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NASA NTRS1994

Amorphous to Amorphous Form Transitions of Water Ice and Astrophysical Implications

We have combined Selected Area Electron Diffraction (SAED) and cryogenic techniques in an instrumental configuration that allows observing the structure of vapor deposited ice as it evolves during warmup. The ice is deposited in-situ inside an Hitachi H-500 H transmission electron microscope at a base pressure of 1-5 x 10(exp -7) torr on a thin amorphous carbon substrate at 15K or 86K and warmed up at a rate of 1-2 K/min. We find a progression of amorphous forms and well defined amorphous to amorphous transitions. Apart from the well known low-density form of ice, we confirm the presence of a high-density form and find a third amorphous form that coexists with cubic ice. We will report too on the amorphous to crystalline transition and the implications of these results for radical diffusion and gas retention observed in laboratory analog studies of interstellar and cometary ices.

Jenniskens, Peter↗

NASA NTRS2003

A Method of Estimating Transient-Cavity Diameters for Impact Craters Formed in Dry Sand

Analyses of impact craters formed in laboratory experiments historically have been the source of many fundamental observations and interpretations of the impact-cratering process itself. Due to its ready availability, ease of handling, and lack of strength, dry sand of various types has been the target material of choice in the majority of such experiments. A consequence of its lack of intrinsic strength, however, is dry sand's inability to maintain slopes above its angle of repose. Evidence from field observations of simple terrestrial craters and laboratory craters formed in more cohesive granular media suggests that transient cavities are similar to paraboloids in shape. Cross-sections of craters formed in dry sand, however, are nearly conical with the wall slopes at or near the angle of repose, indicating that the original crater form has been modified by one or more processes, among which is simple slope failure. Because the dimensions and shape of the transient cavity reflect the detailed conditions of a given impact event, its characterization has long been a desired goal in experimentation. A means of estimating the position of the transient cavity's rim is suggested below, relying on determination of velocities of material ejected from the growing cavity.

Cintala, M. J.↗

NASA NTRS2004

Vacuum Plasma Spray Forming of Tungsten Lorentz Force Accelerator Components

The Vacuum Plasma Spray (VPS) Laboratory at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, working with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, has developed and demonstrated a fabrication technique using the VPS process to form anode and cathode sections for a Lorentz force accelerator made from tungsten. Lorentz force accelerators are an attractive form of electric propulsion that provides continuous, high-efficiency propulsion at useful power levels for such applications as orbit transfers or deep space missions. The VPS process is used to deposit refractory metals such as tungsten onto a graphite mandrel of the desired shape. Because tungsten is reactive at high temperatures, it is thermally sprayed in an inert environment where the plasma gun melts and deposits the molten metal powder onto a mandrel. A three-axis robot inside the chamber controls the motion of the plasma spray torch. A graphite mandrel acts as a male mold, forming the required contour and dimensions for the inside surface of the anode or cathode of the accelerator. This paper describes the processing techniques, design considerations, and process development associated with the VPS forming of Lorentz force accelerator components.

Zimmerman, Frank R.↗

NASA NTRS1998

Microstructural and Mechanical Characterization of Shear Formed Aluminum Alloys for Airframe and Space Applications

Advanced manufacturing processes such as near-net-shape forming can reduce production costs and increase the reliability of launch vehicle and airframe structural components through the reduction of material scrap and part count and the minimization of joints. The current research is an investigation of the processing-microstructure-property relationship for shear formed cylinders of the Al-Cu-Li-Mg-Ag alloy 2195 for space applications and the Al-Cu-Mg-Ag alloy C415 for airframe applications. Cylinders which have undergone various amounts of shear-forming strain have been studied to assess the microstructure and mechanical properties developed during and after shear forming.

Troeger, L. P.↗

NASA NTRS1988

Mychonastes desiccatus Brown sp. nova (Chlorococcales, Chlorophyta)--an intertidal alga forming achlorophyllous desiccation-resistant cysts

An intertidal Chlorella-like alga Mychonastes desiccatus Brown sp. nova, capable of forming achlorophyllous desiccation-resistant cysts, has been grown in unialgal culture. This small alga was first isolated from a dried sample of a well-studied microbial mat. The mat, located at North Pond, Laguna Figueroa, San Quintin, Baja California, Mexico, is a vertically-stratified microbial community which forms laminated sediments. Morphology, pigment composition and G+C content are within the range typical for the genus Chlorella s. 1. Unlike other chlorellae, however, upon desiccation M. desiccatus forms an achlorophyllous, lipid-filled cyst (thick-walled resting stage) in which no plastid is evident. Rewetting leads to chloroplast differentiation, excystment and recovery of the fully green alga. During desiccation, sporopollenin is deposited within a thickening cell wall. Encystment cannot be induced by growth in the dark. The formation of desiccation-induced cysts allows the alga to survive frequent and intermittent periods of dryness. These chlorellae tolerate wide ranges of acidity and temperature; they both grow and form cysts in media in which sodium ions are replaced with potassium. Although the cysts tolerate crystalline salts, the cell grow optimally in concentrations corresponding from three-quarters to full-strength seawater.

NASA Discipline Exobiology↗

NASA NTRS1990

Similarity of urinary risk factors among stone-forming patients in five regions of the United States

Study Objective: To compare urinary biochemical risk factors among stone-forming patients in the Southeast (SE) or "stone belt" versus four other regions of the United States. Design: Prospective biochemical survey for regional comparisons. Setting: Referral-based nephrolithiasis clinics, urologists, nephrologists, and family practitioners. Patients: Consecutive sample of 3473 stone-forming patients who submitted 24-hour urine collections for biochemical analyses of stone-forming risk factors. Interventions: None. Subjects taking medication known to interfere with stone-forming risk factors were deleted from the final data compilation. Measurements and Main Results: Overall, the mean values for each urinary parameter spanned a narrow range without significant difference between the five regions. Among "metabolic" factors, 40% in the SE had hypercalciuria (> 6.25 mmol/d), compared to 35%-43% in other regions, and hyperuricosuria (> 4.2 mmol/d) was found in 16% in the SE versus 17%-19% elsewhere. Among "environmental" factors, low urine volume ( < 2 L/d) was found in 77% patients in the SE compared to 69%-78% elsewhere, and high sodium was encountered in 27% in the SE versus 24%-29% elsewhere. No differences were noted in occurrence of other abnormal risk factors: hyperoxaluria, hypocitraturia, low pH, high sulfate, high phosphorus, or low magnesium. Conclusions: Despite expected regional differences in nutritional and environmental influences, the results of this study showed a striking similarity in urinary biochemical risk factor profiles of stone-formers in all five regions of the United States.

NASA Discipline Number 18-10↗

NASA NTRS1994

Preliminary crystallographic studies of four crystal forms of serum albumin

Several crystal forms of serum albumin suitable for three-dimensional structure determination have been grown. These forms include crystals of recombinant and wild-type human serum albumin, baboon serum albumin, and canine serum albumin. The intrinsic limits of X-ray diffraction for these crystals are in the range 0.28-0.22 nm. Two of the crystal forms produced from human and canine albumin include incorporated long-chain fatty acids. Molecular replacement experiments have been successfully conducted on each crystal form using the previously determined atomic coordinates of human serum albumin illustrating the conserved tertiary structure.

Serum Albumin/chemistry↗

NASA NTRS1994

Permeation of membranes by the neutral form of amino acids and peptides: relevance to the origin of peptide translocation

The flux of amino acids and other nutrient solutes such as phosphate across lipid bilayers (liposomes) is 10(5) slower than facilitated inward transport across biological membranes. This suggest that primitive cells lacking highly evolved transport systems would have difficulty transporting sufficient nutrients for cell growth to occur. There are two possible ways by which early life may have overcome this difficulty: (1) The membranes of the earliest cellular life-forms may have been intrinsically more permeable to solutes; or (2) some transport mechanism may have been available to facilitate transbilayer movement of solutes essential for cell survival and growth prior to the evolution of membrane transport proteins. Translocation of neutral species represents one such mechanism. The neutral forms of amino acids modified by methylation (creating protonated weak bases) permeate membranes up to 10(10) times faster than charged forms. This increased permeability when coupled to a transmembrane pH gradient can result in significantly increased rates of net unidirectional transport. Such pH gradients can be generated in vesicles used to model protocells that preceded and were presumably ancestral to early forms of life. This transport mechanism may still play a role in some protein translocation processes (e.g. for certain signal sequences, toxins and thylakoid proteins) in vivo.

NASA Discipline Exobiology↗

NASA NTRS2004

Method of Fabricating Protective Coating for a Crucible with the Coating Having Channels Formed Therein

A method is provided for the fabrication of a protective coating for a crucible with channels being formed in the coating. A material is adhered to the outer wall of the crucible to form a pattern thereon. The outer wall of the crucible along with the pattern of material adhered thereto is next coated with another material. The material used to form the pattern should extend through the outer material coating to define at least one port therein. Next, the crucible with its pattern of material and outer coating material is heated to a temperature of transformation at which the pattern of material is transformed to a fluidic state while the crucible and outer coating material maintain their solid integrity. Such transformation could also be accomplished by using a solvent that causes the pattern of material to dissolve. Finally, the material in its fluidic state is removed via the at least one port formed in the outer material coating thereby leaving channels defined in the coating adjacent the outer wall of the crucible.

Richard N Grugel↗

NASA NTRS1998

Modified locking thread form for fastener

A threaded fastener has a standard part with a standard thread form characterized by thread walls with a standard included angle, and a modified part complementary to the standard part having a modified thread form characterized by thread walls which are symmetrically inclined with a modified included angle that is different from the standard included angle of the standard part's thread walls, such that the threads of one part make pre-loaded edge contact with the thread walls of the other part. The thread form of the modified part can have an included angle that is greater, less, or compound as compared to the included angle of the standard part. The standard part may be a bolt and the modified part a nut, or vice versa. The modified thread form holds securely even under large vibrational forces, it permits bi-directional use of standard mating threads, is impervious to the build up of tolerances and can be manufactured with a wider range of tolerances without loss of functionality, and distributes loading stresses (per thread) in a manner that decreases the possibility of single thread failure.

Roopnarine,↗

NASA NTRS1989

Method of forming a variable width channel

A method of forming a channel of varying width in a body comprises the steps of forming a plurality of masking elements having an opening therethrough intersecting a plurality of the elements on a surface of the body, partially flowing the elements into the opening to form a masking pattern having a variable width opening therethrough, and removing portions of the exposed body to form the channel with a sidewall having a surface contour corresponding to an edge of the masking pattern.

Andrews, James T.↗

NASA NTRS2008

Anomalies in the Thermophysical Properties of Undercooled Glass-Forming Alloys

The surface tension, viscosity, and density of several bulk metallic glass-forming alloys have been measured using noncontact techniques in the electrostatic levitation facility (ESL) at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center. All three properties show unexpected behavior in the undercooled regime. Similar deviations were previously observed in titanium-based quasicrystal-forming alloys,but the deviations in the properties of the glass-forming alloys are much more pronounced. New results for anomalous thermophysical properties in undercooled glass-forming alloys will be presented and discussed.

Hyers, Robert W.↗

NASA NTRS2008

Spray Forming of NiTi and NiTiPd Shape-Memory Alloys

In the work to be presented, vacuum plasma spray forming has been used as a process to deposit and consolidate prealloyed NiTi and NiTiPd powders into near net shape actuators. Testing showed that excellent shape memory behavior could be developed in the deposited materials and the investigation proved that VPS forming could be a means to directly form a wide range of shape memory alloy components. The results of DSC characterization and actual actuation test results will be presented demonstrating the behavior of a Nitinol 55 alloy and a higher transition temperature NiTiPd alloy in the form of torque tube actuators that could be used in aircraft and aerospace controls.

Mabe, James↗

NASA NTRS2009

Anti- reflective device having an anti-reflection surface formed of silicon spikes with nano-tips

Described is a device having an anti-reflection surface. The device comprises a silicon substrate with a plurality of silicon spikes formed on the substrate. A first metallic layer is formed on the silicon spikes to form the anti-reflection surface. The device further includes an aperture that extends through the substrate. A second metallic layer is formed on the substrate. The second metallic layer includes a hole that is aligned with the aperture. A spacer is attached with the silicon substrate to provide a gap between an attached sensor apparatus. Therefore, operating as a Micro-sun sensor, light entering the hole passes through the aperture to be sensed by the sensor apparatus. Additionally, light reflected by the sensor apparatus toward the first side of the silicon substrate is absorbed by the first metallic layer and silicon spikes and is thereby prevented from being reflected back toward the sensor apparatus.

Bae, Youngsman↗

NASA NTRS2007

Creep Forming of Carbon-Reinforced Ceramic-Matrix Composites

A set of lecture slides describes an investigation of creep forming as a means of imparting desired curvatures to initially flat stock plates of carbon-reinforced ceramic-matrix composite (C-CMC) materials. The investigation is apparently part of a continuing effort to develop improved means of applying small CCMC repair patches to reinforced carbon-carbon leading edges of aerospace vehicles (e.g., space shuttles) prior to re-entry into the atmosphere of the Earth. According to one of the slides, creep forming would be an intermediate step in a process that would yield a fully densified, finished C-CMC part having a desired size and shape (the other steps would include preliminary machining, finish machining, densification by chemical vapor infiltration, and final coating). The investigation included experiments in which C-CMC disks were creep-formed by heating them to unspecified high temperatures for time intervals of the order of 1 hour while they were clamped into single- and double-curvature graphite molds. The creep-formed disks were coated with an oxidation- protection material, then subjected to arc-jet tests, in which the disks exhibited no deterioration after exposure to high-temperature test conditions lasting 490 seconds.

Vaughn, Wallace L.↗

NASA NTRS2010

Large Spun Formed Friction-Stir Welded Tank Domes for Liquid Propellant Tanks Made from AA2195: A Technology Demonstration for the Next Generation of Heavy Lift Launchers

Improving structural efficiency while reducing manufacturing costs are key objectives when making future heavy-lift launchers more performing and cost efficient. The main enabling technologies are the application of advanced high performance materials as well as cost effective manufacture processes. This paper presents the status and main results of a joint industrial research & development effort to demonstrate TRL 6 of a novel manufacturing process for large liquid propellant tanks for launcher applications. Using high strength aluminium-lithium alloy combined with the spin forming manufacturing technique, this development aims at thinner wall thickness and weight savings up to 25% as well as a significant reduction in manufacturing effort. In this program, the concave spin forming process is used to manufacture tank domes from a single flat plate. Applied to aluminium alloy, this process allows reaching the highest possible material strength status T8, eliminating numerous welding steps which are typically necessary to assemble tank domes from 3D-curved panels. To minimize raw material costs for large diameter tank domes for launchers, the dome blank has been composed from standard plates welded together prior to spin forming by friction stir welding. After welding, the dome blank is contoured in order to meet the required wall thickness distribution. For achieving a material state of T8, also in the welding seams, the applied spin forming process allows the required cold stretching of the 3D-curved dome, with a subsequent ageing in a furnace. This combined manufacturing process has been demonstrated up to TRL 6 for tank domes with a 5.4 m diameter. In this paper, the manufacturing process as well as test results are presented. Plans are shown how this process could be applied to future heavy-lift launch vehicles developments, also for larger dome diameters.

Stachulla, M.↗

NASA NTRS2011

The Unresolved Star-Forming Galaxy Component of the Extragalactic Gamma Ray Background

We present new theoretical estimates of the contribution of unresolved star-forming galaxies to the extragalactic gamma-ray background (EGB) as measured by EGRET and the Fermi-LAT. We employ several methods for determining the star-forming galaxy contribution the the EGB, including a method positing a correlation between the gamma-ray luminosity of a galaxy and its rate of star formation as calculated from the total infrared luminosity, and a method that makes use of a model of the evolution of the galaxy gas mass with cosmic time. We find that depending on the model, unresolved star-forming galaxies could contribute significantly to the EGB as measured by the Fermi-LAT at energies between approx. 300 MeV and approx. few GeV. However, the overall spectrum of unresolved star-forming galaxies can explain neither the EGRET EGB spectrum at energies between 50 and 200 MeV nor the Fermi-LAT EGB spectrum at energies above approx. few GeV.

Venters, Tonia M.↗

NASA NTRS2011

Anti-reflective device having an anti-reflective surface formed of silicon spikes with nano-tips

Bae, Youngsam↗