Results for “Surface Physics” — Page 13

NASA NTRS2002

Characteristics of Pool Boiling on Graphite-Copper Composite Surfaces

Nucleate pool boiling performance of different liquids on graphite-copper composite (Gr-Cu) surfaces has been experimentally studied and modeled. Both highly wetting fluids, such as freon-113 and pentane, and a moderately wetting fluid (water) were tested on the Gr-Cu surfaces with different graphite-fiber volume fractions to reveal the enhancement effects of the composite surfaces on the nucleate pool boiling. Results of the experiments show that the graphite-fiber volume fraction has an optimum value. The Gr-Cu composite surface with 25 percent graphite-fiber volume (f=0.25) has a maximum enhancement effect on the nucleate boiling heat transfer comparing to the pure copper surface. For the highly wetting fluid, the nucleate boiling heat transfer is generally enhanced on the Gr- Cu composite surfaces by 3 to 6 times shown. In the low heat flux region, the enhancement is over 6 times, but in the high heat flux region, the enhancement is reduced to about 40%. For the moderately wetting fluid (water), stronger enhancement of nucleate boiling heat transfer is achieved on the composite surface. It shown the experimental results in which one observes the nucleate boiling heat transfer enhancement of 5 to 10 times in the low heat flux region and an enhancement of 3 to 5 times in the high heat flux region. Photographs of bubble departure during the initial stage of nucleate boiling indicate that the bubbles detached from the composite surface are much smaller in diameter than those detached from the pure copper surface. Typical photographs are presented.It shows that the bubbles departed from the composite surface have diameters of only O(0.1) mm, while those departed from the pure copper surface have diameters of O(1) mm. It is also found that the bubbles depart from the composite surface at a much higher frequency, thus forming vapor columns. These two phenomena combined with high thermal conductivity of the graphite fiber are considered the mechanisms for such a significant augmentation in nucleate boiling heat transfer on the composite surfaces. A physical model is developed to describe the phenomenon of bubble departure from the composite surface: The preferred site of bubble nucleation is the fiber tip because of higher tip temperature than the surrounding copper base and poor wettability of the graphite tip compared with that of the base material (copper). The high evaporation rate near the contact line produces the vapor cutback due to the vapor recoil pushing the three-phase line outwards from the fiber tip, and so a neck of the bubble is formed near the bubble bottom. Evaporation and surface tension accelerate the necking process and finally result in the bubble departure while a new small bubble is formed at the tip when the surface tension pushes the three-phase line back to the tip. The process is schematically shown. The proposed model is based on and confirmed by experimental results.

Zhang, Nengli↗

NASA NTRS1989

Land-surface temperature measurement from space - Physical principles and inverse modeling

To apply the multiple-wavelength (split-window) method used for satellite measurement of sea-surface temperature from thermal-infrared data to land-surface temperatures, the authors statistically analyze simulations using an atmospheric radiative transfer model. The range of atmospheric conditions and surface temperatures simulated is wide enough to cover variations in clear atmospheric properties and surface temperatures, both of which are larger over land than over sea. Surface elevation is also included in the simulation as the most important topographic effect. Land covers characterized by measured or modeled spectral emissivities include snow, clay, sands, and tree leaf samples. The empirical inverse model can estimate the surface temperature with a standard deviation less than 0.3 K and a maximum error less than 1 K, for viewing angles up to 40 degrees from nadir under cloud-free conditions, given satellite measurements in three infrared channels. A band in the region from 10.2 to 11.0 microns will usually give the most reliable single-band estimate of surface temperature. In addition, a band in either the 3.5-4.0-micron region or in the 11.5-12.6-micron region must be included for accurate atmospheric correction, and a band below the ozone absorption feature at 9.6 microns (e.g., 8.2-8.8 microns) will increase the accuracy of the estimate of surface temperature.

Wan, Zhengming↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

ARCTRON: A Rapid Experimental Proving Ground for TPS Experiments and Arcjet Technology Development

Innovation in high-enthalpy facilities is fundamentally limited by the cost and risk of experimentation. New concepts for plasma control, diagnostics, facility components, and plasma-material interaction often require repeated iterations that are impractical to perform in production arcjets. As a result, promising ideas may remain unexplored or reach operational facilities only after significant development effort. ARCTRON is being developed as a rapid experimental proving ground where new ideas in plasma science, arcjet engineering, diagnostics, and material response can be conceived, tested, and quantitatively evaluated before transition to large-scale facilities. The platform combines radio-frequency (RF) and DC arc plasma generation, externally applied magnetic fields, configurable gas composition, reduced-pressure operation, laser heating, electrical biasing, and modular diagnostic access. These capabilities permit the plasma source, applied forcing, test article, and measurement configuration to be modified independently, allowing individual physical mechanisms to be isolated more readily than in a traditional test environment. One class of investigations addresses fundamental plasma-surface interaction physics. Conventional material tests often expose a specimen simultaneously to convective heating, reactive species, pressure, shear, radiation, and surface-current effects. The resulting material response may be measured accurately, while the contribution of each mechanism remains difficult to identify. ARCTRON is designed to vary these effects selectively. Plasma chemistry can be changed independently through configurable gas mixtures; magnetic fields and electrical biasing can modify charged-particle transport; laser heating can provide a non-plasma thermal input; and pressure, flow, and discharge mode can be varied over a broad operating space. This enables controlled tests of hypotheses involving surface catalycity, reactive-species transport, plasma-assisted oxidation, electromagnetic effects, shear, and the relative contributions of thermal and chemical loading. A second class of investigations enabled by this approach concerns the engineering of high-enthalpy facilities themselves. Arc-heated facilities are limited by electrode erosion, unstable arc attachment, localized heating, and damage to nozzles and other plasma-facing components. ARCTRON provides a lower-cost environment for testing concepts intended to mitigate these limitations. Candidate investigations include the use of applied magnetic fields to alter current paths and reduce plasma interaction with nozzle walls, ExB forcing to introduce controlled plasma rotation, magnetic or geometric approaches for distributing arc attachment, and alternative electrode or discharge configurations intended to reduce erosion and improve stability. Because the platform is reconfigurable, these concepts can be evaluated through repeated design--build--test cycles before they are considered for implementation in operational facilities. The platform also supports the development and validation of diagnostics that may be difficult to introduce initially into a large arcjet. Current and planned measurements include spatially resolved optical emission spectroscopy, electrostatic probes, fast imaging, pyrometry, calorimetry, laser-induced fluorescence, and absorption spectroscopy. These diagnostics are intended not merely to document a nominal operating condition, but to constrain the local plasma state and its relationship to component or material response. The modular facility geometry allows diagnostic concepts to be tested, calibrated, and compared under repeatable conditions before deployment in more demanding environments. ARCTRON is also supported by an integrated software suite. Automated control and data acquisition allow discharge parameters, gas composition, magnetic fields, diagnostic timing, and test configuration to be recorded as part of each experiment (STARDAC - Software for Testing, Analysis, Research Data, and Control). The Backend for Experiment Analysis, Storage, and Traceability (BEAST) is a database that provides the infrastructure needed to associate heterogeneous measurements with facility configuration, specimen identity, calibration state, geometry, and analysis provenance. This backend is particularly important for exploratory campaigns, in which many related configurations may be tested, and the value of an individual experiment depends on its connection to earlier and subsequent iterations. Complementary analysis capabilities, including computer-vision-based transient response measurements (arcjetCV), three-dimensional surface reconstruction (STARSCAN), and model-based Bayesian inference (SHIELD), and tomography data analysis (TOMATO, PuMA) can be incorporated when required by a specific hypothesis without becoming the focus of every campaign. The central objective of ARCTRON is therefore not to maximize heat flux or reproduce a complete flight environment. Its purpose is to reduce the cost and time required to ask consequential questions about plasma behavior, plasma-facing materials, diagnostics, and arcjet technology. By providing a controlled environment for rapid reconfiguration, mechanism isolation, quantitative measurement, and iterative engineering, ARCTRON can help mature concepts that would otherwise remain too speculative or too risky for evaluation in production facilities. The resulting knowledge can then guide the design of material models, focus test objectives in larger arcjets, reduce facility-development risk, and improve the physical basis of high-enthalpy ground testing. This work will present the ARCTRON architecture, operating modes, diagnostic suite, and digital experimental workflow. Initial experimental results from the first integrated operation of the facility will be presented, including flow characterization, power limitations, and deployment of the initial diagnostic suite. Ongoing development efforts aimed at catalycity characterization, magnetic plasma control, and advanced optical diagnostics will also be discussed, illustrating how the platform supports rapid iteration from concept to experiment.

experimental diagnostics↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

ARCTRON: A Rapid Experimental Proving Ground for TPS Experiments and Arcjet Technology Development

Innovation in high-enthalpy facilities is fundamentally limited by the cost and risk of experimentation. New concepts for plasma control, diagnostics, facility components, and plasma-material interaction often require repeated iterations that are impractical to perform in production arcjets. As a result, promising ideas may remain unexplored or reach operational facilities only after significant development effort. ARCTRON is being developed as a rapid experimental proving ground where new ideas in plasma science, arcjet engineering, diagnostics, and material response can be conceived, tested, and quantitatively evaluated before transition to large-scale facilities. The platform combines radio-frequency (RF) and DC arc plasma generation, externally applied magnetic fields, configurable gas composition, reduced-pressure operation, laser heating, electrical biasing, and modular diagnostic access. These capabilities permit the plasma source, applied forcing, test article, and measurement configuration to be modified independently, allowing individual physical mechanisms to be isolated more readily than in a traditional test environment. One class of investigations addresses fundamental plasma-surface interaction physics. Conventional material tests often expose a specimen simultaneously to convective heating, reactive species, pressure, shear, radiation, and surface-current effects. The resulting material response may be measured accurately, while the contribution of each mechanism remains difficult to identify. ARCTRON is designed to vary these effects selectively. Plasma chemistry can be changed independently through configurable gas mixtures; magnetic fields and electrical biasing can modify charged-particle transport; laser heating can provide a non-plasma thermal input; and pressure, flow, and discharge mode can be varied over a broad operating space. This enables controlled tests of hypotheses involving surface catalycity, reactive-species transport, plasma-assisted oxidation, electromagnetic effects, shear, and the relative contributions of thermal and chemical loading. A second class of investigations enabled by this approach concerns the engineering of high-enthalpy facilities themselves. Arc-heated facilities are limited by electrode erosion, unstable arc attachment, localized heating, and damage to nozzles and other plasma-facing components. ARCTRON provides a lower-cost environment for testing concepts intended to mitigate these limitations. Candidate investigations include the use of applied magnetic fields to alter current paths and reduce plasma interaction with nozzle walls, ExB forcing to introduce controlled plasma rotation, magnetic or geometric approaches for distributing arc attachment, and alternative electrode or discharge configurations intended to reduce erosion and improve stability. Because the platform is reconfigurable, these concepts can be evaluated through repeated design--build--test cycles before they are considered for implementation in operational facilities. The platform also supports the development and validation of diagnostics that may be difficult to introduce initially into a large arcjet. Current and planned measurements include spatially resolved optical emission spectroscopy, electrostatic probes, fast imaging, pyrometry, calorimetry, laser-induced fluorescence, and absorption spectroscopy. These diagnostics are intended not merely to document a nominal operating condition, but to constrain the local plasma state and its relationship to component or material response. The modular facility geometry allows diagnostic concepts to be tested, calibrated, and compared under repeatable conditions before deployment in more demanding environments. ARCTRON is also supported by an integrated software suite. Automated control and data acquisition allow discharge parameters, gas composition, magnetic fields, diagnostic timing, and test configuration to be recorded as part of each experiment (STARDAC - Software for Testing, Analysis, Research Data, and Control). The Backend for Experiment Analysis, Storage, and Traceability (BEAST) is a database that provides the infrastructure needed to associate heterogeneous measurements with facility configuration, specimen identity, calibration state, geometry, and analysis provenance. This backend is particularly important for exploratory campaigns, in which many related configurations may be tested, and the value of an individual experiment depends on its connection to earlier and subsequent iterations. Complementary analysis capabilities, including computer-vision-based transient response measurements (arcjetCV), three-dimensional surface reconstruction (STARSCAN), and model-based Bayesian inference (SHIELD), and tomography data analysis (TOMATO, PuMA) can be incorporated when required by a specific hypothesis without becoming the focus of every campaign. The central objective of ARCTRON is therefore not to maximize heat flux or reproduce a complete flight environment. Its purpose is to reduce the cost and time required to ask consequential questions about plasma behavior, plasma-facing materials, diagnostics, and arcjet technology. By providing a controlled environment for rapid reconfiguration, mechanism isolation, quantitative measurement, and iterative engineering, ARCTRON can help mature concepts that would otherwise remain too speculative or too risky for evaluation in production facilities. The resulting knowledge can then guide the design of material models, focus test objectives in larger arcjets, reduce facility-development risk, and improve the physical basis of high-enthalpy ground testing. This work will present the ARCTRON architecture, operating modes, diagnostic suite, and digital experimental workflow. Initial experimental results from the first integrated operation of the facility will be presented, including flow characterization, power limitations, and deployment of the initial diagnostic suite. Ongoing development efforts aimed at catalycity characterization, magnetic plasma control, and advanced optical diagnostics will also be discussed, illustrating how the platform supports rapid iteration from concept to experiment.

experimental diagnostics↗

NASA NTRS1991

Remote sensing of the Martian surface

Researchers investigated the physical properties of the Martian surface as inferred from a combination of orbiting and earth-based remote sensing observations and in-situ observations. This approach provides the most detailed and self-consistent view of the global and regional nature of the surface. Results focus on the areas of modeling the diurnal variation of the surface temperature of Mars, incorporating the effects of atmospheric radiation, with implications for the interpretation of surface thermal inertia; modeling the thermal emission from particulate surfaces, with application to observations of the surfaces of the Earth, Moon, and Mars; modeling the reflectance spectrum of Mars in an effort to understand the role of particle size in the difference between the bright and dark regions; and determining the slope properties of different terrestrial surfaces and comparing them with planetary slopes derived from radar observations.

Jakosky, Bruce M.↗

NASA NTRS2008

Optimization of Neutral Atom Imagers

The interactions between plasma structures and neutral atom populations in interplanetary space can be effectively studied with energetic neutral atom imagers. For neutral atoms with energies less than 1 keV, the most efficient detection method that preserves direction and energy information is conversion to negative ions on surfaces. We have examined a variety of surface materials and conversion geometries in order to identify the factors that determine conversion efficiency. For chemically and physically stable surfaces smoothness is of primary importance while properties such as work function have no obvious correlation to conversion efficiency. For the noble metals, tungsten, silicon, and graphite with comparable smoothness, conversion efficiency varies by a factor of two to three. We have also examined the way in which surface conversion efficiency varies with the angle of incidence of the neutral atom and have found that the highest efficiencies are obtained at angles of incidence greater then 80deg. The conversion efficiency of silicon, tungsten and graphite were examined most closely and the energy dependent variation of conversion efficiency measured over a range of incident angles. We have also developed methods for micromachining silicon in order to reduce the volume to surface area over that of a single flat surface and have been able to reduce volume to surface area ratios by up to a factor of 60. With smooth micro-machined surfaces of the optimum geometry, conversion efficiencies can be increased by an order of magnitude over instruments like LENA on the IMAGE spacecraft without increase the instruments mass or volume.

Shappirio, M.↗

NASA NTRS2008

Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Ground Validation (GV) Science Implementation Plan

For pre-launch algorithm development and post-launch product evaluation Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Ground Validation (GV) goes beyond direct comparisons of surface rain rates between ground and satellite measurements to provide the means for improving retrieval algorithms and model applications.Three approaches to GPM GV include direct statistical validation (at the surface), precipitation physics validation (in a vertical columns), and integrated science validation (4-dimensional). These three approaches support five themes: core satellite error characterization; constellation satellites validation; development of physical models of snow, cloud water, and mixed phase; development of cloud-resolving model (CRM) and land-surface models to bridge observations and algorithms; and, development of coupled CRM-land surface modeling for basin-scale water budget studies and natural hazard prediction. This presentation describes the implementation of these approaches.

Petersen, Walter A.↗

NASA NTRS2004

Modeling Growth of Nanostructures in Plasmas

As semiconductor circuits shrink to CDs below 0.1 nm, it is becoming increasingly critical to replace and/or enhance existing technology with nanoscale structures, such as nanowires for interconnects. Nanowires grown in plasmas are strongly dependent on processing conditions, such as gas composition and substrate temperature. Growth occurs at specific sites, or step-edges, with the bulk growth rate of the nanowires determined from the equation of motion of the nucleating crystalline steps. Traditional front-tracking algorithms, such as string-based or level set methods, suffer either from numerical complications in higher spatial dimensions, or from difficulties in incorporating surface-intense physical and chemical phenomena. Phase field models have the robustness of the level set method, combined with the ability to implement surface-specific chemistry that is required to model crystal growth, although they do not necessarily directly solve for the advancing front location. We have adopted a phase field approach and will present results of the adatom density and step-growth location in time as a function of processing conditions, such as temperature and plasma gas composition.

Hwang, Helen H.↗

NASA NTRS1984

Surface topographical changes measured by phase-locked interferometry

An electronic optical laser interferometer capable of resolving depth differences of as low as 30 A and planar displacements of 6000 A was constructed to examine surface profiles of bearing surfaces without physical contact. Topological chemical reactivity was determined by applying a drop of dilute alcoholic hydrochloric acid and measuring the profile of the solid surface before and after application of this probe. Scuffed bearing surfaces reacted much faster than virgin ones but that bearing surfaces exposed to lubricants containing an organic chloride reacted much more slowly. The reactivity of stainless steel plates, heated in a nitrogen atmosphere to different temperatures, were examined later at ambient temperature. The change of surface contour as a result of the probe reaction followed Arrhenius-type relation with respect to heat treatment temperature. The contact area of the plate of a ball/plate sliding elastohydrodynamic contact run on trimethylopropane triheptanoate with or without additives was optically profiled periodically. As scuffing was approached, the change of profile within the contact region changed much more rapidly by the acid probe and assumed a constant high value after scuffing. A nonetching metallurgical phase was found in the scuff mark, which was apparently responsible for the high reactivity.

Lauer, J. L.↗

NASA NTRS1981

Requirements for optimization of electrodes and electrolyte for the iron/chromium Redox flow cell

Improved catalyzation techniques that included a pretreatment of carbon substrate and provided normalized carbon surface for uniform gold deposition were developed. This permits efficient use of different batches of carbon felt materials which initially vary significantly in their physical and surface chemical properties, as well as their electrochemical behavior. Further modification of gold impregnation technique gave the best performing electrodes. In addition to the linear sweep voltammetry, cyclic voltammetry was used to determine the effects of different activation procedures on the Cr(3)/Cr(2) Redox and H2 evolution reactions. The roles of carbon, gold and lead in the overall Redox cycle are identified. The behavior of the electrodes at both normal battery operating potentials and more extreme potentials is discussed preparing efficient and stable electrodes for the energy storage battery is implicated.

Jalan, V.↗

NASA NTRS1982

Microwave emissions from soils with rough surfaces

The effect of surface roughness on the thermal microwave emission of soils has been studied with the Kirchoff approach. A model is presented that includes both the coherent and incoherent reflectivities of the rough surface. It is demonstrated that both the coherent and incoherent terms must be included in order for theoretical computations to provide good agreement with the experimental data, especially for wet soil, where surface roughness causes a dramatic increase in brightness temperature. In addition, the model including both the coherent and incoherent terms allows one to use the physically measured surface height deviations of the rough surface in the model. Previous models have required that an effective height, not equal to the actual surface height measurements, be used in order for theoretical computations to match measurements.

Tsang, L.↗

NASA NTRS1982

Aircraft icing research at NASA

Research activity is described for: ice protection systems, icing instrumentation, experimental methods, analytical modeling for the above, and in flight research. The renewed interest in aircraft icing has come about because of the new need for All-Weather Helicopters and General Aviation aircraft. Because of increased fuel costs, tomorrow's Commercial Transport aircraft will also require new types of ice protection systems and better estimates of the aeropenalties caused by ice on unprotected surfaces. The physics of aircraft icing is very similar to the icing that occurs on ground structures and structures at sea; all involve droplets that freeze on the surfaces because of the cold air. Therefore all icing research groups will benefit greatly by sharing their research information.

Reinmann, J. J.↗

NASA NTRS1982

Microscopic contour changes of tribological surfaces by chemical and mechanical action

An electronic optical laser interferometer capable of resolving depth differences of as low as 30 A and planar displacements of 6000 A was constructed for the examination of surface profiles of bearing surfaces without physical contact. This instrument was used to determine topological chemical reactivity by applying a drop of dilute alcoholic hydrochloric acid and measuring the profile of the solid surface before and after application of this probe. It was found that scuffed bearing surfaces reacted much faster than virgin ones but that bearing surfaces exposed to lubricants containing an organic chloride reacted much more slowly. In a separate series of experiments, a number of stainless steel plates were heated in a nitrogen atmosphere to different temperatures and their reactivity examined later at ambient temperature. The change of surface contour as a result of the probe reaction was found to follow an Arrhenius-type relation with respect to heat treatment temperature. This result could have implications on the scuffing mechanism.

Lauer, J. L.↗

NASA NTRS2004

Physical Validation of TRMM TMI and PR Monthly Rain Products Over Oklahoma

The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) provides monthly rainfall estimates using data collected by the TRMM satellite. These estimates cover a substantial fraction of the earth's surface. The physical validation of TRMM estimates involves corroborating the accuracy of spaceborne estimates of areal rainfall by inferring errors and biases from ground-based rain estimates. The TRMM error budget consists of two major sources of error: retrieval and sampling. Sampling errors are intrinsic to the process of estimating monthly rainfall and occur because the satellite extrapolates monthly rainfall from a small subset of measurements collected only during satellite overpasses. Retrieval errors, on the other hand, are related to the process of collecting measurements while the satellite is overhead. One of the big challenges confronting the TRMM validation effort is how to best estimate these two main components of the TRMM error budget, which are not easily decoupled. This four-year study computed bulk sampling and retrieval errors for the TRMM microwave imager (TMI) and the precipitation radar (PR) by applying a technique that sub-samples gauge data at TRMM overpass times. Gridded monthly rain estimates are then computed from the monthly bulk statistics of the collected samples, providing a sensor-dependent gauge rain estimate that is assumed to include a TRMM equivalent sampling error. The sub-sampled gauge rain estimates are then used in conjunction with the monthly satellite and gauge (without sub- sampling) estimates to decouple retrieval and sampling errors. The computed mean sampling errors for the TMI and PR were 5.9% and 7.796, respectively, in good agreement with theoretical predictions. The PR year-to-year retrieval biases exceeded corresponding TMI biases, but it was found that these differences were partially due to negative TMI biases during cold months and positive TMI biases during warm months.

Fisher, Brad L.↗

NASA NTRS2019

Modeling Spectral Degradation of MODIS and VIIRS Solar Diffusers

Solar diffusers (SDs) onboard the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on Terra and Aqua spacecraft and the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) on SNPP and NOAA-20 spacecraft have been used as the primary onboard radiometric calibrator for reflective solar bands and their spectral reflectance is known to degrade on-orbit. All of the solar diffusers on these instrument show faster degradation of reflectance in the 0.4 to 0.6 µm channels than the longer wavelength channels. The spectral degradation of these SDs is due to the surface roughness growth under the exposure to solar UV and energetic particle radiation in space. In this paper, the origin of SD degradation is modeled by the physics-based Surface Roughness-induced Rayleigh Scattering (SRRS) model. The longterm growths of surface roughness of the SD on these instruments are characterized to show the consistency of SD roughness growth rates between Terra/Aqua MODIS and SNPP/NOAA-20 VIIRS. There was coincidental flattening or reverse in the growth trend of the surface roughness for the Terra/Aqua MODIS and SNPP VIIRS SDs, which can be due to the space weather variation. The applicability of the SRRS model is demonstrated with the long term spectral reflectance data from independent spaceborne SDs.

Calibration↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Global Surface Skin Temperature Monitoring from Satellites

Surface skin temperature has been retrieved from IASI measurements. Monthly and spatially gridded surface skin temperature is produced to show some phenomena of its natural variability, which is also reflected in the surface emissivity and/or soil moisture derived from the same time series of measurements. The anomalies of surface skin temperature are used to estimate its trend. Error estimation and/or evaluation has been performed and discussed to understand the uncertainty in the trends. The trend of IASI global surface skin temperature is compared with that of NASA GISS global surface air temperature. Despite the physical differences between surface skin and air temperatures, agreement is shown between these two datasets indicating consistency and global surface warming during the past 15 years. The trend of IASI global surface skin temperature reports a positive increase has evolved during 2007–2022. This warming trend is more pronounced in the northern hemisphere. Retrieving, analyzing, and monitoring surface parameters from such advanced hyperspectral infrared sounders will continue.

global warming↗

NASA NTRS1999

A Model for Generation of Martian Surface Dust, Soil and Rock Coatings: Physical vs. Chemical Interactions, and Palagonitic Plus Hydrothermal Alteration

This model is one of many possible scenarios to explain the generation of the current surface material on Mars using chemical, magnetic and spectroscopic data from Mars and geologic analogs from terrestrial sites. One basic premise is that there are physical and chemical interactions of the atmospheric dust particles and that these two processes create distinctly different results. Physical processes distribute dust particles on rocks, forming physical rock coatings, and on the surface between rocks forming soil units; these are reversible processes. Chemical reactions of the dust/soil particles create alteration rinds on rock surfaces or duricrust surface units, both of which are relatively permanent materials. According to this model the mineral components of the dust/soil particles are derived from a combination of "typical" palagonitic weathering of volcanic ash and hydrothermally altered components, primarily from steam vents or fumeroles. Both of these altered materials are composed of tiny particles, about 1 micron or smaller, that are aggregates of silicates and iron oxide/oxyhydroxide/sulfate phases. Additional information is contained in the original extended abstract.

Bishop, J. L.↗

NASA NTRS1993

Thermal certification tests of Orbiter Thermal Protection System tiles coated with KSC coating slurries

Thermal tests of Orbiter thermal protection system (TPS) tiles, which were coated with borosilicate glass slurries fabricated at Kennedy Space Center (KSC), were performed in the Radiant Heat Test Facility and the Atmospheric Reentry Materials & Structures Evaluation Facility at Johnson Space Center to verify tile coating integrity after exposure to multiple entry simulation cycles in both radiant and convective heating environments. Eight high temperature reusable surface insulation (HRSI) tiles and six low temperature reusable surface insulation (LRSI) tiles were subjected to 25 cycles of radiant heat at peaked surface temperatures of 2300 F and 1200 F, respectively. For the LRSI tiles, an additional cycle at peaked surface temperature of 2100 F was performed. There was no coating crack on any of the HRSI specimens. However, there were eight small coating cracks (less than 2 inches long) on two of the six LRSI tiles on the 26th cycle. There was practically no change on the surface reflectivity, physical dimensions, or weight of any of the test specimens. There was no observable thermal-chemical degradation of the coating either. For the convective heat test, eight HRSI tiles were tested for five cycles at a surface temperature of 2300 F. There was no thermal-induced coating crack on any of the test specimens, almost no change on the surface reflectivity, and no observable thermal-chemical degradation with an exception of minor slumping of the coating under painted TPS identification numbers. The tests demonstrated that KSC's TPS slurries and coating processes meet the Orbiter's thermal specification requirements.

Milhoan, James D.↗