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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 73 records · Page 4

Comparison of ground and satellite based measurements of the fraction of photosynthetically active radiation intercepted by tall-grass prairie

The fraction, of photosynthetically active radiation intercepted by vegetation, F(sub ipar) is an important parameter for modeling the interactions between the land-surface and atmosphere and for estimating vegetation biomass productivity. This study was; therefore, an integral part of FIFE. The specific purpose of this experiment was to find out how well definitive measurements of F(sub ipar) on the ground relate to near-ground and satellite based spectral reflectance measurements. Concurrent measurements of F(sub ipar) and ground, helicopter, and satellite based reflectance measurements were taken at thirteen tall-grass prairie sites within the FIFE experimental area. The sites were subjected to various combinations of burning and grazing managements. The ground and helicopter based reflectance measurements were taken on the same day or few days from the time of the overpass of LANDSAT and SPOT satellites. Ground-based reflectance measurements and sun photometer readings taken at the times of the satellite overpasses were used to correct for atmospheric attenuation. Hand-held radiometer spectral indices were strongly correlated with helicopter and satellite based values (r=0.94 for helicopter, 0.93 for LANDSAT Thematic Mapper, and 0.86 for SPOT). However, the ground, helicopter, and satellite based normalized difference spectral vegetation indices showed low sensitivity to changes in F(sub ipar). Reflectance measurements were only moderately well correlated with measurements of F(sub ipar) (r=0.82 for hand-held radiometer, 0.84 for helicopter measurements, and 0.75 for the LANDSAT Thematic Mapper and SPOT). Improved spectral indices which can compensate for site differences are needed in order to monitor F(sub ipar) more reliably.

Demetriades-Shah, T. H.↗

Comparison of ground and satellite based measurements of the fraction of photosynthetically active radiation intercepted by tall-grass prairie

The fraction of photosynthetically active radiation intercepted by vegetation, F(sub ipar) is an important parameter for modeling the interactions between the land-surface and atmosphere and for estimating vegetation biomass productivity. This study was, therefore, an integral part of FIFE. The specific purpose of this experiment was to find out how well definitive measurements of F(sub ipar) on the ground relate to near-ground and satellite based spectral reflectance measurements. Concurrent measurements of F(sub ipar) and ground, helicopter, and satellite based reflectance measurements were taken at thirteen tall-grass prairie sites within the FIFE experimental area. The sites were subjected to various combinations of burning and grazing managements. The ground and helicopter based reflectance measurements were taken on the same day or few days from the time of the overpass of LANDSAT and SPOT satellites. Ground-based reflectance measurements and sun photometer readings taken at the times of the satellite overpasses were used to correct for atmospheric attenuation. Hand-held radiometer spectral indices were strongly correlated with helicopter and satellite based values (r = 0.94 for helicopter, 0.93 for LANDSAT Thematic Mapper, and 0.86 for SPOT). However, the ground, helicopter, and satellite based normalized difference spectral vegetation indices showed low sensitivity to changes in F(sub ipar). Reflectance measurements were only moderately well correlated with measurements of F(sub ipar) (r = 0.82 for hand-held radiometer, 0.84 for helicopter measurements, and 0.75 for the LANDSAT Thematic Mapper and SPOT). Improved spectral indices which can compensate for site differences are needed in order to monitor F(sub ipar) more reliably.

Demetriades-Shah, T. H.↗

Departure Trajectory Synthesis and the Intercept Problem

Two areas of the departure problem in air traffic control are discussed. The first topic is the generation of climb-out trajectories to a fix. The trajectories would be utilized by a scheduling algorithm to allocate runways, sequence the proposed departures, and assign a departure time. The second area is concerned with finding horizontal trajectories to merge aircraft from the TRACON to an open slot in the en-route environment. Solutions are presented for the intercept problem for two cases: (1) the aircraft is traveling at the speed of the aircraft in the jetway; (2) the merging aircraft has to accelerate to reach the speed of the aircraft in the en-route stream. An algorithm is given regarding the computation of a solution for the latter case. For the former, a set of equations is given that allows us to numerically solve for the coordinate where the merge will occur.

Bolender, Michael A.↗

Optimized Heat Interception for Cryogen Tank Support Structure

We consider means for using the cooling available in boil-off gas to intercept heat conducted through the support structure of a cryogen tank. A one-dimensional model of the structure coupled to a gas stream gives an analytical expression for heat leak in terms of flow rate for temperature independent properties and laminar flow. A numerical model has been developed for heat transfer on a thin cylindrical tube with an attached vent line. The model is used to determine the vent path layout that will minimize heat flow into the cryogen tank. The results are useful for a number of applications, but the one of interest in this study is the minimization of the boil-off in large cryopropellant tanks in low Earth and low lunar orbit.

Canavan, E. R.↗

Optimized Heat Interception for Cryogen Tank Support

We consider means for using the cooling available in boil-off gas to intercept heat conducted through the support structure of a cryogen tank. A one-dimensional model of the structure coupled to a gas stream gives an analytical expression for heat leak in terms of flow rate for temperature independent-properties and laminar flow. A numerical model has been developed for heat transfer on a thin cylindrical tube with an attached vent line. The model is used to determine the vent path layout that will minimize heat flow into the cryogen tank. The results are useful for a number of applications, but the one of interest in this study is the minimization of the boil-off in large cryopropellant tanks in low Earth and low lunar orbit.

Canavan, Edgar R.↗

Conceptual Design of a Flight Validation Mission for a Hypervelocity Asteroid Intercept Vehicle

Near-Earth Objects (NEOs) are asteroids and comets whose orbits approach or cross Earth s orbit. NEOs have collided with our planet in the past, sometimes to devastating effect, and continue to do so today. Collisions with NEOs large enough to do significant damage to the ground are fortunately infrequent, but such events can occur at any time and we therefore need to develop and validate the techniques and technologies necessary to prevent the Earth impact of an incoming NEO. In this paper we provide background on the hazard posed to Earth by NEOs and present the results of a recent study performed by the NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center s Mission Design Lab (MDL) in collaboration with Iowa State University s Asteroid Deflection Research Center (ADRC) to design a flight validation mission for a Hypervelocity Asteroid Intercept Vehicle (HAIV) as part of a Phase 2 NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) research project. The HAIV is a two-body vehicle consisting of a leading kinetic impactor and trailing follower carrying a Nuclear Explosive Device (NED) payload. The HAIV detonates the NED inside the crater in the NEO s surface created by the lead kinetic impactor portion of the vehicle, effecting a powerful subsurface detonation to disrupt the NEO. For the flight validation mission, only a simple mass proxy for the NED is carried in the HAIV. Ongoing and future research topics are discussed following the presentation of the detailed flight validation mission design results produced in the MDL.

Barbee, Brent W.↗

The Structural Heat Intercept-Insulation-Vibration Evaluation Rig (SHIVER)

NASA is currently investigating methods to reduce the boil-off rate on large cryogenic upper stages. Two such methods to reduce the total heat load on existing upper stages are vapor cooling of the cryogenic tank support structure and integration of thick multilayer insulation systems to the upper stage of a launch vehicle. Previous efforts have flown a 2-layer MLI blanket and shown an improved thermal performance, and other efforts have ground-tested blankets up to 70 layers thick on tanks with diameters between 2 3 meters. However, thick multilayer insulation installation and testing in both thermal and structural modes has not been completed on a large scale tank. Similarly, multiple vapor cooled shields are common place on science payload helium dewars; however, minimal effort has gone into intercepting heat on large structural surfaces associated with rocket stages. A majority of the vapor cooling effort focuses on metallic cylinders called skirts, which are the most common structural components for launch vehicles. In order to provide test data for comparison with analytical models, a representative test tank is currently being designed to include skirt structural systems with integral vapor cooling. The tank is 4 m in diameter and 6.8 m tall to contain 5000 kg of liquid hydrogen. A multilayer insulation system will be designed to insulate the tank and structure while being installed in a representative manner that can be extended to tanks up to 10 meters in diameter. In order to prove that the insulation system and vapor cooling attachment methods are structurally sound, acoustic testing will also be performed on the system. The test tank with insulation and vapor cooled shield installed will be tested thermally in the B2 test facility at NASAs Plumbrook Station both before and after being vibration tested at Plumbrooks Space Power Facility.

Cryogenic Fluid Management↗

Structural Heat Intercept, Insulation and Vibration Evaluation Rig (SHIIVER)

The Structural Heat Intercept, Insulation, and Vibration Evaluation Rig (SHIIVER) is a large scale cryogenic fluid management (CFM) test bed designed to scale CFM technologies for inclusion on large, in-space stages. A part of the evolvable Cryogenics (eCryo) project, SHIIVER is a technology development task that is supportive of future exploration propulsion needs. Technologies developed under the eCryo Project will play a critical role in enabling increasingly longer duration in-space missions beyond Low Earth Orbit (LEO).

Vapor cooling↗

Structural Heat Intercept, Insulation, and Vibration Evaluation Rig (SHIIVER)

Abstract: NASA is currently investigating methods to reduce the boil-off rate on large cryogenic upper stages. Two such methods to reduce the total heat load on existing upper stages are vapor cooling of the cryogenic tank support structure and integration of thick multilayer insulation systems to the upper stage of a launch vehicle. Previous efforts have flown a 2-layer MLI blanket and shown an improved thermal performance, and other efforts have ground-tested blankets up to 70 layers thick on tanks with diameters between 2 3 meters. However, thick multilayer insulation installation and testing in both thermal and structural modes has not been completed on a large scale tank. Similarly, multiple vapor cooled shields are common place on science payload helium dewars; however, minimal effort has gone into using boil-off to intercept heat on large structural surfaces associated with rocket stages. A majority of the vapor cooling effort focuses on metallic cylinders called skirts, which are the most common structural components for launch vehicles. In order to provide test data for comparison with analytical models, a 4 meter diameter test tank and assembly is currently being designed to include skirt structural systems with integral vapor cooling. In order to give a more representative result for actual applications, the technologies will be designed for an 8.4 m and scaled down to a 4 meter tank. In order to prove that the insulation system and vapor cooling attachment methods are structurally sound, acoustic testing will also be performed on the system. The test tank with insulation and vapor cooled shield installed will be tested thermally in the B2 test facility at NASAs Plum Brook Station both before and after being vibration tested at Plum Brooks Space Power Facility.

Johnson, Wesley↗

Technology Demonstration Mission (TDM) Evolvable Cryogenics (eCryo) Project: Structural Heat Intercept, Insulation, and Vibration Evaluation Rig (SHIIVER) - Test Plan

The initial test of the SHIIVER system includes multilayer insulation and vapor cooled structure. Testing will occur in the In-Space Propulsion Facility (thermal/vacuum) and RATF (acoustic) facilities at Plum Brook Station in Sandusky Ohio. The testing will demonstrate the performance benefits of multilayer insulation and vapor based heat intercept on a “large scale” test article in a manner befitting large upper stages.

Large Scale Hydrogen Testing, Cryogenics, Multilay↗

Evaluating the impact of air terminal geometry on lightning intercept efficacy under a strong background electric field

A comparative analysis of the attachment efficacy of sharpened vs blunted air terminals under a strong background DC electric field, similar to conditions found in naturally occurring lightning events, is presented. Testing was conducted using an oil-free, 17-stage, 1.4 MV bipolar Marx generator with a biased discharge plane that emulated the conditions found prior to the lightning return stroke. The biased discharge plane allowed the introduction of a strong DC electric field and subsequent corona formation on a time scale much longer than the brief duration over which the downward leader propagates. Initial observations indicate that despite a higher background electric field at the sharpened terminals, leading to pre-discharge corona formation where none is seen on the blunt terminal, both the sharpened and blunted terminals exhibit similar attachment probabilities during discharge events, with some discharge events attaching to both terminals.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Intercepting Grids Made of Anisotropic Pyrolytic Graphite in Electron Guns with a Dispenser Cathode

The results of experimental studies into the application of anisotropic pyrolytic graphite (APG) as grid structures in power microwave devices with a dispenser cathode are detailed. The dependences of emission characteristics of molybdenum, hafnium, and APG in diodes and electron guns on the electron-flow power dissipated at the studied samples and on cathode temperature are presented. It is demonstrated that the power dissipation capacity of APG grid structures (without parasitic thermionic emission) is up to 20 and 9 times higher than that of molybdenum and hafnium grids, respectively.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗