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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 91 records · Page 5
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1993

Gamma ray spectrometer for Lunar Scout 2

We review the current status of the Los Alamos program to develop a high-resolution gamma-ray spectrometer for the Lunar Scout-II mission, which is the second of two Space Exploration Initiative robotic precursor missions to study the Moon. This instrument will measure gamma rays in the energy range of approximately 0.1 - 10 MeV to determine the composition of the lunar surface. The instrument is a high-purity germanium crystal surrounded by an CsI anticoincidence shield and cooled by a split Stirling cycle cryocooler. It will provide the abundance of many elements over the entire lunar surface.

Moss, C. E.↗
NASA NTRS1988

The gamma-ray spectrometer experiment on the solar maximum mission satellite

The major activities (through 15 November l987) of the Solar Maximum Mission Gamma-Ray Spectrometer (SMM GRS) team members at the University of New Hampshire and the Naval Research Laboratory and the work of the Guest Investigators since the last Semi-Annual Report are summarized. In addition, an updated list of published papers and invited papers or papers presented at scientific meetings is provided.

Chupp, E. L.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Scientific considerations in the design of the Mars Observer gamma-ray spectrometer

Cosmic-ray primary and secondary particles induce characteristic gamma-ray and neutron emissions from condensed bodies in our solar system. These characteristic emissions can be used to obtain qualitative and quantitative elemental analyses of planetary surfaces from orbital altitudes. Remote sensing gamma-ray spectroscopy has been successfully used to obtain elemental composition of the Moon and Mars during United States Apollo 15 and 16 missions and the Soviet Luna and Mars missions. A remote sensing gamma-ray and neutron spectrometer will be included aboard the United States Mars Observer Mission. If proper care is not taken in the design of the spectrometer and choice of materials in the construction of the detector system ahd spacecraft, the sensitivity of these remote sensing spectrometers can be greatly degraded. A discussion of these design and material selection problems is presented.

Arnold, J. R.↗
NASA NTRS1970

Code CUGEL: A code to unfold Ge(Li) spectrometer polyenergetic gamma photon experimental distributions

A FORTRAN code was developed for the Univac 1108 digital computer to unfold lithium-drifted germanium semiconductor spectrometers, polyenergetic gamma photon experimental distributions. It was designed to analyze the combination continuous and monoenergetic gamma radiation field of radioisotope volumetric sources. The code generates the detector system response matrix function and applies it to monoenergetic spectral components discretely and to the continuum iteratively. It corrects for system drift, source decay, background, and detection efficiency. Results are presented in digital form for differential and integrated photon number and energy distributions, and for exposure dose.

Steyn, J. J.↗
NASA NTRS1991

An observation of the Galactic center region with the HEXAGONE high resolution gamma-ray spectrometer

The Galactic center region was observed for 6 hours on May 22, 1989 from a high altitude balloon with the HEXAGONE high resolution gamma-ray spectrometer. The instrument had a 285 sq/cm array of cooled germanium detectors with an energy resolution of 2.2 keV at 511 keV and an 18 deg FWHM field of view. The 511 keV gamma-rays from electron-positron annihilation and 1809 keV gamma-rays from the radioactive decay of Al-26 were observed to have fluxes of 8.9 x 10 exp -4 and 1.9 x 10 exp -4 ph/cm-s, respectively. Continuum emission was detected from 20 to 800 keV and preliminary results have been obtained for the spectrum. Below 120 keV this is well described by power law with a slope of -2.6. In the 120-250 keV band the spectrum contains a broad linelike feature. This is interpreted as the result of Compton backscattering of about 511 keV photons from a compact source of electron-positron annihilation radiation.

Matteson, J.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Radioactivity observed in the sodium iodide gamma-ray spectrometer returned on the Apollo 17 mission

In order to obtain information on radioactive background induced in the Apollo 15 and 16 gamma-ray spectrometers (7 cm x 7 cm NaI) by particle irradiation during spaceflight, and identical detector was flown and returned to earth on the Apollo 17 mission. The induced radioactivity was monitored both internally and externally from one and a half hours after splashdown. When used in conjunction with a computation scheme for estimating induced activation from calculated trapped proton and cosmic-ray fluences, these results show an important contribution resulting from both thermal and energetic neutrons produced in the heavy spacecraft by cosmic-ray interactions.

Dyer, C. S.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Compact in-vacuum gamma-ray spectrometer for high-repetition rate PW-class laser–matter interaction

With the advent of high repetition rate laser facilities, novel diagnostic tools compatible with these advanced specifications are required. This paper presents the design of an active gamma-ray spectrometer intended for these high repetition rate experiments, with particular emphasis on functionality within a PW level laser-plasma interaction chamber’s extreme conditions. The spectrometer uses stacked scintillators to accommodate a broad range of gamma-ray energies, demonstrating its adaptability for various experimental setups. In addition, it has been engineered to maintain compactness, electromagnetic pulse resistance, and ISO-5 cleanliness requirements while ensuring high sensitivity. The spectrometer has been tested in real conditions inside the PW-class level interaction chamber at the BELLA center, LBNL. The paper further details the calibration process, which utilizes a 60 Co radioactive source, and describes the unfolding technique implemented through a stochastic minimization method.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
NASA NTRS2001

Preliminary Results of the NEAR Gamma-Ray Spectrometer

The Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous (NEAR) spacecraft was put into a 35 km orbit on December 13, 2000. This is first opportunity for the Gamma-ray Spectrometer to collect good geochemical data from Eros. Preliminary measurements for a number of key elements are in good agreement with predictions. Additional information is contained in the original extended abstract.

Evans, L. G.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Preliminary results from the first satellite of a high-resolution germanium gamma-ray spectrometer: Backgrounds from electron bremsstrahlung and from electron-positron annihilation

Detailed data are presented on the bremsstrahlung backgrounds measured by a satellite-borne high resolution Ge(Li) gamma ray spectrometer. Two bremsstrahlung classes were discussed: (1) those arising from radiation belt electrons stopping in the vicinity of the spectrometer, and (2) bremsstrahlung produced by electrons precipitating into the earth's atmosphere.

Imhof, W. L.↗
NASA NTRS1980

The gamma ray spectrometer for the Solar Maximum Mission

The paper describes an actively shielded, multicrystal scintillation spectrometer for measurement of the solar gamma ray flux used by the Solar Maximum Mission Gamma Ray Experiment. The instrument provides a 476-channel pulse height spectrum every 16.38 s over the 0.3-9 MeV energy range; the gamma ray spectral analysis can be extended to at least 15 MeV on command. The instrument is designed to measure the intensity, energy, and Doppler shift of narrow gamma ray lines, the intensity of extremely broadened lines, and the photon continuum.

Forrest, D. J.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Martian volatiles determined using the Mars observer gamma ray spectrometer

The relative abundances of H2O and CO2 and their latitude, longitude, and depth profiles on Mars sensitively reflect, as well as help control, past and present Martian climate patterns. Seasonal variations of their distributions at high latitudes also reflect and help control global weather patterns and erosion through surface weathering. A combined analysis of gamma ray line and neutron flux maps constructed from data measured using the Mars Observer Gamma Ray Spectrometer (MOGRS) should allow a determination of seasonal changes in both the horizontal and vertical structure of CO2 ice that covers the north polar cap during winter and the south polar cap throughout the year and both the horizontal and vertical structure of residual H2O ice within the top meter of the surface that was predicted from Viking observations to exist primarily at high latitudes. Particularly important in this regard will be maps of thermal and epithermal neutron fluxes measured using the MOGRS anticoincidence shield, the intensity of the hydrogen, neutron capture gamma ray line at 2.223 MeV, the intensity of a capture gamma ray line as 1.725 MeV from iron, and the intensity of an inelastic scatter gamma ray line as 1.779 MeV from silicon.

Feldman, W. C.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Comet nucleus gamma-ray spectrometer penetrator - An in situ nucleus composition experiment

An engineering design study of a comet nucleus penetrator system for in situ determinations of comet composition is presented. The system is designed for participation in the Comet Rendezvous/Asteroid Flyby mission to comet Kopff in 1996. The instrumentation payload of the penetrator system will include a passive gamma-ray spectrometer; a high frequency response accelerometer for measurements of the impact deceleration profile of the system as it penetrates to the nucleus of the comet; and several thermocouples mounted along the length of the penetrator to measure temperature and temperature gradients. The mechanical, electrical and thermal interfaces between the penetrator and the Mariner Mark II spacecraft are described. A series of line drawings is provided which illustrates the proposed configuration of the system.

Swenson, B. L.↗
DOE OSTI2022

Upgrade of Gamma Spectrometry Systems for ORNL TRISO Fuel PIE

Gamma spectrometry is a key element in much of the post-irradiation examination (PIE) work performed under the Advanced Gas Reactor Fuel Development and Qualification (AGR) Program (Demkowicz et al. 2015; Stempien et al. 2021). Gamma spectrometers are integrated into three major capabilities used at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) Irradiated Fuels Examination Laboratory (IFEL) for PIE of tristructural-isotropic (TRISO) coated particles and fuel compacts: the Core Conduction Cooldown Test Facility (CCCTF), the Vertical Counting System (VCS), and the Irradiated Microsphere Gamma Analyzer (IMGA). The CCCTF includes liquid-nitrogen-cooled traps to extract 85 Kr out of the He sweep gas that passes through the furnace in which the fuel compacts are heated during safety testing. Analysis of the 85 Kr activity in the traps is the primary indicator for TRISO failure during safety testing. The VCS is a system used to accurately measure gamma emission from components placed in a lead-shielded chamber. It is used to count the CCCTF deposition cups after removal from furnace. Each cup resides in the CCCTF furnace for typically 12–24 h and is periodically replaced with a fresh cup throughout the safety test. Metallic fission products collect on the water-cooled cups and several gamma-emitting isotopes ( 110 mAg, 134 Cs, 137 Cs, 154 Eu, and 155 Eu) are often measured and provide indication of the retention performance of the TRISO coatings. The VCS is also used to measure the presence of these isotopes on the CCCTF tantalum liner and sweep gas inlet tube for the determination of cup collection efficiency, as well as support other gamma spectrometry needs related to calibration of the 85 Kr fission gas traps and various other special PIE tasks. The IMGA uses gamma spectrometry to measure the inventory of gamma-emitting isotopes in individual TRISO particles. An automated particle handling system within the IMGA hot cell removes each particle from a source vial and positions it in front of a gamma detector, and output from the gamma spectrometer is used by the IMGA software to determine a destination vial such that particles are sorted according to their inventory and retention characteristics. At the conclusion of the AGR-1 and AGR-2 PIE campaigns, the gamma spectrometer systems used at ORNL to support that PIE had reached the end of its life cycle due to gradual obsolescence of the hardware and software. Upgrade of the Canberra Genie 2000 software used by these systems to a Windows 10 version was not a viable option, because the newest Windows 10 version offered by Mirion (the new owner of the Canberra technology) did not include the dynamic-link libraries (DLLs) needed for integration with the custom PIE software used with the CCCTF and IMGA, and Mirion had no current plans for development and release of Windows 10 versions of these DLLs with the Model S560 Genie 2000 Programming Library. Ultimately a switch was made to ORTEC gamma spectrometry systems, which appeared to be a more sustainable solution due to more proactive vendor support. The ORTEC conversion involved replacing the aging detector preamplifier and multichannel analyzer (MCA) hardware, upgrading the obsolete Windows 7 computers to Windows 10 compatible models, adopting ORTEC GammaVision software, and extensive modification of the ORNL-developed Visual Basic .NET (VB.NET) programs that provide the CCCTF and IMGA user interfaces.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
NASA NTRS1973

Preliminary results from the first satellite of a high-resolution germanium gamma-ray spectrometer: Description of instrument, some activation lines encountered, and studies of the diffuse spectra

Gamma radiation from terrestrial and extraterrestrial sources were investigated with a high resolution Ge(Li) spectrometer-cryogen system flown onboard a low altitude, spin stabilized, polar orbiting satellite. A brief description is given of the instrument and preliminary results obtained from earth orbit are discussed. Attempts were made to use angular distributions and geomagnetic latitude spectral variations to determine diffuse background spectrum, detect gamma ray line emissions from solar flares, and search for positron annihilation radiation coming from the direction of the galactic center.

Nakano, G. H.↗
NASA NTRS1975

A balloon-borne Ge/Li/ spectrometer for gamma-ray astronomy

On June 10, 1974, a new high-resolution gamma ray spectrometer operating in the energy range of 0.05 to 10 MeV was successfully balloon-flight tested. This system uses four 40 cu cm Ge(Li) crystals in a single cryostat as prime sensors. A 6.35 cm thick CsI (Na) shield provides background rejection and collimation, defining a solid angle of 0.095 sr. Cooling is provided by a liquid-nitrogen dewar. The system was highly stable with spectral resolution of better than 2.5 keV at 1 MeV for the flight duration. The background total count rate was about 20 counts/sec. Numerous lines were observed, most of which originated from secondary neutron interactions in the spectrometer. The sensitivity of the system to line emissions originating in cosmic point sources is 0.0001 to 0.001 photons per sq cm s over the energy range.

Jacobson, A. S.↗