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At least 325 records · Page 18

Digitally Synthesized Phased Antenna for Multibeam Global Positioning

In a system according to the proposed technique, the signal received by each element of the array antenna would be subjected to downconversion, and spread-spectrum demodulation and correlation as necessary; this processing would be performed separately from, and simultaneously with, similar processing of signals received by the other antenna elements. For the GPS implementation, following downconversion to baseband, the signals would be digitized, and all subsequent processing would be digital. In In the digital process, residual carriers would be removed and each signal would be correlated with a locally generated model pseudo random-noise code, all following normal GPS procedure. As part of this procedure, accumulated values would be added in software and the resulting signals would be phase-shifted in software by the amounts necessary to synthesize the desired antenna directional gain pattern of peaks and nulls. The principal advantage of this technique over the conventional radio-frequency-combining technique is that the parallel digital baseband processing of the signals from the various antenna elements would be a relatively inexpensive and flexible means for exploiting the inherent multiple-peak/multiple-null aiming capability of a phased-array antenna. In the original intended GPS application, the peaks and nulls could be directed independently for each GPS signal being tracked by the GPS receiver. This will improve the SNR simultaneously for each GPS signal being tracked while steering multiple nulls toward sources of interference. The technique could also be applied to other code-division multiple-access communication systems.

Charles E Dunn↗

Digitally synthesized phased antenna for multibeam global positioning

In a system according to the proposed technique (see figure), the signal received by each element of the array antenna would be subjected to downconversion, and spread-spectrum demodulation and correlation as necessary; this processing would be performed separately from, and simultaneously with, similar processing of signals received by the other antenna elements. For the GPS implementation, following downconversion to baseband, the signals would be digitized, and all subsequent processing would be digital. In the digital process, residual carriers would be removed and each signal would be correlated with a locally generated model pseudo random-noise code, all following normal GPS procedure. As part of this procedure, accumulated values would be added in software and the resulting signals would be phase-shifted in software by the amounts necessary to synthesize the desired antenna directional gain pattern of peaks and nulls. The principal advantage of this technique over the conventional radio-frequency-combining technique is that the parallel digital baseband processing of the signals from the various antenna elements would be a relatively inexpensive and flexible means for exploiting the inherent multiple-peak/multiple-null aiming capability of a phased-array antenna. In the original intended GPS application, the peaks and nulls could be directed independently for each GPS signal being tracked by the GPS receiver. This will improve the SNR simultaneously for each GPS signal being tracked while steering multiple nulls toward sources of interference. The technique could also be applied to other code-division multiple-access communication systems.

Dunn, Charles E.↗

A pseudo-noise transponder design for low data rate users of the tracking and data relay satellite system

A compromise optimum design for the low data rate users of the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System (TDRSS) is presented. Design goals for the TDRSS are employed in this report to arrive at the transponder design. Multipath, R.F.I., antenna pattern anomolies, other user signals, and other definable degrading factors are included as trade-off parameters in the design. Synchronization, emergency voice, user stabilization, polarization diversity and error control coding are also considered and their impact on the transponder design is evaluated.

Birch, J. N.↗

SATCOM antenna siting study on a P-3C using the NEC-BSC V3.1

The location of a UHF SATCOM antenna on a P-3C aircraft is studied using the NEC-Basic Scattering Code V3.1 (NEC-BSC3). The NEC-BSC3 is a computer code based on the uniform theory of diffraction. The code is first validated for this application using scale model measurements. In general, the comparisons are good except in 10 degree regions near the nose and tail of the aircraft. Patterns for various antenna locations are analyzed to achieve a prescripted performance.

Bensman, D.↗

User's manual for rocket combustor interactive design (ROCCID) and analysis computer program. Volume 1: User's manual

The user's manual for the rocket combustor interactive design (ROCCID) computer program is presented. The program, written in Fortran 77, provides a standardized methodology using state of the art codes and procedures for the analysis of a liquid rocket engine combustor's steady state combustion performance and combustion stability. The ROCCID is currently capable of analyzing mixed element injector patterns containing impinging like doublet or unlike triplet, showerhead, shear coaxial, and swirl coaxial elements as long as only one element type exists in each injector core, baffle, or barrier zone. Real propellant properties of oxygen, hydrogen, methane, propane, and RP-1 are included in ROCCID. The properties of other propellants can easily be added. The analysis model in ROCCID can account for the influence of acoustic cavities, helmholtz resonators, and radial thrust chamber baffles on combustion stability. ROCCID also contains the logic to interactively create a combustor design which meets input performance and stability goals. A preliminary design results from the application of historical correlations to the input design requirements. The steady state performance and combustion stability of this design is evaluated using the analysis models, and ROCCID guides the user as to the design changes required to satisfy the user's performance and stability goals, including the design of stability aids. Output from ROCCID includes a formatted input file for the standardized JANNAF engine performance prediction procedure.

Muss, J. A.↗

User's manual for rocket combustor interactive design (ROCCID) and analysis computer program. Volume 2: Appendixes A-K

The appendices A-K to the user's manual for the rocket combustor interactive design (ROCCID) computer program are presented. This includes installation instructions, flow charts, subroutine model documentation, and sample output files. The ROCCID program, written in Fortran 77, provides a standardized methodology using state of the art codes and procedures for the analysis of a liquid rocket engine combustor's steady state combustion performance and combustion stability. The ROCCID is currently capable of analyzing mixed element injector patterns containing impinging like doublet or unlike triplet, showerhead, shear coaxial and swirl coaxial elements as long as only one element type exists in each injector core, baffle, or barrier zone. Real propellant properties of oxygen, hydrogen, methane, propane, and RP-1 are included in ROCCID. The properties of other propellants can be easily added. The analysis models in ROCCID can account for the influences of acoustic cavities, helmholtz resonators, and radial thrust chamber baffles on combustion stability. ROCCID also contains the logic to interactively create a combustor design which meets input performance and stability goals. A preliminary design results from the application of historical correlations to the input design requirements. The steady state performance and combustion stability of this design is evaluated using the analysis models, and ROCCID guides the user as to the design changes required to satisfy the user's performance and stability goals, including the design of stability aids. Output from ROCCID includes a formatted input file for the standardized JANNAF engine performance prediction procedure.

Muss, J. A.↗

Visualization of the electrostatic potential distribution in both polar ionospheres using multiple satellite measurements

During the time from December 1991 through March 1992, there were four operational DMSP satellites in polar orbit. All four satellites carried the Special Sensor-Ions, Electrons, Scintillation (SSIES) plasma package which included an ion drift meter. Data from the drift meter, combined with the magnetic field data, allowed the calculation of the electrostatic potential in the ionosphere along the satellite's path. Simultaneous polar coverage by four satellites was unprecedented, providing researchers with almost continuous monitoring of the potential distribution in both hemispheres for the four month period. Combining the magnitude and location of the potential data from each of the four satellites in order to examine the varying potential distribution pattern in both hemispheres presented a major challenge in data visualization. The problem was solved by developing a three-dimensional presentation of the data where the potentials are color coded and represented by the vertical dimension. This paper presents examples from a computer animation of several days of data demonstrating evolution of the size and shape of the potential distribution, along with how these changes correspond to variations in other geophysical parameters, such as the IMF orientation and the K(sub p) index.

Hairston, Marc R.↗

CFD Predictions of Sonic-Boom Characteristics for Unmodified and Modified SR-71 Configurations

Shaped sonic-boom signatures refer to signatures that look something other than the typical N-waves. Shaped sonic-boom signatures such as "flat-top," "ramp-type," or "hybrid-type" waveforms have been shown to reduce the subjective loudness without requiring reductions in overpressure peaks. The shaping of sonic-boom signatures requires increasing the shock rise time and changes in frequency spectra. So far, a flat-top waveform was shown to be achievable in wind tunnels; however, the influence of long propagation distance and real atmosphere on shaped signatures should be addressed using flight tests. Two different approaches have been proposed for sonic-boom minimization flight tests. The first approach, proposed by Eagle Aerospace, is for a flight test using a modified BQM-34 "FIREBEE" remotely piloted vehicle. The 30-foot long FIREBEE has a steady state flight condition at the Mach number and altitude of interest, and it can be recovered by helicopter from the water. As an alternative approach, a modified SR-71 vehicle has been proposed by the McDonnell Douglas Corporation. Benefits of the SR-71 include its variable geometry supersonic inlets, small cockpit bulge, higher Mach number capabilities, slender design, and longer length (105 foot). The present investigation addresses the sonic-boom analysis for the second vehicle.The objective of the current investigation is to assess the feasibility of a modified SR-71 configuration, with McDonnell Douglas-designed fuselage modifications, intended to produce shaped sonic-boom signatures on the ground. The present study describes the use of a higher-order computational fluid dynamics (CFD) method to predict the sonic-boom characteristics for both unmodified and modified SR-71 configurations. An Euler unstructured grid methodology is used to predict the near-field, three-dimensional pressure patterns generated by both SR-71 models. The computed near-field pressure signatures are extrapolated to specified distances below the aircraft down to impingement on the ground using the code MDBOOM. Comparisons of the near-field pressure signatures with available flight-test data are presented in the current paper.

Fouladi, Kamran↗

Receiver Would Control Phasing of a Phased-Array Antenna

In a proposed digital signal-processing technique, a radio receiver would control the phasing of a phased-array antenna to aim the peaks of the antenna radiation pattern toward desired signal sources while aiming the nulls of the pattern toward interfering signal sources. The technique was conceived for use in a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver, for which the desired signal sources would be GPS satellites and typical interference sources would be terrestrial objects that cause multipath propagation. The technique could also be used to optimize reception in spread-spectrum cellular-telephone and military communication systems. During reception of radio signals in a conventional phased-array antenna system, received signals at their original carrier frequencies are phase-shifted, then combined by analog circuitry. The combination signal is then subjected to down-conversion and demodulation. In a system according to the proposed technique (see figure), the signal received by each antenna would be subjected to down-conversion, spread-spectrum demodulation, and correlation; this processing would be performed separately from, and simultaneously with, similar processing of signals received by the other antenna elements. Following analog down-conversion to baseband, the signals would be digitized, and all subsequent processing would be digital. In the digital process, residual carriers would be removed and each signal would be correlated with a locally generated model pseudorandum-noise code, all following normal GPS procedure. As part of this procedure, accumulated values would be added in software and the resulting signals would be phase-shifted in software by the amounts necessary to synthesize the desired antenna directional gain pattern of peaks and nulls. The principal advantage of this technique over the conventional radio-frequency-combining technique is that the parallel digital baseband processing of the signals from the various antenna elements would be a relatively inexpensive and flexible means for exploiting the inherent multiple-peak/multiple-null aiming capability of a phased-array antenna. In the original intended GPS application, the peaks and nulls could be directed independently for each GPS signal being tracked by the GPS receiver. The technique could also be applied to other code-division multiple-access communication systems.

Dunn, Charles E.↗

Applications of LANDSAT data to the integrated economic development of Mindoro, Phillipines

LANDSAT data is seen as providing essential up-to-date resource information for the planning process. LANDSAT data of Mindoro Island in the Philippines was processed to provide thematic maps showing patterns of agriculture, forest cover, terrain, wetlands and water turbidity. A hybrid approach using both supervised and unsupervised classification techniques resulted in 30 different scene classes which were subsequently color-coded and mapped at a scale of 1:250,000. In addition, intensive image analysis is being carried out in evaluating the images. The images, maps, and aerial statistics are being used to provide data to seven technical departments in planning the economic development of Mindoro. Multispectral aircraft imagery was collected to compliment the application of LANDSAT data and validate the classification results.

Wagner, T. W.↗

Simulation of the enhanced traffic alert and collision avoidance system (TCAS 2)

The OSU aircraft code is used to analyze and simulate the TCAS 2 circular array which is mounted on the fuselage of a Boeing 737 aircraft. It is shown that the sum and difference patterns radiated by the circular array are distorted by the various structures of the aircraft, i.e., wings, tail, etc. Furthermore, monopulse curves are calculated and plotted for several beam positions and THETA angles. As expected, the worst cases of distortion occur when the beams are pointed toward the tail of the aircraft.

Rojas, R. G.↗

Perspectives On Dilution Jet Mixing

NASA recently completed program of measurements and modeling of mixing of transverse jets with ducted crossflow, motivated by need to design or tailor temperature pattern at combustor exit in gas turbine engines. Objectives of program to identify dominant physical mechanisms governing mixing, extend empirical models to provide near-term predictive capability, and compare numerical code calculations with data to guide future analysis improvement efforts.

Holdeman, J. D.↗

Influence of Tooth Spacing Error on Gears With and Without Profile Modifications

A computer simulation was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of profile modification for reducing dynamic loads in gears with different tooth spacing errors. The simulation examined varying amplitudes of spacing error and differences in the span of teeth over which the error occurs. The modification considered included both linear and parabolic tip relief. The analysis considered spacing error that varies around most of the gear circumference (similar to a typical sinusoidal error pattern) as well as a shorter span of spacing errors that occurs on only a few teeth. The dynamic analysis was performed using a revised version of a NASA gear dynamics code, modified to add tooth spacing errors to the analysis. Results obtained from the investigation show that linear tip relief is more effective in reducing dynamic loads on gears with small spacing errors but parabolic tip relief becomes more effective as the amplitude of spacing error increases. In addition, the parabolic modification is more effective for the more severe error case where the error is spread over a longer span of teeth. The findings of this study can be used to design robust tooth profile modification for improving dynamic performance of gear sets with different tooth spacing errors.

Padmasolala, Giri↗

Searching for Organics, Fossils, and Biology on Mars

One of the goals of Astrobiology is to understand life on a fundamental level. All life on Earth is constructed from the same basic biochemical building blocks consisting of 20 amino acids with left handed symmetry, five nucleotides, a few sugars of right handed symmetry and some lipids. Using the metaphor of computers this is equivalent to saying that all life shares the same hardware. Beyond hardware similarity, it is now known that all life has fundamentally the same software. The genetic code of life is common to all organisms. Some have argued that the "hammer of evolution is heavy" and life anywhere is likely to be composed of identical biochemical and genetic patterns. However, in a system as complex as biochemistry it is likely that there are numerous local optima and the details of the optimum found by evolutionary selection on another world would likely depend on the initial conditions and random developments in the early biological history on that world. To address these fundamental questions in Astrobiology we need a second example of life: a second genesis.

McKay, Christopher P.↗

Detailed Characterization of CZT Detector Response for Improved Coded-Aperture Imaging Performance

Gamma-ray imaging is a powerful method for locating and quantifying sources of radiation. The coded-aperture technique demonstrates superior angular resolution in comparison to other methods (e.g., Compton reconstruction). In this method, a mask constructed of highly attenuating material encodes the scene as a shadow pattern on a position-sensitive detector; this pattern can then be used to recreate the origin(s) of incident radiation. This is typically done through convolution of the mask and shadow patterns. Iterative methods which attempt to reconstruct the observed shadow pattern using a weighted combination of simulated patterns may also be employed. In either case, errors in event position reconstruction due to detector imperfections alter the shadow pattern and will therefore degrade system performance and may introduce imaging artifacts. These effects can be mitigated with a detailed understanding of such errors – allowing for the generation of representative simulations that include the errors and/or correction of raw imager data to remove the errors. We present a calibration process for a commercially available cadmium zinc telluride (CZT) gamma imager which provides a comprehensive characterization of the spatial and energy dependence of event reconstruction. By illuminating a mask featuring a regular grid of pinholes with a calibration source, the localized response of the detector can be measured with fine granularity. These local responses are combined to generate a full detector response map which can be used to distort simulations in a manner that is representative of the observed detector data. Details of the calibration procedure and an assessment of the impact of its end products on the performance of iterative imaging methods will be presented.

Ziock, Klaus-Peter↗

Acoustic radiation from a thin airfoil in nonuniform subsonic flows

Noise resulting from the interaction of a three dimensional gust is modeled directly from unsteady aerodynamic codes. This paper provides bench mark results for the case of a thin airfoil for comparison with the more complex case of a loaded airfoil. It is shown that the acoustic pressure pattern strongly depends on the value of a certain reduced frequency. The effects of an oblique gust are examined and shown to significantly reduce the acoustic power for certain gust parameters range. The Acoustic power versus the gust frequency exhibits a maximum. High frequency and non-compact source effects are also investigated.

Atassi, H. M.↗

Advanced electromagnetic methods for aerospace vehicles

The Advanced Helicopter Electromagnetics (AHE) Industrial Associates Program has fruitfully completed its fourth year. Under the support of the AHE members and the joint effort of the research team, new and significant progress has been achieved in the year. Following the recommendations by the Advisory Task Force, the research effort is placed on more practical helicopter electromagnetic problems, such as HF antennas, composite materials, and antenna efficiencies. In this annual report, the main topics to be addressed include composite materials and antenna technology. The research work on each topic has been driven by the AHE consortium members' interests and needs. The remarkable achievements and progresses in each subject is reported respectively in individual sections of the report. The work in the area of composite materials includes: modeling of low conductivity composite materials by using Green's function approach; guidelines for composite material modeling by using the Green's function approach in the NEC code; development of 3-D volume mesh generator for modeling thick and volumetric dielectrics by using FD-TD method; modeling antenna elements mounted on a composite Comanche tail stabilizer; and antenna pattern control and efficiency estimate for a horn antenna loaded with composite dielectric materials.

Balanis, Constantine A.↗

Digitally Controlled Slot Coupled Patch Array

A four-element array conformed to a singly curved conducting surface has been demonstrated to provide 2 dB axial ratio of 14 percent, while maintaining VSWR (voltage standing wave ratio) of 2:1 and gain of 13 dBiC. The array is digitally controlled and can be scanned with the LMS Adaptive Algorithm using the power spectrum as the objective, as well as the Direction of Arrival (DoA) of the beam to set the amplitude of the power spectrum. The total height of the array above the conducting surface is 1.5 inches (3.8 cm). A uniquely configured microstrip-coupled aperture over a conducting surface produced supergain characteristics, achieving 12.5 dBiC across the 2-to-2.13- GHz and 2.2-to-2.3-GHz frequency bands. This design is optimized to retain VSWR and axial ratio across the band as well. The four elements are uniquely configured with respect to one another for performance enhancement, and the appropriate phase excitation to each element for scan can be found either by analytical beam synthesis using the genetic algorithm with the measured or simulated far field radiation pattern, or an adaptive algorithm implemented with the digitized signal. The commercially available tuners and field-programmable gate array (FPGA) boards utilized required precise phase coherent configuration control, and with custom code developed by Nokomis, Inc., were shown to be fully functional in a two-channel configuration controlled by FPGA boards. A four-channel tuner configuration and oscilloscope configuration were also demonstrated although algorithm post-processing was required.

D'Arista, Thomas↗