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At least 451 records · Page 25

Supernova pointing capabilities of DUNE

The determination of the direction of a stellar core collapse via its neutrino emission is crucial for the identification of the progenitor for a multimessenger follow-up. A highly effective method of reconstructing supernova directions within the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) is introduced. The supernova neutrino pointing resolution is studied by simulating and reconstructing electron-neutrino charged-current absorption on Ar 40 and elastic scattering of neutrinos on electrons. Procedures to reconstruct individual interactions, including a newly developed technique called “brems flipping,” as well as the burst direction from an ensemble of interactions are described. Performance of the burst direction reconstruction is evaluated for supernovae happening at a distance of 10 kpc for a specific supernova burst flux model. The pointing resolution is found to be 3.4 degrees at 68% coverage for a perfect interaction-channel classification and a fiducial mass of 40 kton, and 6.6 degrees for a 10 kton fiducial mass respectively. Assuming a 4% rate of charged-current interactions being misidentified as elastic scattering, DUNE’s burst pointing resolution is found to be 4.3 degrees (8.7 degrees) at 68% coverage.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Antenna pointing system- organization and performance

This paper is a description of the antenna pointing system used in the satellite ground station at Andover, Maine. It is an introduction to the following five papers in this issue, which describe and discuss in some detail the various major parts and features of the antenna pointing system. In order that the antenna have sufficient gain for the Telstar experiment, it was necessary that it have a “pencil” beam of about 15 degree in diameter. This requires an antenna pointing system of high accuracy. The equipment and methods required to achieve this accuracy are outlined.

DIRECTIONAL CONTROL↗

Experimental Data on Stagnation-Point Gas Injection Cooling on a Hemisphere-Cone in a Hypersonic Arc Tunnel

Exploratory tests were made to determine the reduction of heat transfer resulting from ejection of gases at the stagnation point on a hemisphere-cone at a nominal Mach number of about 9 and at stagnation enthalpies up to 1600 BTU per pound. Helium, nitrogen, and argon gases were used as coolants. The ratio of mass flow of coolant to the mass flow of air swept out by the model projected area was less than 0.20 in all cases. The experimental heat-transfer data were normalized by the calculated stagnation-point values based on test conditions in the tunnel and are presented as a function of the surface distance from the stagnation point. The variation of shock standoff distances with mass flow and volumetric flow of the gaseous ejectants is presented along with photographs of the luminous flow field of the model during tests.

STAGNATION FLOW↗

A Neutral-Point Expansion of the Ideal Magnetosphere

The idealized model of the geomagnetic field-solar wind interaction yields a singular (neutral) point on the magnetopause at which the magnetic field vanishes. If we expand the fields in a power series around this point, including quadratic terms, we can derive an approximate equation of the magnetopause in a small neighborhood of the neutral point which is consistent with the idealized boundary conditions to fourth order. We then consider the additional pressure due to multiple reflections of particles in this neighborhood and show that less than a 4 per cent correction to the single-reflection pressure condition is necessary.

MATHEMATICAL MODEL↗

Laser beam pointing tests

Laser beam pointing tests using Surveyor vidicon camera for future point to point communication systems

Alley, C. O.↗

A general stagnation-point convective heating equation for arbitrary gas mixtures

The stagnation-point convective heat transfer to an axisymmetric blunt body for arbitrary gases in chemical equilibrium was investigated. The gases considered were base gases of nitrogen, oxygen, hydrogen, helium, neon, argon, carbon dioxide, ammonia, and methane and 22 gas mixtures composed of the base gases. Enthalpies ranged from 2.3 to 116.2 MJ/kg, pressures ranged from 0.001 to 100 atmospheres, and the wall temperatures were 300 and 1111 K. A general equation for the stagnation-point convective heat transfer in base gases and gas mixtures was derived and is a function of the mass fraction, the molecular weight, and a transport parameter of the base gases. The relation compares well with present boundary-layer computer results and with other analytical and experimental results. In addition, the analysis verified that the convective heat transfer in gas mixtures can be determined from a summation relation involving the heat transfer coefficients of the base gases. The basic technique developed for the prediction of stagnation-point convective heating to an axisymmetric blunt body could be applied to other heat transfer problems.

Sutton, K.↗

On the stability and pointing of an attached double-gimbal experiment package

The pointing capability of a double gimbal experiment isolation and control system of the Apollo telescope mount (ATM) type was investigated. Three composite structural models of an experiment package connected through frictionless gimbals to a carrier vehicle (including a rigid package-rigid carrier model, a rigid package-flexible carrier model, and a flexible package-flexible carrier model) were used, and a linear model of the nominal ATM gimbal control system is considered. A linear stability analysis was performed to verify stability of the control system with nominal gains. Transform techniques were used to compute pointing errors onboard the experiment package due to random crew motions input into the carrier vehicle. Results of the investigation indicate that there is no stability problem due to flexible coupling of the experiment package and the carrier, and that the ATM-type system is capable of pointing accuracies better than 0.1 arc second.

Groom, N. J.↗

A method of limit point calculation in finite element structural analysis

An approach is presented for the calculation of limit points for structures described by discrete coordinates, and whose governing equations derive from finite element concepts. The nonlinear load-displacement path of the imperfect structure is first traced by use of a direct iteration scheme and the determinant of the governing algebraic equations is calculated at each solution point. The limit point is then established by extrapolation and imposition of the condition of zero slope of the plot of load vs. determinant. Three problems are solved in illustration of the approach and in comparison with alternative procedures and test data.

Gallagher, R. H.↗

Lambda-point measurements of eta rho sub n for pure He 4 and for three He 3-He 4 mixtures.

Results of torsional crystal measurements of eta rho sub n for pure He 4 and for three He 3-He 4 mixtures over temperature intervals which included their respective lambda points. The precision of the measurements for the mixtures was greater than that of any previous lambda-point eta rho sub n measurements. Doubly reduced plots of eta rho sub n versus T showed a slight but definite tendency for such curves to rotate clockwise about the (1,1) point with increasing x sub 3 up to about 0.05. Values of eta were derived from the measurements by computing rho sub n as a function of T*. For each mixture, both eta and d eta/dT were continuous across T sub lambda (x sub 3). No tendency was manifest for such curves to develop discontinuities as x sub 3 decreased. It was therefore inferred that both eta and d eta/dT of pure He 4 are continuous across T sub lambda (0).

Webeler, R. W. H.↗

The resolution of point sources of light as analyzed by quantum detection theory

The resolvability of point sources of incoherent light is analyzed by quantum detection theory in terms of two hypothesis-testing problems. In the first, the observer must decide whether there are two sources of equal radiant power at given locations, or whether there is only one source of twice the power located midway between them. In the second problem, either one, but not both, of two point sources is radiating, and the observer must decide which it is. The decisions are based on optimum processing of the electromagnetic field at the aperture of an optical instrument. In both problems the density operators of the field under the two hypotheses do not commute. The error probabilities, determined as functions of the separation of the points and the mean number of received photons, characterize the ultimate resolvability of the sources.

Helstrom, C. W.↗

Fixed point theorems and dissipative processes.

Operators of the type considered by Hale et al. (1972) are used to show that under certain conditions there is a fixed point in a dissipative map within a Banach space. The conditions required for the existence of this fixed point are discussed in detail. Several fixed point theorems are formulated and proved.

Hale, J. K.↗

Resolution of point sources of light as analyzed by quantum detection theory.

The resolvability of point sources of incoherent thermal light is analyzed by quantum detection theory in terms of two hypothesis-testing problems. In the first, the observer must decide whether there are two sources of equal radiant power at given locations, or whether there is only one source of twice the power located midway between them. In the second problem, either one, but not both, of two point sources is radiating, and the observer must decide which it is. The decisions are based on optimum processing of the electromagnetic field at the aperture of an optical instrument. In both problems the density operators of the field under the two hypotheses do not commute. The error probabilities, determined as functions of the separation of the points and the mean number of received photons, characterize the ultimate resolvability of the sources.

Helstrom, C. W.↗

MSFC Skylab attitude and pointing control system mission evaluation

The results of detailed performance analyses of the attitude and pointing control system in-orbit hardware and software on Skylab are reported. Performance is compared with requirements, test results, and prelaunch predictions. A brief history of the altitude and pointing control system evolution leading to the launch configuration is presented. The report states that the attitude and pointing system satisfied all requirements.

Chubb, W. B.↗

Simulation of flexible appendage interactions with Mariner Venus/Mercury attitude control and science platform pointing

A new computer subroutine, which solves the attitude equations of motion for any vehicle idealized as a topological tree of hinge-connected rigid bodies, is used to simulate and analyze science instrument pointing control interaction with a flexible Mariner Venus/Mercury (MVM) spacecraft. The subroutine's user options include linearized or partially linearized hinge-connected models whose computational advantages are demonstrated for the MVM problem. Results of the pointing control/flexible vehicle interaction simulations, including imaging experiment pointing accuracy predictions and implications for MVM science sequence planning, are described in detail.

Fleischer, G. E.↗

Low frost-point humidity generator

A low frost-point humidity generator has been developed at NBS to provide a capability for calibration, testing, and research at very low levels of water vapor content in such gases as atmospheric air, carbon dioxide and nitrogen. The generator produces frost points from -30 to -100 C at ambient pressures from 500 to 200,000 pascals (0.005 to 2 atm.). This is equivalent to mixing ratios of 4 micrograms to 51 grams of water vapor per kilogram of dry air and to vapor pressures of .0014 to 38 pascals. The generated test gas can be fed to a test chamber with independent temperature control between +25 and -100 C. The uncertainty of the frost point in the test chamber is estimated not to exceed 0.05 deg C.

Greenspan, L.↗

Analysis of the three-point-bend test for materials with unequal tension and compression properties

Structural resins have moduli and strengths which are different in tension and compression. The three-point-bend test is used extensively in their characterization. An investigation is performed to derive all the equations needed for the analysis and test data reduction of the three-point-bend test. The governing equations are derived using well-known linear structural mechanics principles and are represented graphically. The stress concentration effects in the vicinity of the load point are investigated, and failure stress and failure initiation are examined.

Chamis, C. C.↗

Rigid body mode pointing accuracy and stability criteria for an orbiting spacecraft

The effect of gravity gradient torque disturbances (which is an order of magnitude greater than the other torque disturbances and is sinusoidal with a frequency of two cycles per orbit) on pointing accuracy can be predicted very precisely. However, since the sensor noise such as star tracker and gyro inherent noise, is random, their effect can only be predicted statistically. The most common method used is computer simulation with appropriate sensor model and adjusting spacecraft control laws for minimum pointing error, as presented by Harris (1972). The general investigation outlined theoretically relates spacecraft controls to pointing accuracy in terms of the sensor noise power spectrum. The results are presented in graphical form.

Sandhu, G. S.↗

Precision Pointing Control System (PPCS) system design and analysis

The precision pointing control system (PPCS) is an integrated system for precision attitude determination and orientation of gimbaled experiment platforms. The PPCS concept configures the system to perform orientation of up to six independent gimbaled experiment platforms to design goal accuracy of 0.001 degrees, and to operate in conjunction with a three-axis stabilized earth-oriented spacecraft in orbits ranging from low altitude (200-2500 n.m., sun synchronous) to 24 hour geosynchronous, with a design goal life of 3 to 5 years. The system comprises two complementary functions: (1) attitude determination where the attitude of a defined set of body-fixed reference axes is determined relative to a known set of reference axes fixed in inertial space; and (2) pointing control where gimbal orientation is controlled, open-loop (without use of payload error/feedback) with respect to a defined set of body-fixed reference axes to produce pointing to a desired target.

Frew, A. M.↗