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At least 487 records · Page 27

On the existence of debris clouds in the Space Station orbit: Final results of the EuroMir 1995 impact detector

A flight experiment flown onboard the Mir space station as a part of the Euromir 95 mission is considered. The aim of the experiment was to develop a greater understanding of the effects of the space environment on materials. In addition to the active enumeration of particle impacts and trajectories, the aim was to capture hypervelocity particles for their return to earth. Postflight measurements were performed to determine the flux density, diameters and subsequent effects on various optical thermal control and structural materials. Sensors actively measured the atomic oxygen flux, the contamination depostion and their effects during the mission. Two clouds of small particles were detected during a period of 100 days onboard Mir. It is concluded that the measured momenta of these particles suggests that their size and velocity are such that they cause damage to optics and thermal control surfaces.

Maag, Carl R.↗

Prediction of Undsteady Flows in Turbomachinery Using the Linearized Euler Equations on Deforming Grids

A linearized Euler solver for calculating unsteady flows in turbomachinery blade rows due to both incident gusts and blade motion is presented. The model accounts for blade loading, blade geometry, shock motion, and wake motion. Assuming that the unsteadiness in the flow is small relative to the nonlinear mean solution, the unsteady Euler equations can be linearized about the mean flow. This yields a set of linear variable coefficient equations that describe the small amplitude harmonic motion of the fluid. These linear equations are then discretized on a computational grid and solved using standard numerical techniques. For transonic flows, however, one must use a linear discretization which is a conservative linearization of the non-linear discretized Euler equations to ensure that shock impulse loads are accurately captured. Other important features of this analysis include a continuously deforming grid which eliminates extrapolation errors and hence, increases accuracy, and a new numerically exact, nonreflecting far-field boundary condition treatment based on an eigenanalysis of the discretized equations. Computational results are presented which demonstrate the computational accuracy and efficiency of the method and demonstrate the effectiveness of the deforming grid, far-field nonreflecting boundary conditions, and shock capturing techniques. A comparison of the present unsteady flow predictions to other numerical, semi-analytical, and experimental methods shows excellent agreement. In addition, the linearized Euler method presented requires one or two orders-of-magnitude less computational time than traditional time marching techniques making the present method a viable design tool for aeroelastic analyses.

Clark, William S.↗

The effect of secondary autoionization on dielectronic recombination.

Demonstration that, during the process of dielectronic recombination, the energy of a recombined ion after a resonance capture and subsequent stabilization may still be higher than the first ionization limit. If that happens, a secondary autoionization can take place and reduce the recombination coefficient. The importance of this effect is considered for iron ions Fe(9+) to Fe(13+).

Blaha, M.↗

Operation of a Heat Pipe with Multiple Heat Loads Under Reflux Mode

"Heat pipes are being used on many spacecraft to acquire heat dissipated by the payload and transport the heat to a remote radiator. In instrument-level or spacecraft-level ground testing, many heat pipes are placed in a gravity-driven reflux mode where the condenser is well above the evaporator, resulting in the formation of a liquid pool at the bottom of the heat pipe. If a head load is applied to a site that is in contact with the liquid pool, the generated vapor will flow upward to the condenser and the condensate will fall back to the evaporator due the influence of gravity. Hence, the heat pipe can operate steadily under reflux mode because the heated site always has sufficient liquid supply to sustain the fluid flow. In contrast, when a heat load is applied to a site remote from the liquid pool, the heat pipe will be unable to transfer heat through liquid evaporation unless the heated site has a chance to be in contact with liquid. This can be accomplished by applying an additional heat load to the liquid pool to establish a reflux flow so that the remote site can capture the falling condensate. An experimental investigation was conducted to study the effect of gravity on the thermal performance of a heat pipe under reflux mode with multiple heat loads. An aluminum ammonia heat pipe with internal axial grooves was placed in a vertical position. Cooling was provided to the top of the heat pipe, and heat was applied to three sites below the condenser with various heat distributions. One of the heated sites was above the liquid pool, and two were in direct contact with the liquid pool. Test results showed that when a heat load was applied to either one or both of the lower sites, the heat pipe could run steadily under reflux mode. After a reflux flow had been established, a heat load could be applied to the upper site. If the upper site could capture sufficient liquid falling from the condenser to handle its heat load solely by liquid evaporation, the heat pipe could reach steady operation. Otherwise, the temperature of the upper site would oscillate due to its intermittent contact with the falling liquid. For a given heat load to the upper site, the amplitude of temperature oscillation decreased with an increasing heat load to the lower sites because there was more falling condensate available for the upper site to capture. Moreover, the temperature oscillation disappeared completely when the total heat loads to lower sites exceeded a threshold power, and the threshold power increased with an increasing heat load to the upper site."

Ku, Jentung↗

Comments on galactic evolution and nucleocosmochronology

Long-lived nucleochronologies are calculated for several recently proposed models of the chemical evolution of the Galaxy. Special attention is paid to the Re-187/Os-187 chronometer, for which important data have recently become available. It is found that although the rate of star formation does vary with time in the different models, the quantity that is related to the effective net rate of nucleosynthesis is constant for most of the physically plausible recent-evolution models examined. This constant net rate implies that for these models, the age of the Galaxy at the time the solar system formed is twice the mean age of the stable elements. This mean age can be estimated by the parameter 'delta max', in which case the age of the Galaxy is twice this parameter plus the age of the solar system. The present uncertainties in 'delta max' yield an age for the Galaxy of 7 to 20 billion years. However, this range could be significantly reduced by an accurate measurement of the half-life of Re-187 and more knowledge on the effect of stellar temperatures on the Os-186/Os-187 neutron-capture cross-section ratio. In fact, experiments which could be carried out in the next few years can reduce these uncertainties tremendously and enable an age determination to be made which might severely restrict cosmological models.

Hainebach, K. L.↗

Nonlinear structural analysis for fiber-reinforced superalloy turbine blades

A computational capability for predicting the nonlinear thermomechanical structural response of fiber-reinforced superalloy (FRS) turbine blades is described. This capability is embedded in a special purpose computer code (COBSTRAN) developed at the NASA Lewis Research Center. Special features of this computational capability include accounting for: fiber/matrix reaction, nonlinear and anisotropic material behavior, complex stress distribution due to local and global heterogeneity, and residual stresses due to initial fabrication and/or inelastic behavior during subsequent missions. Numerical results are presented from analyses of a hypothetical FRS turbine blade subjected to a fabrication process and subsequent mission cycle. The results demonstrate the capabilities of this computational tool to; predict local stress/strain response and capture trends of local nonlinear and anisotropic material behavior, relate the effects of this local behavior to the global response of a multilayered fiber-composite turbine blade, and trace material history from fabrication through successive missions.

Hopkins, D. A.↗

An Acoustic Charge Transport Imager for High Definition Television Applications: Reliability Modeling and Parametric Yield Prediction of GaAs Multiple Quantum Well Avalanche Photodiodes

Reliability modeling and parametric yield prediction of GaAs/AlGaAs multiple quantum well (MQW) avalanche photodiodes (APDs), which are of interest as an ultra-low noise image capture mechanism for high definition systems, have been investigated. First, the effect of various doping methods on the reliability of GaAs/AlGaAs multiple quantum well (MQW) avalanche photodiode (APD) structures fabricated by molecular beam epitaxy is investigated. Reliability is examined by accelerated life tests by monitoring dark current and breakdown voltage. Median device lifetime and the activation energy of the degradation mechanism are computed for undoped, doped-barrier, and doped-well APD structures. Lifetimes for each device structure are examined via a statistically designed experiment. Analysis of variance shows that dark-current is affected primarily by device diameter, temperature and stressing time, and breakdown voltage depends on the diameter, stressing time and APD type. It is concluded that the undoped APD has the highest reliability, followed by the doped well and doped barrier devices, respectively. To determine the source of the degradation mechanism for each device structure, failure analysis using the electron-beam induced current method is performed. This analysis reveals some degree of device degradation caused by ionic impurities in the passivation layer, and energy-dispersive spectrometry subsequently verified the presence of ionic sodium as the primary contaminant. However, since all device structures are similarly passivated, sodium contamination alone does not account for the observed variation between the differently doped APDs. This effect is explained by the dopant migration during stressing, which is verified by free carrier concentration measurements using the capacitance-voltage technique.

Hunt, W. D.↗

Determining the Optimum Post Spacing of LIDAR-Derived Elevation Data in Varying Terrain for Flood Hazard Mapping Purposes in North Carolina and Texas

The major flood events in the United States in the past few years have made it apparent that many floodplain maps being used by State governments are outdated and inaccurate. In response, many Stated have begun to update their Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Digital Flood Insurance Rate Maps. Accurate topographic data is one of the most critical inputs for floodplain analysis and delineation. Light detection and ranging (LIDAR) altimetry is one of the primary remote sensing technologies that can be used to obtain high-resolution and high-accuracy digital elevation data suitable for hydrologic and hydraulic (H&H) modeling, in part because of its ability to "penetrate" various cover types and to record geospatial data from the Earth's surface. However, the posting density or spacing at which LIDAR collects the data will affect the resulting accuracies of the derived bare Earth surface, depending on terrain type and land cover type. For example, flat areas are thought to require higher or denser postings than hilly areas to capture subtle changes in the topography that could have a significant effect on flooding extent. Likewise, if an area has dense understory and overstory, it may be difficult to receive LIDAR returns from the Earth's surface, which would affect the accuracy of that bare Earth surface and thus would affect flood model results. For these reasons, NASA and FEMA have partnered with the State of North Carolina and with the U.S./Mexico Foundation in Texas to assess the effect of LIDAR point density on the characterization of topographic variation and on H&H modeling results for improved floodplain mapping. Research for this project is being conducted in two areas of North Carolina and in the City of Brownsville, Texas, each with a different type of terrain and varying land cover/land use. Because of various project constraints, LIDAR data were acquired once at a high posting density and then decimated to coarser postings or densities. Quality assurance/quality control analyses were performed on each dataset. Cross sections extracted form the high density and then the decimated datasets were individually input into an H&H model to determine the model's sensitivity to topographic variation and the effect of that variation on the resulting water profiles. Additional analysis was performed on the Brownsville, Texas, LIDAR data to determine the percentage of returns that "penetrated" various types of canopy or vegetative cover. It is hoped that the results of these studies will benefit state and local communities as they consider the post spacing at which to acquire LIDAR data (which affects cost) and will benefit FEMA as the Agency assesses the use of different technologies for updating National Flood Insurance Program and related products.

Berglund, Judith↗

Direct Electrolysis of Molten Lunar Regolith for the Production of Oxygen and Metals on the Moon

When considering the construction of a lunar base, the high cost ($ 100,000 a kilogram) of transporting materials to the surface of the moon is a significant barrier. Therefore in-situ resource utilization will be a key component of any lunar mission. Oxygen gas is a key resource, abundant on earth and absent on the moon. If oxygen could be produced on the moon, this provides a dual benefit. Not only does it no longer need to be transported to the surface for breathing purposes; it can also be used as a fuel oxidizer to support transportation of crew and other materials more cheaply between the surface of the moon, and lower earth orbit (approximately $20,000/kg). To this end a stable, robust (lightly manned) system is required to produce oxygen from lunar resources. Herein, we investigate the feasibility of producing oxygen, which makes up almost half of the weight of the moon by direct electrolysis of the molten lunar regolith thus achieving the generation of usable oxygen gas while producing primarily iron and silicon at the cathode from the tightly bound oxides. The silicate mixture (with compositions and mechanical properties corresponding to that of lunar regolith) is melted at temperatures near 1600 C. With an inert anode and suitable cathode, direct electrolysis (no supporting electrolyte) of the molten silicate is carried out, resulting in production of molten metallic products at the cathode and oxygen gas at the anode. The effect of anode material, sweep rate, and electrolyte composition on the electrochemical behavior was investigated and implications for scale-up are considered. The activity and stability of the candidate anode materials as well as the effect of the electrolyte composition were determined. Additionally, ex-situ capture and analysis of the anode gas to calculate the current efficiency under different voltages, currents and melt chemistries was carried out.

Sirk, Aislinn H. C.↗

The Net Climate Impact of Coal-Fired Power Plant Emissions

Coal-fired power plants influence climate via both the emission of long-lived carbon dioxide (CO2) and short-lived ozone and aerosol precursors. Using a climate model, we perform the first study of the spatial and temporal pattern of radiative forcing specifically for coal plant emissions. Without substantial pollution controls, we find that near-term net global mean climate forcing is negative due to the well-known aerosol masking of the effects of CO2. Imposition of pollution controls on sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides leads to a rapid realization of the full positive forcing from CO2, however. Long-term global mean forcing from stable (constant) emissions is positive regardless of pollution controls. Emissions from coal-fired power plants until 1970, including roughly 1/3 of total anthropogenic CO2 emissions, likely contributed little net global mean climate forcing during that period though they may have induce weak Northern Hemisphere mid-latitude (NHml) cooling. After that time many areas imposed pollution controls or switched to low sulfur coal. Hence forcing due to emissions from 1970 to 2000 and CO2 emitted previously was strongly positive and contributed to rapid global and especially NHml warming. Most recently, new construction in China and India has increased rapidly with minimal application of pollution controls. Continuation of this trend would add negative near-term global mean climate forcing but severely degrade air quality. Conversely, following the Western and Japanese pattern of imposing air quality pollution controls at a later time could accelerate future warming rates, especially at NHmls. More broadly, our results indicate that due to spatial and temporal inhomogeneities in forcing, climate impacts of multi-pollutant emissions can vary strongly from region to region and can include substantial effects on maximum rate-of-change, neither of which are captured by commonly used global metrics. The method we introduce here to estimate regional temperature responses may provide additional insight.

Shindell, D.↗

Operational Analysis in the Launch Environment

The launch environment is a challenging regime to work due to changing system dynamics, changing environmental loading, joint compression loads that cannot be easily applied on the ground, and control effects. Operational testing is one of the few feasible approaches to capture system level dynamics since ground testing cannot reproduce all of these conditions easily. However, the most successful applications of Operational Modal Testing involve systems with good stationarity and long data acquisition times. This paper covers an ongoing effort to understand the launch environment and the utility of current operational modal tools. This work is expected to produce a collection of operational tools that can be applied to non-stationary launch environment, experience dealing with launch data, and an expanding database of flight parameters such as damping. This paper reports on recent efforts to build a software framework for the data processing utilizing existing and specialty tools; understand the limits of current tools; assess a wider variety of current tools; and expand the experience with additional datasets as well as to begin to address issues raised in earlier launch analysis studies.

James, George↗

Geologic Interpretation of Data Sets Collected by Planetary Analog Geology Traverses and by Standard Geologic Field Mapping: A Comparison Study - Part 1

Geologic maps integrate the distributions, contacts, and compositions of rock and sediment bodies as a means to interpret local to regional formative histories. Applying terrestrial mapping techniques to other planets is challenging because data is collected primarily by orbiting instruments, with infrequent, spatiallylimited in situ human and robotic exploration. Although geologic maps developed using remote data sets and limited "Apollo-style" field access likely contain inaccuracies, the magnitude, type, and occurrence of these are only marginally understood. This project evaluates the interpretative and cartographic accuracy of both field- and remote-based mapping approaches by comparing two 1:24,000 scale geologic maps of the San Francisco Volcanic Field (SFVF), north-central Arizona. The first map is based on traditional field mapping techniques, while the second is based on remote data sets, augmented with limited field observations collected during NASA Desert Research & Technology Studies (RATS) 2010 exercises. The RATS mission used Apollo-style methods not only for pre-mission traverse planning but also to conduct geologic sampling as part of science operation tests. Cross-comparison demonstrates that the Apollo-style map identifies many of the same rock units and determines a similar broad history as the field-based map. However, field mapping techniques allow markedly improved discrimination of map units, particularly unconsolidated surficial deposits, and recognize a more complex eruptive history than was possible using Apollo-style data. Further, the distribution of unconsolidated surface units was more obvious in the remote sensing data to the field team after conducting the fieldwork. The study raises questions about the most effective approach to balancing mission costs with the rate of knowledge capture, suggesting that there is an inflection point in the "knowledge capture curve" beyond which additional resource investment yields progressively smaller gains in geologic knowledge.

Eppler, Dean B.↗

A Global Atmospheric Model of Meteoric Iron

The first global model of meteoric iron in the atmosphere (WACCM-Fe) has been developed by combining three components: the Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model (WACCM), a description of the neutral and ion-molecule chemistry of iron in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere (MLT), and a treatment of the injection of meteoric constituents into the atmosphere. The iron chemistry treats seven neutral and four ionized iron containing species with 30 neutral and ion-molecule reactions. The meteoric input function (MIF), which describes the injection of Fe as a function of height, latitude, and day, is precalculated from an astronomical model coupled to a chemical meteoric ablation model (CABMOD). This newly developed WACCM-Fe model has been evaluated against a number of available ground-based lidar observations and performs well in simulating the mesospheric atomic Fe layer. The model reproduces the strong positive correlation of temperature and Fe density around the Fe layer peak and the large anticorrelation around 100 km. The diurnal tide has a significant effect in the middle of the layer, and the model also captures well the observed seasonal variations. However, the model overestimates the peak Fe+ concentration compared with the limited rocket-borne mass spectrometer data available, although good agreement on the ion layer underside can be obtained by adjusting the rate coefficients for dissociative recombination of Fe-molecular ions with electrons. Sensitivity experiments with the same chemistry in a 1-D model are used to highlight significant remaining uncertainties in reaction rate coefficients, and to explore the dependence of the total Fe abundance on the MIF and rate of vertical transport.

meteoric inputfunction↗

An Experimental Study of Launch Vehicle Propellant Tank Fragmentation

In order to better understand launch vehicle abort environments, Bangham Engineering Inc. (BEi) built a test assembly that fails sample materials (steel and aluminum plates of various alloys and thicknesses) under quasi-realistic vehicle failure conditions. Samples are exposed to pressures similar to those expected in vehicle failure scenarios and filmed at high speed to increase understanding of complex fracture mechanics. After failure, the fragments of each test sample are collected, catalogued and reconstructed for further study. Post-test analysis shows that aluminum samples consistently produce fewer fragments than steel samples of similar thickness and at similar failure pressures. Video analysis shows that there are several failure 'patterns' that can be observed for all test samples based on configuration. Fragment velocities are also measured from high speed video data. Sample thickness and material are analyzed for trends in failure pressure. Testing is also done with cryogenic and noncryogenic liquid loading on the samples. It is determined that liquid loading and cryogenic temperatures can decrease material fragmentation for sub-flight thicknesses. A method is developed for capture and collection of fragments that is greater than 97 percent effective in recovering sample mass, addressing the generation of tiny fragments. Currently, samples tested do not match actual launch vehicle propellant tank material thicknesses because of size constraints on test assembly, but test findings are used to inform the design and build of another, larger test assembly with the purpose of testing actual vehicle flight materials that include structural components such as iso-grid and friction stir welds.

Richardson, Erin↗

Simultaneous Radar and Satellite Data Storm-Scale Assimilation Using an Ensemble Kalman Filter Approach for 24 May 2011

Assimilating high-resolution radar reflectivity and radial velocity into convection-permitting numerical weather prediction models has proven to be an important tool for improving forecast skill of convection. The use of satellite data for the application is much less well understood, only recently receiving significant attention. Since both radar and satellite data provide independent information, combing these two sources of data in a robust manner potentially represents the future of high-resolution data assimilation. This research combines Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite 13 (GOES-13) cloud water path (CWP) retrievals with Weather Surveillance Radar-1988 Doppler (WSR-88D) reflectivity and radial velocity to examine the impacts of assimilating each for a severe weather event occurring in Oklahoma on 24 May 2011. Data are assimilated into a 3-km model using an ensemble adjustment Kalman filter approach with 36 members over a 2-h assimilation window between 1800 and 2000 UTC. Forecasts are then generated for 90 min at 5-min intervals starting at 1930 and 2000 UTC. Results show that both satellite and radar data are able to initiate convection, but that assimilating both spins up a storm much faster. Assimilating CWP also performs well at suppressing spurious precipitation and cloud cover in the model as well as capturing the anvil characteristics of developed storms. Radar data are most effective at resolving the 3D characteristics of the core convection. Assimilating both satellite and radar data generally resulted in the best model analysis and most skillful forecast for this event.

Jones, Thomas A.↗

ADVANCES IN PLUME-SURFACE INTERACTION SIMULATION CAPABILITY UNDER LUNAR LANDING CONDITIONS

The Fluid Dynamics Branch at theNASA Marshall Space Flight Center has assembled a portfolio of simulation tools to predict Plume-SurfaceInteraction (PSI) environments during extra-terrestrial propulsive landings. Particular focus is on engineering support for lunar landers such as robotic CommercialLunar Payload Services (CLPS) and the HumanLander System (HLS). Extension of existing PSI simulation capabilities are required to accurately capture the complex plume flow conditions and surface soil particle composition effects that arise in the lunar environment. The required model development and implementation, and extensive verification and validation of the key simulation tools, Loci/Chem [1]and Loci/Boltzmann [2], and Loci/GGFS [3] are now performed under a NASA Space Technology MissionDirectorate (STMD) funded multi-year GameChanging Development (GCD) project. The project will implement and mature these new modeling features and verify and validate them for the Mars andMoon environments with the aid of existing and new experiments to be performed under this project

Plume Surface Interaction↗

The Global Satellite Precipitation Constellation: Current Status and Future Requirements

To address the need to map precipitation on a global scale a collection of satellites carrying passive microwave (PMW) radiometers has grown over the last 20 years to form a constellation of about 10-12 sensors at any one time. Over the same period, a broad range of science and user communities has become increasingly dependent on the precipitation products provided by these sensors. The constellation presently consists of both conical and cross-track scanning precipitation-capable multi-channel instruments, many of which are beyond their operational and design lifetime but continue to operate through the cooperation of the responsible agencies. The Group on Earth Observations and the Coordinating Group for Meteorological Satellites (CGMS), among other groups, have raised the issue of how a robust, future precipitation constellation should be constructed. The key issues of current and future requirements for the mapping of global precipitation from satellite sensors can be summarised as providing: 1) sufficiently fine spatial resolutions to capture precipitation-scale systems and reduce the beam-filling effects of the observations; 2) a wide channel diversity for each sensor to cover the range of precipitation types, characteristics and intensities observed across the globe; 3) an observation interval that provides temporal sampling commensurate with the variability of precipitation; and 4) precipitation radars and radiometers in low inclination orbit to provide a consistent calibration source, as demonstrated by the first two spaceborne radar/radiometer combinations on the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) and Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission Core Observatory (CO). These issues are critical in determining the direction of future constellation requirements, while preserving the continuity of the existing constellation necessary for long-term climate-scale studies.

Precipitation↗

Assessment of Pseudoshock Models Against Experiment in a Low-Aspect-Ratio Isolator

A highly confined shock train is investigated in a direct-connect isolator facility with a Mach 2 inflow and a constant-area low-aspect-ratio rectangular test section. High-speed schlieren imaging, wall static pressure measurements, surface oil-flow visualization, and particle image velocimetry from this isolator are synthesized into a three-dimensional schematic of the shock train structure. Against this, the prevailing pseudoshock models in the literature are assessed to evaluate the validity of their underlying assumptions. None of the prevailing pseudoshock models are found to simultaneously model the pressure and Mach number profiles, indicating a gap in the model formation and underlying assumptions when applied to the experimental isolator of interest. The presence of distortion in the isolator flowfield, such as a wall-bounded vortex, is found to skew the structure of the shock train, altering the strength and distribution of the compressive pressure gradient. It is further observed that the separated flow morphology surrounding the shock train is not monolithic, as is typically assumed, adjusting the balance of compressive forces within the shock cells. These findings lead to the conclusion that existing flux-conserved modeling approaches require modification to be effective in distorted and highly confined cases, including closure models that capture the three-dimensional distorted structure of the approach flow and its evolution along the shock train.

Shock Train↗