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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
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1990

Scoping estimates of the LDEF satellite induced radioactivity

The Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) satellite was recovered after almost six years in space. It was well-instrumented with ionizing radiation dosimeters, including thermoluminescent dosimeters, plastic nuclear track detectors, and a variety of metal foil samples for measuring nuclear activation products. The extensive LDEF radiation measurements provide the type of radiation environments and effects data needed to evaluate and help resolve uncertainties in present radiation models and calculational methods. A calculational program was established to aid in LDEF data interpretation and to utilize LDEF data for assessing the accuracy of current models. A summary of the calculational approach is presented. The purpose of the reported calculations is to obtain a general indication of: (1) the importance of different space radiation sources (trapped, galactic, and albedo protons, and albedo neutrons); (2) the importance of secondary particles; and (3) the spatial dependence of the radiation environments and effects expected within the spacecraft. The calculational method uses the High Energy Transport Code (HETC) to estimate the importance of different sources and secondary particles in terms of fluence, absorbed dose in tissue and silicon, and induced radioactivity as a function of depth in aluminum.

Armstrong, Tony W.↗
NASA NTRS2002

Quality factors for alpha particles emitted in tissue

A concept of a mean or dose averaged quality factor was defined in ICRP Publication 26 using relationships for quality factor as a function of LET. The concept of radiation weighting factors, wR, was introduced in ICRP Publication 60 in 1990. These are meant to be generalized factors that modify absorbed dose to reflect the risk of stochastic effects as a function of the quality of the radiation incident on the body or emitted by radioactivity within the body. The values of wr are equal to 20 for all alpha particles externally or internally emitted. This note compares the dose averaged quality factor for alpha particles originating in tissue using the old and revised recommendations for quality factor as a function of LET. The dose averaged quality factor never exceeds 20 using the old recommendations and is never less than 20 with the revised recommendations.

Non-NASA Center↗
NASA NTRS1973

The diffuse X-ray spectrum from 14-200 keV as measured on OSO-5

The measurement of energy spectrum of the diffuse component of cosmic X-ray flux made on the OSO-5 spacecraft is described. The contributions to the total counting rate of the actively shielded X-ray detector are considered in some detail and the techniques used to eliminate the non-cosmic components are described. Positive values for the cosmic flux are obtained in seven energy channels between 14 and 200 keV and two upper limits are obtained between 200 and 254 keV. The results can be fitted by a power law spectrum. A critical comparison is made with the OSO-3 results. Conclusions show that the reported break in the energy spectrum at 40 keV is probably produced by an erroneous correction for the radioactivity induced in the detector on each passage through the intense charged particle fluxes in the South Atlantic anomaly.

Dennis, B. R.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Shear stress cleaning for surface departiculation

A cleaning technique widely used by the nuclear utility industry for removal of radioactive surface contamination has proven effective at removing non-hazardous contaminant particles as small as 0.1 micrometer. The process employs a controlled high velocity liquid spray inside a vapor containment enclosure to remove particles from a surface. The viscous drag force generated by the cleaning fluid applies a shear stress greater than the adhesion force that holds small particles to a substrate. Fluid mechanics and field tests indicate general cleaning parameters.

Musselman, R. P.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Production of carbon monoxide by charged particle deposition.

Recent studies of electron energy deposition in CO2 and CO based upon a large set of electron impact cross sections are utilized to estimate the telluric CO directly produced by various charged-particle deposition mechanisms. The mechanisms considered are (1) lightning, (2) cloud coronal discharges, (3) background radioactivity, (4) natural electrostatic discharges, (5) photoelectrons in the ionosphere, (6) auroral electrons, (7) auroral protons, (8) cosmic rays, and (9) solar wind. 'Ball park' estimates of the global CO production by each of these mechanisms are given. Apart from mechanisms 1, 2, and 5, all CO production mechanisms are estimated to be small compared to artificial sources. If, as appears to be the case, the hot oxygen atoms and ions and other atomic species immediately produced by these three charged-particle deposition mechanisms react rapidly with CO2 to produce CO, these mechanisms can readily lead to CO production levels in the multimegaton-per-year range.

Green, A. E. S.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Very High Efficiency, Miniaturized, Long-Lived Alpha Particle Power Source Using Diamond Devices for Extreme Space Environments

A power source that converts a-particle energy into electricity by coulomb collision in doped diamond films is described. Alpha particle decay from curium-244 creates electron-hole pairs by free- ing electrons and holes inside the crystal lattice in N- and P-doped diamond films. Ohmic contacts provide electrical connection to an electronic device. Due to the built-in electric field at the rectifying junction across the hT- and P-doped diamond films, the free electrons are constrained to traveling in generally one direction. This one direction then supplies electrons in a manner similar to that of a battery. The radioactive curium layer may be disposed on diamond films for even distribution of a-particle radiation. The resulting power source may be mounted on a diamond substrate that serves to insulate structures below the diamond substrate from a-particle emission. Additional insulation or isolation may be provided in order to prevent damage from a-particle collision. N-doped silicon may be used instead of N-doped diamond.

Elizabeth A Kolawa↗
NASA NTRS1973

The diffuse X-ray spectrum from 14 to 200 keV as measured on OSO-5

Evaluation of OSO-5 measurements of the energy spectrum of the diffuse component of the cosmic X-ray flux in the energy range from 14 to 200 keV. A detailed description is given of the X-ray detector employed and of the method of selection and pulse-height analysis of X-ray events. The method employed in eliminating noncosmic X-ray contributions to the total counting rate is discussed. The final energy spectrum is found to be best fitted by a power law which is in essential agreement with that obtained from OSO-3 by Schwartz et al. (1970), in spite of what is regarded as an erroneous correction procedure used by them. In particular, it is suggested that the break in the energy spectrum at 40 keV which they reported may have been produced by an erroneous correction for the radioactivity induced in the detector during each passage through the intense charged-particle fluxes in the South Atlantic Anomaly.

Dennis, B. R.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Origin and transport of high energy particles in the galaxy

The origin, confinement, and transport of cosmic ray nuclei in the galaxy was studied. The work involves interpretations of the existing cosmic ray physics database derived from both balloon and satellite measurements, combined with an effort directed towards defining the next generation of instruments for the study of cosmic radiation. The shape and the energy dependence of the cosmic ray pathlength distribution in the galaxy was studied, demonstrating that the leaky box model is not a good representation of the detailed particle transport over the energy range covered by the database. Alternative confinement methods were investigated, analyzing the confinement lifetime in these models based upon the available data for radioactive secondary isotopes. The source abundances of several isotopes were studied using compiled nuclear physics data and the detailed transport calculations. The effects of distributed particle acceleration on the secondary to primary ratios were investigated.

Wefel, John P.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Studies of neutron and proton nuclear activation in low-Earth orbit

The expected induced radioactivity of experimental material in low Earth orbit was studied for characteristics of activating particles such as cosmic rays, high energy Earth albedo neutrons, trapped protons, and secondary protons and neutrons. The activation cross sections for the production of long lived radioisotopes and other existing nuclear data appropriate to the study of these reactions were compiled. Computer codes which are required to calculate the expected activation of orbited materials were developed. The decreased computer code used to predict the activation of trapped protons of materials placed in the expected orbits of LDEF and Spacelab II. Techniques for unfolding the fluxes of activating particles from the measured activation of orbited materials are examined.

Laird, C. E.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Simulation of cosmic irradiation conditions in thick target arrangements

One approach to simulate 2-pi irradiation conditions of planetary surfaces which has been widely applied in the past are bombardments of so called thick targets. A very large thick target was exposed recently to 2.1 GeV protons at the Bevatron-Bevalac in Berkeley. In a 100x100x180 cm steel-surrounded granodiorite target radioactive medium and high energy spallation products of the incident primary and of secondary particles were analyzed along the beam axis down to depths of 140 g/cm(2) in targets such as Cu, Ni, Co, Fe, T, Si, SiO2 and Al. Activities of these nuclides were exclusively determined via instrumental gamma-ray spectroscopy. Relative yields of neutron capture and spallation products induced in Co and Cu targets during the thick target bombardment are shown as a function of depth. The majority of the medium energy products such as Co-58 from Co targets exhibit a maximum at shallow depths of 40-60 g/cm(2) and then decrease exponentially. In a comparable 600 MeV proton bombarded thick target such a slight maximum for medium energy products was not observed. Rather, Co-58 activities in Co decreased steadily with the highest activity at the surface. The activities of the n-capture product Co-60 increase steadily starting at the surface. This indicates the rapidly growing flux of low energy neutrons within the target.

Theis, S.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Calculations of hadronic dissociation of 28Si projectiles at 14.6A GeV by nucleon emission

An optical potential abrasion-ablation collision model is used to calculate hadronic dissociation cross sections for one, two, and three nucleon removal for the first time for a 14.6A GeV 28Si beam fragmenting in aluminum, tin, and lead targets. These estimates are compared with recent semi-inclusive measurements. Significant differences between some calculated and measured semi-inclusive cross sections exist which cannot be resolved without measurements of the exclusive channel hadronic cross sections. Calculations for each exclusive reaction channel contributing to the semi-inclusive cross sections are presented and discussed.

NASA Program Radiation Health↗
NASA NTRS2016

Evaluation of Observed and Modelled Aerosol Lifetimes Using Radioactive Tracers of Opportunity and an Ensemble of 19 Global Models

Aerosols have important impacts on air quality and climate, but the processes affecting their removal from the atmosphere are not fully understood and are poorly constrained by observations. This makes modelled aerosol lifetimes uncertain. In this study, we make use of an observational constraint on aerosol lifetimes provided by radionuclide measurements and investigate the causes of differences within a set of global models. During the Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear power plant accident of March 2011, the radioactive isotopes cesium-137 (Cs-137) and xenon-133 (Xe-133) were released in large quantities. Cesium attached to particles in the ambient air, approximately according to their available aerosol surface area. Cs-137 size distribution measurements taken close to the power plant suggested that accumulation mode (AM) sulfate aerosols were the main carriers of cesium. Hence, Cs-137 can be used as a proxy tracer for the AM sulfate aerosol's fate in the atmosphere. In contrast, the noble gas Xe-133 behaves almost like a passive transport tracer. Global surface measurements of the two radioactive isotopes taken over several months after the release allow the derivation of a lifetime of the carrier aerosol. We compare this to the lifetimes simulated by 19 different atmospheric transport models initialized with identical emissions of Cs-137that were assigned to an aerosol tracer with each model's default properties of AM sulfate, and Xe-133 emissions that were assigned to a passive tracer. We investigate to what extent the modelled sulfate tracer can reproduce the measurements, especially with respect to the observed loss of aerosol mass with time. Modelled Cs-137and Xe-133 concentrations sampled at the same location and times as station measurements allow a direct comparison between measured and modelled aerosol lifetime. The e-folding lifetime e, calculated from station measurement data taken between 2 and 9 weeks after the start of the emissions, is 14.3 days (95% confidence interval 13.1-15.7 days). The equivalent modelled e lifetimes have a large spread, varying between 4.8 and 26.7 days with a model median of 9.42.3 days, indicating too fast a removal in most models. Because sufficient measurement data were only available from about 2 weeks after the release, the estimated lifetimes apply to aerosols that have undergone long-range transport, i.e. not for freshly emitted aerosol. However, modelled instantaneous lifetimes show that the initial removal in the first 2 weeks was quicker (lifetimes between 1 and 5 days) due to the emissions occurring at low altitudes and co-location of the fresh plume with strong precipitation. Deviations between measured and modelled aerosol lifetimes are largest for the northernmost stations and at later time periods, suggesting that models do not transport enough of the aerosol towards the Arctic. The models underestimate passive tracer (Xe-133) concentrations in the Arctic as well but to a smaller extent than for the aerosol (Cs-137) tracer. This indicates that in addition to too fast an aerosol removal in the models, errors in simulated atmospheric transport towards the Arctic in most models also contribute to the underestimation of the Arctic aerosol concentrations.

Radioactive isotopes↗
NASA NTRS1979

Association of nucleotides with homoionic clays

The binding of nucleotides to homoionic clays is studied as a possible mechanism for the concentration and catalysis of biological or prebiotic materials on the prebiotic earth. Samples of radioactively labeled adenosine and thymidine nucleotides were mixed in solutions with bentonite, kaolinite or Dowex-50 particles in which all exchangeable sites were occupied by Na, Mg, Ca, Mn, Fe, Cu or Zn ions. The binding of nucleotides to homoionic clays is observed, with adenosine nucleotides favored over thymidine, bentonite as the best absorber, and greater binding to clays homoionic in transition metal ions. Results indicate that the oligomerization of nucleotides may be possible by this mechanism, however difficulties in nucleotide variability and base pairing may arise due to the observed preference for purines at the adsorption sites.

Odom, D. G.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Spallation processes and nuclear interaction products of cosmic rays

Most cosmic-ray nuclei heavier than helium have suffered nuclear collisions in the interstellar gas, with transformation of nuclear composition. The isotopic and elemental composition at the sources has to be inferred from the observed composition near the Earth. The source composition permits tests of current ideas on sites of origin, nucleosynthesis in stars, evolution of stars, the mixing and composition of the interstellar medium and injection processes prior to acceleration. The effects of nuclear spallation, production of radioactive nuclides and the time dependence of their decay provide valuable information on the acceleration and propagation of cosmic rays, their nuclear transformations, and their confinement time in the Galaxy. The formation of spallation products that only decay by electron capture and are relatively long-lived permits an investigation of the nature and density fluctuations (like clouds) of the interstellar medium. Since nuclear collisions yield positrons, antiprotons, gamma rays and neutrinos, we shall discuss these topics briefly.

Non-NASA Center↗
NASA NTRS1975

Solar-wind interactions - Nature and composition of lunar atmosphere

The nature and composition of the lunar atmosphere are examined on the basis of solar-wind interactions, and the nature of the species in the trapped-gas layer is discussed using results of theoretical and experimental investigations. It is shown that the moon has a highly tenuous atmosphere consisting of various species derived from five sources: solar-wind interaction products, cosmic-ray interaction products, effects of meteoritic impacts, planetary degassing, and radioactive-decay products. Atmospheric concentrations are determined for those species derived from solar-wind protons, alpha particles, and oxygen ions. Carbon chemistry is briefly discussed, and difficulties encountered in attempts to determine quantitatively the concentrations of molecular oxygen, atomic oxygen, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and methane are noted. The calculated concentrations are shown to be in good agreement with observations by the Apollo 17 lunar-surface mass spectrometer and orbital UV spectrometer.

Mukherjee, N. R.↗
NASA NTRS1998

Monte Carlo Simulations of Background Spectra in Integral Imager Detectors

Predictions of the expected gamma-ray backgrounds in the ISGRI (CdTe) and PiCsIT (Csl) detectors on INTEGRAL due to cosmic-ray interactions and the diffuse gamma-ray background have been made using a coupled set of Monte Carlo radiation transport codes (HETC, FLUKA, EGS4, and MORSE) and a detailed, 3-D mass model of the spacecraft and detector assemblies. The simulations include both the prompt background component from induced hadronic and electromagnetic cascades and the delayed component due to emissions from induced radioactivity. Background spectra have been obtained with and without the use of active (BGO) shielding and charged particle rejection to evaluate the effectiveness of anticoincidence counting on background rejection.

Armstrong, T. W.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Nuclear winter - Global consequences of multiple nuclear explosions

The results of a computerized simulation of the potential global environmental effects of dust and smoke clouds that would be generated by a nuclear war are presented. Short term effects of blast, fire, and radiation are neglected in the series of physical models that include a nuclear war scenario, a particle microphysics model, and a radiative convective model. Account is taken of the altitude-dependent dust, smoke, radioactivity, and NO(x) injections, the temporal evolution of dust and smoke clouds, land and ocean environments, and temperature contrasts. A nuclear exchange would produce thousands of individual smoke and dust clouds rising up to 30 km altitude in the midlatitudes. The smoke, dust, and radioactive debris would cover the entire midlatitudes within 1-2 weeks. The smoke would arise from conflagrations of forests, suburbs, and urban areas. Obscuration of sunlight would induce subfreezing temperatures for several months, disruption of the global circulation patterns, and the arrival of a nuclear winter, followed and accompanied by radioactive fallout, pyrogenic air pollution, and UV-B flux enhancements. It is estimated that a total of only 100 Mtons would be sufficient to plunge the Northern Hemisphere summer to subfreezing temperatures lasting months. Since the probable exchange in a nuclear war would exceed 5000 Mtons, it is expected that many species, including humans, may not survive the war.

Turco, R. P.↗