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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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The Voyager imaging science experiment objectives at Saturn include exploratory reconnaissance of Saturn, its satellites and its rings. The imaging cameras are described, along with an abbreviated discussion of specific objectives.
Alloys from the following systems were selected for property evaluation: (1) gamma/gamma-Mo (Ni-base, rods of Mo); (2) gamma-beta (Ni-base, lamellae or rods of (Ni, Fe/Co Al); and (3) gamma-gamma (Ni-base rods of Ni3Al gamma). The three alloys were subjected to longitudinal and transverse tensile and rupture tests from 750 C to 1100 C, longitudinal shear strength was measured at several temperatures, resistance to thermal cycling to 1150 C was determined, cyclic oxidation resistance was evaluated at 750 C and 1100 C, and each system was directionally solidified in an alumina shell mold turbine shape to evaluate mold/metal reactivity. The gamma/gamma Mo system has good rupture resistance, transverse properties and processability, and is a high potential system for turbine blades. The gamma-beta system has good physical properties and oxidation resistance, and is a potential system for turbine vanes. The gamma-gamma system has good high temperature rupture resistance and requires further exploratory research.
Exploratory calculations of transonic flows over the airfoil with a quarter-chord oscillating flap were made using a program which obtains approximate solutions to the Euler equations with an explicit, shock-capturing, finite-difference scheme. The calculations, essentially inviscid and for the airfoil at zero angle-of-attack in a free-stream, are at Mach numbers and reduced frequencies which were tested in experiments by Tijdeman. The oscillatory lifts from analogus calculations by various investigators generally agree with one another better than they agree with Tijdeman's data. Inclusion in the calculations of an approximate modelling of boundary conditions expected at slotted wind tunnel walls tends to shift some of the results closer to the experimental values.
An environmentally oriented microwave technology exploratory research program aimed at reducing the uncertainty associated with microwave power system critical technical issues is described. Topics discussed include: (1) Solar Power Satellite System (SPS) development plan elements; (2) critical technology issues related to the SPS preliminary reference configuration; (3) pilot plant to demonstrate commercial viability of the SPS system; and (4) research areas required to demonstrate feasibility of the SPS system. Progress in the development of advanced GaAs solar cells is reported along with a power distribution subsystem.
An exploratory, experimental, and theoretical investigation was made of a cambered, twisted, and blended wing-body concept with and without integral canard surfaces. Theoretical calculations of the static longitudinal and lateral aerodynamic characteristics of the wing-body configurations were compared with the characteristics obtained from tests of a model in the Langley Unitary Plan wind tunnel. Mach numbers of 1.5, 1.8, and 2.0 and a Reynolds number per meter of 6.56 million were used in the calculations and tests. Overall results suggest that planform selection is extremely important and that the supplemental application of new calculation techniques should provide a process for the design of supersonic wings in which spanwise distribution of upwash and leading-edge thrust might be rationally controlled and exploited.
Experimental film cooling data obtained during exploratory testing with an axisymmetric plug nozzle having external expansion and installed on an afterburning turbojet engine in an altitude test facility is presented. The shocks and local hot gas stream conditions had a marked effect on film cooling effectiveness. An existing film cooling correlation was adequate at some operating conditions but inadequate at other conditions such as in separated flow regions resulting from shock boundary layer interactions.
The model was developed for real-time pilot-in-the-loop investigation of helicopter flying qualities. The mathematical model included the tip-path plane dynamics and several primary rotor design parameters, such as flapping hinge restraint, flapping hinge offset, blade Lock number, and pitch-flap coupling. The model was used in several exploratory studies of the flying qualities of helicopters with a variety of rotor systems. The basic assumptions used and the major steps involved in the development of the set of equations listed are described. The equations consisted of the tip-path plane dynamic equation, the equations for the main rotor forces and moments, and the equation for control phasing required to achieve decoupling in pitch and roll due to cyclic inputs.
Results of exploratory development on the design, fabrication and testing of transparent conductive coatings, conductive bulk materials and grounding techniques for application to high resistivity spacecraft dielectric materials to obtain control of static charge buildup are presented. Deposition techniques for application of indium oxide, indium/tin oxide and other metal oxide films on Kapton, FEP Teflon, OSR and solar cell coverglasses discussed include RF and Magnetron sputtering and vapor deposition. Development, fabrication and testing of conductive glass tiles for OSR and solar cell coverglass applications is discussed. Several grounding techniques for rapid charge dissipation from the conductively coated polymer and glass dielectrics which were developed and tested in thermal cycled and electron plasma environments are described. The optical and electrical characterization and aging effects of these coatings, bulk materials and grounding techniques are reviewed as they apply to the performance of their design functions in a geosynchronous orbit environment.
Advanced Instrumentation concepts for improving performance of manned spacecraft Environmental Control and Life Support Systems (EC/LSS) have been developed at Life Systems, Inc. The difference in specific EC/LSS instrumentation requirements and hardware during the transition from exploratory development to flight production stages are discussed. Details of prior control and monitor instrumentation designs are reviewed and an advanced design presented. The latter features a minicomputer-based approach having the flexibility to meet process hardware test programs and the capability to be refined to include the control dynamics and fault diagnostics needed in future flight systems where long duration, reliable operation requires in-flight hardware maintenance. The emphasis is on lower EC/LSS hardware life cycle costs by simplicity in instrumentation and using it to save crew time during flight operation.
The space missions in solar physics planned for the next decade are similar in that they will have, for the most part, distinct, unifying science objectives in contrast to the more general 'exploratory' nature of the Orbiting Solar Observatory and Skylab/ATM missions of the 1960's and 70's. In particular, the strategy for advanced solar physics space missions will focus on the quantitative understanding of the physical processes that create and control the flow of electromagnetic and particulate energy from the sun and through interplanetary space at all phases of the current sunspot cycle No. 21. Attention is given to the Solar Maximum Mission, the International Solar Polar Mission, solar physics on an early Shuttle mission, principal investigator class experiments for future spacelabs, the Solar Optical Telescope, the Space Science Platform, the Solar Cycle and Dynamics Mission, and an attempt to send a spacecraft to within 4 solar radii of the sun's surface.
An exploratory study was conducted to investigate the sensitivity of laminar flow controlled (LFC) boundary layers to external acoustical disturbances using an 8-ft span, 20-ft chord, and 30-deg swept wing section with laminar flow control through spanwise slots. The objectives were to identify Tollmien-Schlichting and other amplification frequencies, critical disturbance levels in the boundary layer, the influence of suction rate on these disturbances, and the transfer function between an external sound field and the corresponding disturbance induced in the boundary layer.
The modal theory of acoustoelasticity is applied to the determination of the sound levels caused by a prescribed external sound excitation which is transmitted through a cylindrical shell. A circumferential traveling pressure wave excitation is studied as representative of a propeller sound field. It is shown how other excitations such as point mechanical loading, plane wave and reverberation random may be synthesized by superposition of circumferential waves. Representative numerical results illustrate the importance of structural and acoustic frequency matching in the determination of interior sound levels and clarify the role of the cylindrical shell ring frequency. An exploratory study of a double wall geometry is conducted.
An evolutionary program phasing with respect to the development of a Solar Power Satellite (SPS) is considered, taking into account concept identification, concept evaluation, exploratory research, space technology projects, system development, and commercial operations. At the present time the concept evaluation phase of the program is underway. This phase is scheduled for completion in 1980. It will result in a recommendation as to whether the concept should be explored further and if so, in what manner. The recommendation will be based on technical feasibility, economic and environmental considerations, and comparisons with other potential systems of the future. It is premature to speculate on the conclusions and recommendations from the evaluation program as to whether the program should proceed to the next phase.
Cooling is one of the critical technologies for efficient design of exhaust nozzles, especially for the developing technology of nonaxisymmetric (2D) nozzles for future aircraft applications. Several promising 2D nozzle designs have external expansion surfaces which need to be cooled. Engine data are scarce, however, on nozzle cooling effectiveness in the supersonic flow environment (with shocks) that exists along external expansion surfaces. This paper will present experimental film cooling data obtained during exploratory testing with an axisymmetric plug nozzle having external expansion and installed on an afterburning turbojet engine in an altitude test facility. The data obtained shows that the shocks and local hot gas stream conditions have a marked effect on film cooling effectiveness. An existing film cooling correlation is adequate at some operating conditions but inadequate at other conditions such as in separated flow regions resulting from shock-boundary-layer interactions.
An exploratory piloted simulation was conducted to investigate the effects of the characteristics of helicopter flight control systems on instrument flight handling qualities. This joint FAA/NASA study was motivated by the need to improve instrument flight capability. A near-term objective is to assist in updating the airworthiness criteria for helicopter instrument flight. The experiment consisted of variations of single-rotor helicopter types and levels of stability and control augmentation systems (SCAS). These configurations were evaluated during an omnirange approach task under visual and instrument flight conditions. The levels of SCAS design included a simple rate damping system, collective decoupling plus rate damping, and an attitude command system with collective decoupling. A limited evaluation of stick force versus airspeed stability was accomplished. Some problems were experienced with control system mechanization which had a detrimental effect on longitudinal stability. Pilot ratings, pilot commentary, and performance data related to the task are presented.
Magnetospheric physics is presently in a transition from the exploratory stage to one in which satellite missions and ground-based observations are planned with the specific object of achieving a global understanding and self-consistent quantitative description of the cause-and-effect relationship among the principal dynamic processes involved. Measurements turn to lower and lower energies and to higher ion mass species, in order to encompass the entire particle population, and to a broader range of the frequency spectrum of magnetic and electric field variations. In the present paper, the current status of our knowledge on magnetospheric plasma physics is reviewed, with particular reference of such fundamental advances as the discovery of layers of streaming plasma in the magnetosphere beneath its boundary surface, the identification of the terrestrial magnetosphere as a celestial source of kilometric radiation and relativistic particles, the identification of parallel electric field regions within the magnetosphere and their role in auroral particle acceleration, and the discovery of large fluxes of energetic heavy ions trapped in the magnetosphere.
Exploratory wind tunnel tests are reported on a 74 deg. delta wing model. The potential of a vortex flap concept in reducing the subsonic lift dependent drag of highly swept, slender wings is examined. The suction effect of coiled vortices generated through controlled separation over leading edge flap surfaces to produce a thrust component is discussed. A series of vortex-flap configurations were investigated to explore the effect of some primary geometric variables.
Configuration concepts, option sizes, and systems definitions study design evolutions are reviewed. The main features of the present reference design silicon solar cell solar power satellite are described, as well as the provisions for space construction and support systems. The principal study accomplishments and conclusions are summarized according to the following tasks: (1) baseline critique; (2) construction and maintenance; (3) industrial complex needs, cost estimates, and production capacity; (4) launch complex requirements at KSC or at an offshore facility; (5) integration of the SPS/ground power network; (6) technology advancement and development; (7) costs and schedules; and (8) exploratory technology: laser annealing of solar cells degraded by proton irradiation, and a fiber-optic phase distribution link at 980 MHz.