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Over the past decade, thermal models have been developed for the determination of asteroid diameters and albedos. As a first step to understanding the size/frequency distribution of the debris population in earth orbit, these thermal models have been modified to determine the sizes of orbiting debris. When possible, the model results have been compared to spherical satellites of known diameter.
Unbalanced rotating masses low-cost, low-power, lightweight means of generating scanning torques for scientific instruments. Imparts variety of scanning patterns; continuous circular, back-and-forth linear, and, with aid of indexing mechanism, raster. Scanning rate determined by sizes of moment arms and rotational velocities. System of unbalanced rotating masses proposed for scanning gimbaled sensors that observe Sun from balloon-borne gondola. Two unbalanced masses move sensor aim in circular pattern around center of the Sun.
Damage in composite materials was studied with through-the-thickness reinforcements. As a first step it was necessary to develop new ultrasonic imaging technology to better assess internal damage of the composite. A useful ultrasonic imaging technique was successfully developed to assess the internal damage of composite panels. The ultrasonic technique accurately determines the size of the internal damage. It was found that the ultrasonic imaging technique was better able to assess the damage in a composite panel with through-the-thickness reinforcements than by destructively sectioning the specimen and visual inspection under a microscope. Five composite compression-after-impact panels were tested. The compression-after-impact strength of the panels with the through-the-thickness reinforcements was almost twice that of the comparable panel without through-the-thickness reinforcement.
The effectiveness of two types of hypersonic decelerators are computationally examined: mechanically deployable flares and inflatable ballutes. CFD is used to predict the flowfield around a solid rocket motor (SRM) with a deployed decelerator. The computations are performed with an ideal gas solver using an effective specific heat ratio of 1.15. The surface pressure coefficients, the drag, and the extent of the compression corner separation zone predicted by the ideal gas solver compare well with those predicted by the nonequilibrium solver. The ideal gas solver is computationally inexpensive and is shown to be well suited for preliminary design studies. The computed solutions are used to determine the size and shape of the decelerator that are required to achieve a drag coefficient of 5 in order to assure that the SRM will splash down in the Pacific Ocean. Heat transfer rates to the SRM and the decelerators are predicted to estimate the amount of thermal protection required.
A systematic experimental evaluation of whisker and particulate reinforced aluminum matrix composites was conducted to assess the variation in tensile properties with reinforcement type, volume fraction, and specimen thickness. Each material was evaluated in three thicknesses, 1.8, 3.18, and 6.35 mm, to determine the size, distribution, and orientation of the reinforcements. This information was used to evaluate several micromechanical models that predict composite moduli. The longitudinal and transverse moduli were predicted for reinforced aluminum. The Paul model, the Cox model and the Halpin-Tsai model were evaluated. The Paul model gave a good upper bound prediction for the particulate reinforced composites but under predicted whisker reinforced composite moduli. The Cox model gave good moduli predictions for the whisker reinforcement, but was too low for the particulate. The Halpin-Tsai model gave good results for both whisker and particulate reinforced composites. An approach using a trigonometric projection of whisker length to predict the fiber contribution to the modulus in the longitudinal and transverse directions was compared to the more conventional lamination theory approach.
A study of the solar system by means of ground based radar is presented. Emphasis was on developing the ephemerides needed to acquire radar data at Arecibo Observatory. Concentration was also on analyzing the resultant data to: test fundamental laws of gravitation; determine the size, shape, topography, and spin vectors of the targets; and study the surface properties of these objects, through their scattering law and polarization characteristics.
The Geotail spacecraft will be provided by the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS) and will provide a Delta Launch Vehicle, tracking support by the Deep Space Network (DSN), and data processing support by GSFC. In exchange, ISAS will reserve part of the payload for NASA instruments together with a certain number of investigators from the United States. As the solar wind flows toward the Earth, some of the energy is modified by the Earth's magnetosphere, ionosphere, and upper atmosphere. This interaction causes the flow to be altered, creating a plasmasphere, plasma sheet, and ring currents in the Earth's Geomagnetic Tail region. The result is a series of distinct regions which affect processes on the Earth. By traversing the tail region to a variety of depths, Geotail will be able to determine the size, position, and other properties of these regions. When correlated with information obtained from the other ISAS spacecraft, Geotail data should help to provide a more complete understanding of how the solar processes affect the Earth's environment. The flight profile is given, and information is presented in tabular form on the following topics: DSN support, frequency assignments, telemetry, command, and tracking support responsibility.
Organic compounds, molecules related to those in living systems, are found in many different extraterrestrial environments. The study of organic astrochemistry is important to exobiology both because it demonstrates the ubiquity of processes which led to life on Earth and because the dust clouds where molecules are found are analogs of the solar nebula from which the Earth formed. In the long chain of events leading from the Big Bang, and a universe composed of atomic hydrogen and helium, to the emergence of life on Earth, molecular interstellar clouds are an early link, the most primitive objects which display any significant organic chemistry. One such cloud was the direct precursor to the solar system and to all objects which it contains. Theoretical methods are ideally suited to studying interstellar cloud chemistry. They have been applied to determine spectroscopic constants of candidate interstellar molecules, mechanisms of ion-molecule reactions, and composition of dust grains. Accurate predictions of rotational constants and dipole moments of long-chain carbon molecules HC13N, HC15N, and C5O have been made to aid in determining the size limit of gas-phase interstellar molecules. Models of gas-phase interstellar chemistry use reaction rate constants measured at room temperature and extrapolated to interstellar temperatures. The temperature dependence of NH3(+)+H2 yields NH4(+)+H is anomalous, however, with a minimum rate at about 100K, casting doubt on the extrapolation procedures. The temperature dependence has now been explained.
Stratospheric aerosols play a significant role in the environment. The composition of aerosols is believed to be a liquid solution of sulfuric acid and water with numerous trace species. Of these trace species, ozone in particular was recognized as being very important in its role of shielding the environment from harmful ultraviolet radiation. Also among the trace species are HCl and ClONO2, the so called chlorine reservoir species and various oxides of nitrogen. The quantity of stratospheric aerosol and its particle size distribution determines, to a large degree, the chemistry present in the stratosphere. Aerosols experience 3 types of growth: nucleation, condensation, and coagulation. The application of condensation investigations to the specific problem of stratospheric aerosols is discussed.
Results are presented of a comparison of cirrus cloud properties obtained from aircraft measurements made during the FIRE Intensive Field Observations and Landsat 5 and NOAA-9 observations carried out during several near coincident overpasses by these satellites. Results of the analyses of these measurements and a comparison between measurements and model calculations were used to determine particle sizes within cirrus clouds and the IR optical depths.
Damage in composite materials was studied with through-the-thickness reinforcements. As a first step it was necessary to develop new ultrasonic imaging technology to better assess internal damage of the composite. A useful ultrasonic imaging technique was successfully developed to assess the internal damage of composite panels. The ultrasonic technique accurately determines the size of the internal damage. It was found that the ultrasonic imaging technique was better able to assess the damage in composite panel with through-the-thickness reinforcements than by destructively sectioning the specimen and visual inspection under a microscope. Five composite compression-after-impact panels were tested. The compression-after-impact strength of the panels with the through-the-thickness reinforcements was almost twice that of the comparable panel without through-the-thickness reinforcement.
A 2D numerical model was developed in order to ascertain if reduced gravity conditions are beneficial to physical vapor transport (PVT) and to determine its tolerance limits to residual accelerations. This was solved using the PHOENICS finite-volume code. Reduction of gravitational accelerations to less than 0.1 g0 was found to be sufficient to suppress buoyancy-driven convection to an extent that diffusion was the dominant transport mode, whence a greater uniformity in the growth rate could be obtained. It is shown that a uniform temperature gradient on the ampoule walls causes the vapor to be supersaturated throughout the ampoule, potentially resulting in undesirable nucleation at the walls. A 'hump' in the wall temperature profile can be used to avoid this. The prevailing transport conditions determine the size of the hump needed.
Amongst its complement of particles and fields instruments, the Galileo spacecraft carries an Energetic Particles Detector (EPD) designed to measure the characteristics of particle populations important in determining the size, shape, and dynamics of the Jovian magnetosphere. To do this the EPD provides 4pi angular coverage and spectral measurements for Z greater than or equal to 1 ions from 20 keV to 55 MeV, for electrons from 15 keV to greater than 11 MeV, and for the elemental species helium through iron from approximately 10 keV/nucl to 15 MeV/nucl. Two bidirectional telescopes, mounted on a stepping platform, employ magnetic deflection, energy loss versus energy, and time-of-flight techniques to provide 64 rate channels and pulse height analysis of priority selected events. The EPD data system provides a large number of possible operational modes from which a small number will be selected to optimize data collection during the many encounter and cruise phases of the mission. The EPD employs a number of safeing algorithms that are to be used in the event that its self-checking procedures indicate a problem. The instrument and its operation are described.
The paper examines the planar geometry of shocked material, which is the key property in enabling the high brightness temperatures of H2O masers in star-forming regions. The brightness temperature, beaming angle, and the maser spot size are determined for thin, saturated planar masers under the assumption that the velocity change across the maser due to ordered motions is small compared with the thermal or microturbulent line width. For a given set of physical parameters, the brightness temperature is essentially fully determined by the length of the velocity-coherent region in the shocked plane along the line of sight. Effective aspect ratios (about 5-50) are found that are in agreement with values previously inferred from observed brightness temperatures.
Algorithms are presented for determining the size and location of electric charges which model storm systems and lightning strikes. The analysis utilizes readings from a grid of ground level field mills and geometric constraints on parameters to arrive at a representative set of charges. This set is used to generate three dimensional graphical depictions of the set as well as contour maps of the ground level electrical environment over the grid. The composite, analytic and graphic package is demonstrated and evaluated using controlled input data and archived data from a storm system. The results demonstrate the packages utility as: an operational tool in appraising adverse weather conditions; a research tool in studies of topics such as storm structure, storm dynamics, and lightning; and a tool in designing and evaluating grid systems.
The Ocean Topography Experiment (TOPEX/Poseidon) mission is designed to determine the topography of the Earth's sea surface over a 3-year period, beginning shortly after launch in July 1992. TOPEX/Poseidon is a joint venture between the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the French Centre Nationale d'Etudes Spatiales. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory is NASA's TOPEX/Poseidon project center. The Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System (TDRSS) will nominally be used to support the day-to-day orbit determination aspects of the mission. Due to its extensive experience with TDRSS tracking data, the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) Flight Dynamics Facility (FDF) will receive and process TDRSS observational data. To fulfill the scientific goals of the mission, it is necessary to achieve and maintain a very precise orbit. The most stringent accuracy requirements are associated with planning and evaluating orbit maneuvers, which will place the spacecraft in its mission orbit and maintain the required ground track. To determine if the FDF can meet the TOPEX/Poseidon maneuver accuracy requirements, covariance analysis was undertaken with the Orbit Determination Error Analysis System (ODEAS). The covariance analysis addressed many aspects of TOPEX/Poseidon orbit determination, including arc length, force models, and other processing options. The most recent analysis has focused on determining the size of the geopotential field necessary to meet the maneuver support requirements. Analysis was undertaken with the full 50 x 50 Goddard Earth Model (GEM) T3 field as well as smaller representations of this model.
The results reported were obtained on a meteoric eucrite sample called Millbillillie Sample no. 173. Optical microscopy studies of the sample showed it to consist of ilmenite, troilite, and transparent gangue. The transparent gangue consisted of feldspar (anorthite), pyroxenes, olivines, and opaques. Troilite was present in minor quantities. Screen assay analyses of the 30, 100, 200, and 400 US mesh screen fractions showed that minor concentration of titanium occurred in the 200 x 400 and -400 mesh screen fractions. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) studies of the bulk sample showed the presence of a variety of ilmenite grains, ranging from 50 microns down to less than 1 micron without any evidence of liberation. Electron Diffraction Scans (EDS) confirmed the ratio of Fe to Ti in the ilmenite grains. Dry magnetic separation in a Frantz Isodynamic Separator was found to be effective only at sizes finer than 150 microns (100 US mesh) and more so at 200 mesh (74 microns). In each case, dedusting of the sample to remove -400 mesh (-0.037 microns) fines was required. Liberation size was determined to be 200 mesh and finer. The highest grade concentrate assaying 3.45 percent Ti was produced by magnetic separation of the -200 + 400 mesh screen fraction assaying 0.44 Ti (from a -30 mesh sample) at a current setting of 0.35 AMP. This concentrate contained 21.2 percent of the Ti values in the screen fraction with 2.72 weight percent of feed to test. The results can be projected to a sample stage ground to -200 mesh. Magnetic separation of the 200 + 400 mesh (-0.074 + 0.037 microns) should produce a concentrate accounting for 1.41 weight percent of the feed. This concentrate will analyze 3.45 percent Ti and contain 10.3 percent of the Ti values in the feed. By changing the Frantz Magnetic Separator settings, a lower grade concentrate analyzing 0.98 percent Ti can be produced at an increased recovery of 25.4 percent. The concentrate weight will be 11.7 percent of the feed. It must be emphasized that improved grades and recoveries can be obtained with the -400 mesh fines. However, beneficiation of these extremely fine materials is not possible in a practical process scheme.
The objective of this effort is to produce a vehicle layout for the civil tiltrotor wing and center fuselage in sufficient detail to obtain aerodynamic and inertia loads for determining member sizing. This report addresses the parametric configuration and loads definition for a 40 passenger civil tilt rotor transport. A preliminary (point) design is developed for the tiltrotor wing box and center fuselage. This summary report provides all design details used in the pre-design; provides adequate detail to allow a preliminary design finite element model to be developed; and contains guidelines for dynamic constraints.