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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 739 records · Page 41
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1977

A Study of Variable Features on Mars During the Viking Primary Mission

The Viking coverage revealed numerous wind streaks on the surface of Mars. The Viking images have provided the first good examples of very distinctive mixed tone streaks which appear to consist of a tapered light streak bordered by two dark side lobes. Attention is given to a general lack of eolian activity, eolian activity on the slopes of the Tharsis volcanos, spectacular albedo changes since 1972, more subtle albedo changes, surface detail and wind flow patterns in Hellas, wind flow in the vicinity of Olympus Mons, and a comparison of the 1972 and 1976 wind streak patterns.

Veverka, J.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Optimization of thermal systems with sensitive optics, electronics, and structures

A strategy was investigated by which thermal designers for spacecraft could devise an optimal thermal control system to maintain the required temperatures, temperature differences, changes in temperature, and changes in temperature differences for specified equipment and elements of the spacecraft's structure. Thermal control is to be maintained by the coating pattern chosen for the external surfaces and heaters chosen to supplement the coatings. The approach is to minimize the thermal control power, thereby minimizing the weight of the thermal control system. Because there are so many complex computations involved in determining the optimal coating design a computerized approach was contemplated. An optimization strategy including all the elements considered by the thermal designer for use in the early stages of design, where impact on the mission is greatest, and a plan for implementing the strategy were successfully developed. How the optimization process may be used to optimize the design of the Space Telescope as a test case is demonstrated.

Bettini, R. G.↗
NASA NTRS1985

A numerical study of the effects of a large sandbar upon sea breeze development

Two-dimensional numerical simulations of sea breeze development over a large sandbar on the North Sea coast of Germany are reported. The numerical model used in these experiments contains a detailed treatment of soil moisture, which allows evaluation of the effects of differential surface characteristics on the airflow pattern. Results of the simulations indicate that the contrast between the moist sandbar and adjacent dry land, the tidal inundation of the sandbar, and the westward penetration of the Baltic sea breeze play important roles in the development of mesoscale airflow patterns in the sandbar region.

Kessler, R. C.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Reflector sidelobe degradation due to random surface errors

It is well known that the sidelobe structure of a reflector antenna is highly susceptible to random surface errors, and that in most applications it is not adequate to investigate only the average behavior of the antenna. In this study, an attempt is made to determine the probability distribution of the sidelobe level of a reflector antenna subject to some random surface errors. Specifically, the random pattern function is considered and its sidelobe level studied using the level-upcrossing theory. Both the degradation of the maximum sidelobe and the degradation of the sidelobe region with respect to an International Radio Consultative Committee (CCIR) sidelobe envelope are obtained. The theoretical results are found in excellent agreement with those obtained by Monte Carlo simulations. Finally, some useful tolerance charts are presented.

Ling, H.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Space Station - An innovative approach to manufacturing development

The development of the common modules for the planned dual-keel Space Station, which is a figure-eight configuration that requires the use of four common modules linked by six docking nodes in the center of the Station, is examined. The fabrication of the proposed common module designs, which are a four-barrel common module structure built using excess external tank barrel panels (Martin Marietta Michoud Aerospace), and a three-barrel design consisting of 2219 Al skins with a waffle-grid pattern machined on the outer surface (Boeing Aerospace Corporation) is described. The assistance provided by the NASA-Marshall Space Flight Center's Materials and Processes Laboratory, in particular the variable polarity plasma arc welding process, in the development of the common modules is discussed.

Sullivan, Kenneth W.↗
NASA NTRS1989

The NASA Langley Laminar-Flow-Control Experiment on a Swept Supercritical Airfoil: Basic Results for Slotted Configuration

The effects of Mach number and Reynolds number on the experimental surface pressure distributions and transition patterns for a large chord, swept supercritical airfoil incorporating an active Laminar Flow Control suction system with spanwise slots are presented. The experiment was conducted in the Langley 8 foot Transonic Pressure Tunnel. Also included is a discussion of the influence of model/tunnel liner interactions on the airfoil pressure distribution. Mach number was varied from 0.40 to 0.82 at two chord Reynolds numbers, 10 and 20 x 1,000,000, and Reynolds number was varied from 10 to 20 x 1,000,000 at the design Mach number.

Harris, Charles D.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Measurement of the light flux density patterns from luminaires proposed as photon sources for photosynthesis during space travel

Two luminaires were evaluated to determine the light flux density pattern on a horizontal plane surface. NASA supplied both luminaires; one was made by NASA and the other is commercially available. Tests were made for three combinations of luminaire height and luminaire lens material using the NASA luminaire; only one configuration of the commercial luminaire was tested. Measurements were made using four sensors with different wavelength range capabilities. The data are presented in graphical and tabular formats.

Walker, Paul N.↗
NASA NTRS1989

The plume of the Yukon River in relation to the oceanography of the Bering Sea

The ecosystem of the northern Bering-Sea shelf was studied using data from the NOAA Very High Resolution Radiometer and AVHRR and the Landsat MSS and Thematic Mapper (TM) in conjunction with shipboard measurements. Emphasis was placed on the influence of the Yukon River on this inner shelf environment and on the evaluation of the utility of the new Landsat TM data for oceanography. It was found that the patterns of water mass distribution obtained from satellite images agreed reasonably well with the areal patterns of temperature, salinity, and phytoplankton distributions. The AVHRR, MSS, and TM data show that the Yukon-River discharge is warmer and more turbid than the surrounding coastal water that originates to the south; thus, the Yukon water contributes to the higher temperatures and lower transmissivity of the coastal water. The high resolution of the TM thermal IR band made it possible to observe complex patterns and structures in the surface water that could not be resolved on previous data sets.

Dean, Kenneson G.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Review of image correlation systems - Hybrid and optical

The operating principles, design, and development histories of three image correlation systems, the Portable Correlator Unit (PCU), the Miniature Correlator Unit (MCU), and the Coherence Interferometer (CI) are reviewed. The PCU and MCU are compact versions of the classical Vander Lught filter optical correlator, essentially parallel optical processors by light valve; the CI is a white-light correlator which functions entirely by interfering light waves, with electronic detection only at the final output, and thus represents a parallel optical processor by rotational-shear interferometer. Details of the design and construction are discussed and illustrated with drawings and photographs. Also considered are applications of the MCU to NASA tasks such as rendezvous and docking on the Mars Rover and Sample Return mission, autonomous robotic exploration of planetary surfaces, and compression and pattern-recognition of remote-sensing data.

Breckinridge, James B.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Extraction of helium from individual interplanetary dust particles by step-heating

Fragments from 20 individual particles, collected in the earth's stratosphere and believed to be interplanetary dust particles (IDPs), were subjected to step-heating to see if differences in the release pattern for He-4 could be observed which might provide clues to the origin of the particles. Comparisons were made to the release pattern for 18 individual lunar surface grains heated in the same manner. Twelve of the IDP fragments contained an appreciable amount of He-4, 50 percent of which was released by the time the particles were heated to approximately 630 C. For the 18 individual lunar grains, the corresponding average temperature was 660 C. The He-3/He-4 ratios found for these fragments agreed well with those found for deep Pacific magnetic fines believed to be of extraterrestrial origin, and were comparable to those which have been observed for the solar wind and lunar surface soil grains. Four of the IDP fragments contained appreciably less He-4, and this was released at a higher temperature. The remaining four fragments had too little He-4 to permit a determination. From Flynn's analyses of the problem of the heating of IDPs in their descent in the atmosphere, the present results suggest that the parent IDPs of the 12 particles which contained an appreciable amount of He-4 suffered very little heating in their descent and are likely of asteroidal origin, although one cannot rule out the possibility that at least some of them had a cometary origin and entered the earth's atmosphere at a grazing angle.

Nier, A. O.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Wormgear geometry adopted for implementing hydrostatic lubrication and formulation of the lubrication problem

The geometrical parameters for a wormgear intended to be used as the transmission in advanced helicopters are finalized. The resulting contact pattern of the meshing tooth surfaces is suitable for the implementation of hydrostatic lubrication Fluid film lubrication of the contact is formulated considering external pressurization as well as hydrodynamic wedge and squeeze actions. The lubrication analysis is aimed at obtaining the oil supply pressure needed to separate the worm and gear surfaces by a prescribed minimum film thickness. The procedure of solving the mathematical problem is outlined.

Sun, D. C.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Spacesuit glove manufacturing enhancements through the use of advanced technologies

The sucess of astronauts performing extravehicular activity (EVA) on orbit is highly dependent upon the performance of their spacesuit gloves.A study has recently been conducted to advance the development and manufacture of spacesuit gloves. The process replaces the manual techniques of spacesuit glove manufacture by utilizing emerging technologies such as laser scanning, Computer Aided Design (CAD), computer generated two-dimensional patterns from three-dimensionl surfaces, rapid prototyping technology, and laser cutting of materials, to manufacture the new gloves. Results of the program indicate that the baseline process will not increase the cost of the gloves as compared to the existing styles, and in production, may reduce the cost of the gloves. perhaps the most important outcome of the Laserscan process is that greater accuracy and design control can be realized. Greater accuracy was achieved in the baseline anthropometric measurement and CAD data measurement which subsequently improved the design feature. This effectively enhances glove performance through better fit and comfort.

Cadogan, David↗
NASA NTRS1999

ISCCP Cloud Properties Associated with Standard Cloud Types Identified in Individual Surface Observations

Individual surface weather observations from land stations and ships are compared with individual cloud retrievals of the International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP), Stage C1, for an 8-year period (1983-1991) to relate cloud optical thicknesses and cloud-top pressures obtained from satellite data to the standard cloud types reported in visual observations from the surface. Each surface report is matched to the corresponding ISCCP-C1 report for the time of observation for the 280x280-km grid-box containing that observation. Classes of the surface reports are identified in which a particular cloud type was reported present, either alone or in combination with other clouds. For each class, cloud amounts from both surface and C1 data, base heights from surface data, and the frequency-distributions of cloud-top pressure (p(sub c) and optical thickness (tau) from C1 data are averaged over 15-degree latitude zones, for land and ocean separately, for 3-month seasons. The frequency distribution of p(sub c) and tau is plotted for each of the surface-defined cloud types occurring both alone and with other clouds. The average cloud-top pressures within a grid-box do not always correspond well with values expected for a reported cloud type, particularly for the higher clouds Ci, Ac, and Cb. In many cases this is because the satellites also detect clouds within the grid-box that are outside the field of view of the surface observer. The highest average cloud tops are found for the most extensive cloud type, Ns, averaging 7 km globally and reaching 9 km in the ITCZ. Ns also has the greatest average retrieved optical thickness, tau approximately equal 20. Cumulonimbus clouds may actually attain far greater heights and depths, but do not fill the grid-box. The tau-p(sub c) distributions show features that distinguish the high, middle, and low clouds reported by the surface observers. However, the distribution patterns for the individual low cloud types (Cu, Sc, St) occurring alone overlap to such an extent that it is not possible to distinguish these cloud types from each other on the basis of tau-p(sub c) values alone. Other cloud types whose tau-p(sub c) distributions are indistinguishable are Cb, Ns, and thick As. However, the tau-p(sub c) distribution patterns for the different low cloud types are nevertheless distinguishable when all occurrences of a low cloud type are included, indicating that the different low types differ in their probabilities of co-occurrence with middle and high clouds.

Hahn, Carole J.↗
NASA NTRS2003

A New Time-dependent Model for the Martian Radiation Environment

Manned space activities have been until present time limited to the near-Earth environment, most of them to low Earth orbit (LEO) scenarios, with only some of the Apollo missions targeted to the Moon. In current times most human exploration and development of space (HEDS) activities are related to the development of the International Space Station (ISS), and therefore take place in the LEO environment. A natural extension of HEDS activities will be going beyond LEO, and reach asteroids, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, the Kuiper belt and the outskirts of the Solar System. Such long journeys onboard spacecraft outside the protective umbrella of the geomagnetic field will require higher levels of protection from the radiation environment found in the deep space for both astronauts and equipment. So, it is important to have available a tool for radiation shielding which takes into account the radiation environments found all along the interplanetary space and at the different bodies encountered in the Solar System. Moreover, the radiation protection is one of the two NASA highest concerns and priorities. A tool integrating different radiation environments with shielding computation techniques especially tailored for deep space mission scenario is instrumental in view of this exigency. In view of manned missions targeted to Mars, for which radiation exposure is one of the greatest problems and challenges to be tackled, it is of fundamental importance to have available a tool which allows to know which are the particle flux and spectra at any time at any point of the Martian surface. With this goal in mind, a new model for the radiation environment to be found on the planet Mars due to Galactic Cosmic Rays (GCR) has been developed. Solar modulated primary particles rescaled for Mars conditions are transported within the Martian atmosphere, with temporal properties modeled with variable timescales, down to the surface, with altitude and backscattering patterns taken into account. The tool allows analysis for manned Mars landing missions, as well as planetary science studies, e.g. subsurface water and volatile inventory studies. This Mars environmental model is available through the SIREST website, a project of NASA Langley Research Center.

G De Angelis↗
NASA NTRS1994

Application of Self Nulling Eddy Current Probe Technique to the Detection of Fatigue Crack Initiation and Control of Test Procedures

A major part of fracture mechanics is concerned with studying the initiation and propagation of fatigue cracks. This typically requires constant monitoring of crack growth during fatigue cycles and the knowledge of the precise location of the crack tip at any given time. One technique currently available for measuring fatigue crack length is the Potential Drop method. The method, however, may be inaccurate if the direction of crack growth deviates considerably from what was assumed initially or the curvature of the crack becomes significant. Another popular approach is to optically view the crack using a high magnification microscope, but this entails a person constantly monitoring it. The present proposed technique uses an automated scheme, in order to eliminate the need for a person to constantly monitor the experiment. Another technique under development elsewhere is to digitize an optical image of the test specimen surface and then apply a pattern recognition algorithm to locate the crack tip. A previous publication showed that the self nulling eddy current probe successfully tracked a simulated crack in an aluminum sample. This was the impetus to develop an online real time crack monitoring system. An automated system has been developed which includes a two axis scanner mounted on the tensile testing machine, the probe and its instrumentation and a personal computer (PC) to communicate and control all the parameters. The system software controls the testing parameters as well as monitoring the fatigue crack as it propagates. This paper will discuss the experimental setup in detail and demonstrate its capabilities. A three dimensional finite element model is utilized to model the magnetic field distribution due to the probe and how the probe voltage changes as it scans the crack. Experimental data of the probe for different samples under zero load, static load and high cycle fatigue load will be discussed. The final section summarizes the major accomplishments of the present work, the elements of the future R&D needs and the advantages and disadvantages of using this system in the laboratory and field.

Namkung, M.↗
NASA NTRS1993

An Application of a New Electromagnetic Sensor to Real-Time Monitoring of Fatigue Crack Growth in Thin Metal Plates

A major part of fracture mechanics is concerned with studying the initiation and propagation of fatigue cracks. This typically requires constant monitoring of crack growth during fatigue cycles which necessitates automation of the whole process. If the rate of crack growth can be determined the experimenter can vary externally controlled parameters such as load level, load cycle frequency and so on. Hence, knowledge of the precise location of the crack tip at any given time is very valuable. One technique currently available for measuring fatigue crack length is the DC potential drop method. The method, however, may be inaccurate if the direction of crack growth deviates considerably from what was assumed initially or the curvature of the crack becomes significant. Another approach is to digitize an optical image of the test specimen surface and then apply a pattern recognition technique to locate the crack tip, but this method is still under development. The present work is an initial study on applying eddy current-type probes to monitoring fatigue crack growth. The performance of two types of electromagnetic probes, a conventional eddy current probe and a newly developed self-nulling probe, was evaluated for the detection characteristics at and near the tips of fatigue cracks. The scan results show that the latter probe provides a very well defined local maximum in its output in the crack tip region suggesting the definite possibility of precisely locating the tip, while the former provides a somewhat ambiguous distribution of the sensor output in the same region. The paper is organized as follows: We start by reviewing the design and performance characteristics of the self-nulling probe and then describe the scan results which demonstrate the basic properties of the self-nulling probe. Next, we provide a brief description of the software developed for tracing a simulated crack and give a brief discussion of the main results of the test. The final section summarizes the major accomplishments of the present work and the elements of the future R&D needs.

Namkung, M.↗
NASA NTRS2007

Larger, Lighter Space Telescopes by Implementing In-Space Manufacturing Concepts

There is a continuous demand for larger, lighter, and higher quality telescopes from both the astronomical and global surveillance communities one looking up and the other down. Enabling technologies must be developed and implemented that will allow this goal to be financially and technically feasible. The optical systems needed far high spatial resolution surveillance and astronomical applications require large optical, apertures with mention of future systems up to 150 meter in diameter. With traditional optical manufacturing technologies, large optical aperture means high mass and long fabrication lead times with associated high costs. Completely new approaches to optical fabrication must be developed to enable the fabrication of such optical systems. The cost and lead time associated with the fabrication of lightweight, high quality optical systems limits the feasible size of the optics. A primary factor in the launch cost of space optical systems is volume and mass. To minimize the mass of the high quality optics, optical fabricators implement materials with high specific stiffness and use honeycomb, or other structural minimization patterns, to support the optical surface; however, the structure must still be designed to survive launch loads. This sigmficantly adds to the fabrication difficulty and dramatically increases launch costs. One approach to minimizing launch volume and negating the need for the design to survive launch loads is to send the manufacturing facility and raw materials into space and perform the fabrication in-situ. We, are currently performing feasibility studies of initial concepts for inspace manufacturing of optical systems. By utilizing the micro-gravity and vacuum environment of space while eliminating the constraints defined by high launch forces and limited volume of the launch vehicle, the development of large, high quality glass membrane mirrors may be feasible. Several concepts were investigated to address the manufacturing of both optical surfaces and telescope structure. We will describe one of the primary approaches to utilize the space environment for optical manufacturing and describe initial results.

Mooney, James t.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Grapple fixture for use with electromagnetic attachment mechanism

An electromagnetic attachment mechanism for use as an end effector of a remote manipulator system. A pair of electromagnets 15A,15B, each with a U-shaped magnetic core with a pull-in coil 34 and two holding coils 35,36 are mounted by a spring suspension system 38,47 on a base plate 25 of the mechanism housing 30 with end pole pieces 21,22 adapted to move through openings in the base plate when the attractive force of the electromagnets is exerted on a strike plate 65 of a grapple fixture 20 affixed to a target object 14. The pole pieces are spaced by an air gap from the strike plate when the mechanism first contacts the grapple fixture. An individual control circuit and power source is provided for the pull-in coil and one holding coil of each electromagnet. A back-up control circuit connected to the two power sources and a third power source is provided for the remaining holding coils. When energized, the pull-in coils overcome the suspension system and air gap and are automatically de-energized when the pole pieces move to grapple and impose a preload force across the grapple interface. A battery back-up 89A,89B is a redundant power source for each electromagnet in each individual control circuit and is automatically connected upon failure of the primary power source. A centerline mounted camera 31 and video monitor 70 are used in cooperation with a target pattern 19 on the reflective surface 67 of the strike plate to effect targeting and alignment.

Monford, Jr., Leo G.↗