Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “Marine”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 109 records · Page 6

Design and flight performance evaluation of the Mariners 6, 7, and 9 short-circuit current, open-circuit voltage transducers

The purpose of the short-circuit voltage transducer is to provide engineering data to aid the evaluation of array performance during flight. The design, fabrication, calibration, and in-flight performance of the transducers onboard the Mariner 6, 7 and 9 spacecrafts are described. No significant differences were observed in the in-flight electrical performance of the three transducers. The transducers did experience significant losses due to coverslides or adhesive darkening, increased surface reflection, or spectral shifts within coverslide assembly. Mariner 6, 7 and 9 transducers showed non-cell current degradations of 3-1/2%, 3%, and 4%, respectively at Mars encounter and 6%, 3%, and 4-12%, respectively at end of mission. Mariner 9 solar Array Test 2 showed 3-12% current degradation while the transducer showed 4-12% degradation.

Patterson, R. E.↗

A method for calculating transient thrust and flow-rate levels for Mariner type attitude control nitrogen gas jets

The purpose of this report is to define and program the transient pneumatic flow equations necessary to determine, for a given set of conditions (geometry, pressures, temperatures, valve on time, etc.), the total nitrogen impulse and mass flow per pulse for the single pulsing of a Mariner type reaction control assembly valve. The rates of opening and closing of the valves are modeled, and electrical pulse durations from 20 to 100 ms are investigated. In developing the transient flow analysis, maximum use was made of the steady-state analysis. The impulse results are also compared to an equivalent square-wave impulse for both the Mariner Mars 1971 (MM'71) and Mariner Mars 1964 (MM'64) systems. It is demonstrated that, whereas in the MM'64 system, the actual impulse was as much as 56 percent higher than an assumed impulse (which is the product of the steady-state thrust and value on time i.e., the square wave), in the MM'71 system, these two values were in error in the same direction by only approximately 4 percent because of the larger nozzle areas and shorter valve stroke used.

Ferrera, J. D.↗

Mariner Mars 1971 project. Volume 3: Mission operations system implementation and standard mission flight operations

The Mariner Mars 1971 mission which was another step in the continuing program of planetary exploration in search of evidence of exobiological activity, information on the origin and evolution of the solar system, and basic science data related to the study of planetary physics, geology, planetology, and cosmology is reported. The mission plan was designed for two spacecraft, each performing a separate but complementary mission. However, a single mission plan was actually used for Mariner 9 because of failure of the launch vehicle for the first spacecraft. The implementation is described, of the Mission Operations System, including organization, training, and data processing development and operations, and Mariner 9 spacecraft cruise and orbital operations through completion of the standard mission from launch to solar occultation in April 1972 are discussed.

Source record↗

Mariner Mars 1971 television picture catalog: Sequence design and picture coverage, volume 2, addendum 1

This addendum to the Mariner Mars 1971 Television Picture Catalog, Volume 2 (for abstract, see N73-20850) contains data for the Mariner 9 TV pictures taken after Rev 262. Some of the data presented in Volume 2 is brought up to date. The new provisional mapping pole is discussed, and tables provide the latitude and longitude with respect to the new pole, prime meridian, and rotation rate for the centerpoints of all the Mariner 9 TV pictures.

Koskela, P. E.↗

Cartographic products from the Mariner 9 mission

Simultaneous acquisition of geodetic, cartographic, geologic, and other scientific data on Mars from Mariner 9 required extensive modification of conventional methods of mapping. Preliminary evaluation of all data simultaneously generated an inordinately large number of interim cartographic products for a final cartographic atlas of Mars. The selection of the scales at which Mars would be mapped, the projections to be used, and the way the planet would be divided into quadrangles was based on the resolution of Mariner 9 pictures and upon the resources available over the lifetime of the Mariner Mars 1971 Project.

Batson, R. M.↗

Mariner 9 Ultraviolet Spectrometer experiment - Observations of ozone on Mars.

The Mariner 9 Ultraviolet Spectrometer has observed the 2550 A ozone spectral absorption feature on Mars. This absorption was previously detected in the south polar region by Mariner 7 in 1969. Mariner 9 did not observe ozone at any time in the equatorial region, nor at the south polar cap during its summer season. However, ozone was found in the north polar region beginning at a latitude of 45 deg N and extending northward. Ozone later appeared in the southern hemisphere southward of 50 deg S as the Mars autumnal equinox approached. The presence of ozone on Mars seems to be coupled to the water vapor content of its atmosphere.

Lane, A. L.↗

Gravity field of Mars from Mariner 9 tracking data.

Further reduction of Doppler tracking data from Mariner 9 confirms our earlier conclusion that the gravity field of Mars is considerably rougher than the fields of either the earth or the moon. The largest positive gravity anomaly uncovered is in the Tharsis region which is also topographically high and geologically unusual. The value obtained for the inverse mass of Mars is in good agreement with prior determinations from Mariner fly by trajectories. The direction found for the rotational pole of Mars is in excellent agreement with Sinclair's recent value, determined from earth-based observations of Mars' satellites. Other important physical constants that have either been refined or confirmed by the Mariner 9 data include: (1) the dynamical flattening, (2) the maximum principal moment of inertia, and (3) the period of precession of Mars' pole.

Lorell, J.↗

The solar radiation pressure on the Mariner 9 Mars orbiter.

The refined mathematical model of the force created by the light pressure of the sun has been used to compute the solar radiation pressure force acting on the Mariner 9 (Mariner Mars 1971) spacecraft, taking into account the reflectivity characteristics of all its components. The results have been compared with values obtained from Mariner 9 observations during the cruise phase and are found to be in agreement within 0.1% of the values.

Georgevic, R. M.↗

Mars atmosphere during the Mariner 9 Extended Mission - Television results.

The Extended Mission of Mariner 9 provided data from 23 revolutions and recorded seasonal changes in the atmosphere of Mars during northern spring and early summer. The visibility of the surface was exceptional, indicating atmospheric clarity greater than that previously observed by Mariner 9 or by Mariner 6 and 7. Cloud systems were observed over both polar regions and indicated westerly winds in the -45 to -65 deg latitude zone (southern winter) and easterly winds in the vicinity of +75 deg (northern summer). The puzzling brightening phenomena that recur seasonally and diurnally over Tharsis, Amazonis, and Nix Olympica were seen to be clouds of a generally diffuse character but with some indications of convective activity. These clouds show a remarkable degree of topographic control, and their large-scale patterns are closely duplicated from day to day.

Leovy, C. B.↗

Mariner 9 ultraviolet spectrometer experiment - Mars atomic oxygen 1304-A emission.

Selected results are presented for an analysis of Mariner 9 1304-A data from the first 100 passes. Based on a comparison of limb data, the exospheric temperature appears lower on several Mariner 9 passes than when Mariner 6 and 7 encountered the planet in 1969. Temperatures of 300 and 350 K are considered in the atmospheric modeling. At 300 K, derived values of the atomic oxygen concentration are typically between 0.5 and 1% of the total density at 135 km, based on fitting theoretical intensities to limb data from several passes. Structure in the limb data below 200 km suggests the possibility that approximately 0.2 kR of the observed approximately 0.8 kR near 150 km is due to dissociative excitation of CO2. There is variability in limb profiles, thus indicating changes in the O distribution with time. The variability does not appear to follow a recognizable pattern. Interpretation of the 1304-A disk data shows a correlation in intensity with the 10.7-cm solar flux and larger O concentrations in the afternoon than in the morning. The correlation in intensity with the 10.7-cm flux is probably due largely to variation in the solar 1304-A fluxes.

Strickland, D. J.↗

Mariner 9, an instrument of dynamical science

Mariner 9 viewed Mars and its satellites for a period of almost a year, transmitting doppler, time delay, visual images, and spectra to earth from its satellite orbit. This paper reviews the reduction of Mariner 9 data to more accurately define the dynamical characteristics of the Martian system. Primary results include the discovery of triaxiality of Martian gravity field and physical shape of Mars, and the verification of the discrepancy in optical and dynamic flattening. The impact of the Mariner 9 results on future space missions is evaluated in terms of the accuracy of control of a spacecraft in a 24.6 hour synchronous orbit about Mars.

Jordan, J. F.↗

The solar radiation pressure on the Mariner 9 Mars orbiter

The refined mathematical model of the force created by the light pressure of the sun has been used to compute the solar radiation pressure force acting on the Mariner 9 (Mariner Mars 1971) spacecraft, taking into account the reflectivity characteristics of all its components. The results have been compared with values obtained from Mariner 9 observations during the cruise phase and are found to be in agreement within 0.1% of the values.

Georgevic, R. M.↗

Search by Mariner 10 for electrons and protons accelerated in association with Venus

Results of a search, with the aid of Mariner 10, for electrons and protons produced by acceleration occurring from the interaction of the solar wind and interplanetary field with the Venusian ionosphere. No evidence was found for Venus-associated particle fluxes with instrumentation capable of measuring flux variations approximately 1000 times smaller than those of the Mariner 5 detectors for charged particles, although the Mariner 10 measurements were made in the presence of an interplanetary particle flux that was extremely stable and characteristic of minimum solar activity. In addition, no evidence was obtained for electron or proton fluxes in the vicinity of the planet, nor any evidence for electron bursts in or near the observed bow shock, thus giving rise to the conclusion that Venus has no magnetosphere.-

Simpson, J. A.↗

Observations of small-scale turbulence in the atmosphere of Venus by Mariner 5

Information regarding small-scale turbulence in the Venus atmosphere is important and desirable because it contributes to understanding of the atmosphere's circulation. It is demonstrated that the radio occultation data of a flyby spacecraft such as Mariner 5 can provide valuable information on turbulence in the Venus atmosphere. Unlike previous studies of the Mariner 5 data, this paper is based on the frequency spectrum rather than the variance of the log-amplitude fluctuations. The excellent agreement between the processed and previously derived theoretical spectra furnishes strong evidence that the Mariner 5 fluctuations are primarily turbulence-induced. It is seen that, above 35 km, turbulence is strongest in the vicinity of 45 and 60 km, and that the outer scale of turbulence is of the order of 100 m. Comparison with the results obtained from the Venera missions is also discussed.

Woo, R.↗

Mariner 10 mission to Venus and Mercury

The unmanned spacecraft Mariner 10 was launched on November 3, 1973. Investigations conducted during the first part of its journey included studies carried out to calibrate the instruments in the well-known environment of the earth-moon system. Images of the north polar region of the moon were obtained and observations of the comet Kohoutek were made. Mariner confirmed the presence of a Venus bowshock. Information obtained by the spacecraft about the Venus atmosphere is considered. On March 29, 1974, Mariner 10 passed across the night side of Mercury only 703 kilometers above the planetary surface. It was found that Mercury is a moon-like body, heavily cratered, and with large, flat, circular basins similar to those on the moon and Mars.

Giberson, W. E.↗

Mars physical parameters as determined from Mariner 9 observations of the natural satellites and Doppler tracking

Mariner 9 Doppler tracking data and television photographs of Deimos and Phobos were analyzed to determine the gravity field, mass, and spin-axis direction of Mars and the natural satellite orbits. The solutions agree with previously published results. Radio data consisted of an apoapsis state vector for each of revolutions 5-195 obtained from one-revolution fits of Doppler data. Optical data consisted of TV photographs of Phobos and Deimos taken between revolutions 25 and 221. A first-order analytical theory, extended to include dominant second-order resonance effects on the Mariner 9 orbit, was used to calculate the motion of the spacecraft, Deimos, and Phobos. The feasibility of combining radio and optical data in long-arc solutions for accurate determination of orbits and physical parameters is demonstrated. The analytical theory developed for the evolution of a highly eccentric orbit in shallow resonance is accurate to plus or minus 1 km in the apoapsis state vector of Mariner 9 over a period of 200 revolutions.

Born, G. H.↗

Demonstration of optical navigation measurements on Mariner 10

An experiment was performed on the Mariner 10 Venus/Mercury mission to assess the performance of the onboard television cameras and ground-based software used in the optical navigation measurement system. The elements of the system, calibration, and distortion are considered. The navigation technique requires detection of stars in the same field of view as the target body. The star detection capability is discussed with reference to required threshold, calibration factors, standard conditions, camera sensitivity, response uniformity, and the effect of image smearing. Tests conducted during the Mariner 10 encounters with Mercury demonstrated that a large bright planet can be imaged simultaneously with faint stars to provide accurate navigation data. Improvements are suggested in the system for the Mariner Jupiter/Saturn 1977 and later missions.

Stanton, R. H.↗

Mariner 10 interplanetary magnetic field observations - Preliminary results

The results being reported consist primarily of distributions of the hourly average field large-scale properties and fluctuation characteristics by solar rotation for the time interval 7 November 1973 to 5 April 1974, as well as the variation of the daily average field as a function of the distance from the sun between 1 and 0.46 AU. The data indicate that the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) generally increases with decreasing distance from the sun; the field magnitude distribution broadened as Mariner 10 approached Mercury; the positive sector of the IMF tended to rotate progressively toward the theoretical spiral field direction; and magnitude fluctuations increased with increasing distance from the sun, while vector field fluctuations tended to decrease. Data on radial dependence of the IMF were not consistent with theoretical models and did not coincide with extrapolations based on data gathered by Mariner 4 and 5. Comprehensive graphs and charts illustrate all the data obtained by Mariner 10.

Behannon, K. W.↗