Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “data rate”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 793 records · Page 44

Solar extreme ultraviolet sensor and advanced langmuir probe

For more than two decades, the staff of the Space Physics Research Laboratory (SPRL) has collaborated with the Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) in the design and implementation of Langmuir probes (LP). This program of probe development under the direction of Larry Brace of GSFC has evolved methodically with innovations to: improve measurement precision, increase the speed of measurement, and reduce the weight, size, power consumption and data rate of the instrument. Under contract NAG5-419 these improvements were implemented and are what characterize the Advanced Langmuir Probe (ALP). Using data from the Langmuir Probe on the Pioneer Venus Orbiter, Brace and Walter Hoegy of GSFC demonstrated a novel method of monitoring the solar extreme ultraviolet (EUV) flux. This led to the idea of developing a sensor similar to a Langmuir probe specifically designed to measure solar EUV (SEUV) that uses a similar electronics package. Under this contract, a combined instrument package of the ALP and SEUV sensor was to be designed, constructed, and laboratory tested. Finally the instrument was to be flight tested as part of sounding rocket experiment to acquire the necessary data to validate this method for possible use in future earth and planetary aeronomy missions. The primary purpose of this contract was to develop the electronics hardware and software for this instrument, since the actual sensors were suppied by GSFC. Due to budget constraints, only a flight model was constructed. These electronics were tested and calibrated in the laboratory, and then the instrument was integrated into the rocket payload at Wallops Flight Facility where it underwent environmental testing. After instrument recalibration at SPRL, the payload was reintegrated and launched from the Poker Flat Research Range near Fairbanks Alaska. The payload was successfully recovered and after refurbishment underwent further testing and developing to improve its performance for future use.

Voronka, N. R.↗

Evolving Requirements for Magnetic Tape Data Storage Systems

Magnetic tape data storage systems have evolved in an environment where the major applications have been back-up/restore, disaster recovery, and long term archive. Coincident with the rapidly improving price-performance of disk storage systems, the prime requirements for tape storage systems have remained: (1) low cost per MB, (2) a data rate balanced to the remaining system components. Little emphasis was given to configuring the technology components to optimize retrieval of the stored data. Emerging new applications such as network attached high speed memory (HSM), and digital libraries, place additional emphasis and requirements on the retrieval of the stored data. It is therefore desirable to consider the system to be defined both by STorage And Retrieval System (STARS) requirements. It is possible to provide comparative performance analysis of different STARS by incorporating parameters related to (1) device characteristics, and (2) application characteristics in combination with queuing theory analysis. Results of these analyses are presented here in the form of response time as a function of system configuration for two different types of devices and for a variety of applications.

Gniewek, John J.↗

Delay-Throughput Performance of the Deep-Space Ka-band Link

In this paper, performance of a first-in, first-out (FIFO), selective retransmission scheme for the deep-space Ka-band link is presented and compared to the performance of a comparable X-band link. In this analysis, 16 months of water vapor radiometer (WVR) and advanced water vapor radiometer (AWVR) data from the three Deep Space Network (DSN) Communication Complexes (DSCC) were used to emulate weather effects on X-band and Ka-band links from Mars. Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) X-band and Ka-band telecommunications parameters were used for spacecraft telecommunications capabilities. One pass per week per complex was selected from MRO's Deep Space Network (DSN) schedule from April 1, 2006 to August 31, 2007 for a total of 207 passes (69 passes per complex) for this analysis. For each pass both X-band and Ka-band links were designed using at most two data rates so that the expected pass capacity would be maximized subject to a minimum availability requirement (MAR). In conjunction with the WVR/AWVR data, elevation profiles of the selected passes and models for the performance of the antennas in the DSN were used to emulate the performance of both links. It was assumed that the retransmission of the data takes place not on the same pass as the original transmission but during subsequent passes. The data collected before a pass was assumed to be a fraction of the expected capacity of the pass as calculated through the link design process. Infinite spacecraft storage was assumed to obtain an upper bound on the spacecraft storage requirement. The independent parameters of this analysis were MAR and the ratio of data collected before a pass to the expected pass capacity. Since the selected passes did not occur at regular intervals, the delay in this analysis was measured in terms of number of passes. The throughput was measured in terms of number of bits received successfully on the ground. The results indicate that reasonable delay performance could be achieved with very high throughput for relatively low MAR values for data collection to expected pass capacity ratio of around 97% for Ka-band. The results indicate that, except for very low average delay requirements, the Ka-band link provides more than twice the throughput of the X-band link for the same amount of power consumed by the spacecraft. In addition, the results indicate that the required storage onboard the spacecraft is not prohibitive and good performance could be achieved by using a buffer size less than three times the maximum amount of data collected before a pass.

Shambayati, Shervin↗

Delay-Throughput Performance the Deep-Space Ka-Band Link

In this paper, performance of a first-in, first-out (FIFO), selective retransmission scheme for the deep-space Ka-band link is presented and compared to the performance of a comparable X-band link. In this analysis, 16 months of water vapor radiometer (WVR) and advanced water vapor radiometer (AWVR) data from the three Deep Space Network (DSN) Communication Complexes (DSCC) were used to emulate weather effects on X-band and Ka-band links from Mars. Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) X-band and Ka-band telecommunications parameters were used for spacecraft telecommunications capabilities. One pass per week per complex was selected from MRO's Deep Space Network (DSN) schedule from April 1, 2006 to August 31, 2007 for a total of 207 passes (69 passes per complex) for this analysis. For each pass both X-band and Ka-band links were designed using at most two data rates so that the expected pass capacity would be maximized subject to a minimum availability requirement (MAR). In conjunction with the WVR/AWVR data, elevation profiles of the selected passes and models for the performance of the antennas in the DSN were used to emulate the performance of both links. It was assumed that the retransmission of the data takes place not on the same pass as the original transmission but during subsequent passes. The data collected before a pass was assumed to be a fraction of the expected capacity of the pass as calculated through the link design process. Infinite spacecraft storage was assumed to obtain an upper bound on the spacecraft storage requirement. The independent parameters of this analysis were MAR and the ratio of data collected before a pass to the expected pass capacity. Since the selected passes did not occur at regular intervals, the delay in this analysis was measured in terms of number of passes. The throughput was measured in terms of number of bits received successfully on the ground. The results indicate that reasonable delay performance could be achieved with very high throughput for relatively low MAR values for data collection to expected pass capacity ratio of around 97% for Ka-band. The results indicate that, except for very low average delay requirements, the Ka-band link provides more than twice the throughput of the X-band link for the same amount of power consumed by the spacecraft. In addition, the results indicate that the required storage onboard the spacecraft is not prohibitive and good performance could be achieved by using a buffer size less than three times the maximum amount of data collected before a pass.

Shambayati, Shervin↗

Link Adaptation for Mitigating Earth-To-Space Propagation Effects on the NASA SCaN Testbed

In Earth-to-Space communications, well-known propagation effects such as path loss and atmospheric loss can lead to fluctuations in the strength of the communications link between a satellite and its ground station. Additionally, the typically unconsidered effect of shadowing due to the geometry of the satellite and its solar panels can also lead to link degradation. As a result of these anticipated channel impairments, NASA's communication links have been traditionally designed to handle the worst-case impact of these effects through high link margins and static, lower rate, modulation formats. The work presented in this paper aims to relax these constraints by providing an improved trade-off between data rate and link margin through utilizing link adaptation. More specifically, this work provides a simulation study on the propagation effects impacting NASA's SCaN Testbed flight software-defined radio (SDR) as well as proposes a link adaptation algorithm that varies the modulation format of a communications link as its signal-to-noise ratio fluctuates. Ultimately, the models developed in this work will be utilized to conduct real-time flight experiments on-board the NASA SCaN Testbed.

software defined radio↗

Corrosion fatigue crack propagation in metals

This review assesses fracture mechanics data and mechanistic models for corrosion fatigue crack propagation in structural alloys exposed to ambient temperature gases and electrolytes. Extensive stress intensity-crack growth rate data exist for ferrous, aluminum and nickel based alloys in a variety of environments. Interactive variables (viz., stress intensity range, mean stress, alloy composition and microstructure, loading frequency, temperature, gas pressure and electrode potential) strongly affect crack growth kinetics and complicate fatigue control. Mechanistic models to predict crack growth rates were formulated by coupling crack tip mechanics with occluded crack chemistry, and from both the hydrogen embrittlement and anodic dissolution/film rupture perspectives. Research is required to better define: (1) environmental effects near threshold and on crack closure; (2) damage tolerant life prediction codes and the validity of similitude; (3) the behavior of microcrack; (4) probes and improved models of crack tip damage; and (5) the cracking performance of advanced alloys and composites.

Gangloff, Richard P.↗

A rate-transparent, self-clocking line code

A reliable and economical new transmission code is presented with the following properties: zero dc content, baseband bandwidth conservation, self-clocking capability, and data-rate-transparent decoding and synchronization. Simple encoder/decoder and clock extractor circuits are given. The code is demonstrated in a wavelength-multiplexed fiber-optic communication system.

Prucnal, Paul R.↗

Efficient transfer of weather information to the pilot in flight

Efficient methods for providing weather information to the pilot in flight are summarized. Use of discrete communications channels in the aeronautical, VHF band or subcarriers in the VOR navigation band are considered the best possibilities. Data rates can be provided such that inputs to the ground based transmitters from 2400 band telephone lines are easily accommodated together with additional data. The crucial weather data considered for uplinking are identified as radar reflectivity patterns relating to precipitation, spherics data, hourly sequences, nowcasts, forecasts, cloud top heights with freezing and icing conditions, the critical weather map and satellite maps. NEXRAD, the ground based, Doppler weather radar which will produce an improved weather product also encourages use of an uplink to fully utilize its capability to improve air safety.

Mcfarland, R. H.↗

Microcomputer control of infrared detector arrays

A microcomputer-based data-acquisition system has been developed for astronomical observing with two-dimensional infrared detector arrays. The hardware used is a 16-bit, 8086/8087 based system operating at 8 MHz. Data rates of up to 454,000 pixels per second are supported. The hardware is operated using interactive software which supports several modes of data acquisition.

Rossano, G. S.↗

Compression of high spectral resolution imagery

The Earth Orbiting Satellite (EOS), scheduled for launch in the mid-1990s, will include a next-generation multispectral imaging system (HIRIS) having unprecedented spatial and spectral resolution. Its high resolution, however, comes at the cost of a raw data rate which exceeds the communication channel capacity assigned to the entire EOS mission. This paper explores noisy compression algorithms which may compress multispectral data by up to 30:1 or more. Algorithm performance is measured using both traditional and mission-oriented criteria (e.g., feature classification consistency). It is shown that vector quantization, merged with suitable preprocessing techniques, is the most viable candidate.

Baker, Richard L.↗

Lightning Imaging Sensor (LIS) for the Earth Observing System

Not only are scientific objectives and instrument characteristics given of a calibrated optical LIS for the EOS but also for the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) which was designed to acquire and study the distribution and variability of total lightning on a global basis. The LIS can be traced to a lightning mapper sensor planned for flight on the GOES meteorological satellites. The LIS consists of a staring imager optimized to detect and locate lightning. The LIS will detect and locate lightning with storm scale resolution (i.e., 5 to 10 km) over a large region of the Earth's surface along the orbital track of the satellite, mark the time of occurrence of the lightning, and measure the radiant energy. The LIS will have a nearly uniform 90 pct. detection efficiency within the area viewed by the sensor, and will detect intracloud and cloud-to-ground discharges during day and night conditions. Also, the LIS will monitor individual storms and storm systems long enough to obtain a measure of the lightning flashing rate when they are within the field of view of the LIS. The LIS attributes include low cost, low weight and power, low data rate, and important science. The LIS will study the hydrological cycle, general circulation and sea surface temperature variations, along with examinations of the electrical coupling of thunderstorms with the ionosphere and magnetosphere, and observations and modeling of the global electric circuit.

Christian, Hugh J.↗

Mission operations concepts for Earth Observing System (EOS)

Mission operation concepts are described which are being used to evaluate and influence space and ground system designs and architectures with the goal of achieving successful, efficient, and cost-effective Earth Observing System (EOS) operations. Emphasis is given to the general characteristics and concepts developed for the EOS Space Measurement System, which uses a new series of polar-orbiting observatories. Data rates are given for various instruments. Some of the operations concepts which require a total system view are also examined, including command operations, data processing, data accountability, data archival, prelaunch testing and readiness, launch, performance monitoring and assessment, contingency operations, flight software maintenance, and security.

Kelly, Angelita C.↗

Monolithic Optical-To-Electronic Receiver

Monolithic optoelectronic integrated circuit converts multiplexed digital optical signals into electrical signals, separates, and distributes them to intended destinations. Developed to deliver phase and amplitude commands to monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMIC's) at elements of millimeter-wave phased-array antenna from single optical fiber driven by external array controller. Also used in distribution of high-data-rate optical communications in local-area networks (LAN's). Notable features include options for optical or electrical clock inputs; outputs for raw data, addresses, and instructions for diagnosis; and optical-signal-detection circuit used to reduce power consumption by 80 percent between data-transmission times. Chip fabricated by processes available at many major semiconductor foundries. Distribution of digital signals in aircraft, automobiles, and ships potential application.

Kunath, Richard↗

Development of the Monolith Froth Reactor for Catalytic Wet Oxidation of CELSS Model Wastes

The aqueous phase oxidation of acetic acid, used as a model compound for the treatment of CELSS (Controlled Ecological Life Support System) waste, was carried out in the monolith froth reactor which utilizes two-phase flow in the monolith channels. The catalytic oxidation of acetic acid was carried out over a Pt/Al2O3 catalyst at temperatures and pressures below the critical point of water. The effect of externally controllable parameters (temperature, liquid flow rate, distributor plate orifice size, pitch, and catalyst distance from the distributor plate) on the rate of acetic acid oxidation was investigated. Results indicate reaction rate increased with increasing temperature and exhibited a maximum with respect to liquid flow rate. The apparent activation energy calculated from reaction rate data was 99.7 kJ/mol. This value is similar to values reported for the oxidation of acetic acid in other systems and is comparable to intrinsic values calculated for oxidation reactions. The kinetic data were modeled using simple power law kinetics. The effect of "froth" feed system characteristics was also investigated. Results indicate that the reaction rate exhibits a maximum with respect to distributor plate orifice size, pitch, and catalyst distance from the distributor plate. Fundamental results obtained were used to extrapolate where the complete removal of acetic acid would be obtained and for the design and operation of a full scale CELSS treatment system.

Fisher, John W.↗

Development of the Monolith Froth Reactor for Catalytic Wet Oxidation of CELSS Model Wastes

The aqueous phase oxidation of acetic acid, used as a model compound for the treatment of CELSS (Controlled Ecological Life Support System) waste, was carried out in the monolith froth reactor which utilizes two-phase flow in the monolith channels. The catalytic oxidation of acetic acid was carried out over a Pt/Al2O3 catalyst, prepared at The University of Tulsa, at temperatures and pressures below the critical point of water. The effect of externally controllable parameters (temperature, liquid flow rate, distributor plate orifice size, pitch, and catalyst distance from the distributor plate) on the rate of acetic acid oxidation was investigated. Results indicate reaction rate increased with increasing temperature and exhibited a maximum with respect to liquid flow rate. The apparent activation energy calculated from reaction rate data was 99.7 kJ/mol. This value is similar to values reported for the oxidation of acetic acid in other systems and is comparable to intrinsic values calculated for oxidation reactions. The kinetic data were modeled using simple power law kinetics. The effect of "froth" feed system characteristics was also investigated. Results indicate that the reaction rate exhibits a maximum with respect to distributor plate orifice size, pitch, and catalyst distance from the distributor plate. Fundamental results obtained were used to extrapolate where the complete removal of acetic acid would be obtained and for the design and operation of a full scale CELSS treatment system.

Abraham, Martin↗

CDDIS Support of IGS LEO Activities

The Crustal Dynamics Data Information System (CDDIS) has served as a global data center for the International GPS Service (IGS) since its start in June 1992, providing on-line access to data from over 175 sites on a daily and hourly basis. This paper will present an overview about the current status of the CDDIS GPS data and products archive with a look to the future support of LEO (Low Earth Orbiting missions), including the archive of high-rate data and on-board GPS receiver data.

Noll, Carey E.↗

MARIE Dose and Flux Measurements in Mars Orbit

We present results from the Martian Radiation Environment Experiment (MARIE), aboard the 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft in orbit around Mars. MARIE operated successfully from March 2002 through October 2003. At the time of this writing, the instrument is off due to a loss of communications during an extremely intense Solar Particle Event. Efforts to revive MARIE are planned for Spring 2004, when Odyssey's role as a communications relay for the MER rovers is completed. During the period of successful operation, MARIE returned the first detailed energetic charged particle data from Mars. Due to limitations of the instrument, normalizing MARIE data to flux or dose is not straightforward - several large corrections are needed. Thus normalized results (like dose or flux) have large uncertainties and/or significant model-dependence. The problems in normalization are mainly due to inefficiency in detecting high-energy protons (signal-to-noise problems force the trigger threshold to be higher than optimal), to the excessively high gains employed in the signal processing electronics (many ions deposit energy sufficient to saturate the electronics, and dE/dx information is lost), and to artifacts associated with the two trigger detectors (incomplete registration of dE/dx). Despite these problems, MARIE is efficient for detecting helium ions with kinetic energies above about 30 MeV/nucleon, and for detecting high-energy ions (energies above about 400 MeV/nucleon) with charges from 5 to 10. Fluxes of these heavier ions can be compared to fluxes obtained from the ACE/CRIS instrument, providing at least one area of direct comparison between data obtained at Earth and at Mars; this analysis will be presented as a work in progress. We will also present dose-rate data, with a detailed explanation of the many sources of uncertainty in normalization. The results for both flux and dose will be compared to predictions of the HZETRN model of the GCR.

Zeitlin, C.↗

The Transition-Edge-Sensor Array for the Micro-X Sounding Rocket

The Micro-X sounding rocket program will fly a 128-element array of transition-edge-sensor microcalorimeters to enable high-resolution X-ray imaging spectroscopy of the Puppis-A supernova remnant. To match the angular resolution of the optics while maximizing the field-of-view and retaining a high energy resolution (< 4 eV at 1 keV), we have designed the pixels using 600 x 600 sq. micron Au/Bi absorbers, which overhang 140 x 140 sq. micron Mo/Au sensors. The data-rate capabilities of the rocket telemetry system require the pulse decay to be approximately 2 ms to allow a significant portion of the data to be telemetered during flight. Here we report experimental results from the flight array, including measurements of energy resolution, uniformity, and absorber thermalization. In addition, we present studies of test devices that have a variety of absorber contact geometries, as well as a variety of membrane-perforation schemes designed to slow the pulse decay time to match the telemetry requirements. Finally, we describe the reduction in pixel-to-pixel crosstalk afforded by an angle-evaporated Cu backside heatsinking layer, which provides Cu coverage on the four sidewalls of the silicon wells beneath each pixel.

Eckart, M. E.↗