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Thermodynamic properties of oxygen and nitrogen III

The final equation for nitrogen was determined. In the work on the equation of state for nitrogen, coefficients were determined by constraining the critical point to selected critical point parameters. Comparisons of this equation with all the P-density-T data were made, as well as comparisons to all other thermodynamic data reported in the literature. The extrapolation of the equation of state was studied for vapor to higher temperatures and lower temperatures, and for the liquid surface to the saturated liquid and the fusion lines. A new vapor pressure equation was also determined which was constrained to the same critical temperature, pressure, and slope (dP/dT) as the equation of state. Work on the equation of state for oxygen included studies for improving the equation at the critical point. Comparisons of velocity of sound data for oxygen were also made between values calculated with a preliminary equation of state and experimental data. Functions for the calculation of the derived thermodynamic properties using the equation of state are given, together with the derivative and integral functions for the calculation of the thermodynamic properties using the equations of state. Summary tables of the thermodynamic properties of nitrogen and oxygen are also included to serve as a check for those preparing computer programs using the equations of state.

Stewart, R. B.

The effects of stimulus modality and task integrality: Predicting dual-task performance and workload from single-task levels

The influence of stimulus modality and task difficulty on workload and performance was investigated. The goal was to quantify the cost (in terms of response time and experienced workload) incurred when essentially serial task components shared common elements (e.g., the response to one initiated the other) which could be accomplished in parallel. The experimental tasks were based on the Fittsberg paradigm; the solution to a SternBERG-type memory task determines which of two identical FITTS targets are acquired. Previous research suggested that such functionally integrated dual tasks are performed with substantially less workload and faster response times than would be predicted by suming single-task components when both are presented in the same stimulus modality (visual). The physical integration of task elements was varied (although their functional relationship remained the same) to determine whether dual-task facilitation would persist if task components were presented in different sensory modalities. Again, it was found that the cost of performing the two-stage task was considerably less than the sum of component single-task levels when both were presented visually. Less facilitation was found when task elements were presented in different sensory modalities. These results suggest the importance of distinguishing between concurrent tasks that complete for limited resources from those that beneficially share common resources when selecting the stimulus modalities for information displays.

Hart, S. G.

The development of accurate and efficient methods of numerical quadrature

Some new methods for performing numerical quadrature of an integrable function over a finite interval are described. Each method provides a sequence of approximations of increasing order to the value of the integral. Each approximation makes use of all previously computed values of the integrand. The points at which new values of the integrand are computed are selected in such a way that the order of the approximation is maximized. The methods are compared with the quadrature methods of Clenshaw and Curtis, Gauss, Patterson, and Romberg using several examples.

Feagin, T.

The Strutjet Rocket Based Combined Cycle Engine

The multi stage chemical rocket has been established over many years as the propulsion System for space transportation vehicles, while, at the same time, there is increasing concern about its continued affordability and rather involved reusability. Two broad approaches to addressing this overall launch cost problem consist in one, the further development of the rocket motor, and two, the use of airbreathing propulsion to the maximum extent possible as a complement to the limited use of a conventional rocket. In both cases, a single-stage-to-orbit (SSTO) vehicle is considered a desirable goal. However, neither the "all-rocket" nor the "all-airbreathing" approach seems realizable and workable in practice without appreciable advances in materials and manufacturing. An affordable system must be reusable with minimal refurbishing on-ground, and large mean time between overhauls, and thus with high margins in design. It has been suggested that one may use different engine cycles, some rocket and others airbreathing, in a combination over a flight trajectory, but this approach does not lead to a converged solution with thrust-to-mass, specific impulse, and other performance and operational characteristics that can be obtained in the different engines. The reason is this type of engine is simply a combination of different engines with no commonality of gas flowpath or components, and therefore tends to have the deficiencies of each of the combined engines. A further development in this approach is a truly combined cycle that incorporates a series of cycles for different modes of propulsion along a flight path with multiple use of a set of components and an essentially single gas flowpath through the engine. This integrated approach is based on realizing the benefits of both a rocket engine and airbreathing engine in various combinations by a systematic functional integration of components in an engine class usually referred to as a rocket-based combined cycle (RBCC) engine. RBCC engines exhibit a high potential for lowering the operating cost of launching payloads into orbit. Two sources of cost reductions can be identified. First, RBCC powered vehicles require only 20% takeoff thrust compared to conventional rockets, thereby lowering the thrust requirements and the replacement cost of the engines. Second, due to the higher structural and thermal margins achievable with RBCC engines coupled with a higher degree of subsystem redundance lower maintenance and operating cost are obtainable.

Siebenhaar, A.

The Shuttle inertial system

The Space Shuttle inertial system is built around a sensor assembly called the inertial measurement unit (IMU). The system includes a redundant set of three structurally integrated IMU's that operate in conjunction with parallel strung data system computers to provide precise attitude and velocity information to user system functions. The inertial system is actually a separate subsystem function integrated into the overall avionics system. Software resident in the system computers is the final link in the inertial system. The inertial software is comprised of two major sets, including a subsystem operating program (SOP) called the IMU SOP and redundancy management. Attention is given to system applications, systems performance, attitude sensitivities, the IMU platform, IMU thermal management, aspects of IMU calibration, and Shuttle program experience.

Swingle, W. L.

Extending the granularity of representation and control for the MIL-STD CAIS 1.0 node model

The Common APSE (Ada 1 Program Support Environment) Interface Set (CAIS) (DoD85) node model provides an excellent baseline for interfaces in a single-host development environment. To encompass the entire spectrum of computing, however, the CAIS model should be extended in four areas. It should provide the interface between the engineering workstation and the host system throughout the entire lifecycle of the system. It should provide a basis for communication and integration functions needed by distributed host environments. It should provide common interfaces for communications mechanisms to and among target processors. It should provide facilities for integration, validation, and verification of test beds extending to distributed systems on geographically separate processors with heterogeneous instruction set architectures (ISAS). Additions to the PROCESS NODE model to extend the CAIS into these four areas are proposed.

Rogers, Kathy L.

RANGERS: Methodology Report on Design and Performance Assessment of Engineered Barrier Systems in a Salt Repository for HLW/SNF

Salt formations are one of the potential host rocks for the final disposal of high-level radioactive waste (HLW) in deep geological repositories, both in Germany and the United States. The safe isolation of radioactive waste in these repositories relies on a multi-barrier system, combining engineered and natural barriers. The natural barrier is provided by the salt rock itself, known for its self-sealing properties and long-term stability. The engineered barrier, on the other hand, comprises sealing components strategically placed within the repository to enhance its containment capabilities. In both Germany and the United States, long-term safety assessments require demonstrating the integrity of the natural barrier for a period of up to 1 million years. Concurrently, the engineered barrier system (EBS) must maintain its structural and functional integrity until the long-term sealing, such as the granular salt backfill material, has re-consolidated to its final low porosity and permeability. Based on extensive expertise and experience with engineered barriers in salt formations, BGE TECHNOLOGY GmbH and Sandia National Laboratories have partnered to develop a robust methodology for the integrity and performance assessment of EBS in HLW repositories through the RANGERS project. This collaborative effort aims to establish a unified approach to geotechnical engineering, repository design, integrity and performance evaluation of EBS in salt repositories.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W

Avionics and controls in review

The article surveys the changes which will occur in avionics and controls due to microprocessor technology. Attention is given to five broadly applicable technologies: (1) flight path management technology, (2) automatic control systems, (3) crew station technology, (4) integration and interfacing technology, and (5) fundamental technologies. Areas discussed include inertial navigation, guidance, weather avoidance, propulsion control systems, display technology, flight-system management, functional integration of avionics, and airborne information processing.

Smyth, R. K.

A monitor for the laboratory evaluation of control integrity in digital control systems operating in harsh electromagnetic environments

This paper presents a strategy for dynamically monitoring digital controllers in the laboratory for susceptibility to electromagnetic disturbances that compromise control integrity. The integrity of digital control systems operating in harsh electromagnetic environments can be compromised by upsets caused by induced transient electrical signals. Digital system upset is a functional error mode that involves no component damage, can occur simultaneously in all channels of a redundant control computer, and is software dependent. The motivation for this work is the need to develop tools and techniques that can be used in the laboratory to validate and/or certify critical aircraft controllers operating in electromagnetically adverse environments that result from lightning, high-intensity radiated fields (HIRF), and nuclear electromagnetic pulses (NEMP). The detection strategy presented in this paper provides dynamic monitoring of a given control computer for degraded functional integrity resulting from redundancy management errors, control calculation errors, and control correctness/effectiveness errors. In particular, this paper discusses the use of Kalman filtering, data fusion, and statistical decision theory in monitoring a given digital controller for control calculation errors.

Belcastro, Celeste M.

Formulation of a strategy for monitoring control integrity in critical digital control systems

Advanced aircraft will require flight critical computer systems for stability augmentation as well as guidance and control that must perform reliably in adverse, as well as nominal, operating environments. Digital system upset is a functional error mode that can occur in electromagnetically harsh environments, involves no component damage, can occur simultaneously in all channels of a redundant control computer, and is software dependent. A strategy is presented for dynamic upset detection to be used in the evaluation of critical digital controllers during the design and/or validation phases of development. Critical controllers must be able to be used in adverse environments that result from disturbances caused by an electromagnetic source such as lightning, high intensity radiated field (HIRF), and nuclear electromagnetic pulses (NEMP). The upset detection strategy presented provides dynamic monitoring of a given control computer for degraded functional integrity that can result from redundancy management errors and control command calculation error that could occur in an electromagnetically harsh operating environment. The use is discussed of Kalman filtering, data fusion, and decision theory in monitoring a given digital controller for control calculation errors, redundancy management errors, and control effectiveness.

Belcastro, Celeste M.

High-Altitude ADS-B Flight Tests on a NASA ER-2 Research Airplane

Researchers at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Armstrong Flight Research Center (Edwards, California); the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA); and Regulus Group, LLC (Atlantic City, New Jersey) collaborated for the flight-test demonstration of an Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) system equipped on a high-altitude Earth Resources-2 (ER-2) research airplane. The unique ER-2 airplane is a NASA-owned and operated airborne science version of the United States Air Force / Lockheed Martin Aeronautics (Bethesda, Maryland) U-2S airplane. The FAA has mandated that by the year 2020, aircraft operating within certain sections of the United States National Airspace system be equipped with ADS-B Out technology; the research presented in this paper is the first to show how the NASA ADS-B architecture satisfies the mandate for a unique high-altitude aircraft. An exceptional military aircraft design, security protocols, and the performance envelope of the ER-2 airplane made the avionics integration remarkably challenging. The design required the ADS-B avionics to survive the harsh flight environment of the ER-2 airplane. The most prominent challenge was the functional integration of modern civilian avionics into federated military legacy avionics. Flight-test objectives were to certify an ADS-B Out (1090ES) passive surveillance integrated with a Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) I active surveillance system on an ER-2 platform for high-altitude cruise operations. In April 2022, NASA conducted three flights at Edwards Air Force Base (Edwards, California) - each greater than one-hour flight reaching altitudes above 60,000 ft.

ADS-B

Terrestrial solar arrays with integral glass construction

An excellent encapsulation system for a terrestrial solar array can be formed using two sheets of glass. Superior technical character, very low cost and simple assembly can result if the active components and the glass sheets are integrally bonded together such that the array is hermetically sealed without employing organic encapsulation materials. Such an approach is being developed using electrostatic bonding. Status of this development is described. Functioning integral glass test modules have been fabricated and subjected to environmental testing. Results have been excellent.

Younger, P. R.

Exploring phage–host interactions in Burkholderia cepacia complex bacterium to reveal host factors and phage resistance genes using CRISPRi functional genomics and transcriptomics

Complex interactions of bacteriophages with their bacterial hosts determine phage host range and infectivity. While phage defense systems and host factors have been identified in model bacteria, they remain challenging to predict in non-model bacteria. In this paper, we integrate functional genomics and transcriptomics to investigate phage–host interactions, revealing active phage resistance and host factor genes in Burkholderia cenocepacia K56-2. Burkholderia cepacia complex species are commonly found in soil and are opportunistic pathogens in immunocompromised patients. We studied infection of B. cenocepacia K56-2 with Bcep176, a temperate phage isolated from Burkholderia multivorans. A genome-wide dCas9 knockdown library targeting B. cenocepacia K56-2 was constructed, and a pooled infection experiment identified 63 novel genes or operons coding for candidate host factors or phage resistance genes. The activities of a subset of candidate host factor and resistance genes were validated via single-gene knockdowns. Transcriptomics of B. cenocepacia K56-2 during Bcep176 infection revealed that expression of genes coding for host factor and resistance candidates identified in this screen was significantly altered during infection by 4 h post-infection. Identifying which bacterial genes are involved in phage infection is important to understand the ecological niches of B. cenocepacia and its phages, and for designing phage therapies.

Bacterial Pathogenesis

Applying Boeing Commercial Airplane automated test and checkout techniques to reusable space propulsion systems

Automated test and checkout computer tools that have been developed for commercial and military aircraft are presently shown to be applicable to reusable launch vehicle and spacecraft propulsion systems, for the sake of reductions in maintenance personnel and calendar time. Attention is given to the potential uses of the Programmable Engine Tester and the Integrated Functional Test System in the context of SSME problems. It is found that while direct application of existing automated checkout systems would be difficult, future spacecraft propulsion technology can be designed for integral operation with such systems.

Wilkinson, Calvin L.

Stability properties of functional difference equations

Hale and Cruz (1970) have defined the concept of a stable difference operator, and have found that this class of operators is sometimes 'super sensitive' to perturbations. In the present paper, a subclass of general functional difference equations is derived which retain their stability under appropriate perturbations. Also, the results of Hale and Cruz are extended to include difference equations on the Banach space of p-th power integrable functions, and essentially bounded functions.

Melvin, W. R.

Calibration of a Spatial-Temporal Discrimination Model from Forward, Simultaneous, and Backward Masking

We have been developing a simplified spatial-temporal discrimination model similar to our simplified spatial model in that masking is assumed to be a function of the local visible contrast energy. The overall spatial-temporal sensitivity of the model is calibrated to predict the detectability of targets on a uniform background. To calibrate the spatial-temporal integration functions that define local visible contrast energy, spatial-temporal masking data are required. Observer thresholds were measured (2IFC) for the detection of a 12 msec target stimulus in the presence of a 700 msec mask. Targets were 1, 3 or 9 c/deg sine wave gratings. Masks were either one of these gratings or two of them combined. The target was presented in 17 temporal positions with respect to the mask, including positions before, during and after the mask. Peak masking was found near mask onset and offset for 1 and 3 c/deg targets, while masking effects were more nearly uniform during the mask for the 9 c/deg target. As in the purely spatial case, the simplified model can not predict all the details of masking as a function of masking component spatial frequencies, but overall the prediction errors are small.

Ahumada, Albert J.

Overview of Dynamics Integration Research (DIR) program at Langley Research Center

Research goals and objectives for an ongoing activity at Langley Research Center (LaRC) are described. The activity is aimed principally at dynamics optimization for aircraft. The effort involves active participation by the Flight Systems, Structures, and Electronics directorates at LaRC. The Functional Integration Technology (FIT) team has been pursuing related goals since 1985. A prime goal has been the integration and optimization of vehicle dynamics through collaboration at the basic principles or equation level. Some significant technical progress has been accomplished since then and is reflected here. An augmentation for this activity, Dynamics Integration Research (DIR), has been proposed to NASA Headquarters and is being considered for funding in FY 1990 or FY 1991.

Sliwa, Steven M.

Self-Sorting vs Coassembly in Peptide Amphiphile Supramolecular Nanostructures

The functionality of supramolecular nanostructures can be expanded if systems containing multiple components are designed to either self-sort or mix into coassemblies. This is critical to gain the ability to craft self-assembling materials that integrate functions, and our understanding of this process is in its early stages. Here, in this work, we have utilized three different peptide amphiphiles with the capacity to form β-sheets within supramolecular nanostructures and found binary systems that self-sort and others that form coassemblies. This was measured using atomic force microscopy to reveal the nanoscale morphology of assemblies and confocal laser scanning microscopy to determine the distribution of fluorescently labeled monomers. We discovered that PA assemblies with opposite supramolecular chirality self-sorted into chemically distinct nanostructures. In contrast, the PA molecules that formed a mixture of right-handed, left-handed, and flat nanostructures on their own were able to coassemble with the other PA molecules. We attribute this phenomenon to the energy barrier associated with changing the handedness of a β-sheet twist in a coassembly of two different PA molecules. This observation could be useful for designing biomolecular nanostructures with dual bioactivity or interpenetrating networks of PA supramolecular assemblies.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH