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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

Understanding Maneuver Uncertainties during Inclination Maneuvers of the Aqua Spacecraft

During the Fall 2006 inclination campaign for the Aqua spacecraft it was discovered that there was significant uncertainty in the prediction of the semimajor axis change during a maneuver. The low atmospheric drag environment at the time of the maneuvers amplified the effects of this uncertainty leading to a potential violation of the spacecraft ground-track requirements. In order to understand the uncertainty, a Monte Carlo simulation was developed to characterize the expected semi-major axis change uncertainty given the observed behavior of the spacecraft propulsion and attitude control systems during a maneuver. This expected uncertainty was then used to develop new analysis tools to ensure that future inclination maneuver plans will .meet ground-track control requirements in the presence of the error.

McKinley, David P.↗

Effect of Boundary-Layer Bleed Hole Inclination Angle and Scaling on Flow Coefficient Behavior

Phase II data results of the Fundamental Inlet Bleed Experiments study at NASA Glenn Research Center are presented which include flow coefficient behavior for 21 bleed hole configurations. The bleed configurations are all round holes with hole diameters ranging from 0.795 to 6.35 mm, hole inclination angles from 20deg to 90deg, and thickness-to-diameter ratios from 0.25 to 2.0. All configurations were tested at a unit Reynolds number of 2.46 10(exp 7)/m and at discrete local Mach numbers of 1.33, 1.62, 1.98, 2.46, and 2.92. Interactions between the design parameters of hole diameter, hole inclination angle, and thickness-to-diameter as well as the interactions between the flow parameters of pressure ratio and Mach number upon the flow coefficient are examined, and a preliminary statistical model is proposed. An existing correlation is also examined with respect to this data.

Eichorn, Michael B.↗

Assurance Arguments for the Non-Graphically-Inclined: Two Approaches

We introduce and discuss two approaches to presenting assurance arguments. One approach is based on a monograph structure, while the other is based on a tabular structure. In today's research and academic setting, assurance cases often use a graphical notation; however for people who are not graphically inclined, these notations can be difficult to read. This document proposes, outlines, explains, and presents examples of two non-graphical assurance argument notations that may be appropriate for non-graphically-inclined readers and also provide argument writers with freedom to add details and manipulate an argument in multiple ways.

Heavner, Emily↗

Annual Variations in Aqua's Mean Local Time and Inclination

This presentation will discuss the results of an investigation looking into the physical causes of the observed annual variations in Aqua's mean local time and inclination. This provides a deeper insight into the forces driving Aqua's orbit. It was found that the Sun and the Moon's gravitational effects combine to cause Aqua's inclination rate to vary, peaking around December of each year, and reaching a minimum around August of each year.

Aqua spacecraft↗

A High Inclination Solar Mission Enabled by Near-Term Solar Sail Propulsion

Our current understanding of the Sun, its atmosphere, and the heliosphere is severely limited by a lack of good observations of the Sun’s polar regions. A High Inclination Solar Mission (HISM) mission would go into a 0.48-AU circular solar orbit with at least a 60° inclination to conduct long-term observations of the Sun’s poles using both situ and remote-sensing instruments to study the connections between the Sun, the solar wind, and solar energetic particle events. The propulsion requirements to implement HISM are beyond the capability of conventional chemical propulsion and extremely challenging even for highly efficient solar electric propulsion. To enable HISM and a host of other propulsion-intense space science missions, NASA is actively developing solar sail propulsion, capable of continuous low thrust for the extended periods of time required to meet the delta V requirements of HISM. Upcoming solar sail missions include the Near Earth Asteroid (NEA) Scout (2021 planned launch) and Solar Cruiser (candidate for flight in 2024).Solar sails use sunlight to propel vehicles through space by reflecting solar photons from a large, highly-reflective sail. This continuous photon pressure provides propellantless thrust, allowing for very high delta V maneuvers on long-duration, deep-space exploration. Since the Sun supplies the necessary propulsive energy, solar sails require no onboard propellant, thereby potentially increasing useful payload mass. The NASA MSFC Advanced Concepts Office recently completed a detailed mission concept study of HISM based on the solar sail propulsion technologies being developed for NEA Scout and Solar Cruiser. The HISM spacecraft concept envisions carrying a Doppler & Stokes Imager, a coronagraph, magnetometer, Faraday Cup, a plasma spectrometer, and a radio and plasma wave package to meet the science objectives established for a solar polar orbiting mission in the Heliophysics Decadal Survey. This paper will describe the mission concept and its solar sail propulsion system

Solar Sail↗

Signatures of a Distant Planet on the Inclination Distribution of the Detached Kuiper Belt

A distant, massive planet in the outer solar system has recently been proposed to explain some observed features of extreme trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs). Here we use N-body simulations of the formation of the Kuiper Belt and Oort cloud as well as a survey simulator to compare models of the solar system with and without a ninth planet to one another as well as to observations. The main mechanism for TNOs to be deposited into the distant (a > 50 au), detached (q > 40 au) region of the Kuiper Belt in the eight-planet model is Kozai–Lidov oscillation of objects in mean motion resonances (MMR) with Neptune. This effect does not deposit low-inclination (i ≲ 20°) objects into this region. However, we find that the ninth planet generates a group of distant, detached TNOs at low inclinations that are not present in the eight-planet model. This disparity between the eight-planet and nine-planet models could provide a strong constraint on a possible planet nine with further detections of TNOs in the distant, detached region of the Kuiper Belt.

Kalee E Anderson↗

X-Ray Polarization From the Atoll 4U 1735−44 Suggests a Low Inclination

X-ray polarimetry is a new tool capable of probing the geometry of accretion onto weakly magnetized neutron stars. Here we present the first X-ray spectro-polarimetric results from coordinated observations of the atoll source 4U 1735−44, conducted with the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE), NICER, and NuSTAR . Over the 2–8 keV energy range, we obtained a marginal detection of polarization with the polarization degree of 1.4% ± 0.7% and polarization angle of −29◦ ± 14◦, corresponding to a 3σ upper limit on the polarization degree of 3.5%. The best-fit model to describe the spectrum comprises a thermal component associated with the accretion disk, a Comptonized black body component, and a relativistic reflection component. From the reflection model, we infer a disk inclination of ∼40◦. The spectroscopic and polarimetric properties of 4U 1735−44 are consistent with those observed in other atoll sources studied by IXPE, with its low polarization likely due to its low inclination

X-rays: binaries↗

Steam generator with inclined tube sheet

A steam generation system may include a plurality of heat transfer tubes configured to circulate a secondary coolant of the steam generation system. The steam generation system may be thermally coupled to a reactor vessel, and the reactor vessel may be configured to house a primary coolant. Heat generated from within the reactor vessel may be transferred from the primary coolant to the secondary coolant. The steam generation system may further include an inclined tube sheet fluidly coupled to the plurality of heat transfer tubes. The inclined tube sheet may be attached to a wall of the reactor vessel in a non-horizontal orientation.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Interface structures of inclined ZnO thin film on (0 1 1)-MgO substrate with bulk-like optical properties

Combining different phase structure materials with unique properties to design novel devices plays a significant role in the development of modern electronics. Here, we explore the characteristics of this type of complex interface and epitaxy structures based on the coupling between hexagonal ZnO film and cubic MgO substrate. The ZnO film was prepared by the molecular beam epitaxy technique on the MgO (0 1 1) substrate. The analysis results from the in situ reflection high energy electron diffraction patterns, X-ray diffraction (XRD)-pole figures and high resolution transmission electron microscopy images demonstrate that the film exhibits two-fold symmetry domains with a growth direction deviated from c-axis at about 31º along the [0 1 0] MgO or [0 $\bar{1}$ 0] MgO azimuth. Despite the intertwined diffusion from Zn and Mg atoms in the interface, which is the possible origin of a blue shift of about 0.083 eV in the Photoluminescence (PL) spectrum, the inclined film shows a full width at half maximum value that is close to the reported value from the high quality film. Finally, this work hopefully provides useful insights to the design and exploration of the novel optoelectronic devices that involve the integration of materials with different structure and different properties.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗

Evaluation of average leaf inclination angle quantified by indirect optical instruments in crop fields

Average leaf inclination angle ($\overline{θ}$ L ) is an important canopy structure variable that influences light regime, photosynthesis, and evapotranspiration of plants. $\overline{θ}$ L can be measured through direct methods (e.g., protractor), which are labor-intensive and time-consuming, or through indirect optical instruments, which are more efficient than the direct methods. However, uncertainties of different indirect optical instruments for quantifying $\overline{θ}$ L remain largely unquantified. In this study, we evaluated and compared the performances of three major indirect optical instruments: (1) LAI-2200, (2) 30°-tilted camera, and (3) digital hemispherical photography (DHP), in different crop fields over a growing season, benchmarked with direct measurements. LAI-2200 and 30°-tilted camera showed higher agreement with direct $\overline{θ}$ measurements (R 2 = 0.54, RMSE = 7.37°; R 2 = 0.58, RMSE = 8.08°) than DHP (R 2 = 0.14, RMSE = 13.96°). Different performances of indirect optical instruments could be attributed to the accuracy of gap fraction measurement and the performance of the $\overline{θ}$ L quantification algorithms. When using the LAI-2200 algorithm, larger gap fraction gradients over view zenith angles led to larger $\overline{θ}$ L values, and smaller gap fraction gradients led to smaller $\overline{θ}$ L values. Such error propagation was larger in sparse canopy than in dense canopy. The Wilson G function of the LAI-2200 algorithm performed better in estimating $\overline{θ}$ L than the G function based on the ellipsoidal LAD function used by the CAN_EYE algorithm. We also proposed a modification of the LAI-2200 algorithm, which further improved the performance of LAI-2200 and 30°-tilted cameras in estimating $\overline{θ}$ L . We envision that the low-cost 30°-tilted cameras provide a promising sensor solution to continuously monitor canopy structure for various ecosystems.

30°-tilted camera↗