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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 505 records · Page 28

A comparison of two transient methods of measuring thermal conductivity of particulate samples.

A comparison is made of the line source (LS) method and the differential line source (DLS) method of measuring thermal conductivity of particulate materials in vacuum. The DLS method requires more instrumentation in the measuring circuitry (an additional amplifier and a differentiating circuit), but since it does not require a stable temperature to initiate a test, it does not need a sample temperature control system. DLS tests can be taken as the temperature in the samples is rising from liquid nitrogen temperature to room temperature. This eliminates the practice of extrapolating thermal conductivity over this large temperature range. Also, the advantages of reduced test time, data reduction time, and small sample temperature rise enable the experimenter to take about 7-12 DLS tests in the time of 2 LS tests. Test data from the two methods agree very well.

Scott, R. W.↗

X2000 advanced avionics characterization study : Living in the modern world of difficult to predict processor performance

The characterization study has shown that adjustments in an application's data accesses can easily create a performance difference of three or more times in actual applications. In general, by iterating over a small portion of a data set rather than its entirety, execution can remain within cache thereby producing a performance increase. Additionally, the approaches used in performing I/O can make a major performance difference.

X2000 advanced avionics project↗

X2000 advanced avionics characterization study

The characterization study has shown that adjustments in an application's data accesses can easily create a performance difference of three or more times in actual applications. In general, by iterating over a small portion of a data set rather than its entirety, execution can remain within cache thereby producing a performance increase. Additionally, the approaches used in performing I/O can make a major performance difference.

processor performance factors↗

A Multi-Sensor, Low Volume, Automated Culture System for Space Biology Experiments

Optical density (absorbance) is commonly used in microbiology to measure cell concentration and other colorimetric indicators. It is the main type of bioscience data returned from the BioSentinel small spacecraft mission, which was recently launched as a secondary payload on Artemis I. The flight unit takes absorbance measurements of yeast cultures at 570 nm, 630 nm, and 850 nm to track cell concentration and oxidation-reduction (redox) state of the metabolic indicator dye alamarBlue over time [1]. Because the data returned from a small spacecraft mission is necessarily limited, BioSentinel uses a specialized ground-based experiment apparatus to map the absorbance data onto several other parameters. This culture apparatus is composed of a polycarbonate base and lid which contain ports for several commercial sensors, including a standard 12 mm dissolved oxygen probe, gaseous CO2, fluid pressure, and two micro-probes for measuring pH and redox potential. It also contains a pressure relief valve, a rubber membrane for culture interaction, and a 12mm port for the custom optical probe designed to match in-flight measurements. Modules in two corners expand the culture volume into narrow columns, enabling solid-state optical density measurement and dielectric spectroscopy. The apparatus can be fit to a plate for magnetic stirring. The apparatus’s optical probe allows mapping between the flight unit’s optical data and the additional parameters measured by the ground-based experiments. Within the probe, a linear actuator pulls a plunger, drawing culture volume into the optical path. The actuator then pushes out the plunger and culture volume, cleaning any stray yeast from the inside surface of the probe. The probe chassis is 3D-printed from biocompatible resin with the optoelectronics cured inside an optically clear conformal coat which functions as a lens. To optimize the probe’s dimensions, including optical path, a test harness was developed to manipulate and measure distance while the LED light sources and photodiode detector are in operation. The test harness was composed of two 3/64” thick polycarbonate plates mounted to a set of calipers. The LEDs and photodiode were mounted on the outside of each plate. A cuvette of sample fluid was then clamped between the plates in line between the LEDs and photodiode. The test harness generated a 78% signal change between water and a dye standard for the green (570 nm) LED, a 90% signal change for the red (630 nm) LED, and a 25% signal change between water and overgrown yeast for the infrared (850 nm) LED. The improvements to the ground experiment apparatus (culture volume reduction, inclusion of an optical probe to measure flight-like optical data, and magnetic stirring for culture homogeneity) allow for more flight-like measurements to be taken and more accurate mapping of these additional parameters to the optical data returned from the flight unit. This enhancement to mission science return will give insight into how deep space radiation may affect human biology for future long-term space exploration.

Multi-Sensor↗

Ground effects on aircraft noise

A flight experiment was conducted to investigate air-to-ground propagation of sound near grazing incidence. A turbojet-powered aircraft was flown at low altitudes over the ends of two microphone arrays. An eight-microphone array was positioned along a 1850 m concrete runway. The second array consisted of 12 microphones positioned parallel to the runway over grass. Twenty-eight flights were flown at altitudes ranging from 10 m to 160 m. The acoustic data recorded in the field reduced to one-third-octave band spectra and time correlated with the flight and weather information. A small portion of the data was further reduced to values of ground attenuation as a function of frequency and incidence angle by two different methods. In both methods, the acoustic signals compared originated from identical sources. Attenuation results obtained by using the two methods were in general agreement. The measured ground attenuation was largest in the frequency range of 200 to 400 Hz. A strong dependence was found between ground attenuation and incidence angle with little attenuation measured for angles of incidence greater than 10 to 15 degrees.

Willshire, W. L., Jr.↗

Comparison of SAR and CYNSS surface water extent metrics over the Yucatan Lake wetland site

Wetlands have a major role in the carbon cycle, outgassing large quantities of carbon dioxide and methane through processes that are directly and strongly influenced by the duration and timing of inundation. Therefore, understanding the seasonal pattern of inundation can be a component for regional to global scale carbon models. Measurement of inundation extent also establishes a benchmark for the current status of wetland areas, useful in assessing the future impacts of climate change. The incorporation of frequent measurements of inundation extent into large-scale hydrological models would permit the evaluation of more detailed seasonal and longer-term floodplain dynamics and their associated management implications.The Cyclone GNSS (CYGNSS) constellation of satellites launched in 2016, and carries receivers capable of receiving data from L-band GNSS reflections. Delay Doppler maps (DDM) are generated on board and telemetered to the ground, along with a small number of raw data takes that can be used for special processing on the ground for evaluation purposes. It has been previously shown that these data can be sensitive to inundation.The NASA ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar, currently planned for launch in January 2023, has both an L-band and S-band SAR for earth imaging. The L-band SAR, which will image the Earth's land mass twice every 12 days, has a requirement for measuring wetland inundation extent at the 1 ha scale. One of the sites that will be used to validate this requirement is Yucatan Lake, Louisiana. This oxbow lake and surrounding area located adjacent to the Mississippi river experiences periodic and extensive flooding in the surrounding forest areas.In 2019, NASA's UAVSAR fully polarimetric airborne L-band SAR conducted a flight campaign to image a dozen sites in the SE USA at approximately 12-day intervals and both in the morning and evening, to simulate the type of data NISAR will obtain. One site imaged during this campaign was the Yucatan Lake area, spanning water stages from low to high flood conditions.It has been demonstrated previously that GNSS reflectometry such as that measured by CYGNSS may be used to characterize surface inundation. It has also been known for decades that L-band SAR may be used to characterize not only the presence of open water, but also the presence of subcanopy inundation in forested areas. In this paper we will present results comparing data from these two types of instruments.

Lavalle, Marco↗

GOME wavelength calibration using solar and atmospheric spectra

Spectral information in the global ozone monitoring experiment (GOME) solar irradiance spectra and GOME earth radiance spectra are used in conjunction with the GOME solar reference spectrum to provide absolute vacuum internal wavelength calibration for GOME. Two methods for wavelength calibration of GOME data are investigated. The first employs chi-square minimization of a merit function involving wavelength and the GOME slit function. It is quite robust and requires little GOME data in the processing (calibration window regions from 15 to 40 pixels). The second employs cross correlation of GOME data and the solar reference spectrum in the Fourier transform domain, using a procedure in the image reduction and analysis facility (IRAF) software system developed for the determination of galaxy redshifts. It also requires small amounts of GOME data (calibration window regions with from 10 to 15 pixels). Both methods provide absolute wavelength calibration accurate to a small fraction of a GOME pixel across the entire GOME spectrum, and to 0.001 nm over much of the range.

Caspar, C.↗

Atmospheric Soundings from AIRS/AMSU in Partial Cloud Cover

Simultaneous use of AIRS/AMSU-A observations allow for the determination of accurate atmospheric soundings under partial cloud cover conditions. The methodology involves the determination of the radiances AIRS would have seen if the AIRS fields of view were clear, called clear column radiances, and use of these radiances to infer the atmospheric and surface conditions giving rise to these clear column radiances. Susskind et al. demonstrate via simulation that accurate temperature soundings and clear column radiances can be derived from AIRS/AMSU-A observations in cases of up to 80% partial cloud cover, with only a small degradation in accuracy compared to that obtained in clear scenes. Susskind and Atlas show that these findings hold for real AIRS/AMSU-A soundings as well. For data assimilation purposes, this small degradation in accuracy is more than offset by a significant increase in spatial coverage (roughly 50% of global cases were accepted, compared to 3.6% of the global cases being diagnosed as clear), and assimilation of AIRS temperature soundings in partially cloudy conditions resulted in a larger improvement in forecast skill than when AIRS soundings were assimilated only under clear conditions. Alternatively, derived AIRS clear column radiances under partial cloud cover could also be used for data assimilation purposes. Further improvements in AIRS sounding methodology have been made since the results shown in Susskind and Atlas . A new version of the AIRS/AMSU-A retrieval algorithm, Version 4.0, was delivered to the Goddard DAAC in February 2005 for production of AIRS derived products, including clear column radiances. The major improvement in the Version 4.0 retrieval algorithm is with regard to a more flexible, parameter dependent, quality control. Results are shown of the accuracy and spatial distribution of temperature-moisture profiles and clear column radiances derived from AIRS/AMSU-A as a function of fractional cloud cover using the Version 4.0 algorithm. Use of the Version 4.0 AIRS temperature profiles increased the positive forecast impact arising from AIRS retrievals relative to what was shown in Susskind and Atlas .

Susskind, Joel↗

A New Method for Estimating the Single Scattering Phase Functions of Regolith Grains

Hapke's photometric model has been widely used in solar system remote sensing applications for nearly two decades. Recently, Hapke extended his model to describe the coherent-backscatter opposition effect and multiple-scattering by particles with anisotropic single particle phase functions (SPPF's). A practical difficulty for retrieving Hapke's model parameters from typical planet, satellite, and asteroid photometry data sets is that the model employs a large number of adjustable parameters (at least eight) that can be reliably constrained only for a small number of planetary data sets in which both disk-resolved and whole-disk observations are available from opposition to very large phase angles. The present work aims to reduce the number of adjustable parameters and preserve (or even enhance) the model's accuracy and usefulness by expressing Hapke's parameters in terms of more fundamental physical properties on which they mutually depend. The most difficult part of this task, described here, is to develop a simple method for computing the effective SPPF for structurally complex regolith grains from optical constants, grain-size distribution, and average regolith porosity. The development of light-scattering models for irregularly shaped particles is a large, complex subject and many sophisticated methods, such as Discrete Dipole Approximation (DDA) and Monte-Carlo simulations, have been explored elsewhere. Many of these methods are computationally intensive and probably impractical for routine substitution in Hapke's model. Here, progress is reported in developing a practical, semi-empirical method for estimating the directional scattering behavior (i.e. SPPF) of irregular regolith grains. The method employs Optical Transfer Function (OTF) techniques to model how the structural complexity of regolith particles broaden and attenuate the angular distribution of scattered light relative to that expected from ideal spherical particles of equivalent size and composition.

Helfenstein, P.↗

In-Flight Observations of Long-Term Single Event Effect(SEE)Performance on Orbview-2 and Xray Timing Explorer(XTE)Solid State Recorders (SSR)

This paper presents Single Event Effect (SEE) in-flight data on Solid State Recorders (SSR) that have been collected over a long period of time for two NASA spacecraft: Orbview-2 and XTE. SEE flight data on solid-state memories give an opportunity to study the behavior in space of SEE sensitive commercial devices. The actual Single Event Upset (SEU) rates can be compared with the calculated rates based on environment models and ground test data. The SEE mitigation schemes can also be evaluated in actual implementation. A significant amount of data has already been published concerning observed SEE effects on memories in space. However, most of the data presented cover either a short period of time or a small number of devices. The data presented here has been collected on a large number of devices during several years. This allows statistically significant information about the effect of space weather fluctuations on SEU rates, and the effectiveness of SEE countermeasures used to be analyzed. Only Orbview-2 data is presented in this summary. XTE data will be included in the final paper.

Poivey, Christian↗

Statistical summaries of fatigue data for design purposes

Two methods are discussed for constructing a design curve on the safe side of fatigue data. Both the tolerance interval and equivalent prediction interval (EPI) concepts provide such a curve while accounting for both the distribution of the estimators in small samples and the data scatter. The EPI is also useful as a mechanism for providing necessary statistics on S-N data for a full reliability analysis which includes uncertainty in all fatigue design factors. Examples of statistical analyses of the general strain life relationship are presented. The tolerance limit and EPI techniques for defining a design curve are demonstrated. Examples usng WASPALOY B and RQC-100 data demonstrate that a reliability model could be constructed by considering the fatigue strength and fatigue ductility coefficients as two independent random variables. A technique given for establishing the fatigue strength for high cycle lives relies on an extrapolation technique and also accounts for "runners." A reliability model or design value can be specified.

Wirsching, P. H.↗

Reliability considerations for the total strain range version of strainrange partitioning

A proposed total strainrange version of strainrange partitioning (SRP) to enhance the manner in which SRP is applied to life prediction is considered with emphasis on how advanced reliability technology can be applied to perform risk analysis and to derive safety check expressions. Uncertainties existing in the design factors associated with life prediction of a component which experiences the combined effects of creep and fatigue can be identified. Examples illustrate how reliability analyses of such a component can be performed when all design factors in the SRP model are random variables reflecting these uncertainties. The Rackwitz-Fiessler and Wu algorithms are used and estimates of the safety index and the probablity of failure are demonstrated for a SRP problem. Methods of analysis of creep-fatigue data with emphasis on procedures for producing synoptic statistics are presented. An attempt to demonstrate the importance of the contribution of the uncertainties associated with small sample sizes (fatique data) to risk estimates is discussed. The procedure for deriving a safety check expression for possible use in a design criteria document is presented.

Wirsching, P. H.↗

Primitive Xe in the atmospheres of Earth and mars

Published data on Xe isotope compositions in primitive carbonaceous meteorites are examined using multidimensional correlation analysis. Distribution of the Xe data in multidimensional data space, except for (129)Xe, can be characterized by a single component, whose isotope composition is identical to 'H plus L minus Xe'. Additional small contributions to the data variations, less than 1 percent of total variations, can be attributed to 'S minus Xe' as well as atmospheric contamination. Isotopic composition of primitive Xe common to the Earth's atmosphere and carbonaceous meteorites are determined with the same assumption as adopted by Pepin and Phinney: primitive Xe is precisely related to fission-free Xe in the Earth's atmosphere by mass fractionation. The determined isotopic composition of primitive Xe is closer to Solar-type Xe, rather than U-Xe (and the primitive Xe estimated from chondrite-achondrite correlation. Hence, the present published data on Xe isotope compositions in meteorites do not seem to require any special component for the primitive Xe common to the Earth's atmosphere and carbonaceous meteorites. Thus Earth's accreting planetesimals would have trapped Xe from the surrounding nebula gases where Xe isotope composition is identical to Solar-type Xe. The trapped Xe was subsequently subject to isotopic fractionation due to gravitational separation as planetesimals grew. Finally fissiogenic Xe from (244)Pu was added to form the present Xe isotope composition of the Earth's atmosphere. The amount of fissiogenic (136)Xe is estimated to be 2.6 percent of the total amount of (136)Xe in the atmosphere, which is about a half of that estimated by Pepin and Phinney (4.65 percent).

Igarashi, G.↗

Machine Learning-Based Atmospheric Phenomena Detection Platform

As the number of Earth pointing satellites has increased over the last several decades, the data volume retrieved from instruments onboard these satellites has also increased. It is expected that this trend will continue as more data intensive missions and small satellite constellations are launched. Currently, feature detection - namely atmospheric phenomena - in these datasets is performed manually and is thus not scalable with the growing data archives. Recent advancements in computational efficiency allow for the Earth science community to leverage machine learning to identify interesting atmospheric phenomena. Given the wide range of distinctive features in various atmospheric phenomena, a specialized machine learning model is required for accurate detection of these phenomena independently. The Phenomena Portal, developed at NASA IMPACT, is designed to provide visualization for the output from these machine learning models. In addition, detected events for each atmospheric phenomena are stored in a database that can be used to more easily use/subset larger spatiotemporal datasets. The user interface also incorporates additional features to enhance the user experience including spatiotemporal analysis, multiple base layer images, and a slider to filter events with lower probabilities of positive detection. Each detection supports user feedback on whether the detection is true or false that can then be stored and used to improve the machine learning model performance.

Gurung, Iksha↗

Data management for community research projects: A JGOFS case study

Since the mid 1980s, much of the marine science research effort in the United Kingdom has been focused into large scale collaborative projects involving public sector laboratories and university departments, termed Community Research Projects. Two of these, the Biogeochemical Ocean Flux Study (BOFS) and the North Sea Project incorporated large scale data collection to underpin multidisciplinary modeling efforts. The challenge of providing project data sets to support the science was met by a small team within the British Oceanographic Data Centre (BODC) operating as a topical data center. The role of the data center was to both work up the data from the ship's sensors and to combine these data with sample measurements into online databases. The working up of the data was achieved by a unique symbiosis between data center staff and project scientists. The project management, programming and data processing skills of the data center were combined with the oceanographic experience of the project communities to develop a system which has produced quality controlled, calibrated data sets from 49 research cruises in 3.5 years of operation. The data center resources required to achieve this were modest and far outweighed by the time liberated in the scientific community by the removal of the data processing burden. Two online project databases have been assembled containing a very high proportion of the data collected. As these are under the control of BODC their long term availability as part of the UK national data archive is assured. The success of the topical data center model for UK Community Research Project data management has been founded upon the strong working relationships forged between the data center and project scientists. These can only be established by frequent personal contact and hence the relatively small size of the UK has been a critical factor. However, projects covering a larger, even international scale could be successfully supported by a network of topical data centers managing online databases which are interconnected by object oriented distributed data management systems over wide area networks.

Lowry, Roy K.↗

Analysis of scanner data for crop inventories

Accomplishments for a machine-oriented small grains labeler T&E, and for Argentina ground data collection are reported. Features of the small grains labeler include temporal-spectral profiles, which characterize continuous patterns of crop spectral development, and crop calendar shift estimation, which adjusts for planting date differences of fields within a crop type. Corn and soybean classification technology development for area estimation for foreign commodity production forecasting is reported. Presentations supporting quarterly project management reviews and a quarterly technical interchange meeting are also included.

Horvath, R.↗

Archiving of Wideband Plasma Wave Data

Beginning with the third year of funding, we began a more ambitious archiving production effort, minimizing work on new software and concentrating on building representative archives of the missions mentioned above, recognizing that only a small percentage of the data from any one mission can be archived with reasonable effort. We concentrated on data from Dynamics Explorer and ISEE 1, archiving orbits or significant fractions of orbits which attempt to capture the essence of the mission and provide data which will hopefully be sufficient for ongoing and new research as well as to provide a reference to upcoming and current ISTP missions which will not fly in the same regions of space as the older missions and which will not have continuous wideband data. We archived approximately 181 Gigabytes of data, accounting for some 1582 hours of data. Included in these data are all of the AMPTE chemical releases, all of the Spacelab 2/PDP data obtained during the free-flight portion of its mission, as well as significant portions of the S3, DE-1, Imp-6, Hawkeye, Injun 5, and ISEE 1 and 2 data sets. Table 1 summarizes these data. All of the data archived are summarized in gif-formatted images of frequency-time spectrograms which are directly accessible via the internet. Each of the gif files are identified by year, day, and time as described in the Web page. This provides a user with a specific date/time in mind a way of determining very quickly if there is data for the interval in question and, by clicking on the file name, browsing the data. Alternately, a user can browse the data for interesting features and events simply by viewing each of the gif files. When a user finds data of interest, he/she can notify us by email of the time period involved. Based on the user's needs, we can provide data on a convenient medium or by ftp, or we can mount the appropriate data and provide access to our analysis tools via the network. We can even produce products such as plots or spectrograms in hardcopy form based on the specific request of the user.

Kurth, William S.↗

The non-Z-squared response of the heavy nuclei cosmic ray detector on HEAO-3

A combination of ion chambers and Cerenkov radiators similar to the Heavy Nuclei Experiment flown on HEAO-3 was calibrated at the Bevalac heavy-ion accelerator using beams of Mn-25 nuclei at kinetic energies up to about 1700 MeV/nucleon and Au-79 nuclei up to about 1000 MeV/nucleon. The data show only a small deviation (about 2-3 charge units at Au) from the Z-squared scaling used previously (Binns et al., 1981, 1982, 1983) to analyze the HNE data. Although at lower energy, the calibration indicates that the published relative abundances of the Sn-50/Ba-56 group and the published upper-limit actinide abundances are not likely to be significantly affected by non-Z-squared effects.

Garrard, T. L.↗