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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 NTRS1997

GOME wavelength calibration using solar and atmospheric spectra

Spectral information in the global ozone monitoring experiment (GOME) solar irradiance spectra and GOME earth radiance spectra are used in conjunction with the GOME solar reference spectrum to provide absolute vacuum internal wavelength calibration for GOME. Two methods for wavelength calibration of GOME data are investigated. The first employs chi-square minimization of a merit function involving wavelength and the GOME slit function. It is quite robust and requires little GOME data in the processing (calibration window regions from 15 to 40 pixels). The second employs cross correlation of GOME data and the solar reference spectrum in the Fourier transform domain, using a procedure in the image reduction and analysis facility (IRAF) software system developed for the determination of galaxy redshifts. It also requires small amounts of GOME data (calibration window regions with from 10 to 15 pixels). Both methods provide absolute wavelength calibration accurate to a small fraction of a GOME pixel across the entire GOME spectrum, and to 0.001 nm over much of the range.

Caspar, C.↗
NASA NTRS1999

GCR Transport in the Brain: Assessment of Self-Shielding, Columnar Damage, and Nuclear Reactions on Cell Inactivation Rates

Radiation shield design is driven by the need to limit radiation risks while optimizing risk reduction with launch mass/expense penalties. Both limitation and optimization objectives require the development of accurate and complete means for evaluating the effectiveness of various shield materials and body-self shielding. For galactic cosmic rays (GCR), biophysical response models indicate that track structure effects lead to substantially different assessments of shielding effectiveness relative to assessments based on LET-dependent quality factors. Methods for assessing risk to the central nervous system (CNS) from heavy ions are poorly understood at this time. High-energy and charge (HZE) ion can produce tissue events resulting in damage to clusters of cells in a columnar fashion, especially for stopping heavy ions. Grahn (1973) and Todd (1986) have discussed a microlesion concept or model of stochastic tissue events in analyzing damage from HZE's. Some tissues, including the CNS, maybe sensitive to microlesion's or stochastic tissue events in a manner not illuminated by either conventional dosimetry or fluence-based risk factors. HZE ions may also produce important lateral damage to adjacent cells. Fluences of high-energy proton and alpha particles in the GCR are many times higher than HZE ions. Behind spacecraft and body self-shielding the ratio of protons, alpha particles, and neutrons to HZE ions increases several-fold from free-space values. Models of GCR damage behind shielding have placed large concern on the role of target fragments produced from tissue atoms. The self-shielding of the brain reduces the number of heavy ions reaching the interior regions by a large amount and the remaining light particle environment (protons, neutrons, deuterons. and alpha particles) may be the greatest concern. Tracks of high-energy proton produce nuclear reactions in tissue, which can deposit doses of more than 1 Gv within 5 - 10 cell layers. Information on rates of cell killing from GCR, including patterns of cell killing from single particle tracks. can provide useful information on expected differences between proton and HZE tracks and clinical experiences with photon irradiation. To model effects on cells in the brain, it is important that transport models accurately describe changes in the GCR due to interactions in the cranium and proximate tissues. We describe calculations of the attenuated GCR particle fluxes at three dose-points in the brain and associated patterns of cell killing using biophysical models. The effects of the brain self-shielding and bone-tissue interface of the skull in modulating the GCR environment are considered. For each brain dose-point, the mass distribution in the surrounding 4(pi) solid angle is characterized using the CAM model to trace 512 rays. The CAM model describes the self-shielding by converting the tissue distribution to mass-equivalent aluminum, and nominal values of spacecraft shielding is considered. Particle transport is performed with the proton, neutron, and heavy-ion transport code HZETRN with the nuclear fragmentation model QMSFRG. The distribution of cells killed along the path of individual GCR ions is modeled using in vitro cell inactivation data for cells with varying sensitivity. Monte Carlo simulations of arrays of inactivated cells are considered for protons and heavy ions and used to describe the absolute number of cell killing events of various magnitude in the brain from the GCR. Included are simulations of positions of inactivated cells from stopping heavy ions and nuclear stars produced by high-energy ions most importantly, protons and neutrons.

Shavers, M. R.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Ramdb: The NASA Raman Spectral Database (version 1.00).

Given that, in most instances, minimal sample preparation is required and due to its contactless instrument design, Raman spectroscopy is one of the most versatile vibrational spectroscopic techniques for the chemical analysis of environmental and biological specimens. The diversity of applications of Raman spectroscopy ranges anywhere from art [1] to planetary science missions [2]. The advancement in the use of Raman spectroscopy in Solar System missions, notably in post-mission sample return analysis, requires a spectral library holding the broad range of specimens that could be found in Solar System sources. For this purpose, we have initiated the development of a Raman spectral database (Ramdb) at NASA Ames Research Center. Currently, the database includes experimental and theoretical Raman spectra of PAHs [3, 4], as well as laboratory Raman spectra of amino acids, carbon allotropes, minerals, and analogs relevance to Earth Sciences [5], Exobiology [6], Planetary [7], and Astrochemistry [8] to name just a few examples. Ramdb can be found on the web at www.astrochemistry.org/ramdb, where raw and processed Raman spectra can be downloaded in CSV format. The laboratory Raman spectra are measured using a laser Raman spectrometer (JASCO NRS-5500-532QRI). The Raman instrument is equipped with three excitation lasers, with wavelengths of 405, 532, and 785 nm. A clean silicon substrate is used as the internal standard for wavenumber calibration. Powdered samples were prepared (microscopic >10 um, grounded microscopic < 10 um) on glass slides. Some raw data exhibited a background signal arising as a combination of laser-induced fluorescence from the sample. To correct this background, we developed a Python pipeline that uses open-source Python libraries. Ramdb provides both raw and processed (using Python pipeline) data, which includes tabulated Raman shift transitions and other measurement details. The theoretical Raman band positions of PAHs (pyrene monomers and tetramer clusters) were computed using density functional theory (DFT) with the help of the Gaussian 16 suite of programs [9]. In the near future, Ramdb will serve as a repository of Raman spectral data from Laboratory Astrophysics and Planetary Science experiments involving the irradiation of organic compounds under simulated space and planetary conditions. In addition, online and offline tools will be developed for utilising the database for comparison to the user’s sample.

N Punnakayathil↗
NASA NTRS2009

Initial Results of Aperture Area Comparisons for Exo-Atmospheric Total Solar Irradiance Measurements

In the measurement of exo-atmospheric total solar irradiance (TSI), instrument aperture area is a critical component in converting solar radiant flux to irradiance. In a May 2000 calibration workshop for the Total Irradiance Monitor (TIM) on the Earth Observing System (EOS) Solar Radiation and Climate Experiment (SORCE), the solar irradiance measurement community recommended that NASA and NISI coordinate an aperture area measurement comparison to quantify and validate aperture area uncertainties and their overall effect on TSI uncertainties. From May 2003 to February 2006, apertures from 4 institutions with links to the historical TSI database were measured by NIST and the results were compared to the aperture area determined by each institution. The initial results of these comparisons are presented and preliminary assessments of the participants' uncertainties are discussed.

Johnson, B. Carol↗
NASA NTRS1976

Formation of amino acids by cobalt-60 irradiation of hydrogen cyanide solutions

Experiments were conducted to study the pathway for the prebiotic origin of amino acids from hydrogen cyanide (HCN) under the action of ionizing radiation considered as an effective source of energy on the primitive earth. The irradiations were performed in a cobalt-60 source with a dose rate of 200,000 rad/hr. Seven naturally occurring amino acids are identified among the products formed by the hydrolysis of gamma-irradiated solutions of HCN: glycine, alanine, valine, serine, threonine, aspartic acid, and glutamic acid. The identity of these amino acids is established by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. Control experiments provided evidence that the amino acids are not the result of contamination.

Sweeney, M. A.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Solar irradiance modulation by active regions from 1969 through 1980

The solar irradiance variations resulting from sunspot deficits and facular excesses in emission have been calculated from 1969 through 1980. Agreement appears to exist between the calculations and the major features seen with the Nimbus 7 cavity pyrheliometer and with both the major and minor features detected by the Solar Maximum Mission ACRIM experiment. The 12-year irradiance variations calculated suggest a larger variance with increased solar activity, and little change in the average irradiance with solar activity. The largest excursions over these 12 years show a 0.4% variation. Removal of the activity influences upon solar irradiance during the numerous rocket experiments observing the solar constant may allow a better value for this quantity to be determined.

Schatten, K. H.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Downward shortwave surface irradiance from 17 sites for the FIRE/SRB Wisconsin experiment

A field experiment was conducted in Wisconsin during Oct. to Nov. 1986 for purposes of both intensive cirrus cloud measurments and SRB algorithm validation activities. The cirrus cloud measurements were part of the FIRE. Tables are presented which show data from 17 sites in the First ISCCP (International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project) Regional Experiment/Surface Radiation Budget (FIRE/SRB) Wisconsin experiment region. A discussion of intercomparison results and calibration inconsistencies is also included.

Whitlock, Charles H.↗
NASA NTRS1998

A New Optical Aerosol Spectrometer

An optical particle spectrometer capable of measuring aerosol particle size distributions from 0.02 to 100 micrometers has been developed. This instrument combines several optical methods in one, in-situ configuration; it can provide continuous data collection to encompass the wide dynamic size ranges and concentrations found in studies of modeled planetary atmospheres as well as terrestrial air quality research. Currently, the system is incorporated into an eight liter capacity spherical pressure vessel that is appropriate both for flowthrough and for in-situ particle generation. The optical sizing methods include polarization ratio, The scattering, and forward scattering detectors, with illumination from a fiber-coupled, Argon-ion laser. As particle sizes increase above 0.1 micrometer, a customized electronics and software system automatically shifts from polarization to diffraction-based measurements as the angular scattering detectors attain acceptable signal-to-noise ratios. The number concentration detection limits are estimated to be in the part-per-trillion (ppT by volume) range, or roughly 1000 submicron particles per cubic centimeter. Results from static experiments using HFC134A (approved light scattering gas standard), flow-through experiments using sodium chloride (NaCl) and carbon particles, and dynamic 'Tholin' (photochemical produced particles from ultraviolet (UV)-irradiated acetylene and nitrogen) experiments have been obtained. The optical spectrometer data obtained with particles have compared well with particle sizes determined by electron microscopy. The 'Tholin' tests provided real-time size and concentration data as the particles grew from about 30 nanometers to about 0.8 micrometers, with concentrations ranging from ppT to ppB, by volume. Tests are still underway, to better define sizing accuracy and concentration limits, these results will be reported.

Fonda, Mark↗
NASA NTRS1983

Cataractogenesis from high-LET radiation and the Casarett model

The long-term effects on specific animal tissues of exposure to heavy ion irradiation are studied in experiments on cataractogenesis in mice and rabbits. Five groups of rabbits at ages from 8 weeks to 5.3 years were irradiated to a dose of 9.0 Gy of Bragg plateau Ne-20 ions, while mice were exposed to single and total fractionated doses of 4.17 Gy gamma rays or 0.40 to 1.20 Gy of C-12, Ne-20 or Ar-40 particles. Measurements of lens opacities over time show that in the year since irradiation, cataractogenesis is delayed and less severe in rabbits irradiated at age 6 months compared to younger animals, although it is possible that the late effects in adults will surpass those found in the young. The fractionation of the total dose of gamma rays in mice is observed to lead to a marked reduction in the extent of lens opacity after one year, while fractionated heavy ion doses caused a greater degree of posterior lens opacification. Evaluations of the effects of the LET of different ions on cataractogenesis are consistent with RBEs of about 5, 3 and 1-2 for Ar-40, Ne-20 and C-12 ions, respectively. Results thus support the Casarett model of radiation damaging stem cell populations that are not necessarily part of the vasculature.

Cox, A. B.↗
NASA NTRS2012

Middle Atmosphere Response to Different Descriptions of the 11-Year Solar Cycle in Spectral Irradiance in a Chemistry-Climate Model

The 11-year solar cycle in solar spectral irradiance (SSI) inferred from measurements by the SOlar Radiation & Climate Experiment (SORCE) suggests a much larger variation in the ultraviolet than previously accepted. We present middle atmosphere ozone and temperature responses to the solar cycles in SORCE SSI and the ubiquitous Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) SSI reconstruction using the Goddard Earth Observing System chemistry-climate model (GEOS CCM). The results are largely consistent with other recent modeling studies. The modeled ozone response is positive throughout the stratosphere and lower mesosphere using the NRL SSI, while the SORCE SSI produces a response that is larger in the lower stratosphere but out of phase with respect to total solar irradiance above 45 km. The modeled responses in total ozone are similar to those derived from satellite and ground-based measurements, 3-6 Dobson Units per 100 units of 10.7-cm radio flux (F10.7) in the tropics. The peak zonal mean tropical temperature response 50 using the SORCE SSI is nearly 2 K per 100 units 3 times larger than the simulation using the NRL SSI. The GEOS CCM and the Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) 2-D coupled model are used to examine how the SSI solar cycle affects the atmosphere through direct solar heating and photolysis processes individually. Middle atmosphere ozone is affected almost entirely through photolysis, whereas the solar cycle in temperature is caused both through direct heating and photolysis feedbacks, processes that are mostly linearly separable. Further, the net ozone response results from the balance of ozone production at wavelengths less than 242 nm and destruction at longer wavelengths, coincidentally corresponding to the wavelength regimes of the SOLar STellar Irradiance Comparison Experiment (SOLSTICE) and Spectral Irradiance Monitor (SIM) on SORCE, respectively. A higher wavelength-resolution analysis of the spectral response could allow for a better prediction of the atmospheric response to arbitrary SSI variations.

Swartz, W. H.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Engineering sciences area and module performance and failure analysis area

Photovoltaic-array/power-conditioner interface studies are updated. An experiment conducted to evaluate different operating-point strategies, such as constant voltage and pilot cells, and to determine array energy losses when the array is operated off the maximum power points is described. Initial results over a test period of three and a half weeks showed a 2% energy loss when the array is operated at a fixed voltage. Degraded-array studies conducted at NE RES that used a range of simulated common types of degraded I-V curves are reviewed. The instrumentation installed at the JPL field-test site to obtain the irradiance data was described. Experiments using an optical filter to adjust the spectral irradiance of the large-area pulsed solar simulator (LAPSS) to AM1.5 are described. Residential-array research activity is reviewed. Voltage isolation test results are described. Experiments performed on one type of module to determine the relationship between leakage current and temperature are reviewed. An encapsulated-cell testing approach is explained. The test program, data reduction methods, and initial results of long-duration module testing are described.

Ross, R. G., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS2017

Analyzing the Chemical and Spectral Effects of Pulsed Laser Irradiation to Simulate Space Weathering of a Carbonaceous Chondrite

Space weathering processes alter the chemical composition, microstructure, and spectral characteristics of material on the surfaces of airless bodies. The mechanisms driving space weathering include solar wind irradiation and the melting, vaporization and recondensation effects associated with micrometeorite impacts e.g., [1]. While much work has been done to understand space weathering of lunar and ordinary chondritic materials, the effects of these processes on hydrated carbonaceous chondrites is poorly understood. Analysis of space weathering of carbonaceous materials will be critical for understanding the nature of samples returned by upcoming missions targeting primitive, organic-rich bodies (e.g., OSIRIS-REx and Hayabusa 2). Recent experiments have shown the spectral properties of carbonaceous materials and associated minerals are altered by simulated weathering events e.g., [2-5]. However, the resulting type of alteration i.e., reddening vs. bluing of the reflectance spectrum, is not consistent across all experiments [2-5]. In addition, the microstructural and crystal chemical effects of many of these experiments have not been well characterized, making it difficult to attribute spectral changes to specific mineralogical or chemical changes in the samples. Here we report results of a pulsed laser irradiation experiment on a chip of the Murchison CM2 carbonaceous chondrite to simulate micrometeorite impact processing.

Thompson, M. S.↗
NASA NTRS2008

Sources of Differences in On-Orbit Total Solar Irradiance Measurements and Description of Proposed Laboratory Intercomparison

There is a 5 W/sq m (about 0.35 %) difference between current on-orbit Total Solar Irradiance (TSI) measurements. On 18-20 July 2005, a workshop was held at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Gaithersburg, Maryland that focused on understanding possible reasons for this difference, through an examination of the instrument designs, calibration approaches, and appropriate measurement equations. The instruments studied in that workshop included the Active Cavity Radiometer Irradiance Monitor III (ACRIM III) on the Active Cavity Radiometer Irradiance Monitor SATellite (ACRIMSAT), the Total Irradiance Monitor (TIM) on the Solar Radiation and Climate Experiment (SORCE), the Variability of solar IRradiance and Gravity Oscillations (VIRGO) on the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO), and the Earth Radiation Budget Experiment (ERBE) on the Earth Radiation Budget Satellite (ERBS). Presentations for each instrument included descriptions of its design, its measurement equation and uncertainty budget, and the methods used to assess on-orbit degradation. The workshop also included a session on satellite- and ground-based instrument comparisons and a session on laboratory-based comparisons and the application of new laboratory comparison techniques. The workshop has led to investigations of the effects of diffraction and of aperture area measurements on the differences between instruments. In addition, a laboratory-based instrument comparison is proposed that uses optical power measurements (with lasers that underEll the apertures of the TSI instruments), irradiance measurements (with lasers that overfill the apertures of the TSI instrument), and a cryogenic electrical substitution radiometer as a standard for comparing the instruments. A summary of the workshop and an overview of the proposed research efforts are presented here.

Butler, J.J.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Investigation of carbohydrate and protein metabolism in the digestive organs of the rabbit under the combined influence of vibration, acceleration and irradiation

During spaceflight, the organism is subjected to the influence of various extremal factors such as acceleration, vibration, irradiation, etc. The study of the influence of these factors on metabolism, especially carbohydrate and protein metabolism, in young rabbits is of great significance in simulation experiments. Dynamic factors and irradiation, depending on dose and duration, lead to reduced RNA and protein metabolism.

Yuy, R. I.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Experimental and raytrace results for throat-to-throat compound parabolic concentrators

Compound parabolic concentrators are nonimaging cone-shaped optics with useful angular transmission characteristics. Two cones used throat-to-throat accept radiant flux within one well-defined acceptance angle and redistribute it into another. If the entrance cone is fed with Lambertian flux, the exit cone produces a beam whose half-angle is the exit cone's acceptance angle and whose cross section shows uniform irradiance from near the exit mouth to infinity. (The pair is a beam angle transformer). The design of one pair of cones is discussed, also an experiment to map the irradiance of the emergent beam, and a raytracing program which models the cones fed by Lambertian flux. Experimental results compare favorably with raytrace results.

Leviton, D. B.↗
NASA NTRS2022

Ultraviolet Photooxidation of Smectite-Bound Fe(II) and Implications for the Origin of Martian Nontronites

Clay minerals detected with orbital and in situ instruments in ancient Martian terrains constrain Mars' climate and aqueous alteration history. Early in its history, Mars experienced an atmospheric redox change and iron-bearing clay minerals may preserve the effects of that transition. Ferrous smectites, the thermodynamically predicted product of chemical weathering of basalts under anoxic conditions, may have undergone oxidation by exposure to chemical oxidants in the atmosphere or regolith, or by direct photooxidation at the surface. To assess these potential oxidation pathways, ferrous trioctahedral smectites of varying initial iron content were synthesized and subjected to oxidation by ultraviolet (UV) irradiation. Experimental UV irradiation under an anoxic atmosphere equivalent to approximately 7 years of flux on the Martian surface caused partial oxidation of smectite-bound Fe (Fe3+/ΣFe = 16–18%) and octahedral sheet contraction. Metal-OH vibrational bands in visible/near infrared (VNIR) reflectance spectra of oxidized smectites changed in band depth and asymmetry with higher iron content. X-ray diffraction patterns of UV irradiated samples indicate the formation of a mixed di- and trioctahedral smectite or a secondary nontronite phase, possibly on the surfaces of higher iron content smectites. These experiments suggest that UV irradiation is able to oxidize structurally bound iron in smectites without the presence of other chemical oxidants. Photooxidation may have influenced the mineralogy, both syndepositionally and postdepositionally, of Martian alteration assemblages formed near the surface and this process needs not be limited to one part of their formation history. Plain Language Summary: Martian mineral assemblages observed with orbiters and rover instruments allow us to understand the planet's past climate and aqueous activity. Hydrated minerals that contain Fe(II) are of particular interest as they would have been affected by the early atmosphere becoming more oxidizing overtime, changing the structural iron into Fe(III). In this study, we synthesized Fe(II) smectites with varying iron content and irradiated them with an ultraviolet (UV) light source to test whether they could be photooxidized. Iron in the smectite minerals was incompletely oxidized by UV radiation after being exposed for the equivalent of approximately 7 years of exposure on the early Mars surface. The smectites with higher iron content showed more changes with photooxidation in their visible/near infrared spectra as well as in their X-ray diffraction patterns, two datasets collected by instruments on currently active Martian missions. These results suggest that UV photooxidation is a plausible contributor to the mineralogy and redox state of clay mineral assemblages observed at the Martian surface.

V. B. Rivera Banuchi↗
NASA NTRS1993

Vacuum ultraviolet instrumentation for solar irradiance and thermospheric airglow

A NASA sounding rocket experiment was developed to study the solar extreme ultraviolet (EUV) spectral irradiance and its effect on the upper atmosphere. Both the solar flux and the terrestrial molecular nitrogen via the Lyman-Birge-Hopfield bands in the far ultraviolet (FUV) were measured remotely from a sounding rocket on October 27, 1992. The rocket experiment also includes EUV instruments from Boston University (Supriya Chakrabarti), but only the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR)/University of Colorado (CU) four solar instruments and one airglow instrument are discussed here. The primary solar EUV instrument is a 1/4 meter Rowland circle EUV spectrograph which has flown on three rockets since 1988 measuring the solar spectral irradiance from 30 to 110 nm with 0.2 nm resolution. Another solar irradiance instrument is an array of six silicon XUV photodiodes, each having different metallic filters coated directly on the photodiodes. This photodiode system provides a spectral coverage from 0.1 to 80 nm with about 15 nm resolution. The other solar irradiance instrument is a silicon avalanche photodiode coupled with pulse height analyzer electronics. This avalanche photodiode package measures the XUV photon energy providing a solar spectrum from 50 to 12,400 eV (25 to 0.1 nm) with an energy resolution of about 50 eV. The fourth solar instrument is an XUV imager that images the sun at 17.5 nm with a spatial resolution of 20 arc-seconds. The airglow spectrograph measures the terrestrial FUV airglow emissions along the horizon from 125 to 160 nm with 0.2 nm spectral resolution. The photon-counting CODACON detectors are used for three of these instruments and consist of coded arrays of anodes behind microchannel plates. The one-dimensional and two-dimensional CODACON detectors were developed at CU by Dr. George Lawrence. The pre-flight and post-flight photometric calibrations were performed at our calibration laboratory and at the Synchrotron Ultraviolet Radiation Facility (SURF) at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Gaithersburg, Maryland.

Woods, Thomas N.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Far ultraviolet and extreme ultraviolet rocket instrumentation for measuring the solar spectral irradiance and terrestrial airglow

A sounding-rocket experiment is being developed for the study of EUV spectral irradiance and its effects on the upper atmosphere, using three solar EUV instruments devised by the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics. These include a 25-cm Rowland circle EUV spectrograph, an array of Si X-UV photodiodes, and an X-UV imager with 20 arcsec resolution of the sun.

Woods, Thomas N.↗