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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 307 records · Page 17

Status report: Data management program algorithm evaluation activity at Marshall Space Flight Center

An algorithm evaluation activity was initiated to study the problems associated with image processing by assessing the independent and interdependent effects of registration, compression, and classification techniques on LANDSAT data for several discipline applications. The objective of the activity was to make recommendations on selected applicable image processing algorithms in terms of accuracy, cost, and timeliness or to propose alternative ways of processing the data. As a means of accomplishing this objective, an Image Coding Panel was established. The conduct of the algorithm evaluation is described.

Jayroe, R. R., Jr.↗

Perturbation solutions for transonic flow on the blade-to-blade surface of compressor blade rows

A preliminary investigation was conducted to establish the theoretical basis of perturbation techniques with the objective of minimizing computational requirements associated with parametric studies of transonic flows in turbomachines. The theoretical analysis involved the development of perturbation methods for determining first order changes in the flow solution due to variations of one or more geometrical or flow parameters. The formulation is primarily directed toward transonic flows on the blade to blade surface of a single blade row compressor. Two different perturbation approaches were identified and studied. Applications and results of these methods for various perturbations are presented for selected two dimensional transonic cascade flows to illustrate the advantages and disadvantages of each technique. Additionally, it was found that, for flows with shock waves, proper account of shock displacement was crucial.

Stahara, S. S.↗

The gravity method and interpretive techniques for detecting vertical crustal movements

Observations of temporal variations of gravity can be used as an inexpensive and rapid means of detecting, monitoring, and studying crustal deformation associated with many active geological processes. Such observations can yield qualitative or semiquantitative information on elevation changes and, when combined with independent elevation data, can yield information about changes of the subsurface density field arising from both subsurface displacements and temporal variations of the density of materials in the subsurface. The effectiveness of gravity techniques in specific cases of crustal deformation depends on the configuration of the local gravity field, the physical processes involved in the deformation, and the accuracy with which temporal gravity variations can be measured.

Jachens, R. C.↗

Applications of modeling to analysis and processing of Landsat data

The Suits bidirectional reflectance model (1972) for vegetation canopies was used to calculate reflectance values for the four Landsat spectral bands under a variety of canopy and observation conditions. Relationships between characteristics of developing wheat fields and associated reflectances were studied. Coincident measurements of crop reflectance and Landsat signals were compared using regression analysis techniques. The model was also applied to forest situations both to help establish the extent to which Landsat may provide direct information about conditions occurring beneath forest overstories and to help develop methods for reducing the effects of terrain slope and aspect in the processing of Landsat data. Finally, a relationship based on model calculations was used to adjust Landsat signal values and was found to reduce topography-related variability and improve subsequent classification performance.

Malila, W. A.↗

Adaptive remote sensing technology for feature recognition and tracking

A technology development plan designed to reduce the data load and data-management problems associated with global study and monitoring missions is described with a heavy emphasis placed on developing mission capabilities to eliminate the collection of unnecessary data. Improved data selectivity can be achieved through sensor automation correlated with the real-time needs of data users. The first phase of the plan includes the Feature Identification and Location Experiment (FILE) which is scheduled for the 1980 Shuttle flight. The FILE experiment is described with attention given to technology needs, development plan, feature recognition and classification, and cloud-snow detection/discrimination. Pointing, tracking and navigation received particular consideration, and it is concluded that this technology plan is viewed as an alternative to approaches to real-time acquisition that are based on extensive onboard format and inventory processing and reliance upon global-satellite-system navigation data.

Wilson, R. G.↗

A rapid perturbation procedure for determining nonlinear flow solutions: Application to transonic turbomachinery flows

Perturbation procedures and associated computational codes for determining nonlinear flow solutions were developed to establish a method for minimizing computational requirements associated with parametric studies of transonic flows in turbomachines. The procedure that was developed and evaluated was found to be capable of determining highly accurate approximations to families of strongly nonlinear solutions which are either continuous or discontinuous, and which represent variations in some arbitrary parameter. Coordinate straining is employed to account for the movement of discontinuities and maxima of high gradient regions due to the perturbation. The development and results reported are for the single parameter perturbation problem. Flows past both isolated airfoils and compressor cascades involving a wide variety of flow and geometry parameter changes are reported. Attention is focused in particular on transonic flows which are strongly supercritical and exhibit large surface shock movement over the parametric range studied; and on subsonic flows which display large pressure variations in the stagnation and peak suction pressure regions. Comparisons with the corresponding 'exact' nonlinear solutions indicate a remarkable accuracy and range of validity of such a procedure.

Stahara, S. S.↗

Deceleration of the solar wind in the earth's foreshock region - Isee 2 and Imp 8 observations

The deceleration of the solar wind in the region of the interplanetary space filled by ions backstreaming from the earth's bow shock and associated waves is studied using a two-spacecraft technique. This deceleration depends on the solar wind bulk velocity; at low velocities (below 300 km/s) the velocity decrease is about 5 km/s, while at higher velocities (above 400 km/s) the decrease may be as large as 30 km/s. The energy balance shows that the kinetic energy loss far exceeds the thermal energy which is possibly gained by the solar wind; therefore at least part of this energy must go into waves and/or into the backstreaming ions.

Bonifazi, C.↗

Transition in the axisymmetric jet

Unsteady particle trajectories are used to study structural features associated with the Reynolds-number dependence of an axisymmetric jet. It is found that transition in the unbounded jet is in the nature of transition in Couette flow and occurs at specific critical values of the Reynolds number rather than in some range over which small disturbances are amplified. In the case of the creeping-flow solution, the particle-path pattern exhibits a structure which is not easily discerned in any of the other variables that govern the flow. For sufficiently small Reynolds number, the particle paths converge to a single stable node which lies on the axis of the jet. At a Reynolds number of 6.7806, the pattern bifurcates to a saddle and two stable nodes; at a Reynolds number of 10.09089, it bifurcates a second time to form a saddle and two stable foci.

Cantwell, B. J.↗

Westward propagating predecessors of monsoon depressions

Sea-level pressure data for the period 1969-1978 are used to investigate the relation between Bay of Bengal lows and depressions and disturbances propagating from the east. Of the 52 lows and depressions studied, 45 were associated with such predecessor disturbances. In 12 cases, the predecessor was associated with a typhoon or named tropical storm in the South China Sea, while the remaining 33 were weaker systems originating over a broad region of land and sea. From examination of time sections over the same period from eastern Thailand to the Burmese coast, 50 westward-moving disturbances with considerable vertical extent were identified, 64% of which developed into lows or depressions on reaching the Bay. In 60% of the 50 instances, the disturbance could be traced to the South China Sea (32% typhoons and 28% weaker circulations). The remaining 40% of the 50 disturbances appeared to originate over land.

Saha, K.↗

Efficient computerized model for dynamic analysis of energy conversion systems

In searching for the optimum parameters that minimize the total life cycle cost of an energy conversion system, various combinations of components are examined and the resulting system performance and associated economics are studied. The systems performance and economics simulation computer program (SPECS) was developed to fill this need. The program simulates the fluid flow, thermal, and electrical characteristics of a system of components on a quasi-steady state basis for a variety of energy conversion systems. A unique approach is used in which the set of characteristic equations is solved by the Newton-Raphson technique. This approach eliminates the tedious iterative loops which are found in comparable programs such as TRNSYS or SOLTES-1. Several efficient features were also incorporated such as the centralized control and energy management scheme, and analogous treatment of energy flow in electrical and mechanical components, and the modeling of components of similar fundamental characteristics using generic subroutines. Initial tests indicate that this model can be used effectively with a relatively small number of time steps and low computer cost.

Hughes, R. D.↗

Federal government provision of third-party liability insurance to space vehicle users

Support decisions concerning the provision by the Federal Government of third-party liability insurance for commercial space activities were studied. The practices associated with third-party liability insurance in the marine, aviation, and electric utility industries in addition to those industries associated with space missions were reviewed. Theoretical considerations of rate setting are discussed and a methodology to determine the period of time over which the insurers of each industry intend to set aside reserves to recover from a maximum liability loss should one occur is introduced. The data were analyzed to determine the setaside period in each industry, and to suggest reasonable standards from the insurer's point of view. Criteria for Federal provision of insurance are discussed, an interpretation of the Price-Anderson Act, determinants of the availability of commercial insurance, potential insurer liability, and measures of reasonableness for premium rates from the user's point of view are presented. Options available to the government regarding third part liability protection are presented.

Source record↗

The fossil record of evolution: Analysis of extinction

There is increasing evidence that events in space have had direct effects on Earth history and on the history of life on Earth. Nowhere is this more evident than in mass extinction. The biosphere has undergone repeated devastation caused by relatively short-lived environmental stress, with species kill rates up to 80 and 95%. For five of the mass extinctions, geochemical or other evidence was reported suggesting large body impact as the cause of the environmental stress producing the extinctions. It was argued on statistical ground that the major extinction events are uniformly periodic in geological time. If it is true that large body impact is a principal cause of mass extinctions and if the periodicity is real, than a cosmic driving mechanism is inescapable. Paleontological data sets were developed which detail the ranges in geological time of about 4,000 families and 25,000 genera of fossil marine organisms. Analyses to date have concentrated on the most recent 250 million years. Associated with these studies are analyses of other aspects of Earth history which may have signatures indicative of extraterrestrial effects.

Raup, D. M.↗

Predictions of wing and pylon forces caused by propeller installation

Replacement of current turbojets by high-efficiency unducted propfans could have the unfortunate side effect of increasing cabin noise, essentially because unsteady-aerodynamic mechanisms are likely to be introduced whereby some of the energy saved may be lost again, to the production of propeller noise and to wing/pylon vibrations coupling to the cabin as a sounding board. The present study estimates theoretically associated harmonic aerodynamic forces for two candidate configurations: a pusher propeller which chops through the mean wake of the pylon supporting it, and in the process generates a blade-rate force driving the structure, and a tractor wing-mounted propeller, whose trailing rotating wake induces an unsteady downwash field generating unsteady wing airloads. Reported predictions of such propfan aerodynamic sources of structure-borne sound, or vibration, could be the basis for devising means for their mechanical isolation, and thus for the effective interruption of the structural noise path into the cabin. Both mechanisms are analyzed taking advantage of the high subsonic Mach number and high reduced frequency of the interaction between the impinging flow and the affected aerodynamic element.

Martinez, Rudolph↗

Quadrennial review of the magnetotail

The findings of research conducted on the magnetotail in the years 1983-1986 are presented. The topics discussed include observations of the distant (between 60 and 220 earth radii) and the near-earth (earthward of 35 earth radii) magnetotail regions by the ISEE l, 2, and 3 and IMP 8 spacecraft, and magnetotail theory and modeling. These studies established the association between substorms and plasmoids in the deep tail and the linkage between the magnetosphere and the ionosphere via field-aligned currents and electric fields.

Huang, C. Y.↗

Estimates of green tensors for certain boundary value problems

Consider the first boundary value problem for a stationary Navier-Stokes system in a bounded three-dimensional region Omega with the boundary S: delta v = grad p+f, div v=0, v/s=0. Odqvist (1930) developed the potential theory and formulated the Green tensor for the above problem. The basic singular solution used by Odqvist to express the Green tensor is given. A theorem generalizing his results is presented along with four associated theorems. A specific problem associated with the study of the differential properties of the solution of stationary problems of magnetohydrodynamics is examined.

Solonnikov, V.↗

Some implications for cyclic plastic and viscoplastic equations based on nonproportional loading experiments

From cyclic, strain controlled, nonproportional tests on type 304 stainless steel and Hastelloy-X, the following statements may be made: (1) A dynamic recovery term is essential to properly model the backstress evolution. (2) From analysis of Hastelloy-X data obtained at 649 C, the inelastic strain rate appears to be a satisfactory directional index for direct hardening, but the backstress appears to be an inappropriate directional index of dynamic recovery. (3) Sinusoidal, 90 deg out-of-phase axial torsional tests can be very useful in aiding determination of backstress evolution functions, including both directional indices and scalar hardening functions, by virtue of the associated approximately constant magnitudes of overstress, inelastic strain rate, and effective stress. Such tests have previously been associated with the study of nonproportional hardening effects but have more far ranging applications.

Mcdowell, D. L.↗

Proceedings of the Goddard Space Flight Center Workshop on Robotics for Commercial Microelectronic Processes in Space

Potential applications of robots for cost effective commercial microelectronic processes in space were studied and the associated robotic requirements were defined. Potential space application areas include advanced materials processing, bulk crystal growth, and epitaxial thin film growth and related processes. All possible automation of these processes was considered, along with energy and environmental requirements. Aspects of robot capabilities considered include system intelligence, ROM requirements, kinematic and dynamic specifications, sensor design and configuration, flexibility and maintainability. Support elements discussed included facilities, logistics, ground support, launch and recovery, and management systems.

Source record↗

Radar cross section studies/compact range research

Achievements in advancing the state-of-the-art in the measurement, control, and analysis of electromagnetic scattering from general aerodynamic targets are summarized. The major topics associated with this study include: (1) electromagnetic scattering analysis; (2) indoor scattering measurement systems; (3) RCS control; (4) waveform processing techniques; (5) material scattering and design studies; (6) design and evaluation of standard targets; and (7) antenna studies. Progress in each of these areas is reported and related publications are listed.

Burnside, W. D.↗