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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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At least 1,369 records · Page 76
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1981

Interpretation of satellite images of the Republic of Niger

Interpretations of LANDSAT pictures were carried out for an area located in the west of the Niger Republic in the geological, hydrogeological and pedological sectors. Checking of the extent of vegetation and use of the soils and effects of desertification for the purpose of yearly map making was carried out. The proposed control of land use may be optimized by the direct reception of LANDSAT data by the receiving station planned for Ouagadougou. Since that station will not be operating before 1983, the establishment of a mobile reception station in the Republic of Niger to enable the installation of the required control system is advised.

Bender, F.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Identification of radio emission from the Io flux tube

The identification of a specific Jovian decametric emission with the particular flux tube near the orbit of Io giving rise to it would substantially improve theoretical understandings of the relation of the Io flux tubes with the arc-like structures seen on time vs. frequency plots of decametric emissions observed by the Voyager spacecraft. The present paper shows how the instantaneous Io flux tube may be identified with particular emission features. It is demonstrated that the emissions designated Io caused emission (ICE) may be interpreted as representing sections of arc structures emitted by the interaction of Io with successive flux tubes. The model is capable of accounting for the change of displacement angle of the ICE structures as the sub-observed Jovian longitude changes. The identification permits the mapping of emissions onto the causative flux tubes for Jovian longitudes from 240 to 360 deg.

Riddle, A. C.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Lithologic discrimination of volcanic and sedimentary rocks by spectral examination of Landsat TM data from the Puma, Central Andes Mountains

The Central Andes are widely used as a modern example of noncollisional mountain-building processes. The Puna is a high plateau in the Chilean and Argentine Central Andes extending southward from the altiplano of Bolivia and Peru. Young tectonic and volcanic features are well exposed on the surface of the arid Puna, making them prime targets for the application of high-resolution space imagery such as Shuttle Imaging Radar B and Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM). Two TM scene quadrants from this area are analyzed using interactive color image processing, examination, and automated classification algorithms. The large volumes of these high-resolution datasets require significantly different techniques than have been used previously for the interpretation of Landsat MSS data. Preliminary results include the determination of the radiance spectra of several volcanic and sedimentary rock units and the use of the spectra for automated classification. Structural interpretations have revealed several previously unknown folds in late Tertiary strata, and key zones have been targeted to be investigated in the field. The synoptic view of space imagery is already filling a critical gap between low-resolution geophysical data and traditional geologic field mapping in the reconnaissance study of poorly mapped mountain frontiers such as the Puna.

Fielding, E. J.↗
NASA NTRS1988

HCO emission from H II-molecular cloud interface regions

A survey of well-known molecular clouds in the four strongest HCO N(k-,k+) = 1(01)-O(60) hyperfine transitions has been carried out to determine the prevalence of HCO and to study its chemistry. HCO emission was observed in seven molecular clouds. Three of these, NGC 2264, W49, and NGC 7538, were not previously known sources of HCO. In addition, NGC 2024 and Sgr B2 were mapped and shown to have extensive HCO emission. The survey results show the HCO abundance to be enhanced in H II-molecular cloud interface regions and support a correlation between C(+) and HCO emission. The strength of the HCO emission in NGC 2024 is interpreted in terms of this enhancement and the source structure and proximity to Earth.

Schenewerk, M. S.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Structure and kinematics of a major tectonic contact, Michipicoten greenstone belt, Ontario

The Michipicoten greenstone belt, Ontario, experienced a complex history of folding, faulting, and fabric development. Near Wawa, a major east-west contact, here named the Steep Hill Falls (SHF) contact, extends entirely across the belt. The SHF contact is both an angular unconformity and a fault and is interpreted to be a regionally significant tectonic contact separating distinct northern and southern terranes, both of which include volcanic rocks of probable island-arc origin. The amount of horizontal transport involved in bringing the two terranes together along the SHF contact is not known. Mapping and structural analysis suggest that regionally significant horizontal displacements took place, with movement vectors that changed with time. Early faults, folds, and fabrics imply north-south to northeast-southwest (with respect to present directions) convergence, with a vergence reversal occurring during this complex event. The most likely models infer early south vergence and later north vergence. Transecting the earliest structures are younger (but still Archean) northeast-striking steep cleavages with associated upright folds that may relate to northwest-southeast assembly of the Superior Province craton. The craton assembly event thus involved a transport direction at a high angle to that inferred for the earlier assembly of the Michipicoten greenstone belt.

Mcgill, George E.↗
NASA NTRS2000

TES Observations of the Martian Surface and Atmosphere

The Thermal Emission Spectrometer (TES) instrument is a Fourier transform Michelson interferometer operating with 10 or 5 cm(exp -1) sampling in the thermal infrared spectral region from 1700 to 200 cm(exp -1) (-6 to 50 micrometers) where virtually all minerals have characteristic fundamental vibrational absorption bands. The TES data used in this paper are among the 6 x 10(exp 7) spectra collected during the early mapping phase of the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) mission from southern hemisphere winter to early summer (aerocentric longitude, L(sub s), 107 deg to 297 deg. The methodology for separating the surface and atmospheric components of the radiance from Mars, which allows detailed analysis and interpretation of surface mineralogy, is described in previous paper. Additional information is contained in original extended abstract.

Christensen, P. R.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Paterae on Io: Volcanic Activity Observed by Galileo's NIMS and SSI

Paterae are the most ubiquitous volcanic construct on Io s surface. Paterae are irregular craters, or complex craters with scalloped edges, interpreted as calderas or pit craters. Data from Galileo has shown that the activity of Ionian paterae is often confined to its interior and that generally lava flows are not seen spilling out over the edges. We use observations from Galileo s Near-Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (NIMS) to study the thermal emission from several Ionian paterae and compare them with images in visible wavelengths obtained by Galileo s Solid State Imaging System (SSI). Galileo s close fly-bys of Io from 1999 to 2001 have allowed NIMS to image the paterae at high spatial resolution (1-30 km pixel). At these scales, several of these features reveal greater thermal emission around the edges, which can be explained as the crust of a lava lake breaking up against the paterae walls. Comparisons with imaging data show that lower albedo areas (which are indicative of young lavas) coincide with higher thermal emission areas on NIMS data. Other paterae, however, show thermal emission and features in the visible that are more consistent with lava flows over a solid patera floor. Identifying eruption styles on Io is important for constraining eruption and interior models on Io.

Lopes, Rosaly↗
NASA NTRS2015

Evidence for the Sequestration of Hydrogen-Bearing Volatiles Towards the Moons Southern Pole-Facing Slopes

The Lunar Exploration Neutron Detector (LEND) onboard the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) detects a widespread suppression of the epithermal neutron leakage flux that is coincident with the pole-facing slopes (PFS) of the Moon's southern hemisphere. Suppression of the epithermal neutron flux is consistent with an interpretation of enhanced concentrations of hydrogen-bearing volatiles within the upper meter of the regolith. Localized flux suppression in PFS suggests that the reduced solar irradiation and lowered temperature on PFS constrains volatility to a greater extent than in surrounding regions. Epithermal neutron flux mapped with LEND's Collimated Sensor for Epithermal Neutrons (CSETN) was analyzed as a function of slope geomorphology derived from the Lunar Orbiting Laser Altimeter (LOLA) and the results compared to co-registered maps of diurnally averaged temperature from the Diviner Lunar Radiometer Experiment and an averaged illumination map derived from LOLA. The suppression in the average south polar epithermal neutron flux on equator-facing slopes (EFS) and PFS (85-90 deg S) is 3.3 +/- 0.04% and 4.3 +/- 0.05% respectively (one-sigma-uncertainties), relative to the average count-rate in the latitude band 45-90 deg S. The discrepancy of 1.0 +/- 0.06% between EFS and PFS neutron flux corresponds to an average of approximately 23 parts-per-million-by-weight (ppmw) more hydrogen on PFS than on EFS. Results show that the detection of hydrogen concentrations on PFS is dependent on their spatial scale. Epithermal flux suppression on large scale PFS was found to be enhanced to 5.2 +/- 0.13%, a discrepancy of approximately 45 ppmw hydrogen relative to equivalent EFS. Enhanced poleward hydration of PFS begins between 50 deg S and 60 deg S latitude. Polar regolith temperature contrasts do not explain the suppression of epithermal neutrons on pole-facing slopes. The Supplemental on-line materials include supporting results derived from the uncollimated Lunar Prospector Neutron Spectrometer and the LEND Sensor for Epithermal Neutrons.

Ices↗
DOE OSTI2013

New River Geothermal Exploration (Ram Power Inc.)

The New River Geothermal Exploration (DOE Award No. EE0002843) is located approximately 25km south of the Salton Sea, near town of Brawley in Imperial County and approximately 150km east of San Diego, California. A total of 182 MT Logger sites were completed covering the two separate Mesquite and New River grids. The data was collected over a frequency range of 320Hz to 0.001Hz with variable site spacing. A number of different inversion algorithms in 1D, 2D and 3D were used to produce resistivity-depth profiles and maps of subsurface resistivity variations over the survey area. For 2D inversions, a total of eighteen lines were constructed in east-west and north-south orientations crossing the entire survey area. For MT 3D inversion, the New River property was divided in two sub-grids, Mesquite and New River areas. The report comprises of two parts. For the first part, inversions and geophysical interpretation results are presented with some recommendations of the potential targets for future follow up on the property. The second part of the report describes logistics of the survey, survey parameters, methodology and the survey results (data) in digital documents. The report reviews a Spartan MT survey carried out by Quantec Geoscience Limited over the New River Project in California, USA on behalf of Ram Power Inc. Data was acquired over a period of 29 days from 2010/06/26 to 2010/07/24.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2013

Epidermal Impedance Sensing Sheets for Precision Hydration Assessment and Spatial Mapping

This paper presents a class of hydration monitor that uses ultrathin, stretchable sheets with arrays of embedded impedance sensors for precise measurement and spatially multiplexed mapping. The devices contain miniaturized capacitive electrodes arranged in a matrix format, capable of integration with skin in a conformal, intimate manner due to the overall skin-like physical properties. These “epidermal” systems noninvasively quantify regional variations in skin hydration, at uniform or variable skin depths. Experimental results demonstrate that the devices possess excellent uniformity, with favorable precision and accuracy. Theoretical models capture the underlying physics of the measurement and enable quantitative interpretation of the experimental results. Furthermore, these devices are appealing for applications ranging from skin care and dermatology, to cosmetology and health/wellness monitoring, with the additional potential for combined use with other classes of sensors for comprehensive, quantitative physiological assessment via the skin.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2018

Imaging anomalous nematic order and strain in optimally doped BaFe$_2$(As,P)$_2$

We present the strain and temperature dependence of an anomalous nematic phase in optimally doped BaFe$_2$(As,P)$_2$. Polarized ultrafast optical measurements reveal broken 4-fold rotational symmetry in a temperature range above $T_c$ in which bulk probes do not detect a phase transition. Using ultrafast microscopy, we find that the magnitude and sign of this nematicity vary on a ${50{-}100}~\mu$m length scale, and the temperature at which it onsets ranges from 40 K near a domain boundary to 60 K deep within a domain. Scanning Laue microdiffraction maps of local strain at room temperature indicate that the nematic order appears most strongly in regions of weak, isotropic strain. These results indicate that nematic order arises in a genuine phase transition rather than by enhancement of local anisotropy by a strong nematic susceptibility. We interpret our results in the context of a proposed surface nematic phase.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2017

Distortion of Magnetic Fields in a Starless Core: Near-infrared Polarimetry of FeSt 1–457

Magnetic fields are believed to play an important role in controlling the stability and contraction of the dense condensations of gas and dust that lead to the formation of stars and planetary systems. In the present study, the magnetic field of FeSt 1–457, a cold starless molecular cloud core, was mapped on the basis of the polarized near-infrared light from 185 background stars after being dichroically absorbed by dust aligned with the magnetic field in the core. A distinct “hourglass-shaped” magnetic field was identified in the region of the core, and was interpreted as the first evidence of a magnetic field structure distorted by mass condensation in a starless core. The steep curvature of the magnetic field lines obtained in the present study indicates that the distortion was mainly created during the formation phase of the dense core. The derived mass-to-magnetic flux ratio indicates that the core is in a magnetically supercritical state. However, the stability of the core can be considered to be in a nearly critical state if the additional contributions from the thermal and turbulent support are included. Further diffusion of the magnetic field and/or turbulent dissipation would cause the onset of the dynamical collapse of the core. The geometrical relationship between the direction of the magnetic field lines and the elongation of the core was found to be in good agreement with theoretical predictions for the formation of Sun-like stars under the influence of a magnetic field.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS1972

Reinterpretations of the northern Nectaris Basin, part F

Photogeologic analysis was attempted on a strip of Apollo 16 metric photographs; the superior quality and stereographic properties of the photography permitted this reevaluation. Geologic contacts, as redrawn closely resemble those of earlier maps, but some differences resulted because of improved photographic quality and a conscious attempt to test fully the impact hypothesis. All or most of the nonmare material of the region of the northern Nectaris Basin rim can be explained by the formation of impact basins. This interpretation seems strained only for some irregular and clustered craters north of Mare Nectaris and for the southern facies of the Descartes material. If the latter material is shown to have been sampled and to be of impact origin, then extensive hill and crater-forming volcanic material of Imbrian or younger age probably does not exist on the lunar terra.

Wilhelms, D. E.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Automatic photointerpretation for land use management in Minnesota

The author has identified the following significant results. Progress is being made in the areas of sun angle and atmospheric effects on the data and its interpretation. The effort is aimed at correction using only navigation and calendar data needed for satellite operation and derivations from the MSS data. Water estimation of value to land planners and conservationists has been demonstrated with verification of performance by comparison with a concurrent study involving map planimetry, aerial photos, and field-checking. The satellite will provide seasonal and annual coverage with timely information in a way not now feasible by conventional methods. For example, the reference data were obtained using the most recent files, which date back to 1949, and from most recent photography taken in 1968. The calendar time involved was three to four months, which is a reflection on priority pressure on trained manpower available. ERTS-1 data can help relieve this problem by providing the needed information while freeing trained manpower for more appropriate parts of the effort.

Swanlund, G. D.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Extracting land use information from the earth resources technology satellite data by conventional interpretation methods

A procedure for obtaining land use data from satellite imagery by the use of conventional interpretation methods is presented. The satellite is described briefly, and the advantages of various scales and multispectral scanner bands are discussed. Methods for obtaining satellite imagery and the sources of this imagery are given. Equipment used in the study is described, and samples of land use maps derived from satellite imagery are included together with the land use classification system used. Accuracy percentages are cited and are compared to those of a previous experiment using small scale aerial photography.

Vegas, P. L.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Fracture trace expression and analysis in radar imagery of rain forest terrain (Peru)

Mapping of minor lineaments from radar imagery of the rain forest in southeast Peru is biased due to the selective suppression of some topography which results from the observation geometry of the imaging radar system and the varied perception of lineaments on the imagery by different interpreters. Team analysis of the imagery compensates for several of the sources of bias, and results in the clear recognition of differing regimes within the regional fracture field in the study area.

Martin-Kaye, P. H. A.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Geology of the Venus equatorial region from Pioneer Venus radar imaging

The data collected by Pioneer Venus have been used to map the broad radar characteristics of the equatorial region on the basis of radar brightness and texture. Seven units are defined and are used to assess the geologic character of the equatorial region. The correspondence between features in the 15 deg region of overlap between Pioneer Venus ans Venera 15/16 images is examined and used to extend units mapped in the northern high latitudes into the equatorial region. Using the properties of rms slope, reflectivity, the scattering behavior of the surface, and topographic signature, seven physiographic units are mapped on the basis of the distribution of the radar units in the equatorial region and are identified by increasing complexity as plains, dark halo plains, upland rises, upland plateaus, interhighland tectonic zones, tectonically segmented linear highlands, and tectonic junctions. The distribution of larger circular structures interpreted as coronae is also examined.

Senske, D. A.↗
NASA NTRS2020

Detection of Dynamical Instability in Titan's Thermospheric Jet

Similar to Earth, Saturn’s largest moon, Titan, possesses a system of high-altitude zonal winds (or jets) that encircle the globe. Using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in August 2016, Lellouch et al. (2019) discovered an equatorial jet at much higher altitudes than previously known, with a surprisingly fast speed of up to∼340 m s−1, but the origin of such high velocities is not yet understood. We obtained spectrally and spatially resolved ALMA observations in May 2017 to map Titan’s 3D global wind field and compare our results with a reanalysis of the August 2016 data. Doppler wind velocity maps were derived in the altitude range∼300–1000 km (from the upper stratosphere to the thermosphere). At the highest, thermospheric altitudes, a 47% reduction in the equatorial zonal wind speed was measured over the 9-month period (corresponding toLs= 82◦–90◦on Titan). This is interpreted as due to a dramatic slowing and loss of confinement (broadening) of the recently-discovered thermospheric equatorial jet, as a result of dynamical instability. These unexpectedly-rapid changes in the upper-atmospheric dynamics are consistent with strong variability of the jet’s primary driving mechanism.

M A Cordiner↗