Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “Reference Values”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 325 records · Page 18

A theoretical and experimental investigation of the hypersonic turbulent boundary layer subject to normal and longitudinal pressure gradients and cross flow along a windward plane of symmetry.

A theoretical and experimental investigation for the hypersonic turbulent boundary layer undergoing both normal and longitudinal pressure gradients and cross flow along the plane of symmetry on the windward side of a body of revolution is presented. The purpose of this investigation is to provide a method for calculating boundary layers that occur on the centerline of symmetry of an inlet. The three-dimensional compressible integral equations are written along the symmetry plane and integrated numerically, and the effect of the cross flow on the behavior of the boundary layer is also studied. The experiments were performed at Mach number 6 and Reynolds number of 44,000,000/ft for the axisymmetric case and for the case with cross flow. The velocity profiles and the boundary layer parameters agree relatively well with theoretical values with and without cross flow effects. The presence of the cross flow alters significantly the value of the profiles. Total temperature-velocity correlations deviate from the linear Crocco distribution. Heat transfer rates agree with theoretical values and values obtained by the flat plate reference enthalpy method. Cross flow influence on the heat transfer rates is of minor relevance.

Zakkay, V.↗

Global matrix of thermospheric density values for selected solar/geomagnetic conditions and spacecraft orbital attitudes

Presented are selected thermospheric/exospheric global mean and extreme density values computed between 130 and 1100 km altitude. These values were generated from the MSFC/J70 reference orbital atmospheric model using different input conditions of solar flux and geomagnetic index, ranging from low to peak. Typical magnitudes of day-night density changes are presented, as an example, for use in space vehicle orbital analyses.

Johnson, D. L.↗

Use of satellite data in agricultural surveys

The state-of-the-art of crop surveying by satellite is reviewed with an emphasis on the signature extension problem. Registration and preprocessing procedures are discussed with refereence to: normalization of the radiometric values of each scene for scene-to-scene differences; registration techniques, implemented at the NASA Johnson Space Center, capable of 0.5 pixel root-mean-square error; and current research in this direction. Data transformation and modeling techniques applied to the Landsat MSS images and a solution for the field-to-field variations of the greenness and brightness temporal trajectories are included. Finally, a review of the mixture decomposition method of labeling and estimating the areal proportions is given.

Hall, F. G.↗

Spectral analysis of the gravity and topography of Mars

New spherical harmonic models of the gravity and topography of Mars place important constraints on the structure and dynamics of the interior. The gravity and topography models are significantly phase coherent for harmonic degrees n less than 30 (wavelengths greater than 700 km). Loss of coherence below that wavelength is presumably due to inadequacies of the models, rather than a change in behavior of the planet. The gravity/topography admittance reveals two very different spectral domains: for n greater than 4, a simple Airy compensation model, with mean depth of 100 km, faithfully represents the observed pattern; for degrees 2 and 3, the effective compensation depths are 1400 and 550 km, respectively, strongly arguing for dynamic compensation at those wavelengths. The gravity model has been derived from a reanalysis of the tracking data for Mariner 9 and the Viking Orbiters, The topography model was derived by harmonic analysis of the USGS digital elevation model of Mars. Before comparing gravity and topography for internal structure inferences, we must ensure that both are consistently referenced to a hydrostatic datum. For the gravity, this involves removal of hydrostatic components of the even degree zonal coefficients. For the topography, it involves adding the degree 4 equipotential reference surface, to get spherically referenced values, and then subtracting the full degree 50 equipotential. Variance spectra and phase coherence of orthometric heights and gravity anomalies are addressed.

Bills, Bruce G.↗

Entropy Splitting for High Order Numerical Simulation of Compressible Turbulence

A stable high-order numerical scheme for direct numerical simulation (DNS) of shock-free compressible turbulence is presented. The method is applicable to general geometries. It contains no upwinding, artificial dissipation, or filtering. Instead the method relies on the stabilizing mechanisms of an appropriate conditioning of the governing equations and the use of compatible spatial difference operators for the interior points (interior scheme) as well as the boundary points (boundary scheme). An entropy-splitting approach splits the inviscid flux derivatives into conservative and nonconservative portions. The spatial difference operators satisfy a summation-by-parts condition, leading to a stable scheme (combined interior and boundary schemes) for the initial boundary value problem using a generalized energy estimate. A Laplacian formulation of the viscous and heat conduction terms on the right hand side of the Navier–Stokes equations is used to ensure that any tendency to odd–even decoupling associated with central schemes can be countered by the fluid viscosity. The resulting methods are able to minimize the spurious high-frequency oscillations associated with pure central schemes, especially for long time integration applications such as DNS. For validation purposes, the methods are tested in a DNS of compressible turbulent plane channel flow at low values of friction Mach number, where reference turbulence data bases exist. It is demonstrated that the methods are robust in terms of grid resolution, and in good agreement with published channel data. Accurate turbulence statistics can be obtained with moderate grid sizes. Stability limits on the range of the splitting parameter are determined from numerical tests.

N.D. Sandham↗

On a High-Fidelity Hierarchical Approach to Buckling Load Calculations

As a step towards developing a new design philosophy, one that moves away from the traditional empirical approach used today in design towards a science-based design technology approach, a recent test series of 5 composite shells carried out by Waters at NASA Langley Research Center is used. It is shown how the hierarchical approach to buckling load calculations proposed by Arbocz et al can be used to perform an approach often called "high fidelity analysis", where the uncertainties involved in a design are simulated by refined and accurate numerical methods. The Delft Interactive Shell DEsign COde (short, DISDECO) is employed for this hierarchical analysis to provide an accurate prediction of the critical buckling load of the given shell structure. This value is used later as a reference to establish the accuracy of the Level-3 buckling load predictions. As a final step in the hierarchical analysis approach, the critical buckling load and the estimated imperfection sensitivity of the shell are verified by conducting an analysis using a sufficiently refined finite element model with one of the current generation two-dimensional shell analysis codes with the advanced capabilities needed to represent both geometric and material nonlinearities.

Arbocz, Johann↗

Buckling Load Calculations of the Isotropic Shell A-8 Using a High-Fidelity Hierarchical Approach

As a step towards developing a new design philosophy, one that moves away from the traditional empirical approach used today in design towards a science-based design technology approach, a test series of 7 isotropic shells carried out by Aristocrat and Babcock at Caltech is used. It is shown how the hierarchical approach to buckling load calculations proposed by Arbocz et al can be used to perform an approach often called 'high fidelity analysis', where the uncertainties involved in a design are simulated by refined and accurate numerical methods. The Delft Interactive Shell DEsign COde (short, DISDECO) is employed for this hierarchical analysis to provide an accurate prediction of the critical buckling load of the given shell structure. This value is used later as a reference to establish the accuracy of the Level-3 buckling load predictions. As a final step in the hierarchical analysis approach, the critical buckling load and the estimated imperfection sensitivity of the shell are verified by conducting an analysis using a sufficiently refined finite element model with one of the current generation two-dimensional shell analysis codes with the advanced capabilities needed to represent both geometric and material nonlinearities.

Arbocz, Johann↗

Analysis of Upper Air, Ground and Remote Sensing Data For the ATLAS Field Campaign in San Juan, Puerto Rico

The Atlas San Juan Mission was conducted in February 2004 with the main objectives of observing the Urban Heat Island of San Juan, providing high resolution data of the land use for El Yunque Rain Forest and for calibrating remote sensors. The mission was coordinated with NASA staff members at Marshall, Stennis, Goddard, and Glenn. The Airborne Thermal and Land Applications Sensor (ATLAS) from NASA/Stennis, that operates in the visual and IR bands, was used as the main sensor and was flown over Puerto Rico in a Lear 23 jet plane. To support the data gathering effort by the ATLAS sensor, remote sensing observations and upper air soundings were conducted along with the deployment of a number of ground based weather stations and temperature sensors. This presentation focuses in the analysis of this complementary data for the Atlas San Juan Mission. Upper air data show that during the days of the mission the Caribbean mid and high atmospheres were relatively dry and highly stable reflecting positive surface lifted index, a necessary condition to conduct this suborbital campaign. Surface wind patterns at levels below 850mb were dominated by the easterly trades, while the jet stream at the edge of the troposphere dominated the westerly wind at levels above 500mb. The jet stream remained at high latitudes reducing the possibility of fronts. In consequence, only 8.4 mm of precipitation were reported during the entire mission. Observation of soundings located about 150 km apart reflected minimum variations of the boundary layer across the island for levels below 850 meters and a uniform atmosphere for higher levels. The weather stations and the temperature sensors were placed at strategic locations to observe variations across the urban and rural landscapes. Time series plot of the stations' data show that heavily urbanized commercial areas have higher air temperatures than urban and suburban residential areas, and much higher temperatures than rural areas. Temperature differences [dT(U-R)] were obtained by subtracting the values of several stations from a reference urban station, located in the commercial area of San Juan. These time series show that the UHI peaks during the morning between 10:00am and noon to an average of 4.5 C, a temporal pattern not previously observed in similar studies for continental cities. It is also observed a high variability of the UHI with the precipitation patterns even for short events. These results may be a reflection of a large land use density by low level buildings with an apparent absence of significant heat storage effects in the urban areas, and the importance of the surrounding soil and vegetation moisture in controlling the urban tropical climate. The ATLAS data was used to determine albedo and surface temperature patterns on a 10m scale for the study area. These data were used to calibrate the spatial distribution of the surface temperature when using remote sensing images from MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer). Surface temperatures were estimated using the land surface temperature product MOD11_L2 distributed by the Land Process Distributed Active Archive Center (LP DAAC). These results show the maximum, minimum and average temperatures in San Juan and in the entire Island at a resolution of 1 km. The information retrieved from MODIS for land surface temperatures reflected similar temporal and spatial variations as the weather stations and ATLAS measurements with a highest absolute offset of about 5 C due to the differences between surface and air temperatures.

Gonzalez, J. E.↗

The Effects of Blood Glucose Levels on Cognitive Performance: A Review of the Literature

The purpose of this review paper is to discuss the research literature on the effects of blood glucose levels on executive and non-executive functions in humans. The review begins with a brief description of blood glucose, how it has been studied, previous syntheses of prior studies, and basic results regarding the role of blood glucose on cognitive functioning. The following sections describe work that investigated the effect of blood glucose on both non-executive and executive functions (e.g., sensory processing, psychomotor functioning, attention, vigilance, memory, language and communication, judgement and decision-making, and complex task performance). Within each section, summaries of the findings and challenges to the literature are included. Measurement conversions of blood glucose levels, blood glucose values, and associated symptoms are depicted. References to the types of tests used to investigate blood glucose and cognitive performance are provided. For more detailed descriptions of references within (and in addition to) this paper, an annotated bibliography is also provided. Several moderator variables including individual differences and contextual variables related to the effects of blood glucose levels on performance (e.g., age, gender, time of day, familiarity with the task and symptom awareness, expectancy effects, dose dependent effects, time dependent effects, task specific effects, rising and falling blood glucose levels, and speed and/or accuracy trade-offs) are addressed later in the paper. Some suggestions for future experimental methodologies are also made.

Feldman, Jolene↗

Multichannel Phase and Power Detector

An electronic signal-processing system determines the phases of input signals arriving in multiple channels, relative to the phase of a reference signal with which the input signals are known to be coherent in both phase and frequency. The system also gives an estimate of the power levels of the input signals. A prototype of the system has four input channels that handle signals at a frequency of 9.5 MHz, but the basic principles of design and operation are extensible to other signal frequencies and greater numbers of channels. The prototype system consists mostly of three parts: An analog-to-digital-converter (ADC) board, which coherently digitizes the input signals in synchronism with the reference signal and performs some simple processing; A digital signal processor (DSP) in the form of a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) board, which performs most of the phase- and power-measurement computations on the digital samples generated by the ADC board; and A carrier board, which allows a personal computer to retrieve the phase and power data. The DSP contains four independent phase-only tracking loops, each of which tracks the phase of one of the preprocessed input signals relative to that of the reference signal (see figure). The phase values computed by these loops are averaged over intervals, the length of which is chosen to obtain output from the DSP at a desired rate. In addition, a simple sum of squares is computed for each channel as an estimate of the power of the signal in that channel. The relative phases and the power level estimates computed by the DSP could be used for diverse purposes in different settings. For example, if the input signals come from different elements of a phased-array antenna, the phases could be used as indications of the direction of arrival of a received signal and/or as feedback for electronic or mechanical beam steering. The power levels could be used as feedback for automatic gain control in preprocessing of incoming signals. For another example, the system could be used to measure the phases and power levels of outputs of multiple power amplifiers to enable adjustment of the amplifiers for optimal power combining.

Li, Samuel↗

Vectorized Rebinning Algorithm for Fast Data Down-Sampling

A vectorized rebinning (down-sampling) algorithm, applicable to N-dimensional data sets, has been developed that offers a significant reduction in computer run time when compared to conventional rebinning algorithms. For clarity, a two-dimensional version of the algorithm is discussed to illustrate some specific details of the algorithm content, and using the language of image processing, 2D data will be referred to as "images," and each value in an image as a "pixel." The new approach is fully vectorized, i.e., the down-sampling procedure is done as a single step over all image rows, and then as a single step over all image columns. Data rebinning (or down-sampling) is a procedure that uses a discretely sampled N-dimensional data set to create a representation of the same data, but with fewer discrete samples. Such data down-sampling is fundamental to digital signal processing, e.g., for data compression applications.

Dean, Bruce↗

Assessment of the Spectral Stability of Libya 4, Libya 1, and Mauritania 2 Sites Using Earth Observing One Hyperion

The objective of this paper is to formulate a methodology to assess the spectral stability of the Libya 4, Libya 1, and Mauritania 2 pseudo-invariant calibration sites (PICS) using Earth Observing One (EO-1) Hyperion sensor. All the available Hyperion collections, downloaded from the Earth Explorer website, were utilized for the three PICS. In each site, a reference spectrum is selected at a specific day in the vicinity of the region of interest (ROI) defined by Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS). A series of ROIs are predefined in the along-track direction with 196 spectral top-of-atmosphere reflectance values in each ROI. Based on the reference ROI spectrum, the spectral stability of these ROIs is evaluated by average deviations (ADs) and spectral angle mapper (SAM) methods in the specific ranges of time and geo-spatial locations. Time and ROI location-dependent SAM and AD results are very stable within +/- 2 deg and +/-1.7% of 1sigma standard deviations. Consequently, the Libya 4, Mauritania 2, and Libya 1 CEOS selected PICS are spectrally stable targets within the time and spatial swath ranges of the Hyperion collections.

average deviation↗

Geologic exploration: The contribution of LANDSAT-4 thematic mapper data

The major advantages of the TM data over that of MSS systems are increased spatial resolution and a greater number of narrow, strategically placed spectral bands. The 30 meter pixel size permits finer definition of ground features and improves reliability of the photointerpretation of geologic structure. The value of the spatial data increases relative to the value of the spectral data as soil and vegetation cover increase. In arid areas with good exposure, it is possible with careful digital processing and some inventive color compositing to produce enough spectral differentiation of rock types and thereby produce facsimiles of standard geologic maps with a minimum of field work or reference to existing maps. Hue-saturation value images are compared with geological maps of Death Valley, California, the Big Horn/Wind River Basin of Wyoming, the area around Cement, Oklahoma, and Detroit. False color composites of the Ontario region are also examined.

Everett, J. R.↗

An empirical study of FORTRAN programs for parallelizing compilers

Some results are reported from an empirical study of program characteristics that are important in parallelizing compiler writers, especially in the area of data dependence analysis and program transformations. The state of the art in data dependence analysis and some parallel execution techniques are examined. The major findings are included. Many subscripts contain symbolic terms with unknown values. A few methods of determining their values at compile time are evaluated. Array references with coupled subscripts appear quite frequently; these subscripts must be handled simultaneously in a dependence test, rather than being handled separately as in current test algorithms. Nonzero coefficients of loop indexes in most subscripts are found to be simple: they are either 1 or -1. This allows an exact real-valued test to be as accurate as an exact integer-valued test for one-dimensional or two-dimensional arrays. Dependencies with uncertain distance are found to be rather common, and one of the main reasons is the frequent appearance of symbolic terms with unknown values.

Shen, Zhiyu↗

Comparison of z-known GRBs with the Main Groups of Bright BATSE Events

The small reference sample of six BATSE gamma-ray bursts with known redshifts from optical afterglows is compared with a comparison group of the 218 brightest BATSE bursts. These two groups are shown to be consistent both with respect to the distributions of the spectral peak parameter in the observer's frame and also with respect to the distributions of the frame-independent cosmological invariant parameter (CIP). Using the known values of the redshifts z for the reference sample, the rest-frame distribution of spectral parameters is built. The de-redshifted distribution of the spectral parameters of the reference sample is compared with distribution of these parameters for the comparison group after de-redshifting by the factor 1/(1+z), with z a free parameter. Requiring consistency between these two distributions produces a collective estimation of the best fitting redshifts z for the comparison group, z=1.8--3.6. These values can be considered as the average cosmological redshift of the sources of the brightest BATSE bursts. The most probable value of the peak energy of the spectrum in the rest frame is 920 keV, close to the rest mass of an electron-positron pair.

Mitrofanov, Igor G.↗

Automation of the Image Analysis for Thermographic Inspection

Several data processing procedures for the pulse thermal inspection require preliminary determination of an unflawed region. Typically, an initial analysis of the thermal images is performed by an operator to determine the locations of unflawed and the defective areas. In the present work an algorithm is developed for automatically determining a reference point corresponding to an unflawed region. Results are obtained for defects which are arbitrarily located in the inspection region. A comparison is presented of the distributions of derived values with right and wrong localization of the reference point. Different algorithms of automatic determination of the reference point are compared.

Plotnikov, Yuri A.↗

Global Reference Atmosphere Model (GRAM)

4D model provides atmospheric parameter values either automatically at positions along linear path or along any set of connected positions specified by user. Based on actual data, GRAM provides thermal wind shear for monthly mean winds, percent deviation from standard atmosphere, mean vertical wind, and perturbation data for each position.

Johnson, D. L.↗

Method for Locating a Concealed Object

Apparatus and methods are disclosed for detecting anomalies in microwave penetrable material that may be used for locating plastic mines or pipes underneath the ground. A transmitter is positioned at a plurality of different positions above the ground. A microwave signal is transmitted that is stepped over a plurality of frequencies. At each position, a plurality of reflections are received corresponding to each of the plurality of frequencies that were transmitted. A complex target vector may be produced at each position that contains complex values corresponding to magnitude, phase, and time delay for each of the plurality of reflections received at that location. A complex reference data vector may be produced, either based on predetermined values or based on data from the received plurality of reflections. A comparison is made between the complex target vector and the complex reference data vector to produce a channel vector. In one embodiment, an operator may be applied to the channel vector such as a complex filter matrix or to add a complex conjugate. A response signal is produced and anomalies are detected by variations in the response signal with respect to the plurality of positions.

G Dickey Arndt↗