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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

Off disk-center potential field calculations using vector magnetograms

A potential field calculation for off disk-center vector magnetograms that uses all the three components of the measured field is investigated. There is neither any need for interpolation of grid points between the image plane and the heliographic plane nor for an extension or a truncation to a heliographic rectangle. Hence, the method provides the maximum information content from the photospheric field as well as the most consistent potential field independent of the viewing angle. The introduction of polarimetric noise produces a less tolerant extrapolation procedure than using the line-of-sight extrapolation, but the resultant standard deviation is still small enough for the practical utility of this method.

Venkatakrishnan, P.↗

Signal acquisition system

A frequency-tracking feedback circuit for acquiring a communication carrier signal from a relatively noisy environment. The circuit includes a digital phase-frequency detector, a limiter, a mixer, and a voltage-controlled oscillator, connected in a long control loop in such a manner that an input band of signals is translated in frequency until the desired carrier is centered within a relatively narrow acquisition window. The characteristics of the loop are such that acquisition may be achieved even when the total power of the noise in the input signal band exceeds the carrier power, provided that the noise is relatively uniformly distributed over the input band. A technique is also disclosed for compensating from any unbalance in the noise spectrum, so that relatively low carrier-to-noise ratios can be tolerated. Also disclosed are improvements for dynamically varying the parameters of the frequency-tracking loop in such a manner as to reduce acquisition time, and a technique for detecting acquisition and handing control to post-acquisition control circuitry.

Crackel, John E.↗

NASA Tech Briefs, October 2003

Topics covered include: Cryogenic Temperature-Gradient Foam/Substrate Tensile Tester; Flight Test of an Intelligent Flight-Control System; Slat Heater Boxes for Thermal Vacuum Testing; System for Testing Thermal Insulation of Pipes; Electrical-Impedance-Based Ice-Thickness Gauges; Simulation System for Training in Laparoscopic Surgery; Flasher Powered by Photovoltaic Cells and Ultracapacitors; Improved Autoassociative Neural Networks; Toroidal-Core Microinductors Biased by Permanent Magnets; Using Correlated Photons to Suppress Background Noise; Atmospheric-Fade-Tolerant Tracking and Pointing in Wireless Optical Communication; Curved Focal-Plane Arrays Using Back-Illuminated High-Purity Photodetectors; Software for Displaying Data from Planetary Rovers; Software for Refining or Coarsening Computational Grids; Software for Diagnosis of Multiple Coordinated Spacecraft; Software Helps Retrieve Information Relevant to the User; Software for Simulating a Complex Robot; Software for Planning Scientific Activities on Mars; Software for Training in Pre-College Mathematics; Switching and Rectification in Carbon-Nanotube Junctions; Scandia-and-Yttria-Stabilized Zirconia for Thermal Barriers; Environmentally Safer, Less Toxic Fire-Extinguishing Agents; Multiaxial Temperature- and Time-Dependent Failure Model; Cloverleaf Vibratory Microgyroscope with Integrated Post; Single-Vector Calibration of Wind-Tunnel Force Balances; Microgyroscope with Vibrating Post as Rotation Transducer; Continuous Tuning and Calibration of Vibratory Gyroscopes; Compact, Pneumatically Actuated Filter Shuttle; Improved Bearingless Switched-Reluctance Motor; Fluorescent Quantum Dots for Biological Labeling; Growing Three-Dimensional Corneal Tissue in a Bioreactor; Scanning Tunneling Optical Resonance Microscopy; The Micro-Arcsecond Metrology Testbed; Detecting Moving Targets by Use of Soliton Resonances; and Finite-Element Methods for Real-Time Simulation of Surgery.

Source record↗

System and Method for Dynamic Aeroelastic Control

The present invention proposes a hardware and software architecture for dynamic modal structural monitoring that uses a robust modal filter to monitor a potentially very large-scale array of sensors in real time, and tolerant of asymmetric sensor noise and sensor failures, to achieve aircraft performance optimization such as minimizing aircraft flutter, drag and maximizing fuel efficiency.

Suh, Peter M.↗

Application of the Active Pixel Sensor Concept to Guidance and Navigation

Charge-coupled devices (CCDs) have been used extensively in the past in star trackers and fine guidance systems. A new technology, the active pixel sensor, is a possible successor to CCDs. This technology potentially features the same sensitivity and performance of the CCD with additional improvements. These improvements include random access capability, easy window-of-interest readout, non-destructive readout for signal-to-noise improvement, high radiation tolerance, simplified clocking voltages, and easy integration with other on-chip signal processing circuitry. The state-of-the-art of this emerging technology and its potential application to guidance and navigation systems is discussed.

Eisenman, Allan R.↗

Stimulus configuration determines the detectability of motion signals in noise

We measured the detectability of moving signal dots in dynamic noise to determine whether local motion signals are preferentially combined along an axis parallel to the direction of motion. Observers were asked to detect a signal composed of three dots moving in a linear trajectory among dynamic noise dots. The signal dots were collinear and equally spaced in a configuration that was either parallel to or perpendicular to their trajectory. The probability of detecting the signal was measured as a function of noise density, over a range of signal dot spacings from 0.5 degrees to 5.0 degrees. At any given noise density, the signal in the parallel configuration was more detectable than that in the perpendicular configuration. Our four observers could tolerate 1.5-2.5 times more noise in the parallel configuration. This improvement is not due merely to temporal summation between consecutive dots in the parallel trajectory. Temporal summation functions measured on our observers indicate that the benefit from spatial coincidence of the dots lasts for no more than 50 ms, whereas the increased detectability of the parallel configuration is observed up to the largest temporal separations tested (210 ms). These results demonstrate that dots arranged parallel to the signal trajectory are more easily detected than those arranged perpendicularly. Moreover, this enhancement points to the existence of visual mechanisms that preferentially organize motion information parallel to the direction of motion.

Non-NASA Center↗

Low-loss off-axis feeds for symmetric dual-reflector antennas

Circularly symmetric, dual reflector, high gain antenna systems often require feeds placed off the system's axis because of the need for multiple feeds to use the reflector antenna. Also, the constraint requiring the hyperboloid or shaped subreflector to remain circularly symmetric is sometimes added. In a Cassegrainian system, the subreflector and feed may be rotated off axis around the paraboloid focus and retain main reflector focusing. However, substantial spillover results in considerable noise with a high gain/low noise temperature system. In a shaped system, the tilt of the shaped subreflector and feed together results in substantial defocusing as well as spillover noise. If the subreflector is tilted approximately one-half the angle of the feed tilt in either the Cassegrainian or the dual shaped reflector antenna, it is found that spillover and noise are substantially reduced with tolerable defocusing. An extensive numerical analysis of these effects was conducted to determine the characteristics of a planned 70-meter, dual shaped reflector versus Cassegrainian antenna and to gain some understanding of the cause of the observed effects.

Veruttipong, T.↗

Low-loss offset feeds for electrically large symmetric dual-reflector antennas

Circularly symmetric, dual reflector, high gain antenna systems often require feeds placed off the system's axis because of the need for multiple feeds to use the reflector antenna. Also, the constraint requiring the hyperboloid or shaped subreflector to remain circularly symmetric is sometimes added. In a Cassegrainian system, the subreflector and feed may be rotated off axis around the paraboloid focus and retain main reflector focusing. However, substantial spillover results in considerable noise with a high gain/low noise temperature system. In a shaped system, the tilt of the shaped subreflector and feed together results in substantial defocusing as well as spillover noise. If the subreflector is tilted approximately one-half the angle of the feed tilt in either the Casegrainian or the dual shaped reflector antenna, it is found that spillover and noise are substantially reduced with tolerable defocusing. An extensive numerical analysis of these effects was conducted to determine the characteristics of a planned 70-meter, dual shaped reflector versus Cassegrainian antenna and to gain some understanding of the cause of the observed effects.

Veruttipong, Thavath↗

Frame synchronization performance and analysis

The analysis used to generate the theoretical models showing the performance of the frame synchronizer is described for various frame lengths and marker lengths at various signal to noise ratios and bit error tolerances.

Aguilera, C. S. R.↗

A study of the optimization method used in the NAVY/NASA gas turbine engine computer code

Sources of numerical noise affecting the convergence properties of the Powell's Principal Axis Method of Optimization in the NAVY/NASA gas turbine engine computer code were investigated. The principal noise source discovered resulted from loose input tolerances used in terminating iterations performed in subroutine CALCFX to satisfy specified control functions. A minor source of noise was found to be introduced by an insufficient number of digits in stored coefficients used by subroutine THERM in polynomial expressions of thermodynamic properties. Tabular results of several computer runs are presented to show the effects on program performance of selective corrective actions taken to reduce noise.

Horsewood, J. L.↗

Switched-beam radiometer front-end network analysis

The noise figure performance of various delay-line networks fabricated from microstrip lines with varying number of elements was investigated using a computer simulation. The effects of resistive losses in both the transmission lines and power combiners were considered. In general, it is found that an optimum number of elements exists, depending upon the resistive losses present in the network. Small resistive losses are found to have a significant degrading effect upon the noise figure performance of the array. Extreme stability in switching characteristics is necessary to minimize the nondeterministic noise of the array. For example, it is found that a 6 percent tolerance on the delay-line lengths will produce a 0.2 db uncertainty in the noise figure which translates into a 13.67 K temperature uncertainty generated by the network. If the tolerance can be held to 2 percent, the uncertainty in noise figure and noise temperature will be 0.025 db and 1.67 K, respectively. Three phase shift networks fabricated using a commercially available PIN diode switch were investigated. Loaded-line phase shifters are found to have desirable RF and noise characteristics and are attractive components for use in phased-array networks.

Trew, R. J.↗

NASA Tech Briefs, October 2011

Topics covered include: Laser Truss Sensor for Segmented Telescope Phasing; Qualifications of Bonding Process of Temperature Sensors to Deep-Space Missions; Optical Sensors for Monitoring Gamma and Neutron Radiation; Compliant Tactile Sensors; Cytometer on a Chip; Measuring Input Thresholds on an Existing Board; Scanning and Defocusing Properties of Microstrip Reflectarray Antennas; Cable Tester Box; Programmable Oscillator; Fault-Tolerant, Radiation-Hard DSP; Sub-Shot Noise Power Source for Microelectronics; Asynchronous Message Service Reference Implementation; Zero-Copy Objects System; Delay and Disruption Tolerant Networking MACHETE Model; Contact Graph Routing; Parallel Eclipse Project Checkout; Technique for Configuring an Actively Cooled Thermal Shield in a Flight System; Use of Additives to Improve Performance of Methyl Butyrate-Based Lithium-Ion Electrolytes; Li-Ion Cells Employing Electrolytes with Methyl Propionate and Ethyl Butyrate Co-Solvents; Improved Devices for Collecting Sweat for Chemical Analysis; Tissue Photolithography; Method for Impeding Degradation of Porous Silicon Structures; External Cooling Coupled to Reduced Extremity Pressure Device; A Zero-Gravity Cup for Drinking Beverages in Microgravity; Co-Flow Hollow Cathode Technology; Programmable Aperture with MEMS Microshutter Arrays; Polished Panel Optical Receiver for Simultaneous RF/Optical Telemetry with Large DSN Antennas; Adaptive System Modeling for Spacecraft Simulation; Lidar-Based Navigation Algorithm for Safe Lunar Landing; Tracking Object Existence From an Autonomous Patrol Vehicle; Rad-Hard, Miniaturized, Scalable, High-Voltage Switching Module for Power Applications; and Architecture for a 1-GHz Digital RADAR.

Source record↗

NASA Rat Acoustic Tolerance Test 1994-1995

The major objective of this Cooperative Agreement was to develop a noise level specification for laboratory rats in the Centrifuge Facility Specimen Chambers (Space Station Biological Research Project), and to validate the specification for 3 noise octave bands: center frequencies 8 kHz, 16, kHz, and 32 kHz. This has been accomplished. Objective measures were used to verify that the chronic noise exposure was not harmful to the animals from physiological and behavioral perspectives. These measures were defined in the Stress Assessment Battery Validation for the Rat Acoustic Tolerance Test. In addition, the effects of the chronic noise exposure on rat hearing was assessed by the Brainstem Auditory Evoked Potential Method (BAER).

Holley, Daniel C.↗

SiC Charged Particle Telescope GRC Independent Research and Development (IRAD) Program End of Project Final Report

In an advancement over the state-of-the art, NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) has developed a large area silicon carbide (SiC)-based charged particle telescope through an Independent Research and Development (IRAD) project. The telescope has been demonstrated to have improved noise characteristics and resolution than previous SiC detectors. This improvement will meet the challenges of compact multidirectional robust radiation detector systems to study a wide range of elementary particle mass and energies. In order to provide a complete understanding of how energetic processes internal and external to the solar system shape magnetospheres, atmospheres, and surfaces, in situ particle observations should include measurements of Solar Energetic Particles (SEP) and Galactic Cosmic Rays (GCR), along with solar wind and plasma. The potential temperature stability, tolerance to high radiation environments, and low noise characteristics expected in SiC-based detectors can have advantages over the state-of-the-art silicon detectors. These advantages will allow the detectors to be deployed in small compact systems on a variety of platforms, enabling compact structures for small satellite platforms with improved data quality.

Field and particle detectors↗

The theoretical and experimental investigations on multiple pure tone noise, part 1

A theoretical and experimental investigation is described on multiple pure tone noise. Based on a two-dimensional and inviscid flow model, an analysis is developed to predict the generation and subsequent evolution of multiple pure tone noise from prescribed blade-to-blade nonuniformities in the rotor geometry. The results show that even small nonuniformities within manufacturing tolerances can cause a significant amount of multiple pure tone noise. Among the different kinds of nonuniformities investigated, errors in blade spacings are a weaker generator of multiple pure tone noise than errors in blade stagger or blade contours. Experimental investigations of the effects of the rotor relative Mach number, incidence angle and length of the inlet duct on the evolution of the multiple pure tone noise are conducted with a known distribution of rotor nonuniformities. The model fan is operated, in Freon 12, in a closed loop acoustical facility.

Kantola, R. A.↗

A note on multiple pure tone noise.

A theoretical investigation of multiple pure tone noise is presented. An analysis based on a two-dimensional inviscid flow model is developed to predict the generation and subsequent evolution of multiple pure tone noise from prescribed blade-to-blade nonuniformities in the rotor geometry. The results show that even small nonuniformities within manufacturing tolerances can be a significant source of multiple pure tone noise. Among the nonuniformities investigated, errors in blade spacing are less significant multiple pure tone noise sources than errors in blade stagger or blade contours.

Kurosaka, M.↗

Sound and noise

Sound and noise problems in space environment and human tolerance criteria at varying frequencies and intensities

Chambers, A. N.↗