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At least 649 records · Page 36

Five-Year Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe Observations: Data Processing, Sky Maps, and Basic Results

We present new full-sky temperature and polarization maps in five frequency bands from 23 to 94 GHz, based on data from the first five years of the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) sky survey. The new maps are consistent with previous maps and are more sensitive. The five-year maps incorporate several improvements in data processing made possible by the additional years of data and by a more complete analysis of the instrument calibration and in-flight beam response. We present several new tests for systematic errors in the polarization data and conclude that W-band polarization data is not yet suitable for cosmological studies, but we suggest directions for further study. We do find that Ka-band data is suitable for use; in conjunction with the additional years of data, the addition of Ka band to the previously used Q- and V-band channels significantly reduces the uncertainty in the optical depth parameter, tau. Further scientific results from the five-year data analysis are presented in six companion papers and are summarized in Section 7 of this paper. With the five-year WMAP data, we detect no convincing deviations from the minimal six-parameter ACDM model: a flat universe dominated by a cosmological constant, with adiabatic and nearly scale-invariant Gaussian fluctuations. Using WMAP data combined with measurements of Type Ia supernovae and Baryon Acoustic Oscillations in the galaxy distribution, we find (68% CL uncertainties): OMEGA(sub b)h(sup 2) = 0.02267(sup +0.00058)(sub -0.00059), OMEGA(sub c)h(sup 2) = 0.1131 plus or minus 0.0034, OMEGA(sub logical and) = 0.726 plus or minus 0.015, ns = .960 plus or minus 0.013, tau = 0.84 plus or minus 0.016, and DELTA(sup 2)(sub R) = (22.445 plus or minus 0.096) x 10(exp -9) at k = 0.002 Mpc(exp -1). From these we derive sigma(sub 8) = 0.812 plus or minus 0.026, H(sub 0) = 70.5 plus or minus 1.3 kilometers per second Mpc(exp -1), OMEGA(sub b) = 0.0456 plus or minus 0.0015, OMEGA(sub c) = .228 plus or minus 0.013, OMEGA(sub m)h(sup 2) = 0.1358(sup +0.0037)(sub -0.0036), z reion = 10.9 plus or minus 1.4, and t(sub 0) = 13.72 plus or minus 0.12 Gyr. The new limit on the tensor-to-scalar ration is r less than 0.22 (95% CL), while the evidence for a running spectral index is insignificant, dn(sub s)/d ln k = -0.028 plus or minus 0.020 (68% CL). We obtain tight, simultaneous limits on the (constant) dark energy equation of state and the spatial curvature of the universe: -0.14 less than 1 + w less than 0.12 (95% CL) and -0.0179 less than OMEGA(sub k) less than 0.0081 (95% CL). The number of relativistic degrees of freedom, expressed in units of the effective number of neutrino species, is found to be N(sub eff) = 4.4 plus or minus 1.5 (69% CL), consistent with the standard value of 3.04. Models with N(sub eff) = 0 are disfavored at greater than 99% confidence. Finally, new limits on physically motivated primordial non-Gaussianity parameters are -9 less than f(sup local)(sub NL) less than 111 (95% CL) and -151 less than f(sup equal)(sub NL) less than 253 (95% CL) for the local and equilateral models, respectively.

Hinshaw, G.↗

Study of igniter design and applications to low smoke solid rockets

A simple analysis of igniter design is described which is sufficiently general to be applicable to any 'basket'-type housing containing one or more charges. The gas equation of state is used in conjunction with the experimentally determined propellant burning-rate law to predict the pressure-time histories in the igniter housing and the rocket motor. Typical numerical results are presented for three cases which represent three experimental conditions tested in a project on low-smoke motors where the requirements on the exhaust were sufficiently stringent to preclude condensible matter from the igniter. Pressure was measured continuously in time at two locations in the igniter housing and at the head end of the motor case. The agreement between theoretical and experimental results is felt to be encouraging considering the complexity of the problem and the many simplifications in the analysis.

Ramohalli, K.↗

Challenges in Integrating Nondestructive Evaluation and Finite Element Methods for Realistic Structural Analysis

Capabilities and expertise related to the development of links between nondestructive evaluation (NDE) and finite element analysis (FEA) at Glenn Research Center (GRC) are demonstrated. Current tools to analyze data produced by computed tomography (CT) scans are exercised to help assess the damage state in high temperature structural composite materials. A utility translator was written to convert velocity (an image processing software) STL data file to a suitable CAD-FEA type file. Finite element analyses are carried out with MARC, a commercial nonlinear finite element code, and the analytical results are discussed. Modeling was established by building MSC/Patran (a pre and post processing finite element package) generated model and comparing it to a model generated by Velocity in conjunction with MSC/Patran Graphics. Modeling issues and results are discussed in this paper. The entire process that outlines the tie between the data extracted via NDE and the finite element modeling and analysis is fully described.

Abdul-Aziz, Ali↗

Tropical F region winds from O I 1356-A and forbidden O I 6300-A emissions. II - Analysis of OGO 4 data

The OGO 4 tropical nightglow data on the O I 1356-A and forbidden O I 6300-A emissions during several months in the fall of 1967 are analyzed in conjunction with theoretical models. From the latitudinal asymmetry present in the tropical emissions the neutral wind velocities in the magnetic meridian at the time of the observations are found to reach 150 m/s near 2000 LT in the Pacific sector and 110 m/s in the Indian sector. The longitudinal dependence of the emissions indicates a strong zonal component (referred to geographic coordinates) and allows the resolution of the inferred wind velocities into geographic zonal and meridional wind components. The geographic zonal component reaches a maximum velocity of 260 m/s near 2200 LT.

Bittencourt, J. A.↗

Solid propulsion powered spacecraft concept.

The feasibility and application of a solid propulsion powered spacecraft concept to implement high-energy missions independent of multiplanetary swingby opportunities are assessed. The characteristics of suitable missions and spacecraft were formulated to determine their effects upon propulsion system selection and design. A cost-effectiveness analysis was conducted to provide a meaningful basis of comparing candidate designs. The results substantiated the feasibility of the powered spacecraft concept when used in conjunction with several intermediate-sized launch vehicles as well as energy margins by which to exploit extended mission capabilities. An outgrowth of this study included a new high-mass-fraction solid motor staging design whose performance predictions further enhanced the candidacy of the baseline configuration.

Nakamura, Y.↗

Identification of Spey engine dynamics in the augmentor wing jet STOL research aircraft from flight data

The development and validation of a spey engine model is described. An analysis of the dynamical interactions involved in the propulsion unit is presented. The model was reduced to contain only significant effects, and was used, in conjunction with flight data obtained from an augmentor wing jet STOL research aircraft, to develop initial estimates of parameters in the system. The theoretical background employed in estimating the parameters is outlined. The software package developed for processing the flight data is described. Results are summarized.

Dehoff, R. L.↗

Search strategy effects on PN acquisition performance

The present paper focusses on 'random' and 'expanding window' PN acquisition search strategies and analytically develops the PN acquisition time statistics as functions of salient system parameters such as prediction SNR, detection and false alarm probabilities and a priori information on epoch location. The significance of this analysis is its general applicability to arbitrary postdetection processing schemes. Computed performance results account for the above salient parameters, wherein sequential detection is employed in conjunction with random and selected expanding window search strategies.

Weinberg, A.↗

Rotordynamic coefficients for labyrinth seals calculated by means of a finite difference technique

The compressible, turbulent, time dependent and three dimensional flow in a labyrinth seal can be described by the Navier-Stokes equations in conjunction with a turbulence model. Additionally, equations for mass and energy conservation and an equation of state are required. To solve these equations, a perturbation analysis is performed yielding zeroth order equations for centric shaft position and first order equations describing the flow field for small motions around the seal center. For numerical solution a finite difference method is applied to the zeroth and first order equations resulting in leakage and dynamic seal coefficients respectively.

Nordmann, R.↗

Experimental Assessment of the Reciprocating Feed System

The primary goal of this project was to design, construct, and test a full scale, high pressure simulated propellant feed system test bed that could evaluate the ability of the Reciprocating Feed System (RFS) to provide essentially constant flow rates and pressures to a rocket engine. The two key issues addressed were the effects of the transition of the drain cycle from tank to tank and the benefits of other hardware such as accumulators to provide a constant pressure flow rate out of the RFS. The test bed provided 500 psi flow at rates of the order of those required for engines in the 20,000 lbf thrust class (e.g., 20 to 40 lb/sec). A control system was developed in conjunction with the test article and automated system operation was achieved. Pre-test planning and acceptance activities such as a documented procedure and hazard analysis were conducted and the operation of the test article was approved by, and conducted in coordination with, appropriate NASA Marshall Space Flight Center personnel under a Space Act Agreement. Tests demonstrated successful control of flow rates and pressures.

Eddleman, David E.↗

Hard-X-Ray/Soft-Gamma-Ray Imaging Sensor Assembly for Astronomy

An improved sensor assembly has been developed for astronomical imaging at photon energies ranging from 1 to 100 keV. The assembly includes a thallium-doped cesium iodide scintillator divided into pixels and coupled to an array of high-gain avalanche photodiodes (APDs). Optionally, the array of APDs can be operated without the scintillator to detect photons at energies below 15 keV. The array of APDs is connected to compact electronic readout circuitry that includes, among other things, 64 independent channels for detection of photons in various energy ranges, up to a maximum energy of 100 keV, at a count rate up to 3 kHz. The readout signals are digitized and processed by imaging software that performs "on-the-fly" analysis. The sensor assembly has been integrated into an imaging spectrometer, along with a pair of coded apertures (Fresnel zone plates) that are used in conjunction with the pixel layout to implement a shadow-masking technique to obtain relatively high spatial resolution without having to use extremely small pixels. Angular resolutions of about 20 arc-seconds have been measured. Thus, for example, the imaging spectrometer can be used to (1) determine both the energy spectrum of a distant x-ray source and the angular deviation of the source from the nominal line of sight of an x-ray telescope in which the spectrometer is mounted or (2) study the spatial and temporal development of solar flares, repeating - ray bursters, and other phenomena that emit transient radiation in the hard-x-ray/soft- -ray region of the electromagnetic spectrum.

Myers, Richard A.↗

Powder-Collection System for Ultrasonic/Sonic Drill/Corer

A system for collecting samples of powdered rock has been devised for use in conjunction with an ultrasonic/sonic drill/corer (USDC) -- a lightweight, lowpower apparatus designed to cut into, and acquire samples of, rock or other hard material for scientific analysis. The USDC includes a drill bit, corer, or other tool bit, in which ultrasonic and sonic vibrations are excited by an electronically driven piezoelectric actuator. The USDC advances into the rock or other material of interest by means of a hammering action and a resulting chiseling action at the tip of the tool bit. The hammering and chiseling actions are so effective that unlike in conventional twist drilling, a negligible amount of axial force is needed to make the USDC advance into the material. Also unlike a conventional twist drill, the USDC operates without need for torsional restraint, lubricant, or a sharp bit. The USDC generates powder as a byproduct of the drilling or coring process. The purpose served by the present samplecollection system is to remove the powder from the tool-bit/rock interface and deliver the powder to one or more designated location(s) for analysis or storage

Sherrit, Stewart↗

Analysis of Galileo Doppler Measurements During the Solar Occulations in 1994 and 1995

Measurements of S-band downlink frequency (Doppler) shift were collected for intervals of about 30 days during the 1994 and 1995 solar conjunctions of the Galileo spacecraft. The occulation geometries enabled coronal radio sounding of the heliographic equatoral region over a heliocentric range from about 5 to 20 R(sub s) (solar radii) for the 1994 conjuctions and from about 4 to R(sub s) for the 1995 conjunction.

Galileo Doppler Solar Occulations↗

Lunar Advanced Volatile Analysis Subsystem: Pressure Transducer Trade Study

In Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) is a key factor in paving the way for the future of human space exploration. The ability to harvest resources on foreign astronomical objects to produce consumables and propellant offers potential reduction in mission cost and risk. Through previous missions, the existence of water ice at the poles of the moon has been identified, however the feasibility of water extraction for resources remains unanswered. The Resource Prospector (RP) mission is currently in development to provide ground truth, and will enable us to characterize the distribution of water at one of the lunar poles. Regolith & Environment Science and Oxygen & Lunar Volatile Extraction (RESOLVE) is the primary payload on RP that will be used in conjunction with a rover. RESOLVE contains multiple instruments for systematically identifying the presence of water. The main process involves the use of two systems within RESOLVE: the Oxygen Volatile Extraction Node (OVEN) and Lunar Advanced Volatile Analysis (LAVA). Within the LAVA subsystem, there are multiple calculations that depend on accurate pressure readings. One of the most important instances where pressure transducers (PT) are used is for calculating the number of moles in a gas transfer from the OVEN subsystem. As a critical component of the main process, a mixture of custom and commercial off the shelf (COTS) PTs are currently being tested in the expected operating environment to eventually down select an option for integrated testing in the LAVA engineering test unit (ETU).

Kang, Edward Shinuk↗

Correlation of Kp with the substorm-injected plasma boundary

The local time position of the low-energy substorm-injected plasma boundary in the dusk to midnight region of the magnetosphere as observed by the geostationary satellite ATS 5 is found to be correlated with the interpolated Kp index. Considering the time resolution of Kp, the correlation is found to be quite close but dependent on season. An estimate of the overall shape and position of the low-energy boundary within this region of the magnetosphere as a function of Kp is found by using a fit to the authors' winter data correlation in conjunction with a fit of data presented by Carpenter (1967) concerning the Kp-related radial positioning of the plasmapause boundary in the postmidnight region. This analysis results in a spiral structure, the scale of which depends on Kp.

Mauk, B. H.↗

A mathematical model of an active control landing gear for load control during impact and roll-out

A mathematical model of an active control landing gear (ACOLAG) was developed and programmed for operation on a digital computer. The mathematical model includes theoretical subsonic aerodynamics; first-mode wing bending and torsional characteristics; oleo-pneumatic shock strut with fit and binding friction; closed-loop, series-hydraulic control; empirical tire force-deflection characteristics; antiskid braking; and sinusoidal or random runway roughness. The mathematical model was used to compute the loads and motions for a simulated vertical drop test and a simulated landing impact of a conventional (passive) main landing gear designed for a 2268-kg (5000-lbm) class airplane. Computations were also made for a simply modified version of the passive gear including a series-hydraulic active control system. Comparison of computed results for the passive gear with experimental data shows that the active control landing gear analysis is valid for predicting the loads and motions of an airplane during a symmetrical landing. Computed results for the series-hydraulic active control in conjunction with the simply modified passive gear show that 20- to 30-percent reductions in wing force, relative to those occurring with the modified passive gear, can be obtained during the impact phase of the landing. These reductions in wing force could result in substantial increases in fatigue life of the structure.

Mcgehee, J. R.↗

Evaluation of MOSTAS computer code for predicting dynamic loads in two-bladed wind turbines

Calculated dynamic blade loads are compared with measured loads over a range of yaw stiffnesses of the DOE/NASA Mod-0 wind turbine to evaluate the performance of two versions of the MOSTAS computer code. The first version uses a time-averaged coefficient approximation in conjunction with a multiblade coordinate transformation for two-bladed rotors to solve the equations of motion by standard eigenanalysis. The results obtained with this approximate analysis do not agree with dynamic blade load amplifications at or close to resonance conditions. The results of the second version, which accounts for periodic coefficients while solving the equations by a time history integration, compare well with the measured data.

Kaza, K. R. V.↗

Dynamic stability of unidirectional fiber-reinforced viscoelastic composite plates

This paper deals with a dynamic stability analysis of unidirectional fiber-reinforced composite viscoelastic plates subjected to compressive edge loads. The integrodifferential equations governing the stability problem are obtained by using, in conjunction with a Boltzmann hereditary constitutive law for a three-dimensional viscoelastic medium, a higher-order shear deformation theory of orthotropic plates. Such a theory incorporates transverse shear deformation, transverse normal stress, and rotatory inertia effects. The solution of the stability problem as considered within this paper concerns the determination of the critical in-plane edge loads yielding the asymptotic instability. Numerical applications, based on material properties derived within the framework of Aboudi's micromechanical model, are presented and pertinent conclusions concerning the nature of the loss of stability and the influence of various parameters are outlined.

Chandiramani, N. K.↗

Boundary element analysis of sound scattered by a moving surface

A solution for the acoustic field scattered from a uniformly moving rigid body in the presence of a harmonic incident source has been obtained using a boundary integral method. A derivation of the Kirchhoff formula given by Farassat and Myers (1988) for moving surfaces forms the basis for the analysis, and the development of a boundary integral method for the solution of scattering problems from moving rigid bodies is described. Finite elements are used in conjunction with the Galerkin method in order to solve the integral equation that results from the Kirchhoff formula when the observer point is placed on the moving body surface. Once appropriate surface field values are known they are inserted back into the formula in order to predict the field scattered off the body. Tests, including the so called superposition method, are carried out in order to validate the technique and to establish some confidence in its accuracy. Application of the superposition method to moving bodies is presented, and results of the two approaches are discussed. Sample calculations of scattering from a simple body are presented to illustrate the effects of variations in relevant parameters.

Myers, M. K.↗