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At least 127 records · Page 7

Ground Operations Aerospace Language (GOAL). Volume 1: Study overview

A series of NASA and Contractor studies sponsored by NASA/KSC resulted in a specification for the Ground Operations Aerospace Language (GOAL). The Cape Kennedy Facility of the IBM Corporation was given the responsibility, under existing contracts, to perform an analysis of the Language Specification, to design and develop a GOAL Compiler, to provide a specification for a data bank, to design and develop an interpretive code translator, and to perform associated application studies.

Source record↗

Joint pain and Doppler-detectable bubbles in altitude (Hypobaric) decompression

The observation that altitude decompression sickness (DCS) is associated with pain in the lower extremities is not new, although it is not a consistent finding. DCS in divers is generally in the upper body, an effect often attributed to non-loading of the body while immersed. In caisson workers, DCS is reported more in the lower extremities. Surprisingly, many researchers do not mention the location of DCS joint pain, apparently considering it to be random. This is not the case for the tissue ratios encountered in studying decompression associated with simulated EVA. In NASA/JSC tests, altitude DCS generally presented first in either the ankle, knee, or hip (83 percent = 73/88). There was a definite statistical relation between the maximum Spencer precordial Doppler Grade and the incidence of DCS in the extremity, although this is not meant to imply a casual relation between circulating gas bubbles and joint pain. The risk of DCS with Grade 4 was considerably higher than that of Grades 0 to 3. The DCS risk was independent of the 'tissue ratio.' There was a predominance of lower extremity DCS even when exercise was performed with the upper body. The reason for these locations we hypothesize to be attributed to the formation of tissue gas micronuclei from kinetic and tensile forces (stress-assisted nucleation) and are the result of the individuals ambulating in a 1g environment. Additionally, since these showers of Doppler bubbles can persist for hours, it is difficult to imagine that they are emanating solely from tendons and ligaments, the supposed site of joint pain. This follows from Henry's law linking the volume of joint tissue (the solvent) and the solubility coefficient of inert gas; there is volumetrically insufficient connective tissue to produce the prolonged release of gas bubbles. If gas bubbles are spawned and released from connective tissue, their volume is increased by those from muscle tissue. Therefore, the nexus between Doppler-detectable gas bubbles and joint-pain decompression sickness is essentially a statistical, rather than a direct, one.

Powell, Michael R.↗

Postural Responses Following Space Flight and Ground Based Analogs

With the transition from the Shuttle program to the International Space Station (ISS), the opportunity to fly sensorimotor experiments in a weightless environment has become increasingly more difficult to obtain. As a result, more investigations have turned to ground-based analogs as a way of evaluating an experiment's viability. The two primary analogs available to most investigators are 6deg head down bed rest (HDBR) and dry immersion (DI). For the time being, HDBR investigations have been associated with studies conducted in the United States while the Russians and several other European Union states have concentrated their efforts on using DI as the space flight analog of choice. While either model may be viable for cardiovascular, bone and other system changes, vestibular and sensorimotor investigators have retained serious reservations of either analog's potential to serve as a replacement for a true weightless environment. These reservations have merit, but it is worthwhile to consider that not all changes associated with sensorimotor function during space flight are the result of top-down modifications, but may also be due to the lack, or change, of appropriate support surfaces applying force to the bottom of the feet. To this end we have compared quiet stance postural responses between short duration Space Shuttle flights, long duration ISS flights and HDBR of varying duration. Using these three platforms, representing different modifications of support we investigated postural ataxia using a quiet stance model. Quiet stance was obtained by asking the subjects to stand upright on a force plate, eyes open, arms at the side of the body for three min. From the force plate we obtained average sway velocity in two axes as well as length of line (stabilogram). These parameters were then related to EMG activity recorded from the medial gastrocnemius and lateral tibialis. It is significant to note that postural ataxia measured as quiet stance shows analogous changes between HDBR and space flight. Primary differences across short duration, long duration space flight and HDBR are related to the length of exposure associated with both space flight and HDBR.

Kofman, Igor S.↗

Principle Component Analysis of the Evolution of the Saharan Air Layer and Dust Transport: Comparisons between a Model Simulation and MODIS Retrievals

The onset and evolution of Saharan Air Layer (SAL) episodes during June-September 2002 are diagnosed by applying principal component analysis to the NCEP reanalysis temperature anomalies at 850 hPa, where the largest SAL-induced temperature anomalies are located. The first principal component (PC) represents the onset of SAL episodes, which are associated with large warm anomalies located at the west coast of Africa. The second PC represents two opposite phases of the evolution of the SAL. The positive phase of the second PC corresponds to the southwestward extension of the warm anomalies into the tropical-subtropical North Atlantic Ocean, and the negative phase corresponds to the northwestward extension into the subtropical to mid-latitude North Atlantic Ocean and the southwest Europe. A dust transport model (CARMA) and the MODIS retrievals are used to study the associated effects on dust distribution and deposition. The positive (negative) phase of the second PC corresponds to a strengthening (weakening) of the offshore flows in the lower troposphere around 10deg - 20degN, causing more (less) dust being transported along the tropical to subtropical North Atlantic Ocean. The variation of the offshore flow indicates that the subseasonal variation of African Easterly Jet is associated with the evolution of the SAL. Significant correlation is found between the second PC time series and the daily West African monsoon index, implying a dynamical linkage between West African monsoon and the evolution of the SAL and Saharan dust transport.

Wong, S.↗

Definition of Mutually Optimum NDI and Proof Test Criteria for 2219 Aluminum Pressure Vessels. Volume 2: Optimization and Fracture Studies

Certain behavioral aspects associated with fracture and crack extension that cannot be studied using other techniques were evaluated with the ultrasonic method. Characterization of collimated beam techniques showed that significant beam width reduction could be accomplished. Techniques for collimation are given. The crack-opening displacement-gage correction-factor study showed that displacement resulting from crack opening and that from plasticity could be readily differentiated. Crack closure studies using both ultrasonic and crack-opening displacement measurements showed an opening and closing behavior associated with load-unload curves. The results of this work were in general agreement with the closure concepts of Elber. Ultrasonic measurements used to study the nature of flaw extension characteristics associated with failure of the ligament between the flaw front and back surface showed that penetration could occur by an abrupt fracturing after subcritical growth or by continuous growth.

Schwartzberg, F. R.↗

Insulin secretion and sensitivity in space flight: diabetogenic effects

Nearly three decades of space flight research have suggested that there are subclinical diabetogenic changes that occur in microgravity. Alterations in insulin secretion, insulin sensitivity, glucose tolerance, and metabolism of protein and amino acids support the hypothesis that insulin plays an essential role in the maintenance of muscle mass in extended-duration space flight. Experiments in flight and after flight and ground-based bedrest studies have associated microgravity and its experimental paradigms with manifestations similar to those of diabetes, physical inactivity, and aging. We propose that these manifestations are characterized best by an etiology that falls into the clinical category of "other" causes of diabetes, including, but not restricted to, genetic beta-cell defects, insulin action defects, diseases of the endocrine pancreas, endocrinopathies, drug or chemically induced diabetes, infections, immune-mediated metabolic alteration, and a host of genetic related diseases. We present data showing alterations in tumor necrosis factor-alpha production, insulin secretion, and amino acid metabolism in pancreatic islets of Langerhans cultured in a ground-based cell culture bioreactor that mimics some of the effects of microgravity. Taken together, space flight research, ground-based studies, and bioreactor studies of pancreatic islets of Langerhans support the hypothesis that the pancreas is unable to overcome peripheral insulin resistance and amino acid dysregulation during space flight. We propose that measures of insulin secretion and insulin action will be necessary to design effective countermeasures against muscle loss, and we advance the "disposition index" as an essential model to be used in the clinical management of space flight-induced muscle loss.

Review↗

Rotative balance of the I.M.F. Lille and associated experimental techniques

The study of aerodynamic effects at high incidence associated with motions of wide amplitude incorporating continuous rotations requires the consideration of coupled effects, which are generally nonlinear, in a formulation of equations of motion. A rotative balance designed to simulate such maneuvers in a windtunnel was created to form a test medium for analytical studies. A general description of the assembly is provided by considering two main ranges of application. The capacities and performance of the assembly are discussed.

Verbrugge, R.↗

Rocket-based measurement of Birkeland currents related to an auroral arc and electrojet.

A rocket-borne experiment performed to study currents associated with a quiet auroral arc is discussed. The magnetic field in the vicinity of the arc was measured with a vector magnetometer, while the orientation of the payload was determined with a lunar-aspect sensor. Possible current configurations were inferred by constructing model current systems that reproduced the magnetic field variations measured along the flight path. The data are interpreted in terms of a model current system consisting of a northwestward electrojet and two oppositely directed Birkeland sheet currents, all lying in planes approximately parallel to the auroral arc. The current density integrated through the 16-km thickness of each Birkeland current sheet was found to be roughly 0.16 A/m. The electrojet current was roughly 6000 A.

Park, R. J.↗

A computer-controlled scintiscanning system and associated computer graphic techniques for study of regional distribution of blood flow.

Two methods whereby a digital computer may be used to regulate a scintiscanning process are discussed from the viewpoint of computer input-output software. The computer's function, in this case, is to govern the data acquisition and storage, and to display the results to the investigator in a meaningful manner, both during and subsequent to the scanning process. Several methods (such as three-dimensional maps, contour plots, and wall-reflection maps) have been developed by means of which the computer can graphically display the data on-line, for real-time monitoring purposes, during the scanning procedure and subsequently for detailed analysis of the data obtained. A computer-governed method for converting scintiscan data recorded over the dorsal or ventral surfaces of the thorax into fractions of pulmonary blood flow traversing the right and left lungs is presented.

Coulam, C. M.↗

Further studies on the dimensionless parameters associated with the 'in vivo' transport of heat within biological tissue.

Dimensionless parameters appearing in the analysis of transport of heat within living biological tissues are presented and discussed. Dimensional analysis as well as some analytical solutions have been employed to obtain the physically and physiologically most significant dimensionless parameters associated with these types of problems. Some analytical solutions are presented for both steady state and transient cases to illustrate the significance of the derived parameters.-

Shitzer, A.↗

Analysis of multispectral signatures and investigation of multi-aspect remote sensing techniques

Two major aspects of remote sensing with multispectral scanners (MSS) are investigated. The first, multispectral signature analysis, includes the effects on classification performance of systematic variations found in the average signals received from various ground covers as well as the prediction of these variations with theoretical models of physical processes. The foremost effects studied are those associated with the time of day airborne MSS data are collected. Six data collection runs made over the same flight line in a period of five hours are analyzed, it is found that the time span significantly affects classification performance. Variations associated with scan angle also are studied. The second major topic of discussion is multi-aspect remote sensing, a new concept in remote sensing with scanners. Here, data are collected on multiple passes by a scanner that can be tilted to scan forward of the aircraft at different angles on different passes. The use of such spatially registered data to achieve improved classification of agricultural scenes is investigated and found promising. Also considered are the possibilities of extracting from multi-aspect data, information on the condition of corn canopies and the stand characteristics of forests.

Malila, W. A.↗