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The observational data obtained during the occultation are of sufficient quality to determine the occultation radius and to support the inference that Ganymede does possess at least a modest atmosphere. Assuming a circular cross section, the diameter of Ganymede was found to be 5271 km. Effects of the atmosphere on the accuracy of the value obtained for the Ganymede diameter are discussed.
Pressure distributions around circular and circular/strake cylinders were measured in a wind tunnel at Mach numbers from 0.6 to 1.2 with Reynolds number independently variable from 10,000 to 100,000. The local pressures are integrated over the cylinder surface to determine the variation of drag coefficient with both Mach number and Reynolds number. Effects of tunnel blockage are evaluated by comparing results from circular cylinders of various diameters at common Mach and Reynolds number conditions. Compressibility effects are concluded to be responsible for a flight reduction of the drag coefficient near Mach 0.7. Drag increases with strake height, presumably approaching a maximum drag corresponding to a flat plate configuration.
Estimation of rainfall integral parameters, including radar observables, and empirical relations between them are sensitive to the truncation of the drop size distribution (DSD), particularly at the large drop end. The sensitivity of rainfall integral parameters to the maximum drop diameter (D(sub max)) is exacerbated at C‐band since resonance effects are pronounced for large drops in excess of 5 mm diameter (D). Due to sampling limitations, it is often difficult to reliably estimate D(sub max) with disdrometers. The resulting uncertainties in D(sub max0 potentially increase errors in radar retrieval methods, particularly at C‐band, that rely on disdrometer observations for DSD input to radar models. In fact, D(sub max) is typically an assumed DSD parameter in the development of radar retrieval methods. Because of these very uncertainties, it is difficult to independently confirm disdrometer estimates of D(sub max) with polarimetric radar observations. A couple of approaches can be taken to reduce uncertainty in large drop measurement. Longer integration times can be used for the collection of larger disdrometer samples. However, integration periods must be consistent with a radar resolution volume (RRV) and the temporal and spatial scales of the physical processes affecting the DSD therein. Multiple co‐located disdrometers can be combined into a network to increase the sample size within a RRV. However, over a reasonable integration period, a single disdrometer sample volume is many orders of magnitudes less than a RRV so it is not practical to devise a network of disdrometers that has an equivalent volume to a typical RRV. Since knowledge of DSD heterogeneity and large drop occurrence in time and space is lacking, the specific accuracy or even general representativeness of disdrometer based D(sub max) and large drop concentration estimates within a RRV are currently unknown. To address this complex issue, we begin with a simpler question. Is the frequency of occurrence of large rain drops (D > 5 mm) in disdrometer observations, either stand alone or networked, generally representative and consistent with polarimetric radar observations? We first show from simulations that the concentration of large (D > 5 mm) rain drops (N(sub T5)) can be estimated from polarimetric observations of specific differential phase (K(sub dp)) and differential reflectivity (Z(sub dr)), N(sub T5)=F(K(sub dp),Z(sub dr)), or horizontal reflectivity (Z(sub h)) and Z(sub dr), N(sub T5)=(Z(sub h),Z(sub dr)). We assess the error associated with polarimetric retrieval of N(sub T5), including sensitivity to D(sub max) parameterization assumptions and measurement error in the radar simulations. Polarimetric measurements at S‐band and C‐band will then be used to retrieve estimates of N(sub T5) and compared to disdrometer estimates of N(sub T5). After careful consideration of retrieval error, we will check consistency between disdrometer and polarimetric radar estimates of N(sub T5) and the frequency of occurrence of large rain drops in a variety of precipitating regimes using data from NASA's Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Ground Validation (GV) program, including field campaigns such as MC3E (Oklahoma) and IFloodS (Iowa) and extended measurements over Huntsville, Alabama and NASA Wallops Flight Facility in coastal Virginia.
Towed and sting-supported cones were tested in the wake of various payloads at supersonic speeds to determine their drag and stability characteristics. The investigation extended over a Mach number range from 1.57 to 4.65 and included such variables as Reynolds number, cone angle, ratio of cone base diameter to payload base diameter, and trailing distance. The results of this investigation showed that the cones towed in the wake of a symmetrical payload at supersonic speeds, in general, have good drag and stability characteristics if towed in the supersonic flow region. A cone with an included angle between 80 deg and 90 deg will give maximum drag while still maintaining stability in the Mach number region of this investigation. In order to minimize wake effects, the ratio of cone base diameter to payload base diameter should be at least one and preferably around three. A trailing distance of three times the payload base diameter, in most cases, is of sufficient length to avoid low drag and instability of the decelerator.
Martian highland craters typically lack ejecta deposits, have no noticeable rim, and are flat floored. In addition, crater size frequency distribution curves show that highland craters have depleted populations less than 20 km in diameter. A variety of processes have been suggested to explain these observations including deposition of aeolian or volcanic materials up to the crater rim crests, thermal creep, terrain softening, and mass wasting. However, none of these processes adequately explains both the crater morphology and population distribution. In order to explain both the Martian highland crater morphology and population distribution, a fluvial process is proposed which is capable of removing the loose crater rim material. The resulting effect is to decrease the crater diameter, thereby causing the population curves to bendover. The eroded material is redistributed, burying or partially burying smaller diameter craters before complete erosion. This material may also be deposited into local topographic lows, creating the depositional basins observed. A fluvial process explains both sets of observations: crater morphology and crater population distribution curves.
The performance of a variable-area stator, axial flow power turbine was determined in a cold-air component research rig for two inlet duct configurations. The two ducts were an interstage diffuser duct and an accelerated-flow inlet duct which produced stator inlet boundary layer flow blockages of 11 percent and 3 percent, respectively. Turbine blade total efficiency at design point was measured to be 5.3 percent greater with the accelerated-flow inlet duct installed due to the reduction in inlet blockage. Blade component measurements show that of this performance improvement, 35 percent occurred in the stator and 65 percent occurred in the rotor. Analysis of inlet duct internal flow using an Axisymmetric Diffuser Duct Code (ADD Code) were in substantial agreement with the test data.
The performance of a variable-area stator, axial flow power turbine was determined in a cold-air component research rig for two inlet duct configurations. The two ducts were an interstage diffuser duct and an accelerated-flow inlet duct which produced stator inlet boundary layer flow blockages of 11 percent and 3 percent, respectively. Turbine blade total efficiency at design point was measured to be 5.3 percent greater with the accelerated-flow inlet duct installed due to the reduction in inlet blockage. Blade component measurements show that of this performance improvement, 35 percent occurred in the stator and 65 percent occurred in the rotor. Analysis of inlet duct internal flow using an Axisymmetric Diffuser Duct Code (ADD Code) were in substantial agreement with the test data.
Experiments showed that stray magnetic fields can adversely affect the capacity of a hollow cathode neutralizer to couple to an ion beam. Magnetic field strength at the neutralizer cathode orifice is a crucial factor influencing the coupling voltage. The effects of electrostatic accelerator grid aperture diameters on the ion current extraction capabilities were examined experimentally to describe the divergence, deflection, and current extraction capabilities of grids with the screen and accelerator apertures displaced relative to one another. Experiments performed in orificed, mercury hollow cathodes support the model of field enhanced thermionic electron mission from cathode inserts. Tests supported the validity of a thermal model of the cathode insert. A theoretical justification of a Saha equation model relating cathode plasma properties is presented. Experiments suggest that ion loss rates to discharge chamber walls can be controlled. A series of new discharge chamber magnetic field configurations were generated in the flexible magnetic field thruster and their effect on performance was examined. A technique used in the thruster to measure ion currents to discharge chamber walls is described. Using these ion currents the fraction of ions produced that are extracted from the discharge chamber and the energy cost of plasma ions are computed.
We perform theoretical calculations of the canopy thermal infrared (TIR) hot spot using a first principles 3-D model described earlier. Various theoretical canopies of varying leaf size and for differing canopy height are used to illustrate the magnitude of the TIR effect. Our results are similar to predicted behavior in the reflective hot spot as a function of canopy geometry and comparable to TIR measurements from the literature and our own simple ground experiments. We apply the MODTRAN atmospheric code to estimate the at-sensor variation in brightness temperature with view direction in the solar principal plane. For simple homogeneous canopies, we predict canopy thermal infrared hot spot variations of 2 degrees C at the surface with respect to nadir viewing. Dependence on leaf size is weak as long as the ratio of leaf size to canopy height is maintained. However, the angular width of the hot spot increases as the ratio of leaf diameter to canopy height increases. Atmospheric effects minimize but do not eliminate the TIR hot spot at satellite altitudes.
An altitude-wind-tunnel investigation has been made to determine the performance of Hamilton Standard 6507A-2 four-blade and three-blade propellers on a YP-47M airplane at high blade loadings and high engine powers. Characteristics of the four-blase propeller were obtained for a range of power coefficients from 0.10 to 1.00 at free-stream Mach numbers of 0.20, 0.30, 0.40. Characteristics of the three-blade propeller were obtained for a range of power coefficients from 0.30 to 1.00 at a free-stream Mach number of 0.40. Results of the force measurements indicate primarily the trend of propeller efficiency for changes in power coefficient or advance-diameter ratio because no corrections for the effects of tunnel-wall constriction on the installation were applied. Slipstream surveys are presented to illustrate blade thrust load distribution for certain operating conditions. Within the range of advance-diameter ratios investigated at each free-stream Mach number, the efficiency of the four-blade propeller decreased as the power coefficient was increased from 0.10 to 1.00. For the three-blade propeller, nearly constant maximum efficiencies were obtained for power coefficients from 0.32 to 0.63 at advance-diameter ratios between 1.90 and 3.00. In general, for conditions below the stall and critical tip Mach number, the maximum thrust load shifted from the inboard sections toward the tip sections as the power coefficient was increased or as the advance-diameter ratio was decreased. For conditions beyond the stall or critical tip Mach number, losses in thrust occurred on the outboard blade sections owing to flow break-down; the thrust load increased slightly on the inboard sections.
Current collection in plasmas by a static bare tether is studied. Considering the geometry effect, we modify the static Parker-Murphy current collection model to accommodate a cylindrical probe. It is shown that a long cylindrical configuration (length is much greater than diameter) can collect more current than the spherical configuration whose effective surface area and surface potential are identical. However, when the cylinder is not long (length and diameter are same order), it collects less current than the effective sphere. This indicates that Myers et al. might over estimate the PM current when they neglected the geometry effect. Compared to the orbit limit model and the chamber experiment, our predictions are in the range of the adiabatic limits and the upper-bound currents obtained by Rubinstein and Laframboise. It shows that the present results are in agreement with the bare tether chamber test experimental data given by Sorenson, Stone, and Wright. In addition we have applied this model to study the IR drop and the orientation effects which are important in the space condition.
A test method has been published for measuring forces from bird cadavers and artificial birds to demonstrate equivalency to support the use of artificial birds in aircraft certification testing. The test method involves a large diameter Hopkinson bar as the technique for measuring and comparing forces. The method involves the assumption that a force on one end of the bar results in a one-dimensional plane wave that travels down the bar. To avoid reflected waves from the end of the bar overlapping the input pulse, and due to practical limitations on the length of the bar, strain transducers are located relatively close to the impacted face of the bar, raising questions about the validity of the assumption of one-dimensional wave propagation. In addition, the large diameter of the bar can introduce dispersion effects in the propagated pulse. These must be assessed to determine the impact on the accuracy of impact force measurements and, if significant, dispersion correction techniques must be used. In this study analytical, experimental, and computational methods are used to analyze the wave propagation characteristics for impact forces expected from realistic bird impacts. While wave dispersion and effects of non-concentric impacts are present, the resulting errors are relatively small. For the response we expect to see in bird impacts up to velocities of approximately 300 m/sec the large diameter Hopkinson bar test appears to be an acceptable method for measuring the impact forces and comparing the response of real and proposed artificial birds.
The study of the behavior of granular materials such as sand is of great importance to the understanding of the response of foundations resting on surface and near-surface soil deposits. A clear understanding of the behavior of such materials can also provide insights into other related issues where low effective stresses are encountered such as liquefaction. The main sources of the constitutive and stability properties of cohesionless granular materials is interparticle friction, which in turn under low confinement stress levels is strongly affected by gravitational body forces under terrestrial (1 gravity) conditions. Under moderate-to-high stress levels, the influence of gravity on the behavior of experiments may not be pronounced and therefore the test results in a terrestrial environment may be acceptable for engineering purposes. However, the conduct of experiments on granular materials under very low stress levels and under quasi-static conditions can only be performed in a microgravity environment. A series of displacement-controlled cyclic triaxial compression experiments were performed in a SPACEHAB module on the Space Shuttle during the STS-79 mission to Mir in September, 1996, and the STS-89 mission in January, 1998. The experiments were conducted on six right cylindrical specimens 75 mm in diameter and 150 mm long at effective confining pressures of 0.05, 0.52 and 1.30 kPa. The results show very high peak strength friction angles in the range of 47.6 to 70.0 degrees, which are mainly due to overconsolidation and grain interlocking effects. It was observed that the residual strength levels were in the same range as that observed at higher confining stress levels. The dilatancy angles were unusually high in the range of 30 to 31 degrees. All specimens display substantial initial stiffnesses and elastic moduli during unloading and reloading events, which are nearly an order of magnitude higher than conventional theories predict. A periodic instability phenomenon which appears to result from buckling of multiple internal arches and columnar systems, augmented by stick-slips was observed in the experiments. Computed Tomography (CT) measurements revealed valuable data about the internal fabric and the specimens deformation patterns. Uniform diffuse bifurcation with multiple radial shear bands was observed in the specimens tested in a microgravity environment. In the axial direction, two major conical surfaces were developed. Spatial nonsymmetrical deformations were observed in specimens tested in terrestrial laboratory.
An experimental study of the effects of various modifications to the hollow cathode discharge region of a 20 cm electron bombardment ion thruster is presented. The introduction of electrical insulation between the main and cathode discharge regions is shown to have no significant effect on thruster performance. Adjustment of both the diameter and length of the cathode discharge region from the design condition are examined and the reduced sizes are shown to effect large improvements in propellant utilization when the thruster is operating at about 30% of the design thrust level. Performance improvements are shown to be less significant at higher thrust levels. The feasibility of using a high voltage tickler electrode to initiate the cathode-keeper discharge is considered and results obtained suggest this mode of startup is unsatisfactory.
The effects of two weeks of hind-limb suspension (HS) on the functional properties of slow-twitch and fast-twitch single fibers isolated from the predominantly slow-twitch soleus and fast-twitch gastrocnemius of the suspended leg of rats were investigated. Single fibers were suspended between a motor arm and force transducer, and, after their functional properties were studied, the fiber type was established by the myosin heavy chain analysis. It was found that, after HS, the greatest decrease in diameter and a reduction in peak tension occurred in slow-twitch fibers from soleus, followed by slow-twitch fibers from gastrocnemius. Fast-twitch fibers from the red gastrocnemius showed a significant reduction in diameter but no change in peak tension. No effect of HS was observed on the diameter of the fast-twitch fibers from the white gastsrocnemius (which is known to contain 87 percent fast glycolytic fibers).
A wind-tunnel investigation has been made to determine the ground effect on the aerodynamic characteristics of a lifting circular cylinder using tangential blowing from surface slots to generate high lift coefficients. The tests were made on a semispan model having a length 4 times the cylinder diameter and an end plate of 2.5 diameters. The tests were made at low speeds at a Reynolds number of approximately 290,000, over a range of momentum coefficients from 0.14 to 4.60, and over a range of groundboard heights from 1.5 to 10 cylinder diameters. The investigation showed an earlier stall angle and a large loss of lift coefficient as the groundboard was brought close to the cylinder when large lift coefficients were being generated. For example, at a momentum coefficient of 4.60 the maximum lift coefficient was reduced from a value of 20.3 at a groundboard height of 10 cylinder diameters to a value of 8.7 at a groundboard height of 1.5 cylinder diameters. In contrast to this there was little effect on the lift characteristics of changes in groundboard height when lift coefficients of about 4.5 were being generated. At a height of 1.5 cylinder diameters the drag coefficients generally increased rapidly when the slot position angle for maximum lift was exceeded. Slightly below the slot position angle for maximum lift, the groundboard had a beneficial effect, that is, the drag for a given lift was less near the groundboard than away from the groundboard. The variation of maximum circulation lift coefficient (maximum lift coefficient minus momentum coefficient) obtained in this investigation is in general agreement with a theory developed for a jet-flap wing which assumes that the loss in circulation is the result of blockage of the main stream beneath the wing.
A test of a 0.563 percent scale space shuttle Solid Rocket Booster (SRB) model, MSFC Model 449, was conducted in a trisonic wind tunnel. Test Mach numbers were 0.4, 0.6, 0.9, 1.2, 1.96, 3.48, 4.0, 4.45, and 4.96. Test angles-of-attack ranged from minus 10 degrees to 190 degrees. Test Reynolds numbers ranged from 3.0 million per foot to 8.6 million per foot. Test roll angles were 0, 11.25, 22.5, 45, and 90 degrees. In addition to the static stability evaluation of the primary SRB configuration, five parametric investigations were made: (1) effect of Reynolds number, (2) effect of engine shroud flare angle, (3) effect of engine shroud length, (4) effect of engine shroud strakes, and (5) effect of engine shroud strakes and trust vector control bottles.
Effects of droplet interactions on drag, evaporation, and combustion of a planar droplet array, oriented perpendicular to the approaching flow, are studied numerically. The three-dimensional Navier-Stokes equations, with variable thermophysical properties, are solved using finite-difference techniques. Parameters investigated include the droplet spacing, droplet Reynolds number, approaching stream oxygen concentration, and fuel type. Results are obtained for the Reynolds number range of 5 to 100, droplet spacing from 2 to 24 diameters, oxygen concentrations of 0.1 and 0.2, and methanol and n-butanol fuels. The calculations show that the gasification rates of interacting droplets decrease as the droplet spacings decrease. The reduction in gasification rates is significant only at small spacings and low Reynolds numbers. For the present array orientation, the effects of interactions on the gasification rates diminish rapidly for Reynolds numbers greater than 10 and spacings greater than 6 droplet diameters. The effects of adjacent droplets on drag are shown to be small.