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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 163 records · Page 9

Fine energy resolution survey of the sky with a germanium gamma-ray spectrometer

A fine-energy-resolution survey (38 to 2700 keV) of the sky has been performed from a spinning polar-orbiting satellite with a cooled germanium spectrometer. The measurements, performed with a fast time resolution (32 ms), permit one to analyze the energy spectra from repeated noon-midnight orbits in selected portions of the local daytime or nighttime sky. During the initial period of the experiment, the sky was surveyed in two broad intervals spanning the galactic plane at longitudes of approximately 255 to 328 deg and 99 to 168 deg, respectively. In the former interval a significant increase in counting rate was observed when the spectrometer viewed the galactic plane. Locally generated backgrounds were removed from the galactic-plane spectrum by subtracting, on a spin-for-spin basis, the contribution measured at a viewing direction with a comparable declination north of the celestial equator. The net spectra from the galactic plane have been examined for evidence of gamma-ray lines. The possible presence of lines near 1121 and 1369 keV emitted from the galactic plane over the galactic longitudinal interval approximately 255 deg to approximately 328 deg is suggested by the data, but better statistics are needed to establish their existence firmly. Comparisons are made with previously reported extraterrestrial lines with assumed normalizations made for the different viewing directions in the two experiments.

Imhof, W. L.↗

Wind shear modeling for aircraft hazard definition

Mathematical models of wind profiles were developed for use in fast time and manned flight simulation studies aimed at defining and eliminating these wind shear hazards. A set of wind profiles and associated wind shear characteristics for stable and neutral boundary layers, thunderstorms, and frontal winds potentially encounterable by aircraft in the terminal area are given. Engineering models of wind shear for direct hazard analysis are presented in mathematical formulae, graphs, tables, and computer lookup routines. The wind profile data utilized to establish the models are described as to location, how obtained, time of observation and number of data points up to 500 m. Recommendations, engineering interpretations and guidelines for use of the data are given and the range of applicability of the wind shear models is described.

Frost, W.↗

The effect of landing system coverage and path geometry on lateral position errors at the runway threshold

The results of an analytical study performed to determine the effect of the azimuth coverage of a Microwave Landing System (MLS) on the ability of an airplane, with an initial navigation position estimate error, to navigate to the runway threshold are presented. The test path chosen for this study consists of an initial straight segment leading into a 130 deg turn with a 2286 m radius and ending in a straight-in final approach segment. The test path configuration was varied by changing the MLS azimuth coverage angle and the final approach length. The aircraft was positioned with an inital offset to the left or right of the desired path along the line of intersection with the MLS azimuth coverage. A fast time computer simulation program, using a simplistic point mass model of the airplane, was used for this study. The data from this study indicates that the lateral position errors at the runway are primarily a function of the final approach length. The effect of the azimuth coverage on the lateral position errors was restricted by the turn characteristics of the horizontal steering control laws.

Vicroy, D. D.↗

Fuel-conservative guidance system for powered-lift aircraft

A concept for automatic terminal area guidance, comprising two modes of operation, was developed and evaluated in flight tests. In the predictive mode, fuel efficient approach trajectories are synthesized in fast time. In the tracking mode, the synthesized trajectories are reconstructed and tracked automatically. An energy rate performance model derived from the lift, drag, and propulsion system characteristics of the aircraft is used in the synthesis algorithm. The method optimizes the trajectory for the initial aircraft position and wind and temperature profiles encountered during each landing approach. The design theory and the results of simulations and flight tests using the Augmentor Wing Jet STOL Research Aircraft are described.

Erzberger, H.↗

Observations of counterstreaming between plasma and energetic particles in the magnetotail

The paper presents fast time resolution (10-20 sec) angular distribution and energy spectrum measurements of energetic particles (protons and electrons) during a period of three magnetospheric bursts in the distant (32 earth radii) magnetotail on October 16, 1973. Attention is given to particle measurements in the plasma sheet during the onset of a magnetospheric substorm where the plasma is flowing earthward, and the energetic protons (Ep no less than 290 keV) and the electrons (Ee no less than 220 keV) are streaming tailward. Particle observations in the distant magnetotail during a magnetospheric substorm reveal the presence of two distinct particle populations: an earthward-flowing hot plasma, and tailward streaming energetic particles in the energy range 50 keV to 1 MeV. Separation of the ambient thermal and nonthermal particle populations in the magnetotail is emphasized.

Sarris, E. T.↗

Stable boundary layer wind shear model for aircraft flight hazard definition

It is pointed out that wind shear, particularly at the lower altitudes in the terminal area, has been identified as being hazardous to aircraft operations. Accurate and reliable wind profiles are required for use in fast time and manned flight simulation studies aimed at fully defining and understanding the wind shear hazard. A description is presented of wind speed profiles for neutral and stable atmospheric conditions developed for the simulation studies to improve the safety and reliability of operations in the terminal area. The wind shear is mathematically modeled and the mathematical scenarios are presented in a format for direct application to wind shear hazard/flight simulation studies.

Frost, W.↗

Fuel-conservative guidance system for powered-lift aircraft

A concept for automatic terminal-area guidance, comprising two modes of operation, has been developed and evaluated in flight tests. In the first or predictive mode, fuel-efficient approach trajectories are synthesized in fast time. In the second or tracking mode, the synthesized trajectories are reconstructed and tracked automatically. An energy rate performance model derived from the lift, drag, and propulsion-system characteristics of the aircraft is used in the synthesis algorithm. The method optimizes the trajectory for the initial aircraft position and wind and temperature profiles encountered during each landing approach. The paper describes the design theory and discusses the results of simulations and flight tests using the Augmentor Wing Jet STOL Research Aircraft.

Erzberger, H.↗

A comparison of flight and simulation data for three automatic landing system control laws for the Augmentor wing jet STOL research airplane

Automatic flare and decrab control laws for conventional takeoff and landing aircraft were adapted to the unique requirements of the powered lift short takeoff and landing airplane. Three longitudinal autoland control laws were developed. Direct lift and direct drag control were used in the longitudinal axis. A fast time simulation was used for the control law synthesis, with emphasis on stochastic performance prediction and evaluation. Good correlation with flight test results was obtained.

Feinreich, B.↗

MLS: Airplane system modeling

Analysis, modeling, and simulations were conducted as part of a multiyear investigation of the more important airplane-system-related items of the microwave landing system (MLS). Particular emphasis was placed upon the airplane RF system, including the antenna radiation distribution, the cabling options from the antenna to the receiver, and the overall impact of the airborne system gains and losses upon the direct-path signal structure. In addition, effort was expended toward determining the impact of the MLS upon the airplane flight management system and developing the initial stages of a fast-time MLS automatic control system simulation model. Results ot these studies are presented.

Thompson, A. D.↗

An analysis of the human as a predictor model

A hybrid sampled data-continuous impulse response of a preview tracker using a fast time model predictor aid is derived. The model can accept transient and nontransient imputs and is suitable for studying a human preview tracker using an internalized or externalized predictor display. The model is shown to behave reasonably in a simple example and its implications for modeling studies are discussed.

Kreifeldt, J. G.↗

Decision Aids for Airborne Intercept Operations in Advanced Aircrafts

A tactical decision aid (TDA) for the F-14 aircrew, i.e., the naval flight officer and pilot, in conducting a multitarget attack during the performance of a Combat Air Patrol (CAP) role is presented. The TDA employs hierarchical multiattribute utility models for characterizing mission objectives in operationally measurable terms, rule based AI-models for tactical posture selection, and fast time simulation for maneuver consequence prediction. The TDA makes aspect maneuver recommendations, selects and displays the optimum mission posture, evaluates attackable and potentially attackable subsets, and recommends the 'best' attackable subset along with the required course perturbation.

Madni, A.↗

Integrated energy management study. Energy efficient transport program

The Integrated Energy Management (IEM) Study investigated the practicality and feasibility of a closed-loop energy management system for transport aircraft. The study involved: (1) instrumentation and collection of in-flight data for a United Airlines 727-200 flying 80 revenue flights throughout the United Airlines network,(2) analysis of the in-flight data to select representative city pairs and establish operational procedures employed in flying a reference flight profile, (3) simulation of the reference profile in a fast-time model to verify the model and establish performance values against which to measure IEM benefits, (4) development of IEM algorithms, and (5) assessment of the IEM concept.

Source record↗

Microprocessor implementation of an FFT for ionospheric VLF observations

A fast Fourier transform algorithm is implemented on a CMOS microprocessor for application to very low-frequency electric fields (less than 10 kHz) sensed on high-altitude scientific balloons. Two FFT's are calculated simultaneously by associating them with conjugate symmetric and conjugate antisymmetric results. One goal of the system was to detect spectral signatures associated with fast time variations present in natural signals such as whistlers and chorus. Although a full evaluation of the system was not possible for operational reasons, a measure of the system's success has been defined and evaluated.

Elvidge, J.↗

Construction of a cosmic ray air shower telescope

The telescope under construction is mainly for the purpose of locating the arrival directions of energetic particles and quanta which generate air showers of sizes 10 to the 5th power to 10 to the 6th power. Both fast timing method and visual track method are incorporated in determining the arrival directions. The telescope is composed of four stations using scintillators and neon flash tubes as detectors. The system directional resolution is better than 1.5 deg.

Ng, L. K.↗

The impulsive phase of a solar limb flare

The limb flare of 1980 November 18 at 14:51 UT is studied with the X-ray instruments on board the Solar Maximum Mission (SMM). Evidence is found for release of a significant fraction, 10 percent or more, of the flare energy before the impulsive hard X-ray burst. In the impulsive phase the hard X-rays emitted during the rapidly varying part of the burst are observed on the limb, at a level consistent with the chromosphere. During the final stages of the hard X-ray burst, when the fast time structure has disappeared, the hard X-rays clearly come from the corona, at which time the spectrum is softer. Throughout the decay phase of the flare the X-rays also originate in the corona. It is concluded that initially the flare energy is deposited below the transition zone, from which point the chromospheric plasma is ablated. When this plasma has expanded into the corona to the energy release site, particle acceleration associated with such energy release is quenched. The altitude of this site is estimated at 6000 + or - 1500 km above the photosphere. The sequence of observations is consistent with the bulk of the energy being contained in suprathermal protons, in the energy region 100-1000 keV, during the impulsive phase.

Simnett, G. M.↗

Extensive air showers (HE-4)

Ultra high energy (UHE) gamma ray astronomy is an exciting area which has added a new sense of purpose to ground based array work. There is much to be done before UHE gamma ray showers can be understood properly and it is important to remain conservative with claims while the properties of such showers are still not clear. The muon content is only one of the properties that needs to be clarified. It remains to be seen how well progress occurs on the second order problem of detailed interaction parameters once the gross features are clarified. The shower disk thickness has become an area of intense study with interest in Linsley's technique for measuremnts of giant showers and in the study of structure near the core for improving fast timing and studying delayed subshowers. Perhaps the most significant area of promise for the future is individual shower develpments with Cerenkov and, particularly, air fluorescence techniques. The importance and potential of having relatively complete information on a complete set of individual showers can hardly be overestimated. A complete understanding of the observation process is needed to determine whether or not the recorded data set is complete at a given energy, apparent core distance, and zenith angle.

Clay, R. W.↗

BL Lac objects and relativistic beaming

General arguments for relativistic beaming in BL Lac objects are reviewed. These include overproduction of X-rays and fast time variability. Comments are made about the relationship of the X-ray continuum to that at lower frequencies, and observational evidence for and against continuum radiation being relativistically beamed is discussed. Finally, there is discussion of the influence of geometrical effects on predictions for time variability as a function of frequency in the context of inhomogeneous synchrotron self-Compton jet models.

Worrall, Diana M.↗

Stability with large step sizes for multistep discretizations of stiff ordinary differential equations

One-leg and multistep discretizations of variable-coefficient linear systems of ODEs having both slow and fast time scales are investigated analytically. The stability properties of these discretizations are obtained independent of ODE stiffness and compared. The results of numerical computations are presented in tables, and it is shown that for large step sizes the stability of one-leg methods is better than that of the corresponding linear multistep methods.

Majda, George↗