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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 271 records · Page 15

A Southern Hemisphere VLBI Survey on a 275-km Baseline

A very long base interferometry (VLBI) survey at 2.29 GHz was conducted using a 275 km baseline consisting of the NASA Deep Space Network tracking site in Tidbinbilla, Australia, and the 64 m antenna located at Parkes, Australia. The purpose of the survey was to identify sources in the southern sky possessing strong compact cores ( 0.1 arcseconds). Such sources will be used to form a reference frame for conducting VLBI geodesy experiments in the Southern Hemisphere. The 70 candidate sources were chosen to be south of -39 degrees declination, and only four had been previously observed from the northern hemisphere. Of the observed sources, 49 were found to have compact structure. In addition to determining correlated flux densities, the delay and delay rate observables of several detected sources were used to determine an estimate of the three dimensional location of the Parkes antenna relative to the Tidbinbilla site with a 1-sigma accuracy of 10 meters.

Morabito, D. D.↗

Space station needs, attributes and architectural options. Part 1: Summary

Candidate missions for the space station were subjected to an evaluation/filtering process which included the application of budgetary constraints and performance of benefits analysis. Results show that the initial space station should be manned, placed in a 28.5 deg orbit, and provide capabilities which include a space test facility, satellite service, a transport harbor, and an observatory. A space industrial park may be added once further development effort validates the cost and expanding commercial market for space-processed material. Using the space station as a national space test facility can enhance national security, as well as commercial and scientific interests alike. The potential accrued gross mission model benefit derived from these capabilities is $5.9B without the industrial park, and $9.3B with it. Other benefits include the lowering of acquisition costs for NASA and DoD space assets and a basis for broadening international participation.

Source record↗

Tanker orbit transfer vehicle and method

A method and apparatus for transportation between orbits are presented. A tanker orbit transfer vehicle includes two stages each of which includes a fuel container. The first stage may be left in an intermediate parking orbit while the second stage goes on to carry out a mission, thereafter to return to rendezvous and dock with the first stage. Fuel carried by the first stage may be utilized for travel of the two stages between the starting orbit and the parking orbit, and for return to the starting orbit. An aerobrake may be included in the system for use in the return to the initial orbit.

Ryan, G. G.↗

Space station needs, attributes, and architectural options. Volume 1. Executive summary

The initial space station should be manned, placed in 28.5 deg orbit, and provide substantial economic, performance, and social benefits. The most beneficial space station capabilities include: a space test facility; a transport harbor; satellite servicing and assembly; and an observatory. A space industrial park could be added once further development effort validates the cost and expanding commercial market for space processed materials. The potential accrued gross mission model benefit derived from these capabilities is $5.9B without the industrial park, and $9.3B with it. An unclassified overview of all phases of the study is presented.

Pritchard, E. B.↗

An adaptive guidance logic for an aeroasisted orbital transfer vehicle

The Orbital Transfer Vehicle (OTV) is to be employed for the delivery of a paylod to a high earth orbit, such as a geosynchronous orbit. Subsequently, the OTV is to return to a low earth parking orbit. The present investigation is concerned with an aeroassisted OTV (AOTV) which achieves the required reduction in velocity on its return to the parking orbit through aerodynamic braking. An adaptive guidance logic is employed to control and AOTV as it passes through the earth's upper atmosphere. Attention is given to details regarding the adaptive guidance logic, and a performance evaluation. It is found that the performance of the adaptive guidance logic is satisfactory for the considered conditions.

Hill, O.↗

Nitrate in the Greenland ice sheet in the years following the 1908 Tunguska event

The Tunguska event on June 30, 1908 has been subjected to much speculation within different fields of research. Publication of the results of the 1961 expedition to the Tunguska area (Florensky, 1963) supports the view that a cometary impact caused the event. Based on this interpretation, calculations of the impactor energy release and explosion height have been reported by Ben-Menahem (1975), and velocity, mass, and density of the impactor by Petrov and Stulov (1975). Park (1978) and Turco et al. (1981, 1982) used these numbers to calculate a production of ca. 30,000,000 tons of NO during atmospheric transit. This paper presents a high-resolution study of nitrate concentration in the Greenland ice sheet in ca. 10 years covering the Tunguska event. No signs of excess nitrate are found in three ice cores from two different sites in Greenland in the years following the Tunguska event. By comparing these results with results for other aerosols generally found in the ice, the lack of excess NO3(-) following the Tunguska event can be interpreted as indicating that the impactor nitrate production calculated by Park (1978) and Turco et al. (1981, 1982) are 1-2 orders of magnitude too high. To explain this, it is suggested, from other lines of reasoning, that the impactor density determined by Petrov and Stulov (1975) probably is too low.

Rasmussen, K. L.↗

Muon fluctuation studies of EAS 10(17) eV

Fluctuation studies need to compare a parameter which is sensitive to longitudinal fluctuations against a parameter which is insensitive. Cascade calculations indicate that the shower size parameter at Haverah Park, rho (500), and the muon density are insensitive while parameters that significantly reflect the longitudinal development of a particular extensive air shower (EAS) include the muon/water Cerenkov response ratio and the muon arrival time dispersion. This paper presents conclusions based on muon fluctuation studies of EAS measured between 1976 and 1981 at Haverah Park.

Blake, P. R.↗

Space Shuttle Main Engine overhaul program

The Space Shuttle Main Engine first flight set from the Orbiter Columbia was returned to Rockwell International/Rocketdyne Division in Canoga Park, California for overhaul after five successful development flights. The three main engines have been completely disassembled and the hardware assessed for space flight effects. Schedules to overhaul subsequent flight engines have been established based on operational requirements of the Space Transportation System. To support these requirements, a dedicated Space Shuttle Main Engine Overhaul Center is being built at the Canoga Park Rocketdyne Facility incorporating the latest in manufacturing, inspection, and data processing equipment.

Stohler, S.↗

Mars lander survey

The requirements, issues, and design options are reviewed for manned Mars landers. Issues such as high 1/d versus low 1/d shape, parking orbit, and use of a small Mars orbit transfer vehicle to move the lander from orbit to orbit are addressed. Plots of lander mass as a function of Isp, destination orbit, and cargo up and down, plots of initial stack mass in low Earth orbit as a function of lander mass and parking orbit, detailed weight statements, and delta V tables for a variety of options are included. Lander options include a range from minimum landers up to a single stage reusable design. Mission options include conjunction and Venus flyby trajectories using all-cryogenic, hybrid, NERVA, and Mars orbit aerobraking propulsion concepts.

William R Stump↗

Nuclear electric power for multimegawatt orbit transfer vehicles

Multimegawatt nuclear propulsion is an attractive option for orbit transfer vehicles. The masses of these platforms are expected to exceed the capability of a single launch from Earth necessitating assembly in space in a parking orbit. The OTV would transfer the platform from the parking orbit to the operational orbit and then return for the next mission. Electric propulsion is advantageous because of the high specific impulse achieved by the technology, 1000 to 5000 s and beyond, to reduce the propellant required. Nuclear power is attractive as the power system because of the weight savings over solar systems in the multimegawatt regime, and multimegawatts of power are required. A conceptual diagram is shown of an OTV with a command control module using electric thrusters powered from an SP-100 class nuclear reactor power system.

Casagrande, R. D.↗

Nonequilibrium and equilibrium shock front radiation measurements

The intensities of the radiation emitted behind a normal shock wave in N were measured in an electric-arc driven shock tube at a shock velocity of 6.2 km/sec. Both a time-resolved broad-band radiation intensity measurement and a time-frozen spectral measurement were conducted. The rotational and vibrational temperatures are determined in both the equilibrium and the nonequilibrium regions. The results are compared with the similar data obtained by Allen et al. (1961). The measured rotational temperature seems to be in nonequilibrium, contradicting the two-temperature assumption of Park (1988), but the measured vibrational temperature agrees with Park's model.

Sharma, Surendra P.↗

Seeds in space experiment results

Two million seeds of 120 different varieties representing 106 species, 97 genera, and 55 plant families were flown aboard the Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF). The seeds were housed on the space exposed experiment developed for students (SEEDS) tray in sealed canister number six and in two small vented canisters. The tray was in the F-2 position. The seeds were germinated and the germination rates and development of the resulting plants compared to the control seed that stayed in Park Seed's seed storage facility. The initial results are presented. There was a better survival rate in the sealed canister in space than in the storage facility at Park Seed. At least some of the seeds in each of the vented canisters survived the exposure to vacuum for almost six years. The number of observed apparent mutations was very low.

Alston, Jim A.↗

Space Exposed Experiment Developed for Students (SEEDS) P-0004-2

This cooperative endeavor of NASA Headquarters, the NASA Langley Research Center, and the George W. Park Seed Company, resulted in the distribution, by the end of March, 1990, of approximately 132,000 space exposed experiment developed for students (SEEDS) kits to 64,000 teachers representing 40,000 classrooms and 3.3 million kindergarden through university students. Kits were sent to every state, as well as to 30 foreign countries. Preliminary radiation data indicates that layer A received 725 rads, while layer D received 350 rads. Germination rate was reported to be 73.8 percent for space exposed seeds and 70.3 percent for earth based control seeds. Tests conducted within the first six months after retrieval indicated space exposed seeds germinated in an average of 8.0 days, while earth based control seeds' average germination rate was 8.3 days. Some mutations (assumed to be radiation induced) reported by students and Park Seed include plants that added a leaf instead of the usual flower at the end of the flower front and fruit produced from a flower with a variegated calyx bore seeds producing albino plants, while fruit from a flower with a green calyx from the same plant bore seeds produced green plants.

Grigsby, Doris K.↗

A parametric study of dissociation and ionization models at 12 km/sec

Thermochemical nonequilibrium-solution dependence on available models for the chemical reaction rates is examined. Solutions from the Kang and Dunn (1973) reaction-rate set, the Park rate set of 1987, and the Park rate set of 1991 are compared. The blunt-nosed, axisymmetric geometry considered is a 60-deg sphere cone with nose radius of 1.07 m and cicular aft skirt. The nonequilibrium test case is 12 km/sec entry into the earth's atmosphere at 80 km altitude. The model variations are implemented into the Langley aerothermodynamics upwind relaxation algorithm code. While variations in the reaction rates have no effect on the surface pressure distribution and little effect on the convective heating, the effect on degree of ionization and radiative heating can be a factor of three.

Mitcheltree, R. A.↗

Astrometry of southern radio sources

An overview is presented of a number of astrometry and astrophysics programs based on radio sources from the Parkes 2.7 GHz catalogs. The programs cover the optical identification and spectroscopy of flat-spectrum Parkes sources and the determination of their milliarcsecond radio structures and positions. Work is also in progress to tie together the radio and Hipparcos positional reference frames. A parallel program of radio and optical astrometry of southern radio stars is also under way.

White, Graeme L.↗

Seeds in space experiment

Two million seeds of 120 different varieties representing 106 species, 97 genera, and 55 plant families were flown aboard the Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF). The seeds were housed in one sealed canister and in two small vented canisters. After being returned to earth, the seeds were germinated and the germination rates and development of the resulting plants were compared to the performance of the control seeds that stayed in the Park Seed's seed storage facility. There was a better survival rate in the sealed canister in space than at the storage facility at Park Seed. At least some of the seeds in each of the vented canisters survived the exposure to vacuum for almost six years. The number of observed apparent mutations was very low.

Jim A Alston↗

A new two-temperature dissociation model for reacting flows

A new two-temperature dissociation model for flows undergoing compression is derived from kinetic theory. The model minimizes uncertainties associated with the two-temperature model of Park. The effects of the model on AOTV type flowfields are examined and compared with the Park model. Calculations are carried out for flows with and without ionization. When considering flows with ionization, a four temperature model is employed. For Fire II conditions, the assumption of equilibrium between the vibrational and electron-electronic temperatures is somewhat poor. A similar statement holds for the translational and rotational temperatures. These trends are consistent with results obtained using the direct simulation Monte Carlo method.

Olynick, David R.↗

Continued results of the seeds in space experiment

Two million seeds of 120 different varieties representing 106 species, 97 genera, and 55 plant families were flown aboard the Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF). The seed were housed on the Space Exposed Experiment Developed for Students (SEEDS) tray in the sealed canister number 6 and in two small vented canisters. The tray was in the F-2 position. The seed were germinated and the germination rates and the development of the resulting plants were compared to the performance of the control seed that stayed in Park Seed's seed storage facility. The initial results were presented in a paper at the First LDEF Post-Retrieval Symposium. There was a better survival rate of the seed in the sealed canister in space than in the storage facility at Park Seed. At least some of the seed in each of the vented canisters survived the exposure to vacuum for almost six years. The number of observed apparent mutations was very low. In the initial testing, the small seeded crops were not grown to maturity to check for mutations and obtain second generation seed. These small seeded crops have now been grown for evaluation and second generation seed collected.

Alston, Jim A.↗