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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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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2012

The Primordial Inflation Explorer

The Primordial Inflation Explorer is an Explorer-class mission to measure the gravity-wave signature of primordial inflation through its distinctive imprint on the linear polarization of the cosmic microwave background. PIXIE uses an innovative optical design to achieve background-limited sensitivity in 400 spectral channels spanning 2.5 decades in frequency from 30 GHz to 6 THz (1 cm to 50 micron wavelength). The principal science goal is the detection and characterization of linear polarization from an inflationary epoch in the early universe, with tensor-to-scalar ratio r < 10(exp -3) at 5 standard deviations. The rich PIXIE data set will also constrain physical processes ranging from Big Bang cosmology to the nature of the first stars to physical conditions within the interstellar medium of the Galaxy. I describe the PIXIE instrument and mission architecture needed to detect the inflationary signature using only 4 semiconductor bolometers.

Kogut, Alan J.↗
NASA NTRS2002

Energetic Electron Populations in the Magnetosphere During Geomagnetic Storms and Substorms

This report summarizes the scientific work performed by the Aerospace Corporation under NASA Grant NAG5-10278, 'Energetic Electron Populations in the Magnetosphere during Geomagnetic Storms and Subsisting.' The period of performance for the Grant was March 1, 2001 to February 28, 2002. The following is a summary of the Statement of Work for this Grant. Use data from the PIXIE instrument on the Polar spacecraft from September 1998 onward to derive the statistical relationship between particle precipitation patterns and various geomagnetic activity indices. We are particularly interested in the occurrence of substorms during storm main phase and the efficacy of storms and substorms in injecting ring-current particles. We will compare stormtime simulations of the diffuse aurora using the models of Chen and Schulz with stormtime PIXIE measurements.

McKenzie, David L.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Supraoptimal carbon dioxide effects on growth of soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.]

In tightly closed environments used for human life support in space, carbon dioxide (CO2) partial pressures can reach 500 to 1000 Pa, which may be supraoptimal or toxic to plants used for life support. To study this, soybeans [Glycine max (L.) Merr. cvs. McCall and Pixie] were grown for 90 days at 50, 100, 200, and 500 Pa partial pressure CO2 (500, 1000, 2000, and 5000 ppm). Plants were grown using recirculating nutrient film technique with a 12-h photoperiod, a 26 degrees C/20 degrees C thermoperiod, and approximately 300 micromoles m-2 s-1 photosynthetic photon flux (PPF). Seed yield and total biomass were greatest at 100 Pa for cv. McCall, suggesting that higher CO2 levels were supraoptimal. Seed yield and total biomass for cv. Pixie showed little difference between CO2 treatments. Average stomatal conductance of upper canopy leaves at 50 Pa CO2 approximately 500 Pa > 200 Pa > 100 Pa. Total water use over 90 d for both cultivars (combined on one recirculating system) equalled 822 kg water for 100 Pa CO2, 845 kg for 50 Pa, 879 kg for 200 Pa, and 1194 kg for 500 Pa. Water use efficiences for both cultivars combined equalled 3.03 (g biomass kg-1 water) for 100 Pa CO2, 2.54 g kg-1 for 200 Pa, 2.42 g kg-1 for 50 Pa, and 1.91 g kg-1 for 500 Pa. The increased stomatal conductance and stand water use at the highest CO2 level (500 Pa) were unexpected and pose interesting considerations for managing plants in a tightly closed system where CO2 concentrations may reach high levels.

NASA Discipline Life Support Systems↗
NASA NTRS2019

Systematic Error Cancellation for a Four-Port Interferometric Polarimeter

The Primordial Inflation Explorer (PIXIE) is an Explorer-class mission concept to measure the gravitational-wave signature of primordial inflation through its distinctive imprint on the linear polarization of thecosmic microwave background (CMB). Its optical system couples a polarizing Fourier transform spectrometerto the sky to measure the differential signal between orthogonal linear polarization states from two co-pointedbeams on the sky. The double differential nature of the four-port measurement mitigates beam-related systematic errors common to the two-port systems used in most CMB measurements. Systematic errors coupling unpolarized temperature gradients to a false polarized signal cancel to first order for any individual detector. Thiscommon-mode cancellation is performed optically, prior to detection, and does not depend on the instrumentcalibration. Systematic errors coupling temperature to polarization cancel to second order when comparing signals from independent detectors. We describe the polarized beam patterns for PIXIE and assess the systematicerror for measurements of CMB polarization.

Kogut, Alan J.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Effects of elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations on water and acid requirements of soybeans grown in a recirculating hydroponic system

Establishing mass budgets of various crop needs, i.e. water and nutrients, in different environments is essential for the Controlled Ecological Life Support System (CELSS). The effects of CO2 (500 and 1000 umol mol (exp -1)) on water and acid use (for pH control) by soybeans in a recirculating hydroponic system were examined. Plants of cvs. McCall and Pixie were grown for 90 days using the nutrient film technique (NFT) and a nitrate based nutrient solution. System acid use for both CO2 levels peaked near 4 weeks during a phase of rapid vegetative growth, but acid use decreased more rapidly under 500 compared to 1000 umol mol (exp GR) CO2. Total system water use by 500 and 1000 umol mol (exp -1) plants was similar, leaving off at 5 weeks and declining as plants senesced (ca. 9 weeks). However, single leaf transpiration rates were consistently lower at 1000 umol mol (exp -1). The data suggest that high CO2 concentrations increase system acid (and nutrient) use because of increased vegetative growth, which in turn negates the benefit of reduced water use (lower transpiration rates) per unit leaf area.

Mackowiak, C. L.↗
NASA NTRS1998

Cultivation of Tomato Tissues Capable of Forming Flowers and Fruits in Vitro

The final phase of this research project was designed to develop a practical method for producing a steady supply of fresh cherry tomato fruits over a period of several months, for possible use as a fresh vegetable supplement to a standard diet of astronauts on extended missions. This effort was successful. We were able to excise immature flowers from Pixie tomato plants grown in a controlled condition room, implant them on artificial media under aseptic conditions, and get them to develop into edible fruits in a little over a month. The medium (Murashige-Skoog) was purchased from Sigma, supplemented with sugar plus a synthetic analog of the plant hormone cytokinin, and adjusted to pH 5.8. A temperature of at least 25 C and visible light helped to produce ripe red fruits within 7 weeks. To ensure a steady supply of such tomatoes, we found it possible to store the explanted flower buds in MS medium at 5 C for at least 6 weeks without significant loss of ability to develop into fruits. This means that many containers could be prepared before launch and put into a refrigerator; a convenient number could then be removed periodically to guarantee a succession of harvests during the life of an extended mission. Details are found in the attached reprints. Subsequent applications for funds for flight or continued research were denied, and the project was terminated.

Galston, Arthur W.↗
NASA NTRS1999

GEOTAIL and POLAR Observations of Auroral Kilometric Radiation and Terrestrial Low Frequency Bursts and their Relationship to Energetic Particles, Auroras, and Other Substorm Phenomena

Terrestrial low frequency (LF) bursts are plasma wave phenomena that appear to be a part of the low frequency end of the auroral kilometric radiation (AKR) spectrum and are observed during strong substorms, GEOTAIL and POLAR plasma wave observations from within the magnetosphere show that the AKR increases in intensity and its lower frequency limits decrease when LF bursts are observed. The first is expected as it is shows substorm onset and the latter indicates that the AKR source region is expanding to higher altitudes. Images from the POLAR VIS Earth Camera operating in the far-UV range and the POLAR UVI experiment usually feature an auroral brightening and an expansion of the aurora to higher latitudes at the time of the LF bursts. Enhanced fluxes of X-rays from precipitating electrons have also been observed by POLAR PIXIE. High resolution ground Abstract: magnetometer data from the CANOPUS and IMAGE networks show that the LF bursts occur when the expansive phase onset signatures are most intense. The ground magnetometer data and the CANOPUS meridian scanning photometer data sometimes show that during the LF burst events the expansive phase onset starts at unusually low latitudes and moves poleward. Large injections of energetic protons and electrons have also been detected by the GOES and LANL geosynchronous satellites during LF burst events. While most of the auroral brightenings and energetic particle injections associated with the LF bursts occur near local midnight, several have been observed as early as mid-afternoon. From these various measurements, we are achieving a better understanding of the plasma and particle motions during substorms that are associated with the generation and propagation of terrestrial LF bursts

Anderson, R . R.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Ethnic Differences in Bending Stiffness of the Ulna and Tibia

There is considerable information about the variations in bone mass associated with different opportunity to compare a mechanical property of bone in young college women of Caucasian, Hispanic and Asian descent who gave informed consent to participate in an exercise study. The subjects were sedentary, in good health, eumenorrheic, non-smokers and had body mass indices (BMI) less than 30. Measurements acquired were body weight, kg, and height, cm, calcaneal and wrist bone density, g/square cm (PIXI, Lunar GE) and bending stiffness (EI, Nm(exp 2)) in the ulna and tibia. E1 was determined non-invasively with an instrument called the Mechanical Response Tissue Analyzer (MRTA) that delivers a vibratory stimulus to the center of the ulna or tibia and analyzes the response curve based on the equation E1 = k(sub b) L(exp 3)/48 where k, is lateral bending stiffness, L is the length of the bone, E is Young's modulus of elasticity and I, the bending moment of inertia. The error of the test (CV) based on measurements of an aluminum rod with a known E1 was 4.8%, of calcaneal BMD, 0.54%, and of wrist bone density, 3.45%.

Arnaud, S. B.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Effect of High Impact or Non-impact Loading Activity on Bone Bending Stiffness and Mineral Density

Material properties of conical bone, including mineral density (BMD) and its geometry is closely related to its load-carrying capacity. These two primary components determine the strength of conical bone. High impact loading involving acceleration and deceleration movements used in gymnastics induce higher BMD of the affected bone compared to the non-impact acceleration and deceleration movements used in swimming. Study of these two groups of athletes on bone bending stiffness has not been reported. The purpose of this study was to compare differences in bone bending stiffness and BMD between competitive female synchronized swimmers and female gymnasts. Thirteen world class female synchronized swimmers (SYN) and 8 female gymnasts (GYM), mean age 21 +/- 2.9 yr. were recruited for this study. We used a mechanical response tissue analyzer (Gaitscan, NJ) to calculate EI, where E is Young's modulus of elasticity and I is the cross-sectional moment of inertia. EI was obtained from tissue response to a vibration probe placed directly on the skin of the mid-region of tibia and ulna. BMD of the heel and wrist were measured with a probe densitometer (PIXI, Lunor, WI). The SYN were taller than (p < 0.05) the GYM but weighed the same as the GYM. EI obtained from tibia and ulna of the SYN (291 +/- 159 and 41 +/- 19.4, respectively) were not significantly different from thc GYM (285 +/- 140 and 44 +/- 18.3, respectively). BMD of the heel and wrist in GYM were higher than in SYN (p < 0.001). High impact weight-bearing activities promote similar bone strength but greater BMD response than non-impact activities performed in a buoyant environment.

Liang, Michael T. C.↗
NASA NTRS2017

Tracing the Cosmological Evolution of Stars and Cold Gas with CMB Spectral Surveys

A full account of galaxy evolution in the context of ΛCDM cosmology requires measurements of the average star-formation rate (SFR) and cold gas abundance across cosmic time. Emission from the CO ladder traces cold gas, and [C II] fine structure emission at 158 μm traces the SFR. Intensity mapping surveys the cumulative surface brightness of emitting lines as a function of redshift, rather than individual galaxies. CMB spectral distortion instruments are sensitive to both the mean and anisotropy of the intensity of redshifted CO and [C II] emission. Large-scale anisotropy is proportional to the product of the mean surface brightness and the line luminosity-weighted bias. The bias provides a connection between galaxy evolution and its cosmological context, and is a unique asset of intensity mapping. Cross-correlation with galaxy redshift surveys allows unambiguous measurements of redshifted line brightness despite residual continuum contamination and interlopers. Measurement of line brightness through cross-correlation also evades cosmic variance and suggests new observation strategies. Galactic foreground emission is ≈10(exp 3) times larger than the expected signals, and this places stringent requirements on instrument calibration and stability. Under a range of assumptions, a linear combination of bands cleans continuum contamination sufficiently that residuals produce a modest penalty over the instrumental noise. For PIXIE, the 2σ sensitivity to CO and [C II] emission scales from »5 ´ 10-2 kJy sr-1 at low redshift to ≈2 kJy sr(exp -1) by reionization.

Switzer, Eric R.↗