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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 541 records · Page 30

Optic Nerve Sheath Diameter: Translating a Terrestrial Focused Technique into a Clinical Monitoring Tool for Spaceflight

Ultrasonography is increasingly used to quickly measure optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD) when increased intracranial pressure (ICP) is suspected. NASA Space and Clinical Operations Division has been using ground and on‐orbit ultrasound since 2009 as a proxy for ICP in non‐acute monitoring for space medicine purposes. In the terrestrial emergency room population, an ONSD greater than 0.59 cm is considered highly predictive of elevated intracranial pressure. However, this cut‐off limit is not applicable to the spaceflight setting since over 50% of US Operating Segment (USOS) astronauts have an ONSD greater than 0.60 cm even before launch. Crew Surgeon clinical decision‐making is complicated by the fact that many astronauts have history of previous spaceflights. Our data characterize the distribution of baseline ONSD in the astronaut corps, its longitudinal trends in long‐duration spaceflight, and the predictive power of this measure related to increased ICP outcomes.

Mason, Sara↗

Buckling Test Results from the 8-Foot-Diameter Orthogrid-Stiffened Cylinder Test Article TA01

Results from the testing of cylinder test article SBKF-P2-CYLTA01 (referred to herein as TA01) are presented. The testing was conducted at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), November 19‒21, 2008, in support of the Shell Buckling Knockdown Factor (SBKF) Project.i The test was used to verify the performance of a newly constructed buckling test facility at MSFC and to verify the test article design and analysis approach used by the SBKF project researchers. TA01 is an 8-foot-diameter (96-inches), 78.0-inch long, aluminum-lithium (Al-Li), orthogrid-stiffened cylindrical shell similar to those used in current state-of-the-art launch vehicle structures and was designed to exhibit global buckling when subjected to compression loads. Five different load sequences were applied to TA01 during testing and included four sub-critical load sequences, i.e., loading conditions that did not cause buckling or material failure, and one final load sequence to buckling and collapse. The sub-critical load sequences consisted of either uniform axial compression loading or combined axial compression and bending and the final load sequence subjected TA01 to uniform axial compression. Traditional displacement transducers and strain gages were used to monitor the test article response at nearly 300 locations and an advanced digital image correlation system was used to obtain low-speed and high-speed full-field displacement measurements of the outer surface of the test article. Overall, the test facility and test article performed as designed. In particular, the test facility successfully applied all desired load combinations to the test article and was able to test safely into the postbuckling range of loading, and the test article failed by global buckling. In addition, the test results correlated well with initial pretest predictions.

Hilburger, Mark W.↗

Empirical Relationships Between Optical Properties and Equivalent Diameters of Fractal Soot Aggregates at 550 Nm Wavelength.

Soot aggregates (SAs)-fractal clusters of small, spherical carbonaceous monomers-modulate the incoming visible solar radiation and contribute significantly to climate forcing. Experimentalists and climate modelers typically assume a spherical morphology for SAs when computing their optical properties, causing significant errors. Here, we calculate the optical properties of freshly-generated (fractal dimension Df = 1.8) and aged (Df = 2.6) SAs at 550 nm wavelength using the numericallyexact superposition T-Matrix method. These properties were expressed as functions of equivalent aerosol diameters as measured by contemporary aerosol instruments. This work improves upon previous efforts wherein SA optical properties were computed as a function of monomer number, rendering them unusable in practical applications. Future research will address the sensitivity of variation in refractive index, fractal prefactor, and monomer overlap of SAs on the reported empirical relationships.

deuterium fluorides↗

Cryogenic Thermal Absorptance Measurements on Small-Diameter Stainless Steel Tubing

The Mid Infrared Instrument (MIRI) on the James Webb Space Telescope includes a mechanical cryocooler which cools its detectors to their 6 Kelvin operating temperature. The coolant gas flows through several meters of small-diameter stainless steel tubing, which is exposed to thermal radiation from its environment. Over much of its length this tubing is gold-plated to minimize the absorption of this radiant heat. In order to confirm that the cryocooler will meet MIRI's requirements, the thermal absorptance of this tubing was measured as a function of its environment temperature. We describe the measurement technique and present the results.

cryogenics↗

Buckling Test Results and Preliminary Test and Analysis Correlation from the 8-Foot-Diameter Orthogrid-Stiffened Cylinder Test Article TA02

Results from the testing of cylinder test article SBKF-P2-CYL-TA02 (referred to herein as TA02) are presented. TA02 is an 8-foot-diameter (96-inches), 78.0-inch-long, aluminum-lithium (Al-Li), orthogrid-stiffened cylindrical shell similar to those used in current state-of-the-art launch-vehicle structures and was designed to exhibit global buckling when subjected to combined compression and bending loads. The testing was conducted at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), February 3-6, 2009, in support of the Shell Buckling Knockdown Factor Project (SBKF). The test was used to verify the performance of a newly constructed buckling test facility at MSFC and to verify the test article design and analysis approach used by the SBKF researchers.

Hilburger, Mark W.↗

Cryogenic Thermal Emittance Measurements on Small-Diameter Stainless Steel Tubing

The Mid Infrared Instrument aboard the James Webb Space Telescoep includes a mechanical cryocooler which cools its detectors to their 6 K operating temperature. The refrigerant flows through several meters of approximately 2 mm diameter 304L stainless steel tubing, with some sections gold plated, and some not, which are exposed to their environment. An issue of water freezing onto the tube surfaces is mitigated by a running a warm gas through the lines to sublimate the water. To model the effect of this process on nearby instruments, an accurate measure of the tube emittance is needed. Previously we reported the abosprtance of the gold plated stainless steel tubing as a function of source temperature (i.e. its environment). In this work the thermal emittance of the uncoated tubing is measured as a function of its temperature between 100 and 300 K. This value leads to an accurate prediction of the minimum length of time required to thermally recycle the system. We report the technique and present the results.

cryogenic↗

Cryogenic Thermal Emittance Measurements on Small-Diameter Stainless Steel Tubing

The Mid Infrared Instrument aboard the James Webb Space Telescope includes a mechanical cryocooler which cools its detectors to their 6 K operating temperature. The refrigerant flows through several meters of 2 mm diameter 304L stainless steel tubing, with some sections gold plated, and some not, which are exposed to their environment. An issue of water freezing onto the tube surfaces is mitigated by running a warm gas through the lines to sublimate the frozen water. To model the effect of this process on nearby instruments, an accurate measure of the tube emittance is needed. Previously we reported the absorptance of the gold plated stainless steel tubing as a function of source temperature (i.e. its environment). In this work the thermal emittance of the uncoated tubing is measured as a function of its temperature between 100 and 280 K. These values lead to an accurate prediction of the minimum length of time required to thermally recycle the system. We report the technique and present the results.

stainless steel↗

Characterization of 10-ft. Diameter Aluminum Alloy 2219 Integrally Stiffened Cylinders

The integrally stiffened cylinder (ISC) process, pioneered by NASA Langley Research Center, offers significant savings for launch vehicle structures. The ISC process is a near net shape, advanced manufacturing method for fabrication of single-piece, thin-walled barrels with internal longitudinal stiffeners, eliminating the need for longitudinal welding and machining. A cost-benefit analysis of the ISC process estimated a 50 % reduction in manufacturing costs and a 10% weight savings over the current multi-piece, machined and welded construction approach for stiffened barrels. In 2017, commercial-scale manufacturing trials were pursued, leading to a successful manufacturing demonstration of 10-ft. diameter ISC barrels fabricated from Al alloy 2219. Some cracking was observed in the stiffeners during fabrication. Optical metallography was performed to evaluate the as-formed microstructures to identify potential causes of cracking, along with mechanical testing to evaluate formability. Results revealed that cracking in the stiffeners was attributed to three likely causes: 1) large Al-Cu stringer particles, 2) stick-slip friction between the mandrel and ISC due to non-optimized lubrication, and 3) differences in material flow rate between the wall and stiffener locations. Testing to gauge formability revealed a significant decrease in ductility in the longitudinal directional for the as-formed condition, attributed to reduced ductility due to the large Al-Cu stringer particles. These results provide guidance toward materials and processing modifications for future ISC forming trials.

Tayon, Wesley A.↗

Novel Parameterization of Ice Cloud Effective Diameter from Collocated CALIOP-IIR and CloudSat Retrievals

Satellite-based measurements of global ice cloud microphysical properties are sampled to develop a novel set of physical parameterizations, relating to cloud layer temperature and effective diameter D(e), that can be implemented for two separate applications: in numerical weather prediction models and lidar-based cloud radiative forcing studies. Ice cloud optical properties (i.e., spectral scattering and absorption) are estimated based on the effective size and habit mixture of the cloud particles. Historically, the ice cloud D(e) has been parameterized from aircraft in situ measurements. However, aircraft-based parameterizations are opportunistic in that they only represent specific types of clouds (e.g., convective anvil, tropopause-topped cirrus) in the regions in which they were sampled and, in some cases, are limited in fully resolving the entire vertical cloud layer. Breaking away from the aircraft-based parameterization paradigm, this study is the first of its kind to attempt a parameterization of D(e) as a function of temperature, ice water content (IWC), and lidar-derived extinction from satellite-based global oceanic measurements of ice clouds. Data from both active and passive remote sensing sensors from two of NASA’s A-Train satellites, CloudSat and CALIPSO, are collected to guide development of globally robust parameterizations of all ice cloud types and one exclusively for cirrus clouds.

Ice Cloud↗

Passive Ground-based Optical Techniques for Monitoring the On-Orbit ICESat-2 Altimeter Geolocation and Footprint Diameter

NASA launched its second Earth observing laser altimeter in 2018 with mission objectives of studying the changes in our climate by monitoring global elevations, particularly in the polar regions. Since the mission is focused on generating accurate elevations and elevation change, the geolocation (or geodetic position) of the measurements are of upmost importance to each of the scientific disciplines supported by these observations. Geolocation validation is required to ensure that the mission is meeting its objectives with the appropriate level of geolocation accuracy. One validation technique uses small optical reflectors placed in a specific pattern along one or more satellite ground-tracks. The optics provide a unique signal back to the satellite that can be used to compare the geolocation of these returns in the data to the known position on the surface. Results of the position comparison indicate the measurement locations are accurate to within 3.5 m with a standard deviation of 1.6 m. They also provide a method for determining a representative footprint diameter using geometric analysis, which resulted in an average value of 10.9 m +- 2.1 m.

ICESat-2↗

Test and Analysis of the 8-foot Diameter Cylindrical Sandwich Composite Test Article CTA8.2B: As part of the NASA Engineering and Safety Center Shell Buckling Knockdown Factor Project

The buckling response of thin-walled cylindrical structures have long been shown to be sensitive to various imperfections. That is, imperfections related to load introduction, boundary conditions, material property variation, and geometric deviations can all contribute to experimentally obtained buckling loads being lower than the buckling loads predicted for perfect representations of the same thin-walled cylindrical structure. To account for the influence of geometry-based imperfections of a thin-walled cylindrical structure on buckling response, a design factor (also known as a buckling knockdown factor) is used during the design phase. Guidelines for buckling knockdown factors are readily available in NASA SP-8007, Buckling of Thin Walled Circular Cylinders, which was updated in 2020. Prior to this recent update, NASA SP-8007 had not been updated since 1969, and since that time, computational analysis, experimental testing, and manufacturing methods have significantly improved. The NASA Engineering and Safety Center (NESC) Shell Buckling Knockdown Factor Project (SBKF, NESC Assessment 07-010-E) had the goal of developing buckling design recommendations for select classes of metallic and composite launch-vehicle structures [3]. Specifically, the test and analysis results from the fourth SBKF composite test article SBKF-P3-CYL-CTA8.2B, which is referred to as CTA8.2B, are described in this paper. This test was the fourth in a series of four tests on sandwich composite cylinders that will be used to experimentally validate analysis methods, which in turn can be used to develop new analysis-based shell buckling design guidelines for typical sandwich composite launch vehicle cylindrical structures. Publications describing previous test validation with analysis are available in Refs. CTA8.2B was designed to occupy one corner of the design space with approximately equal bending stiffnesses in the axial and transverse directions and have a larger ratio of radius to effective shell thickness. Each test article had a unique design and was designed to occupy a specific region of the design space. CTA8.2B was an 8-foot diameter honeycomb-core sandwich cylinder that was fabricated and tested at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). The primary objectives of this test were to interrogate the structural capability of a composite test article, and to verify the test article design and analysis approach for cylinders subjected to axial compression and combined axial and bending loads. First, descriptions of the test article design and test are given in Section 2.0, and modeling and analysis methods used in support of the test article design and testing activities are described briefly in Section 3.0. Then, select test results are presented and compared to predicted results in Section 4.0, and concluding remarks are presented in Section 5.0. Finally, drawings of CTA8.2B and references used to support the test and analysis are provided in the Appendix.

Nonlinear analysis↗

Buckling Test and Analysis of the 8-Foot-Diameter Sandwich Composite Cylinder Test Article CTA8.2 as Part of the Shell Buckling Knockdown Factor Project: Test Dates 5-7 December 2017

It is well known that the buckling response of thin shell structures can be sensitive to small imperfections in the geometry and loading. The NASA Engineering and Safety Center (NESC) Shell Buckling Knockdown Factor Project (SBKF) has the goal of developing buckling design recommendations for select classes of metallic and composite shells. Part of completed SBKF work is described in this report. In particular, the test and analysis results from the second SBKF composite test article, CTA8.2, are described. This test was the second in a series of tests on sandwich composite cylinders that can be used to experimentally validate analysis methods, which in turn can be used to develop analysis-based shell buckling design guidelines for sandwich composite launch-vehicle cylindrical structures. CTA8.2 was an 8-foot diameter honeycomb-core sandwich cylinder that was fabricated and tested at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). The primary objectives of this test were to interrogate the structural capability of the composite test article, and to verify the test-article design and analysis approach for cylinders subjected to axial compression loads. This report contains the descriptions of the test-article design, fabrication, and test. The pre-test modeling and analysis methods, and corresponding results used in support of the test-article design and test planning, are also described. Additional post-test modeling and analysis efforts and results follow. Selected test results are compared to pre-test predictions and post-test analyses.

Adam Przekop↗

Thermal Infrared Dust Optical Depth and Coarse-Mode Effective Diameter Over Oceans Retrieved From Collocated MODIS and CALIOP Observations

In this study, we developed a novel algorithm based on the collocated Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) thermal infrared (TIR) observations and dust vertical profiles from the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP) to simultaneously retrieve dust aerosol optical depth at 10 µm (DAOD10μm) and the coarse-mode dust effective diameter (Deff) over global oceans. The accuracy of the Deff retrieval is assessed by comparing the dust lognormal volume particle size distribution (PSD) corresponding to retrieved Deff with the in-situ measured dust PSDs from the AER-D, SAMUM-2 and SALTRACE field campaigns through case studies. The new DAOD10μm retrievals were evaluated first through comparisons with the collocated DAOD10.6μm retrieved from the combined Imaging Infrared Radiometer (IIR) and CALIOP observations from our previous study (Zheng et al. 2022). The pixel-to-pixel comparison of the two DAOD retrievals indicates a good agreement (R~0.7) and a significant reduction of (~50%) retrieval uncertainties largely thanks to the better constraint on dust size. In a climatological comparison, the seasonal and regional (5°×2°) mean DAOD10um retrievals based on our combined MODIS and CALIOP method are in good agreement with the two independent Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI) products over three dust transport regions (i.e., North Atlantic (NA; R = 0.9), Indian Ocean (IO; R = 0.8) and North Pacific (NP; R = 0.7)). Using the new retrievals from 2013 to 2017, we performed a climatological analysis of coarse mode dust Deff over global oceans. We found that dust Deff over IO and NP are up to 20% smaller than that over NA. Over NA in summer, we found a ~50% reduction of the number of retrievals with Deff > 5 μm from 15°W to 35°W and a stable trend of Deff average at 4.4 μm from 35°W throughout the Caribbean Sea (90°W). Over NP in spring, only ~5% of retrieved pixels with Deff > 5 μm are found from 150°E to 180°, while the mean Deff remains stable at 4.0 μm throughout eastern NP. To our best knowledge, this study is the first to retrieve both DAOD and coarse-mode dust particle size over global oceans for multiple years. This retrieval dataset provides insightful information for evaluating dust long-wave radiative effects and coarse mode dust particle size in models.

dust optical depth↗

Effects of Limiting Container Diameter on Crater Morphometry in Laboratory Impact Experiments.

Laboratory impact experiments provide a mechanism to test and understand impact events that affect every planetary object in our Solar System. Impact experiments have been conducted on a wide variety of mediums (e.g., sand, ice, solid rock, regolith simulant [1–4]) in a variety of container sizes, depending on the laboratory. While the specific parameters of each impact experiment vary greatly from impacting medium, projectile type and size, speed, etc., there has not been any in depth analysis of the effects that limiting container dimensions might have on the resulting subsurface flow field and ultimately the crater structure. Here we asses the effects of container diameter by conducting a series of cratering experiments on five different container sizes. The results of this study will be informative to the impact community such that closer consideration will be taken regarding the selection of container size to insure the most high quality results with less interference from the boundary conditions.

Megan D. Mouser↗