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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 433 records · Page 24
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NASA NTRS1972

Magnetic storm characteristics of the thermosphere

Energy and diffusive mass transport associated with the thermospheric circulation are considered in a self-consistent, though mathematically relatively simple form to describe in a three-dimensional two-constituent model magnetic storm characteristics in composition (N2, O, and He), temperature and mass-density. It is shown that during disturbed conditions the latitudinal variations of composition and gas temperature T sub g reflect the local nature of the magnetic storm heat input assumed to be primarily confined to the auroral zones. Thereby T sub g and N2 increase, He decreases and O remains constant through the auroral zones at exospheric heights (due to the superposition of temperature and diffusion effects) in agreement with OGO-6 mass spectrometer measurements. In contrast, the magnetic storm response in the total mass density is characterized by a strong world-wide component and a relatively insignificant increase toward the poles with the density peak occurring between two (poles) and eight (equator) hours after the maximum energy input, in substantial agreement with satellite drag data.

Mayr, H. G.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Empirical model of global thermospheric temperature and composition based on data from the OGO-6 quadrupole mass spectrometer

An empirical global model for magnetically quiet conditions has been derived from longitudinally averaged N2, O, and He densities by means of an expansion in spherical harmonics. The data were obtained by the OGO-6 neutral mass spectrometer and cover the altitude range 400 to 600 km for the period 27 June 1969 to 13 May 1971. The accuracy of the analytical description is of the order of the experimental error for He and O and about three times experimental error for N2, thus providing a reasonable overall representation of the satellite observations. Two model schemes are used: one representing densities extrapolated to 450 km and one representing densities extrapolated to 120 km with exospheric temperatures inferred from N2 densities. Using the best fit model parameters the global thermospheric structure is presented in the form of a number of contour plots.

Hedin, A. E.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Neutral atmospheric models compatible with satellite orbital decay and incoherent scatter measurements

A correlation study was made of the variations of the exospheric temperature extrema with various combinations of the monthly mean and daily values of the 2800 MHz and Ca:2 solar indices. The phase and amplitude of the semi-annual component and the term dependent on Kp were found to remain almost the same for the maximum and minimum temperature. The term dependent on the 27 day component of the solar activity was found to be about four times as large for the diurnal maximum as for the minimum. Measurements at Arecibo have shown that temperature gradient changes at 125 km are consistent with the phase difference between the neutral temperature and density maxima. This is used to develop an empirical model which is compatible with both the satellite measurements and the available incoherent scatter measurements. A main feature of this model is that day length is included as a major model parameter.

Rohrbaugh, J. L.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Mariner 9 ultraviolet spectrometer experiment: Mars atomic oxygen 1304-Angstrom emission

Selected results are presented for a considerable quantity of Mariner 9 1304-A data for the first 100 revolutions from both the bright limb and disk of Mars. The limb data suggest that the exospheric temperature is less than it was in 1969 when Mariners 6 and 7 encountered the planet. Similar (O) concentrations (0.5 to 1%) are derived for a temperature of about 300 K. Structure in the limb profiles below 200 km suggests the possibility that about 0.2 kR of the observed approximately 0.8 kR near 150 km is due to dissociative excitation of CO2. Significant differences in selected limb profiles suggest that local as well as random variations in (O) occur.

Strickland, D. J.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Ultraviolet spectrometer experiment

The original scientific objectives and the achieved results are discussed. The upper atmosphere was found to have a variable temperature, with a mean exospheric temperature of 325 K; composed predominantley of CO2. Measurements of hydrogen and ozone are analyzed.

Barth, C. A.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Observed effects of earth-reflected radiation and hydrogen drag on the orbital accelerations of balloon satellites.

From March through May 1967, the high-altitude balloon satellites Pageos (1966 56A) and Dash 2 (1963 30D) were both in continuous sunlight orbits. Observed variations in the orbital accelerations of both satellites are found to be due primarily to a combination of the perturbing effects of earth albedo radiation and atmospheric drag. An equation based on diffuse Lambertian reflection of sunlight from the earth predicts quite well the observed trend of orbital accelerations for both satellites due to the force of earth albedo radiation. After correcting for this effect, the remaining orbital energy changes are found to be consistent with atmospheric drag perturbations, making it possible to deduce mean exospheric densities above 2300 km. The results indicate that hydrogen concentrations during the observation period were about three times greater than that given by the U.S. Standard Atmosphere Supplements (1966).

Prior, E. J.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Observations of the He II 304-A radiation in the night sky.

The intensity and spatial variations of the He II 304-A radiation in the night sky were measured to an altitude of 264 km from a sounding rocket launched from Thumba, India, on Mar. 10, 1970. The data obtained are presented in the form of an all-sky map and are compared with theoretical predictions. The data are not consistent either with diffusive equilibrium models of exospheric helium or with plausible models of helium in the interplanetary medium. The data can be fit with a constant-density plasmasphere model bounded at the magnetic shell L = 4 in combination with a tenuous gas of helium ions in the plasma sheet. Numerical results obtained with this model are compared with in situ satellite observations.

Paresce, F.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Magnetic storm characteristics of the thermosphere.

Energy and diffusive mass transport associated with the thermospheric circulation are considered in a self-consistent, though mathematically relatively simple, form to describe in a three-dimensional two-constituent model magnetic storm characteristics in composition (N2, O, and He), temperature, and mass-density. It is shown that during disturbed conditions the latitudinal variations of composition and gas temperature reflect the local nature of the magnetic storm heat input assumed to be primarily confined to the auroral zones. Thereby gas temperature and N2 increase, He decreases, and O remains constant through the auroral zones at exospheric heights (due to the superposition of temperature and diffusion effects) in agreement with Ogo 6 mass spectrometer measurements. In contrast, the magnetic storm response in the total mass density is characterized by a strong worldwide component and a relatively insignificant increase toward the poles.

Mayr, H. G.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Mariner 9 ultraviolet spectrometer experiment - Mars atomic oxygen 1304-A emission.

Selected results are presented for an analysis of Mariner 9 1304-A data from the first 100 passes. Based on a comparison of limb data, the exospheric temperature appears lower on several Mariner 9 passes than when Mariner 6 and 7 encountered the planet in 1969. Temperatures of 300 and 350 K are considered in the atmospheric modeling. At 300 K, derived values of the atomic oxygen concentration are typically between 0.5 and 1% of the total density at 135 km, based on fitting theoretical intensities to limb data from several passes. Structure in the limb data below 200 km suggests the possibility that approximately 0.2 kR of the observed approximately 0.8 kR near 150 km is due to dissociative excitation of CO2. There is variability in limb profiles, thus indicating changes in the O distribution with time. The variability does not appear to follow a recognizable pattern. Interpretation of the 1304-A disk data shows a correlation in intensity with the 10.7-cm solar flux and larger O concentrations in the afternoon than in the morning. The correlation in intensity with the 10.7-cm flux is probably due largely to variation in the solar 1304-A fluxes.

Strickland, D. J.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Diurnal and semidiurnal nitrogen density and temperature variations from thermosphere probe measurements.

Amplitudes and phases for the diurnal and semidiurnal variations of thermospheric molecular nitrogen density and temperature are determined from data obtained by six rocket-launched thermosphere probes. The semidiurnal tide is significant for the lower thermosphere variations, where it could dominate in the N2 density at 140 km and in the temperature for altitudes between 170 and 200 km. At exospheric heights, the magnitudes of the semidiurnal modes in density and temperature are significantly smaller than those of the diurnal mode. The temperature phase is height-dependent in both diurnal and semidiurnal components below 200 km, thus contributing to phase differences between N2 density and temperature in both modes. No significant phase differences are apparent between N2 density and thermospheric temperature above 250 km.

Newton, G. P.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Effect of energetic oxygen atoms on neutral density models.

The dissociative recombination of O2(+) and NO(+) in the F region results in the production of atomic oxygen and atomic nitrogen with substantially greater kinetic energy than the ambient atoms. In the exosphere these energetic atoms have long free paths. They can ascend to altitudes of several thousand kilometers and can travel horizontally to distances of the order of the earth's radius. The distribution of energetic oxygen atoms is derived by means of models of the ion and neutral densities for quiet and disturbed solar conditions. A distribution technique is used to study the motion of the atoms in the collision-dominated region. Ballistic trajectories are calculated in the spherical gravitational field of the earth. The present calculations show that the number densities of energetic oxygen atoms predominate over the ambient atomic oxygen densities above 1000 km under quiet solar conditions and above 1600 km under disturbed solar conditions.

Rohrbaugh, R. P.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Argon: A thermometer of the upper atmosphere

The exospheric temperatures are derived from Ar, N2, O and He measurements obtained from the Aeros-1 NATE experiment. It is shown that the temperatures derived from Ar and N2 are very close to each other and show very similar seasonal, latitudinal and the day to night variations both under quiet and the geomagnetically disturbed conditions. The temperatures derived from O and He do not usually follow this pattern because of their large variabilities in the lower thermosphere. The differences in the inferred temperatures from these gases are particularly noticeable when the neutral composition data between 220-250 km are used. In this altitude region Ar appears to have some advantage over N2 for the purpose of deriving neutral temperature.

Chandra, S.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Theory of the phase anomaly in the thermosphere

Discussion of the temperature-density phase anomaly on the basis of a quasi-three-dimensional model in which the thermosphere dynamics associated with wind circulation is considered in a self-consistent form. Included in this analysis are the first three harmonics, which involve nonlinear coupling between diurnal and semidiurnal tides. It is shown that the phase anomaly with exospheric temperature peaks near 1600 LT and mass density peaks between 1400 and 1445 LT can be reproduced in a self-consistent theory without invoking ad hoc assumptions and boundary conditions that would mask the physical processes to be explored. A number of factors and processes are found to contribute to the phase anomaly, including the semidiurnal and particularly the terdiurnal components, heat advection, diffusion, and energy coupling with the lower atmosphere.

Mayr, H. G.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Polarization of the 584- and 304-Angstrom emissions of helium in the geocorona and interplanetary medium

The polarization of the 584- and 304-A emissions of helium that have been resonantly scattered in the earth's atmosphere and in the interplanetary medium is discussed. It is shown that in the geocorona the simultaneous measurement of altitude profiles of the 584-A He dayglow intensity and polarization will test the hypothesis that the 584-A dayglow is excited by resonance scattering of sunlight from geocoronal helium. If this is indeed the major source of the 584-A dayglow emission, a simultaneous measurement of the polarization and the altitude profile of the intensity in the exosphere will uniquely determine the helium number density distribution as a function of altitude, and in the thermosphere it will alow a study of nondiffusive equilibrium processes. An attractive feature of this method is that the interpretation does not require a knowledge of the solar 584-A line center flux or line profile.

Kumar, S.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Physics of planetary ionospheres

The fundamental physical and chemical processes in an idealized planetary ionosphere are considered as a general abstraction, with actual planetary ionospheres representing special cases. After describing the structure of the neutral atmospheres (the barosphere, the thermosphere, and the exosphere) and noting the principal ionizing radiations responsible for the formation of planetary ionospheres, a detailed study is made of the thermal structure of these ionospheres and of the chemical processes and plasma-transport processes occurring in them. The features of equilibrium and realistic models of planetary ionospheres are discussed, and an attempt is made to determine the extent of these ionospheres. Considering the ionosphere as a plasma, a plasma kinetic approach is developed for determining the effects of interactions between individual particles and waves in this plasma. The use of remote-sensing radio techniques and direct measurement or in situ techniques is discussed. Finally, the observed properties of the ionospheres of the Earth, Mars, Venus, and Jupiter are reviewed.

Bauer, S. J.↗
NASA NTRS1974

On the distribution of He+ in the plasmasphere from observations of resonantly scattered He II 304-A radiation

The intensity of the He II 304-A radiation in the night sky was measured from a sounding rocket launched from White Sands Missile Range on June 9, 1972. The data obtained on this flight are compared with predictions of theoretical models of the He(+) altitude distribution within the plasmasphere. The observations are not consistent with an isothermal equilibrium model of the helium ion in the plasmasphere, confirming earlier results. The data are best fit by a diffussive equilibrium model of exospheric He(+) having a plasma temperature gradient of 0.5 K per km and a number density at 1600 km of 200,000 He(+) ions per cu cm. In this model the ion densities are calculated without allowance for thermal diffusion. A similar model that allows for thermal diffusion and that has a He(+) number density at 1600 km of 1500 per cu cm and a temperature gradient of 1.2 K per km yields a less satisfactory fit to the observations but is more consistent with in situ satellite observations.

Paresce, F.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Recent improvements in our knowledge of neutral atmosphere structure from satellite drag measurements

Observational results on the density in the thermosphere and lower exosphere (i.e., within the altitude range from about 150 to about 1000 km) are discussed in this paper. Most observational results on total gas density were obtained from orbital drag and more recently also from in-situ drag analysis. The primary parameter measured is atmospheric density, with temperature as a secondary structural parameter deduced with the help of theory and/or atmospheric models. Both the merits and shortcomings of the drag analysis method are outlined in view of a comparison of temperature deduced from total density and kinetic gas temperature measured by incoherent scatter. Recent improvements of our knowledge of the known density variations are presented.

Roemer, M.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Ultraviolet observations of Venus from Mariner 10 - Preliminary results

An objective grating spectrometer on Mariner 10 has measured airglow in the wavelength range 200 to 1700 angstroms. The data reveal the presence of significant concentrations of hydrogen, helium, carbon, and oxygen atoms in the upper atmosphere of Venus. A preliminary analysis of the hydrogen data indicates an exospheric temperature of 400 K. There is evidence for intense airglow emission at wavelengths longward of 1350 angstroms; the nature of this emission is unclear, but the radiation is spatially extensive and detectable on both day and night sides of the planet.

Broadfoot, A. L.↗