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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 145 records · Page 8
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1995

Short-Period Seismometer Development at JPL

Determining the structure of the interior of Mars has been a high priority for every Mars exploration strategy developed in the past 20 years, and is one of the primary goals of the InterMarsnet mission. Seismology is by far the most effective and detailed tool for investigating the radial and lateral distribution of density and elastic properties within a planet. Whereas long-period signals contain information from surface waves and normal modes from relatively large events, as well as the tidal response of the planet, the ability to record the high-frequency portion of the seismic spectrum (0.05 > f > 50 Hz) is essential for using the body waves of small to moderate events for probing the interior and analyzing the source characteristics of martian quakes.

Short-Period Seismometer↗
NASA NTRS1984

Analysis of upper mantle structure using wave field continuation of P waves

Wave field continuation theory, which allows transformation of the seismic record section data directly into velocity-depth space, is tested for upper mantle analysis using a large array-recorded data set obtained at the 200-station Caltech-USGS Southern California Seismic Network that is representative of the structure beneath the gulf of California. The method's resolution capability is illustrated by the comparison of the slant stacks and downward continuation of both synthetic and data record sections. It is stressed that when high-quality, densely sampled digital data are available, the technique is easy to implement, provides an inversion which contains all the data in the global format, and produces an objective estimate of depth resolution as a function of ray parameter.

Walck, M. C.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Helioseismic imaging of sunspots at their antipodes

Recent work by Braun et al. (1988) has shown that sunspots absorb helioseismic waves. It is proposed that sunspot absorption causes a seismic deficit that should be imaged at the antipode of the sunspot. If these images are observable, it should be possible to produce seismic maps of magnetic regions on the far side of the sun. Diagnostic applications would include lifetimes of higher-frequency modes, and possibly rotation of the solar interior and detection of subsurface magnetic structure. Elements of the theory of seismic imaging are outlined. The extention of acoustic holography to solar interior diagnostics in the context of antipodal imaging is proposed.

Lindsey, Charles↗
NASA NTRS1972

Shockwave determination of the shear velocity at very high pressures

A shock wave experiment is described for confirming changes in density, from seismic interpretation, for determining the properties of planet interiors. The experiment focuses on the problem of measurements in a pressure region, where the shear velocity tends to vanish, or become very small. Pressure-sensitive lattice stability, and the equations for an atomic model of the NaCl lattice are discussed along with the particle velocity shock technique.

Anderson, O. L.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Deep lunar interior inferred from recent seismic data

Analysis of recent data from lunar seismic events shows significant deviations of P- and S-wave travel times from those expected if the lunar interior were homogeneous below the crust. The interpretation of these data results in a lunar model consisting of at least four and possibly five distinguishable zones whose probable characteristics are discussed.

Nakamura, Y.↗
NASA NTRS1983

The rupture process and asperity distribution of three great earthquakes from long-period diffracted P-waves

The variation of maximum earthquake size along the subduction zones has been interpreted as a variation in the seismic coupling ostensibly related to the mechanical conditions of the fault zone. Great differences are noted between the seismographs of the three great earthquakes whose rupture processes are presently considered: in the Kurile Islands (1963), The Rat Islands (1965) and Alaska (1964). On-scale long period P waves were recorded in all cases. Source time functions are deconvolved from the observed periods. It is concluded that maximum earthquake size is related to the asperity distribution on the fault. The subduction zones with the largest earthquakes have very large asperities, as in the Alaskan case, while the zones with the smaller great earthquakes, such as the Kurile Islands, have smaller scattered asperities.

Ruff, L.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Imaging the Moon's Core with Seismology

Constraining the structure of the lunar core is necessary to improve our understanding of the present-day thermal structure of the interior and the history of a lunar dynamo, as well as the origin and thermal and compositional evolution of the Moon. We analyze Apollo deep moonquake seismograms using terrestrial array processing methods to search for the presence of reflected and converted energy from the lunar core. Although moonquake fault parameters are not constrained, we first explore a suite of theoretical focal spheres to verify that fault planes exist that can produce favorable core reflection amplitudes relative to direct up-going energy at the Apollo stations. Beginning with stacks of event seismograms from the known distribution of deep moonquake clusters, we apply a polarization filter to account for the effects of seismic scattering that (a) partitions energy away from expected components of ground motion, and (b) obscures all but the main P- and S-wave arrivals. The filtered traces are then shifted to the predicted arrival time of a core phase (e.g. PcP) and stacked to enhance subtle arrivals associated with the Moon s core. This combination of filtering and array processing is well suited for detecting deep lunar seismic reflections, since we do not expect scattered wave energy from near surface (or deeper) structure recorded at varying epicentral distances and stations from varying moonquakes at varying depths to stack coherently. Our results indicate the presence of a solid inner and fluid outer core, overlain by a partial-melt-containing boundary layer (Table 1). These layers are consistently observed among stacks from four classes of reflections: P-to-P, S-to-P, P-to-S, and S-to-S, and are consistent with current indirect geophysical estimates of core and deep mantle properties, including mass, moment of inertia, lunar laser ranging, and electromagnetic induction. Future refinements are expected following the successful launch of the GRAIL lunar orbiter and SELENE 2 lunar lander missions.

Weber, Renee C.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Lunar near-surface structure

Seismic refraction data obtained at the Apollo 14, 16, and 17 landing sites permit a compressional wave velocity profile of the lunar near surface to be derived. Beneath the regolith at the Apollo 14 Fra Mauro site and the Apollo 16 Descartes site is material with a seismic velocity of about 300 m/sec, believed to be brecciated material or impact-derived debris. Considerable detail is known about the velocity structure at the Apollo 17 Taurus-Littrow site. Seismic velocities of 100, 327, 495, 960, and 4700 m/sec are observed. The depth to the top of the 4700-m/sec material is 1385 m, compatible with gravity estimates for the thickness of mare basaltic flows, which fill the Taurus-Littrow valley. The observed magnitude of the velocity change with depth and the implied steep velocity-depth gradient of more than 2 km/sec/km are much larger than have been observed on compaction experiments on granular materials and preclude simple cold compaction of a fine-grained rock powder to thicknesses of the order of kilometers.

Cooper, M. R.↗
NASA NTRS1977

The distribution of seismic velocities and attenuation in the earth

Estimates of the radial distribution of seismic velocities and density and of seismic attenuation within the earth are obtained through inversion of body wave, surface wave, and normal mode data. The effect of attenuation related dispersion on gross earth structure, and on the reliability of eigenperiod identifications is discussed. The travel time baseline discrepancies between body waves and free oscillation models are examined and largely resolved.

Hart, R. S.↗
NASA NTRS2012

A Review of Low Frequency Electromagnetic Wave Phenomena Related to Tropospheric-Ionospheric Coupling Mechanisms

Investigation of coupling mechanisms between the troposphere and the ionosphere requires a multidisciplinary approach involving several branches of atmospheric sciences, from meteorology, atmospheric chemistry, and fulminology to aeronomy, plasma physics, and space weather. In this work, we review low frequency electromagnetic wave propagation in the Earth-ionosphere cavity from a troposphere-ionosphere coupling perspective. We discuss electromagnetic wave generation, propagation, and resonance phenomena, considering atmospheric, ionospheric and magnetospheric sources, from lightning and transient luminous events at low altitude to Alfven waves and particle precipitation related to solar and magnetospheric processes. We review in situ ionospheric processes as well as surface and space weather phenomena that drive troposphere-ionosphere dynamics. Effects of aerosols, water vapor distribution, thermodynamic parameters, and cloud charge separation and electrification processes on atmospheric electricity and electromagnetic waves are reviewed. We also briefly revisit ionospheric irregularities such as spread-F and explosive spread-F, sporadic-E, traveling ionospheric disturbances, Trimpi effect, and hiss and plasma turbulence. Regarding the role of the lower boundary of the cavity, we review transient surface phenomena, including seismic activity, earthquakes, volcanic processes and dust electrification. The role of surface and atmospheric gravity waves in ionospheric dynamics is also briefly addressed. We summarize analytical and numerical tools and techniques to model low frequency electromagnetic wave propagation and solving inverse problems and summarize in a final section a few challenging subjects that are important for a better understanding of tropospheric-ionospheric coupling mechanisms.

Simoes, Fernando↗
NASA NTRS2018

Remote Sensing of Venusian Seismic Activity with a Small Spacecraft, the VAMOS Mission Concept

The Venusian atmosphere creates inhospitable temperature and pressure conditions for the surface of Venus, Earth’s twin planet, making in-situ measurements of any appreciable length difficult, expensive, and risky to obtain. Yet, because of the apparent youthfulness of Venus’ surface features, long-duration seismic observations are in high demand in order to determine and understand the dynamic processes taking place in lieu of plate tectonics. The Venus Airglow Measurements and Orbiter for Seismicity (VAMOS) mission concept would make use of the dense Venusian atmosphere as a medium to conduct seismic vibrations from the surface to the ionosphere. Here, the resulting atmospheric gravity waves and acoustic waves can be observed in the form of perturbations in airglow emissions, the basic principles for which have been demonstrated at Earth following a tsunami and at Venus with the European Venus Express’s Visible and Infrared Thermal Imaging Spectrometer (VIRTIS) instrument. In addition, these observations would enable VAMOS to determine the crustal structure and ionospheric variability of Venus without approaching the surface or atmosphere themselves. Equipped with an instrument of modest size and mass, the baseline VAMOS spacecraft is designed to fit within a SmallSat form factor and travel to Venus predominantly under its own power. VAMOS would enter into an orbit uniquely suited for the longduration, full-disk staring observations required for seismic readings. VAMOS’ journey would be enabled by modern solar electric propulsion technology and SmallSat avionics, which allow the spacecraft to reach Venus and autonomously filter observation data on board to detect Venus-quake events. Currently, trade studies are being conducted to determine mission architecture robustness to launch and rideshare opportunities. Key spacecraft challenges for VAMOS, just as with many SmallSat-based mission concepts, include thermal and power management, onboard processing capabilities, telecommunications throughput, and propulsion technology. The VAMOS mission concept is being studied at JPL as part of the NASA Planetary Science Deep Space SmallSat Studies (PSDS3) program, which will not only produce a viable and exciting mission concept for a Venus SmallSat, but will have the opportunity to examine many issues facing the development of SmallSats for planetary exploration. These include SmallSat solar electric propulsion, autonomy, telecommunications, and resource management that can be applied to various inner solar system mission architectures.

Helbert, Jörn↗
NASA NTRS1973

The structure of the lunar crust at the Apollo 17 site

A seismic profiling experiment was successfully executed on the lunar surface during the Apollo 17 mission allowing a determination of the structure of the lunar crust to a depth of several kilometers. The most outstanding feature of the seismic velocity variation, in the Taurus-Littrow region, is the stepwise increase with depth. A total thickness of about 1200 meters for the infilling mare basalts at the 17 landing site is also indicated from the seismic results. The apparent velocity is high (about 4 km/sec for P waves) in the material below the basalts.

Kovach, R. L.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Shallow lunar structure determined from the passive seismic experiment

Data relevant to the shallow structure of the moon obtained at the Apollo seismic stations are compared with previously published results of the active seismic experiments. It is concluded that the lunar surface is covered by a layer of low seismic velocity which appears to be equivalent to the lunar regolith defined previously by geological observations. This layer is underlain by a zone of distinctly higher seismic velocity at all of the Apollo landing sites. The regolith thicknesses at the Apollo 11, 12, and 15 sites are estimated from the shear-wave resonance to be 4.4, 3.7, and 4.4 m, respectively. These thicknesses and those determined at the other Apollo sites by the active seismic experiments appear to be correlated with the age determinations and the abundances of extralunar components at the sites.

Nakamura, Y.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Inverting travel times with a triplication

A method based on the use of constrained spline fits is used to overcome the difficulties arising when body-wave data in the form of T-delta are reduced to the tau-p form in the presence of cusps. In comparison with unconstrained spline fits, the method proposed here tends to produce much smoother models which lie approximately in the middle of the bounds produced by the extremal method. The method is noniterative and, therefore, computationally efficient. The method is applied to the lunar seismic data, where at least one triplication is presumed to occur in the P-wave travel-time curve. It is shown, however, that because of an insufficient number of data points for events close to the antipode of the center of the lunar network, the present analysis is not accurate enough to resolve the problem of a possible lunar core.

Jarosch, H. S.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Elastic wave velocities in anorthosite and anorthositic gabbros from Apollo 15 and 16 landing sites

Laboratory measurements of ultrasonic velocities in lunar samples 15065, 15555, 15415, 60015, and 61016 as well as in synthetic materials corresponding to compositions of anorthositic gabbros are presented as a function of hydrostatic pressure to about 7 kb. The author examined the seismic velocity distributions in the moon with reference to the variations to be expected in a homogeneous medium. The lunar mantle begins about 60 km, and the velocity of P waves in this area is about 7.7 km/sec. Variation of the seismic parameter with depth in the upper crust (about 20 km thick) is much too rapid to be explained by compression of a uniform material and the departure from expectation is so great that no reasonable adjustment of the material parameters can bring agreement; therefore, this author concludes that this result in this region of the moon is not due to self-compression but to textural gradients. In the lower crust (about 40 km thick), the region is shown to be relatively homogeneous, consisting probably of anorthositic rocks.

Chung, D. H.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Absorption band Q model for the Earth

Attenuation in solids and liquids, as measured by the quality factor Q, is typically frequency dependent. In seismology, however, Q is usually assumed to be independent of frequency. Body wave, surface wave, and normal mode data are used to place constraints on the frequency dependence of Q in the mantle. Specific features of the absorption band model are: low-Q in the seismic band at both the top and the base of the mantle, low-Q for long-period body waves in the outer core, an inner core Q sub s that increases with period, and low Q sub p/Q sub s at short periods in the middle mantle.

Anderson, D. L.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Correction of lunar seismograms for instrumental and near-surface effects and constraints on the velocity structure of the lunar interior

Long-period lunar seismograms were studied with the aim of identifying consistent sets of direct shear and secondary wave arrivals, thus constraining the velocities in the lunar mantle and the depths of the velocity discontinuities. Two velocity models were used to locate the natural impacts and the shallow moonquakes and to obtain the travel time residuals. Seismic sections were made of the radial, transverse, and vertical components of ground motion for impacts, shallow, and deep moonquakes in order to search for consistent sets of secondary wave arrivals. No conclusive set of secondary arrivals could be recognized on the seismic sections and thus the velocities and depths of the velocity discontinuities cannot be severely constrained by secondary arrivals. It is likely that the crust is thinner than 50 km and that a first-order discontinuity separates the upper and lower crust at a depth of between 20 and 30 km.

Horvath, P.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Measurements of the acoustical parameters of rock powders and the Gold-Soter lunar model.

We are measuring the low frequency velocities and damping factors of acoustic waves in rock powders in vacuo with a view to understanding the lunar seismic signals. Our results combined with those of others, when extrapolated to lunar conditions, lend support to the Gold-Soter model of the outer moon in which the lunar surface is covered with a fine rock powder to a depth of at least 4 km.

Jones, B. W.↗