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At least 577 records · Page 32

Ideal Resampling Of Discrete Sequences

Spectral information preserved to extent possible. Technique developed to shrink or expand discrete input sequence of numbers into output sequence in manner preserving input spectrum up to Nyquist limit of smaller of two sequences. In case of expansion, technique also prevents introduction of spurious frequencies not present in input. While applicable to many kinds of data sampled at regular interval, particularly useful in processing and enhancement of images, where discrete sequences spatially ordered sets of picture-element brightness values. Image coarsened by resampling to reduce number of picture elements while preserving as much as possible of original image information. Used to generate intermediate images at small intervals between frames, thereby suppressing appearance of jerky motion caused by sudden jumps between frames at low frame rate.

Watson, Andrew B.↗

Digital robust active control law synthesis for large order flexible structure using parameter optimization

A generic procedure for the parameter optimization of a digital control law for a large-order flexible flight vehicle or large space structure modeled as a sampled data system is presented. A linear quadratic Guassian type cost function was minimized, while satisfying a set of constraints on the steady-state rms values of selected design responses, using a constrained optimization technique to meet multiple design requirements. Analytical expressions for the gradients of the cost function and the design constraints on mean square responses with respect to the control law design variables are presented.

Mukhopadhyay, V.↗

High temperature thermal conductivity measurements on lanthanum sulfides using the flash method

In the past, high temperature specific heat and hence thermal conductivity measurements, using the flash method have not been very accurate. This is due to the difficulty of exactly determining the amount of heat deposited on the front face of a sample during each flash. This problem has now been solved by sputtering a thin layer of graphite on the standard reference and test samples. Data taken shows that the amount of heat deposited can now be determined to within about 2 percent resulting in more accurate thermal conductivity data. The results of measurements on several lanthanum sulfides with stoichiometries between LaS(1.35) and LaS(1.48) are reported and show a minimum in the lattice thermal conductivity at a composition of around LaS(1.41). This is believed to be due to the scattering of low-frequency phonons by large defects, i.e., second phase material (beta-phase) and pores.

Vandersande, J. W.↗

The properties of the disk system of globular clusters

A large refined data sample is used to study the properties and origin of the disk system of globular clusters. A scale height for the disk cluster system of 800-1500 pc is found which is consistent with scale-height determinations for samples of field stars identified with the Galactic thick disk. A rotational velocity of 193 + or - 29 km/s and a line-of-sight velocity dispersion of 59 + or - 14 km/s have been found for the metal-rich clusters.

Armandroff, Taft E.↗

Probing solar system objects at infrared wavelengths

The instruments, techniques, and analysis methods employed in IR observations of solar-system objects are discussed and illustrated with sample data. Particular attention is given to (1) high-resolution (Doppler-limited) spectra of H2O in Comet Halley and Comet Wilson (1986l), obtained with the NASA Kuiper Airborne Observatory in 1985-1986, and (2) scanning observations of Jovian thermal emission, obtained with the NASA IRTF in 1987 and subjected to detailed time-series analysis to investigate atmospheric motion. The data are presented in spectra, energy-level diagrams, maps, and graphs and briefly characterized.

Mumma, M. J.↗

Chi-squared and C statistic minimization for low count per bin data

Results are presented from a computer simulation comparing two statistical fitting techniques on data samples with large and small counts per bin; the results are then related specifically to X-ray astronomy. The Marquardt and Powell minimization techniques are compared by using both to minimize the chi-squared statistic. In addition, Cash's C statistic is applied, with Powell's method, and it is shown that the C statistic produces better fits in the low-count regime than chi-squared.

Nousek, John A.↗

Artificial Satellite Analysis Program (ASAP)

Program suited for studying planetary orbit missions including mapping and flyby components. Sample data included for geosynchronous station drift cycle study. Venus radar mapping strategy, frozen orbit about Mars, and repeat ground trace orbit. Written in FORTRAN.

Kwok, Johnny H.↗

Fluctuating pressures measured beneath a high-temperature, turbulent boundary layer on a flat plate at Mach number of 5

Fluctuating pressures were measured beneath a Mach 5, turbulent boundary layer on a flat plate with an array of piezoresistive sensors. The data were obtained with a digital signal acquisition system during a test run of 4 seconds. Data sampling rate was such that frequency analysis up to 62.5 kHz could be performed. To assess in situ frequency response of the sensors, a specially designed waveguide calibration system was employed to measure transfer functions of all sensors and related instrumentation. Pressure time histories were approximated well by a Gaussian prohibiting distribution. Pressure spectra were very repeatable over the array span of 76 mm. Total rms pressures ranged from 0.0017 to 0.0046 of the freestream dynamic pressure. Streamwise, space-time correlations exhibited expected decaying behavior of a turbulence generated pressure field. Average convection speed was 0.87 of freestream velocity. The trendless behavior with sensor separation indicated possible systematic errors.

Parrott, Tony L.↗

Investigations into a new algorithm for calculating H infinity optimal controllers

A new algorithm for calculating H (sup infinity) optimal controllers is investigated. The algorithm is significantly simpler than existing approaches and yields much simpler controllers. The design equations are first presented. Special system transformations required to apply the algorithm are then presented. The use of the algorithm with sampled-data systems is outlined in detail. Several constraints on the characteristics of the problem formulation are required for the application of the design equations. The consequences of these constraints are investigated by applying the algorithm to a simplified design for a subsystem of a large space structure ground test facility. The investigation of these constraints is continued by application of the design equations and constraints to an extremely simple tracking problem. The result of these investigations is the development of a frequency dependent weighting strategy that allows realistic control problems to be cast in a form compatible with the new algorithm. Further work is indicated in the area of developing strategies for choosing frequency-dependent weights to achieve specific design goals. The use of the freedom in problem formulation to achieve robustness/performance tradeoffs should also be investigated. It is not clear that the algorithm always leads to simpler controllers. The more restrictive formulation may dictate that frequency-dependent weighting adds to the controller order disproportionately. This effect must also be investigated.

Irwin, R. Dennis↗

The inter-outburst behavior of cataclysmic variables

Existing International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE) and American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO) archive data was used to accomplish a large scale study of what happens to the ultraviolet flux of accretion disk systems during the quiescent intervals between outbursts and how it relates to the preceding outburst characteristics of amplitude and width. The data sample involved multiple IUE observations for 16 dwarf novae and 8 novae along with existing optical coverage. Results indicate that most systems show correlated ultraviolet (UV) flux behavior with interoutburst phase, with 60 percent of the dwarf novae and 50 percent of the novae having decreasing flux trends while 33 percent of the dwarf novae and 38 percent of the novae show rising UV flux during the quiescent interval. All of the dwarf novae with decreasing UV fluxes at 1475A have orbital periods longer than 4.4 hours, while all (except BV Cen) with flat or rising fluxes at 1475A have orbital periods less than two hours. There are not widespread correlations of the UV fluxes with the amplitude of the preceding outburst and no correlations with the width of the outburst. From a small sample (7) that have relatively large quiescent V magnitude changes between the IUE observations, most show a strong correlation between the UV and optical continuum. Interpretation of the results is complicated by not being able to determine how much the white dwarf contributes to the ultraviolet flux. However, it is now evident that noticeable changes are occurring in the hot zones in accreting systems long after the outburst, and not only for systems that are dominated by the white dwarf. Whether these differences are due to different outburst mechanisms or to changes on white dwarfs which provide varying contributions to the UV flux remains to be determined.

Szkody, Paula↗

Integrated control-system design via generalized LQG (GLQG) theory

Thirty years of control systems research has produced an enormous body of theoretical results in feedback synthesis. Yet such results see relatively little practical application, and there remains an unsettling gap between classical single-loop techniques (Nyquist, Bode, root locus, pole placement) and modern multivariable approaches (LQG and H infinity theory). Large scale, complex systems, such as high performance aircraft and flexible space structures, now demand efficient, reliable design of multivariable feedback controllers which optimally tradeoff performance against modeling accuracy, bandwidth, sensor noise, actuator power, and control law complexity. A methodology is described which encompasses numerous practical design constraints within a single unified formulation. The approach, which is based upon coupled systems or modified Riccati and Lyapunov equations, encompasses time-domain linear-quadratic-Gaussian theory and frequency-domain H theory, as well as classical objectives such as gain and phase margin via the Nyquist circle criterion. In addition, this approach encompasses the optimal projection approach to reduced-order controller design. The current status of the overall theory will be reviewed including both continuous-time and discrete-time (sampled-data) formulations.

Bernstein, Dennis S.↗

Preshaping command inputs to reduce telerobotic system oscillations

The results of using a new technique for shaping inputs to a model of the space shuttle Remote Manipulator System (RMS) are presented. The shapes inputs move the system to the same location that was originally commanded, however, the oscillations of the machine are considerably reduced. An overview of the new shaping method is presented. A description of RMS model is provided. The problem of slow joint servo rates on the RMS is accommodated with an extension of the shaping method. The results and sample data are also presented for both joint and three-dimensional cartesian motions. The results demonstrate that the new shaping method performs well on large, telerobotic systems which exhibit significant structural vibration. The new method is shown to also result in considerable energy savings during operations of the RMS manipulator.

Singer, Neil C.↗

Adaptive control of linearizable systems

Initial results are reported regarding the adaptive control of minimum-phase nonlinear systems which are exactly input-output linearizable by state feedback. Parameter adaptation is used as a technique to make robust the exact cancellation of nonlinear terms, which is called for in the linearization technique. The application of the adaptive technique to control of robot manipulators is discussed. Only the continuous-time case is considered; extensions to the discrete-time and sampled-data cases are not obvious.

Sastry, S. Shankar↗

Tropical synoptic composites in VAS, OLR and TOVS radiance data

The horizontal structure of specific tropical synoptic features are compared with the features of a zonal mean ITCZ using four different forms of satellite radiance data: daily gridded OLR data, GOES VAS water vapor imagery, brightness temperatures from TOVS water vapor channels (6.7 and 7.3 microns), and brightness temperature vectors for a complete set of TOVS channels. All of the data are composited over many events to minimize the effects of missing data, sampling errors, and system variability. The major differences between the observing systems are examined, focusing on resolution and clouds. It is found that the ITCZ exhibits a zonally symmetric convective phase and an enhanced regional convective phase (plumes), both of which can be differentiated from climatological mean behavior.

Mcguirk, James P.↗

Rotorcraft pursuit-evasion in nap-of-the-earth flight

Two approaches for studying the pursuit-evasion problem between rotorcraft executing nap-of-the-earth flight are presented. The first of these employs a constant speed kinematic helicopter model, while the second approach uses a three degree of freedom point-mass model. The candidate solutions to the first differential game are generated by integrating the state-costate equations backward in time. The second problem employs feedback linearization to obtain guidance laws in nonlinear feedback form. Both approaches explicitly use the terrain profile data. Sample extremals are presented.

Menon, P. K. A.↗

IUE and Einstein survey of late-type giant and supergiant stars and the dividing line

Results are presented on an IUE UV survey of 255 late-type G, K, and M stars, complementing the Maggio et al. (1990) Einstein X-ray survey of 380 late-type stars. The large data sample of X-ray and UV detections make it possible to examine the activity relationship between the X-ray and the UV emissions. The results confirm previous finding of a trend involving a steeply-dropping upper envelope of the transition region line fluxes, f(line)/f(V), as the dividing line is approached. This suggests that a sharp decrease in maximum activity accompanies the advancing spectral type, with the dividing line corresponding to this steep gradient region. The results confirm the rotation-activity connection for stars in this region of the H-R diagram.

Haisch, Bernhard M.↗

The relationship between IR, optical, and UV extinction

An analysis is presented for the variability of absolute IR, optical, and UV extinction, A(sub lambda), derived through the ratio of total-to-selective extinction, R, for 31 lines of sight for which reliable UV extinction parameters were derived. These data sample a wide range of environments and are characterized by 2.5 is less than or equal to R is less than or equal to 6.0. It was found that there is a strong linear dependence between extinction expressed as A(sub lambda)/A(sub V) and 1/R for 1.25 micron is less than or equal to lambda is less than or equal to 0.12 micron. Differences in the general shape of extinction curves are largely due to variations in shape of optical/near-UV extinction corresponding to changes in R, with A(sub lambda)/A(sub V) decreasing for increasing R. From a least-squares fit of the observed R-dependence as a function of wavelength for 0.8/micron is less than or greater than 1/lambda is less than or equal to 8.3/micron, an analytic expression was generated from which IR, optical, and UV extinction curves of the form A(sub lambda)/A(sub V) can be reproduced with reasonable accuracy from a knowledge of R. It was also found that the absolute bump strength normalized to A(sub V) shows a general decrease with increasing R, suggesting that some fraction of bump grains may be selectively incorporated into coagulated grains. Finally, it was found that absolute extinction normalized by suitably chosen color indices results in a minimization of the R-dependence of portions of the UV curve, allowing A(sub lambda) to be estimated for these wavelengths independent of R.

Cardelli, Jason A.↗

Microbiology on Space Station Freedom

This panel discussion convened in Houston, Texas, at the Lunar and Planetary Institute, on November 6 to 8, 1989, to review NASA's plans for microbiology on Space Station Freedom. A panel of distinguished scientists reviewed, validated, and recommended revisions to NASA's proposed acceptability standards for air, water, and internal surfaces on board Freedom. Also reviewed were the proposed microbiology capabilities and monitoring plan, disinfection procedures, waste management, and clinical issues. In the opinion of this advisory panel, ensuring the health of the Freedom's crews requires a strong goal-oriented research effort to determine the potential effects of microorganisms on the crewmembers and on the physical environment of the station. Because there are very few data addressing the fundamental question of how microgravity influences microbial function, the panel recommended establishing a ground-based microbial model of Freedom, with subsequent evaluation using in-flight shuttle data. Sampling techniques and standards will be affected by both technological advances in microgravity-compatible instrumentation, and by changes in the microbial population over the life of the station.

Pierson, Duane L.↗