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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 NTRS1981

Practical implementation of the double linear damage rule and damage curve approach for treating cumulative fatigue damage

Simple procedures are given for treating cumulative fatigue damage under complex loading history using either the damage curve concept or the double linear damage rule. A single equation is given for use with the damage curve approach; each loading event providing a fraction of damage until failure is presumed to occur when the damage sum becomes unity. For the double linear damage rule, analytical expressions are given for determining the two phases of life. The procedure comprises two steps, each similar to the conventional application of the commonly used linear damage rule. Once the sum of cycle ratios based on Phase I lives reaches unity, Phase I is presumed complete, and further loadings are summed as cycle ratios based on Phase II lives. When the Phase II sum attains unity, failure is presumed to occur. It is noted that no physical properties or material constants other than those normally used in a conventional linear damage rule analysis are required for application of either of the two cumulative damage methods described. Illustrations and comparisons are discussed for both methods.

Manson, S. S.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Transonic flow about lifting wing-body combinations

Calculations for transonic flow about wing-body combinations at angles of attack of the order of the body thickness-to-length ratio are presented. These calculations show that lift can alter the flow drastically at near-sonic speeds in this angle-of-attack range so that the area rule must be modified. This effect of lift is explained from simple physical considerations. The computational procedure is based on slender-wing theory and a two-variable method of relaxation solution. A small perturbation analysis is used to show that this simple procedure is adequate for these transonic wing-body flow fields.

Barnwell, R. W.↗
NASA NTRS1980

A family of supersonic airplanes: Technical and economic feasibility

To improve the prospects for success in the market place, the family approach is essential to the design of future supersonic airplanes. The evolution from a basic supersonic airplane to a family could follow historic patterns, with one exception: substantial changes in passenger carrying capacity will be difficult by the conventional fuselage "doughnut" approach so successfully used on the cylindrical fuselage of subsonic airplanes. The primary reasons for this difference include the requirement for highly integrated "area ruled" configurations, to give the desired high supersonic aerodynamic efficiency, and other physical limitations such as takeoff and landing rotation. A concept for a supersonic airplane family that could effectively solve the variable range and passenger capacity problem provides for modification of the fuselage cross section that makes it possible to build a family of three airplanes with four, five, and six abreast passenger seating. This is done by replacing or modifying portions of the fuselage. All airplanes share the same wing, engines, and major subsystems. Only small sections of the fuselage would be different, and aerodynamic efficiency need not be compromised.

Neumann, F. D.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Free swimming organisms: Microgravity as an investigative tool

On earth, micro-organisms are in the grip of gravitational and viscous forces. These forces, in combination with sensory stimuli, determine the average orientation of the organisms' swimming trajectories relative to the fluid environment. Microgravity provides the opportunity to study the rules which govern the summation or orienting influences and to develop quantitative physical measurements of sensory responses, e.g. the measurement of phototactic orientation tendency in torque units. Also, by reducing or eliminating density anisotropy-driven buoyant convection, it will be possible to study illumination, temperature gradient and concentration gradient-mediated collective dynamics.

Kessler, John O.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Gravitation and Special Relativity from Compton Wave Interactions at the Planck Scale: An Algorithmic Approach

In this paper space is modeled as a lattice of Compton wave oscillators (CWOs) of near- Planck size. It is shown that gravitation and special relativity emerge from the interaction between particles Compton waves. To develop this CWO model an algorithmic approach was taken, incorporating simple rules of interaction at the Planck-scale developed using well known physical laws. This technique naturally leads to Newton s law of gravitation and a new form of doubly special relativity. The model is in apparent agreement with the holographic principle, and it predicts a cutoff energy for ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays that is consistent with observational data.

Blackwell, William C., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS2016

Command and Data Handling Branch Internship

Modular Integrated Stackable Layers (MISL) is a computer system designed for simple, fast, and cost effective flexible reconfiguration in space environments such as the ISS and Orion projects for various uses. Existing applications include wireless and wired communications, data acquisition and instrumentation, and camera systems, and potential applications include bus protocol converters and subsystem control. MISL is based on Texas Instruments (TI)' MSP430 16-bit ultra-low-power microcontroller device. The purpose of my project was to integrate the MISL system with a liquid crystal display (LCD) touchscreen. The LCD, manufactured by Crystalfontz and part number CFAF320240F-035T-TS, is a 320 by 240 RGB resistive color screen including an optional carrier board. The vast majority of the project was done with Altium Designer, a tool for printed circuit board (PCB) schematic capture, 3D design, and FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) development. The new PCB was to allow the LCD to directly stack to the rest of MISL. Research was done with datasheets for the TI microcontroller and touchscreen display in order to meet desired hardware specifications. Documentation on prior MISL projects was also utilized. The initial step was to create a schematic for the LCD, power bus, and data bus connections between components. A layout was then designed with the required physical dimensions, routed traces and vias, power and ground planes, layer stacks, and other specified design rules such as plane clearance and hole size. Multiple consultation sessions were held with Hester Yim, the technical discipline lead for the Command and Data Handling Branch, and Christy Herring, the lead PCB layout designer in the Electronic Design and Manufacturing Branch in order to ensure proper configuration. At the moment, the PCB is awaiting revision by the latter-mentioned branch. Afterwards, the board will begin to undergo the manufacturing and testing process. Throughout the internship at Johnson Space Center, I gained several technical and professional skills. I gained proficiency in Altium Designer and experience using subversion clients, as well as knowledge in PSpice with OrCAD and battery design for spaceflight from on-site. I also gained networking, organization, and communication skills throughout meetings with coworkers and other interns. This internship at Johnson Space Center has impacted my future aspirations by further inspiring me to follow a career path into space rated engineering technology and human spaceflight applications. After graduation, I plan to attend graduate Modular Integrated Stackable Layers (MISL) is a computer system designed for simple, fast, and cost effective flexible reconfiguration in space environments such as the ISS and Orion projects for various uses. Existing applications include wireless and wired communications, data acquisition and instrumentation, and camera systems, and potential applications include bus protocol converters and subsystem control. MISL is based on Texas Instruments’ MSP430 16 bit ultra-low power microcontroller device. The purpose of my project was to integrate the MISL system with a liquid crystal display touchscreen. The LCD, manufactured by Crystalfontz and part number CFAF320240F-035T-TS, is a 320x240 RGB resistive color screen including an optional carrier board.The vast majority of the project was done with Altium Designer, a tool for printed circuit board (PCB) schematic capture, 3D design, and FPGA development. The new PCB was to allow the LCD to directly stack to the rest of MISL. Research was done with datasheets for the TI microcontroller and touchscreen display in order to meet desired hardware specifications. Documentation on prior MISL projects was also utilized. The initial step was to create a schematic for the LCD, power bus, and data bus connections between components. A layout was then designed with the required physical dimensions, routed traces and vias, power and ground planes, layer stacks, and other specified design rules such as plane clearance and hole size. Multiple consultation sessions were held with Hester Yim, the technical discipline lead for the Command and Data Handling Branch, and Christy Herring, the lead PCB layout designer in the Electronic Design and Manufacturing Branch in order to ensure proper configuration. At themoment, the PCB is awaiting revision by the latter-mentioned branch. Afterwards, the board will begin to undergo the manufacturing and testing process.Throughout the internship at Johnson Space Center, I gained several technical and professional skills. I gained proficiency in Altium Designer and experience using subversion clients, as well as knowledge in PSpice with OrCAD and battery design for spaceflight from on-site. I also gained networking, organization, and communication skills throughout meetings with coworkers and other interns. This internship at Johnson Space Center has impacted my future aspirations by further inspiring me to follow a career path into space rated engineering technology and human spaceflight applications. After graduation, I plan to attend graduate school for a master's or doctorate degree in electrical or computer engineering.

Billings, Rachel Mae↗
NASA NTRS1990

Mapping sea ice leads with a coupled numeric/symbolic system

A method is presented which facilitates the detection and delineation of leads with single-channel Landsat data by coupling numeric and symbolic procedures. The procedure consists of three steps: (1) using the dynamic threshold method, an image is mapped to a lead/no lead binary image; (2) the likelihood of fragments to be real leads is examined with a set of numeric rules; and (3) pairs of objects are examined geometrically and merged where possible. The processing ends when all fragments are merged and statistical characteristics are determined, and a map of valid lead objects are left which summarizes useful physical in the lead complexes. Direct implementation of domain knowledge and rapid prototyping are two benefits of the rule-based system. The approach is found to be more successfully applied to mid- and high-level processing, and the system can retrieve statistics about sea-ice leads as well as detect the leads.

Key, J.↗
NASA NTRS2005

Statistical Physics for Adaptive Distributed Control

A viewgraph presentation on statistical physics for distributed adaptive control is shown. The topics include: 1) The Golden Rule; 2) Advantages; 3) Roadmap; 4) What is Distributed Control? 5) Review of Information Theory; 6) Iterative Distributed Control; 7) Minimizing L(q) Via Gradient Descent; and 8) Adaptive Distributed Control.

Wolpert, David H.↗
NASA NTRS2022

Treatment of Launch Vehicle Flight Control Stability Margin Reductions for Crewed Missions with Emphasis on Slosh Dynamics

NESC’s perspective for crewed spaceflight: Acceptance of flight control gain/phase stability margin reductions from industry standards should be accompanied by an adequately extensive technical treatment, including: •Analyzing the fundamental physics involved, with applicable simulation tool verification (particularly if results are dissimilar among rules of thumb, linear tools, nonlinear analysis, and flight data) •Conducting sensitivity studies in time and frequency domains to analyze effects of possible parameter and system variations •Studying the effects of the consequence of instability associated with offending modes by running stressing cases in time domain •Assessing alternative flight control designs to demonstrate that present design appropriately balances overall vehicle risk (i.e., quantitatively delineate chosen tradeoffs between various stability margins and vehicle performance in the context of risk/consequence) Work presented here represents an example summary of expected engineering work to flight-certify crewed missions with unstable slosh modes and reduced stability margins

Launch Vehicle Flight Control↗
NASA NTRS2011

El Nino-Southern Oscillation Correlated Aerosol Angstrom Exponent Anomaly Over the Tropical Pacific Discovered in Satellite Measurements

El Nino.Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is the dominant mode of interannual variability in the tropical atmosphere. ENSO could potentially impact local and global aerosol properties through atmospheric circulation anomalies and teleconnections. By analyzing aerosol properties, including aerosol optical depth (AOD) and Angstrom exponent (AE; often used as a qualitative indicator of aerosol particle size) from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer, the Multiangle Imaging Spectroradiometer and the Sea ]viewing Wide Field ]of ]view Sensor for the period 2000.2011, we find a strong correlation between the AE data and the multivariate ENSO index (MEI) over the tropical Pacific. Over the western tropical Pacific (WTP), AE increases during El Nino events and decreases during La Nina events, while the opposite is true over the eastern tropical Pacific (ETP). The difference between AE anomalies in the WTP and ETP has a higher correlation coefficient (>0.7) with the MEI than the individual time series and could be considered another type of ENSO index. As no significant ENSO correlation is found in AOD over the same region, the change in AE (and hence aerosol size) is likely to be associated with aerosol composition changes due to anomalous meteorological conditions induced by the ENSO. Several physical parameters or mechanisms that might be responsible for the correlation are discussed. Preliminary analysis indicates surface wind anomaly might be the major contributor, as it reduces sea ]salt production and aerosol transport during El Nino events. Precipitation and cloud fraction are also found to be correlated with tropical Pacific AE. Possible mechanisms, including wet removal and cloud shielding effects, are considered. Variations in relative humidity, tropospheric ozone concentration, and ocean color during El Nino have been ruled out. Further investigation is needed to fully understand this AE ]ENSO covariability and the underlying physical processes responsible for it.

Li, Jing↗
NASA NTRS1989

Automatic determination of fault effects on aircraft functionality

The problem of determining the behavior of physical systems subsequent to the occurrence of malfunctions is discussed. It is established that while it was reasonable to assume that the most important fault behavior modes of primitive components and simple subsystems could be known and predicted, interactions within composite systems reached levels of complexity that precluded the use of traditional rule-based expert system techniques. Reasoning from first principles, i.e., on the basis of causal models of the physical system, was required. The first question that arises is, of course, how the causal information required for such reasoning should be represented. The bond graphs presented here occupy a position intermediate between qualitative and quantitative models, allowing the automatic derivation of Kuipers-like qualitative constraint models as well as state equations. Their most salient feature, however, is that entities corresponding to components and interactions in the physical system are explicitly represented in the bond graph model, thus permitting systematic model updates to reflect malfunctions. Researchers show how this is done, as well as presenting a number of techniques for obtaining qualitative information from the state equations derivable from bond graph models. One insight is the fact that one of the most important advantages of the bond graph ontology is the highly systematic approach to model construction it imposes on the modeler, who is forced to classify the relevant physical entities into a small number of categories, and to look for two highly specific types of interactions among them. The systematic nature of bond graph model construction facilitates the process to the point where the guidelines are sufficiently specific to be followed by modelers who are not domain experts. As a result, models of a given system constructed by different modelers will have extensive similarities. Researchers conclude by pointing out that the ease of updating bond graph models to reflect malfunctions is a manifestation of the systematic nature of bond graph construction, and the regularity of the relationship between bond graph models and physical reality.

Feyock, Stefan↗
NASA NTRS2013

Science Opportunity Analyzer (SOA) Version 8

SOA allows scientists to plan spacecraft observations. It facilitates the identification of geometrically interesting times in a spacecraft s orbit that a user can use to plan observations or instrument-driven spacecraft maneuvers. These observations can then be visualized multiple ways in both two- and three-dimensional views. When observations have been optimized within a spacecraft's flight rules, the resulting plans can be output for use by other JPL uplink tools. Now in its eighth major version, SOA improves on these capabilities in a modern and integrated fashion. SOA consists of five major functions: Opportunity Search, Visualization, Observation Design, Constraint Checking, and Data Output. Opportunity Search is a GUI-driven interface to existing search engines that can be used to identify times when a spacecraft is in a specific geometrical relationship with other bodies in the solar system. This function can be used for advanced mission planning as well as for making last-minute adjustments to mission sequences in response to trajectory modifications. Visualization is a key aspect of SOA. The user can view observation opportunities in either a 3D representation or as a 2D map projection. Observation Design allows the user to orient the spacecraft and visualize the projection of the instrument field of view for that orientation using the same views as Opportunity Search. Constraint Checking is provided to validate various geometrical and physical aspects of an observation design. The user has the ability to easily create custom rules or to use official project-generated flight rules. This capability may also allow scientists to easily assess the cost to science if flight rule changes occur. Data Output allows the user to compute ancillary data related to an observation or to a given position of the spacecraft along its trajectory. The data can be saved as a tab-delimited text file or viewed as a graph. SOA combines science planning functionality unique to both JPL and the sponsoring spacecraft. SOA is able to ingest JPL SPICE Kernels that are used to drive the tool and its computations. A Percy search engine is then included that identifies interesting time periods for the user to build observations. When observations are then built, flight-like orientation algorithms replicate spacecraft dynamics to closely simulate the flight spacecraft s dynamics. SOA v8 represents large steps forward from SOA v7 in terms of quality, reliability, maintainability, efficiency, and user experience. A tailored agile development environment has been built around SOA that provides automated unit testing, continuous build and integration, a consolidated Web-based code and documentation storage environment, modern Java enhancements, and a focus on usability

Witoff, Robert J.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Associations between quasi-stellar objects and galaxies

A table is presented here listing all close pairs of QSOs and galaxies that were found in a computer-aided search of catalogs of QSOs and bright galaxies and an extensive search of the literature. There is a large excess of pairs with separations of 2 arcmin lor less, or about 60 kpc, over the numbers expected if the configurations were accidental. The angular separation for 392 pairs adds to the evidence for physical association, and it is shown that selection effects are not important. A general rule is stated that QSOs tend to lie in the vicinity of normal galaxies much more often than is expected by chance whether or not the galaxies and the QSOs have the same redshifts. It is emphasized that this rule cannot be explained in terms of gravitational microlensing, and it is concluded that some part of the redshift of all classes of active nuclei is not associated with the expansion of the universe.

Burbidge, G.↗
NASA NTRS2004

TopMaker: A Technique for Automatic Multi-Block Topology Generation Using the Medial Axis

A two-dimensional multi-block topology generation technique has been developed. Very general configurations are addressable by the technique. A configuration is defined by a collection of non-intersecting closed curves, which will be referred to as loops. More than a single loop implies that holes exist in the domain, which poses no problem. This technique requires only the medial vertices and the touch points that define each vertex. From the information about the medial vertices, the connectivity between medial vertices is generated. The physical shape of the medial edge is not required. By applying a few simple rules to each medial edge, the multiblock topology is generated with no user intervention required. The resulting topologies contain only the level of complexity dictated by the configurations. Grid lines remain attached to the boundary except at sharp concave turns where a change in index family is introduced as would be desired. Keeping grid lines attached to the boundary is especially important in the area of computational fluid dynamics where highly clustered grids are used near no-slip boundaries. This technique is simple and robust and can easily be incorporated into the overall grid generation process.

Heidmann, James D.↗
NASA NTRS2004

TopMaker: Technique Developed for Automatic Multiblock Topology Generation Using the Medial Axis

The TopMaker technique was developed in an effort to reduce the time required for grid generation in complex numerical studies. Topology generation accounts for much of the man-hours required for structured multiblock grids. With regard to structured multiblock grids, topology refers to how the blocks are arranged and connected. A two-dimensional multiblock topology generation technique has been developed at the NASA Glenn Research Center. Very general configurations can be addressed by the technique. A configuration is defined by a collection of non-intersecting closed curves, which will be referred to as loops. More than a single loop implies that holes exist in the domain, which poses no problem. This technique requires only the medial vertices and the touch points that define each vertex. From the information about the medial vertices, the connectivity between medial vertices is generated. The physical shape of the medial edge is not required. By applying a few simple rules to each medial edge, a multiblock topology can be generated without user intervention. The resulting topologies contain only the level of complexity dictated by the configurations. Grid lines remain attached to the boundary except at sharp concave turns, where a change in index family is introduced as would be desired. Keeping grid lines attached to the boundary is especially important in computational fluid dynamics, where highly clustered grids are used near no-slip boundaries. This technique is simple and robust and can easily be incorporated into the overall grid-generation process.

Rigby, David L.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Fireballs in the Galactic halo and gamma-ray bursts

If gamma-ray burst sources are in the Galactic halo, they inevitably involve the creation of an opaque pair plasma fireball, just like in cosmological sources. We find that the typical physical conditions in a Galactic halo fireball are optical depth about 10 exp 8, thermal energy about 100 keV, maximal relativistic expansion about 300, and a maximal baryonic load of about 10 exp -15 solar masses. This does not rule out Galactic halo models, but it poses an additional severe constraint on all such sources. A comparison of these conditions with the physical conditions at cosmological fireballs reveal that Galactic halo fireballs are less favorable than cosmological ones as sources of gamma-ray bursts.

Piran, Tsvi↗
NASA NTRS1981

Analysis and evaluation in the production process and equipment area of the low-cost solar array project

The effect of solar cell metallization pattern design on solar cell performance and the costs and performance effects of different metallization processes are discussed. Definitive design rules for the front metallization pattern for large area solar cells are presented. Chemical and physical deposition processes for metallization are described and compared. An economic evaluation of the 6 principal metallization options is presented. Instructions for preparing Format A cost data for solar cell manufacturing processes from UPPC forms for input into the SAMIC computer program are presented.

Wolf, M.↗