Aerodynamic facilities
Wind tunnels and hypervelocity laboratory for environmental simulation testing studies
HYPERVELOCITY WIND TUNNEL↗
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Aerodynamics facilities
Environmental simulation facilities, biplanar optical systems for nonplanar free flight tests, hypersonic boom and air radiation measurements, and X-15 and wedge wake studies
OPTICAL EQUIPMENT↗
Induced shock pulse testing by transient waveform control
A method of synthesizing an arbitrarily shaped transient time pulse on vibration exciters is described. The transient waveform control technique is based on recent developments in digital time series analysis, the real-time FFT processor. A brief description of the theory, error estimates and hardware/software implementation to the JPL Dynamic Environmental Testing Laboratory is presented.
Kim, B. K.↗
Research with the space shuttle
The space-research capabilities of the Space Shuttle System are assessed in a review of its systems and instrumentation, visualizing the beginning of a new era for science in space with the start of shuttle operations expected in 1979. The Shuttle parameters are listed and the Large Space Telescope and the Plasma Physics and Environmental Perturbation Laboratory of the Shuttle are described. The Shuttle-based research in astronomy, atmospheric and space physics, high-energy astrophysics, and relativity is discussed. The versatile capabilities of the Shuttle as a plasma laboratory, a source of perturbation, and observing platform, and a particle precipitator are noted.
Naugle, J. E.↗
Results from the EPL monkey-pod experiment conducted as part of the 1974 NASA/Ames shuttle CVT-2
The participation of the Environmental Physiology Laboratory (EPL) in the general purpose laboratory concept verification test 3 is documented. The EPL Monkey-Pod Experiment was designed to incorporate a 10-12 kg, pig tailed monkey, Macaca nemestrina, into the pod and measure the physiological responses of the animal continuously. Four major elements comprise the EPL Monkey-Pod Experiment System: (1) a fiberglass pod containing the instrumented monkey plus feeder and watering devices, (2) an inner console containing the SKYLAB mass spectrometer with its associated valving and electronic controls, sensing, control and monitoring units for lower body negative pressure, feeder activity, waterer activity, temperatures, and gas metabolism calibration, (3) an umbilical complex comprising gas flow lines and electrical cabling between the inner and outer console and (4) an outer console in principle representing the experiment support to be provided from general spacecraft sources.
Rahlmann, D. F.↗
Results from the EPL monkey-pod flight experiments conducted aboard the NASA/Ames CV-990, May 1976
The participation of the Environmental Physiology Laboratory (EPL) in the general purpose laboratory concept verification test 3 is documented. The EPL Monkey-Pod Experiment was designed to incorporate a 10-12 kg, pig tailed monkey, Macaca nemestrina, into the pod and measure the physiological responses of the animal continously. Four major elements comprise the EPL Monkey-Pod Experiment System: (1) a fiberglass pod containing the instrumented monkey plus feeder and watering devices, (2) an inner console containing the SKYLAB mass spectrometer with its associated valving and electronic controls, sensing, control and monitoring units for lower body negative pressure, feeder activity, waterer activity, temperatures, and gas metabolism calibration, (3) an umbilical complex comprising gas flow lines and electrical cabling between the inner and outer console and (4) an outer console in principle representing the experiment support to be provided from general space craft sources.
Rahlmann, D. F.↗
Cardiovascular responses of the chronically instrumented monkey during simulated space flight
A pod enclosure system designed by the Environmental Physiology Laboratory at the University of California at Berkeley is found to be eminently suitable for work with monkeys. The pattern of cardiovascular activity is found to vary. In the first half of the exposure, the hourly mean values suggest an initial period of instability, most marked for heart rate, beginning at 'launch.' In the second half of the exposure, the final three days, the responses appear much more ordered, with a stable phase relationship between circadian shifts in heart rate and mean aortic pressure. Since the latter stability is more normal, the assumption is made that the animal had become adjusted to its situation. Imposition of a daily lower body negative pressure (LBNP) stress shows characteristic responses.
Mccutcheon, E. P.↗
Special report on the data collection programs for the ground based nitrogen washout experiment. Volume 1: User's guide
The Nitrogen Washout System measures nitrogen elimination on a breath basis from the body tissues of a subject breathing pure oxygen. The system serves as a prototype for a Space Shuttle Life Sciences experiment and in the Environmental Physiology Laboratory. Typically, a subject washes out body nitrogen for three hours while breathing oxygen from a mask enclosed in a positive-pressure oxygen tent. A nitrogen washout requires one test operator and the test subject. A DEC LSI-11/02 computer is used to (1) control and calibrate the mass spectrometer and Skylab spirometer, (2) gather and store experimental data and (3) provide limited real time analysis and more extensive post-experiment analysis. Five programs are used to gather and store the experimental data and perform all the real time control and analysis.
Bueker, P. A.↗
Flight critical system design guidelines and validation methods
Efforts being expended at NASA-Langley to define a validation methodology, techniques for comparing advanced systems concepts, and design guidelines for characterizing fault tolerant digital avionics are described with an emphasis on the capabilities of AIRLAB, an environmentally controlled laboratory. AIRLAB has VAX 11/750 and 11/780 computers with an aggregate of 22 Mb memory and over 650 Mb storage, interconnected at 256 kbaud. An additional computer is programmed to emulate digital devices. Ongoing work is easily accessed at user stations by either chronological or key word indexing. The CARE III program aids in analyzing the capabilities of test systems to recover from faults. An additional code, the semi-Markov unreliability program (SURE) generates upper and lower reliability bounds. The AIRLAB facility is mainly dedicated to research on designs of digital flight-critical systems which must have acceptable reliability before incorporation into aircraft control systems. The digital systems would be too costly to submit to a full battery of flight tests and must be initially examined with the AIRLAB simulation capabilities.
Holt, H. M.↗
Radiation damage and annealing of amorphous silicon solar cells
Amorphous silicon solar cells were irradiated with 1 MeV electrons at the Space Environmental Effects Laboratory of the NASA Langley Research Center. The cells accumulated a total fluence of 10 to the 14th, 10 to the 15th, and 10 to the 16th electrons per square centimeter and exhibited increasing degradation with each irradiation. This degradation was tracked by evaluating the I-V curves for AM0 illumination and the relative spectral response. The observed radiation damage was reversed following an anneal of the cells under vacuum at 200 C for 2 hours.
Byvik, C. E.↗
A new approach for data acquisition at the JPL space simulators
In 1990, a personal computer based data acquisition system was put into service for the Space Simulators and Environmental Test Laboratory at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California. The new system replaced an outdated minicomputer system which had been in use since 1980. This new data acquisition system was designed and built by JPL for the specific task of acquiring thermal test data in support of space simulation and thermal vacuum testing at JPL. The data acquisition system was designed using powerful personal computers and local-area-network (LAN) technology. Reliability, expandability, and maintainability were some of the most important criteria in the design of the data system and in the selection of hardware and software components. The data acquisition system is used to record both test chamber operational data and thermal data from the unit under test. Tests are conducted in numerous small thermal vacuum chambers and in the large solar simulator and range in size from individual components using only 2 or 3 thermocouples to entire planetary spacecraft requiring in excess of 1200 channels of test data. The system supports several of these tests running concurrently. The previous data system is described along with reasons for its replacement, the types of data acquired, the new data system, and the benefits obtained from the new system including information on tests performed to date.
Fisher, Terry C.↗
Research and test facilities
A description is given of each of the following Langley research and test facilities: 0.3-Meter Transonic Cryogenic Tunnel, 7-by 10-Foot High Speed Tunnel, 8-Foot Transonic Pressure Tunnel, 13-Inch Magnetic Suspension & Balance System, 14-by 22-Foot Subsonic Tunnel, 16-Foot Transonic Tunnel, 16-by 24-Inch Water Tunnel, 20-Foot Vertical Spin Tunnel, 30-by 60-Foot Wind Tunnel, Advanced Civil Transport Simulator (ACTS), Advanced Technology Research Laboratory, Aerospace Controls Research Laboratory (ACRL), Aerothermal Loads Complex, Aircraft Landing Dynamics Facility (ALDF), Avionics Integration Research Laboratory, Basic Aerodynamics Research Tunnel (BART), Compact Range Test Facility, Differential Maneuvering Simulator (DMS), Enhanced/Synthetic Vision & Spatial Displays Laboratory, Experimental Test Range (ETR) Flight Research Facility, General Aviation Simulator (GAS), High Intensity Radiated Fields Facility, Human Engineering Methods Laboratory, Hypersonic Facilities Complex, Impact Dynamics Research Facility, Jet Noise Laboratory & Anechoic Jet Facility, Light Alloy Laboratory, Low Frequency Antenna Test Facility, Low Turbulence Pressure Tunnel, Mechanics of Metals Laboratory, National Transonic Facility (NTF), NDE Research Laboratory, Polymers & Composites Laboratory, Pyrotechnic Test Facility, Quiet Flow Facility, Robotics Facilities, Scientific Visualization System, Scramjet Test Complex, Space Materials Research Laboratory, Space Simulation & Environmental Test Complex, Structural Dynamics Research Laboratory, Structural Dynamics Test Beds, Structures & Materials Research Laboratory, Supersonic Low Disturbance Pilot Tunnel, Thermal Acoustic Fatigue Apparatus (TAFA), Transonic Dynamics Tunnel (TDT), Transport Systems Research Vehicle, Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel, and the Visual Motion Simulator (VMS).
Source record↗
Observations of water vapor by ground-based microwave radiometers and Raman lidar
In November to December 1991, a substantial number of remote sensors and in situ instruments were operated together in Coffeyville, Kansas, during the climate experiment First ISCCP Regional Experiment Phase 2 (FIRE 2). Includede in the suite of instruments were (1) the NOAA Environmental Technology Laboratory (ETL) three-channel microwave radiometer, (2) the NASA GSFC Raman lidar, (3) ETL radio acoustic sounding system (RASS), and (4) frequent, research-quality radiosondes. The Raman lidar operated only at night and the focus of this portion of the experiment concentrated on clear conditions. The lidar data, together with frequent radiosondes and measurements of temperature profiles (every 15 min) by RASS allowed profiles of temperature and absolute humidity to be estimated every minute. We compared 20 min measurements of brightness temperature (T(sub b) with calculations of T(sub b) that were based on the Liebe and Layton (1987) and Liebe et al. (1993) microwave propagation models, as well as the Waters (1976) model. The comparisons showed the best agreement at 20.6 GHz with the Waters model, with the Liebe et al. (1993) model being best at 31.65 GHz. The results at 90 GHz gave about equal success with the Liebe and Layton (1987) and Liebe et al. (1993) models. Comparisons of precipitable water vapor derived independently from the two instruments also showed excellent agreement, even for averages as short as 2 min. The rms difference between Raman and radiometric determinations of precipitable water vapor was 0.03 cm which is roughly 2%. The experiments clearly demonstrate the potential of simultaneous operation of radiometers and Raman lidars for fundamental physical studies of water vapor.
Han, Yong↗
The Multi-Center Airborne Coherent Atmospheric Wind Sensor, MACAWS
In 1992 the atmospheric lidar remote sensing groups of the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, NOAA Environmental Technology Laboratory, and Jet Propulsion Laboratory began a joint collaboration to develop an airborne high-energy Doppler laser radar (lidar) system for atmospheric research and satellite validation and simulation studies. The result is the Multi-center Airborne Coherent Atmospheric Wind Sensor, MACAWS, which has the capability to remotely sense the distribution of wind and absolute aerosol backscatter in the troposphere and lower stratosphere. A factor critical to the programmatic feasibility and technical success of this collaboration has been the utilization of existing components and expertise which were developed for previous atmospheric research by the respective institutions. The motivation for the MACAWS program Is three-fold: to obtain fundamental measurements of sub-synoptic scale processes and features which may be used as a basis to improve sub-grid scale parameterizations in large-scale models; to obtain similar datasets in order to improve the understanding and predictive capabilities on the mesoscale; and to validate (simulate) the performance of existing (planned) satellite-borne sensors. Examples of the latter include participation in the validation of the NASA Scatterometer and the assessment of prospective satellite Doppler lidar for global tropospheric wind measurement. Initial flight tests were made in September 1995; subsequent flights were made in June 1996 following improvements. This paper describes the MACAWS instrument, principles of operation, examples of measurements over the eastern Pacific Ocean and western United States, and future applications.
Rothermel, Jeffry↗
Remote Sensing of Multi-Level Wind Fields with High-Energy Airborne Scanning Coherent Doppler Lidar
The atmospheric lidar remote sensing groups of NOAA Environmental Technology Laboratory, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, and Jet Propulsion Laboratory have developed and flown a scanning, 1 Joule per pulse, CO2 coherent Doppler lidar capable of mapping a three-dimensional volume of atmospheric winds and aerosol backscatter in the troposphere and lower stratosphere. Applications include the study of severe and non-severe atmospheric flows, intercomparisons with other sensors, and the simulation of prospective satellite Doppler lidar wind profilers. Examples of wind measurements are given for the marine boundary layer and near the coastline of the western United States.
Rothermel, Jeffry↗
The Multi-Center Airborne Coherent Atmospheric Wind Sensor: Recent Measurements and Future Applications
The atmospheric lidar remote sensing groups of NOAA Environmental Technology Laboratory, Jet Propulsion Laboratory and NASA Marshall Space Flight Center jointly developed an airborne scanning coherent Doppler Lidar. We describe the system, present recent measurement (including the first wind fields measured within a hurricane using Doppler lidar), and describe prospective instrument improvements and research applications.
Rothermel, Jeffry↗
The Multi-Center Airborne Coherent Atmospheric Wind Sensor: Recent Measurements and Future Applications
The coherent Doppler lidar, when operated from an airborne platform, offers a unique measurement capability for study of atmospheric dynamical and physical properties. This is especially true for scientific objectives requiring measurements in optically-clear air, where other remote sensing technologies such as Doppler radar are at a disadvantage in terms of spatial resolution and coverage. Recent experience suggests airborne coherent Doppler lidar can yield unique wind measurements of--and during operation within--extreme weather phenomena. This paper presents the first airborne coherent Doppler lidar measurements of hurricane wind fields. The lidar atmospheric remote sensing groups of National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Marshall Space Flight Center, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Environmental Technology Laboratory, and Jet Propulsion Laboratory jointly developed an airborne lidar system, the Multi-center Airborne Coherent Atmospheric Wind Sensor (MACAWS). The centerpiece of MACAWS is the lidar transmitter from the highly successful NOAA Windvan. Other field-tested lidar components have also been used, when feasible, to reduce costs and development time. The methodology for remotely sensing atmospheric wind fields with scanning coherent Doppler lidar was demonstrated in 1981; enhancements were made and the system was reflown in 1984. MACAWS has potentially greater scientific utility, compared to the original airborne scanning lidar system, owing to a factor of approx. 60 greater energy-per-pulse from the NOAA transmitter. MACAWS development was completed and the system was first flown in 1995. Following enhancements to improve performance, the system was re-flown in 1996 and 1998. The scientific motivation for MACAWS is three-fold: obtain fundamental measurements of subgrid scale (i.e., approx. 2-200 km) processes and features which may be used to improve parameterizations in hydrological, climate, and general/regional circulation models; obtain similar datasets to improve understanding and predictive capabilities for similarly-scaled processes and features; and simulate and validate the performance of prospective satellite Doppler lidars for global tropospheric wind measurement.
Rothermel, Jeffry↗
Hurricane Wind Field Measurements with Scanning Airborne Doppler Lidar During CAMEX-3
During the 1998 Convection and Moisture Experiment (CAMEX-3), the first hurricane wind field measurements with Doppler lidar were achieved. Wind fields were mapped within the eye, along the eyewall, in the central dense overcast, and in the marine boundary layer encompassing the inflow region. Spatial coverage was determined primarily by cloud distribution and opacity. Within optically-thin cirrus slant range of 20- 25 km was achieved, whereas no propagation was obtained during penetration of dense cloud. Measurements were obtained with the Multi-center Airborne Coherent Atmospheric Wind Sensor (MACAWS) on the NASA DC-8 research aircraft. MACAWS was developed and operated cooperatively by the atmospheric lidar remote sensing groups of NOAA Environmental Technology Laboratory, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, and Jet Propulsion Laboratory. A pseudo-dual Doppler technique ("co-planar scanning") is used to map the horizontal component of the wind at several vertical levels. Pulses from the laser are directed out the left side of the aircraft in the desired directions using computer-controlled rotating prisms. Upon exiting the aircraft, the beam is completely eyesafe. Aircraft attitude and speed are taken into account during real-time signal processing, resulting in determination of the ground-relative wind to an accuracy of about 1 m/s magnitude and about 10 deg direction. Beam pointing angle errors are about 0.1 deg, equivalent to about 17 m at 10 km. Horizontal resolution is about 1 km (along-track) for typical signal processor and scanner settings; vertical resolution varies with range. Results from CAMEX-3 suggest that scanning Doppler wind lidar can complement airborne Doppler radar by providing wind field measurements in regions that are devoid of hydrometeors. At present MACAWS observations are being assimilated into experimental forecast models and satellite Doppler wind lidar simulations to evaluate the relative impact.
Rothermel, Jeffry↗