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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
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1976

Wind power prediction models

Investigations were performed to predict the power available from the wind at the Goldstone, California, antenna site complex. The background for power prediction was derived from a statistical evaluation of available wind speed data records at this location and at nearby locations similarly situated within the Mojave desert. In addition to a model for power prediction over relatively long periods of time, an interim simulation model that produces sample wind speeds is described. The interim model furnishes uncorrelated sample speeds at hourly intervals that reproduce the statistical wind distribution at Goldstone. A stochastic simulation model to provide speed samples representative of both the statistical speed distributions and correlations is also discussed.

Levy, R.↗
NASA NTRS1981

A sensitivity model for energy consumption in buildings. Part 1: Effect of exterior environment

A simple analytical model is developed for the simulation of seasonal heating and cooling loads of any class of buildings to complement available computerized techniques which make hourly, daily, and monthly calculations. An expression for the annual energy utilization index, which is a common measure of rating buildings having the same functional utilization, is derived to include about 30 parameters for both building interior and exterior environments. The sensitivity of a general class building to either controlled or uncontrolled weather parameters is examined. A hypothetical office type building, located at the Goldstone Space Communication Complex, Goldstone, California, is selected as an example for the numerical sensitivity evaluations. Several expressions of variations in local outside air temperature, pressure, solar radiation, and wind velocity are presented.

Lansing, F. L.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Networks consolidation program: Maintenance and Operations (M&O) staffing estimates

The Mark IV-A consolidate deep space and high elliptical Earth orbiter (HEEO) missions tracking and implements centralized control and monitoring at the deep space communications complexes (DSCC). One of the objectives of the network design is to reduce maintenance and operations (M&O) costs. To determine if the system design meets this objective an M&O staffing model for Goldstone was developed which was used to estimate the staffing levels required to support the Mark IV-A configuration. The study was performed for the Goldstone complex and the program office translated these estimates for the overseas complexes to derive the network estimates.

Goodwin, J. P.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Relocation of the Deep Space Network Maintenance Center

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory maintains a Deep Space Network (DSN) maintenance center (DMC), whose task is to engineer and manage the repair and calibration program for the electronic and mechanical equipment used in the tracking stations located at Madrid, Spain, and Canberra, Australia. The DMC also manages the Goldstone complex maintenance facility (GCMF), whose task is to repair and calibrate the Goldstone electronic and mechanical equipment. The rationale for moving the facility to Barstow, California, and the benefits derived from the move are discussed.

Beutler, K. F.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Special activity utilization of GDSCC antennas during 1980

In addition to direct spacecraft project support, the GDSCC antennas also support special activities. These activities can be categorized as advanced system program, crustal dynamics program, and radio astronomy program activities. The goals of these types of activities that received tracking support at Goldstone are discussed. All Goldstone stations (DSSs 11, 12, 13, and 14) provided a total of 2814.5 tracking hours to special activities during the period January through December 1980.

Jackson, E. B.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Special activity utilization of GDSCC antennas during 1981

The activities are categorized as advanced systems program, radio astronomy program, crustal dynamics program, and operations and support activities. The goals of each of the activities that received tracking support at Goldstone during 1981 are discussed. All Goldstone stations (DSSs 11, 12, 13 and 14) provided a total of 2353.55 hours of support to special activities during the period.

Jackson, E. B.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Mercury: Topographic and geologic data from Earth-based radar observations

Significant new geologic information has been revealed by comparing 1:5 million scale geologic maps of the equatorial zone quadrangles of Mercury (H-6, H-7 and H-8) to Earth-based elevation profiles and surface reflectivity maps of Mercury obtained in the early 1970's at the Arecibo (PR) and Goldstone (CA) radar facilities. These data consist of 23 Goldstone images and profiles of polarized return data at 12.5-cm wavelength and one Arecibo profile. Radar data with 150-m vertical accuracy and 10- to 20-km horizontal resolution are available for areas between latitudes 13 N. and 11 S. In general, these data sets show excellent correlation between: (1) relative elevation and roughness differences that are reflected by mapped geologic contacts; (2) mapped ridges and scarps that display distinctive radar signatures; and (3) position and morphology of crater-and-basin topographic elements. Inferences can also be drawn about topographic and geologic terrain beyond the area imaged by Mariner 10 cameras.

Strobell, M. E.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Mars: Seasonally variable radar reflectivity

The 1971/1973 Mars data set acquired by the Goldstone Solar System Radar was analyzed. It was established that the seasonal variations in radar reflectivity thought to occur in only one locality on the planet (the Solis Lacus radar anomaly) occur, in fact, over the entire subequatorial belt observed by the Goldstone radar. Since liquid water appears to be the most likely cause of the reflectivity excursions, a permanent, year-round presence of subsurface water (frozen or thawed) in the Martian tropics can be inferred.

Roth, L. E.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Controller and interface module for the High-Speed Data Acquisition System correlator/accumulator

One complex channel of the High-Speed Data Acquisition System (a subsystem used in the Goldstone solar system radar), consisting of two correlator modules and one accumulator module, is operated by the controller and interface module interfaces are provided to the VAX UNIBUS for computer control, monitor, and test of the controller and correlator/accumulator. The correlator and accumulator modules controlled by this module are the key digital signal processing elements of the Goldstone High-Speed Data Acquisition System. This fully programmable unit provides for a wide variety of correlation and filtering functions operating on a three megaword/second data flow. Data flow is to the VAX by way of the I/O port of a FPS 5210 array processor.

Brokl, S. S.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Models of weather effects on noise temperature and attenuation for Ka- and X-band telemetry performance analysis

Models that show the effects of weather on noise temperature and attenuation of deep space telemetry signals received by the Deep Space Network (DSN) at Ka- and X-band (32 and 8.5 GHz) are developed. These models were used to compare the performance of telemetry links at these two frequencies. The models build on an earlier 1982 model that used three months of water vapor radiometer measurements (31.4 GHz) at Goldstone, augmented with one year of radiosonde measurements made at Edwards Air Force Base. This 1986 model accounts for annual variations of rainfall and extends to a model for Canberra, Australia, and Madrid, Spain. The results show, for example, that at Ka-band, 30 degrees elevation angle, Goldstone weather adds less than 23 + or - 2 K to the system temperature 80% of the time, while Canberra or Madrid weather adds less than 32 + or - 5 K 80% of the time. At X-band, the comparable numbers are 5.1 + or - 0.2 K and 5.7 + or - 0.4 K. A simple analysis shows a substantial telemetry system signal-to-noise ratio advantage when operating at Ka-band compared to X-band.

Slobin, S. D.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Mars: Seasonally variable radar reflectivity

Since reflectivity is a quantity characteristic of a given target at a particular geometry, the same (temporally unchanging) target examined by radar on different occasions should have the same reflectivity. Zisk and Mouginis-Mark noted that the average reflectivities in the Goldstone Mars data increased as the planet's S hemisphere passed from the late spring into early summer. The same data set was re-examined and the presence of the phenomenon of the apparent seasonal variability of radar reflectivity was confirmed. Two objections to these findings are addressed: (1) reflectivity variations may be present in the Goldstone Mars data as a result of an instrument/calibration error; and (2) the variations were introduced into the analysis through comparing reflectivities from two incompatible subsets of the data.

Roth, L. E.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Environmental projects. Volume 1: Polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) abatement program

Six large parabolic dish antennas are located at the Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex north of Barstow, California. Some of the ancillary electrical equipment of thes Deep Space Stations, particularly transformers and power capicitors, were filled with stable, fire-retardant, dielectric fluids containing substances called polychlorobiphenyls (PCBs). Because the Environmental Protection Agency has determined that PCBs are environmental pollutants toxic to humans, all NASA centers have been asked to participate in a PCB-abatement program. Under the supervision of JPL's Office of Telecommunications and Data Acquisition, a two-year long PCB-abatement program has eliminated PCBs from the Goldstone Complex.

Kushner, L.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Field test results with the targeted search MCSA

In April 1985, a 74,000 channel prototype of the multichannel spectrum analyzer (MCSA) that NASA plans to use in a systematic search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) was installed at DSS13, a 26 meter R&D antenna facility at the Goldstone Deep Space Network (DSN) site. Since that time the instrumentation has been used to validate the performance of signal detection algorithms using locally injected signals and the weak carriers from distant spacecraft. This paper describes results from the Goldstone Field Tests and plans to move the prototype equipment to other sites where SETI may be conducted in the future.

Tarter, J. C.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Environmental projects. Volume 7: Environmental resources document

The Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex (GDSCC) in Barstow, California, is part of the NASA Deep Space Network, one of the world's largest and most sensitive scientific telecommunications and radio navigation networks. Goldstone is managed, directed and operated by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory of Pasadena, California. The GDSCC includes five distinct operational sites: Echo, Venus, Mars, Apollo, and Mojave Base. Within each site is a Deep Space Station (DPS), consisting of a large dish antenna and its support facilities. As required by NASA directives concerning the implementation of the National Environmental Policy Act, each NASA field installation is to publish an Environmental Resources Document describing the current environment at the installation, including any adverse effects that NASA operations may have on the local environment.

Kushner, Len↗
NASA NTRS1988

VLA telemetry performance with concatenated coding for Voyager at Neptune

Current plans for supporting the Voyager encounter at Neptune include the arraying of the Deep Space Network (DSN) antennas at Goldstone, California, with the National Radio Astronomy Observatory's Very Large Array (VLA) in New Mexico. Not designed as a communications antenna, the VLA signal transmission facility suffers a disadvantage in that the received signal is subjected to a gap or blackout period of approximately 1.6 msec once every 5/96 sec control cycle. Previous analyses showed that the VLA data gaps could cause disastrous performance degradation in a VLA stand-alone system and modest degradation when the VLA is arrayed equally with Goldstone. New analysis indicates that the earlier predictions for concatenated code performance were overly pessimistic for most combinations of system parameters, including those of Voyager-VLA. The periodicity of the VLA gap cycle tends to guarantee that all Reed-Solomon codewords will receive an average share of erroneous symbols from the gaps. However, large deterministic fluctuations in the number of gapped symbols from codeword to codeword may occur for certain combinations of code parameters, gap cycle parameters, and data rates. Several mechanisms for causing these fluctuations are identified and analyzed. Even though graceful degradation is predicted for the Voyager-VLA parameters, catastrophic degradation greater than 2 dB can occur for a VLA stand-alone system at certain non-Voyager data rates inside the range of the actual Voyager rates. Thus, it is imperative that all of the Voyager-VLA parameters be very accurately known and precisely controlled.

Dolinar, S. J., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Environmental Projects. Volume 8: Modifications of wastewater evaporation ponds

The Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex (GDSCC), located in the Mojave Desert about 45 miles north of Barstow, California, and about 160 miles northeast of Pasadena, is part of NASA's Deep Space Network, one of the world's largest and most sensitive scientific telecommunications and radio navigation networks. The Goldstone Complex is managed, technically directed, and operated for NASA by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, California. Activities at the GDSCC are carried out in support of seven parabolic dish antennas. These activities may give rise to environmental hazards: use of hazardous chemicals, asbestos, and underground storage tanks as well as the generation of hazardous wastes and the disposal of wastewater. Federal, state, and local laws governing the management of hazardous substances, asbestos, underground storage tanks and wastewater disposal have become so complex there is a need to devise specific programs to comply with the many regulations that implement these laws. In support of the national goal of the preservation of the environment and the protection of human health and safety, NASA, JPL, and the GDSCC have adopted a position that their operating installations shall maintain a high level of compliance with these laws. One of the environmental problems at the GDSCC involved four active, operational, wastewater evaporation ponds designed to receive and evaporate sewage effluent from upstream septic tank systems. One pair of active wastewater evaporation ponds is located at Echo Site, while another operational pair is at Mars Site.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1989

Environmental Projects. Volume 9: Construction of hazardous materials storage facilities

Activities at the Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex (GDSCC) are carried out in support of seven parabolic dish antennas. These activities may give rise to environmental hazards. This report is one in a series of reports describing environmental projects at GDSCC. The construction of two hazardous materials and wastes storage facilities and an acid-wash facility is described. An overview of the Goldstone complex is also presented along with a description of the environmental aspects of the GDSCC site.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1990

Information content of a single pass of phase-delay data from a short baseline connected element interferometer

An analytic development of the information array obtained with a single tracking pass of phase-delay measurements made from a short baseline interferometer is presented. Phase-delay observations can be made with great precision from two antennas using a single, common distributed frequency standard, hence the name connected element. With the information array, closed-form expressions are developed for the error covariance in declination and right ascension. These equations serve as useful tools for analyzing the relative merits of candidate station locations for connected element interferometry (CEI). The navigation performance of a short baseline interferometer located at the Deep Space Network's (DSN's) Goldstone intracomplex is compared with that which is presently achievable using Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) over intercontinental baselines. The performance of an intracomplex pair of short baselines formed by three stations is also investigated, along with the use of a single baseline in conjunction with conventional two-way Doppler data. The phase-delay measurement accuracy and data rate used in the analysis are based on the expected performance of an experimental connected element system presently under construction at Goldstone. The results indicate that the VLBI system that will be used during the Galileo mission can determine the declination and right ascension of a distant spacecraft to an accuracy of 20 to 25 nrad, while the CEI triad system and the combination of CEI-Doppler system are both capable of 30 to 70 nrad performance.

Thurman, S. W.↗