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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 55 records · Page 3
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1942

Investigation of Diving Moments of a Pursuit Airplane in the Ames 16-Foot High Speed Wind Tunnel

A pursuit type airplane encountered severe diving moments in high-speed dives which make recovery difficult. For the purpose of investigating these diving moments and finding means for their reduction, a 1/6-scale model of the airplane was tested in the 16-foot high-speed wind tunnel at Ames Aeronautical Laboratory. The test results indicate that up to a Mach number of at least 0.75, the limit of the tests, the dive-recovery difficulties can be alleviated and the longitudinal maneuverability improved by the substitution of a long symmetrical fuselage for the standard fuselage.

MACH NUMBER↗
NASA NTRS1946

High-Speed Wind-Tunnel Tests of a Twin-Fuselage Pursuit Airplane

At the request of the Air Technical Service Command, U.S. Army Air Forces, a 0.22-scale model of a twin-fuselae pursuit airplane was built and tested at the Ames Aeronautical Laboratory. The tests of this model were made in order that the aerodynamic characteristics of the airplane, especially at high speed, might be predicted. The results shown in this report consist of force data for the model and critical Mach numbers of parts of the model as determined from pressure-distribution measurements. The results indicate that a diving tendency of the airplane can be expected at Mach numbers above 0.70 at lift co-efficients from 0 to 0.4. There is an indication that the Mach number at which the airpolane would first experience a diving tendency for lift coefficients from 0 to 0.2 can be increased if the critical speed of the radiator enclosures is increased, and the wing-fuselage-juncture fillets are improved.

WIND TUNNEL TESTS(AAL-HIGH-SPEED-16')(AMER )↗
NASA NTRS1955

Considerations involved in the design of a roll-angle computer for a bank-to-turn interceptor

At the Ames Aeronautical Laboratory some flight and analog computer studies have been made on the final attack phase of automatic interceptions. The ultimate objective of these studies is to define the behavior of various types of automatic control systems as influenced by a wide range of aerodynamic characteristics. This is a continuing program still in its initial stages; however, it is felt that conclusions of general significance can be drawn from these preliminary studies. One point of particular importance is the necessity for including a gain charger or computer in the azimuth loop of any bank-to-turn airplane or missile. This device translates azimuth error signals into appropriate roll commands. The results to date have shown that the characteristics of this component have a predominant effect on the behavior of a automatic system. It is the purpose of this paper to discuss considerations of importance in the design of a suitable roll-angle computer. In this regard, the present paper complements the analytical work reported in NACA RM L54E27, 1954.

Triplett, William C↗
NASA NTRS1994

Fiber optic interferometric sensors for aerospace applications

This paper addresses two fiber optic sensor development programs in the Photonics Laboratory, NASA Ames Research Center, one in progress and the other being initiated. The ongoing program involves development of advanced acoustic sensors for wind tunnel applications. The new undertaking involves development of a novel sensor technique for studies of aerodynamic transition from laminar to turbulent flow.

Cho, Y. C.↗
NASA NTRS1997

Force Feedback Joystick

I-FORCE, a computer peripheral from Immersion Corporation, was derived from virtual environment and human factors research at the Advanced Displays and Spatial Perception Laboratory at Ames Research Center in collaboration with Stanford University Center for Design Research. Entrepreneur Louis Rosenberg, a former Stanford researcher, now president of Immersion, collaborated with Dr. Bernard Adelstein at Ames on studies of perception in virtual reality. The result was an inexpensive way to incorporate motors and a sophisticated microprocessor into joysticks and other game controllers. These devices can emulate the feel of a car on the skid, a crashing plane, the bounce of a ball, compressed springs, or other physical phenomenon. The first products incorporating I-FORCE technology include CH- Products' line of FlightStick and CombatStick controllers.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1942

Effects of Direction of Propeller Rotation on the Longitudinal Stability of the 1/10-Scale Model of the North American XB-28 Airplane with Flaps Neutral, Special Report

The effects of direction of propeller rotation on factors affecting the longitudinal stability of the XB-28 airplane were measured on a 1/10-scale model in the 7- by 10-foot tunnel of the Ames Aeronautical Laboratory. The main effect observed was that caused by regions of high downwash behind the nacelles (power off as well as power on with flaps neutral). The optimum direction of propeller rotation, both propellers rotating up toward the fuselage, shifted this region off the horizontal tail and thus removed its destabilizing effect. Rotating both propellers downward toward the fuselage moved it inboard on the tail and accentuated the effect, while rotating both propellers right hand had an intermediate result. Comparisons are made of the tail effects as measured by force tests with those predicted from the point-by-point downwash and velocity surveys in the region of the tail. These surveys in turn are compared with the results predicted from available theory.

Delany, Noel K.↗
NASA NTRS2016

An Integrated Gate Turnaround Management Concept Leveraging Big Data Analytics for NAS Performance Improvements

"Gate Turnaround" plays a key role in the National Air Space (NAS) gate-to-gate performance by receiving aircraft when they reach their destination airport, and delivering aircraft into the NAS upon departing from the gate and subsequent takeoff. The time spent at the gate in meeting the planned departure time is influenced by many factors and often with considerable uncertainties. Uncertainties such as weather, early or late arrivals, disembarking and boarding passengers, unloading/reloading cargo, aircraft logistics/maintenance services and ground handling, traffic in ramp and movement areas for taxi-in and taxi-out, and departure queue management for takeoff are likely encountered on the daily basis. The Integrated Gate Turnaround Management (IGTM) concept is leveraging relevant historical data to support optimization of the gate operations, which include arrival, at the gate, departure based on constraints (e.g., available gates at the arrival, ground crew and equipment for the gate turnaround, and over capacity demand upon departure), and collaborative decision-making. The IGTM concept provides effective information services and decision tools to the stakeholders, such as airline dispatchers, gate agents, airport operators, ramp controllers, and air traffic control (ATC) traffic managers and ground controllers to mitigate uncertainties arising from both nominal and off-nominal airport gate operations. IGTM will provide NAS stakeholders customized decision making tools through a User Interface (UI) by leveraging historical data (Big Data), net-enabled Air Traffic Management (ATM) live data, and analytics according to dependencies among NAS parameters for the stakeholders to manage and optimize the NAS performance in the gate turnaround domain. The application will give stakeholders predictable results based on the past and current NAS performance according to selected decision trees through the UI. The predictable results are generated based on analysis of the unique airport attributes (e.g., runway, taxiway, terminal, and gate configurations and tenants), and combined statistics from past data and live data based on a specific set of ATM concept-of-operations (ConOps) and operational parameters via systems analysis using an analytic network learning model. The IGTM tool will then bound the uncertainties that arise from nominal and off-nominal operational conditions with direct assessment of the gate turnaround status and the impact of a certain operational decision on the NAS performance, and provide a set of recommended actions to optimize the NAS performance by allowing stakeholders to take mitigation actions to reduce uncertainty and time deviation of planned operational events. An IGTM prototype was developed at NASA Ames Simulation Laboratories (SimLabs) to demonstrate the benefits and applicability of the concept. A data network, using the System Wide Information Management (SWIM)-like messaging application using the ActiveMQ message service, was connected to the simulated data warehouse, scheduled flight plans, a fast-time airport simulator, and a graphic UI. A fast-time simulation was integrated with the data warehouse or Big Data/Analytics (BAI), scheduled flight plans from Aeronautical Operational Control AOC, IGTM Controller, and a UI via a SWIM-like data messaging network using the ActiveMQ message service, illustrated in Figure 1, to demonstrate selected use-cases showing the benefits of the IGTM concept on the NAS performance.

Efficent ATM systems↗
NASA NTRS2016

Modeling and Simulation of an Integrated Gate Turnaround Management Concept

An Integrated Gate Turnaround Management (IGTM) prototype was developed at NASA Ames Simulation Laboratories (SimLabs) using Dallas Ft. Worth International Airport (DFW) to demonstrate the IGTM concepts feasibility and benefits. The simulation architecture includes: the IGTM controller, an Airline Operations Control (AOC) application, Big DataAnalytics Input (BAI) application, a terminal traffic simulation or known as NASA-developed Surface Operation Simulator and Scheduler (SOSS), and a Database Server. ActiveMQ, a Java messaging service, was used to emulate the System Wide Information Management (SWIM) data network messaging. This paper describes the modeling and simulation of the IGTM concept, and illustrates selected use cases to demonstrate the feasibility and benefits of the IGTM concept for optimizing gate turnaround operations.

gate turnaround management↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

TPSAS-NF1676L-14044-DND

The presentation will focus on the application of formal methods to safety-critical systems in aviation and space. Although the talk will mostly focus on work conducted at the NASA Langley Research Center, there will be a brief summary of work conducted at NASA?s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Ames Research Center.

Alwyn Goodloe↗
NASA NTRS2020

Vibration-based health characterization of multiple IMUs in UAV applications

Inertial measurement units (IMUs) are vital in UAV navigation for vehicle attitude and position estimation, especially in the frequently-occurring case of temporary loss of GPS capabilities. Degradation in these units could yield inaccurate position estimates, resulting in incorrect input for vehicle control systems. A wide variety of these units exist to meet the needs of UAV operators, general aviation, and military vehicles. In recent decades, lightweight and inexpensive MEMS sensors have grown in popularity with respect to UAVs. Studies into the failure modes of MEMS devices suggest that vibration is one of the leading causes of MEMS degradation. MEMS sensors are generally encased in their own hermetic packaging, as their small size and sensitivity cause them to be particularly vulnerable to air damping and particulate contamination when exposed. Exposure to excessive vibration can cause cracking in this packaging as well as damage to connecting electronics, with recorded results that cause sensors to act outside of their specifications, potentially providing unreliable input to controllers. A prior study from the Politecnico di Torino looked into the degradation of MEMS IMUs, specifically the AXIS-AIS402, for aerospace and vibrating environments. In the study, the authors found that after exposing MEMS IMUs to simulated vibrations from working conditions of aerospace applications, the sensors showed increased noise and increased bias instability. At NASA Ames, several widely-used MEMS IMUs were selected for a new IMU degradation study, comparing accelerometer performance before and after exposure to similar levels of vibration simulating aerospace conditions. The IMUs were selected from the Pixhawk autopilot systems, hobby sUAS, or prior experimental studies at NASA. Additionally, the industrial grade VectorNav-100 IMU was selected as a ground truth reference point to which the performance of the test sensors can be compared. In the study, each sensor is exposed to functional levels of UAV vibration as replicated on a single-frequency vibratory table in the NASA Ames SHARP Laboratory, and each accelerometer is characterized for bias, drift, and noise characteristics both before and after vibratory exposure. The focus of this study is to monitor the health of the IMU sensors and determine if sensor degradation can be detected from output error and frequency spectrum analysis, rather than from microscopic examination of the sensors. In this case, sensor degradation and faulty data can be more easily detectable by non-experts hoping to use these sensors as an important piece of an integrated package. In addition, specific sensor degradation modes potentially leading to in-flight hazards could be identified, such as accelerated levels of drift and altered temperature response. The overall goal of this work is to increase levels of safety for future users of these sensors and to provide a clear analysis of sensor limitations currently lacking in most sensor specification documentation.

IMUs↗
NASA NTRS2020

Experimental Investigation of Drag Modulation Aerocapture: Drag-Skirt Separation in Hypersonic Free Flight

Free flight tests were conducted in carbon dioxide at Mach 12 of notional drag modulation aerocapture configurations for a small satellite mission to Venus. The configurations were based on research conducted at the Georgia Institute of Technology, University of Colorado Boulder, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and Ames Research Center. The drag modulation aerocapture approach being studied involves an atmospheric entry vehicle that employs an attached drag device, a drag skirt, that is jettisoned at the appropriate time to allow the payload-portion of the vehicle to exit the atmosphere, slowed enough to be captured into orbit. A total of eight tests were performed. Reynolds numbers, based on the pre-separation base diameter, ranged from 0.82 x 106 to 2.96 x 106. The tests demonstrated the feasibility of a clean drag skirt separation at hypersonic speeds and, for the conditions of the tests, the stability of the central flight system body during and after separation from the drag skirt. Two drag skirt geometries were tested: an axisymmetric conical frustum, and a faceted frustum representative of a mechanically-deployable device. Drag skirts of various masses were tested to examine the effect of pre- and post-separation ballistic coefficient ratio on the separation dynamics. A new test capability for multi-body interactions in hypersonic free flight was developed for these tests, and is described.

aerocapture↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Oculometric Analysis of Saccadic Compensation for Visual Motion Processing Impairment due to Alcohol and Sleep Disruption

The Visuomotor Control Laboratory at Ames Research Center has developed a 5-minute ocular tracking test that computes 21 largely independent metrics of visuomotor performance, reflecting neural signal processing along a number of distinct pathways through cortex, brainstem, and cerebellum. Human sensorimotor performance is resilient to the challenges and stressors of many operational environments, in part, because overall performance is achieved through multiple parallel systems. Our multidimensional oculometrics allow us to examine impacts on these sub-components separately. To illustrate this, we contrasted the effects of two mild neural stressors, acute sleep-deprivation and low-dose alcohol. We have previously shown that, in both cases, oculometric analysis is a highly sensitive indicator of impairment. Here we quantified not only the observed impact on the performance of one sub-system, smooth pursuit, which uses high-level cortical processing of visual motion to track a moving object, but also the observed (partial) compensation by an evolutionarily older mid-brain and brainstem subsystem, saccades, which generates jumps in eye position to catch up with the target when smooth pursuit is inadequate. Specifically, we examined the dose-response (effect size vs. dose size) of the ground lost (pursuit deficit) and the ground recouped (saccadic compensation) across three separate studies – acute low-dose alcohol administration (16 subjects), acute sleep loss (12 subjects), and acute sleep loss with caffeine intervention (9 subjects). We computed the dose-response slopes using linear regression. The figure below shows that, in the case of acute sleep deprivation, the resulting slopes for ground lost and ground recouped (mean ± SE across subjects) were significantly different (paired t-test, t(11) = 5.17, p < 0.001), indicating poor saccadic compensation. However, when sleep loss was coupled with caffeine ingestion, ground lost was decreased and ground recouped increased such that the slopes were no longer different (t(8) = -0.05, p = 0.965). With alcohol, the two slopes were large albeit not significantly different (t(15) = 0.96, p = 0.351), indicating significant pursuit impairment but effective saccadic compensation. Our findings show that sleep deprivation and alcohol affect oculomotor performance differently. Low-dose alcohol effects appear predominantly cortical, with effective brainstem compensation. Sleep loss and circadian disruption however appears to affect both cortical and brainstem pathways with caffeine providing an effective countermeasure to both effects. Beyond the mere detection of impairment, our oculometric assessment allows us to characterize the nature of the deficit, to provide insight into the neural substrate, and to assess the effectiveness of countermeasures.

pursuit↗
NASA NTRS2023

Construction of Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel

Construction of the unitary plan wind tunnel for the Ames Aeronautical Laboratory in Moffett Field, California. Beginning construction in 1950-51 and completing in 1955. Video shows the building of all stages of construction from the foundation to full completion and view of final building set up. Video should be download and viewed for best results and has run time of 7:07 with color but no sound.

UPWT Wind Tunnel Division↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

NAS Exploratory Concepts & Technologies (NExCT) Upper Class E Traffic Management (ETM) Collaborative Evaluation #1 (CE-1)

NASA, in partnership with AeroVironment and Aerostar, recently demonstrated a first-of-its-kind air traffic management concept that could pave the way for aircraft to safely operate at higher altitudes. This work seeks to open the door for increased internet coverage, improved disaster response, expanded scientific missions, and even supersonic flight. The concept is referred to as an Upper-Class E traffic management, or ETM. NASA and its partners have developed an ETM traffic management system that allows aircraft to autonomously share location and flight plans, enabling aircraft to stay safely separated. This concept was demonstrated during the recent traffic management simulation in the Airspace Operations Laboratory at Ames, data from multiple air vehicles was displayed across dozens of traffic control monitors and shared with partner computers off site. The study details and the initial results are presented at a regular, informal ETM industry meetings held virtually.

Upper Class E Traffic Management (ETM)↗
NASA NTRS2002

From Field to Laboratory: A New Database Approach for Linking Microbial Field Ecology with Laboratory Studies

The Ames Exobiology Culture Collection Database (AECC-DB) has been developed as a collaboration between microbial ecologists and information technology specialists. It allows for extensive web-based archiving of information regarding field samples to document microbial co-habitation of specific ecosystem micro-environments. Documentation and archiving continues as pure cultures are isolated, metabolic properties determined, and DNA extracted and sequenced. In this way metabolic properties and molecular sequences are clearly linked back to specific isolates and the location of those microbes in the ecosystem of origin. Use of this database system presents a significant advancement over traditional bookkeeping wherein there is generally little or no information regarding the environments from which microorganisms were isolated. Generally there is only a general ecosystem designation (i.e., hot-spring). However within each of these there are a myriad of microenvironments with very different properties and determining exactly where (which microenvironment) a given microbe comes from is critical in designing appropriate isolation media and interpreting physiological properties. We are currently using the database to aid in the isolation of a large number of cyanobacterial species and will present results by PI's and students demonstrating the utility of this new approach.

Bebout, Leslie↗
NASA NTRS2015

Laboratory Studies of Cosmic Dust with NASA Ames' COSmIC Facility – Applications to Interstellar and Planetary Issues

I will present and discuss the unique characteristics and capabilities of the laboratory facility, COSmIC, that was developed at NASA Ames to generate, process and analyze interstellar, circumstellar and planetary analogs in the laboratory. COSmIC stands for Cosmic Simulation Chamber and is dedicated to the study of molecules and ions under the low temperature and high vacuum conditions that are required to simulate interstellar, circumstellar and planetary physical environments in space. COSmIC integrates a variety of state-of-the-art instruments that allow forming, processing and monitoring simulated space conditions for planetary, circumstellar and interstellar materials in the laboratory. COSmIC is composed of a Pulsed Discharge Nozzle (PDN) expansion that generates a free jet supersonic expansion coupled to two ultrahigh-sensitivity, complementary in situ diagnostics: a Cavity Ring Down Spectroscopy (CRDS) system for photonic detection and a Reflectron Time-Of-Flight Mass Spectrometer (ReTOF-MS) for mass detection. Recent, unique, laboratory astrophysics results that were obtained using the capabilities of COSmIC will be discussed, in particular the progress that have been achieved in deciphering the diffuse interstellar bands (DIBs) and in monitoring in the laboratory the formation of solid dust grains from their gas-phase molecular precursors in environments as varied as stellarcircumstellar outflow and planetary atmospheres. Plans for future, next generation, laboratory experiments on cosmic molecules and grains in the growing field of laboratory astrophysics will also be addressed as well as the implications of these studies for current and upcoming space missions.

COSmIC↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Analysis and Evaluation of NASA's MK40B Six-Component TASK Balance

The paper discusses the physical characteristics NASA's MK40B TASK balance. It is NASA's newest TASK balance that was optimized for the testing of wind tunnel models in the NASA Ames 11-ft Transonic Wind Tunnel. The calibration data of the MK40B balance was obtained in Calspan's Automatic Balance Calibration System. A machine load schedule design was used for the calibration that was developed at the NASA Ames Balance Calibration Laboratory. The calibration data was analyzed using both the Non-Iterative Method and the Iterative Method. Then, the chosen regression models of the calibration data were assessed and compared using the percent contribution, the variance inflation factor, and the calibration load residuals. Interactions of single-component loads were also quantified. In addition, the bi-directional characteristics of the six gage outputs of the balance were assessed by applying a semi-empirical test that was developed at the Ames Balance Calibration Laboratory. It was concluded that four of the six gages of the balance have bi-directional characteristics. Finally, the accuracy of the load prediction equations of the balance was tested by applying the equations to independent check load data that was obtained at the NASA Ames Balance Calibration Laboratory. The standard deviation of the check load residuals met expectations. The check load data also confirmed that the interactions of the forward and aft normal forces on the axial force gage output are very small. - This paper is to be presented in the invited special session titled: "65 Years of TASK Wind Tunnel Balances - Past, Present, and Future".

wind tunnel balance↗
NASA NTRS1982

Holographic interferometry and tomography at Ames Research Center

A YAG laser holographic interferometer system and reconstruction laboratory for the Ames 2- by 2-Foot Transonic Wind Tunnel are discussed. This system provides dual plate and double pulse holography for quantitative and qualitative measurements, respectively. Interferometric measurements of two-dimensional airfoils and three-dimensional bodies of revolution for a tomography feasibility study were made. The two-dimensional work included supercritical airfoils, an oscillating airfoil undergoing dynamic stall, and a circulation control airfoil. The tomography experiments centered around hemispherical nose and tangent ogive models. In addition, the tomography work covered the development of a Fourier transform code for the retrieval of the three dimensional density distributions from the interferograms.

Lee, G.↗