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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 667 records · Page 37
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1995

Effect of In-Flight Ice Accretion on the Performance of a Multi-Element Airfoil

The effects of potential in-flight ice accretion on the aerodynamic performance of a multi-element high-lift airfoil have been investigated at moderate-to-high Reynolds numbers. The investigation was conducted in the Low Turbulence Pressure Tunnel (LTPT) at NASA Langley Research Center. Simulated ice shapes obtained from earlier testing in the Icing Research Tunnel (IRT) at NASA Lewis Research Center were used on all three elements of the multi-element configuration. Incremental performance effects due to the ice accretion are presented for both smooth and rough ice accretions. Reynolds number effects on the measured performance characteristics were also assessed. The present results confirm the importance of avoiding any ice accretions on the forward element of a lifting configuration.

Khodadoust, Abdollah↗
NASA NTRS2005

Evaluation of a Shuttle Derived Vehicle (SDV) for Cargo Transportation

In this new era of space exploration, a host of launch vehicles are being examined for possible use in transporting cargo and crew to low Earth orbit and beyond. Launch vehicles derived from the Space Shuttle Program (SSP), known as Shuttle Derived Vehicles (SDVs), are prime candidates for heavy-lift duty because of their potential to minimize non-recurring costs and because the Shuttle can leverage off proven high-performance flight systems with established ground and flight support. To determine the merits of SDVs, a detailed evaluation was performed. This evaluation included a trade study and risk assessment of options based on performance, safety reliability, cost, operations, and evolution. The purpose of this paper is to explain the approach, processes, and tools used to evaluate launch vehicles for heavy lift cargo transportation. The process included defining the trade space, characterizing the concepts, analyzing the systems, and scoring the options. The process also included a review by subject experts from NASA and industry to compare past and recent study data and assess the risks. A set of technical performance measures (TPMs) was generated based on the study requirements and constraints. Tools such as INTROS and POST were used to calculate performance, FIRST was used for prediction of reliability, and other software packages, both commercial and NASA-owned, were applied to study the trade space. By following a clear process and using the right tools a thorough assessment was performed. An SDV can be classified as either a side-mount vehicle (SMV) or an in-line vehicle OLV). An SMV is a Space Shuttle where the Orbiter is replaced by a cargo carrier. An ILV is comprised of a modified Shuttle External Tank (ET) with engines mounted to the bottom and cargo mounted atop. For both families of vehicles, Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs) are attached to the ET. The first derivate of Shuttle is defined as the vehicle with minimum changes necessary to transform the Space Shuttle into an SDV. Deltas from the first derivate were also formulated to study more SDV options. Examples of deltas include replacing the SRBs with larger and/or more SRBs, adding an upper stage, increasing the size of the ET, changing the engines, and modifying the elements. Challenges for SDV range from tailoring infrastructure to meeting the exploration schedule. Although SDV is based on the Space Shuttle, it still includes development risk for designing and building a Cargo Carrier. There are also performance challenges in that Shuttle is not optimized for cargo-only missions, but it is a robust system built on reusability. Balancing the strengths and weaknesses of the Shuttle to meet Lunar and Mars mission objectives provides the framework for an informative trade study. SDV was carefully analyzed and the results of the study provide invaluable data for use in the new exploration initiative.

Roman, Jose M.↗
NASA NTRS2015

Development of Logistics for Building Radiation Storm Shelters and Their Operational Evaluation

Over the past three years NASA has been studying the operational effectiveness and astronaut protection efficacy of numerous radiation protection shelters for use in space exploration activities outside of earth's magnetosphere. The work presented was part of NASA's Advanced Exploration Systems (AES) RadWorks Storm Shelter project. This paper is a summary of the concept development activities of this third year. Fabricated items were integrated into mock up deep space habitat vehicle sections for operational evaluations. Two full scale human-in-loop simulations were designed, fabricated, and implemented through an Institutional Review Board approved solicited participant assessment process. Fabricated items are described, along with usage scenarios of two protection approaches. Existing ISS type logistics along with proposed variations of those logistics were used. Preliminary Discrete Event Simulation (DES) work is noted to be useful in quantifying and documenting operational performance measures for the two primary shelter methods, including some characterization of radiation dose accumulation over a mission timeline. The project also performed correlation analyses between effective radiation dose and the Risk of Exposure Induced Death (REID) to show that concept level work may be able to include such a performance metric in early stages of mission scenario habitat design trade space investigation.

Cerro, Jeffrey A.↗
NASA NTRS2019

Orbital Debris Radar Measurements from the Haystack Ultra-Wideband Satellite Imaging Radar (HUSIR): 2014-2017

For many years, the NASA Orbital Debris Program Office (ODPO) has partnered with the U.S. Department of Defense and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lincoln Laboratory (MIT/LL) to collect data on the orbital debris environment using the Haystack radar. These measurements are used to characterize the small debris environment in low Earth orbit (LEO), down to a noise-limited size of approximately 5 mm—depending on altitude. The Haystack radar operated by MIT Lincoln Lab underwent upgrades starting in May 2010, with operations resuming in 2014 as the Haystack Ultra-wideband Satellite Imaging Radar (HUSIR). Hence, the data collected beginning in 2014 represents the first dataset available from this upgraded sensor. HUSIR is the primary source of data used by the ODPO to statistically sample orbital debris in the 5-mm to 10-cm size regime in LEO and is a key source of data to build and validate the NASA Orbital Debris Engineering Model. In this paper, we will present recent results from measurements performed during the US Government fiscal years 2014 – 2017. Using the NASA Size Estimation Model, a method based on laboratory radar measurements of debris, we will compare the size distributions of selected orbital debris populations over this 4-year period and flux measurements of orbital debris greater than 1 cm.

Murray, James↗
NASA NTRS1998

Performance Modeling and Measurement of Parallelized Code for Distributed Shared Memory Multiprocessors

This paper presents a model to evaluate the performance and overhead of parallelizing sequential code using compiler directives for multiprocessing on distributed shared memory (DSM) systems. With increasing popularity of shared address space architectures, it is essential to understand their performance impact on programs that benefit from shared memory multiprocessing. We present a simple model to characterize the performance of programs that are parallelized using compiler directives for shared memory multiprocessing. We parallelized the sequential implementation of NAS benchmarks using native Fortran77 compiler directives for an Origin2000, which is a DSM system based on a cache-coherent Non Uniform Memory Access (ccNUMA) architecture. We report measurement based performance of these parallelized benchmarks from four perspectives: efficacy of parallelization process; scalability; parallelization overhead; and comparison with hand-parallelized and -optimized version of the same benchmarks. Our results indicate that sequential programs can conveniently be parallelized for DSM systems using compiler directives but realizing performance gains as predicted by the performance model depends primarily on minimizing architecture-specific data locality overhead.

Waheed, Abdul↗
DOE OSTI2020

Interplay of large two-magnon ferromagnetic resonance linewidths and low Gilbert damping in Heusler thin films

We report on broadband ferromagnetic resonance linewidth measurements performed on epitaxial Heusler thin films. In this work, a large and anisotropic two-magnon scattering linewidth broadening is observed for measurements with the magnetization lying in the film plane, while linewidth measurements with the magnetization saturated perpendicular to the sample plane reveal low Gilbert damping constants of (1.5 ± 0.1) × 10 –3 , (1.8 ± 0.2) × 10 –3 , and < 8 × 10 –4 for Co 2 MnSi/MgO, Co 2 MnAl/MgO, and Co 2 FeAl/MgO, respectively. The in-plane measurements are fit to a model combining Gilbert and two-magnon scattering contributions to the linewidth, revealing a characteristic disorder length scale of 10–100 nm.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
NASA NTRS1982

Effects of higher order control systems on aircraft approach and landing longitudinal handling qualities

An investigation of approach and landing longitudinal flying qualities, based on data generated using a variable stability NT-33 aircraft combined with significant control system dynamics is described. An optimum pilot lead time for pitch tracking, flight path angle tracking, and combined pitch and flight path angle tracking tasks is determined from a closed loop simulation using integral squared error (ISE) as a performance measure. Pilot gain and lead time were varied in the closed loop simulation of the pilot and aircraft to obtain the best performance for different control system configurations. The results lead to the selection of an optimum lead time using ISE as a performance criterion. Using this value of optimum lead time, a correlation is then found between pilot rating and performance with changes in the control system and in the aircraft dynamics. It is also shown that pilot rating is closely related to pilot workload which, in turn, is related to the amount of lead which the pilot must generate to obtain satisfactory response. The results also indicate that the pilot may use pitch angle tracking for the approach task and then add flight path angle tracking for the flare and touchdown.

Pasha, M. A.↗
NASA NTRS1988

A review of test results on parabolic dish solar thermal power modules with dish-mounted Rankine engines and for production of process steam

This paper presents results of development testing of various solar thermal parabolic dish modules and assemblies. Most of the tests were at modules and assemblies that used a dish-mounted, organic Rankine cycle turbine for production of electric power. Some tests were also run on equipment for production of process steam or for production of electricity using dish-mounted reciprocating steam engines. These tests indicate that early modules achieve efficiencies of about 18 percent in converting sunlight to electricity (excluding the inverter but including parasitics). A number of malfunctions occurred. The performance measurements, as well as the malfunctions and other operating experience, provided information that should be of value in developing systems with improved performance and reduced maintenance.

Jaffe, Leonard D.↗
NASA NTRS1988

A review of test results on solar thermal power modules with dish-mounted Stirling and Brayton cycle engines

This paper presents results of development tests of various solar thermal parabolic dish modules and assemblies that used dish-mounted Brayton or Stirling cycle engines for production of electric power. These tests indicate that early modules achieve net efficiencies up to 29 percent in converting sunlight to electricity, as delivered to the grid. Various equipment deficiencies were observed and a number of malfunctions occurred. The performance measurements, as well as the malfunctions and other test experience, provided information that should be of value in developing systems with improved performance and reduced maintenance.

Jaffe, Leonard D.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Investigation of possible causes for human-performance degradation during microgravity flight

The results of the first year of a three year study of the effects of microgravity on human performance are given. Test results show support for the hypothesis that the effects of microgravity can be studied indirectly on Earth by measuring performance in an altered gravitational field. The hypothesis was that an altered gravitational field could disrupt performance on previously automated behaviors if gravity was a critical part of the stimulus complex controlling those behaviors. In addition, it was proposed that performance on secondary cognitive tasks would also degrade, especially if the subject was provided feedback about degradation on the previously automated task. In the initial experimental test of these hypotheses, there was little statistical support. However, when subjects were categorized as high or low in automated behavior, results for the former group supported the hypotheses. The predicted interaction between body orientation and level of workload in their joint effect on performance in the secondary cognitive task was significant for the group high in automatized behavior and receiving feedback, but no such interventions were found for the group high in automatized behavior but not receiving feedback, or the group low in automatized behavior.

Schroeder, James E.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Design and evaluation of an electromagnetic beam waveguide for measuring electrical properties of materials

A beam waveguide was designed that is based upon the propagation characteristics of the fundamental Gaussian beam and the focusing properties of spherical dielectric lenses. The 20-GHz, two-horn, four-lens system was constructed and experimentally evaluated by probing the field in a plane perpendicular to the beam axis at the center of the beam waveguide system. The critical parameters were determined by numerical sensitivity studies, and the lens-horn critical spacing was adjusted to better focus the beam at the probe plane. The measured performance was analyzed by consideration of higher order Gaussian-Laguerre beam modes. The beam waveguide system was successfully used in the measurements of the electromagnetic transmission properties of Shuttle thermal-protection tiles while the tile surface was being heated to reentry-level temperatures with a high-power laser.

Bailey, M. C.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Optical Air Flow Measurements in Flight

This document has been written to assist the flight-test engineer and researcher in using optical flow measurements in flight applications. The emphasis is on describing tradeoffs in system design to provide desired measurement performance as currently understood. Optical system components are discussed with examples that illustrate the issues. The document concludes with descriptions of optical measurement systems designed for a variety of applications including aeronautics research, airspeed measurement, and turbulence hazard detection. Theoretical discussion is minimized, but numerous references are provided to supply ample opportunity for the reader to understand the theoretical underpinning of optical concepts.

Bogue, Rodney K.↗
DOE OSTI2020

ASGS - An Innovative Approach for Waste Characterization - From the First Study to Experimental Validation - 20260

For disposal of nuclear waste a clear identification of the nuclear inventory is mandatory. Since this waste is usually filled in drums, nuclear specific characterization methods using HPGe detectors usually require the understanding of the limitations of the method assumptions (such as the homogeneity criteria), and often results in applying high uncertainties to the result in waste that is not well known a priori. There are several methods and approaches such as Far-Field, Segmented Gamma Scans (SGS) or Tomographic Gamma Scans (TGS) available. The SGS allows measuring the waste drum in different segments (or 'layers') which allows getting more detailed information about the activity distribution inside a waste drum. In addition, with the transmission source used in tomographic scans, it is possible to also determine the material (and its homogeneity) composition inside a drum. Mirion Technologies developed in cooperation with Aachen Institute for Nuclear Training (AiNT) an innovative measurement approach which allows more accurate results and therefore applying lower uncertainties. This new measurement approach extends the concept of SGS by partitioning the drum into single drum sectors instead of segments. The goal is to perform measurements with high throughput and an accurate analysis based on the reconstruction of activities for each sector. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2024

Measurement of the Neutron Magnetic Form Factor at Large Momentum Transfer Using the Super-Bigbite Apparatus in Jefferson Lab Hall-A

The nucleon elastic electromagnetic form factors help us study the electromagnetic structure of the nucleon, benchmark theoretical models, and improve our understanding of non-perturbative quantum chromodynamics and confinement. The Nobel Prize-winning electron-nucleon scattering experiments by Robert Hofstadter and collaborators in the 1950s at Stanford High Energy Physics Lab were the first nucleon form factor measurements performed using leptonic probes. The Super Bigbite Spectrometer (SBS) program at Hall-A of Jefferson Lab represents the latest efforts to measure nucleon form factors. This ambitious program aims to significantly extend the current data set in terms of square momentum transfer (Q2) with high precision. The advent of novel detector technologies, like Gas Electron Multipliers (GEM), which provide excellent position resolution (< 100 ?m) while withstanding high background particle rates (several hundred MHz/cm2) over a large active area, has paved the way for open-geometry, moderate solid angle spectrometers, which are central to all form factor experiments in the SBS program. The first experimental run group in SBS ran successfully between September 2021 and February 2022, collecting data for the measurement of the magnetic form factor of the neutron Gn M at five squared momentum-transfer values: 3.0, 4.5, 7.5, 9.8, and 13.5 (GeV /c)2. This extends the existing high-precision data for Gn M by about a factor of four. The ratio technique was used, which involved the simultaneous measurement of exclusive quasielastic scattering of D(e,e?n)p and D(e,e?p)n from a deuterium target. Pre-preliminary results for D(e,e?n)p and D(e,e?p)n quasi-elastic ratio, and the neutron magnetic form factor Gn M , for Q2 points 3.0, 9.8, and 13.5 (GeV /c)2 are presented.

Mudiyanselage, Anuruddha Rathnayake↗
NASA NTRS1992

Solid-state lasers for coherent communication and remote sensing

Semiconductor-diode laser-pumped solid-state lasers have properties that are superior to other lasers for the applications of coherent communication and remote sensing. These properties include efficiency, reliability, stability, and capability to be scaled to higher powers. We have demonstrated that an optical phase-locked loop can be used to lock the frequency of two diode-pumped 1.06 micron Nd:YAG lasers to levels required for coherent communication. Monolithic nonplanar ring oscillators constructed from solid pieces of the laser material provide better than 10 kHz frequency stability over 0.1 sec intervals. We have used active feedback stabilization of the cavity length of these lasers to demonstrate 0.3 Hz frequency stabilization relative to a reference cavity. We have performed experiments and analysis to show that optical parametric oscillators (OPO's) reproduce the frequency stability of the pump laser in outputs that can be tuned to arbitrary wavelengths. Another measurement performed in this program has demonstrated the sub-shot-noise character of correlations of the fluctuations in the twin output of OPO's. Measurements of nonlinear optical coefficients by phase-matched second harmonic generation are helping to resolve inconsistency in these important parameters.

Byer, Robert L.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Ge:Ga and Ge:Be photoconductive detectors for far infrared astronomy from a space platform

The paper describes some of the development work on gallium-doped germanium (Ge:Ga) and beryllium-doped germanium (Ge:Be) photoconductive detectors for use in far-infrared astronomical observations from a space platform such as IRAS. The paper is concerned primarily with detector performance and is divided into two major parts. The first presents the operating principles of this type of detector, while the second presents measured performance data under low-background flux conditions. It is shown that high sensitivity can be obtained from Ge:Ga and Ge:Be detectors under low-background and low-temperature conditions of operation. These detectors are useful for astronomical observations in the far-infrared over the wavelength range 30-120 microns. Major conclusions of the research work done so far are mentioned, including that detectors cut from the same crystal show reasonably good reproducibility of operating characteristics.

Bratt, P. R.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Information-Theoretic Assessment of Sample Imaging Systems

By rigorously extending modern communication theory to the assessment of sampled imaging systems, we develop the formulations that are required to optimize the performance of these systems within the critical constraints of image gathering, data transmission, and image display. The goal of this optimization is to produce images with the best possible visual quality for the wide range of statistical properties of the radiance field of natural scenes that one normally encounters. Extensive computational results are presented to assess the performance of sampled imaging systems in terms of information rate, theoretical minimum data rate, and fidelity. Comparisons of this assessment with perceptual and measurable performance demonstrate that (1) the information rate that a sampled imaging system conveys from the captured radiance field to the observer is closely correlated with the fidelity, sharpness and clarity with which the observed images can be restored and (2) the associated theoretical minimum data rate is closely correlated with the lowest data rate with which the acquired signal can be encoded for efficient transmission.

Huck, Friedrich O.↗
DOE OSTI2020

Noncoplanar ferrimagnetism and local crystalline-electric-field anisotropy in the quasicrystal approximant Au 70 Si 17 Tb 13

Neutron scattering experiments have been performed to elucidate magnetic properties of the quasicrystal approximant Au 70 Si 17 Tb 13 , consisting of icosahedral spin clusters in a body-centered-cubic lattice. Bulk magnetic measurements performed on the single crystalline sample unambiguously confirm long-range ordering at T C = 11.6 ± 1 K. In contrast to the simple ferromagnetic response in the bulk measurements, single crystal neutron diffraction confirms a formation of intriguing non-collinear and non-coplanar magnetic order. The magnetic moment direction was found to be nearly tangential to the icosahedral cluster surface in the local mirror plane, which is quite similar to that recently found in the antiferromagnetic quasicrystal approximant Au 72 Al 14 Tb 14 . Inelastic neutron scattering on the powdered sample exhibits a very broad peak centered at hω ≃ 4 meV. The observed inelastic spectrum was explained by the crystalline-electric-field model taking account of the chemical disorder at the fractional Au/Si sites. The resulting averaged anisotropy axis for the crystalline-electric-field ground state is consistent with the ordered moment direction determined in the magnetic structure analysis, confirming that the non-coplanar magnetic order is stabilized by the local uniaxial anisotropy.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗