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NASA NTRS1976

Large-scale neutral composition gravity waves in the thermosphere observed by ESRO 4

Neutral composition waves with a wavelength of about 5000 km and a wave period of about 2.5 h were observed by ESRO 4 in the altitude region of 250 km. The amplitudes are of the order of 25% for Ar, 15% for N2, and roughly 10% for He and O at 25 deg geographic latitude. The Ar and N2 waves are almost in phase, whereas He is in antiphase, and O is in between. The wave amplitudes are seen to decrease toward lower latitudes, suggesting that the composition waves are launched by auroral sources. Simultaneous ground-based ionosonde measurements of the F2 layer critical frequency at middle and low latitudes show a wave period consistent with the satellite observations. From the relation between wavelength and wave period these waves are identified as gravity waves. The theoretical investigation with a multicomponent model shows that diffusion plays a major role in explaining the observed phase and amplitude relations between atmospheric constituents.

Trinks, H.↗

NASA NTRS1984

On the acceleration of energetic ions in Jupiter's magnetosphere

Several aspects of the problem of high-energy ions in the Jovian magnetosphere are addressed. Voyager observations pertaining to the problem of high-energy ions in the magnetosphere are summarized, and the charge exchange emission of fast neutral sulfur and oxygen atoms and their subsequent recapture by electron impact, charge exchange, and photoionization is considered. Solutions are given to the diffusion equation assuming a source of ions injected with a gyroenergy corresponding to pickup in the middle and outer magnetosphere. It is concluded that no reasonable model parameters exist to produce the required steep spectra of the particle observations with only pickup and adiabatic radial diffusion included. A local acceleration mechanism based on nonadiabatic wave-particle interactions is needed. The assumptions and model predictions of stochastic acceleration by MHD turbulence for the Jovian magnetosphere are described. The model makes a specific correspondence between MHD wave spectrum properties and particle spectrum properties at energies above the Alfven energy.

Barbosa, D. D.↗

NASA NTRS1985

The theoretical and experimental investigation of cosmic ray Forbush-effects

The theoretical results of analysis of the expected spatial distributions of density, gradients and anisotropy of cosmic rays, obtained on the basis of the numerical solution of anisotropic diffusion equation in the presence of the disturbances of shock wave type in the interplanetary space are presented. The theoretical calculations on the definition of the energy spectrum and anisotropy of galactic cosmic rays during Forbush effect are compared with the experimental data.

Alania, M. V.↗

NASA NTRS1991

Electron densities and the excitation of CN in molecular clouds

In molecular clouds of modest density and relatively high fractional ionization, the rotational excitation of CN is controlled by a competition among electron impact, neutral impact and the interaction with the cosmic background radiation. The degree of excitation can be measured through optical absorption lines and millimeter-wave emission lines. The available, accurate data on CN in diffuse and translucent molecular clouds are assembled and used to determine electron densities. The derived values, n(e) = roughly 0.02 - 0.5/cu cm, imply modest neutral densities, which generally agree well with determinations by other techniques. The absorption- and emission-line measurements of CN both exclude densities higher than n(H2) = roughly 10 exp 3.5/cu cm on scales varying from 0.001 to 60 arcsec in these clouds.

Black, John H.↗

NASA NTRS1992

The simulated features of heliospheric cosmic-ray modulation with a time-dependent drift model. IV - The role of heliospheric neutral sheet deformation

Previous calculations with a time-dependent drift model revealed the model to be less successful in describing time-dependent modulation during periods of moderate to large solar activity. In this paper, it is argued that a major reason for this is that the previously used wavy heliospheric neutral sheet (HNS) description was based on an idealized HNS not subject to any spatial evolution while propagating radially outward. It is suggested that the deformation and compression of HNS wave peaks will lead to significant increases in the crossfield diffusion across these peaks (short-circuiting). The cosmic rays will effectively experience reduced tilt angles and therefore a reduction in the integrated HNS modulation effect between an observer and the heliospheric boundary. During periods of moderate to large solar activity these HNS deformation processes are progressively more frequent and should lead to a significant reduction in time-dependent modulation as predicted by drift models. Calculations done with radially propagating tilt angles that effectively decrease with radial distance give the expected reduction which improves the general description of modulation from 1987-1988.

Le Roux, J. A.↗

NASA NTRS1946

Application of the method of characteristics to supersonic rotational flow

A system for calculating the physical properties of supersonic rotational flow with axial symmetry and supersonic rotational flow in a two-dimensional field was determined by use of the characteristics method. The system was applied to the study of external and internal flow for supersonic inlets with axial symmetry. For a circular conical inlet the shock that occurred at the lip of the inlet became stronger as it approached the axis of the inlet and became a normal shock at the axis. The region in which strong shock occurred increased with increase of the angle of internal cone at the lip of the inlet. For an inlet with a central body the method of characteristics was applied to the design of an internal channel shape that, theoretically, results in very efficient recompression in the inlet. It was shown that if an effuser is connected with the diffuser a body of revolution with very small shock-wave drag can be determined. (author)

Ferri, Antonio↗

NASA NTRS1950

Isentropic phase changes in dissociating gases and the method of sound dispersion for the investigation of homogeneous gas reactions with very high speed : Conclusion

The analytical results of Part I are also applied to sound dispersion by friction and heat conduction, An irreversible change of momentum, energy, and type of particle corresponding to friction, heat conduction, and diffusion effects can appear both in the direction of the sound field and traverse to it. Longitudinal damping, the coupling of longitudinal damping and that due to chemical and physical changes, and coupling of diffusion and compositional changes are treated for a plane sound wave of infinite extent. The same principles are also applied to sound effects in cylindrical tubes. The limitations of the method are discussed in some detail.

SOUND VELOCITY - GASES↗

NASA NTRS1995

Noise Temperature and IF Bandwidth of a 530 GHz Heterodyne Receiver Employing a Diffusion-Cooled Superconducting Hot-Electron Mixer

We report on the first heterodyne measurements with a diffusion-cooled hot-electron bolometer mixer in the submillimeter wave band, using a waveguide mixer cooled to 2.2 K. The best receiver noise temperature at a local oscillator frequency of 533 GHz and an intermediate frequency of 1.4 GHz was 650 K (double sideband). The 3 dB IF roll-off frequency was around 1.7 to 1.9 GHz, with a weak dependence on the device bias conditions.

Skalare, A.↗

NASA NTRS2011

Acoustic Testing of Flight Hardware Using Loudspeakers: How Much do We Know About This Method of Testing?

Loudspeakers have been used for acoustic qualification of spacecrafts, reflectors, solar panels, and other acoustically responsive structures for more than a decade. Even though a lot of hardware has been acoustic tested using this method, the nature of the acoustic field generated by controlling an ensemble of speakers with and without the hardware in the test volume has not been thoroughly investigated. Limited measurements from some of the recent speaker tests used to qualify flight hardware have indicated significant spatial variation of the acoustic field within the test volume. Also structural responses have been reported to differ when similar tests were performed using reverberant chambers. Unlike the reverberant chamber acoustic test, for which the acoustic field in most chambers is known to be diffuse except below several tens of Hz where acoustic standing waves and large spatial variations exist, the characteristics of the acoustic field within the speaker test volume has not been quantified. It has only been recently that a detailed acoustic field characterization of speaker testing has been made at Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) with involvement of various organizations. To address the impact of non-uniform acoustic field on structures, a series of acoustic tests were performed using a flat panel and a 3-ft cylinder exposed to the field controlled by speakers and repeated in a reverberant chamber. The analysis of the data from this exercise reveals that there are significant differences both in the acoustic field and in the structural responses. In this paper the differences between the two methods are reviewed in some detail and the over- or under-testing of articles that could pose un-anticipated structural and flight qualification issues are discussed. A framework for discussing the validity of the speaker acoustic testing method with the current control system and a path forward for improving it will be provided.

Acoustics↗

NASA NTRS2015

Detecting Interplanetary Dust Particles with Radars to Study the Dynamics at the Edge of the Space

The Earth's mesosphere is the region of the atmosphere between approximately 60-120 km altitude, where the transition from hydrodynamic flow to molecular diffusion occurs. It is highly dynamic region where turbulence by wave braking is produced and energy is deposited from sources from both, below and above this altitude range. Because aircraft and nearly all balloons reach altitudes below approximately 50 km and orbital spacecrafts are well above approximately 400 km, the mesosphere has only been accessed through the use of sounding rockets or remote sensing techniques, and as a result, it is the most poorly understood part of the atmosphere. In addition, millions of Interplanetary Dust Particles (IDPs) enter the atmosphere. Within the mesosphere most of these IDPs melt or vaporize as a result of collisions with the air particles producing meteors that can be detected with radars. This provides a mean to study the dynamics of this region. In this lecture the basic principles of the utilization of meteor radars to study the dynamics of the mesosphere will be presented. A system overview of these systems will be provided as well as discuss the advantages/disadvantages of these systems, provide details of the data processing methodology and give a brief overview of the current status of the field as well as the vision for the next decade.

interplanetary dust↗

NASA NTRS2015

Increased Mach Number Capability for the NASA Glenn 10x10 Supersonic Wind Tunnel

Computational simulations and wind tunnel testing were conducted to explore the operation of the Abe Silverstein Supersonic Wind Tunnel at the NASA Glenn Research Center at test section Mach numbers above the current limit of Mach 3.5. An increased Mach number would enhance the capability for testing of supersonic and hypersonic propulsion systems. The focus of the explorations was on understanding the flow within the second throat of the tunnel, which is downstream of the test section and is where the supersonic flow decelerates to subsonic flow. Methods of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) were applied to provide details of the shock boundary layer structure and to estimate losses in total pressure. The CFD simulations indicated that the tunnel could be operated up to Mach 4.0 if the minimum width of the second throat was made smaller than that used for previous operation of the tunnel. Wind tunnel testing was able to confirm such operation of the tunnel at Mach 3.6 and 3.7 before a hydraulic failure caused a stop to the testing. CFD simulations performed after the wind tunnel testing showed good agreement with test data consisting of static pressures along the ceiling of the second throat. The CFD analyses showed increased shockwave boundary layer interactions, which was also observed as increased unsteadiness of dynamic pressures collected in the wind tunnel testing.

Diffuser↗

NASA NTRS1975

Wave theory of turbulence in compressible media (acoustic theory of turbulence)

The generation and the transmission of sound in turbulent flows are treated as one of the several aspects of wave propagation in turbulence. Fluid fluctuations are decomposed into orthogonal Fourier components, with five interacting modes of wave propagation: two vorticity modes, one entropy mode, and two acoustic modes. Wave interactions, governed by the inhomogeneous and nonlinear terms of the perturbed Navier-Stokes equations, are modeled by random functions which give the rates of change of wave amplitudes equal to the averaged interaction terms. The statistical framework adopted is a quantum-like formulation in terms of complex distribution functions. The spatial probability distributions are given by the squares of the absolute values of the complex characteristic functions. This formulation results in nonlinear diffusion-type transport equations for the probability densities of the five modes of wave propagation.

Kentzer, C. P.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Potential surfaces for O atom-polymer reactions

Ab initio quantum chemistry methods are used to study the energetics of interactions of O atoms with organic compounds. Polyethylene (CH2)n has been chosen as the model system to study the interactions of O(3P) and O(1D) atoms with polymers. In particular, H abstraction is investigated and polyethylene is represented by a C3 (propane) oligomeric model. The gradient method, as implemented in the GRADSCF package of programs, is used to determine the geometries and energies of products and reactants. The saddle point, barrier geometry is determined by minimizing the squares of the gradients of the potential with respect to the internal coordinates. To correctly describe the change in bonding during the reaction at least a two configuration MCSCF (multiconfiguration self consistent field) or GVB (generalized valence bond) wave function has to be used. Basis sets include standard Pople and Dunning sets, however, increased with polarization functions and diffuse p functions on both the C and O atoms. The latter is important due to the O(-) character of the wave function at the saddle point and products. Normal modes and vibrational energy levels are given for the reactants, saddle points and products. Finally, quantitative energetics are obtained by implementing a small CAS (complete active space) approach followed by limited configuration interaction (CI) calculations. Comparisons are made with available experimental data.

Laskowski, B. C.↗

NASA NTRS1990

Acousto-ultrasonics

The theoretical development, methodology, and potential applications of acousto-ultrasonic nondestructive testing are set forth in an overview to assess the effectiveness of the technique. Stochastic wave propagation is utilized to isolate and describe defects in fiber-reinforced composites, particularly emphasizing the integrated effects of diffuse populations of subcritical flaws. The generation and nature of acousto-ultrasonic signals are described in detail, and stress-wave factor analysis of the signals is discussed. Applications of acousto-ultrasonics are listed including the prediction of failure sites, assessing fatique and impact damage, calculating ultimate tensile strength, and determining interlaminar bond strength. The method can identify subtle but important variations in fiber-reinforced composites, and development of the related instrumentation technology is emphasized.

Vary, Alex↗

NASA NTRS1986

Mathematical model for the Bridgman-Stockbarger crystal growing system

In a major technical breakthrough, a computer model for Bridgman-Stockbarger crystal growth was developed. The model includes melt convection, solute effects, thermal conduction in the ampule, melt, and crystal, and the determination of the curved moving crystal-melt interface. The key to the numerical method is the use of a nonuniform computational mesh which moves with the interface, so that the interface is a mesh surface. In addition, implicit methods are used for advection and diffusion of heat, concentration, and vorticity, for interface movement, and for internal gracity waves. This allows large time-steps without loss of stability or accuracy. Numerical results are presented for the interface shape, temperature distribution, and concentration distribution, in steady-state crystl growth. Solutions are presented for two test cases using water, with two different salts in solution. The two diffusivities differ by a factor of ten, and the concentrations differ by a factor of twenty.

Roberts, G. O.↗

NASA NTRS2024

SUPIN: A Tool for the Aerodynamic Design and Analysis of Supersonic Inlets

The Supersonic Inlet Design and Analysis Tool (SUPIN) is a computational program that performs geometric modeling and aerodynamic design and analysis of a set of supersonic inlets whose types include the axisymmetric pitot, three-dimensional pitot, axisymmetric, two-dimensional, two-dimensional bifurcated-duct, and streamline-traced inlets. The inlets are modeled by dividing the inlet flowpath into components that start at the freestream and ends at the engine face. The primary components of the inlet include the external supersonic diffuser, throat section, and subsonic diffuser. Each component is characterized by a set of inputs that include geometric and aerodynamic factors. Examples of the geometric factors are angles, lengths, area ratios, and coordinates that describe the geometry of the components. Examples of the aerodynamic factors are Mach numbers, flow ratios, and pressure ratios that set constraints or desired aerodynamic properties of the component. These input factors are specified within a text-based input data file that is read into SUPIN. SUPIN is a Fortran 95 program that performs the inlet design and analysis as a batch or non-interactive process. SUPIN writes output data files describing the inlet geometry and aerodynamic performance. SUPIN uses analytic, empirical, and numerical methods to perform the inlet design and analysis. The inlet geometry is constructed using planar and three-dimensional geometry constructs and is represented by coordinates, angles, areas, profiles, and surfaces. Surfaces are output in the form of a Plot3D surface grid file. SUPIN does have some capability to automatically generate planar and three-dimensional, multi-block, structured grids for computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis. The aerodynamic analysis performed by SUPIN computes quasi-one-dimensional properties, such as Mach numbers, pressures, and temperatures, through the inlet flowpath. Planar aerodynamic properties, such as those for shock and Mach waves, are computed for the supersonic compression of the external supersonic diffuser and throat section. The inlet performance is characterized by the inlet flow rates, total pressure recovery, and inlet drag. The primary intent of this document is to describe the usage of SUPIN. The methods used within SUPIN are documented and may serve as a useful reference for understanding the aerodynamic design and analysis of supersonic inlets.

supersonic inlets↗

NASA NTRS1985

The speed of wave-wave interactions in the atmosphere

Resonant wave-wave interactions are considered. Studies of the interaction coefficient show that rapid transfer of wave action can take place in the disjoined parts of the spectrum for three processes, namely: elastic scattering, parametric subharmonic instability and induced diffusion. Of the three processes, the vertical shear plays a role in two. The vertical shear of a moderate scale interacts through elastic scattering to make the spectrum vertically symmetric. On the other hand, the vertical shear of a large scale interacts through induced diffusion and is responsible for diffusion in k sub z space. When interacting with a vertical shear, it is known that the vertical shear acts as a catalyst and is not involved in energy transfer. Consequently, in both elastic scattering and induced diffusion, the vertical shear does not gain or lose energy. Through parametric subharmonic instability the more energetic large-scale waves are feeding energy into moderate and small scale waves of an elevation angle of 60 deg or larger.

Yeh, K. C.↗

NASA NTRS1979

Plasma waves near Venus - Initial observations

The Pioneer Venus electric field detector was used to observe significant effects of the interaction of the solar wind with the ionosphere of Venus all along the orbiter trajectory. Information on sharp and diffuse shock structures and on plasma oscillations emitted by suprathermal electrons beyond the bow shock is considered, and wave particle interaction phenomena important near the boundary of the dayside ionosphere are noted.

Scarf, F. L.↗