Surveyor spacecraft telecommunications.
Surveyor telecommunications system from standpoint of actual subsystem implementation and performance, detailing reliability, flexibility, redundancy and data transmission modes
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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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Program for improved electrical harness documentation and fabrication
Computer program provides automated print-out of harness interconnection table and automated cross-check of reciprocal pin/connector assignments, and improves accuracy and reliability of final documented data. Programs and corresponding library tapes are successfully and continuously employed on Nimbus spacecraft programs.
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Systems definition summary. Earth Observatory Satellite system definition study (EOS)
A standard spacecraft bus for performing a variety of earth orbit missions in the late 1970's and 1980's is defined. Emphasis is placed on a low-cost, multimission capability, benefitting from the space shuttle system. The subjects considered are as follows: (1) performance requirements, (2) internal interfaces, (3) redundancy and reliability, (4) communications and data handling module design, (5) payload data handling, (6) application of the modular design to various missions, and (7) the verification concept.
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Research study of Beta Cephei variable stars using data from OAO-2
Photometric data from the Wisconsin Experiment package on OAO-2 were obtained for six Beta Cephei variable stars. The data were reduced in accordance with the OAO 2/Wisconsin Experiment Package Photometer Users Guide. For delta Cet and gamma Peg, there were enough data points to form reliable composite light curves at seven or eight ultraviolet wavelengths. The light curves are well represented by sine waves in phase with the blue light curve for each star. The amplitude of the light variation increases with shorter wavelengths. For theta Oph, epsilon Cen, eta Sco, and Lambda Sco, mean magnitudes and light ranges were obtained at several ultraviolet wavelengths. No significant differences were found between the mean, de-reddened ultraviolet colors of the observed stars, and the mean values for standard stars computed by Bottemiller. An attempt to derive a temperature scale from a comparison of the observed ultraviolet colors with Kurucz models was unsuccessful.
Lesh, J. R.↗
Challenges of the Viking Mars Lander system
A number of natural constraints have led to a highly autonomous Lander system design. Almost all communications to and from the Lander are via the Orbiter. A functional description of the Lander mission is given, taking into account deorbit and descent, entry, terminal descent, landing, and landed operations. The challenges of the system design are considered along with the mechanical configuration and aspects of thermal control. Attention is given to science data return, aspects of reliability and redundancy, and details regarding the software.
Goodlette, J. D.↗
Soil moisture and evapotranspiration predictions using Skylab data
The author has identified the following significant results. Multispectral reflectance and emittance data from the Skylab workshop were evaluated for prediction of evapotranspiration and soil moisture for an irrigated region of southern Texas. Wavelengths greater than 2.1 microns were required to spectrally distinguish between wet and dry fallow surfaces. Thermal data provided a better estimate of soil moisture than did data from the reflective bands. Thermal data were dependent on soil moisture but not on the type of agricultural land use. The emittance map, when used in conjunction with existing models, did provide an estimate of evapotranspiration rates. Surveys of areas of high soil moisture can be accomplished with space altitude thermal data. Thermal data will provide a reliable input into irrigation scheduling.
Myers, V. I.↗
Quiet wind tunnel
Simple and inexpensive technique suppresses background noise generated by pores in wind tunnel wall lining and makes aerodynamic data more accurate and reliable. Porous walls are covered with wire-mesh screen. Screen offers smoother surface to airflow and damps vortexes and resonance caused by wall perforations; yet it provides enough open area for perforations to cancel shock waves generated by model.
Howard, P. W.↗
Review of measurement and testing problems
Good instrumentation was required to obtain reliable and repeatable baseline data. Problems that were encountered in developing such a total system were: (1) accurate airflow measurement, (2) precise fuel flow measurement, and (3) the instrumentation used for pollutant measurement was susceptible to frequent malfunctions. Span gas quality had a significant effect on emissions test results. The Spindt method was used in the piston aircraft emissions program. The Spindt method provided a comparative computational procedure for fuel/air ratio based on measured emissions concentrations.
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Failure rate analysis of Goddard Space Flight Center spacecraft performance during orbital life
The reported study presents the results of analyses conducted with the aid of both Duane and Weibull growth models. The failure rate values provided may be useful for estimating future space performance, and comparing past, present, and future space performance. Failure rate data from thermal-vacuum system tests are examined and related to the space values. Attention is given to the data base, the time distribution of space malfunctions, limitations on data, and average component reliability for three years in space.
Norris, H. P.↗
The future impact of computation on planetary exploration
Informed speculations are advanced on plausible candidates for space exploration missions in decades ahead; while none are approved NASA projects, they are deemed accessible to current technology. A Venus radar mapper, a minirover system (several rovers) for Mars surface exploration (geology, areochemistry, meteorology, detection of biota), investigation of Halley's comet (1986 apparition) with the aid of a solar sail vehicle, flybys of Jovian (Galilean) satellites and a landing on Ganymede, and a soft landing on the Saturnian large satellite Titan for examination of its atmosphere and surface are sketched. Anticipated data rates, software, mission reliability, and spacecraft autonomy are discussed, along with anticipated improvements in information transmission hardware and software, and some conjectures beyond the turn of the century.
Whitney, W. M.↗
Field studies of the electrification of thunderstorms
Many theories have been advanced to explain the development of electric fields in thunderstorms, culminating in lightning, but thorough appraisal of these has been hampered by the lack of reliable and comprehensive observational data on the electrical characteristics, microphysical properties and dynamical behavior of the storms. A major field experiment (the Thunderstorm Research International Project) has been in progress for three years, in an effort to remedy this deficiency, and this paper describes some of this work and the results emanating from it. Major tools in this investigation are: an instrumented aircraft capable of penetrating the clouds; dual-Doppler and fast scanning radars; field-change and precipitation-recording networks; and an acoustic system for reconstructing the location of points on the lightning channels. The early results indicate a strong correlation between updraughts, precipitation and high fields. Circumstantial evidence points towards the presence of ice as being crucial to rapid field growth.
Christian, H.↗
Oscillator strengths of ultraviolet Ni I lines from hook-method and absorption measurements in a furnace
Measurements of the oscillator strengths of the ultraviolet lines of neutral nickel obtained by the use of the combined hook and absorption technique are reported. A total of 221 transitions in the range 1964-4094 A was measured for nickel atoms from a high-temperature graphite furnace (2000-2500 K) using a continuum background source, a Mach-Zehnder interferometer and a 3-m Czerny-Turner spectrograph. Hook and absorption measurements are presented, and radiative lifetimes are derived from log gf values. Comparison of the present values with previous results indicates only those of Bell et al. (1966) and Lennard et al. (1975) to consistently agree with the data presented, although the reliability laser-excitation technique of lifetime measurement is supported over that of Hanle methods.
Huber, M. C. E.↗
Adaptive Finite Element Technology in Integrated Design and Analysis
An assessment of the potential impact of adaptive finite element technology on the analysis part of the aircraft structural synthesis process is presented. The main conclusion is that adaptive application of the p-version of the finite element method based on indirect error estimation procedures results in substantial cost reduction and increased reliability of the computed data. Adaptivity based on direct a posteriori error estimation has the potential for additional savings.
Szabo, B. A.↗
Synergistic relationships among remote-sensing and geophysical media: Geological and hydrological applications
Skylab photographs, side-looking radar imagery, published soil maps, topographic maps, conventional aerial photography as well as LANDSAT imagery under wet and dry changes for several years were analyzed over selected areas in Minnesota to test their usefulness in detecting near-surface ground water. Results show that optical density read from LANDSAT data is not a reliable discriminator of depth to shallow ground water when one band of one scene is used alone, and is little improved when several bands of several scenes are used synergistically. The method is enhanced if information from soil maps is included in the analysis, especially for discriminating boggy ground from better drained areas. It appears, however, that in areas where soil maps and good topographic maps already exist, the depth to ground water can be predicted from those media as well as (if not better than) it can be predicted from remote imagery. The LANDSAT method used demonstrated no capability for recognizing deeper categories of ground water.
Southwick, D. L.↗
Soil moisture applications of the heat capacity mapping mission
Results are presented of ground, aircraft and satellite investigations conducted to evaluate the potential of the Heat Capacity Mapping Mission (HCMM) to monitor soil moisture and the depth of shallow ground water. The investigations were carried out over eastern South Dakota to evaluate the relation between directly measured soil temperatures and water content at various stages of canopy development, aircraft thermal scanner measurements of apparent canopy temperature and the reliability of actual HCMM data. The results demonstrate the possibility of evaluating soil moisture on the basis of HCMM apparent canopy temperature and day-night soil temperature difference measurements. Limitations on the use of thermal data posed by environmental factors which influence energy balance interactions, including phase transformations, wind patterns, topographic variations and atmospheric constituents are pointed out.
Heilman, J. L.↗
Eliminating Wind Tunnel Flow Breakdown
Undesirable vortexes near floor in small wind tunnels suppressed by simple device that alters flow pattern there. Air is injected along floor and interacts with backflow from wind-tunnel model. Results in smoother, more correct air-flow and to more-reliable wind-tunnel data.
Hackett, J. E.↗
Force instrumentation for cryogenic wind tunnels using one-piece strain-gage balances
Materials and techniques for a transducer capable of obtaining accurate force measurements at cryogenic temperatures (down to 77 K) and high pressures (up to 9 atm) have been determined. Areas of high stress concentration are minimized by balance design, and model and sting attachment methods able to withstand cryogenic temperatures are used. Maraging 200 is the material used for the balances, due to its high impact strength and simple heat treatment procedure. Test results verify that the balances produce reliable, repeatable, and predictable data from 300 K to 110 K under steady state conditions. Techniques have been developed to reduce the temperature-induced bridge output, such as the use of bridges with two gages mounted transverse to the principal stress direction. Under these conditions, the results given by the balances should be equally good during transient temperatures on five of the six components. The work will be used at the National Transonic Facility (NTF) at NASA Langley.
Ferris, A. T.↗
Land cover analysis of James City County, Virginia
The approach used to obtain reliable countywide forest resource data, including statistics and a forest cover distribution map from LANDSAT data is described. Comparison of results of the LANDSAT anlysis and U.S. Forestry Survey data is presented in a table. Pine, oak/pine, and oak/hickory accounted for 22.3%, 32.6% and 45.2% respectively of the total forest area in the LANDSAT analysis, compared to 22.8%, 30.1%. and 47.1% in the Forest Survey. The corresponding figures for each forest type differ at most 2.5% for the mixed forest. The total county area in forest land measured using LANDSAT was underestimated by 1,409 acres, a 2.2% error based on the Forest Survey statistics. However, the estimate of 61,242 acres fell well within the known 4% uncertainty of the estimate for the Forest Survey figures (62,651 acres + or - 2,544 acres).
Copony, J. A.↗