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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 NTRS1983

Modeling of G333.6-0.2 as a spherical H II region

The radio and IR observations of the H II region G333.6-0.2 are matched with a detailed spherical model with a density distribution which has a uniform-density core of radius 0.05 pc, a power-law intermediate zone, and a uniform-density halo. A stellar radiation field is required that is somewhat different from those predicted by available model atmospheres. Of the stellar models of Kurucz, the Teff = 34,000 K and log g = 3.5 model best fits the observed ratio of helium to hydrogen recombination lines. A good fit to all the observations in obtained with an S(2+) ionizing flux which is a factor of 20 times less than predicted by the Kurucz atmosphere. Current model atmospheres may not be appropriate because a single stable star with Teff = 34,000 K fails by at least an order of magnitude to produce the ionizing luminosity. The small radius of the constant-density core implies a short dynamical lifetime of approximately 5000 years for this spherical model; this may indicate that a nonspherical blister geometry is more appropriate for this H II region.

Rubin, R. H.↗

NASA NTRS1988

On the evolution of globular cluster systems. I - Present characteristics and rate of destruction in our Galaxy

The current dynamic state and rate of destruction for the system of globular clusters in the Galaxy are modeled. It is found that gravitational shocks due to the central bulge of the Galaxy are very efficient in destroying clusters on highly radial orbits. This effect, extrapolated at the present unweighted destruction rate over 10 to the 10th yr, can account for the observed difference between the velocity distribution of globular clusters and other tracers of the halo population.

Aguilar, Luis↗

NASA NTRS2013

Linked Autonomous Interplanetary Satellite Orbit Navigation

A navigation technology known as LiAISON (Linked Autonomous Interplanetary Satellite Orbit Navigation) has been known to produce very impressive navigation results for scenarios involving two or more cooperative satellites near the Moon, such that at least one satellite must be in an orbit significantly perturbed by the Earth, such as a lunar halo orbit. The two (or more) satellites track each other using satellite-to-satellite range and/or range-rate measurements. These relative measurements yield absolute orbit navigation when one of the satellites is in a lunar halo orbit, or the like. The geometry between a lunar halo orbiter and a GEO satellite continuously changes, which dramatically improves the information content of a satellite-to-satellite tracking signal. The geometrical variations include significant out-of-plane shifts, as well as inplane shifts. Further, the GEO satellite is almost continuously in view of a lunar halo orbiter. High-fidelity simulations demonstrate that LiAISON technology improves the navigation of GEO orbiters by an order of magnitude, relative to standard ground tracking. If a GEO satellite is navigated using LiAISON- only tracking measurements, its position is typically known to better than 10 meters. If LiAISON measurements are combined with simple radiometric ground observations, then the satellite s position is typically known to better than 3 meters, which is substantially better than the current state of GEO navigation. There are two features of LiAISON that are novel and advantageous compared with conventional satellite navigation. First, ordinary satellite-to-satellite tracking data only provides relative navigation of each satellite. The novelty is the placement of one navigation satellite in an orbit that is significantly perturbed by both the Earth and the Moon. A navigation satellite can track other satellites elsewhere in the Earth-Moon system and acquire knowledge about both satellites absolute positions and velocities, as well as relative positions and velocities in space. The second novelty is that ordinarily one requires many satellites in order to achieve full navigation of any given customer s position and velocity over time. With LiAISON navigation, only a single navigation satellite is needed, provided that the satellite is significantly affected by the gravity of the Earth and the Moon. That single satellite can track another satellite elsewhere in the Earth- Moon system and obtain absolute knowledge of both satellites states.

Parker, Jeffrey S.↗

NASA NTRS1999

HALOE Algorithm Improvements for Upper Tropospheric Sounding

This report details the ongoing efforts by GATS, Inc., in conjunction with Hampton University and University of Wyoming, in NASA's Mission to Planet Earth UARS Science Investigator Program entitled "HALOE Algorithm Improvements for Upper Tropospheric Soundings." The goal of this effort is to develop and implement major inversion and processing improvements that will extend HALOE measurements further into the troposphere. In particular, O3, H2O, and CH4 retrievals may be extended into the middle troposphere, and NO, HCl and possibly HF into the upper troposphere. Key areas of research being carried out to accomplish this include: pointing/tracking analysis; cloud identification and modeling; simultaneous multichannel retrieval capability; forward model improvements; high vertical-resolution gas filter channel retrievals; a refined temperature retrieval; robust error analyses; long-term trend reliability studies; and data validation. The current (first-year) effort concentrates on the pointer/tracker correction algorithms, cloud filtering and validation, and multi-channel retrieval development. However, these areas are all highly coupled, so progress in one area benefits from and sometimes depends on work in others.

McHugh, Martin J.↗

NASA NTRS2000

HALOE Algorithm Improvements for Upper Tropospheric Soundings

This report details the ongoing efforts by GATS, Inc., in conjunction with Hampton University and University of Wyoming, in NASA's Mission to Planet Earth UARS Science Investigator Program entitled "HALOE Algorithm Improvements for Upper Tropospheric Sounding." The goal of this effort is to develop and implement major inversion and processing improvements that will extend HALOE measurements further into the troposphere. In particular, O3, H2O, and CH4 retrievals may be extended into the middle troposphere, and NO, HCl and possibly HF into the upper troposphere. Key areas of research being carried out to accomplish this include: pointing/tracking analysis; cloud identification and modeling; simultaneous multichannel retrieval capability; forward model improvements; high vertical-resolution gas filter channel retrievals; a refined temperature retrieval; robust error analyses; long-term trend reliability studies; and data validation. The current (first year) effort concentrates on the pointer/tracker correction algorithms, cloud filtering and validation, and multichannel retrieval development. However, these areas are all highly coupled, so progress in one area benefits from and sometimes depends on work in others.

Thompson, Robert E.↗

NASA NTRS2001

HALOE Algorithm Improvements for Upper Tropospheric Sounding

This report details the ongoing efforts by GATS, Inc., in conjunction with Hampton University and University of Wyoming, in NASA's Mission to Planet Earth UARS Science Investigator Program entitled "HALOE Algorithm Improvements for Upper Tropospheric Sounding." The goal of this effort is to develop and implement major inversion and processing improvements that will extend HALOE measurements further into the troposphere. In particular, O3, H2O, and CH4 retrievals may be extended into the middle troposphere, and NO, HCl and possibly HF into the upper troposphere. Key areas of research being carried out to accomplish this include: pointing/tracking analysis; cloud identification and modeling; simultaneous multichannel retrieval capability; forward model improvements; high vertical-resolution gas filter channel retrievals; a refined temperature retrieval; robust error analyses; long-term trend reliability studies; and data validation. The current (first year) effort concentrates on the pointer/tracker correction algorithms, cloud filtering and validation, and multichannel retrieval development. However, these areas are all highly coupled, so progress in one area benefits from and sometimes depends on work in others.

Thompson, Robert E.↗

NASA NTRS2001

HALOE Algorithm Improvements for Upper Tropospheric Sounding

This report details the ongoing efforts by GATS, Inc., in conjunction with Hampton University and University of Wyoming, in NASA's Mission to Planet Earth Upper Atmospheric Research Satellite (UARS) Science Investigator Program entitled 'HALOE Algorithm Improvements for Upper Tropospheric Sounding.' The goal of this effort is to develop and implement major inversion and processing improvements that will extend Halogen Occultation Experiment (HALOE) measurements further into the troposphere. In particular, O3, H2O, and CH4 retrievals may be extended into the middle troposphere, and NO, HCl and possibly HF into the upper troposphere. Key areas of research being carried out to accomplish this include: pointing/tracking analysis; cloud identification and modeling; simultaneous multichannel retrieval capability; forward model improvements; high vertical-resolution gas filter channel retrievals; a refined temperature retrieval; robust error analyses; long-term trend reliability studies; and data validation. The current (first year) effort concentrates on the pointer/tracker correction algorithms, cloud filtering and validation, and multichannel retrieval development. However, these areas are all highly coupled, so progress in one area benefits from and sometimes depends on work in others.

Thompson, Robert Earl↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Differential absorption lidar (DIAL) for water vapor and aerosol profiling from airborne and space-based platforms

Many current challenges in weather and climate prediction involve cloud and aerosol processes, which are intimately linked to processes that initiate or take place within the planetary boundary layer (PBL). The current space-based observing system provides a wealth of information on the spatial distribution of key atmospheric variables such as profiles of water vapor (WV) and temperature, but lacks the sensitivity, accuracy, and vertical resolution in the PBL to overcome the observational gaps that inhibit the parametrization and advancement of current climate and weather models. To overcome some of these observational gaps and improve understanding and monitoring of these key processes, mature remote sensing techniques like Differential Absorption Lidar (DIAL) can be employed from various platforms to capture processes on a wide range of spatial scales. This presentation will provide an overview of NASA’s water vapor DIAL capabilities, present the strengths, weaknesses, and synergies of the DIAL technique relative to traditional methods, and provide representative data examples from the HALO airborne water vapor DIAL which was designed as a technology testbed for future space-based DIAL missions as well as a workhorse instrument in support of suborbital process studies. HALO is an airborne multifunction lidar system, simultaneously profiling WV with the DIAL technique and aerosol and cloud optical properties and PBL heights via the high spectral resolution lidar (HSRL) technique. HALO has a compact design that allows it to fly on most research aircraft, enabling nadir profiling from the lower stratosphere down through the PBL, which is critical for studying processes such as convection and cloud formation that can link the PBL and free troposphere. We will end with an outlook on the benefits and challenges of transitioning the mature DIAL technique to space to compliment other active and passive sounders and enable new PBL observations for the future Earth Observing System. The Atmospheric Boundary layer Lidar pathfindEr (ABLE), a program aimed at advancing technologies to enable the first demonstration of DIAL from space with cross-cutting observables of PBL heights, aerosol and cloud profiling, and methane columns from space will also be presented.

Brian J. Carroll↗

NASA NTRS2000

The Interaction Between Dynamics and Chemistry of Ozone in the Set-Up Phase of the Northern Hemisphere Polar Vortex

Understanding stratospheric ozone loss to the point of accurately predicting ozone in the future requires correctly distinguishing chemical from transport-induced changes in ozone. For example, evaluating the impact of chlorine reduction in controlling stratospheric ozone loss requires estimating the amount of ozone lost in chemical reactions in the polar winter and spring. The Northern Hemisphere winter polar region is a particularly crucial and interesting area because it appears that the Northern vortex may currently be poised near the threshold of extreme ozone destruction such as that which now occurs annually in the Antarctic ozone "hole." In this presentation we explore the interaction of ozone transport and chemistry through the Northern late summer and fall seasons as the vortex circulation becomes established. This phase of the seasonal cycle determines the starting point for heterogeneous processes and chlorine-driven loss that take control in the winter vortex. Using a combination of profile data from POAM, HALOE, and in situ measurements, we show that relatively low ozone at high latitudes in the middle stratosphere is associated with vortex airmasses and that these ozone abundances evolve photochemically from characteristically higher values at the end of the summer. The zonal variance of ozone mixing ratio also increases greatly at this time consistent with increasing wave-driven transport. Comparison with a three-dimensional chemistry-transport model is used to generalize the findings from the limited set of observations and quantify the relative roles of transport and chemistry in determining the ozone mixing ratio distributions.

Kawa, S.R.↗

NASA NTRS2005

Fossil Groups in the Local Universe

The two galaxies observed as part of this project were originally selected as fossil group candidates because of their isolation from other galaxies and their apparent high X-ray luminosity and extended X-ray emission. However, the X-ray data available was minimal, being drawn from the ROSAT All-Sky Survey. We have performed an initial analysis of the XMM data from both galaxies and found that their gaseous halos are smaller, cooler, and less luminous than expected. In the case of NGC 57, the RASS estimate of extent and luminosity was biased because of a previously unidentified background group which is visible in the XMM data to one side of the galaxy. In the case of IC 153 1, the contribution from background point sources near the galaxy appears to be to blame. This suggests that both galaxies should be reclassified as isolated ellipticals. Such systems are very rare, and currently poorly understood; for comparison, there are now 6-10 known fossil groups, but only one isolated elliptical with useful X-ray data. We are currently re-analyzing the data for the two galaxies to take advantage of the calibration improvements of SAS 6.1, and to include calculations of the mass profiles of the two systems. A paper is currently in preparation dealing with the X-ray properties and environment of the galaxies, and we expect to submit this to the Astrophysical Journal within the next two months. Multi-band optical imaging of the field surrounding NGC 57 has been acquired to confirm its isolated status and provide more information on the background group. IC 1531 was accepted as a target in Chandra cycle 6 as part of a related proposal, and we intend to add this new observation to our XMM data when it becomes available. A second paper is planned to include the results of this combined analysis.

OSullivan, Ewan↗

NASA NTRS1983

X-rays from jets and lobes

The current status of X-ray detections (and non-detections) of radio jets and lobes is presented. High resolution images obtained with the Einstein Observatory reveal X-ray emission associated with jet and lobe components of Virgo A, Centaurus A, 3C273, and possibly other radio structures. The Vir A and Cen A jet emission is probably s ynchrotron in origin, requiring in situ particle acceleration to extremely high energies. Inverse Compton emission is the likely cause of asymmetrical X-ray features in the halo of Vir A, supporting the assumption of equipartition.

Feigelson, E. D.↗

NASA NTRS1993

Beryllium and boron constraints on an early Galactic bright phase

The recent observations of Be and B in metal-deficient halo dwarfs are used to constrain a 'bright phase' of enhanced cosmic-ray flux in the early Galaxy. Assuming that this Be and B arises from cosmic-ray spallation in the early Galaxy, limits are placed on the intensity of the early (Population II) cosmic-ray flux relative to the present (Population I) flux. A simple estimate of bounds on the flux ratio is 1 - 40. This upper bound would restrict galaxies like our own from producing neutrino fluxes that would be detectable in any currently proposed detectors. It is found that the relative enhancement of the early flux varies inversely with the relative time of enhancement. It is noted that associated gamma-ray production via pp - pi sup 0 pp may be a significant contribution to the gamma-ray background above 100 MeV.

Fields, Brian D.↗

NASA NTRS1990

White dwarf stars and the age of the Galactic disk

The history of the Galaxy is written in its oldest stars, the white dwarf (WD) stars. Significant limits can be placed on both the Galactic age and star formation history. A wide range of input WD model sequences is used to derive the current limits to the age estimates suggested by fitting to the observed falloff in the WD luminosity function. The results suggest that the star formation rate over the history of the Galaxy has been relatively constant, and that the disk age lies in the range 6-12 billion years, depending upon the assumed structure of WD stars, and in particular on the core composition and surface helium layer mass. Using plausible mixed C/O core input models, the estimates for the disk age range from 8-10.5 Gyr, i.e.,sustantially younger than most age estimates for the halo globular clusters. After speculating on the significance of the results, expected observational and theoretical refinements which will further enhance the reliability of the method are discussed.

Wood, M. A.↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Overview of the Lunar Gateway External Contamination Environment

As a part of the Artemis mission, Gateway will be a long duration space station in a near rectilinear halo orbit around the Moon. Gateway will be exposed to a variety of external contamination sources, which can degrade external hardware / surfaces and impact science utilization objectives. Requirements and methodologies addressing material outgassing, chemical and electric thruster plumes, vacuum venting, and visiting vehicle interactions have been developed by the Gateway Induced Environments team to ensure vehicle performance and mission success. The external contamination requirements and integration process are described along with required data deliverables. Integrated external contamination analyses are conducted by the Gateway Environments Team to assess compliance with external contamination requirements. This paper provides a current status of integration activities and analysis results, as well as future plans to improve external contamination characterization.

Crystal A. Quiroz↗

NASA NTRS2024

Overview of the Lunar Gateway External Contamination Environment

Crystal A Quiroz↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Overview of the Lunar Gateway External Contamination Environment

thruster plumes↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Perturbation Modeling and Navigation Tuning for a Crewed Station in Near Rectilinear Halo Orbit

NASA's Gateway program will build a crew-tended station in an Earth-Moon Near Rectilinear Halo Orbit (NRHO) to support deep space missions to the lunar surface and heliocentric space. The station in the NRHO will be visited by crewed vehicles including lunar landers that are high mass relative to Gateway. Docking events with large vehicles induce significant thruster plume and docking contact velocity perturbations. Crewed vehicles induce significant venting perturbations that can stress the navigation filter's ability to remain converged about an estimated state. The torques that arise from venting and lunar gravity gradient require reaction control system (RCS) thruster intervention, which themselves induce a velocity perturbation. The best method to model RCS thruster perturbations is currently in development. This paper simulates different RCS perturbation models, schedules, and an increasing magnitude to investigate the navigation sensitivity to different RCS perturbation models. From the RCS perturbation models simulated, a worst-case scenario is chosen for further scrutiny. The navigation filter is further tuned to handle the most disruptive perturbation modeling and the resulting performance is analyzed.

Navigation↗

NASA NTRS1990

The Interstellar Medium in External Galaxies: Summaries of contributed papers

The Second Wyoming Conference entitled, The Interstellar Medium in External Galaxies, was held on July 3 to 7, 1989, to discuss the current understanding of the interstellar medium in external galaxies and to analyze the basic physical processes underlying interstellar phenomena. The papers covered a broad range of research on the gas and dust in external galaxies and focused on such topics as the distribution and morphology of the atomic, molecular, and dust components; the dynamics of the gas and the role of the magnetic field in the dynamics; elemental abundances and gas depletions in the atomic and ionized components; cooling flows; star formation; the correlation of the nonthermal radio continuum with the cool component of the interstellar medium; the origin and effect of hot galactic halos; the absorption line systems seen in distant quasars; and the effect of galactic collisions.

Hollenbach, David J.↗