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At least 433 records · Page 24

The design, testing and analysis of aeroelastically tailored transonic flutter model wings

An investigation of both the static aeroelastic and flutter characteristics of an aft swept wing, aeroelastically tailored to washout in one design and to washin in another, has been performed using two one-fourth-scale cantilever models representing the two designs. The models have been designed using an MSC/NASTRAN finite element model to preserve the full-scale airplane washout and washin characteristics. Test results show that the effect of the skin-to-core adhesive on model stiffness must be considered in the design cycle. Flutter analyses correlate fairly well with test results. Consideration is also given to F-16 metal and washout wing flutter speeds and mass ratio effects.

Murphy, A. C.↗

Multi-Body Analysis of the 1/5 Scale Wind Tunnel Model of the V-22 Tiltrotor

The paper presents a multi-body analysis of the 1/5 scale wind tunnel model of the V-22 tiltrotor, the Wing and Rotor Aeroelastic Testing System (WRATS), currently tested at NASA Langley Research Center. An original multi-body formulation has been developed at the Dipartimento di Ingegneria Aerospaziale of the Politecnico di Milano, Italy. It is based on the direct writing of the equilibrium equations of independent rigid bodies, connected by kinematic constraints that result in the addition of algebraic constraint equations, and by dynamic constraints, that directly contribute to the equilibrium equations. The formulation has been extended to the simultaneous solution of interdisciplinary problems by modeling electric and hydraulic networks, for aeroservoelastic problems. The code has been tailored to the modeling of rotorcrafts while preserving a complete generality. A family of aerodynamic elements has been introduced to model high aspect aerodynamic surfaces, based on the strip theory, with quasi-steady aerodynamic coefficients, compressibility, post-stall interpolation of experimental data, dynamic stall modeling, and radial flow drag. Different models for the induced velocity of the rotor can be used, from uniform velocity to dynamic in flow. A complete dynamic and aeroelastic analysis of the model of the V-22 tiltrotor has been performed, to assess the validity of the formulation and to exploit the unique features of multi-body analysis with respect to conventional comprehensive rotorcraft codes; These are the ability to model the exact kinematics of mechanical systems, and the possibility to simulate unusual maneuvers and unusual flight conditions, that are particular to the tiltrotor, e.g. the conversion maneuver. A complete modal validation of the analytical model has been performed, to assess the ability to reproduce the correct dynamics of the system with a relatively coarse beam model of the semispan wing, pylon and rotor. Particular care has been used to model the kinematics of the gimbal joint, that characterizes the rotor hub, and of the control system, consisting in the entire swashplate mechanism. The kinematics of the fixed and the rotating plates have been modeled, with variable length control links used to input the controls, the rotating flexible links, the pitch horns and the pitch bearings. The investigations took advantage of concurring wind tunnel test runs, that were performed in August 1998, and allowed the acquisition of data specific to the multi-body analysis.

Ghiringhelli, G. L.↗

An IDL-based analysis package for COBE and other skycube-formatted astronomical data

UIMAGE is a data analysis package written in IDL for the Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) project. COBE has extraordinarily stringent accuracy requirements: 1 percent mid-infrared absolute photometry, 0.01 percent submillimeter absolute spectrometry, and 0.0001 percent submillimeter relative photometry. Thus, many of the transformations and image enhancements common to analysis of large data sets must be done with special care. UIMAGE is unusual in this sense in that it performs as many of its operations as possible on the data in its native format and projection, which in the case of COBE is the quadrilateralized sphereical cube ('skycube'). That is, after reprojecting the data, e.g., onto an Aitoff map, the user who performs an operation such as taking a crosscut or extracting data from a pixel is transparently acting upon the skycube data from which the projection was made, thereby preserving the accuracy of the result. Current plans call for formatting external data bases such as CO maps into the skycube format with a high-accuracy transformation, thereby allowing Guest Investigators to use UIMAGE for direct comparison of the COBE maps with those at other wavelengths from other instruments. It is completely menu-driven so that its use requires no knowledge of IDL. Its functionality includes I/O from the COBE archives, FITS files, and IDL save sets as well as standard analysis operations such as smoothing, reprojection, zooming, statistics of areas, spectral analysis, etc. One of UIMAGE's more advanced and attractive features is its terminal independence. Most of the operations (e.g., menu-item selection or pixel selection) that are driven by the mouse on an X-windows terminal are also available using arrow keys and keyboard entry (e.g., pixel coordinates) on VT200 and Tektronix-class terminals. Even limited grey scales of images are available this way. Obviously, image processing is very limited on this type of terminal, but it is nonetheless surprising how much analysis can be done on that medium. Such flexibility has the virtue of expanding the user community to those who must work remotely on non-image terminals, e.g., via modem.

Ewing, J. A.↗

X-57 Mod II Avionics Power Analysis

The X-57 Mod II Avionics Power Analysis was developed to provide the design requirements for the X-57 Avionics Power System. In the Mod II configuration, the two stock Tecnam P2006T Rotax engines are replaced with two electric motors. A high voltage traction battery (460 VDC nominal) supplies power for the motors. The Mod II avionics power design uses the stock Tecnam avionics power architecture as a baseline. The stock Tecnam power system utilizes three 12 VDC power sources, a battery and two alternators, to provided redundant avionics power. This redundancy was preserved in the X-57 avionics power architecture. A block diagram of the X-57 avionics system can be found in the “Mod II Architecture” worksheet of this documents. Since the X-57 electric motors do not have alternators or generators, two 13.8V DC Converters were added to replace the stock Tecnam alternators. Input power to these DC Converters is provide by the high voltage traction battery. The Tecnam stock lead acid battery was replaced with a Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) battery. The Mod II Avionics Power Analysis provided the power requirements for the two 13.8V DC converters and the Lithium Iron Phosphate battery. Power requirement estimates for each subsystem used in this analysis were provided by manufacturer specifications, measured in the laboratory or provided by the subsystem design engineer. Typical power requirements and maximum power requirements were provided for each subsystem. The Mod II Avionics Power Systems consists of seven 13.8 VDC buses, two 28 VDC Buses and two 23 VDC buses. The avionics power requirements for Mod III configuration are the same as Mod II. The Mod III configuration replaces the stock Tecnam wing with a carbon fiber wing that is optimized for cruise conditions. The motors are located on the wingtips. The Mod IV Avionics Power Analysis is a separate analysis and is document number ANLYS-CEPT-032.

Keith Harris↗

A kinetic theory treatment of heat transfer in plane Poiseuille flow with uniform pressure

Plane compressible Poiseuille flow with uniform pressure (Couette flow with stationary boundaries) is revisited where the Lees two-steam method with the Enskog equation of change is applied. Single particle velocity distribution functions are chosen, which preserve the essential physical features of this flow with arbitrary but uniform plate temperatures and gas pressure. Lower moments are shown to lead to expressions for the parameter functions, molecular number densities, and temperatures which are entirely in agreement with those obtained in the analysis of Lees for compressible plane Couette flow in the limit of low Mach number and vanishing mean gas velocity. Important simplifications result, which are helpful in gaining insight into the power of kinetic theory in fluid mechanics. The temperature distribution, heat flux, as well as density, are completely determined for the whole range of Knudson numbers from free molecular flow to the continuum regime, when the pressure level is specified.

Bahrami, Parviz A.↗

New Insights into Amino Acid Preservation in the Early Oceans Using Modern Analytical Techniques

Protein- and non-protein-amino acids likely occupied the oceans at the time of the origin and evolution of life. Primordial soup-, hydrothermal vent-, and meteoritic-processes likely contributed to this early chemical inventory. Prebiotic synthesis and carbonaceous meteorite studies suggest that non-protein amino acids were likely more abundant than their protein-counterparts. Amino acid preservation before abiotic and biotic destruction is key to biomarker availability in paleoenvironments and remains an important uncertainty. To constrain primitive amino acid lifetimes, a 1992 archived seawater/beach sand mixture was spiked with D,L-alanine, D,L-valine (Val), alpha-aminoisobutyric acid (alpha-AIB), D,L-isovaline (Iva), and glycine (Gly). Analysis by high performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection (HPLC-FD) showed that only D-Val and non-protein amino acids were abundant after 2250 days. The mixture was re-analyzed in 2012 using HPLC-FD and a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer (QqQ-MS). The analytical results 20 years after the inception of the experiment were strikingly similar to those after 2250 days. To confirm that viable microorganisms were still present, the mixture was re-spiked with Gly in 2012. Aliquots were collected immediately after spiking, and at 5- and 9-month intervals thereafter. Final HPLC-FD/QqQ-MS analyses were performed in 2014. The 2014 analyses revealed that only alpha-AIB, D,L-Iva, and D-Val remained abundant. The disappearance of Gly indicated that microorganisms still lived in the mixture and were capable of consuming protein amino acids. These findings demonstrate that non-protein amino acids are minimally impacted by biological degradation and thus have very long lifetimes under these conditions. Primitive non-protein amino acids from terrestrial synthesis, or meteorite in-fall, likely experienced great-er preservation than protein amino acids in paleo-oceanic environments. Such robust molecules may have reached a steady state concentration dependent on ocean circulation through hydrothermal systems and synthetic input processes. We are presently trying to estimate this concentration.

Parker, Eric T.↗

Performance Analysis of Apollo Navigational Starter Routine

The focus of this project is to recreate and analyze the effectiveness of the original Apollo Starter Routine (ASR) which was used to generate the state vector of the Apollo spacecraft based on a series of radiometric observations. The original Apollo navigation software is unavailable in a modern programming language and the original coding has not been preserved. This necessitates its recreation using the original software documentation. Space Shuttle navigation software does not typically use the ASR or an algorithm like it since the Shuttle s state vector is easily deduced from GPS information or other sources. However, this tactic will be ineffective when trying to determine the state vector of a craft approaching, departing or in orbit around the Moon since the GPS network faces the surface of the Earth, not outer space. The recreation of the ASR from the original documentation is therefore vital as a simulation baseline for the navigation software under development for the Constellation program. The algorithms that make up the ASR will be extracted from the original documentation and adapted for and then implemented in a modern programming language; the majority of it will be coded in Matlab. The ASR s effectiveness will then be tested using simulated tracking data. The ability of the ASR to handle realistically noisy data and the accuracy with which it generates state vectors were analyzed. The ASR proved to be robust enough to process data with range and angle noise as large as 10,000 meters and 10(exp -6) radians together and 300,000 meters and 5x10(exp -4) radians separately at Lunar distances. The ASR was able to handle marginally more noise at distances closer to the Earth where the angle noise was less significant. The ASR is capable of effectively processing 40-80 data points gathered at a rate of one per 20 seconds at close Earth orbit and up to 28-40 data points gathered at a rate of one per minute at distant Earth orbit and Lunar orbit.

Ivanov, Stoyan I.↗

Measuring multiple cosmogenic nuclides in glacial cobbles sheds light on Greenland Ice Sheet processes

The behavior of the Greenland Ice Sheet during the Pleistocene remains uncertain due to the paucity of evidence predating the Last Glacial Maximum. Here, we employ a novel approach, cosmogenic nuclide analysis of individual subglacially-derived cobbles, which allows us to make inferences about ice sheet processes and subglacial erosion. From three locations in western Greenland, we collected 86 cobbles from the current ice sheet margin and nine cobbles exposed on the modern proglacial land surface. We measured the concentration of in situ 10Be in all cobbles (n =95) and 26Al and 14C in a subset (n =14). Cobbles deposited during Holocene retreat have 10Be exposure ages generally consistent with the timing of ice retreat determined by other methods. Conversely, most of the 86 subglacial cobbles contain very low concentrations of 10Be (median 1.0×10^3atoms/g), although several have ∼104and one has ∼10^5atoms/g. The low concentrations of 10Be in most subglacial cobbles imply that their source areas under the Greenland Ice Sheet are deeply eroded, preserving minimal evidence of surface or near-surface exposure. The presence of measurable 14C in ten of the cobbles requires that they experienced cosmogenic nuclide production within the past ∼30 ka; however, 14C/10Be ratios of ∼6 suggest that nuclide production occurred during shielding by overlying material. Only two of the 86 subglacial cobbles definitively have cosmogenic nuclide concentrations consistent with prior surface exposure. Overall, isotopic analysis of subglacial cobbles indicates that much of western Greenland’s subglacial landscape is characterized by deep erosion and minimal subaerial exposure.

cosmogenic nuclides↗

Jezero Crater, Mars, as a Compelling Site for Future In Situ Exploration

Jezero is a approximately 45 km diameter impact crater located in the Nili Fossae region of Mars. Jezero is an outstanding site to address key questions of ancient Mars climate, habitability, and volcanic history because: (a) It hosted an open-basin lake during the era of valley network formation [1,2], which ceased at approximately the Noachian-Hesperian boundary [3]. (b) It contains two delta deposits [1,4] with Fe/Mg-smectite and Mg-carbonate sediment [4-7] (the only exposure of lacus-trine shoreline carbonates seen so far on Mars). (c) The depositional environment and mineral assemblage of the delta are promising for the concentration and preservation of organic matter [5,8]. (d) The diverse geologic units in Jezero are in clear stratigraphic context [7]. The Jezero paleolake system has been thoroughly investigated at a variety of scales, including work on: the mineralogy of the delta deposits [4-6] and watershed [7], as well as the morphology and sedimentology of the basin [9] and delta deposits [1,4]. The geologic context of Jezero is also well-studied given the broad suite of alteration minerals exposed in the ancient stratigraphies of the Nili Fossae region [e.g., 6,10-13]. Here we present an overview of the units accessible for exploration in the Jezero basin, including questions and hypotheses that can be tested through analysis in situ and of returned samples. This is particularly timely given the upcoming Mars 2020 mission, for which Jezero is one of the final eight landing sites [14]. Primary science objectives for Mars 2020 are to: (1) characterize the geologic history of a site with "evidence of an astrobiologically-relevant ancient environment and geologic diversity"; (2) assess the habitability and "potential evidence of past life" in units with "high biosignature preservation potential"; and (3) cache scientifically compelling samples for potential return to Earth [15].

Mars↗

Liquefied Bleed for Stability and Efficiency of High Speed Inlets

A mission analysis code was developed to perform a trade study on the effectiveness of liquefying bleed for the inlet of the first stage of a TSTO vehicle. By liquefying bleed, the vehicle weight (TOGW) could be reduced by 7 to 23%. Numerous simplifying assumptions were made and lessons were learned. Increased accuracy in future analyses can be achieved by: Including a higher fidelity model to capture the effect of rescaling (variable vehicle TOGW). Refining specific thrust and impulse models ( T m a and Isp) to preserve fuel-to-air ratio. Implementing LH2 for T m a and Isp. Correlating baseline design to other mission analyses and correcting vehicle design elements. Implementing angle-of-attack effects on inlet characteristics. Refining aerodynamic performance (to improve L/D ratio at higher Mach numbers). Examining the benefit with partial cooling or densification of the bleed air stream. Incorporating higher fidelity weight estimates for the liquefied bleed system (heat exchange and liquid storage versus bleed duct weights) could be added when more fully developed. Adding trim drag or 6-degree-of-freedom trajectory analysis for higher fidelity. Investigating vehicle optimization for each of the bleed configurations.

Saunders, J. David↗

Volcano evolution on Mars

The diversity of volcanic activity on Mars throughout geologic time was one of the major factors that has controlled the spatial distribution of surface mineralogies. The traditional view of Martian volcanism is one in which effusive activity has dominated the entire preserved geologic history of the planet, with the minor exception of phreatomagnetic activity and associated volcano ground-ice interactions. However, two lines of evidence have caused reconsidering of this view, and have led to the possible role of explosive volcanism on Mars. First, detailed analysis of high resolution Viking Orbiter images has provided good evidence for explosive activity on Hecates Tholus and Alba Patera. Secondly, the problems believed to exist in associating explosive volcanism with silicic magmas on Mars, and the consequent unusual magmatic evolutionary trend for Martian volcanoes from silica-rich to silica-poor, may now be circumvented by the consideration of basatic plinian activity similar in kind to terrestrial eruptions such as the 1886 Tarawera eruption. The morphologic evidence for an early phase of explosive activity on Mars is briefly reviewed, and a model is presented for the emplacement of ash-flow deposits on Martian volcanoes. The volcanoes Alba Patera and Olympus Mons are considered in this context, along with some of the older Martian tholi and paterae

Mouginis-Mark, Pete↗

Idealized tip-to-tail waverider model

The flow field of an idealized cone-derived waverider is axisymmetric. This forebody feature is preserved for the rest of the vehicle, including the inlet, cowl, combustor, and nozzle. There is thus an inviscid, tip-to-tail model in which both the external and internal flows are axisymmetric. The assumption of axial symmetry provides a major simplification for the analysis and allows for a systematic integration of the propulsion unit with the aerodynamics. The code is an initial formulation that provides only the most basic engineering data, such as lift, thrust, drag, and fuel consumption for a point-designed vehicle that may be cruising at a low hypersonic Mach number. The user may specify flight altitude and Mach number, a multiple shock configuration for the inlet, a few basic geometric parameter, H2 or CH4 as fuel, the fuel/air ratio, etc. A new design concept is used for the nozzle that avoids shock waves, minimizes the nozzle length, and may maximize its thrust. A general description of the model is provided with emphasis on the design of the nozzle and fins. Preliminary results are presented that compare the cruise flight range using H2 or CH4 as the fuel.

Emanuel, G.↗

Application of convolve-multiply-convolve SAW processor for satellite communications

There is a need for a satellite communications receiver than can perform simultaneous multi-channel processing of single channel per carrier (SCPC) signals originating from various small (mobile or fixed) earth stations. The number of ground users can be as many as 1000. Conventional techniques of simultaneously processing these signals is by employing as many RF-bandpass filters as the number of channels. Consequently, such an approach would result in a bulky receiver, which becomes impractical for satellite applications. A unique approach utilizing a realtime surface acoustic wave (SAW) chirp transform processor is presented. The application of a Convolve-Multiply-Convolve (CMC) chirp transform processor is described. The CMC processor transforms each input channel into a unique timeslot, while preserving its modulation content (in this case QPSK). Subsequently, each channel is individually demodulated without the need of input channel filters. Circuit complexity is significantly reduced, because the output frequency of the CMC processor is common for all input channel frequencies. The results of theoretical analysis and experimental results are in good agreement.

Lie, Y. S.↗

Detecting Amino Acids on Mars

Understanding the events that led to the origin of life on Earth is complicated by the lack of geological evidence from the period around four billion years (4 Gyr) ago when the transition from prebiotic chemistry to biochemistry is believed to be occurred. Although erosion and plate tectonics have since erased the terrestrial geological record from the time of the origin of life, there is possibility that information about this period of Earth history may still be preserved on Mars. A major goal of the NASA Space Exploration Program is to search for evidence of abiotic chemistry and extinct or extant life on Mars. During the next decade, spacecraft will orbit Mars, land on the surface, and return with surface samples for analysis. The question is what compounds should we search for, either directly on the planet or in samples returned to Earth, that will answer unambiguously whether abiotic and/or biotic organic molecules are present.

Bada, Jeffrey L.↗

Biospecimen Culling: Temporal RNA Integrity Analysis Across Spaceflight Missions Dating from 1985 to 2011

The Ames Life Science Data Archive (ALSDA) at NASA Ames Research Center is managed by the Space Biosciences Division and has been operational since 1993. The ALSDA is responsible for archiving information and biospecimens collected from life science spaceflight experiments and matching ground control experiments. They are stored in the Ames biobank, which is located in the Biospecimen Storage Facility (BSF). The ALSDA also manages a Biospecimen Sharing Program, performs curation and long-term storage operations, and makes biospecimens available to the scientific community for research purposes via the Life Science Data Archive public website (https:lsda.jsc.nasa.gov). The BSF maintains both fixed and frozen spaceflight and ground tissues, collected from recent and past spaceflight missions. Due to the ever increasing demand for space to preserve current and future flight biospecimens, the ALSDA has initiated the development of a culling plan for biospecimens currently stored in the BSF. Culling enables the ALSDA to assess the quality of archived samples, and supports the development of standardized culling procedures that improve the operational efficiency of the BSF. The culling plan focuses on generating disposition recommendations for samples in the BSF, and currently is based on measuring ribonucleic acid (RNA) integrity number (RIN). The culling process includes (1) sorting and identification of candidate samples for RIN analysis, (2) completion of RIN analysis on select samples, and (3) development of disposition recommendations for specimens based on the RIN values. Furthermore, our approach allows for unique scientific opportunities, including development of a RIN-based methodology for culling, and temporal assessment of the quality of the tissues that have been stored in BSF since the 1980s. Results of this work will also support NASA open science initiatives.

biospecimen↗

Reconnection of vorticity lines and magnetic lines

Magnetic field and fluid vorticity share many features. First, as divergence-free vector fields they are conveniently visualized in terms of their field lines, curves that are everywhere tangent to the field. The lines indicate direction and their density indicates field strength. The question arises of the extent to which the evolution of the fields can be treated in terms of the evolution of their field lines. Newcomb (1958) derived the general conditions on the evolution of vector fields that permit the identification of field lines from one instant to the next. The equations of evolution of the vorticity field and the magnetic field fall within Newcomb's analysis. The dynamics of the flows differ between these two systems, so that geometrically similar phenomena happen in different ways in the two systems. In this paper the geometrical similarities are emphasized. Reconnection will be defined here as evolution in which it is not possible to preserve the global identification of some field lines. There is a close relation between reconnection and the topology of the vector field lines. Nontrivial topology occurs where the field has null points or there are field lines that are closed loops.

Greene, John M.↗

Gas-Phase Combustion Synthesis of Nonoxide Nanoparticles in Microgravity

Gas-phase combustion synthesis is a promising process for creating nanoparticles for the growing nanostructure materials industry. The challenges that must be addressed are controlling particle size, preventing hard agglomerates, maintaining purity, and, if nonoxides are synthesized, protecting the particles from oxidation and/or hydrolysis during post-processing. Sodium-halide Flame Encapsulation (SFE) is a unique methodology for producing nonoxide nanoparticles that addresses these challenges. This flame synthesis process incorporates sodium and metal-halide chemistry, resulting in nanoparticles that are encapsulated in salt during the early stages of their growth in the flame. Salt encapsulation has been shown to allow control of particle size and morphology, while serving as an effective protective coating for preserving the purity of the core particles. Metals and compounds that have been produced using this technology include Al, W, Ti, TiB2, AlN, and composites of W-Ti and Al-AlN. Oxygen content in SFE synthesized nano- AlN has been measured by neutron activation analysis to be as low as 0.54wt.%, as compared to over 5wt.% for unprotected AlN of comparable size. The overall objective of this work is to study the SFE process and nano-encapsulation so that they can be used to produce novel and superior materials. SFE experiments in microgravity allow the study of flame and particle dynamics without the influence of buoyancy forces. Spherical sodium-halide flames are produced in microgravity by ejecting the halide from a spherical porous burner into a quiescent atmosphere of sodium vapor and argon. Experiments are performed in the 2.2 sec Drop Tower at the NASA-Glenn Research Center. Numerical models of the flame and particle dynamics were developed and are compared with the experimental results.

Axelbaum, R. L.↗

Composition of Syrtis Major volcanic plateau

Syrtis Major, a low-relief volcanic shield centered near 295 degrees 10 degrees N, is an old, well-preserved and exposed volcanic region on Mars which formed at the end of the heavy bombardment period. The composition of these volcanic materials has importance for understanding the thermal and chemical history of Mars. Imaging spectrometer data of the Syrtis Major volcanic plateau are used in this analysis to identify major compositional components. First and second order even channel reflectance spectra between 0.77 and 2.55 microns from four broad classes of materials on Syrtis Major are given. For the volcanic materials, there are three primary classes characterized by albedo, slope, and shape of the 10 micron band. To emphasize the latter, straight line continua were removed from each spectral segment and replotted in another figure. Each spectrum shows a band minima near 0.96 microns and 2.15 microns indicative of pyroxene mineral absorptions. Comparison of these band minima with studies of pyroxene reflectance spectra suggests that the pyroxenes in the volcanics of Syrtis Major are high calcium pyroxene with a Ca/(Mg+Fe+Ca) ratio of 0.2 to 0.3. The most likely pyroxene is an augite.

Mustard, John F.↗