Extension of the Chaplygin proofs on the existence of compressible-flow solutions to the supersonic region
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A theoretical equation describing the elastic-plastic deformation of a cantilever beam subject to a constant pressure is developed. The theoretical result is compared numerically to the computer program BUCKY for the case of an elastic-perfectly plastic specimen. It is shown that the theoretical and numerical results compare favorably in the plastic range. Comparisons are made to another research code to further validate the BUCKY results. This paper serves as a quality test for the computer program BUCKY developed at NASA Johnson Space Center.
Rotating unbalanced-mass (RUM) devices are a new way to scan space-based, balloon-borne, and ground-based gimbaled payloads, like x-ray and gamma-ray telescopes. They can also be used to scan free-flying spacecraft. Circular scans, linear scans, and raster scans can be generated. A pair of RUM devices generates the basic scan motion and an auxiliary control system using torque motors, control moment gyros, or reaction wheels keeps the scan centered on the target and produces some complementary motion for raster scanning. Previous analyses and simulation results show that this approach offers significant power savings compared to scanning only with the auxiliary control system, especially with large payloads and high scan frequencies. However, these claims have never been proven until now. This paper describes a laboratory experiment which tests the concept of scanning a gimbaled payload with RUM devices. The test results are compared with those from a computer simulation model of the experiment and the differences are discussed.
This report describes a wind tunnel test of the McDonnell Douglas Helicopter Systems (MDHS) Active Flap Model Rotor at the NASA Langley 14- by 22-Foot Subsonic Tunnel. The test demonstrated that BVI noise reductions and vibration reductions were possible with the use of an active flap. Aerodynamic results supported the acoustic data trends, showing a reduction in the strength of the tip vortex with the deflection of the flap. Acoustic results showed that the flap deployment, depending on the peak deflection angle and azimuthal shift in its deployment schedule, can produce BVI noise reductions as much as 6 dB on the advancing and retreating sides. The noise reduction was accompanied by an increase in low frequency harmonic noise and high frequency broadband noise. A brief assessment of the effect of the flap on vibration showed that significant reductions were possible. The greatest vibration reductions (as much as 76%) were found in the four per rev pitching moment at the hub. Performance improvement cam results were inconclusive, as the improvements were predicted to be smaller than the resolution of the rotor balance.
This experiment proves the concept of line-of-sight scanning space-based and balloon-borne instruments and telescopes with rotating unbalanced-mss (RUM) devices. Extending the concept to free-flying spacecraft is straightforward. When line-of-sight scanning is required, but optical or electronic line-of-sight scanning is impossible, then scanning with RUM devices can offer huge power and mass savings, better system reliability and stability, and improved scan accuracy. This is especially true with large instruments and telescopes scanning at high frequencies.
Understanding the origin of carbonate minerals in the Martian meteorite Allan Hills (ALH) 84001 is crucial to evaluating the hypothesis that they contain traces of ancient Martian life. Using arguments based on chemical equilibria among carbonates and fluids, an origin at greater than 650 C (inimical to life) has been proposed. However, the bulk and stable isotopic compositions of the carbonate minerals are open to multiple interpretations and so lend no particular support to a high-temperature origin. Other methods (possibly less direct) will have to be used to determine the formation temperature of the carbonates in ALH 84001.
Textbooks make us believe that in every silicate mineral, on Earth, Mars and elsewhere, the oxygen anions exist in just one oxidation state, namely 2(-) as in 0(-2). Yet, a surprisingly large fraction of the oxygen anions in rock-forming minerals may exist in a more oxidized form, namely the 1- state, as 0(-) in peroxy. This has far-reaching consequences for understanding the Mars soil oxidant and its biocompatibility.
Videogrammetry is the science of calculating 3D object coordinates as a function of time from image sequences. It expands the method of photogrammetry to multiple time steps enabling the object to be characterized dynamically. Photogrammetry achieves the greatest accuracy with high contrast, solid-colored, circular targets. The high contrast is most often effected using retro-reflective targets attached to the measurement article. Knowledge of the location of each target allows those points to be tracked in a sequence of images, thus yielding dynamic characterization of the overall object. For ultra-lightweight and inflatable gossamer structures (e.g. solar sails, inflatable antennae, sun shields, etc.) where it may be desirable to avoid physically attaching retro-targets, a high-density grid of projected circular targets - called dot projection - is a viable alternative. Over time the object changes shape or position independently of the dots. Dynamic behavior, such as deployment or vibration, can be characterized by tracking the overall 3D shape of the object instead of tracking specific object points. To develop this method, an oscillating rigid object was measured using both retroreflective targets and dot projection. This paper details these tests, compares the results, and discusses the overall accuracy of dot projection videogrammetry.
Videogrammetry is the science of calculating 3D object coordinates as a function of time from image sequences. It expands the method of photogrammetry to multiple time steps enabling the object to be characterized dynamically. Photogrammetry achieves the greatest accuracy with high contrast, solid-colored circular targets. The high contrast is most often effected using retro-reflective targets attached to the measurement article. Knowledge of the location of each target allows those points to be tracked in a sequence of images, thus yielding dynamic characterization of the overall object. For ultra-lightweight and inflatable gossamer structures (e.g. solar sails, inflatable antennae, sun shields, etc.) where it may be desirable to avoid physically attaching retro-targets, a high-density grid of projected circular targets - called dot projection - is a viable alternative. Over time the object changes shape or position independently of the dots. Dynamic behavior, such as deployment or vibration, can be characterized by tracking the overall 3D shape of the object instead of tracking specific object points. To develop this method, an oscillating rigid object was measured using both retro- reflective targets and dot projection. This paper details these tests, compares the results, and discusses the overall accuracy of dot projection videogrammetry.
The glass-ceramic (Zerodur, Schott Glaswerke, Mainz, Germany) contains 70% to 78% by weight crystalline phase of high-quartz structure with a mean crystal size of 50-55 nm. The vitreous phase has a positive thermal expansion coefficient which is practically balanced by the negative coefficient of the crystalline phase. This results in a material which can maintain longitudinal stability during thermal cycling. This was one of the reasons for its choice as the material for the grazing incidence mirrors for the Chandra X-Ray Facility. Brittle materials such as glass and glass-ceramics which exhibit slow crack growth and subsequent fast fracture to failure exhibit a time dependence in strength. The decrease in strength for a constant applied load is known as static fatigue. In many cases, environment plays a major role in the material lifetime. It has been shown for silicate glasses that crack velocity will increase as the amount of water vapor in the environment surface finish and rate of loading. A rough surface finish leads to a lower tensile strength than for an optically polished surface. The strength of glass is observed in general to increase with increasing load rate. This phenomena is known as dynamic fatigue. This was observed for Zerodur by Tucker and Gent and Tucker in previous dynamic fatigue studies, in which lifetimes were obtained. All of the above named factors need to be considered when glass is to be used in load bearing applications.
Back in 2000, one of the potential Mars projects involved delivering and then flying an observation plane over the planet. Among the challenges of the project was the small size of the capsule that was going to be used in order to get the plane to Mars. With the planet's thin atmosphere, a plane would need to have large wings in order to fly efficiently. How could you package a large-winged plane in a small capsule?
The EOSCUBE constraint database system is designed to be a software productivity tool for high-level specification and efficient generation of EOSDIS and other scientific products. These products are typically derived from large volumes of multidimensional data which are collected via a range of scientific instruments.
We report on our efforts to evaluate the feasibility of using the 4-Shooter CCD camera on the 48-inch reflector at the Whipple Observatory to carry out a multi-band photometric survey of the Kepler target region. We also include recommendations for future work. We were assigned 36 nights with the &hooter during 2003 for this feasibility study. Most of the time during the first two dozen nights was dedicated to the development of procedures, test exposures, and a reconnaissance across the Kepler field. The final 12 nights in September and October 2003 were used for "production" observing in the middle of the Kepler field using the full complement of seven filters (SDSS u, g, r, i, z, plus our special Gred and D51 intermediate-band filters). Nine of these 12 nights were clear and photometric, and production observations were obtained at 109 pointings, corresponding to 14.6 square degrees.
This viewgraph presentation addresses the fracture control requirements for space station habitable modules. The presentation puts an emphasis on the welding of panels on module pressure shells, and recommends an inspection plan for these components.
Annotating a letter by a number, one can record information about its history during a reduction. A string rewriting system is called match-bounded if there is a global upper bound to these numbers. In earlier papers we established match-boundedness as a strong sufficient criterion for both termination and preservation of regular languages. We show now that the string rewriting system whose inverse (left and right hand sides exchanged) is match-bounded, also have exceptional properties, but slightly different ones. Inverse match-bounded systems effectively preserve context-free languages; their sets of normalized strings and their sets of immortal strings are effectively regular. These sets of strings can be used to decide the normalization, the termination and the uniform termination problems of inverse match-bounded systems. We also show that the termination problem is decidable in linear time, and that a certain strong reachability problem is deciable, thus solving two open problems of McNaughton's.
An architecture for fault-tolerant computing is formalized and shown to satisfy a key correctness property. The reliable computing platform uses replicated processors and majority voting to achieve fault tolerance. Under the assumption of a majority of processors working in each frame, we show that the replicated system computes the same results as a single processor system not subject to failures. Sufficient conditions are obtained to establish that the replicated system recovers from transient faults within a bounded amount of time. Three different voting schemes are examined and proved to satisfy the bounded recovery time conditions.
Both experimental and mechanism analysis studies about the concept of the innovative heat pipe using new working fluids have been conducted. The major study activities and results are summarized summarized.
Transparent, conductive thin-film coatings have many potential applications where a surface must be able to dissipate electrical charges without sacrificing its optical properties. Such applications include automotive and aircraft windows, heat mirrors, optoelectronic devices, gas sensors, and solar cell array surfaces for space applications. Many spacecraft missions require that solar cell array surfaces dissipate charges in order to avoid damage such as electronic upsets, formation of pinholes in the protective coatings on solar array blankets, and contamination due to deposition of sputtered products. In tests at the NASA Lewis Research Center, mixed thin-films of sputter-deposited indium tin oxide (ITO) and magnesium fluoride (MgF2) that could be tailored to the desired sheet resistivity, showed transmittance values of greater than 90 percent. The samples evaluated were composed of mixed, thin-film ITO/MgF2 coatings, with a nominal thickness of 650 angstroms, deposited onto glass substrates. Preliminary results indicated that these coatings were durable to vacuum ultraviolet radiation and atomic oxygen. These coatings show promise for use on solar array surfaces in polar low-Earth-orbit environments, where a sheet resistivity of less than 10(exp 8)/square is required, and in geosynchronous orbit environments, where a resistivity of less than 10(exp 9)/square is required.