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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.

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At least 253 records · Page 14

Hierarchial implicit dynamic least-square solution algorithm

This paper develops an implicit type transient solution strategy which possesses hierarchial levels of application. In particular, due to the manner of formulation, stiffness updating, assembly inversion, solution constraint, as well as iteration are all performed at a localized level. The level of iterative calculations depends on the type of hierarchial partitioning employed, namely degree of freedom, nodal, elemental, material/nonlinear group, substructural, and so on. Since the iterative solution process and application of constraints are applied at a local level, the resulting so-called hierarchial implicit solution algorithm possesses very stable and efficient numerical properties and is highly storage efficient. To demonstrate the scheme, the results of several benchmark examples are presented. These enable comparisons with the Newton-Raphson solved implicit transient solution method. Overall the comparisons illustrate the superior stability and efficiency of the hierarchial scheme.

Padovan, J.↗

Solid motor aft closure insulation erosion

The erosion rate of aft closure insulation in a number of large solid propellant motors was empirically analyzed by correlating the average ablation rate with a number of variables that had previously been demonstrated to affect heat flux. The main correlating parameter was a heat flux based on the simplified Bartz heat transfer coefficient corrected for two-dimensional effects. A multiplying group contained terms related to port-to-throat ratio, local wall angle, grain geometry and nozzle cant angle. The resulting equation gave a good correlation and is a useful design tool.

Stampfl, E.↗

Conservation laws of wave action and potential enstrophy for Rossby waves in a stratified atmosphere

The evolution of wave energy, enstrophy, and wave motion for atmospheric Rossby waves in a variable mean flow are discussed from a theoretical and pedagogic standpoint. In the absence of mean flow gradients, the wave energy density satisfies a local conservation law, with the appropriate flow velocity being the group velocity. In the presence of mean flow variations, wave energy is not conserved, but wave action is, provided the mean flow is independent of longitude. Wave enstrophy is conserved for arbitrary variations of the mean flow. Connections with Eliassen-Palm flux are also discussed.

Straus, D. M.↗

Conservation laws of wave action and potential enstrophy for Rossby waves in a stratified atmosphere

The evolution of wave energy, enstrophy, and wave motion for atmospheric Rossby waves in a variable mean flow are discussed from a theoretical and pedagogic standpoint. In the absence of mean flow gradients, the wave energy density satisfies a local conservation law, with the appropriate flow velocity being the group velocity. In the presence of mean flow variations, wave energy is not conserved, but wave action is, provided the mean flow is independent of longitude. Wave enstrophy is conserved for arbitrary variations of the mean flow. Connections with Eiiassen-Palm flux are also discussed.

Straus, D. M.↗

Radar scattering and equilibrium ranges in wind-generated waves with application to scatterometry

To provide theoretical basis for the connection between observed radar scattering and wind-generated waves, a model for the response of surface waves in the gravity-capillary equilibrium region of the spectrum is proposed on the basis of a local (in wavenumber) balance between wind input and dissipation. The wind input function was constructed on the basis of laboratory observations of short-wave growth, while the dissipation function was developed from ideas of viscous dissipation and wave breaking in response to local accelerations and modified by kinematic effects of phase and group velocity differences. The model was exercised at L, C, X, and Ka bands to demonstrate the differences in wind speed and water temperature sensitivity.

Donelan, Mark A.↗

Parallel processors and nonlinear structural dynamics algorithms and software

An explicit-explicit subcycling procedure for the finite element analysis of structural dynamics is developed. This procedure has relaxed the usual constraint of requiring integer time step ratios for adjacent nodal groups. This allows for greater advantage to be taken of local stability criteria, and thus improves the efficiency of the explicit time integrator. Example problems are included to demonstrate the accuracy and stability of the method.

Belytschko, Ted↗

Explicit-explicit subcycling with non-integer time step ratios for structural dynamic systems

An explicit-explicit subcycling procedure for the finite element analysis of structural dynamics is developed. This procedure has relaxed the usual constraint of requiring integer time step ratios for adjacent nodal groups. This allows for greater advantage to be taken of local stability criteria, and thus improves the efficiency of the explicit time integrator. Example problems are included to demonstrate the accuracy and stability of the method.

Neal, Mark O.↗

Probing the microscopic corrugation of liquid surfaces with gas-liquid collisions

We have measured the directions and velocities of Ne, Ar, and Xe atoms scattering from perfluorinated ether and hydrocarbon liquids to probe the relationship between the microscopic roughness of liquid surfaces and gas-liquid collision dynamics. Impulsive energy transfer is governed by the angle of deflection: head-on encounters deposit more energy than grazing collisions. Many atoms scatter in the forward direction, particularly at glancing incidence. These results imply that the incoming atoms recoil locally from protruding C-H and C-F groups in hard spherelike collisions.

King, Mackenzie E.↗

Rover Graphical Simulator

Rover Graphical Simulator (RGS) is a package of software that generates images of the motion of a wheeled robotic exploratory vehicle (rover) across terrain that includes obstacles and regions of varying traversability. The simulated rover moves autonomously, utilizing reasoning and decision-making capabilities of a fuzzy-logic navigation strategy to choose its path from an initial to a final state. RGS provides a graphical user interface for control and monitoring of simulations. The numerically simulated motion is represented as discrete steps with a constant time interval between updates. At each simulation step, a dot is placed at the old rover position and a graphical symbol representing the rover is redrawn at the new, updated position. The effect is to leave a trail of dots depicting the path traversed by the rover, the distances between dots being proportional to the local speed. Obstacles and regions of low traversability are depicted as filled circles, with buffer zones around them indicated by enclosing circles. The simulated robot is equipped with onboard sensors that can detect regional terrain traversability and local obstacles out to specified ranges. RGS won the NASA Group Achievement Award in 2002.

Bon, Bruce↗

International Observe the Moon Night: An Effective Model for Public Engagement with NASA Content

International Observe the Moon Night (InOMN) is an annual world-wide public engagement event designed with the goal of inspiring the public to want to learn more about NASAs contributions to planetary science and exploration, using the Earths Moon as an entryway, and to provide connections to do so [1,2,3]. InOMN will celebrate its 6th anniversary on September 19, 2015.Registration statistics from the past five years show an average of 500 InOMN events are held in 50 countries and 45 U.S. states per year (Figure 1), with over half of the events occurring outside the U.S. Host survey data indicate that approximately 55,000 to 75,000people participate in InOMN events each year. The consistent hosting of InOMN events across the U.S. and around the world indicates an interest by hosts in sharing lunar and planetary science with their local communities, as well as connecting with a larger international group of fellow space enthusiasts on an annual basis.

K-12-Schools↗

NASA Earth Observations Informing Energy Management Decision Making

The Energy Sector is experiencing increasing impacts from severe weather and shifting climatic trends, as well as facing a changing political climate, adding uncertainty for stakeholders as they make short- and long-term planning investments. Climate changes such as prolonged extreme heat and drought (leading to wildfire spread, for example), sea level rise, and extreme storms are changing the ways that utilities operate. Energy infrastructure located in coastal or flood-prone areas faces inundation risks, such as damage to energy facilities. The use of renewable energy resources is increasing, requiring more information about their intermittency and spatial patterns. In light of these challenges, public and private stakeholders have collaborated to identify potential data sources, tools, and programmatic ideas. For example, utilities across the country are using cutting-edge technology and data to plan for and adapt to these changes. In the Federal Government, NASA has invested in preliminary work to identify needs and opportunities for satellite data in energy sector application, and the Department of Energy has similarly brought together stakeholders to understand the landscape of climate vulnerability and resilience for utilities and others. However, have these efforts improved community-scale resilience and adaptation efforts? Further, some communities are more vulnerable to climate change and infrastructure impacts than others. This session has two goals. First, panelists seek to share existing and ongoing efforts related to energy management. Second, the session seeks to engage with attendees via group knowledge exchange to connect national energy management efforts to local practice for increased community resilience.

Eckman, Richard↗

Nonlocal effects on the convective properties of the electrostatic current-driven ion-cyclotron instability

The convective behavior of the current-driven ion-cyclotron instability (CDICI) in the presence of nonlocal magnetic-shear and current-channel-width effects is investigated theoretically using the analytical approach of Bakshi et al. (1983). The results are presented in graphs and discussed. Three different CDICI regimes defined by the ratio of the channel width to the shear length are obtained: a purely nonlocal regime with reduced temporal growth rate and group velocity in the z direction going to zero (ratios greater than about 0.1); a regime corresponding to the results of local theory (ratios less than 0.01); and a regime characterized by decreasing temporal growth rate and by z and y group velocities which become negative when the channel width becomes less than the mean ion Larmor radius (ratios 0.001 or less).

Ganguli, G.↗

Relationship between directions of wave and energy propagation for cold plasma waves

The dispersion relation for plasma waves is considered in the 'cold' plasma approximation. General formulas for the dependence of the phase and group velocities on the direction of wave propagation with respect to the local magnetic field are obtained for a cold magnetized plasma. The principal cold plasma resonances and cut-off frequencies are defined for an arbitrary angle and are used to establish basic regimes of frequency where the cold plasma waves can propagate or can be evanescent. The relationship between direction of wave and energy propagation, for cold plasma waves in hydrogen atmosphere, is presented in the form of angle diagrams (angle between group velocity and magnetic field versus angle between phase velocity and magnetic field) and polar diagrams (also referred to as 'Friedrich's diagrams') for different directions of wave propagation. Morphological features of the diagrams as well as some critical angles of propagation are discussed.

Musielak, Zdzislaw E.↗

Description of data base management systems activities

One of the major responsibilities of the JPL Computing and Information Services Office is to develop and maintain a JPL plan for providing computing services to the JPL management and administrative community that will lead to improved productivity. The CISO plan to accomplish this objective has been titled 'Management and Administrative Support Systems' (MASS). The MASS plan is based on the continued use of JPL's IBM 3032 Computer system for administrative computing and for the MASS functions. The current candidate administrative Data Base Management Systems required to support the MASS include ADABASE, Cullinane IDMS and TOTAL. Previous uses of administrative Data Base Systems have been applied to specific local functions rather than in a centralized manner with elements common to the many user groups. Limited capacity data base systems have been installed in microprocessor based office automation systems in a few Project and Management Offices using Ashton-Tate dBASE II. These experiences plus some other localized in house DBMS uses have provided an excellent background for developing user and system requirements for a single DBMS to support the MASS program.

Source record↗

Examining the Role of Environment in a Comprehensive Sample of Compact Groups

Compact groups, with their high number densities, small velocity dispersions, and an interstellar medium that has not been fully processed, provide a local analog to conditions of galaxy interactions in the earlier universe. The frequent and prolonged gravitational encounters that occur in compact groups affect the evolution of the constituent galaxies in a myriad of ways, for example, gas processing and star formation. Recently, a statistically significant "gap" has been discovered in the mid-infrared (MIR: 3.6-8 μm) IRAC color space of compact group galaxies. This gap is not seen in field samples and is a new example of how the compact group environment may affect the evolution of member galaxies. In order to investigate the origin and nature of this gap, we have compiled a larger sample of 37 compact groups in addition to the original 12 groups studied by Johnson et al. (yielding 174 individual galaxies with reliable MIR photometry). We find that a statistically significant deficit of galaxies in this gap region of IRAC color space is persistent in the full sample, lending support to the hypothesis that the compact group environment inhibits moderate specific star formation rates. Using this expanded sample, we have more fully characterized the distribution of galaxies in this color space and quantified the low-density region more fully with respect to MIR bluer and MIR redder colors. We note a curvature in the color-space distribution, which is fully consistent with increasing dust temperature as the activity in a galaxy increases. This full sample of 49 compact groups allows us to subdivide the data according to physical properties of the groups. An analysis of these subsamples indicates that neither projected physical diameter nor density shows a trend in color space within the values represented by this sample. We hypothesize that the apparent lack of a trend is due to the relatively small range of properties in this sample, whose groups have already been pre-selected to be compact and dense. Thus, the relative influence of stochastic effects (such as the particular distribution and amount of star formation in individual galaxies) becomes dominant. We analyze spectral energy distributions of member galaxies as a function of their location in color space and find that galaxies in different regions of MIR color space contain dust with varying temperatures and/or polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon emission.

Environment↗

Towards A Flexible Data Fusion Tool Incorporating Model, Satellite, Regulatory Monitor and Low-Cost Sensor Data for Air Quality Estimation and Forecasting

Air quality managers, researchers, and concerned community scientists around the world have a variety of sources for air quality information, ranging from traditional regulatory monitoring networks and atmospheric chemistry models to remote sensing data products and low-cost sensor networks. However, the ability to incorporate data from these disparate sources and synthesize a comprehensive overview of the local air quality situation remains a considerable barrier for many end-users. This presentation will outline a tool, currently in development, which will address this need using a flexible data fusion approach. The tool will make use of air quality forecast model outputs (primarily from the NASA GEOS-CF composition forecast modeling system), satellite remote sensing data (from instruments including MODIS, VIIRS, TROPOMI, plus TEMPO for the US when available), and in-situ data from official regulatory and/or low-cost networks where these are available. The ability to incorporate data from low-cost sensor networks will be a key feature of the tool; it will make use of other available data sources to calibrate the low-cost sensor data on a regional scale, then use these calibrated low-cost sensor data for localized updating to resolve finer-scale air quality patterns. Development of this tool is taking place with the help of national and international partners and end-user groups, coordinated through the US EPA and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The tool is being developed on the Google Earth Engine cloud computing platform to facilitate integration of diverse data sources and free access by a broad community of end-users. Stewardship of the tool will be passed to US EPA and UNEP to support future activities with end-users in the US and around the world, and the tool itself will remain freely accessible. We hope that this tool will lower the barrier to entry for various user groups worldwide, including community scientists, who struggle to integrate disparate data sources to gain insight into their local air quality situations. This presentation will cover the early stages of the development of the tool, including the underlying methods and some pilot case studies in integrating low-cost sensor data.

global models↗

Remote sensing studies of the northeastern portion of the lunar nearside

During the Galileo spacecraft encounter with the Earth-Moon system in December, 1992, a variety of spectral data and imagery were obtained for the eastern limb region as well as much of the lunar nearside. In order to support this encounter, we have been collecting near-infrared spectra and other remote sensing data for that portion of the northeastern nearside (NEM region) for which the highest resolution Galileo data were obtained. Analysis of spectra obtained for highlands units in the NEN region indicates that most surface units are dominated by anorthositic norite. To date, no pure anorthosites have been identified in the region. Several dark-haloed impact craters have exposed mare material from beneath highlands-rich surface units. Hence, ancient mare volcanism occurred in at least a portion of the NEN region. Endogenic dark-haloed craters in the region are the source of localized dark mantle deposits (LDMD) of pyroclastic origin and at least two compositional groups are present. The Galileo spacecraft obtained very high-resolution remote sensing data for the northeastern part of the nearside of the Moon. In order to prepare for and support this encounter, we have collected and analyzed a variety of spectral data for the NEN region. Numerous unanswered questions exist for this region. These include: (1) the composition and stratigraphy of the local highlands crust, (2) the nature and mode of formation of regional light plains, (3) the composition of localized pyroclastic deposits, and (4) the distribution of possible cryptomare in the region. The purpose of this paper is to present the preliminary results of our analyzes of remote sensing data of remote sensing data obtained for the NEN region.

Hawke, B. R.↗