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At least 127 records · Page 7

The Development of the GSFC DORIS Contribution to ITRF2014

The NASA GSFC DORIS analysis center has processed data from January 1993 to December 2014 and provided 1141 weekly solutionsin the form of normal equations for incorporation into the DORIS solution for ITRF2014. The solution time series, designated asgscwd26, were based on tracking data to eleven DORIS satellites divided generally into seven-day arcs. With respect to the ITRF2008 submission (Le Bail et al., 2010), the measurement model was updated to model the beacon frequency variations at certain DORIS sites,to apply the DORIS antenna phase law for the Starec and Alcatel antennae, and to apply the antenna offset corrections in the NASAGSFC orbit determination software rather than using the data-supplied corrections. We show that computing the antenna offset correctionsin the orbit determination software is superior to using the offset corrections that are supplied with the DORIS data, and that thisimproves the RMS of fit for SPOT-2, Envisat, SPOT-4, and SPOT-5. The updates for the force model included: (1) the development of improved nonconservative force modeling for SPOT-2, SPOT-3, SPOT-5, Envisat, and HY-2A, and (2) the application of an updatedstatic gravity model based on GRACE and GOCE data, and weekly models of the variations in the low degree gravity field deducedindependently from tracking by Satellite Laser Ranging (SLR) and DORIS. The post-ITRF2008 DORIS coordinate WRMS afterthe launch of Envisat and SPOT-5 is improved from 11.20 to 12.45 mm with ITRF2008 (Le Bail et al., 2010), to between 8.50 and9.99 mm with the gscwd26 SINEX solution. The application of the DORIS antenna phase laws shifts the DORIS scale wrt DPOD2008by +6.0 mm from 19930103 to 20020606, and by +11.4 mm from 20020613 to 20111030. The application of more detailed models of time-variable gravity reduces the slopes in the Helmert transformation parameters Tx, and Ty (w.r.t. DPOD2008) after 2005. The annual amplitude in these parameters is reduced from 3.2 mm (for Tx), 4.1 mm (for Ty), to 1.7 mm (for Tx) and 2.8 mm (for Ty).

Lemoine, F. G.↗

POST-TEST EXAMINATIONS OF A LOCA SAMPLE FROM AN IRRADIATED HIGH-BURNUP PWR M5 FUEL ROD

A LOCA integral test with high burnup PWR M5 fuel rod was conducted in the Irradiated Fuel Examination Laboratory through the complete LOCA sequence: heating the LOCA sample to 300ºC and pressurizing the internal pressure to 8.27 MPa, heating at 5ºC/s from 300 to 1200ºC, holding in steam for 90s at 1200ºC, cooling at 3ºC/s to 800ºC, followed by water quench and rapid cooling to 100ºC. After LOCA testing, examinations, such as the fuel fragmentation analysis, burst and ballooning characterization, axial strain measurement, and microstructural examinations were performed. Metallographic examinations of an as-irradiated high burnup sample adjacent to the LOCA test sample revealed a bonding layer between the fuel and cladding. The posttest LOCA examinations indicates the corrosion layer formed during normal operations in the commercial reactor might provide a protection against the steam oxidation at high temperatures for test times performed in this work. The microstructure of the as-irradiated fuel is compared to the microstructure of the post-LOCA test fuel. Posttest LOCA examination on unirradiated post-tests Zr cladding samples was conducted, which served as baseline data for in cell testing with irradiated samples. The results obtained with irradiated PWR high burnup M5 fuel rad were compared to the LOCA test data obtained with irradiated BWR high burnup Zircaloy-2 fuel rod at Argonne national Laboratory.

Yan, Yong↗

An abiotic origin for hydrocarbons in the Allan Hills 84001 martian meteorite through cooling of magmatic and impact-generated gases

Thermodynamic calculations of metastable equilibria were used to evaluate the potential for abiotic synthesis of aliphatic and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the martian meteorite Allan Hills (ALH) 84001. The calculations show that PAHs and normal alkanes could form metastably from CO, CO2, and H2 below approximately 250-300 degrees C during rapid cooling of trapped magmatic or impact-generated gases. Depending on temperature, bulk composition, and oxidation-reduction conditions, PAHs and normal alkanes can form simultaneously or separately. Moreover, PAHs can form at lower H/C ratios, higher CO/CO2 ratios, and higher temperatures than normal alkanes. Dry conditions with H/C ratios less than approximately 0.01-0.001 together with high CO/CO2 ratios also favor the formation of unalkylated PAHs. The observed abundance of PAHs, their low alkylation, and a variable but high aromatic to aliphatic ratio in ALH 84001 all correspond to low H/C and high CO/CO2 ratios in magmatic and impact gases and can be used to deduce spatial variations of these ratios. Some hydrocarbons could have been formed from trapped magmatic gases, especially if the cooling was fast enough to prevent reequilibration. We propose that subsequent impact heating(s) in ALH 84001 could have led to dissociation of ferrous carbonates to yield fine-grain magnetite, formation of a CO-rich local gas phase, reduction of water vapor to H2, reequilibration of the trapped magmatic gases, aromatization of hydrocarbons formed previously, and overprinting of the synthesis from magmatic gases, if any. Rapid cooling and high-temperature quenching of CO-, H2-rich impact gases could have led to magnetite-catalyzed hydrocarbon synthesis.

Non-NASA Center↗

Spatially resolved molecular gas properties of host galaxy of Type I superluminous supernova SN 2017egm

Abstract We present the results of CO(1–0) observations of the host galaxy of a Type I superluminous supernova (SLSN-I), SN 2017egm, one of the closest SLSNe-I at z = 0.03063, by using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array. The molecular gas mass of the host galaxy is Mgas = (4.8 ± 0.3) × 109 M⊙, placing it on the sequence of normal star-forming galaxies in an Mgas–star-formation rate (SFR) plane. The molecular hydrogen column density at the location of SN 2017egm is higher than that of the Type II SN PTF10bgl, which is also located in the same host galaxy, and those of other Type II and Ia SNe located in different galaxies, suggesting that SLSNe-I have a preference for a dense molecular gas environment. On the other hand, the column density at the location of SN 2017egm is comparable to those of Type Ibc SNe. The surface densities of molecular gas and the SFR at the location of SN 2017egm are consistent with those of spatially resolved local star-forming galaxies and follow the Schmidt–Kennicutt relation. These facts suggest that SLSNe-I can occur in environments with the same star-formation mechanism as in normal star-forming galaxies.

Hatsukade, Bunyo (ORCID:0000000164698725)↗

The retinoic acid signaling pathway regulates anterior/posterior patterning in the nerve cord and pharynx of amphioxus, a chordate lacking neural crest

Amphioxus, the closest living invertebrate relative of the vertebrates, has a notochord, segmental axial musculature, pharyngeal gill slits and dorsal hollow nerve cord, but lacks neural crest. In amphioxus, as in vertebrates, exogenous retinoic acid (RA) posteriorizes the embryo. The mouth and gill slits never form, AmphiPax1, which is normally downregulated where gill slits form, remains upregulated and AmphiHox1 expression shifts anteriorly in the nerve cord. To dissect the role of RA signaling in patterning chordate embryos, we have cloned the single retinoic acid receptor (AmphiRAR), retinoid X receptor (AmphiRXR) and an orphan receptor (AmphiTR2/4) from amphioxus. AmphiTR2/4 inhibits AmphiRAR-AmphiRXR-mediated transactivation in the presence of RA by competing for DR5 or IR7 retinoic acid response elements (RAREs). The 5' untranslated region of AmphiTR2/4 contains an IR7 element, suggesting possible auto- and RA-regulation. The patterns of AmphiTR2/4 and AmphiRAR expression during embryogenesis are largely complementary: AmphiTR2/4 is strongly expressed in the cerebral vesicle (homologous to the diencephalon plus anterior midbrain), while AmphiRAR expression is high in the equivalent of the hindbrain and spinal cord. Similarly, while AmphiTR2/4 is expressed most strongly in the anterior and posterior thirds of the endoderm, the highest AmphiRAR expression is in the middle third. Expression of AmphiRAR is upregulated by exogenous RA and completely downregulated by the RA antagonist BMS009. Moreover, BMS009 expands the pharynx posteriorly; the first three gill slit primordia are elongated and shifted posteriorly, but do not penetrate, and additional, non-penetrating gill slit primordia are induced. Thus, in an organism without neural crest, initiation and penetration of gill slits appear to be separate events mediated by distinct levels of RA signaling in the pharyngeal endoderm. Although these compounds have little effect on levels of AmphiTR2/4 expression, RA shifts pharyngeal expression of AmphiTR2/4 anteriorly, while BMS009 extends it posteriorly. Collectively, our results suggest a model for anteroposterior patterning of the amphioxus nerve cord and pharynx, which is probably applicable to vertebrates as well, in which a low anterior level of AmphiRAR (caused, at least in part, by competitive inhibition by AmphiTR2/4) is necessary for patterning the forebrain and formation of gill slits, the posterior extent of both being set by a sharp increase in the level of AmphiRAR. Supplemental data available on-line.

NASA Discipline Evolutionary Biology↗

Dilution Jets in Accelerated Cross Flows

Results of flow visualization experiments and measurements of the temperature field produced by a single jet and a row of dilution jets issued into a reverse flow combustor are presented. The flow in such combustors is typified by transverse and longitudinal acceleration during the passage through its bending section. The flow visualization experiments were designed to examine the separate effects of longitudinal and transverse acceleration on the jet trajectory and spreading rate. A model describing a dense single jet in a lighter accelerating cross flow is developed. The model is based on integral conservation equations, including the pressure terms appropriate to accelerating flows. It uses a modified entrainment correlation obtained from previous experiments of a jet in a cross stream. The flow visualization results are compared with the model calculations in terms of trajectories and spreading rates. Each experiment is typified by a set of three parameters: momentum ratio, density ratio, and the densimetric Froude number. When injection velocities are large or densities are small, the Froude number becomes very large and hence, unimportant. Therefore, the Froude number is generally significant in describing liquid experiments but is unimportant for the gas experiments in the combustor. Agreement between test and calculated results is encouraging but tends to become poorer with increasing momentum ratio. The temperature measurements are presented primarily in the form of consecutive normalized temperature profiles. Some interpolated isothermal contours are also shown. The single jet trajectories are consistently found to be swept towards the inner wall of the bend, whether injection is from the outer or the inner wall. This behavior is explained by a drifting effect which consists of a transverse velocity component across the combustor due to the developing nature of the flow along it. Plots of lateral temperature distributions of the jet indicate that under longitudinal acceleration conditions the thermal spreading of the jet may be completely suppressed. Comparison between combustor experimental results and model calculations shows poor agreement due to the drifting effect which is not taken into consideration in the model calculations. The row of jets experiments are characterized by two additional parameters: spacing ratio and confinement parameter. The results are shown in the form of consecutive normalized temperature profiles. The confinement parameter appears to become increasingly important with decreasing spacing ratio, in particular when its effect is enhanced by the drifting phenomenon and associated pressure field. A tightly spaced row of jets injected from the inner wall, prior to the bend, is surprisingly kept attached to the inner wall in spite of the strong turning. A similar attachment for a jet injected from the outer wall is not observed.

Lipshitz, Abraham↗

Laser observations of the moon: Normal points for 1973

McDonald Observatory lunar laser ranging observations for 1973 are presented in the form of compressed normal points and amendments for the 1969-1972 data set are given. Observations of the reflector mounted on the Soviet roving vehicle Lunakhod 2 have also been included.

Mulholland, J. D.↗

Laser observations of the moon - Normal points for 1973

McDonald Observatory lunar laser-ranging observations for 1973 are presented in the form of compressed normal points, and amendments for the 1969-1972 data set are given. Observations of the reflector mounted on the Soviet roving vehicle Lunakhod 2 have also been included.

Mulholland, J. D.↗

Preliminary results from three USML-1 Glovebox experiments

Three simple experiments, namely, Marangoni convection in closed containers (MCCC), fiber pulling in microgravity, and stability of a double float zone are described which were conducted during the U.S. Microgravity Laboratory mission (USML) in July 1992. Results show that, in the MCCC experiment, there was no evidence of partial wetting between the liquid and the walls either in the wetting or nonwetting configuration. In the nonwetting system, the void formed a hemispherical bubble that remained pinned to the walls with considerable contact line resistance. Significant differences were observed in the ability to pull liquid strings in low gravity in those materials which readily form liquid strands in normal gravity and do not necessarily form strands in reduced gravity. The double float zone configuration appeared to be quite stable in both cylindrical and sheet form.

Naumann, Robert J.↗

Normalization Of Thermal-Radiation Form-Factor Matrix

Report describes algorithm that adjusts form-factor matrix in TRASYS computer program, which calculates intraspacecraft radiative interchange among various surfaces and environmental heat loading from sources such as sun.

Tsuyuki, Glenn T.↗

Laser observations of the moon - Normal points for 1972

The lunar laser observations taken at the McDonald Observatory during 1972 are presented in the form of compressed normal points, using the technique of an earlier paper. Refinements in the knowledge of the lunar motion have permitted corresponding increases in the ability to discriminate observations contaminated by equipment malfunctions; a list of amendments is given for the 1969-1971 data. The geometry of the telescope must be taken into account in the application of these data.

Shelus, P. J.↗

Digital Twin for Self-Security of Smart Inverters

Smart inverters connected to a communication network are susceptible to man-in-the-middle attacks. In this paper, a self-security approach is implemented using the digital twin concept for smart inverters. The digital twin is formed using the inverter’s normal operating region and the inverter’s dynamic model. Then, the incoming setpoints are autonomously examined using the digital twin, and only the safe setpoints are engaged to the inverter’s local controller. This paper demonstrates how the inverter’s normal operating region and dynamic model are formed. In particular, the normal operation region is experimentally verified by changing the P and Q setpoints engaged to the local controller, using a laboratory setup including a three-phase 3-kVA SiC-MOSFET inverter and a 12-kW NHR 9410 regenerative power grid emulator. The results demonstrate that the self-security technique can potentially protect inverters from man-in-the-middle attacks by examining the incoming commands (new setpoints) using the inverter’s digital twin before engaging the setpoints to the local controller.

Hossen, Tareq↗

Criteria for Grid-Forming Inverters Transitioning Between Current Limiting Mode and Normal Operation

Here, this letter focuses on the fault recovery analysis of inverters using multi-loop droop based grid-forming control, taking into account different current limiting strategies. A criterion is proposed to determine when the inverter can exit the current limiting mode after fault clearance. The theoretical findings are verified through electromagnetic transient simulations using the direct (d)-axis priority-based current limiting method, circular current limiting method, and virtual impedance method.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

Space flight and bone formation

Major physiological changes which occur during spaceflight include bone loss, muscle atrophy, cardiovascular and immune response alterations. When trying to determine the reason why bone loss occurs during spaceflight, one must remember that all these other changes in physiology and metabolism may also have impact on the skeletal system. For bone, however, the role of normal weight bearing is a major concern and we have found no adequate substitute for weight bearing which can prevent bone loss. During the study of this problem, we have learned a great deal about bone physiology and increased our knowledge about how normal bone is formed and maintained. Presently, we do not have adequate ground based models which can mimic the tissue loss that occurs in spaceflight but this condition closely resembles the bone loss seen with osteoporosis. Although a normal bone structure will respond to application of mechanical force and weight bearing by forming new bone, a weakened osteoporotic bone may have a tendency to fracture. The study of the skeletal system during weightless conditions will eventually produce preventative measures and form a basis for protecting the crew during long term space flight. The added benefit from these studies will be methods to treat bone loss conditions which occur here on earth.

Non-NASA Center↗

Systematic analysis of Baobaoqu fermentation starter for Wuliangye Baijiu by the combination of metagenomics and metabolomics

Baobaoqu (BBQ) is a traditional fermenting power, which is widely applied in Nong-flavor Baijiu brewing. There are two different types of BBQ (premium BBQ and normal BBQ) used in industrial manufacture, but the reasons for the significant differences between two kinds of BBQ have not been clearly illuminated. In this study, the combination of metagenomics and metabolomics was performed to compare the differences in the composition of microbial communities and the components of flavors between premium BBQ and normal BBQ. The results showed that the glycosidase-producing microorganisms are the biomarkers of premium BBQ, contributing a better ability of carbon source utilization than normal BBQ. In addition, several important flavors (ethyl hexanoate, phenylethanol, ethyl acetate) were rich in normal BBQ, which have a significant positive correlation with the biomarkers ( Lactobacillus and Pichia kudriavzevii ) of normal BBQ. It suggests that the microbial community has an advantage in utilizing raw materials in premium BBQ, while the community was inclined to form flavors in normal BBQ. The differences between two types of BBQ at the microbial and flavor level have theoretical and practical guiding significance in the application of premium and normal BBQ and in the further improvements of taste and quality of Baijiu.

Zhang, Qingmei↗

Global gravity field to degree and order 30 from Geos 3 satellite altimetry and other data

A model of the geopotential field in spherical harmonics to degree and order 30 is obtained from Geos 3 satellite to sea surface altimetry data, terrestrial gravity measurements and satellite perturbation analysis. A general perturbation solution is employed for the calculation of the orbits of 10 satellites based on satellite laser ranging data, and 1 deg x 1 deg surface gravity data are used to compute 550 km x 550 km block anomalies by means of autocovariance analysis. Altimeter-determined sea-surface heights, which are taken as the geoid, are averaged for each 1 deg x 1 deg ocean surface area and treated by autocovariance analysis to obtain 550 x 550 km block undulations. Observation and normal equations are formed from the altimeter and surface gravity data, which together cover 1635 out of 1654 possible surface elements, and are combined with the available satellite-derived normal equations to obtain a solution for the spherical harmonics coefficients. In addition, a value of 6,378,138.23 + or - 1.3 m is obtained for the earth's semimajor axis.

Gaposchkin, E. M.↗

Validating regional differences in modelled satellite microwave signatures

A three-part microwave T(B) brightness temperature model was tested for applicability in regions of differing climatic and vegetation regime. Model parameters were limited to vegetation in the form of the normalized vegetation index (NDVI) and climatically modeled soil moisture. The T(B) model was calibrated for two climatically contrasting areas and subsequently validated on different test sites of similar climatic character. Vegetative characteristics in the form of the mean NDVI was used to partition and lump data from different test sites. Good agreement was realized between estimated T(B) and Nimbus-7 SMMR T(B) at the 6.6 GHz horizontal channel.

Owe, Manfred↗

A computer program for calculating the perfect gas inviscid flow field about blunt axisymmetric bodies at an angle of attack of 0 deg

A method for the rapid calculation of the inviscid shock layer about blunt axisymmetric bodies at an angle of attack of 0 deg has been developed. The procedure is of an inverse nature, that is, a shock wave is assumed and calculations proceed along rays normal to the shock. The solution is iterated until the given body is computed. The flow field solution procedure is programed at the Langley Research Center for the Control Data 6600 computer. The geometries specified in the program are sphores, ellipsoids, paraboloids, and hyperboloids which may conical afterbodies. The normal momentum equation is replaced with an approximate algebraic expression. This simplification significantly reduces machine computation time. Comparisons of the present results with shock shapes and surface pressure distributions obtained by the more exact methods indicate that the program provides reasonably accurate results for smooth bodies in axisymmetric flow. However, further research is required to establish the proper approximate form of the normal momentum equation for the two-dimensional case.

Zoby, E. V.↗