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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 109 records · Page 6

Hypersonic Boundary-Layer Transition on Blunted Cones at Angle of Attack

Experimental studies of cones at several high-speed facilities have demonstrated that, for small nosetip bluntness, transition onset over a circular cone moves upstream along the leeward side and downstream along the windward side, but this trend may be reversed at large bluntness values, where transition onset moves downstream along the leeward side and upstream along the windward side. A theoretical and numerical investigation is performed to characterize the effects of nose bluntness on disturbance amplification over the circular cone for several angles of attack, with the goal of understanding the potential physical mechanisms behind the experimental observations. The three-dimensional laminar basic states over a 1.5 m long, 7-degree half-angle cone with 9.525 mm nosetip radius are computed for selected angles of attack values and freestream conditions that are selected to match the Mach 10 experiments conducted within the Hypervelocity Wind Tunnel 9 at the Arnold Engineering Development Complex (AEDC). The solutions at a freestream unit Reynolds number of 17.1 million per meter are used to perform detailed instability analyses for angles of attack equal to 0, 1, 3, and 5 degrees. Results indicate that the linear amplification of stationary crossflow waves along inflection lines may begin to influence transition along the acreage of the cone for angles of attack equal to or larger than 5 degrees. The measured trend in transition front with respect to increasing angle of attack is found to be consistent with the predicted increase in the amplification factors for Mack mode disturbances along the streamline trajectories. The increase in Mack mode amplification along the windward ray for higher angles of attack is shown to be the result of a progressively earlier entropy-layer swallowing. Computations also indicate that the transition amplification factor along the windward ray is not constant and increases with the angle of attack and that the transition #-factors along the leeward ray are rather small. The nonmodal analysis for zero degrees angle of attack shows that entropy-layer disturbances with appreciably strong energy growth can coexist with Mack mode instabilities at the measured transition location.

Boundary Layer Transition↗

MEASUREMENT OF THE NOISE IMPROVEMENT OF A 34-METER CASSEGRAIN ANTENNA RETROFITTED WITH A LOW-BACKSCATTERING STRUT

Large axially-symmetric ground-based dual-reflector antennas are used in a variety of applications simultaneously requiring very high gain and very low noise (e.g., satellite communications, radio astronomy, deep-space communications, and radar). In these systems, reducing the noise by 10 % is equivalent to increasing the antenna gain by roughly 0.5 dB. Since the early days of radio-astronomy this fact has continuously driven efforts to reduce the noise of front-end low-noise amplifiers--a major noise contributor. As the performance of the front-end amplifiers improved, the relative importance of the noise generated by the surrounding warm ground increased, causing the antenna noise to become a major factor in the overall system sensitivity. Since large ground-based reflectors have been around for several decades, the various electrical and mechanical parameters affecting their performance have received considerable attention and are generally well understood. However, the impact of the subreflector supporting struts on the antenna noise performance remains a source of uncertainty. The reason for this stems from the usually large electrical dimensions involved, which precludes the accurate modeling of the various strut-scattering mechanisms. For the particular antennas used on NASA's Deep Space Network, which have been designed to minimize all noise sources, several studies have typically reported measured noise temperatures between 2 and 3 K (at approx. 8.45 GHz, antenna pointing at zenith), attributed to the struts and other unknown effects (see for example [1] and [2]). With this in mind, an effort has recently been conducted to determine optimal strut shapes to reduce the associated noise contribution [3].

Prata, A., Jr.↗

Characterization of the First Prototype of the L1K65n Differential-Output Charge-Sensitive Preamplifier ASIC for High-Performance, Low-Background HPGe Detector Readout

Next-generation neutrinoless double-beta (0νββ) decay searches require a large detector/isotope mass and very low radioactive backgrounds. The upcoming LEGEND-1000 experiment (Large Enriched Germanium Experiment for Neutrinoless double-beta Decay) constitute a ton-scale array of several hundred high-purity germanium (HPGe) detectors enriched in 76Ge, the isotope of interest. It aims to reach a sensitivity beyond 10 28 years on the 0νββ decay half-life of 76Ge, necessitating an order of magnitude reduction in background with respect to the state of the art. This will require the implementation of a dedicated application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) preamplifier that will significantly lower background contribution compared to the conventional low-mass front end (LMFE) employed in the Majorana Demonstrator and LEGEND-200 experiments while maintaining or improving energy resolution and other performance parameters. Features include a high (9 MeV) dynamic range with noise low enough to achieve a trigger threshold of <1 keV, a single power supply to reduce background-inducing cabling, and a differential output to maintain signal integrity over several meters of transmission line. The chip would be optimized to operate in liquid argon (87 K) and be able to do so reliably for ten years. Following on from an earlier 180-nm prototype, we have developed a differential-output charge-sensitive preamplifier ASIC fabricated in a 65-nm process, 1×2 mm in size, that addresses these needs. Here, we present recent results from the successful testing and characterization of the first version of this device.

ASIC↗

Compressional features in the Tharsis Region of Mars: Geographic

Studies of the stratigraphy of southwest Coprates have led to further constraints on both the geographic extent and the relative age of the major compressional ridge forming events in the Tharsis region of Mars. Southwestern Coprates is characterized by curvilinear ridges that are regularly spaced, suggestive of harmonic folding. The western edge of the ridged plains unit of Coprates is marked by volcanic flow fronts. In an enhanced Viking-Orbiter image, a ridge can be seen completely surrounded by a flow with only a small portion of the ridge crest still exposed. Comparison of partially buried ridges on the western edge of the ridged plains to those in central Coprates suggests that flooding of the inter-ridge plains does not exceed a few hundred meters. The morphological relationship between the flow units to the west and the ridged plains indicates that the deformational events in this region predates the emplacement of the younger units.

Watters, T. R.↗

Optimization and Performance Characterization of the Second Generation Fermilab Constant Fraction Discriminator Readout ASIC

We present the optimization and performance characterization of the second-generation Fermilab Constant Fraction Discriminator ASIC (FCFD), designed for the readout of AC-coupled low-gain avalanche detector (LGAD) strip-sensors. The FCFD is explicitly engineered to be insensitive to signal-amplitude variations, thereby removing the need for time-walk correction that is required in other LGAD time-stamping readout ASICs. This updated version, referred to as FCFD1.1, incorporates several enhancements over the first iteration to address key challenges in AC-coupled LGAD front-end design. We outline the primary readout-ASIC design considerations for these applications, describe the methodology used to evaluate critical sensor and system parameters, and summarize the additionally implemented features. Performance measurements using injected charge signals and minimum-ionizing particles in test-beams demonstrate a time resolution of approximately 40 ps and a position resolution of roughly \SI{15}{\micro\meter} when tested with beam particles uniformly over the active area of the sensor.

Apresyan, Artur [Fermilab] (ORCID:0000000261860130↗

The 4-meter lunar engineering telescope

The 16-meter diffraction limited lunar telescope incorporates a primary mirror with 312 one-meter segments; 3 nanometer active optics surface control with laser metrology and hexapod positioners; a space frame structure with one-millimeter stability; and a hexapod mount for pointing. The design data needed to limit risk in this development can be obtained by building a smaller engineering telescope on the moon with all of the features of the 16-meter design. This paper presents a 4.33-meter engineering telescope concept developed by the Summer 1990 Student Program of the NASA/JHU Space Grant Consortium Lunar Telescope Project. The primary mirror, made up of 18 one-meter hexagonal segments, is sized to provide interesting science as well as engineering data. The optics are configured as a Ritchey-Chretien with a coude relay to the focal plane beneath the surface. The optical path is continuously monitored with 3-nanometer precision interferometrically. An active optics processor and piezoelectric actuators operate to maintain the end-to-end optical configuration established by wave front sensing using a guide star. The mirror segments, consisting of a one-centimeter thick faceplate on 30-cm deep ribs, maintain the surface figure to a few nanometers under lunar gravity and thermal environment.

Peacock, Keith↗

Automated Air Traffic Control Operations with Weather and Time-Constraints: A First Look at (Simulated) Far-Term Control Room Operations

In this paper we discuss results from a recent high fidelity simulation of air traffic control operations with automated separation assurance in the presence of weather and time-constraints. We report findings from a human-in-the-loop study conducted in the Airspace Operations Laboratory (AOL) at the NASA Ames Research Center. During four afternoons in early 2010, fifteen active and recently retired air traffic controllers and supervisors controlled high levels of traffic in a highly automated environment during three-hour long scenarios, For each scenario, twelve air traffic controllers operated eight sector positions in two air traffic control areas and were supervised by three front line managers, Controllers worked one-hour shifts, were relieved by other controllers, took a 3D-minute break, and worked another one-hour shift. On average, twice today's traffic density was simulated with more than 2200 aircraft per traffic scenario. The scenarios were designed to create peaks and valleys in traffic density, growing and decaying convective weather areas, and expose controllers to heavy and light metering conditions. This design enabled an initial look at a broad spectrum of workload, challenge, boredom, and fatigue in an otherwise uncharted territory of future operations. In this paper we report human/system integration aspects, safety and efficiency results as well as airspace throughput, workload, and operational acceptability. We conclude that, with further refinements. air traffic control operations with ground-based automated separation assurance can be an effective and acceptable means to routinely provide very high traffic throughput in the en route airspace.

Prevot, Thomas↗

Large diameter refractive Fresnel lenses as low-cost optical communication ground receiver aperture

Feasibility of utilizing large diameter custom designed and fabricated Fresnel lenses as the front optical aperture for Earth-based reception of optical communication signals from remote spacecraft is investigated. This includes preliminary optical designs, investigation of stray-light effects for a particular optical design, effect of temperature variations and mechanical sag on the performance of the photon bucket, and effect of temporal dispersion on the link performance. Experimental results for several commercial off-the-shelf Fresnel lenses with diameters exceeding 1-meter are presented as well as plans for custom diamond turning fabrication of two-meter diameter Fresnel lenses.

Hemmati, Hamid↗

Monitoring coastal water properties and circulation from ERTS-1

The author has identified the following significant results. Imagery and digital tapes from nine successful ERTS-1 passes over Delaware Bay during different portions of the tidal cycle have been analyzed with special emphasis on turbidity, current circulation, waste disposal plumes, and convergent boundaries between different water masses. ERTS-1 image radiance correlated well with Secchi depth and suspended sediment concentration. MSS band 5 seemed to give the best representation of sediment load in the upper one meter of the water column. Circulation patterns observed by ERTS-1 during different parts of the tidal cycle, agreed well with predicted and measured currents throughout Delaware Bay. During flood tide the suspended sediment as visible from ERTS-1 also correlated well with the depth profile. Convergent shear boundaries between different water masses were observed from ERTS-1, with foam lines containing high concentrations of lead, mercury, and other toxic substances. Several fronts have been seen. Those near the mouth of the bay are associated with the tidal intrusion of shelf water. Fronts in the interior of the bay on the Delaware side appear to be associated with velocity shears induced by differences in bottom topography. Waste disposal plumes have benn detected 36 miles offshore.

Klemas, V.↗

The correction of aberrations computed in the aperture plane of multifrequency microwave radiometer antennas

An analytical/numerical approach to identifying and correcting the aberrations introduced by a general displacement of the feed from the focal point of a single offset paraboloid antenna used in deployable radiometer systems is developed. A 15 meter reflector with 18 meter focal length is assumed for the analysis, which considers far field radiation pattern quality, focal region fields, and aberrations appearing in the aperture plane. The latter are obtained by ray tracing in the transmit mode and are expressed in terms of optical notation. Attention is given to the physical restraints imposed on corrective elements by real microwave systems and to the intermediate near field aspects of the problem in three dimensions. The subject of wave fronts and caustics in the receive mode is introduced for comparative purposes. Several specific examples are given for aberration reduction at eight beamwidths of scan at a frequency of 1.414 GHz.

Schmidt, R. F.↗

Meter-wavelength VLBI. IV - Temporal and spatial scattering of the Crab Nebula pulsar's radiation

The spatial and temporal phenomena observed in the Crab Nebula pulsar's radiation are reviewed, with emphasis on the recent VLBI observations of the apparent angular size and the ratio of pulsing to total power. Three models for scattering (single thin screen, two screen, and extended medium) are discussed and shown to be deficient, under the usual assumption of a uniform scattering medium, in explaining the observed combination of temporal and angular broadening. A new model is proposed, in which the temporal broadening is dominated by scattering in the small filament which lies in the nebula in front of the pulsar, while the extended interstellar medium causes the angular broadening. This model explains the otherwise discordant angular and temporal effects and also the lack of an apparent source-size expansion with pulse phase.

Vandenberg, N. R.↗

Reliable Transport over SpaceWire for James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) Focal Plane Electronics (FPE) Network

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) faces difficult technical and budgetary challenges to overcome before it is scheduled launch in 2010. The Integrated Science Instrument Module (ISIM), shares these challenges. The major challenge addressed in this paper is the data network used to collect, process, compresses and store Infrared data. A total of 114 Mbps of raw information must be collected from 19 sources and delivered to the two redundant data processing units across a twenty meter deployed thermally restricted interface. Further data must be transferred to the solid-state recorder and the spacecraft. The JWST detectors are kept at cryogenic temperatures to obtain the sensitivity necessary to measure faint energy sources. The Focal Plane Electronics (FPE) that sample the detector, generate packets from the samples, and transmit these packets to the processing electronics must dissipate little power in order to help keep the detectors at these cold temperatures. Separating the low powered front-end electronics from the higher-powered processing electronics, and using a simple high-speed protocol to transmit the detector data minimize the power dissipation near the detectors. Low Voltage Differential Signaling (LVDS) drivers were considered an obvious choice for physical layer because of their high speed and low power. The mechanical restriction on the number cables across the thermal interface force the Image packets to be concentrated upon two high-speed links. These links connect the many image packet sources, Focal Plane Electronics (FPE), located near the cryogenic detectors to the processing electronics on the spacecraft structure. From 12 to 10,000 seconds of raw data are processed to make up an image, various algorithms integrate the pixel data Loss of commands to configure the detectors as well as the loss of science data itself may cause inefficiency in the use of the telescope that are unacceptable given the high cost of the observatory. This combination of requirements necessitates a redundant, fault tolerant, high- speed, low mass, low power network with a low Bit error Rate(1E-9- 1E-12). The ISIM systems team performed many studies of the various network architectures that meeting these requirements. The architecture selected uses the Spacewire protocol, with the addition of a new transport and network layer added to implement end-to-end reliable transport. The network and reliable transport mechanism must be implemented in hardware because of the high average information rate and the restriction on the ability of the detectors to buffer data due to power and size restrictions. This network and transport mechanism was designed to be compatible with existing Spacewire links and routers so that existing equipment and designs may be leveraged upon. The transport layer specification is being coordinated with European Space Agency (ESA), Spacewire Working Group and the Consultative Committee for Space Data System (CCSDS) PlK Standard Onboard Interface (SOIF) panel, with the intent of developing a standard for reliable transport for Spacewire. Changes to the protocol presented are likely since negotiations are ongoing with these groups. A block of RTL VHDL that implements a multi-port Spacewire router with an external user interface will be developed and integrated with an existing Spacewire Link design. The external user interface will be the local interface that sources and sinks packets onto and off of the network (Figure 3). The external user interface implements the network and transport layer and handles acknowledgements and re-tries of packets for reliable transport over the network. Because the design is written in RTL, it may be ported to any technology but will initially be targeted to the new Actel Accelerator series (AX) part. Each link will run at 160 Mbps and the power will be about 0.165 Watt per link worst case in the Actel AX.

Rakow, Glenn↗

Geostationary Spectrograph (GeoSpec) for Earth and Atmospheric Science Applications

GeoSpec will support several possible future mission concepts in the Atmospheric Sciences and in Land and Ocean Sciences by measurement of both chemically linked atmospheric trace gas concentrations and profiles of important molecules such as OS, N02, CH20 and SO2 and at the same time coastal and ocean pollution events, tidal effects, and the origin and evolution of aerosol plumes. The instrument design concept we will describe is a dual spectrograph covering the WMS wavelength region of 310- 481 nm and the VIS/NIR wavelength region of 500-900 nm. A third channel in the short- wave infrared (SWIR) region between 2.2 p and 2.4 pn for total column measurements of CO, CH4, and N20 will also be described. The goal is to design a system capable of making moderate spatial resolution (750 meters at nadir) hyperspectral measurements (0.2 to 1.2 nm resolution) from a geostationary orbit. This would enable studies of time- varying pollution and coastal change processes with a temporal resolution of 5 minutes on a regional scale to 1 hour on a continental scale. Technological advances in the design and fabrication of convex holographic gratings and large format, high dynamic range PIN/CMOS detectors at the focal plane will be exploited. By simply changing the focal length of the front-end telescope GeoSpec can accommodate different orbital altitudes, including low Earth orbit, the Sun-side Lagrangian point L1, and/or different spatial resolutions.

Janz, Scott J.↗

Front Range Wildland Fires: Evaluating the Efficacy of Remote Sensing Imagery in Monitoring Forest Fuels Treatment Methods

Over the last several decades, wildfire frequency and severity in forested areas along Colorado’s Front Range have increased due to a buildup of fuels. This has led to an increase in forest treatments, as well as an increased need to evaluate the success of these treatments. Remote sensing products offer an efficient and cost-effective way to monitor forest treatments; however, not all remote sensing products and analysis techniques have been explored by Coloradan land managers. Specifically, project partners at the Colorado State Forest Service (CSFS) and the Colorado Forest Restoration Institute (CFRI) were interested in using an effective and streamlined method of mapping canopy cover to better monitor forest treatment success. To support their needs, the NASA DEVELOP Front Range Wildland Fires team explored National Agricultural Imagery Program (NAIP) imagery at different spatial resolutions and numbers of training points with NASA’s Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) Data Elevation Model (DEM) as a predictor in addition to NAIP imagery spectral predictors. From this analysis, we created classified canopy cover rasters, and compared accuracy metrics across model iterations. We also determined that the best performing model, with an overall accuracy of 0.900 uses 2021 NAIP imagery at 2-meter resolution, 800 training points, 200 testing points, does not use topographic predictors, and reclassifies shadow pixels via a pre-selected NDVI threshold.

Remote Sensing↗

Multilayer Active Shell Mirrors for Space Telescopes

A novel active mirror technology based on carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) substrates and replication techniques has been developed. Multiple additional layers are implemented into the design serving various functions. Nanolaminate metal films are used to provide a high quality reflective front surface. A backing layer of thin active material is implemented to provide the surface-parallel actuation scheme. Printed electronics are used to create a custom electrode pattern and flexible routing layer. Mirrors of this design are thin (< 1.0 mm), lightweight (2.7 kg/m2 ), and have large actuation capabilities. These capabilities, along with the associated manufacturing processes, represent a significant change in design compared to traditional optics. Such mirrors could be used as lightweight primaries for small CubeSat-based telescopes or as meter-class segments for future large aperture observatories. Multiple mirrors can be produced under identical conditions enabling a substantial reduction in manufacturing cost and complexity. An overview of the mirror design and manufacturing processes is presented. Predictions on the actuation performance have been made through finite element simulations demonstrating correct abilities on the order of 250−300× for astigmatic modes with only 41 independent actuators. A description of the custom metrology system used to characterize the active mirrors is also presented. The system is based on a Reverse Hartmann test and can accommodate extremely large deviations in mirror figure (> 100 µm PV) down to sub-micron precision. The system has been validated against several traditional techniques including photogrammetry and interferometry. The mirror performance has been characterized using this system, as well as closed-loop figure correction experiments on 150 mm dia. prototypes. The mirrors have demonstrated post-correction figure accuracies of 200 nm RMS (two dead actuators limiting performance).

Reverse Hartmann↗

Technical Performance and Cost Optimization of Unobtrusive Multi-static Serial LiDAR Imager (UMSLI) for Wide-area Surveillance and Identification of Marine Life at Marine Energy Installations

Florida Atlantic University developed an underwater optical monitoring system prototype - Unobtrusive Multi-static Serial LiDAR Imager (UMSLI) - suitable for marine energy full project lifecycle observation (baseline, commissioning, and decommissioning), with an automated real-time classification of marine animals. With precursor 2014 DOE funding (award DE-EE0006787), a prototype UMSLI was demonstrated in a controlled laboratory environment and achieved a TRL 6. This EERE DE-EE0007828 award aimed to both increase the TRL of the UMSLI by improving the technology performance (e.g., increase distance of marine animal target detection capability, add additional species classification capabilities, improve the system performance during the day, etc.) and reduce the cost. The UMSLI presents a novel application of underwater distributed Light Detection And Ranging (LiDAR), an advanced remote sensing method that uses light in the form of laser pulses for an application, this paired with an algorithm provides 360 degrees underwater detection, imaging, and classification of marine life. This solution for underwater monitoring of biota preserves the advantages of traditional optical and acoustic solutions while overcoming many associated disadvantages for marine energy site environmental monitoring, such as difficulties in species detection and classification in low light or night and turbid environments. This new approach is a purposefully designed, reconfigurable adaptation of an existing class 3B laser technology into one UMSLI instrument that can be easily mounted on or around different classes of marine energy equipment, such as devices to capture ocean current energy or wave energy. The system uses relatively low average power, utilizes far-red (> 635nm) laser illumination to be invisible and eye-safe to marine animals, is compact, and cost-effective. The equipment is designed for long-term, maintenance-free operations (i.e., current design is targeting more than 7 days continuous operation), to inherently generate a sparse primary dataset that only includes detected anomalies, and to allow robust real-time automated animal classification and identification with a low data bandwidth requirement. The technology’s overarching goal for application, is a system that can be deployed to collect pre-installation baseline species observations at a proposed marine energy deployment site with minimal post-processing overhead. The envisioned system will also produce high-resolution imagery of marine animals through a wide range of conditions and support automated tracking and notification of the presence of managed animals within established perimeters of marine energy equipment to satisfy deployed marine energy projects’ endangered and threatened species monitoring requirements. Through the current project, we demonstrated the UMSLI prototype in an operational environment and increased the UMSLI’s Technology Readiness Level from 6 to 7. The project resulted in many novel technologies, including: 1) an eye-safe red laser based, low-cost LiDAR system that can detect targets up to 10 meters distance; 2) the GAN-based machine learning underwater LiDAR image enhancement technique (this is the first known application of GAN technique in underwater LiDAR); 3) LiDAR-based real-time automated detection capabilities; and 4) a template matching based automated classification tool. These technologies build a solid foundation for future efforts to develop an extended range electro-optical monitoring system suitable for marine energy deployments. In addition to technology development, a key lesson learned is that addressing regulatory and safety requirements must be front and center in any marine energy monitoring applications.

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗

LISA technology department at JPL

The Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) project requires technology developments on many fronts. A physical understanding of the LISA subsystems is a precursor to tacjling the requirements needed to ensure a successful mission. This can only be achieved by developing the concepts in the lab prior to developing the payload. This poster presents updates on laboratory activities intended to prove the feasibility of measuring proof mass back reaction forces of less than 3fN/(square root)Hz at 1 mHz; the sensing of the proof mass position with in 2 nm/(square root)above the 3 mHz; and the resolution and accuracy of the phase-meter to better than 10 pm/(square root)Hz above the 3 mHz.

optical displacement sensor↗

Satellite-derived surface latent heat fluxes in a rapidly intensifying marine cyclone

Surface latent heat fluxes are estimated in the vicinity of a rapidly deepening cyclone before and during its period of most rapid intensification. This was done with a bulk parameterization scheme and remotely sensed input data. A method is studied for estimating the difference in specific humidity between the surface and a ten meter height using the Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I) observed integrated water vapor field and a sea surface temperature analysis. The surface latent heat flux fields generally have estimated errors below 40 pct. south of 40 deg. N and outside the region of high integrated water vapor values associated with frontal bands. The method of estimating surface latent heat fluxes for the case study was found to be usable in most regions of the Northwest Atlantic Ocean except for those locations directly adjacent to coastlines in instances of offshore flow and in the vicinity of surface fronts.

Miller, Douglas K.↗