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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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NASA NTRS1986

Benchmark full configuration-interaction calculations on H2O, F, and

Full configuration-interaction calculations are reported, and compared to other methods, for H2O at its equilibrium geometry and at two geometries with the H-O bonds stretched. Since the percentage of the self-consistent field (SCF) reference in the full configuration-interaction (FCI) wave function decreases greatly with the bond elongation, the accuracy of techniques based on a single reference do not compare well with the FCI results. However, the results from a complete active space SCF/multireference configuration-interaction (CASSCF/MRCI) treatment are in good agreement with the FCI. Correlation effects in F compared to Ne are far more similar than for Fcompared to Ne, despite F- and Ne being isoelectronic. Since the importance of higher than double excitations is more important for F- than F, a very high percentage of the correlation must be obtained to accurately compute the electron affinity. In a CASSCF/MRCI treatment the higher than quadruple excitations contribute 0.02 eV to the electron affinity (EA), even for modest basis sets.

Bauschlicher, C. W., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Holographic matched filter for full-field in-line signal processing of optical-fiber sensor outputs

A holographic matched filter is used to measure the changes in the output of a dual-mode fiber undergoing axial strain. The hologram is formed by interfering collimated light from a single-mode reference fiber and an unstrained dual-mode sensor fiber on a small piece of holographic material. When the hologram is illuminated by the strained sensor fiber, the cross-correlation field comparing the dual-mode output and its previous state, as recorded in the hologram, is collected, focused into a pick-up fiber, and sent to a photodiode. This arrangement allows for a compact, in-line method for full-field processing of the strain-induced changes in phase and amplitude in the sensor fiber. Other uses of such fiber-based correlators are suggested.

Indebetouw, Guy↗
NASA NTRS2000

Ultra-High Density Holographic Memory Module with Solid-State Architecture

NASA's terrestrial. space, and deep-space missions require technology that allows storing. retrieving, and processing a large volume of information. Holographic memory offers high-density data storage with parallel access and high throughput. Several methods exist for data multiplexing based on the fundamental principles of volume hologram selectivity. We recently demonstrated that a spatial (amplitude-phase) encoding of the reference wave (SERW) looks promising as a way to increase the storage density. The SERW hologram offers a method other than traditional methods of selectivity, such as spatial de-correlation between recorded and reconstruction fields, In this report we present the experimental results of the SERW-hologram memory module with solid-state architecture, which is of particular interest for space operations.

Markov, Vladimir B.↗
NASA NTRS2014

Global-Scale Comparison of Passive (SMOS) and Active (ASCAT) Satellite Based Microwave Soil Moisture Retrievals with Soil Moisture Simulations (MERRA-Land)

Global surface soil moisture (SSM) datasets are being produced based on active and passive microwave satellite observations and simulations from land surface models (LSM). This study investigates the consistency of two global satellite-based SSM datasets based on microwave remote sensing observations from the passive Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS;SMOSL3 version 2.5) and the active Advanced Scatterometer (ASCAT; version TUWien- WARP 5.5) with respect to LSM SSM from the MERRA-Land data product. The relationship between the global-scale SSM products was studied during the 2010-2012 period using (1) a time series statistics (considering both original SSM data and anomalies), (2) a space-time analysis using Hovmoller diagrams, and (3) a triple collocation error model. The SMOSL3 and ASCAT retrievals are consistent with the temporal dynamics of modeled SSM (correlation R (is) greater than 0.70 for original SSM) in the transition zones between wet and dry climates, including the Sahel, the Indian subcontinent, the Great Plains of North America, eastern Australia, and southeastern Brazil. Over relatively dense vegetation covers, a better consistency with MERRA-Land was obtained with ASCAT than with SMOSL3. However, it was found that ASCAT retrievals exhibit negative correlation versus MERRA-Land in some arid regions (e.g., the Sahara and the Arabian Peninsula). In terms of anomalies, SMOSL3 better captures the short term SSM variability of the reference dataset (MERRA-Land) than ASCAT over regions with limited radio frequency interference (RFI) effects (e.g., North America, South America, and Australia). The seasonal and latitudinal variations of SSM are relatively similar for the three products, although the MERRALand SSM values are generally higher and their seasonal amplitude is much lower than for SMOSL3 and ASCAT. Both SMOSL3 and ASCAT have relatively comparable triple collocation errors with similar spatial error patterns: (i) lowest errors in arid regions (e.g., Sahara and Arabian Peninsula), due to the very low natural variability of soil moisture in these areas, and Central America, and (ii) highest errors over most of the vegetated regions (e.g., northern Australia, India, central Asia, and South America). However, the ASCAT SSM product is prone to larger random errors in some regions (e.g., north-western Africa, Iran, and southern South Africa). Vegetation density was found to be a key factor to interpret the consistency with MERRA-Land between the two remotely sensed products (SMOSL3 and ASCAT) which provides complementary information on SSM. This study shows that both SMOS and ASCAT have thus a potential for data fusion into long-term data records.

ASCAT↗
NASA NTRS2021

Evaluation of 18 Satellite- and Model-Based Soil Moisture Products Using in Situ Measurements From 826 Sensors

Information about the spatiotemporal variability of soil moisture is critical for many purposes, including monitoring of hydrologic extremes, irrigation scheduling, and prediction of agricultural yields. We evaluated the temporal dynamics of 18 state-of-the-art (quasi-)global near-surface soil moisture products, including six based on satellite retrievals, six based on models without satellite data assimilation (referred to hereafter as “open-loop” models), and six based on models that assimilate satellite soil moisture or brightness temperature data. Seven of the products are introduced for the first time in this study: one multi-sensor merged satellite product called MeMo (Merged soil Moisture) and six estimates from the HBV (Hydrologiska Byråns Vattenbalansavdelning) model with three precipitation inputs (ERA5, IMERG, and MSWEP) with and without assimilation of SMAPL3E satellite retrievals, respectively. As reference, we used in situ soil moisture measurements between 2015 and 2019 at 5 cm depth from 826 sensors, located primarily in the USA and Europe. The 3-hourly Pearson correlation (R) was chosen as the primary performance metric. We found that application of the Soil Wetness Index (SWI) smoothing filter resulted in improved performance for all satellite products. The best-to-worst performance ranking of the four single-sensor satellite products was SMAPL3E SWI , SMOS SWI , AMSR2 SWI , and ASCAT SWI , with the L-band-based SMAPL3E SWI (median R of 0.72) outperforming the others at 50 % of the sites. Among the two multi-sensor satellite products (MeMo and ESA-CCI SWI ), MeMo performed better on average (median R of 0.72 versus 0.67), probably due to the inclusion of SMAPL3E SWI . The best-to-worst performance ranking of the six open-loop models was HBV-MSWEP, HBV-ERA5, ERA5-Land, HBV-IMERG, VIC-PGF, and GLDAS-Noah. This ranking largely reflects the quality of the precipitation forcing. HBV-MSWEP (median R of 0.78) performed best not just among the open-loop models but among all products. The calibration of HBV improved the median R by +0.12 on average compared to random parameters, highlighting the importance of model calibration. The best-to-worst performance ranking of the six models with satellite data assimilation was HBV-MSWEP+SMAPL3E, HBV-ERA5+SMAPL3E, GLEAM, SMAPL4, HBV-IMERG+SMAPL3E, and ERA5. The assimilation of SMAPL3E retrievals into HBV-IMERG improved the median R by +0.06, suggesting that data assimilation yields significant benefits at the global scale.

Hylke E. Beck↗
NASA NTRS2023

Level-1 Calibration Assessment of Spire’s LEMUR-2 GNSS-R Ocean Normalized Bistatic Radar Cross Section Estimates

An assessment of the ocean surface Level-1 Normalized Bistatic Radar Cross Section products provided by the two batch 1 ‘LEMUR-2’ GNSS-R receivers of Spire, Inc. is reported. The analysis uses datasets extending from DOY 345, 2020 to DOY 329, 2021. Initial assessments indicate a highly consistent overall inter-channel response with mean NBRCS differences estimated to be at the 1.00% level over a 7-12 m/s ECMWF reference wind speed range. Efforts to validate the observation systems’ aggregate response relative to ≈3 million co-located CYGNSS measurements suggest a highly complementary behavior with an overall NBRCS correlation of 79.03% highlighting the potential utility of ‘LEMUR-2’ measurements for ocean surface wind sensing and related applications. Non-physical NBRCS dependencies on various Level-1 calibration variables, also observed with GNSS-R previous systems, are nonetheless noted and are explored in detail.

Mohammad M. Al-Khaldi↗
NASA NTRS2024

Relation Between Magnetopause Position and Reconnection Rate Under Quasi‑Steady Solar Wind Dynamic Pressure

The lunar environment heliospheric X-ray imager (LEXI) and solar wind–magnetosphere–ionosphere link explorer (SMILE) will observe the magnetopause motion in soft X-rays to understand dayside reconnection modes as a function of solar wind conditions after their respective launches in the near future. To support their successful science mission, we investigate the relationship between the magnetopause position and the dayside reconnection rate by utilizing super dual auroral radar network (SuperDARN) observations and widely used empirical models of magnetopause position (Shue et al. in J Geophys Res 103:17691–17700. https://doi.org/10.1029/98JA01103, 1998 and Lin et al. in J Geophys Res 115:A04207. https://doi.org/10.1029/2009JA014235, 2010). We select three cases when the interplanetary magnetic field rotates during periods of quasi-steady solar wind dynamic pressure. We first estimate the dayside reconnection rate by calculating the electric field along the open–closed magnetic field boundary (OCB) in the OCB moving reference frame. Then, we estimate the magnetopause position near the local noon by inputting NASA OMNI solar wind data into the empirical magnetopause models. The reconnection rate shows anti-correlation with the magnetopause position that it generally increases as the magnetopause located closer to Earth and vice versa. Our result also confirms that the reconnection rate increases as the empirical coupling efficiency between solar wind and the magnetosphere increases.

Hyangpyo Kim↗
NASA NTRS1982

Potential Role of Land Use and Land Cover Information in Powerplant Siting: Example of Three Mile Island

Selecting a site for a nuclear powerplant can be helped by digitizing land use and land cover data, population data, and other pertinent data sets, and then placing them in a geographic information system. Such a system begins with a set of standardized maps for location reference and then provides for retrieval and analysis of spatial data keyed to the maps. This makes possible thematic mapping by computer, or interactive visual display for decisionmaking. It also permits correlating land use area measurements with census and other data (such as fallout dosages), and the updating of all data sets. The system is thus a tool for dealing with resource management problems and for analyzing the interaction between people and their environment. An explanation of a computer-plotted map of land use and cover for Three Mile Island and vicinity is given.

Wray, J. R.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Transitional, hypervelocity aerodynamic simulation and scaling in light of recent flight data

Simulation and scaling procedures applicable to maneuvering vehicles for the transitional hypervelocity flow regime are discussed with reference to certain discrepancies between lifting reentry flight data and predicted results. Low-density hypervelocity wind-tunnel data are compared with CFD and in-flight measurements. A general correlation parameter for transitional flow is produced by incorporation of a new geometric term into a form of Reynolds number. It is shown that normalized drag coefficients of a variety of shapes, including spheres, blunt-nosed cones, lifting bodies, and an STS orbiter are correlated by the parameter. A provisional bridging formula for the coefficients is presented.

Potter, J. L.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Separated and Recovering Turbulent Boundary Layer Flow Behind a Backward Facing Step For Different Reynolds Numbers

Experimental results for a two-dimensional separated turbulent boundary layer behind a backward facing step for five different Reynolds numbers are reported. Results are presented in the form of tables, graphs and a floppy disk for an easy access of the data. Reynolds number based on the step height was varied by changing the reference velocity upstream of the step, U(sub o), and the step height, h. Hot-wire measurement techniques were used to measure three Reynolds stresses and four triple-velocity correlations. In addition, surface pressure and skin friction coefficients were measured. All hot-wire measurements were acquired in a measuring domain which excluded recirculating flow region due to the directional insensitivity of hot-wires. The downstream extent of the domain from the step was 51 h for the largest and I 14h for the smallest step height. This significant downstream length permitted extensive study of the flow recovery. Prediction of perturbed flows and their recovery is particularly attractive for popular turbulence models since variations of turbulence length and time scales and flow interactions in different regions are generally inadequately predicted. The data indicate that the flow in the free shear layer region behaves like the plane mixing layer up to about 2/3 of the mean reattachment length when the flow interaction with the wall commences the flow recovery to that of an ordinary turbulent boundary layer structure. These changes of the flow do not occur abruptly with the change of boundary conditions. A reattachment region represents a transitional region where the flow undergoes the most dramatic adjustments to the new boundary conditions. Large eddies, created in the upstream free-shear layer region, are being torn, recirculated, reentrained back into the main stream interacting with the incoming flow structure. It is foreseeable that it is quite difficult to describe the physics of this region in a rational and quantitative manner other than statistical. Downstream of the reattachment point the flow recovers at different rates near the wall, in the newly developing internal boundary layer, and in the outer part of the flow. It appears that Reynolds stresses do not fully recover up to the longest recovery length of 114 h.

Jovic, Srba↗
NASA NTRS2016

Optical Modeling and Polarization Calibration for CMB Measurements with Actpol and Advanced Actpol

The Atacama Cosmology Telescope Polarimeter (ACTPol) is a polarization sensitive upgrade to the Atacama Cosmology Telescope, located at an elevation of 5190 m on Cerro Toco in Chile. ACTPol uses transition edge sensor bolometers coupled to orthomode transducers to measure both the temperature and polarization of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB). Calibration of the detector angles is a critical step in producing polarization maps of the CMB. Polarization angle offsets in the detector calibration can cause leakage in polarization from E to B modes and induce a spurious signal in the EB and TB cross correlations, which eliminates our ability to measure potential cosmological sources of EB and TB signals, such as cosmic birefringence. We calibrate the ACTPol detector angles by ray tracing the designed detector angle through the entire optical chain to determine the projection of each detector angle on the sky. The distribution of calibrated detector polarization angles are consistent with a global offset angle from zero when compared to the EB-nulling offset angle, the angle required to null the EB cross-correlation power spectrum. We present the optical modeling process. The detector angles can be cross checked through observations of known polarized sources, whether this be a galactic source or a laboratory reference standard. To cross check the ACTPol detector angles, we use a thin film polarization grid placed in front of the receiver of the telescope, between the receiver and the secondary reflector. Making use of a rapidly rotating half-wave plate (HWP) mount we spin the polarizing grid at a constant speed, polarizing and rotating the incoming atmospheric signal. The resulting sinusoidal signal is used to determine the detector angles. The optical modeling calibration was shown to be consistent with a global offset angle of zero when compared to EB nulling in the first ACTPol results and will continue to be a part of our calibration implementation. The first array of detectors for Advanced ACTPol, the next generation upgrade to ACTPol, will be deployed in 2016.We plan to continue using both techniques and compare them to astrophysical source measurements for the Advanced ACTPol polarization calibration.

Koopman, Brian↗
NASA NTRS2018

Qualifying Bulk Metallic Glass Gear Materials for Spacecraft Applications

NASA is evaluating bulk metallic glass (BMG) gears for extreme environment (cryogenic) applications; e.g., Europa Lander. The main purpose of this report is to recommend a quality assurance (QA) protocol for the production of consistent and reliable gear castings. Currently, there are two, separate manufacturers involved; Materion Corporation produces re-melt stock and Visser Precision Cast, Inc. produces BMG castings. Division of the existing alloy specifications document into material supplier-specific documents is proposed. Until a composition-based specification is established, processability- and performance-based methodologies may be an option during manufacturing development. It is recommended that each of the documents has a distinct focus; the processing behavior of crystalline feedstock, and the mechanical behavior of amorphous castings. The report addresses the “gray area” in QA testing between these materials suppliers by outlining an equitable division of responsibilities. The use of a number of dedicated reference dies to produce witness materials for physical and mechanical property evaluation is strongly recommended. Allocation of QA tests between screen testing of gear castings, and formal testing of witness materials, including cryogenic properties, is also proposed. The most effective suite of tests for both physical and mechanical property determination are down-selected from available national and international standards. The contents of this report create a solid basis for selection of QA tests, thereby setting the stage for negotiations between the materials suppliers and the customer.This technical paper:a) provides recommendations to advance materials specifications document JPL D-56223,Rev. A from “draft” to “preliminary” status;b) proposes division of the current document into two supplier-specific documents;c) separates testing methods by “ingots/castings” and “witness materials”;d) classifies test methodology based on “processability” and “performance”;e) assembles candidate ASTM specifications for “screen testing” and “formal testing”;f) identifies standard tests compatible with evaluation of BMG flexspline gears;g) suggests division of responsibilities for processability and performance testing; andh) addresses the QA “gray area” between production of ingots and castings.The report recommends that:a) processability- and performance-based QA methods might be used in lieu ofcompositional specifications during manufacturing development only;b) reference dies be designed for “acceptance” and “qualification” castings;c) witness materials provide physical and mechanical property data;d) formal testing be conducted at ambient and cryogenic temperatures; ande) processing/properties be correlated with compositional variations.

Hales, Stephen J.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Assessing the Viability of Using GEOS-Forecast Product for Landslides Forecasting: A Step Toward Early Warning System

Landslides across the globe are mostly triggered by extreme rainfall events affecting infrastructure, transportation and livelihoods. The risks are rarely quantified due to lack of data, analytical skills and limited modeling techniques. Knowledge of local to global scale landslide risks provides communities and national agencies the ability to adapt disaster management practices to mitigate and recover from these hazards. In order to minimize the risks and improve characterization of community resilience to landslides, it is vital to have reliable information about the factors triggering landslides such as rainfall, well ahead in time. Forecasting potential landslide activity and impacts can be achieved through reliable precipitation forecast models. However, it is challenging because of the temporal and spatial variability of precipitation, an important factor in triggering landslides. Evaluation of the precipitation field, associated errors, and sampling uncertainties is integral for development of efficient and reliable landslide forecasting and early warning system. This study develops a methodology to assess the viability of using a precipitation field provided by a global model and its potential integration in the landslide forecasting system. The study focuses on the comparison between the IMERG (Integrated Multi-satellitE Retrievals for Global Precipitation Mission) and GEOS (NASA Goddard Earth Observing System)-Forecast product over contiguous United States (CONUS). GEOS model assimilates new observations every 6 hours, at 00, 06, 12, and 18 UTC. The framework is tested on the GEOS-Forecast Model initialized at 00 UTC using daily IMERG early product as reference using both categorical and continuous statistics. The categorical statistics includes the probability of detection (POD), success ratio (SR), critical success index (CSI), and the hit bias. Continuous statistics such as correlation, normalized standard deviation, and root-mean-square error are also evaluated. Overall, GEOS-Forecast precipitation field over the analysis period (~1 year) show underestimation with respect to IMERG early for the daily accumulated rainfall. However, the probability distribution function and cumulative distribution function of both show similar patterns. In terms of correlations, POD, SR, CSI, hit bias, the performance varies with respect to the rainfall threshold used.

Sana Khan↗
NASA NTRS2021

Reduced El NiñO Variability in the Mid-Pliocene According to the Pliomip2 Ensemble

The mid-Pliocene warm period (3.264–3.025 Ma) is the most recent geological period during which atmospheric CO 2 levels were similar to recent historical values (∼400 ppm). Several proxy reconstructions for the mid-Pliocene show highly reduced zonal sea surface temperature (SST) gradients in the tropical Pacific Ocean, indicating an El Niño-like mean state. However, past modelling studies do not show these highly reduced gradients. Efforts to understand mid-Pliocene climate dynamics have led to the Pliocene Model Intercomparison Project (PlioMIP). Results from the first phase (PlioMIP1) showed clear El Niño variability (albeit significantly reduced) and did not show the greatly reduced time-mean zonal SST gradient suggested by some of the proxies. In this work, we study El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) variability in the PlioMIP2 ensemble, which consists of additional global coupled climate models and updated boundary conditions compared to PlioMIP1. We quantify ENSO amplitude, period, spatial structure and “flavour”, as well as the tropical Pacific annual mean state in mid-Pliocene and pre-industrial simulations. Results show a reduced ENSO amplitude in the model-ensemble mean (−24 %) with respect to the pre-industrial, with 15 out of 17 individual models showing such a reduction. Furthermore, the spectral power of this variability considerably decreases in the 3–4-year band. The spatial structure of the dominant empirical orthogonal function shows no particular change in the patterns of tropical Pacific variability in the model-ensemble mean, compared to the pre-industrial. Although the time-mean zonal SST gradient in the equatorial Pacific decreases for 14 out of 17 models (0.2 ∘C reduction in the ensemble mean), there does not seem to be a correlation with the decrease in ENSO amplitude. The models showing the most “El Niño-like” mean state changes show a similar ENSO amplitude to that in the pre-industrial reference, while models showing more “La Niña-like” mean state changes generally show a large reduction in ENSO variability. The PlioMIP2 results show a reasonable agreement with both time-mean proxies indicating a reduced zonal SST gradient and reconstructions indicating a reduced, or similar, ENSO variability.

mid-Pliocene warm period↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

The Genesis Non-flight Implant Sample Archive

Introduction: For the past 20 years the Genesis science community has been analyzing solar wind captured in sample collectors now curated at Johnson Space Center (JSC). Non-flown flight like collector materials (non-flight) considered reference material was always allocated by the JSC Genesis team for testing experimental procedures. However, to expedite Genesis science, distribution of non-flown reference materials were also provided by, D. S. Burnett (Genesis PI, Caltech) and A. J. G. Jurewicz (ASU) who were funded to aid all Genesis PIs by providing engineering test materials archived at Caltech pre-flight as well as ion implants into these materials [1]. Implanted materials (non-flight reference, flight-like semiconductor materials, and NIST SRM glass) received from the Caltech collection during a pilot project are being used to develop an accession procedure for the purpose of making these materials available to researchers in the future. These implant samples are important because they can be utilized as measurement standards [2]. This is a work in progress and this work reports progress in documentation and imaging. The pilot program received 63 implanted reference materials with known implanted ions. Genesis Non-Flight Database: The existing non-flight material database was modified to allow for the description of implant sessions and to allow correlation of the implant information to individual specimens. An implant session has three main components: a known ion, a known dose (ion/cm2), and a known energy (keV). Procedure: Laboratory Procedure. Upon receiving non-flight analytical standards (independently calibrated implants), or implant samples (nominally calibrated implants), they will be imaged in their current containers to capture any information written before being brought into the Genesis Sample Laboratory. Documentation is provided by the donor and used for correlating the data between the implant sessions and implant samples. This information is not verified by Genesis Curation. The microscope used to image samples in the laboratory has an automated stage with a stainless-steel plate to hold samples and a camera that utilizes the software Surveyor to take photomosaic images of the implant samples. The camera attached to the microscope is a QICAM High Performance IEEE 1394 FireWire Digital CCD Camera. This setup, shown in Fig. 1, allows for photomosaics of small-scale samples with a 10x objective or 25x objective. Examples of images taken with this microscope setup are shown in Fig.2 and Fig. 3. After imaging, samples get stored in a clean fluoroware container or polypropylene vial depending on sample size for long term storage. Database Procedure. The Genesis Non-Flight Database currently allows for the addition of implant sessions. The required fields for adding an implant session are the implant session ion, the implant session dose, and the implant session energy. There are also fields for the date and vendor of the sessions as well as a field for if the session was calibrated or not. Once an implant session has been inserted into the database, additional documentation from the session can be attached. The database will automatically assign an Implant Session Number. After inserting an implant session, the implanted samples can be inserted. The fields required for an implant sample are the material of the sample and the size of the sample. The Generic name for the implant sample with be automatically generated by the database once it has been inserted. Implant sample numbers begin with 3X to distinguish from flown Genesis sample numbers. There are also fields for processors to add the location (room, cabinet, tray) and container type (fluoroware, polypropylene vial). Once an implant session and an associated sample(s) have been inserted into the database the sample can be then tied to all associated implant sessions. An implant sample can be tied to multiple implant sessions. Future work: For curation, future work consists of creating an online catalogue for implant samples as well as updating the database with more samples as we receive them. For the scientific community these implant samples have many potential uses. For Genesis research, they are directly applicable for testing and, in some cases, as analytical standards. For non-Genesis research, implants (especially calibrated implants) could be used for calibrating other, unique planetary materials [1].

C D Calva↗
NASA NTRS1973

The nonuniform recession of the south polar cap of Mars

The nature of the irregular springtime recession of the Martian polar caps is investigated, with particular reference to the southern polar cap. Our current knowledge about the composition of the caps is outlined, and the historical record of their springtime recession is reviewed. An attempt is made to correlate the irregularities of the recession pattern of the southern polar cap with the features of the terrain revealed by Mariner 9 photography at a time when the southern cap was at its minimum extent. The results are interpreted in terms of the physical and meteorological processes active in the polar regions.

Veverka, J.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Unsteady flow model for circulation-control airfoils

An analysis and a numerical lifting surface method are developed for predicting the unsteady airloads on two-dimensional circulation control airfoils in incompressible flow. The analysis and the computer program are validated by correlating the computed unsteady airloads with test data and also with other theoretical solutions. Additionally, a mathematical model for predicting the bending-torsion flutter of a two-dimensional airfoil (a reference section of a wing or rotor blade) and a computer program using an iterative scheme are developed. The flutter program has a provision for using the CC airfoil airloads program or the Theodorsen hard flap solution to compute the unsteady lift and moment used in the flutter equations. The adopted mathematical model and the iterative scheme are used to perform a flutter analysis of a typical CC rotor blade reference section. The program seems to work well within the basic assumption of the incompressible flow.

Rao, B. M.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Interstellar C2, CH, and CN in translucent molecular clouds

Optical absorption-line techniques have been applied to the study of a number of translucent molecular clouds in which the total column densities are large enough that substantial molecular abundances can be maintained. Results are presented for a survey of absorption lines of interstellar C2, CH, and CN. Detections of CN through the A 2Pi-X 2Sigma(+) (1,O) and (2,O) bands of the red system are reported and compared with observations of the violet system for one line of sight. The population distributions in C2 provide diagnostic information on temperature and density. The measured column densities of the three species can be used to test details of the theory of molecule formation in clouds where photoprocesses still play a significant role. The C2 and CH column densities are strongly correlated with each other and probably also with the H2 column density. In contrast, the CN column densities are found to vary greatly from cloud to cloud. The observations are discussed with reference to detailed theoretical models.

Black, John H.↗