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At least 109 records · Page 6

Sm-Nd Age and Nd- and Sr- Isotopic Evidence for the Petrogenesis of Dhofar 378

Dhofar 378 (hereafter Dho 378) is one of the most ferroan lithologies among martian meteorites, resembling the Los Angeles basaltic shergottite in lithology and mineral chemistry, although it is more highly shocked than Los Angeles. All plagioclase (Pl) grains in the original lithology were melted by an intense shock in the range 55-75 GPa. Clinopyroxenes (Cpx) sometimes show mosaic extinction under a microscope showing that they, too, experienced intense shock. Nevertheless, they zone from magnesian cores to ferroan rims, reflecting the original lithology. Cpx grains also often contain exsolution lamellae, showing that the original lithology cooled slowly enough for the lamellae to form. Because all plagioclase grains were melted by the intense shock and subsequently quenched, the main plagioclase component is glass (Pl-glass) rather than maskelynite. Like Los Angeles, but unlike most basaltic shergottites, Dho 378 contains approximately equal modal abundances of Cpx and Pl-glass. The grain sizes of the original minerals were comparatively large (approximately 1 mm). The original plagioclase zoning has been severely modified. Following shock melting, the plagioclase melts crystallized from the outside inward, first forming outer rims of Cpx-Pl intergrowths (approximately 10 micrometers) followed by inner rims (10's to 100 micrometers) of An(sub 40-50) feldspar, and finally Pl-gl cores of compositions An(sub 33-50) with orthoclase compositions up to Or(sub 12).

Nyquist, L. E.↗

Global Interoperability of High Definition Video Streams Via ACTS and Intelsat

In 1993, a proposal at the Japan.-U.S. Cooperation in Space Program Workshop lead to a subsequent series of satellite communications experiments and demonstrations, under the title of Trans-Pacific High Data Rate Satellite Communications Experiments. The first of which is a joint collaboration between government and industry teams in the United States and Japan that successfully demonstrated distributed high definition video (HDV) post-production on a global scale using a combination of high data rate satellites and terrestrial fiber optic asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) networks. The HDV experiment is the first GIBN experiment to establish a dual-hop broadband satellite link for the transmission of digital HDV over ATM. This paper describes the team's effort in using the NASA Advanced Communications Technology Satellite (ACTS) at rates up to OC-3 (155 Mbps) between Los Angeles and Honolulu, and using Intelsat at rates up to DS-3 (45 Mbps) between Kapolei and Tokyo, with which HDV source material was transmitted between Sony Pictures High Definition Center (SPHDC) in Los Angeles and Sony Visual Communication Center (VCC) in Shinagawa, Tokyo. The global-scale connection also used terrestrial networks in Japan, the States of Hawaii and California. The 1.2 Gbps digital HDV stream was compressed down to 22.5 Mbps using a proprietary Mitsubishi MPEG-2 codec that was ATM AAL-5 compatible. The codec: employed four-way parallel processing. Improved versions of the codec are now commercially available. The successful post-production activity performed in Tokyo with a HDV clip transmitted from Los Angeles was predicated on the seamless interoperation of all the equipment between the sites, and was an exciting example in deploying a global-scale information infrastructure involving a combination of broadband satellites and terrestrial fiber optic networks. Correlation of atmospheric effects with cell loss, codec drop-out, and picture quality were made. Current efforts in the Trans-Pacific series plan to examine the use of Internet Protocol (IP)-related technologies over such an infrastructure. The use of IP allows the general public to be an integral part of the exciting activities, helps to examine issues in constructing the solar-system internet, and affords an opportunity to tap the research results from the (reliable) multicast and distributed systems communities. The current Trans- Pacific projects, including remote astronomy and digital library (visible human) are briefly described.

Hsu, Eddie↗

Recognizing the Effects of Terrestrial Contamination on D/H Ratios in Shergottite Phosphates

Hydrogen isotope ratios in shergottite phosphate minerals have been investigated by SIMS in the meteorites Queen Alexandra Range (QUE) 94201 and Los Angeles. We have also collected electron probe data on these phosphates in order to characterize the phosphate minerals and attempt to document any potential hydrogen isotopic differences between chlor-apatite and whitlockite. In the section of Los Angeles we studied (748), we found both chlor-apatite and whitlockite, but in the section of QUE 94201,38 studied, we found only whitlockite. In both meteorites, D/H ratios (expressed in units of delta D (sub SMOW) vary, from terrestrial values up to approximately 5400%o in QUE 94201, and to approximately 3800%o in Los Angeles. We have carefully examined the ion probed pits with high-resolution FE-SEM. In most cases where the D/H ratios are low, we have iden-tified cracks that instersect the ion probe pit. These cracks are not visible in the optical microscope attached to the SIMS instument, making them impossible to avoid during SIMS data collection. We contend that the low ratios are a function of substantial terrestrial contamination, and that similar contamination is a likely factor in previously published studies on D/H ratios in martian phosphates. Here we highlight the difficulty of attempts to constrain the martian mantle D/H ratio using phosphate data, given that both terrestrial contamination and martian mantle hydrogen will move phosphate D/H ratios in the same direction, toward lower values. We note that our data include some of the most deuterium-rich values ever reported for martian phosphates. It is clear that some of our measurements are only minimally or totally uncontaminated, but the question arises, are intermediate values diminished because of true martian variability, or do they reflect contamination?

Ross, D. K.↗

Permanent GPS Geodetic Array in Southern California

The southern California Permanent GPS Geodetic Array (PGGA) was established in the spring of 1990 to evaluate continuous Global Positioning System (GPS) measurements as a new too] for monitoring crustal deformation. Southern California is an ideal location because of the relatively high rate of tectonic deformation, the high probability of intense seismicity, the long history of conventional and space geodetic measurements, and the availability of a well developed infrastructure to support continuous operations. Within several months of the start of regular operations, the PGGA recorded far-field coseismic displacements induced by the June 28, 1992 (M(sub w)=7.3), Landers earthquake, the largest magnitude earthquake in California in the past 40 years and the first one to be recorded by a continuous GPS array. Only nineteen months later, on 17 January 1994, the PGGA recorded coseismic displacements for the strongest earthquake to strike the Los Angeles basin in two decades, the (M(sub e)=6.7) Northridge earthquake. At the time of the Landers earthquake, only seven continuous GPS sites were operating in southern California; by the beginning of 1994, three more sites had been added to the array. However, only a pair of sites were situated in the Los Angeles basin. The destruction caused by the Northridge earthquake spurred a fourfold increase in the number of continuous GPS sites in southern California within 2 years of this event. The PGGA is now the regional component of the Southern California Integrated GPS Network (SCIGN), a major ongoing densification of continuous GPS sites, with a concentration in the Los Angeles metropolitan region. Continuous GPS provides temporally dense measurements of surface displacements induced by crustal deformation processes including interseismic, coseismic, postseismic, and aseismic deformation and the potential for detecting anomalous events such as preseismic deformation and interseismic strain variations. Although strain meters yield much higher short-term resolution to a period of about 1 year, a single continuous GPS site is significantly less expensive than a single strain meter and probably has better long-term stability beyond a 1-year period. Compared to less frequent field measurements, continuous GPS provides the means to better characterize the errors in GPS position measurements and thereby obtain more realistic estimates of derived parameters such as site velocities.

Green, Cecil H.↗

Flight Research Center, Edwards, California. Environmental Impact Statement

This is an institutional environmental impact statement relating to the overall operation of the NASA, Flight Research Center. The Center is located in Kern County, California, approximately 100 miles northeast of Los Angeles. Flight activities relate primarily to areas in the vicinity of Los Angeles, Kern, Inyo and San Bernardino counties in Southern California; and to areas in Southern Nevada (principally Nye and Clark counties. Operations of the Flight Research Center have a very neglibible impact on the environment; and they are planned and controlled to eliminate or minimize effects on water, air and noise.

Source record↗

Crustal deformation in southern California using SAR interferometry

The rate of slow deformation processes along faults activated during the Landers 1992 earthquake was investigated. The analysis was performed by combining pairs of ERS-1/2 synthetic aperture radar (SAR) of Southern California (U.S.). The interferograms revealed several centimeters of post-seismic rebound in step-overs of the 1992 break. The southern branches of the 1992 break experienced surface creep, producing sharp phase cuts in the interferometric maps. The same approach was used in the Los Angeles (CA) basin. The tectonic signal in the interferograms of the Los Angeles basin was intermingled with signals due to ground subsidence caused by oil and water withdrawal.

Peltzer, G.↗

Remote Sensing of Spatial Distributions of Greenhouse Gases in the Los Angles Basin

The Los Angeles air basin is a significant anthropogenic source of greenhouse gases and pollutants including CO2, CH4, N2O, and CO, contributing significantly to regional and global climate change. Recent legislation in California, the California Global Warming Solutions Act (AB32), established a statewide cap for greenhouse gas emissions for 2020 based on 1990 emissions. Verifying the effectiveness of regional greenhouse gas emissions controls requires high-precision, regional-scale measurement methods combined with models that capture the principal anthropogenic and biogenic sources and sinks. We present a novel approach for monitoring the spatial distributions of greenhouse gases in the Los Angeles basin using high resolution remote sensing spectroscopy. We participated in the CalNex 2010 campaign to provide greenhouse gas distributions for comparison between top-down and bottom-up emission estimates.

Los Angeles air basin↗

Structural Chokepoints Determine the Resilience of Agri-Food Supply Chains in the United States

The agricultural and food systems of the United States are critical for ensuring the stability of both domestic and global food systems. Thus, it is essential to understand the structural resilience of the country’s agri-food supply chains to a suite of threats. Here we employ complex network statistics to identify the spatially resolved structural chokepoints in the agri-food supply chains of the United States. We identify seven chokepoints at county scale: Riverside CA, San Bernardino CA, Los Angeles CA, Shelby TN, Maricopa AZ, San Diego CA and Cook IL; as well as seven chokepoints at freight analysis framework scale: Los Angeles–Long Beach CA, Chicago– Naperville IL, New York–New Jersey NJ, New York–New Jersey NY, Remainder of Texas, Remainder of Pennsylvania, and San Jose–San Francisco–Oakland CA. These structural chokepoints are generally consistent through time (2007, 2012, 2017), particularly for processed food commodities. This study improves our understanding of agri-food supply-chain security and may aid policies aimed at enhancing its resilience.

Agriculture↗

The drag characteristics of several airships determined by deceleration tests

This report presents the results of deceleration tests conducted for the purpose of determining the drag characteristics of six airships. The tests were made with airships of various shapes and sizes belonging to the Army, the Navy, and the Goodyear-Zeppelin Corporation. Drag coefficients for the following airships are shown: Army TC-6, TC-10, and TE-2; Navy Los Angeles and ZMC-2; Goodyear Puritan. The coefficients vary from about 0.045 for the small blunt airships to 0.023 for the relatively large slender Los Angeles. This variation may be due to a combination of effects, but the most important of these is probably the effect of length-diameter ratio.

Thompson, F L↗

Feasibility study of an aerospace museum in the western United States. Volume 1: Summary, conclusions, and recommendations

A survey of existing aerospace museums in the U.S. and a study of the feasibility of establishing an aerospace museum in the western U.S. are summarized. It is recommended that prime consideration be given to carefully considered support of development of existing aerospace exhibits rather than establishment of a new major museum. In the event that the decision is made to pursue the establishment of a new museum, Los Angeles is considered to be the most favorable location. In particular, because of the large attendance and existing building space at the California Museum of Science and Industry at Los Angeles, it is recommended that this museum's proposal be given first consideration. Supporting surveys of aerospace museums, funding, and related studies are also summarized.

Source record↗

A model for dispersion from area sources in convective turbulence

Four independent estimates of the vertical distribution of the eddy coefficient for dispersion of a passive contaminant from an extensive area source in a convective layer have been presented. The estimates were based on the following methods: (1) a second-order closure prediction, (2) field data of pollutant concentrations over Los Angeles, (3) lab measurements of particle dispersion, and (4) assumption of equality between momentum and mass transfer coefficients in the free convective limit. It is suggested that K-values estimated both from second-order closure theory and from Los Angeles measurements are systematically underestimated.

Crane, G.↗

LUMIS: A Land Use Management Information System for urban planning

The Land Use Management Information System (LUMIS) consists of a methodology of compiling land use maps by means of air photo interpretation techniques, digitizing these and other maps into machine-readable form, and numerically overlaying these various maps in two computer software routines to provide land use and natural resource data files referenced to the individual census block. The two computer routines are the Polygon Intersection Overlay System (PIOS) and an interactive graphics APL program. A block referenced file of land use, natural resources, geology, elevation, slope, and fault-line items has been created and supplied to the Los Angeles Department of City Planning for the City's portion of the Santa Monica Mountains. In addition, the interactive system contains one hundred and seventy-three socio-economic data items created by merging the Third Count U.S. Census Bureau tapes and the Los Angeles County Secured Assessor File. This data can be graphically displayed for each and every block, block group, or tract for six test tracts in Woodland Hills, California. Other benefits of LUMIS are the knowledge of air photo availability, flight pattern coverage and frequencies, and private photogrammetry companies flying Southern California, as well as a formal Delphi study of relevant land use informational needs in the Santa Monicas.

Paul, C. K.↗

Some microphysical features of coastal and inland fogs.

Radiation fogs sampled at Los Angeles were found to possess low visibilities, high liquid water content (LWC), relatively small drops, narrow peaked drop-size distributions, and high concentrations of micron sized haze droplets. Typical characteristics of valley fogs observed at Elmira, N.Y., were low visibilities, moderately high LWC, low concentrations of haze droplets, and similar drop size distributions to those measured in Los Angeles. On the other hand, advection fogs observed in Vandenberg were characterized by less severe visibilities, low LWC, large drops in a broad drop-size distribution, and very low haze nucleus concentrations.

Mack, E. J.↗

Landslides in West Coast Metropolitan Areas: The Role of Extreme Weather Events

Rainfall-induced landslides represent a pervasive issue in areas where extreme rainfall intersects complex terrain. A farsighted management of landslide risk requires assessing how landslide hazard will change in coming decades and thus requires, inter alia, that we understand what rainfall events are most likely to trigger landslides and how global warming will affect the frequency of such weather events. We take advantage of 9 years of landslide occurrence data compiled by collating Google news reports and of a high-resolution satellite-based daily rainfall data to investigate what weather triggers landslide along the West Coast US. We show that, while this landslide compilation cannot provide consistent and widespread monitoring everywhere, it captures enough of the events in the major urban areas that it can be used to identify the relevant relationships between landslides and rainfall events in Puget Sound, the Bay Area, and greater Los Angeles. In all these regions, days that recorded landslides have rainfall distributions that are skewed away from dry and low-rainfall accumulations and towards heavy intensities. However, large daily accumulation is the main driver of enhanced hazard of landslides only in Puget Sound. There, landslide are often clustered in space and time and major events are primarily driven by synoptic scale variability, namely "atmospheric rivers" of high humidity air hitting anywhere along the West Coast, and the interaction of frontal system with the coastal orography. The relationship between landslide occurrences and daily rainfall is less robust in California, where antecedent precipitation (in the case of the Bay area) and the peak intensity of localized downpours at sub-daily time scales (in the case of Los Angeles) are key factors not captured by the same-day accumulations. Accordingly, we suggest that the assessment of future changes in landslide hazard for the entire the West Coast requires consideration of future changes in the occurrence and intensity of atmospheric rivers, in their duration and clustering, and in the occurrence of short-duration (sub-daily) extreme rainfall as well. Major regional landslide events, in which multiple occurrences are recorded in the catalog for the same day, are too rare to allow a statistical characterization of their triggering events, but a case study analysis indicates that a variety of synoptic-scale events can be involved, including not only atmospheric rivers but also broader cold- and warm-front precipitation. That a news-based catalog of landslides is accurate enough to allow the identification of different landslide/ rainfall relationships in the major urban areas along the US West Coast suggests that this technology can potentially be used for other English-language cities and could become an even more powerful tool if expanded to other languages and non-traditional news sources, such as social media.

landslides↗

Special tooling for joining tubing in place

The Saturn S-II stage and the Apollo spacecraft will include in their design and construction various pressurized tubing systems that will encounter service temperatures of 280° F to -423° F. Design engineering and reliability requirements and weight restrict ions have dictated new concepts to assure leak-tight joints for rocket engine fuel lines, pressurization systems, utility systems, and hydraulic systems. An investigation was initiated at North American Aviation, Inc., Space and Information Systems Division, utilizing the in-place automatically controlled miniaturized fusion-welding equipment originally developed by the Los Angeles Division of NAA and modified to meet the needs of Apollo and Saturn welded tubular systems. The objective was to make circumferential flanged weld joints in any position in 304L stainless for Saturn S-II and sleeve-type joints in 304L for Apollo. Inconel X, commercially pure titanium, 5052-0 aluminum, and 6061 T6 aluminum were also tested experimentally. Extensive environmental, static, and dynamic testing programs were conducted to determine the as-welded mechanical properties, design allowables, and reliability for the tube joints. This paper discusses both the experimental and production phases. Subsequently, the new tube welding process was approved and incorporated into manufacturing fabrication methods for tube joining.

Saturn S-II stage↗

Third annual NASA University Conference on Manual Control

This volume contains the proceedings of the Third Annual NASA-University Conference on Manual Control held from March 1 to 3, 1967, at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California. The program was divided into the following sessions: display, describing function models , decision processes I, computer processing of manual control records, controlled elements, decision processes 11, physiological modeling, decision processes 111, advanced modeling techniques , and applications. Both formal and informal presentations were made; all of the formal and many of the informal papers are included in this volume.

Source record↗