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At least 91 records · Page 5

Survey of Advanced Booster Options for Potential Shuttle Derivative Vehicles

A never-ending major goal for the Space Shuttle program is to continually improve flight safety, as long as this launch system remains in operational service. One of the options to improve system safety and to enhance vehicle performance as well, that has been seriously studied over the past several decades, is to replace the existing strap-on four segment solid rocket boosters (SRB's) with more capable units. A number of booster upgrade options have been studied in some detail, ranging from five segment solids through hybrids and a wide variety of liquid strap-ons (both pressure and pump fed with various propellants); all the way to a completely reusable liquid fly back booster (complete with air breathing engines for controlled landing and return). All of these possibilities appear to offer improvements in varying degrees; and each has their strengths and weaknesses from both programmatic and technical points of view. The most beneficial booster upgrade/design, if the shuttle program were to continue long enough to justify the required investment, would be an approach that greatly increased both vehicle and crew safety. This would be accomplished by increasing the minimum range/minimum altitude envelope that would readily allow abort to orbit (ATO), possibly even to zero/zero, and possibly reduce or eliminate the Return to Launch Site (RTLS) and even the Trans Atlantic Landing (TAL) abort mode requirements. This paper will briefly survey and discuss all of the various booster'upgrade options studied previously, and compare their relative attributes. The survey will explicitly discuss, in summary comparative form, options that include: five segment solids; several hybrid possibilities; pressure and/or pump-fed liquids using either LO2/kerosene, H2O/kerosene and LO2/J2, any of which could be either fully expendable, partly or fully reusable; and finally a fully reusable liquid fly back booster system, with a number of propellant and propulsion system options. Performance and configuration comparison illustrations and tables will be included to provide a comprehensive survey for the paper.

Sackheim, Robert L.↗

Space Shuttle Main Engine Implications for the Abort-to-Orbit Off-the-Pad Study

In 2001, the Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) project office was contacted by the Space Shuttle Ascent Guidance, Navigation, and Control group to provide the engine perspective for an Abort-to-Orbit (ATO) study. The purpose of the AT0 Off-the-Pad study was to determine the feasibility of eliminating the Return to Launch Site and Transatlantic abort modes by using a five-segment solid rocket booster and throttling the remaining SSMEs to a higher power level. This would enable all abort modes to be Abort-to-Orbit. The SSME project office at Marshall Space Flight Center collaborated with MSFC's Space Transportation Directorate and Rocketdyne Propulsion and Power to provide the AT0 Off-the-Pad study with the analysis required. Power levels at 109%, 1 11% and 1 13% of rated power level were studied as well as mixture ratio decreases down to 5.85. SSME was to evaluate and define the technical and programmatic impacts to certify the SSME to these abort power levels. The SSME systems analysis group performed a steady state analysis using the SSME power balance model to determine if there were any technical issues associated with higher power level, low mixture ratio operation. Based on each power level/mixture ratio combination, an engine certification plan was created and a preliminary probabilistic risk assessment was performed. The results showed favorable results for higher power 1evel/lower mixture ratio SSME operation. In nearly all performance and redline parameters, the traded engine operation was encompassed by nominal engine performance of a prior engine configuration.

Schoffstoll, Dayna L.↗

NASA capabilities roadmap: advanced telescopes and observatories

The NASA Advanced Telescopes and Observatories (ATO) Capability Roadmap addresses technologies necessary for NASA to enable future space telescopes and observatories collecting all electromagnetic bands, ranging from x-rays to millimeter waves, and including gravity-waves. It has derived capability priorities from current and developing Space Missions Directorate (SMD) strategic roadmaps and, where appropriate, has ensured their consistency with other NASA Strategic and Capability Roadmaps. Technology topics include optics; wavefront sensing and control and interferometry; distributed and advanced spacecraft systems; cryogenic and thermal control systems; large precision structure for observatories; and the infrastructure essential to future space telescopes and observatories.

Feinberg, Lee D.↗

Summary of NASA Advanced Telescope and Observatory Capability Roadmap

The NASA Advanced Telescope and Observatory (ATO) Capability Roadmap addresses technologies necessary for NASA to enable future space telescopes and observatories operating in all electromagnetic bands, from x-rays to millimeter waves, and including gravity-waves. It lists capability priorities derived from current and developing Space Missions Directorate (SMD) strategic roadmaps. Technology topics include optics; wavefront sensing and control and interferometry; distributed and advanced spacecraft systems; cryogenic and thermal control systems; large precision structure for observatories; and the infrastructure essential to future space telescopes and observatories.

Stahl, H. Phil↗

Mirror Technology Roadmap for Optical/IR/FIR Space Telescopes

The Optics sub-committee of the Advanced Telescope and Observatory {ATO) Capability Roadmap developed an optics capability roadmap to enable planned future space telescopes. The roadmap details 4 basic technologies: cryogenic optics for IR and Far-IR missions; precision optics for optical, UV and EUV missions; grazing incidence optics for x-ray missions; and novel optics with revolutionary capabilities.

Stahl, H. Phil↗

Discovering the Regulatory Considerations of the Federal Aviation Administration: Interviewing the Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee

Maintenance Resource Management (MRM) training for aviation mechanics has become mandatory in many industrialized countries since 1998. Yet, to date, MRM training remains optional in the U.S. Interestingly, a similar safety discipline, namely Crew/Cockpit Resource Management (CRM), is mandatory for pilots, flight engineers, flight attendants, and dispatchers and is regulated in the Federal Aviation Administration s (FAA) Federal Aviation Regulations (FARs). If MRM training is important to enhance aviation technicians working behavior, the rationale to not regulate it opens a window for study. This research aims to inductively investigate the FAA s regulatory rationale concerning MRM training based on direct inputs from the FAA s Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee (ARAC) members. Delphi methodology associated with purposive sampling technique was adopted. The result revealed that the FAA cannot regulate MRM because the aviation industry is strongly opposed to it due to the lack of training budgets, the need of a quantifiable cost-effect analysis, concern over the FAA s inspection workforce, an ongoing voluntary alternative called the Air Transportation Surveillance System (ATOS), the government s lower priority on maintenance after 9/11, and the airlines tight embracement of operational flexibility without regulation.

Lu, Chien-tsung↗

Summary of NASA Advanced Telescope and Observatory Capability Roadmap

The NASA Advanced Telescope and Observatory (ATO) Capability Roadmap addresses technologies necessary for NASA to enable future space telescopes and observatories operating in all electromagnetic bands, from x-rays to millimeter waves, and including gravity-waves. It lists capability priorities derived from current and developing Space Missions Directorate (SMD) strategic roadmaps. Technology topics include optics; wavefront sensing and control and interferometry; distributed and advanced spacecraft systems; cryogenic and thermal control systems; large precision structure for observatories; and the infrastructure essential to future space telescopes and observatories.

Stahl, H. Philip↗

Implementation of Integrated System Fault Management Capability

Fault Management to support rocket engine test mission with highly reliable and accurate measurements; while improving availability and lifecycle costs. CORE ELEMENTS: Architecture, taxonomy, and ontology (ATO) for DIaK management. Intelligent Sensor Processes; Intelligent Element Processes; Intelligent Controllers; Intelligent Subsystem Processes; Intelligent System Processes; Intelligent Component Processes.

Figueroa, Fernando↗

4D Dynamic RNP Annual Interim Report-Year 1

This Annual Interim Report summarizes the activities led by Raytheon, in collaboration with GE Aviation and SAIC, and presents the results obtained during the first year of this research effort to expand the RNP concept to 4 dimensions relative to a dynamic frame of reference. Joint Program Development Office (JPDO)Concepts of Operations for the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) considers 4 Dimension Trajectory (4DT) procedures a key enabler to Trajectory Based Operations (TBO). The JPDO defines 4DT as a precise description of an aircraft path in space and time . While NextGen assumes that this path is defined within an Earth-reference frame, many 4DT procedure implementations will require an aircraft to precisely navigate relative to a moving reference such as another aircraft to form aggregate flows or a weather cell to allow for flows to shift. Current methods of implementing routes and flight paths rely on aircraft meeting a Required Navigation Performance (RNP) specification and being equipped with a monitoring and alerting capability to annunciate when the aircraft system is unable to meet the performance specification required for the operation. Since all aircraft today operate within the NAS relative to fixed reference points, the current RNP definition is deemed satisfactory. However, it is not well understood how the current RNP construct will support NextGen 4DT procedures where aircraft operate relative to each other or to other dynamic frames of reference. The objective of this research effort is to analyze candidate 4DT procedures from both an Air Navigation Service Provider (ANSP) and aircraft perspective, to identify their specific navigational requirements, assess the shortcomings of the current RNP construct to meet these requirements, to propose an extended 4 Dimensional Dynamic RNP (4D Dynamic RNP) construct that accounts for the dynamic spatial and temporal nature of the selected 4DT procedures, and finally, to design an experiment using the Airspace and Traffic Operations Simulation (ATOS) system to validate the 4D Dynamic RNP construct. This Annual Interim Report summarizes the activities led by Raytheon, in collaboration with GE Aviation and SAIC, and presents the results obtained during the first year of this research effort to expand the RNP concept to 4 dimensions relative to a dynamic frame of reference. A comprehensive assessment of the state-of-the-art international implementation of current RNP was completed and presented in the Contractor Report RNP State-of-the-Art Assessment, Version 4, 17 December 2008 . The team defined in detail two 4DT operations, Airborne Precision Spacing and Self-Separation, that are ideally suited to be supported by 4D Dynamic RNP and developed their respective conceptual frameworks, Required Interval Management Performance (RIMP) Version 1.1, 13 April 2009 and Required Self Separation Performance (RSSP) Version 1.1, 13 April 2009 . Finally, the team started the development of a mathematical model and simulation tool for RIMP and RSSP scheduled to be delivered during the second year of this research effort.

Finkelsztein, Daniel M.↗

Shuttle Abort Flight Management (SAFM) - Application Overview

One of the most demanding tasks that must be performed by the Space Shuttle flight crew is the process of determining whether, when and where to abort the vehicle should engine or system failures occur during ascent or entry. Current Shuttle abort procedures involve paging through complicated paper checklists to decide on the type of abort and where to abort. Additional checklists then lead the crew through a series of actions to execute the desired abort. This process is even more difficult and time consuming in the absence of ground communications since the ground flight controllers have the analysis tools and information that is currently not available in the Shuttle cockpit. Crew workload specifically abort procedures will be greatly simplified with the implementation of the Space Shuttle Cockpit Avionics Upgrade (CAU) project. The intent of CAU is to maximize crew situational awareness and reduce flight workload thru enhanced controls and displays, and onboard abort assessment and determination capability. SAFM was developed to help satisfy the CAU objectives by providing the crew with dynamic information about the capability of the vehicle to perform a variety of abort options during ascent and entry. This paper- presents an overview of the SAFM application. As shown in Figure 1, SAFM processes the vehicle navigation state and other guidance information to provide the CAU displays with evaluations of abort options, as well as landing site recommendations. This is accomplished by three main SAFM components: the Sequencer Executive, the Powered Flight Function, and the Glided Flight Function, The Sequencer Executive dispatches the Powered and Glided Flight Functions to evaluate the vehicle's capability to execute the current mission (or current abort), as well as more than IS hypothetical abort options or scenarios. Scenarios are sequenced and evaluated throughout powered and glided flight. Abort scenarios evaluated include Abort to Orbit (ATO), Transatlantic Abort Landing (TAL), East Coast Abort Landing (ECAL) and Return to Launch Site (RTLS). Sequential and simultaneous engine failures are assessed and landing footprint information is provided during actual entry scenarios as well as hypothetical "loss of thrust now" scenarios during ascent.

Hu, Howard↗

Smectites on Cape York, Matijevic Hill, Mars, Observed and Characterized by Crism and Opportunity

Opportunity has conducted an extensive "walk-about" and set of in-situ measurements on strata exposed on the inboard side of Cape York, a segment of the dissected rim of the Noachian-age approx.22 km wide Endeavour crater [1] (Fig. 1). The specific region for the observations (Matijevic Hill) was chosen based on along track oversampled (ATO) CRISM hyperspectral observations (processed to 5 m/pixel) that showed the presence of exposures of Fe/Mg smectite phyllosilicates. We describe the first ground-based observations of phyllosilicates on Mars and discuss implications based on the combined CRISM and Opportunity measurements.

Arvidson, R.↗

Nondestructive Testing As a Tool in the Space Shuttle Columbia Accident Investigation

Nondestructive testing (NDT) played a crucial role in determining the Columbia tragedy's cause. Over 84,000 pieces of debris were recovered; hundreds were subsequently subjected to NDT and materials analysis. Visual NDT of the debris revealed localized areas of damage such as erosion, excessive heating, knife edging and mechanical damage. Three-dimensional reconstructions were made of the left wing leading edge, utilizing a tripod-mounted laser scanning head and focused laser beam, and an advanced topometric optical scanner (ATOS) with digital white light to scan complex-shaped debris, producing monochrome 3-D models. Texture mapping provided a means to capture true colors of the debris and superimpose them on the scanned images. Uniform deposits were found over large portions of debris, obscuring underlying materials. To determine what was beneath, inverse radiography was enlisted. The radiographs guided investigators to where samples should be taken. To ascertain compositions, these samples were subjected to analytical testing, including energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and electron microprobe analysis. This combination of visual evidence, radiography, virtual reconstruction, and materials analysis allowed the forensic scientists to verify that a breach occurred in the leading edge of the left wing, the path the plasma followed, and the sequence of events that led to the loss.

McDanels, Steve↗

Evaluation of Spectral Band Adjustment Factors for Cross-Calibration of Visible Imagers

The CERES EBAF dataset provides TOA SW and LW fluxes for long-term monitoring of the Earth’s energy balance and to validate climate models. The EBAF products, based on the Terra and Aqua CERES instrument observed radiances, rely on coincident measurements from the onboard MODIS imagers to determine cloud properties that are used in the angular distribution model scene selection required to convert the CERES observed radiances into flux values. Once the Terra and Aqua orbits start drifting outside of their 15-minute window, the CERES project will rely solely on the NOAA-20 CERES observations. A seamless transition of fluxes and clouds can only occur if the analogous MODIS and VIIRS channels are properly inter-calibrated. The visible band (0.65 µm) in MODIS (band 1) and VIIRS (M5 or I1) is critical for retrieving the cloud mask and optical depth. The spectral response functions (SRF) of these bands differ noticeably and will require scene dependent spectral band adjustment factors (SBAF) for proper radiometric scaling between them. Fortunately, the VIIRS I1 and M5 bands are calibrated using the same solar diffuser as a reference, which implies that band reflectance differences must be due to the spectral disparity. The coincident I1 and M5 TOA reflectance measurements provide the optimal opportunity to validate SBAFs over many surface and cloud conditions. The CERES project maintains SCIAMACHY, GOME-2, Hyperion, and radiative transfer model-based scene-stratified hyper-spectral reflectance measurements that can be convolved with sensor pair SRFs to compute the corresponding SBAF. This study will evaluate the SCIAMACHY, GOME-2, Hyperion, and RTM based SBAFs over tropical ocean targets used in SNO inter-calibration of MODIS and VIIRS, including clear-sky ocean, deep convective clouds (DCC), and liquid cloud targets in terms of their applicability to absolute intercomparison of visible imagers. The large SCIAMACHY and GOME-2 footprints and the lack of Hyperion cloudy scenes will impact the resulting SBAFs and necessitates the need for future CLARREO hyper-spectral reflectances to decrease SBAF uncertainties Preliminary results indicate that the SCIAMACHY and GOME-2 based SBAFs for the VIIRS I1 and M5 band pairs may differ by 1.5% for some ATO scene types. Because most of the modern GEOs visible band SRFs encompass the VIIRS I1 band SRF, these evaluations are critical to ensure that the MODIS, VIIRS, and GEO clouds and fluxes are consistent. SBAFs for Libya-4, Dome-C and other Earth invariant target will also be evaluated.

D. R. Doelling↗

Evaluation of Spectral Band Adjustment Factors for Cross-Calibration of Visible Imagers

The NASA CERES EBAF dataset provides TOA SW and LW fluxes for long-term monitoring of the Earth’s energy balance and to validate climate models. The EBAF products, based on the Terra, Aqua, and NOAA20 CERES instrument observed radiances, rely on coincident measurements from the onboard MODIS or VIIRS imagers to determine cloud properties used for angular distribution model scene selection, which is required to convert the CERES observed radiances into flux values. Furthermore, CERES utilizes geostationary imager (GEO) hourly fluxes and clouds to infer the regional averaged daily flux in the SYN1deg product. A seamless transition of fluxes and clouds can only occur if the analogous MODIS, VIIRS, and GEO channels are properly inter-calibrated. The analogous band SRFs differ noticeably and require scene dependent spectral band adjustment factors (SBAF) for proper radiometric scaling between them. Given their disparate but overlapping SRFs, the coincident VIIRS I1 and M5 band TOA reflectance measurements provide the optimal opportunity to validate SBAFs over many surface and cloud conditions. The CERES project maintains SCIAMACHY, GOME-2, and Hyperion scene-stratified hyper-spectral reflectance measurements that can be convolved with sensor pair SRFs to compute the corresponding SBAF. This study highlights the SCIAMACHY, GOME-2, and Hyperion based SBAFs for different MODIS, VIIRS, and GEO inter-calibration targets, including all-sky tropical ocean (ATO), Libya-4, Dome-C, and deep convective clouds. To mitigate the observed sensor radiance fluctuations due to atmospheric absorption and aerosol variations, the Earth target observed radiances are correlated with multiple atmospheric parameters, such as precipitable water and ozone. The remaining M5 and I1 mean spectral band radiance difference should be resolved by the SBAF correction. The formulation of hyper-spectral sensor based SBAFs and validation methods can be verified in future utilizing high-accuracy, SI-traceable hyper-spectral measurements from CLARREO Pathfinder.

David R Doelling↗

Albany v. 3.0

The Albany code is a general-purpose finite element code for solving partial differential equations (PDEs). Albany is a research code that demonstrates how a PDE code can be built by interfacing many of the open-source software libraries that are released under Sandia's Trilinos project. Part of the mission of Albany is to be a testbed for new Trilinos libraries, to refine their methods, usability, and interfaces. Albany includes hooks to optimization and uncertainty quantification algorithms, including those in Trilinos as well as those in the Dakota toolkit. Because of this, Albany is a desirable starting point for new code development efforts that wish to make heavy use of Trilinos. Albany is both a framework and the host for specific finite element applications. These applications have project names, and can be controlled by configuration option when the code is compiled, but are all developed and released as part of the single Albany code base, These include LCM, QCAD, FELIX, Aeras, and ATO applications.

Salinger, Andrew↗

Distorted antibody repertoire developed in the absence of pre-B cell receptor formation

Highlights: • Leaky B cells in SLC-deficient mice circumvent the pre-BCR checkpoint. • Antibody repertoires differing in VDJ-usage exist in leaky B cells in λ5{sup −}/{sup −} mice. • Leaky B cells do not originate from B1 or particular B2 cells. • The CDR-H3 middle loop in λ5{sup −}/{sup −} bone marrow B cells is enriched in arginines. The pre-B cell receptor (pre-BCR), consisting of the μ heavy chain (μHC) and the surrogate light chain (SLC, Vpre-B and λ5), plays important roles during B cell development. The formation of the pre-BCR, which enables the nascent immunoglobulin HC to associate with the SLC, is considered a prerequisite for B cell development. However, a significant number of peripheral mature (leaky) B cells exist in SLC-deficient mice. These leaky B cells develop in the absence of pre-BCR and do not undergo the pre-BCR checkpoint. The antibody repertoires of leaky B cells thus reflect the absence of pre-BCR function. To investigate how the absence of the pre-BCR is circumvented by these leaky-B cells and examine the effect of the pre-BCR checkpoint on the antibody system, we analyzed the antibody repertoires of λ5-deficient (λ5{sup −/−}) mice using next-generation sequencing. In λ5{sup −/−} mice, spleen B cells displayed different patterns of VDJ-usage, relative to those in wild-type (WT) mice. Moreover, leaky B cells were neither derived from unusual B2 cells, characterized by particular LC gene rearrangements in the absence of pre-BCR signaling, nor from B1 cells, originating from different B cell progenitors. Analysis of the CDR-H3 amino acid sequences of μ-chain repertoires revealed that certain bone marrow B cells with particular CDR-H3 profiles undergo clonal expansion in λ5{sup −/−} mice. Part of these CDR-H3s contain arginine(s) in the middle of the CDR-H3 loop in λ5{sup −/−} mice, whereas few arginine(s) exist in this middle loop in WT CDR-H3s in the absence of clonal expansion. This CDR-H3 feature in λ5{sup −/−} mice presumably reflects the role of the pre-BCR in autoantibody regulation, since arginine(s) are often found in the antigen-binding site of autoantibodies. Here, we present a unique viewpoint on the role of pre-BCR, by assessing the whole antibody repertoire formed in SLC-deficient mice.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Associations between pesticide use and respiratory symptoms: A cross-sectional study in Southern Ghana

Background: Indiscriminate use of pesticides is a common practice amongst farmers in Low and Middle Income Countries (LMIC) across the globe. However, there is little evidence defining whether pesticide use is associated with respiratory symptoms. Objectives: This cross-sectional study was conducted with 300 vegetable farmers in southern Ghana (Akumadan). Data on pesticide use was collected with an interviewed-administered questionnaire. The concentration of seven organochlorine pesticides and 3 pyrethroid pesticides was assayed in urine collected from a sub-population of 100 vegetable farmers by a gas chromatograph equipped with an electron capture detector (GC-ECD). Results: A statistically significant exposure-response relationship of years per day spent mixing/applying fumigant with wheezing [30–60 days/year: prevalence ratio (PR)=1.80 (95% CI 1.30, 2.50); >60days/year: 3.25 (1.70–6.33), p for trend=0.003] and hours per day spent mixing/applying fumigant with wheezing [1–2 h/day: 1.20 (1.02–1.41), 3–5 h/day: 1.45 (1.05–1.99), >5 h/day: 1.74 (1.07–2.81), p for trend=0.0225]; days per year spent mixing/applying fungicide with wheezing [30–60 days/year: 2.04 (1.31–3.17); >60days/year: 4.16 (1.72–10.08), p for trend=0.0017] and h per day spent mixing/applying fungicide with phlegm production [1–2 h/day: 1.25 (1.05–1.47), 3–5 h/day: 1.55 (1.11–2.17), >5 h/day: 1.93 (1.17–3.19), p for trend=0.0028] and with wheezing [1–2 h/day: 1.10 (1.00–1.50), 3–5 h/day: 1.20 (1.11–1.72), >5 h/day: 1.32 (1.09–2.53), p for trend=0.0088]; h per day spent mixing/applying insecticide with phlegm production [1–2 h/day: 1.23 (1.09–1.62), 3–5 h/day: 1.51 (1.20–2.58), >5 h/day: 1.85 (1.31–4.15), p for trend=0.0387] and wheezing [1–2 h/day: 1.22 (1.02–1.46), 3–5 h/day: 1.49 (1.04–2.12), >5 h/day: 1.81 (1.07–3.08), p for trend=0.0185] were observed. Statistically significant exposure-response association was also observed for a combination of activities that exposes farmers to pesticide with all 3 respiratory symptoms. Furthermore, significant exposure-response associations for 3 organochlorine insecticides: beta-HCH, heptachlor and endosulfan sulfate were noted. Conclusions: In conclusion, vegetable farmers in Ghana may be at increased risk for respiratory symptoms as a result of exposure to pesticides. - Highlights: • Indiscriminate use of pesticides is common amongst farmers in Low and Middle Income Countries. • We examined associations between pesticide use and respiratory symptoms. • The concentration of organochlorine and pyrethroid pesticides was assayed in urine. • Significant exposure-response associations for beta-HCH, heptachlor and endosulfan sulfate were noted.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗