coupling between the atmosphere and the terrain. The errors can increase the uncertainty of the TOA radiance estimates used to perform the radiometric calibration. In comparison, the simplified approach does not use atmospheric radiative transfer models and involves fewer assumptions concerning the radiative transfer properties of the atmosphere. This new technique uses two neighboring uniform ground target areas having different reflectance values. The target areas can be natural or artificial and must be large enough to minimize adjacent-pixel contamination effects. The radiative coupling between the atmosphere and the terrain needs to be approximately the same for the two targets. This condition can be met for relatively uniform backgrounds when the distance between the targets is within a few hundred meters. For each target area, the radiance leaving the ground in the direction of the satellite is measured with a radiometrically calibrated spectroradiometer. Using the radiance measurements from the two targets, atmospheric adjacency and atmospheric scattering effects can be subtracted, thereby eliminating many assumptions about the atmosphere and the radiative interaction between the atmosphere and the terrain. In addition, the radiometrically calibrated spectroradiometer can be used with a known reflectance target to estimate atmospheric transmission and diffuse- to-global ratios without the need for ancillary sun photometers. Several comparisons between the simplified method and traditional techniques were found to agree within a few percent. Hence, the simplified method reduces the overall complexity of performing vicarious calibrations and can serve as a method for validating traditional radiative transfer models
Paschen's Law as illustrated by Paschen curves for various gases shows that the minimum breakdown voltage for gases for breakdown distances of interest, i.e., 1 to 1000 mm is at or near the surface pressure on Mars. This means that the physics of many electrostatic processes is markedly different on Mars than on Earth. The primary effect is that voltage potentials above 100 volts are subject to breakdown in the Martian atmosphere. Sharp electrodes, dusty atmospheric conditions, or other anomalies modify the breakdown voltage, usually causing lower breakdown voltages. Paschen's curves for most common pure gases were experimentally determined. A very small amount of mixing of different gases radically changes the curve as shown in the curve for neon plus 0.1 percent argon compared to either neon or argon. Paschen's curve for the exact composition of gases for Mars was not determined; thus, the breakdown voltages are not known. A second important effect is that the breakdown for most Martian cases is a glow discharge rather than a spark discharge. It would seem that simple measurements of breakdown manner and voltage should be included on a Mars lander vehicle.