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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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At least 415 records · Page 23
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1956

A Study of the Zero-Lift Drag-Rise Characteristics of Wing-Body Combinations Near the Speed of Sound

Comparisons have been made of the shock phenomena and drag-rise increments for representative wing and central-body combinations with those for bodies of revolution having the same axial developments of cross-sectional areas normal to the airstream. On the basis of these comparisons, it is concluded that near the speed of sound the zero-lift drag rise of a low-aspect-ratio thin-wing and body combination is primarily dependent on the axial development of the cross-sectional areas normal to the airstream. It follows that the drag rise for any such configuration is approximately the same as that for any other with the same development of cross-sectional areas. Investigations have also been made of representative wing-body combinations with the body so indented that the axial developments of cross-sectional areas for the combinations were the same as that for the original body alone. Such indentations greatly reduced or eliminated the zero-lift drag-rise increments associated with the wings near the speed of sound.

Whitcomb, Richard T↗
NASA NTRS1994

Steering A Radar Beam Toward The Zero-Doppler Line

Algorithm computes angles needed to aim radar beam from airborne or spaceborne platform toward Doppler line projected on ground for which Doppler shift of radar return is zero. Devised to reduce Doppler errors and simplify processing of data from synthetic-aperture-radar system. Applicable to aiming of other radio or optical instruments toward their zero-Doppler lines on ground.

Chang, Chi-Yung↗
NASA NTRS1993

Noniterative computation of infimum in H(infinity) optimisation for plants with invariant zeros on the j(omega)-axis

A simple and noniterative procedure for the computation of the exact value of the infimum in the singular H(infinity)-optimization problem is presented, as a continuation of our earlier work. Our problem formulation is general and we do not place any restrictions in the finite and infinite zero structures of the system, and the direct feedthrough terms between the control input and the controlled output variables and between the disturbance input and the measurement output variables. Our method is applicable to a class of singular H(infinity)-optimization problems for which the transfer functions from the control input to the controlled output and from the disturbance input to the measurement output satisfy certain geometric conditions. In particular, the paper extends the result of earlier work by allowing these two transfer functions to have invariant zeros on the j(omega) axis.

Chen, B. M.↗
NASA NTRS1994

A second generation 50 Mbps VLSI level zero processing system prototype

Level Zero Processing (LZP) generally refers to telemetry data processing functions performed at ground facilities to remove all communication artifacts from instrument data. These functions typically include frame synchronization, error detection and correction, packet reassembly and sorting, playback reversal, merging, time-ordering, overlap deletion, and production of annotated data sets. The Data Systems Technologies Division (DSTD) at Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) has been developing high-performance Very Large Scale Integration Level Zero Processing Systems (VLSI LZPS) since 1989. The first VLSI LZPS prototype demonstrated 20 Megabits per second (Mbp's) capability in 1992. With a new generation of high-density Application-specific Integrated Circuits (ASIC) and a Mass Storage System (MSS) based on the High-performance Parallel Peripheral Interface (HiPPI), a second prototype has been built that achieves full 50 Mbp's performance. This paper describes the second generation LZPS prototype based upon VLSI technologies.

Harris, Jonathan C.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Analysis of gas absorption to a thin liquid film in the presence of a zero-order chemical reaction

The paper presents a detailed theoretical analysis of the process of gas absorption to a thin liquid film adjacent to a horizontal rotating disk. The film is formed by the impingement of a controlled liquid jet at the center of the disk and subsequent radial spreading of liquid along the disk. The chemical reaction between the gas and the liquid film can be expressed as a zero-order homogeneous reaction. The process was modeled by establishing equations for the conservation of mass, momentum, and species concentration and solving them analytically. A scaling analysis was used to determine dominant transport processes. Appropriate boundary conditions were used to solve these equations to develop expressions for the local concentration of gas across the thickness of the film and distributions of film height, bulk concentration, and Sherwood number along the radius of the disk. The partial differential equation for species concentration was solved using the separation of variables technique along with the Duhamel's theorem and the final analytical solution was expressed using confluent hypergeometric functions. Tables for eigenvalues and eigenfunctions are presented for a number of reaction rate constants. A parametric study was performed using Reynolds number, Ekman number, and dimensionless reaction rate as parameters. At all radial locations, Sherwood number increased with Reynolds number (flow rate) as well as Ekman number (rate of rotation). The enhancement of mass transfer due to chemical reaction was found to be small when compared to the case of no reaction (pure absorption), but the enhancement factor was very significant when compared to pure absorption in a stagnant liquid film. The zero-order reaction processes considered in the present investigation included the absorption of oxygen in aqueous alkaline solutions of sodiumdithionite and rhodium complex catalyzed carbonylation of methanol. Present analytical results were compared to previous theoretical results for limiting conditions, and were found to have very good agreement.

Rajagopalan, S.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Cool zero-metallicity stellar atmospheres

Very low mass stars and brown dwarfs have low effective temperatures and their atmospheric opacities are provided by heavy elements which form a host of strongly absorbing molecules. We present a study of the atmospheres and emergent spectra of these objects in the limiting case of zero metallicity. A grid of atmosphere models is presented, based on updated opacities for H/He mixtues, in particular for the collision-induced absorption by H2 which plays an important role in these atmospheres. The emergent spectra bear little resemblance to the corresponding blackbody emission and become bluer as the effective temperature is lowered. The atmosphere models are coupled with interior calculations to obtain accurate physical and photometric characteristics for the low-mass end of the zero-metallicity main sequence. This provides a useful boundary in the Hertzsprung-Russel diagram to interpret observations of low-metallicity stars.

Saumon, D.↗
NASA NTRS1997

Achieving Zero Current for Polar Wind Outflow on Open Flux Tubes Subjected to Large Photoelectron Fluxes

In this study we investigate how the condition of zero current on open flux tubes with polar wind outflow, subjected to large photoelectron fluxes, can be achieved. We employ a steady state collisionless semikinetic model to determine the density profiles of O(+), H(+), thermal electrons and photoelectrons coming from the ionosphere along with H(+), ions and electrons coming from the magnetosphere. The model solution attains a potential distribution which both satisfies the condition of charge neutrality and zero current. For the range of parameters considered in this study we find that a 45-60 volt discontinuous potential drop may develop to reflect most of the photoelectrons back toward the ionosphere. This develops because the downward flux of electrons from the magnetosphere to the ionosphere on typical open flux tubes (e.g. the polar rain) appears to be insufficient to balance the photoelectron flux from the ionosphere.

Wilson, G. R.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Zero Gravity Cryogenic Vent System Concepts for Upper Stages

The capability to vent in zero gravity without resettling is a technology need that involves practically all uses of sub-critical cryogenics in space. Venting without resettling would extend cryogenic orbital transfer vehicle capabilities. However, the lack of definition regarding liquid/ullage orientation coupled with the somewhat random nature of the thermal stratification and resulting pressure rise rates, lead to significant technical challenges. Typically a zero gravity vent concept, termed a thermodynamic vent system (TVS), consists of a tank mixer to destratify the propellant, combined with a Joule-Thomson (J-T) valve to extract thermal energy from the propellant. Marshall Space Flight Center's (MSFC's) Multipurpose Hydrogen Test Bed (MHTB) was used to test both spray bar and axial jet TVS concepts. The axial jet system consists of a recirculation pump heat exchanger unit. The spray bar system consists of a recirculation pump, a parallel flow concentric tube, heat exchanger, and a spray bar positioned close to the longitudinal axis of the tank. The operation of both concepts is similar. In the mixing mode, the recirculation pump withdraws liquid from the tank and sprays it into the tank liquid, ullage, and exposed tank surfaces. When energy is required. a small portion of the recirculated liquid is passed sequentially through the J-T expansion valve, the heat exchanger, and is vented overboard. The vented vapor cools the circulated bulk fluid, thereby removing thermal energy and reducing tank pressure. The pump operates alone, cycling on and off, to destratify the tank liquid and ullage until the liquid vapor pressure reaches the lower set point. At that point. the J-T valve begins to cycle on and off with the pump. Thus, for short duration missions, only the mixer may operate, thus minimizing or even eliminating, boil-off losses.

Flachbart, Robin H.↗
NASA NTRS1997

A Biomechanical Comparison of 1-G and Fully-Loaded Simulated Zero-Gravity Locomotion

Exercise will almost certainly play an integral part in minimizing the bone mineral loss and muscular atrophy that occur during spaceflight. It has been hypothesized that an effective exercise regimen can be developed to elicit loads on the lower extremities and require muscle actions which resemble those encountered on Earth. The Penn State Zero-Gravity Simulator (PSZS) is a device which suspends subjects horizontally from multiple latex cords, with each cord negating the weight of a limb segment. A treadmill mounted on the wall under the PSZS enables subjects to run in simulated 0G. Subjects wear a harness to which a number of springs, which provide a gravity replacement load, are connected. The opposite end of each spring is connected to the side of the treadmill. During exercise, astronauts currently wear a similar harness in which the spring tethering load pulls at both the waist and shoulders. Ground reaction forces, muscular activations, and joint angles of the left leg during overground, treadmill, and fully-loaded zero-gravity simulated (ZLS) locomotion were assessed in order to gain insight into the effectiveness of the exercise regimen used by NASA to prevent the muscular atrophy and bone demineralization which occur in weightlessness. There were three hypotheses to this research. It was hypothesized that there will be no differences in peak ground reaction forces and peak loading rates between overground gait and gait in the full body weight loaded conditions in the ZLS. A second hypothesis was that that there will be no differences in hip, knee, and ankle joint positions between walking or running overground, on a standard treadmill, and in full bodyweight loaded conditions in the ZLS. The third hypothesis was that the muscular activations, as a percentage of maximal voluntary contraction, will be similar between walking or running overground, on a standard treadmill, and in full body-weight loaded conditions in the ZLS.

McCrory, Jean L.↗
NASA NTRS2000

A Coordinated RXTE/ASCA Study of Absorption Dips in Circinus X-1 at Phase Zero

This proposal was for an Rossi X Ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) study of Circinus X-1 with the ASCA satellite for the purpose of studying the iron emission feature during intensity dips. These dips had been discovered previously with ASCA and they appeared to vary in equivalent width and in the energy of the iron K edge. Proper analyses requires good continuum measurements which Rossi X Ray Timing Explorer/Proportional Counter Array (RXTE/PCA) could provide. Also, the PCA data would show any temporal evolution correlated with spectral evolution. RXTE provided 90 ks of data during March 3-5, 1998 which included phase zero which is where the dips usually take place. The ASCA observations were taken by Dr. Neil Brandt of Penn State University. Unfortunately, the source intensity showed far less dipping activity than is typical near phase zero. The light curve exhibited only very narrow sporadic dips rather than some long deep dips necessary for sufficient statistics in the ASCA and RXTE instruments for spectral studies. This prevented us from carrying out the primary goal of the proposal.

Bradt, Hale↗
NASA NTRS2001

Zero Gravity Cryogenic Vent System Concepts for Upper Stages

The capability to vent in zero gravity without resettling is a technology need that involves practically all uses of sub-critical cryogenics in space, and would extend cryogenic orbital transfer vehicle capabilities. However, the lack of definition regarding liquid/ullage orientation coupled with the somewhat random nature of the thermal stratification and resulting pressure rise rates, lead to significant technical challenges. Typically a zero gravity vent concept, termed a thermodynamic vent system (TVS), consists of a tank mixer to destratify the propellant, combined with a Joule-Thomson (J-T) valve to extract thermal energy from the propellant. Marshall Space Flight Center's (MSFC's) Multipurpose Hydrogen Test Bed (MHTB) was used to test both spray-bar and axial jet TVS concepts. The axial jet system consists of a recirculation pump heat exchanger unit. The spray-bar system consists of a recirculation pump, a parallel flow concentric tube heat exchanger, and a spray-bar positioned close to the longitudinal axis of the tank. The operation of both concepts is similar. In the mixing mode, the recirculation pump withdraws liquid from the tank and sprays it into the tank liquid, ullage, and exposed tank surfaces. When energy extraction is required, a small portion of the recirculated liquid is passed sequentially through the J-T expansion valve, the heat exchanger, and is vented overboard. The vented vapor cools the circulated bulk fluid, thereby removing thermal energy and reducing tank pressure. The pump operates alone, cycling on and off, to destratify the tank liquid and ullage until the liquid vapor pressure reaches the lower set point. At that point, the J-T valve begins to cycle on and off with the pump. Thus, for short duration missions, only the mixer may operate, thus minimizing or even eliminating boil-off losses.

Flachbart, Robin H.↗
NASA NTRS2002

Development and Design of Zero-g Liquid Quantity Gauge for Solar Thermal Vehicle

The development and design of a cryogenic liquid quantity gauge for zero-gravity (zero-g) applications are described. The gauge, named the compression mass gauge (CMG), operates on the principle of slightly changing the volume of the tank by an oscillating bellows. The resulting pressure change is measured and used to predict the volume of vapor in the tank, from which the volume of liquid is computed. For each gauging instance, pressures are measured for several different bellows frequencies to enable minor real-gas effects to be quantified and thereby to obtain a gauging accuracy of 11 percent of tank volume. The CMG has been selected by NASA's Future-X program for a flight demonstration on the United States Air Force-Boeing Solar Orbit Transfer Vehicle Space Experiment (SOTVSE). This report reviews the design trade studies needed for the CMG to satisfy the SOTVSE limitations on its power, volume, and mass and also describes the mechanical design of the CMG.

Dodge, Franklin T.↗
NASA NTRS2002

Low Temperature Regenerators for Zero Boil-Off Liquid Hydrogen Pulse Tube Cryocoolers

Recently, a great deal of attention has been focused on zero boil-off (ZBO) propellant storage as a means of minimizing the launch mass required for long-term exploration missions. A key component of ZBO systems is the cooler. Pulse tube coolers offer the advantage of zero moving mass at the cold head, and recent advances in lightweight, high efficiency cooler technology have paved the way for reliable liquid oxygen (LOx) temperature coolers to be developed which are suitable for flight ZBO systems. Liquid hydrogen (LH2) systems, however, are another matter. For ZBO liquid hydrogen systems, cooling powers of 1-5 watts are required at 20 K. The final development from tier for these coolers is to achieve high efficiency and reliability at lower operating temperatures. Most of the life-limiting issues of flight Stirling and pulse tube coolers are associated with contamination, drive mechanisms, and drive electronics. These problems are well in hand in the present generation coolers. The remaining efficiency and reliability issues reside with the low temperature regenerators. This paper will discuss advances to be made in regenerators for pulse tube LH2 ZBO coolers, present some historical background, and discuss recent progress in regenerator technology development using alloys of erbium.

Salerno, Louis J.↗
NASA NTRS1961

Effects of Various Arrangements of Slotted and Round Jet Exits on the Lift and Pitching-Moment Characteristics of a Rectangular-Base Model at Zero Forward Speed

An investigation was made to determine some of the effects of various arrangements of slotted and round jet exits on the lift and pitching-moment characteristics of a rectangular-base model at zero forward speed. Jet-exit slots near the perimeter of the model usually gave larger lift-thrust ratios than slots nearer the center line when the model was near the ground, but away from the ground perimeter jets forming almost a closed jet curtain induced negative pressures on the bottom of the model and resulted in less lift than that obtained with more centrally located jets or jets with large gaps in the jet curtain. Most models with jet slots symmetrical about the pitch axis gave approximately zero pitching moments through the range of ground-board distances, but under some conditions unstable flow direction caused positive or negative pitching moments to occur. With wings attached to the models, the lift close to the ground was 10 to 20 percent less than the lift away from the ground for various configurations. The round jets gave poorer lift-thrust ratios than the slotted jets in the region of ground effect. Out of the region of ground effect the round jets gave the greatest lift-thrust ratio per unit of weight rate of flow of air, for equal jet-exit areas, and the thinnest slotted jet gave the least.

Vogler, Raymond D.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Myosin heavy chain expression in rodent skeletal muscle: effects of exposure to zero gravity

This study ascertained the effects of 9 days of zero gravity on the relative (percentage of total) and calculated absolute (mg/muscle) content of isomyosin expressed in both antigravity and locomotor skeletal muscle of ground control (CON) and flight-exposed (FL) rats. Results showed that although there were no differences in body weight between FL and CON animals, a significant reduction in muscle mass occurred in the vastus intermedius (VI) (P < 0.05) but not in the vastus lateralis (VL) or the tibialis anterior. Both total muscle protein and myofibril protein content were not different between the muscle regions examined in the FL and CON groups. In the VI, there were trends for reductions in the relative content of type I and IIa myosin heavy chains (MHCs) that were offset by increases in the relative content of both type IIb and possibly type IIx MHC protein (P > 0.05). mRNA levels were consistent with this pattern (P < 0.05). The same pattern held true for the red region of the VL as examined at both the protein and mRNA level (P < 0.05). When the atrophy process was examined, there were net reductions in the absolute content of both type I and IIa MHCs that were offset by calculated increases in type IIb MHC in both VI and red VL. Collectively, these findings suggest that there are both absolute and relative changes occurring in MHC expression in the "red" regions of antigravity skeletal muscle during exposure to zero gravity that could affect muscle function.

short duration↗
NASA NTRS2005

Field demonstration of DNAPL dehalogenation using emulsified zero-valent iron

This paper describes the results of the first field-scale demonstration conducted to evaluate the performance of nanoscale emulsified zero-valent iron (EZVI) injected into the saturated zone to enhance in situ dehalogenation of dense, nonaqueous phase liquids (DNAPLs) containing trichloroethene (TCE). EZVI is an innovative and emerging remediation technology. EZVI is a surfactant-stabilized, biodegradable emulsion that forms emulsion droplets consisting of an oil-liquid membrane surrounding zero-valent iron (ZVI) particles in water. EZVI was injected over a five day period into eight wells in a demonstration test area within a larger DNAPL source area at NASA's Launch Complex 34 (LC34) using a pressure pulse injection method. Soil and groundwater samples were collected before and after treatment and analyzed for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to evaluate the changes in VOC mass, concentration and mass flux. Significant reductions in TCE soil concentrations (>80%) were observed at four of the six soil sampling locations within 90 days of EZVI injection. Somewhat lower reductions were observed at the other two soil sampling locations where visual observations suggest that most of the EZVI migrated up above the target treatment depth. Significant reductions in TCE groundwater concentrations (57 to 100%) were observed at all depths targeted with EZVI. Groundwater samples from the treatment area also showed significant increases in the concentrations of cis-1,2-dichloroethene (cDCE), vinyl chloride (VC) and ethene. The decrease in concentrations of TCE in soil and groundwater samples following treatment with EZVI is believed to be due to abiotic degradation associated with the ZVI as well as biodegradation enhanced by the presence of the oil and surfactant in the EZVI emulsion.

Water Pollutants/isolation & purification↗
NASA NTRS2000

Detection of explosives, nerve agents, and illicit substances by zero-energy electron attachment

The Reversal Electron Attachment Detection (READ) method, developed at JPL/Caltech, has been used to detect a variety of substances which have electron-attachment resonances at low and intermediate electron energies. In the case of zero-energy resonances, the cross section (hence attachment probability and instrument sensitivity) is mediated by the so-called s-wave phenomenon, in which the cross sections vary as the inverse of the electron velocity. Hence this is, in the limit of zero electron energy or velocity, one of the rare cases in atomic and molecular physics where one carries out detection via infinite cross sections.

vapor detection explosives electron detachment↗
NASA NTRS1979

EVA Assembly of Large Space Structure Neutral Buoyancy, Zero-Gravity Simulation: NASA-LaRC Nestable Columns and Joints

The film depicts an extravehicular activity (EVA) that involved the assembly of six "space-weight" columns into a regular tetrahedral cell by a team of two "space"-suited test subjects. This cell represents the fundamental "element" of a tetrahedral truss structure. The tests were conducted under simulated zero-gravity conditions, achieved by neutral buoyancy in water. The cell was assembled on an "outrigger" assembly aid off the side of a mockup of the Shuttle Orbiter cargo bay. Both manual and simulated remote manipulator system (RMS) modes were evaluated. The simulated RMS was used only to transfer stowed hardware from the cargo bay to the work sites. Articulation limits of the pressure suit and zero gravity could be accommodated by work stations with foot restraints. The results of this study have confirmed that astronaut EVA assembly of large, erectable space structur is well within man's capabilities.

TESTS↗