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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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NASA NTRS1985

Temporal characteristics of the solar UV flux and He I line at 1083 nm

It is pointed out that the solar UV flux in the 170- to 210-nm range is important because it photodissociates O2 in the terrestrial atmosphere and thereby initiates the production of ozone and other odd-oxygen chemistry in the stratosphere. The 210- to 290-nm solar UV flux heats the stratosphere. There is consequently a great interest in the temporal variations of the solar UV flux and its relation to ground-based measures of solar activity which may be useful in estimating the UV flux variations. The present investigation is concerned with daily values of 205-nm solar UV flux data measured with the aid of the Nimbus 7 satellite during the period from November 1978 to November 1982, taking into account also measurements of the equivalent width of the He I solar absorption line at 1083 at the National Solar Observatory. Attention is given to an analysis of the data, episodes of activity, and long-term variations.

Donnelly, R. F.↗
NASA NTRS2008

The Effect of a Potentially Low Solar Cycle #24 on Orbital Lifetimes of Fengyun 1-C Debris

The magnitude of Solar Cycle #24 will have a non-trivial impact on the lifetimes of debris pieces that resulted from the intentional hypervelocity impact of the Fengyun 1-C satellite in January 2007. Recent solar flux measurements indicate Solar Cycle #24 has begun in the last few months, and will continue until approximately 2019. While there have been differing opinions on whether the intensity of this solar cycle will be higher or lower than usual, the Space Weather Prediction Center within the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA/SWPC) has recently forecast unusually low solar activity, which would result in longer orbital lifetimes. Using models for both the breakup of Fengyun 1-C and the propagation of the resultant debris cloud, the Orbital Debris Program Office at NASA Johnson Space Center conducted a study to better understand the impact of the solar cycle on lifetimes for pieces as small as 1 mm. Using a modified collision breakup model and PROP3D propagation software, the orbits of nearly 2 million objects 1 mm and larger were propagated for up to 200 years. By comparing a normal solar cycle with that of the NOAA/SWPC forecast low cycle, the effect of the solar flux on the lifetimes of the debris pieces is evaluated. The modeling of the low solar cycle shows an additional debris count of 12% for pieces larger than 10 cm by 2019 when compared to the resultant debris count using a normal cycle. The difference becomes more exaggerated (over 15%) for debris count in the smaller size regimes. However, in 50 years, the models predict the differences in debris count from differing models of Solar Cycle #24 to be less than 10% for all size regimes, with less variance in the smaller sizes. Understanding the longevity of the debris cloud will affect collision probabilities for both operational spacecraft and large derelict objects over the next century and beyond.

Whitlock, David↗
NASA NTRS1994

Evaluation of semiempirical atmospheric density models for orbit determination applications

This paper presents the results of an investigation of the orbit determination performance of the Jacchia-Roberts (JR), mass spectrometer incoherent scatter 1986 (MSIS-86), and drag temperature model (DTM) atmospheric density models. Evaluation of the models was performed to assess the modeling of the total atmospheric density. This study was made generic by using six spacecraft and selecting time periods of study representative of all portions of the 11-year cycle. Performance of the models was measured for multiple spacecraft, representing a selection of orbit geometries from near-equatorial to polar inclinations and altitudes from 400 kilometers to 900 kilometers. The orbit geometries represent typical low earth-orbiting spacecraft supported by the Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) Flight Dynamics Division (FDD). The best available modeling and orbit determination techniques using the Goddard Trajectory Determination System (GTDS) were employed to minimize the effects of modeling errors. The latest geopotential model available during the analysis, the Goddard earth model-T3 (GEM-T3), was employed to minimize geopotential model error effects on the drag estimation. Improved-accuracy techniques identified for TOPEX/Poseidon orbit determination analysis were used to improve the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System (TDRSS)-based orbit determination used for most of the spacecraft chosen for this analysis. This paper shows that during periods of relatively quiet solar flux and geomagnetic activity near the solar minimum, the choice of atmospheric density model used for orbit determination is relatively inconsequential. During typical solar flux conditions near the solar maximum, the differences between the JR, DTM, and MSIS-86 models begin to become apparent. Time periods of extreme solar activity, those in which the daily and 81-day mean solar flux are high and change rapidly, result in significant differences between the models. During periods of high geomagnetic activity, the standard JR model was outperformed by DTM. Modification of the JR model to use a geomagnetic heating delay of 3 hours, as used in DTM, instead of the 6.7-hour delay produced results comparable to or better than the DTM performance, reducing definitive orbit solution ephermeris overlap differences by 30 to 50 percent. The reduction in the overlap differences would be useful for mitigating the impact of geomagnetic storms on orbit prediction.

Cox, C. M.↗
NASA NTRS1985

A possible mechanism to cause the quasi-biennial variability on the solar neutrino flux

It is suggested that the quasi-biennial change in the observed flux of the solar neutrinos is causally related to some non-linear process at the central core of the Sun, being associated with the charge in the central temperature. This process seems to be responsible for the physical adjustment of the internal structure of the Sun. Numerical simulation on this process is able to reproduce the quasi-biennial change in the flux of these neutrinos.

Sakurai, K.↗
NASA NTRS2001

Shortwave Radiative Fluxes, Solar-Beam Transmissions, and Aerosol Properties: TARFOX and ACE-2 Find More Absorption from Flux Radiometry than from Other Measurements

The Tropospheric Aerosol Radiative Forcing Observational Experiment (TARFOX) and the Second Aerosol Characterization Experiment (ACE-2) made simultaneous measurements of shortwave radiative fluxes, solar-beam transmissions, and the aerosols affecting those fluxes and transmissions. Besides the measured fluxes and transmissions, other obtained properties include aerosol scattering and absorption measured in situ at the surface and aloft; aerosol single scattering albedo retrieved from skylight radiances; and aerosol complex refractive index derived by combining profiles of backscatter, extinction, and size distribution. These measurements of North Atlantic boundary layer aerosols impacted by anthropogenic pollution revealed the following characteristic results: (1) Better agreement among different types of remote measurements of aerosols (e.g., optical depth, extinction, and backscattering from sunphotometers, satellites, and lidars) than between remote and in situ measurements; 2) More extinction derived from transmission measurements than from in situ measurements; (3) Larger aerosol absorption inferred from flux radiometry than from other measurements. When the measured relationships between downwelling flux and optical depth (or beam transmission) are used to derive best-fit single scattering albedos for the polluted boundary layer aerosol, both TARFOX and ACE-2 yield midvisible values of 0.90 +/- 0.04. The other techniques give larger single scattering albedos (i.e. less absorption) for the polluted boundary layer, with a typical result of 0.95 +/- 0.04. Although the flux-based results have the virtue of describing the column aerosol unperturbed by sampling, they are subject to questions about representativeness and other uncertainties (e.g., unknown gas absorption). Current uncertainties in aerosol single scattering albedo are large in terms of climate effects. They also have an important influence on aerosol optical depths retrieved from satellite radiances. More tests are needed of the consistency among different methods and of the effects of changing humidity on aerosol.

Russell, Philip B.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Cosmic ray modulation by high-speed solar wind fluxes

Cosmic ray intensity variations connected with recurrent high-speed fluxes (HSF) of solar wind are investigated. The increase of intensity before the Earth gets into a HSF, north-south anisotropy and diurnal variation of cosmic rays inside a HSF as well as the characteristics of Forbush decreases are considered.

Dorman, L. I.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Technique to retrieve solar EUV flux and neutral thermospheric O, O2, N2, and temperature from airglow measurements

We describe a method for retrieving neutral thermospheric composition and solar EUV flux from optical measurements of the O(+)(P-2) 732 nm and O(D-1) 630 nm airglow emissions. The parameters retrieved are the neutral temperature, the O, L2, and N2 density profiles, and a scaling factor for the solar EUV flux spectrum. The temperature, solar EUV flux scaling factor, and atomic oxygen density are first retrieved from the 732 nm emission, which are then used with the 630 nm emission to retrieve the O2 and N2 densities. Between the altitudes of 200 and 400 km the retrieval technique is able to statistically retrieve values to within 3.1% for thermospheric temperature, 3.3% for atomic oxygen, 2.3% for molecular oxygen, and 2.4% for molecular nitrogen. The solar EUV flux scaling factor has a retrieval error of 5.1%. We also present the results of retrievals using existing data taken from both groundbased and spacebased instruments. These include airglow data taken by the Visible Airglow Experiment on the Atmospheric Explorer spacecraft and the Imaging Spectrometric Observatory flown on the ATLAS 1 shuttle mission in 1992.

Fennelly, J. A.↗
NASA NTRS2005

Recent Solar-Proton Fluxes

The event-integrated fluences of energetic solar protons up to 2004 at the Earth have been determined and compared to previous data. The current solar cycle has been very active, and very large fluxes of solar protons have been observed that have had serious effects in the solar system and will have produced many radionuclides in the surfaces of meteorites. Such huge events are not expected again until about 2008 or 2009.

Reedy, R. C.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Measurement of 200-400 nm solar UV fluxes on the STRATCOM 8A balloon flight

A filter wheel UV Spectroirradiometer was used to measure solar UV fluxes in 10 bandpasses in the 200-400 nm region at altitudes up to 40 km on Stratcom 8A. Ozone layer thicknesses were derived from the balloon ascent measurements and an ozone density profile obtained. Measurements at the 39-40 km float altitude before and after local noon give a solar flux in the (220 + or - 5) nm O2-O3 transmission window of 4.53 x .000001 W/(cm squared-nm) at approximately 1 A U on 29 September 1977, when the sunspot number was about 63.

Hanser, F. A.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Ion chemistry of N2/+/ and the solar ultraviolet flux in the thermosphere

We have analyzed daytime composition measurements in the thermosphere from Atmosphere Explorer-C by use of a theory of the ion chemistry. Predicted and measured N2(+) densities are compared to infer global variation of the solar ionizing flux. Results indicate that the solar flux of Hinteregger measured on Atmosphere Explorer-C provides an adequate basis for the calculation of solar ultraviolet photoionization rates. The role of metastable species is examined, and theoretical O+(2D) densities are presented.

Oppenheimer, M.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Simultaneous retrieval of the solar EUV flux and neutral thermospheric O, O2, N2, and temperature from twilight airglow

We present a method to retrieve neutral thermospheric composition and the solar EUV flux from ground-based twilight optical measurements of the O(+) ((exp 2)P) 7320 A and O((exp 1)D) 6300 A airglow emissions. The parameters retrieved are the neutral temperature, the O, O2, N2 density profiles, and a scaling factor for the solar EUV flux spectrum. The temperature, solar EUV flux scaling factor, and atomic oxygen density are first retrieved from the 7320-A emission, which are then used with the 6300-A emission to retrieve the O2 and N2 densities. The retrieval techniques have been verified by computer simulations. We have shown that the retrieval technique is able to statistically retrieve values, between 200 and 400 km, within an average error of 3.1 + or - 0.6% for thermospheric temperature, 3.3 + or - 2.0% for atomic oxygen, 2.3 + or - 1.3% for molecular oxygen, and 2.4 + or - 1.3% for molecular nitrogen. The solar EUV flux scaling factor was found to have a retrieval error of 5.1 + or - 2.3%. All the above errors have a confidence level of 95%. The purpose of this paper is to prove the viability and usefulness of the retrieval technique by demonstrating the ability to retrieve known quantities under a realistic simulation of the measurement process, excluding systematic effects.

Fennelly, J. A.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Effects of heavy-element settling on solar neutrino fluxes and interior structure

We consider the effects of gravitational settling of both He and heavier elements on the predicted solar neutrino fluxes and interior sound speed and density profiles. We find that while the structural changes that result from the inclusion of both He and heavy-element settling are only slightly larger than the changes resulting from the inclusion of He settling alone, the additional increases in expected neutrino fluxes are of comparable size. Our preferred model with both He and heavy-element settling has neutrino count rates of 9.0 SNU for Cl-37 detectors and 137 SNU for Ga-71 detectors, as compared to 7.1 and 127 SNU for a comparable model without any diffusive separation, or 8.0 and 132 SNU for a model that includes He settling alone. We suggest that the correction factors by which the predicted neutrino fluxes of solar models calculated without including the effects of diffusion should be multiplied are 1.25 +/- 0.08 for Cl detectors, 1.07 +/- 0.02 for Ga detectors, and 1.28 +/- 0.09 for the B-8 flux (1 sigma errors). Comparison of internal sound speed and density profiles strongly suggests that the additional changes in calculated p-mode oscillation frequencies due to the inclusion of heavy-element settling will be small compared to the changes that result from He settling alone, especially for the higher degree modes. All models with diffusive separation give much better agreement with the observed depth of the convection zone than do nondiffusive models. The model that includes both He and heavy-element settling requires an initial He mass fraction Y = 0.280 and has a surface He abundance of Y = 0.251 at the solar age.

Proffitt, Charles R.↗
NASA NTRS2004

An Impact Triggered Runaway Greenhouse on Mars

When a planet is in radiative equilibrium, the incoming solar flux balances the outgoing longwave flux. If something were to perturb the system slightly, say the incoming solar flux increased, the planet would respond by radiating at a higher surface temperature. Since any radiation that comes in must go out, if the incoming is increased, the outgoing must also increase, and this increase manifests itself as a warmer equilibrium temperature. The increase in solar flux would correspond to an increase in temperature, which would increase the amount of water vapor in the atmosphere due to increased evaporation. Since water vapor is a greenhouse gas, it would absorb more radiation in the atmosphere leading to a yet warmer equilibrium temperature. The planet would reach radiative equilibrium at this new temperature. There exists a point, however, past which this positive feedback leads to a "runaway" situation. In this case, the planet does not simply evaporate a little more water and eventually come to a slightly higher equilibrium temperature. Instead, the planet keeps evaporating more and more water until all of the planet's available liquid and solid water is in the atmosphere. The reason for this is generally understood. If the planet's temperature increases, evaporation of water increases, and the absorption of radiation increases. This increases the temperature and the feedback continues until all water is in the atmosphere. The resulting equilibrium temperature is very high, much higher than the equilibrium temperature of a point with slightly lower solar flux. One can picture that as solar flux increases, planetary temperature also increases until the runaway point where temperature suddenly "jumps" to a higher value, in response to all the available water now residing in the atmosphere. This new equilibrium is called a "runaway greenhouse" and it has been theorized that this is what happened to the planet Venus, where the surface temperature is more than 700 K (427 C).

Segura, T. L.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Upper limit to the 1-20 MeV solar neutron flux.

The upper limit on the quiet time solar neutron flux from 1 to 20 MeV has been measured to be less than .002 neutrons at the 95% confidence level. This result is deduced from the OGO-6 neutron detector measurements of the 'day-night' effect near the equator at low altitudes for the period from June 7 to Dec. 23, 1969. The OGO-6 detector had very low (less than 4%) counting rate contributions from locally produced neutrons in the detecting system and the spacecraft and from charged-particle interactions in the neutron sensor.

Lockwood, J. A.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Energetic solar particle fluxes out to 3 AU during the 7 May 1978 flare event

Simultaneous solar proton flux measurements on IMP 7 and by the world wide neutron monitor network during the May 7, 1978 flare event led to conclusions that in the energy range from 50 MeV to 10 GeV: (1) the propagation of the flare particles in the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) between the Sun and the Earth was nearly scatter free; and (2) therefore, the intensity time (IT) profiles of the solar proton fluxes observed at Earth for about one hour after onset represent the solar injection profiles even to energies as low as 50 MeV. Observations of the IMF at Helios A indicate that the IMF was undisturbed between the Sun and Helios A at the time of the May 7, 1978 flare event; and, therefore, the solar particle propagation was also scatter free from the Sun to Helios A.

Lockwood, J. A.↗