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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 685 records · Page 38

Formulation of a strategy for monitoring control integrity in critical digital control systems

Advanced aircraft will require flight critical computer systems for stability augmentation as well as guidance and control that must perform reliably in adverse, as well as nominal, operating environments. Digital system upset is a functional error mode that can occur in electromagnetically harsh environments, involves no component damage, can occur simultaneously in all channels of a redundant control computer, and is software dependent. A strategy is presented for dynamic upset detection to be used in the evaluation of critical digital controllers during the design and/or validation phases of development. Critical controllers must be able to be used in adverse environments that result from disturbances caused by an electromagnetic source such as lightning, high intensity radiated field (HIRF), and nuclear electromagnetic pulses (NEMP). The upset detection strategy presented provides dynamic monitoring of a given control computer for degraded functional integrity that can result from redundancy management errors and control command calculation error that could occur in an electromagnetically harsh operating environment. The use is discussed of Kalman filtering, data fusion, and decision theory in monitoring a given digital controller for control calculation errors, redundancy management errors, and control effectiveness.

Belcastro, Celeste M.↗

Dependence of radio emission in large H alpha flares 1967-1970 upon the orientation of the local solar magnetic field

Published data on ionizing radiation (as reflected in sudden ionospheric disturbances), H-alpha importance, 10-cm flux, dynamic spectrum, and 200-MHz flux are analyzed for a group of 84 solar flares (from 1967 to 1970) classified by Pudovkin and Chertkov (1976). The group consists of 29 flares with southern orientation of the 100,000-km-scale overlying magnetic field, 32 with northern orientation, and 23 with indeterminate orientation; all have H-alpha importance greater than about 2. Slightly greater X-ray and optical emissions, but one-order-of-magnitude greater prompt 200-MHz and 10-cm fluxes are found in southern as compared to northern-oriented flares. It is inferred that the amount of electromagnetic flare energy radiated promptly from the corona, as compared with that radiated from the chromosphere, was significantly affectly by the orientation of the overlying large-scale magnetic field during the period of observation. This trend is shown to be consistent despite some periodic variation.

Roelof, E. C.↗

Effects of electromagnetic wave interference on observations of the Earth radiation budget

This paper investigates conditions necessary to match the irradiance derived by integrating radiances measured by a narrow field of view scanning radiometer with the irradiance measured by a hemispherical radiometer, both placed at a satellite altitude for Earth radiation budget estimates. When all sources are similar and they are spatially distributed randomly, then integrating radiance for the irradiance does not introduce a bias. Although the exact magnitude of the bias in other conditions is unknown, a finite area of the aperture that is much larger than the coherence area of radiation contributing to the Earth radiation budget, and a finite time to take a single measurement that is longer than the coherence time are likely to make the difference of the irradiance integrated from radiances and the irradiance measured by a hemispherical instrument insignificant. This conclusion does not contradict the existence of spatial coherence of light from incoherent sources. Therefore, electromagnetic energy absorbed by Earth is derivable from radiances measured by a scanning radiometer integrated over the Earth-viewing hemisphere and then averaging across all locations on the satellite orbital sphere when combined with solar irradiance measurements. Comparisons made in earlier studies show that the difference is less than 1%. In addition, when surface irradiances computed by a radiative transfer model constrained by top-of-atmosphere irradiances derived from radiance measurements are compared with downward shortwave irradiances taken by combinations of a pyreheliometer and a shaded pyranometer, or pyranometers, and with longwave ir- radiances taken by pyrgeometers, the biases in monthly mean irradiances are less than the uncertainties in the surface observations.

Seiji Kato↗

Analysis of the transverse electromagnetic mode linearly tapered slot antenna

A theoretical analysis of the radiation characteristics of the transverse electromagnetic mode linearly tapered slot antenna is presented. The theory presented is valid for antennas with air dielectric and forms the basis for analysis of the more popular dielectric-supported antennas. The method of analysis involves two steps. In the first step, the aperture distribution in the flared slot is determined. In the second step, the equivalent magnetic current in the slot is treated as radiating in the presence of a conducting half-plane, and the far-field components are obtained. Design curves for the variation of the 3-dB and 10-dB beamwidths as a function of the antenna length, with the flare angle as a parameter, are presented.

Janaswamy, R.↗

Realizing a topological diode effect on the surface of a topological Kondo insulator

Introducing the concept of topology into material science has sparked a revolution from classic electronic and optoelectronic devices to topological quantum devices. The latter has potential for transferring energy and information with unprecedented efficiency. Here, we demonstrate a topological diode effect on the surface of a three-dimensional material, SmB 6 , a candidate topological Kondo insulator. The diode effect is evidenced by pronounced rectification and photogalvanic effects under electromagnetic modulation and radiation at radio frequency. Our experimental results and modeling suggest that these prominent effects are intimately tied to the spatially inhomogeneous formation of topological surface states (TSS) at the intermediate temperature. This work provides a manner of breaking the mirror symmetry (in addition to the inversion symmetry), resulting in the formation of pn-junctions between puddles of metallic TSS. Further, this effect paves the way for efficient current rectifiers or energy-harvesting devices working down to radio frequency range at low temperature, which could be extended to high temperatures using other topological insulators with large bulk gap.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Ceramics in severe environments; Proceedings of the Sixth University Conference on Ceramic Science, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, N.C., December 7-9, 1970.

The papers examine new findings and present technologically significant environmental effects and limitations relating to ceramic materials, their properties, and their uses. The effects of thermal and thermochemical factors, thermal shock, concentrated stresses, and severe mechanical environments are considered, as well as stress corrosion, hydrostatic stress, and electromagnetic and nuclear radiation environments. Individual items are abstracted in this issue.

Kriegel, W. W.↗

Surface electrical properties experiment

The Surface Electrical Properties Experiment (SEP) was flown to the moon in December 1972 on Apollo 17 and used to explore a portion of the Taurus-Littrow region. SEP used a relatively new technique, termed radio frequency interferometry (RFI). Electromagnetic waves were radiated from two orthogonal, horizontal electric dipole antennas on the surface of the moon at frequencies of 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, and 32 Mhz. The field strength of the EM waves was measured as a function of distance with a receiver mounted on the Lunar Roving Vehicle and using three orthogonal, electrically small, loops. The interference pattern produced by the waves that travelled above the moon's surface and those that travelled below the surface was recorded on magnetic tape. The tape was returned to earth for analysis and interpretation. Several reprints, preprints, and an initial draft of the first publication of the SEP results are included. These documents provide a rather complete account of the details of the theory of the RFI technique, of the terrestrial tests of the technique, and of the present state of our interpretation of the Apollo 17 data.

Simmons, G.↗

Multi-Satellite Attitude Prediction program/Orbiting Solar Observatory-8 (MSAP/OSO-8) operating guide

The sun's lower corona and chromosphere and their interaction in the X-ray and ultraviolet (UV) spectral regions were investigated to better understand the transport of energy from the photosphere to the corona. The interaction between the solar electromagnetic and particle radiation and the earth's environment was studied and the background component of cosmic X-rays was discussed.

Tate, V. H.↗

On a method computing transient wave propagation in ionospheric regions

A consequence of an exoatmospheric nuclear burst is an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) radiated from it. In a region far enough away from the burst, where nonlinear effects can be ignored, the EMP can be represented by a large-amplitude narrow-time-width plane-wave pulse. If the ionosphere intervenes the origin and destination of the EMP, frequency dispersion can cause significant changes in the original pulse upon reception. A method of computing these dispersive effects of transient wave propagation is summarized. The method described is different from the standard transform techniques and provides physical insight into the transient wave process. The method, although exact, can be used in approximating the early-time transient response of an ionospheric region by a simple integration with only explicit knowledge of the electron density, electron collision frequency, and electron gyrofrequency required. As an illustration of the method, it is applied to a simple example and contrasted with the corresponding transform solution.

Gray, K. G.↗

Solar cell array design handbook - The principles and technology of photovoltaic energy conversion

Photovoltaic solar cell array design and technology for ground-based and space applications are discussed from the user's point of view. Solar array systems are described, with attention given to array concepts, historical development, applications and performance, and the analysis of array characteristics, circuits, components, performance and reliability is examined. Aspects of solar cell array design considered include the design process, photovoltaic system and detailed array design, and the design of array thermal, radiation shielding and electromagnetic components. Attention is then given to the characteristics and design of the separate components of solar arrays, including the solar cells, optical elements and mechanical elements, and the fabrication, testing, environmental conditions and effects and material properties of arrays and their components are discussed.

Rauschenbach, H. S.↗

The Orbital Acceleration Research Experiment

The hardware and software of NASA's proposed Orbital Acceleration Research Experiment (OARE) are described. The OARE is to provide aerodynamic acceleration measurements along the Orbiter's principal axis in the free-molecular flow-flight regime at orbital attitude and in the transition regime during reentry. Models considering the effects of electromagnetic effects, solar radiation pressure, orbiter mass attraction, gravity gradient, orbital centripetal acceleration, out-of-orbital-plane effects, orbiter angular velocity, structural noise, mass expulsion signal sources, crew motion, and bias on acceleration are examined. The experiment contains an electrostatically balanced cylindrical proofmass accelerometer sensor with three orthogonal sensing axis outputs. The components and functions of the experimental calibration system and signal processor and control subsystem are analyzed. The development of the OARE software is discussed. The experimental equipment will be enclosed in a cover assembly that will be mounted in the Orbiter close to the center of gravity.

Blanchard, R. C.↗

Toward understanding the fate of dust lost from the Martian satellites

The dynamics of small dust grains ejected from the Martian satellites is investigated, considering both the solar radiation perturbation and electromagnetic forces since the grains move in a magnetized plasma. Lorentz forces can dramatically change the nature of the trajectories, resulting in, for example, prolonged lifetimes for submicron-sized grains moving through an idealized model. It is suggested that a permanent, nonuniform and time-dependent dust halo of grains predominantly around 0.1 micron may exist about Mars.

Horanyi, M.↗