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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
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NASA NTRS1974

Natural evidence for chemical and early biological evolution

Oparin (1924) and Haldane (1929) have independently hypothesized that life arose under reducing conditions through an evolutionary sequence of events involving increasingly complex organic substances. The natural evidence for this hypothesis of chemical evolution is considered, giving particular attention to tangible samples which have been chemically analyzed in earth-bound laboratories. It is found that meteorites provide naturally occurring evidence in support of chemical evolution, but not of biological evolution. Studies on the early Precambrian Swaziland Sequence and the Bulawayan System of southern Africa provide evidence for very early biological evolution.

Kvenvolden, K. A.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Digital computer program DF1758 fully coupled natural frequencies and mode shapes of a helicopter rotor blade

The analytical techniques and computer program developed in the fully-coupled rotor vibration study are described. The rotor blade natural frequency and mode shape analysis was implemented in a digital computer program designated DF1758. The program computes collective, cyclic, and scissor modes for a single blade within a specified range of frequency for specified values of rotor RPM and collective angle. The analysis includes effects of blade twist, cg offset from reference axis, and shear center offset from reference axis. Coupled inplane, out-of-plane, and torsional vibrations are considered. Normalized displacements, shear forces and moments may be printed out and Calcomp plots of natural frequencies as a function of rotor RPM may be produced.

Bennett, R. L.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Natural environment support guidelines for Space Shuttle tests and operations

The present work outlines the general concept as to how natural environment guidelines will be developed for Space Shuttle activities. The following six categories that might need natural environment support are single out: development tests; preliminary operations and prelaunch; launch to orbit; orbital mission and operations; deorbit, entry, and landing; ferry flights. An example of detailed event requirements for decisions to launch is given. Some artist's conceptions of proposed launch complexes at Kennedy Space Center and Vandenberg AFB are shown.

Carter, E. A.↗
NASA NTRS1975

SEASAT economic assessment. Volume 3: Offshore oil and natural gas industry case study and generalization

The economic benefits of improved ocean condition, weather and ice forecasts by SEASAT satellites to the exploration, development and production of oil and natural gas in the offshore regions are considered. The results of case studies which investigate the effects of forecast accuracy on offshore operations in the North Sea, the Celtic Sea, and the Gulf of Mexico are reported. A methodology for generalizing the results to other geographic regions of offshore oil and natural gas exploration and development is described.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1976

Lunar seismic profiling experiment natural activity study

The Lunar Seismic Experiment Natural Activity Study has provided a unique opportunity to study the high frequency (4-20 Hz) portion to the seismic spectrum on the moon. The data obtained from the LSPE was studied to evaluate the origin and importance of the process that generates thermal moonquakes and the characteristics of the seismic scattering zone at the lunar surface. The detection of thermal moonquakes by the LSPE array made it possible to locate the sources of many events and determine that they are definitely not generated by astronaut activities but are the result of a natural process on the moon. The propagation of seismic waves in the near-surface layers was studied in a qualitative manner. In the absence of an adequate theoretical model for the propagation of seismic waves in the moon, it is not possible to assign a depth for the scattering layer. The LSPE data does define several parameters which must be satisfied by any model developed in the future.

Duennebier, F. K.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Eclipses of natural planetary satellites

A general method is given for predicting eclipse events for natural planetary satellites suitable for use on a large scale digital computer. The precision is sufficient to process photometric eclipse observations to improve natural satellite ephemerides. Expected accuracy improvement for Saturn's satellites should be an order of magnitude or better. Predicted eclipse times of satellites by Saturn and the Rings are given for the next decade.

Peters, C. F.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Solar-wind interactions - Nature and composition of lunar atmosphere

The nature and composition of the lunar atmosphere are examined on the basis of solar-wind interactions, and the nature of the species in the trapped-gas layer is discussed using results of theoretical and experimental investigations. It is shown that the moon has a highly tenuous atmosphere consisting of various species derived from five sources: solar-wind interaction products, cosmic-ray interaction products, effects of meteoritic impacts, planetary degassing, and radioactive-decay products. Atmospheric concentrations are determined for those species derived from solar-wind protons, alpha particles, and oxygen ions. Carbon chemistry is briefly discussed, and difficulties encountered in attempts to determine quantitatively the concentrations of molecular oxygen, atomic oxygen, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and methane are noted. The calculated concentrations are shown to be in good agreement with observations by the Apollo 17 lunar-surface mass spectrometer and orbital UV spectrometer.

Mukherjee, N. R.↗
NASA NTRS1976

The nature of surfaces and their influence in wear mechanisms

The wear of materials is strongly dependent upon the nature of the solid surfaces in contact, their properties and the nature of their films. Oxide films, orientation, crystal transformations, adhesive binding, crystal structure, hardness, and the presence of alloying agents are all shown to affect one or more of the forms of wear. The three most common forms of wear, adhesive, abrasive, and corrosive, are discussed in terms of the way each is affected by various material properties. Results presented indicate how wear can be optimized by concern for properties of materials.

Buckley, D. H.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Natural precedents to active magnetospheric experiments

Some of the natural analogs of proposed seeding experiments in the magnetosphere are: electric charged particle injections during substorms; lightning-induced whistlers providing wave injections; 'detachment' of plasma from the plasmapause, which is equivalent to light-ion seeding in the outer magnetosphere. In the present paper, the characteristics of some natural precedents to active experiments are reviewed, and their relative advantages and drawbacks are examined. One of these precedents - wave generation in detached plasma regions - is then discussed in some detail; the discussion reveals the generation of ELF electromagnetic noise when the energetic electrons exceed the stably trapped limit, and also indicates that a critical dimension for the seeded volume exists transverse to the geomagnetic field.

Russell, C. T.↗
NASA NTRS1977

The nature of surfaces and their influence in wear mechanisms

The wear of materials is strongly dependent upon the nature of the solid surfaces in contact, their properties and the nature of the films on them. Oxide films, orientation, crystal transformations, adhesive binding, crystal structure, hardness and the presence of alloying agents are all shown to effect one or more of the forms of wear. The three most common forms of wear, adhesive, abrasive, and corrosive, are discussed in terms of the way each is affected by various material properties. Results presented indicate how wear can be optimized by concern for properties of materials.

Buckley, D. H.↗
NASA NTRS1978

An improved computational procedure for determining helicopter rotor blade natural modes

An existing computer program, used for predicting the natural frequencies and mode shapes of helicopter rotor blades, was refined to improve program accuracy and versatility. The program is based on the Holzer-Myklestad approach adapted for rotating beams. Coupled vertical (out-of-plane), horizontal (in-plane), and torsional mode characteristics were determined for a variety of hub and blade configurations. The resulting program is documented by presenting the recursion equations and techniques for determining natural frequencies and mode shapes, input data requirements, and descriptions of various program outputs. The accuracy of the program is demonstrated by comparing computed results with exact solutions to classical problems and experimental data.

Weller, W. H.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Risk of natural environment changes after Space Shuttle deorbit decision

The purpose of the present paper is to point out the risk of change of certain natural environment events that may be of concern in Space Shuttle landing analyses and deorbit decisions. These events are: precipitation, except light rain showers; thunderstorms with ceilings below 4000 ft; runway crosswinds above 20 knots peak at 33 ft; and thunderstorms in the descending glide path. Risk calculations showed that for deorbit decisions made one hour before landing, the maximum risk of change from favorable to unfavorable natural environment conditions is approximately 12 percent, the risk existing for only a few hours in midafternoon. Thunderstorms in the glide path account for more than three fourths of the total risk.

Brown, S. C.↗
NASA NTRS1978

The natural and perturbed troposphere

A quantitative assessment of the chemical and climatic effects of industrial emissions into the atmosphere requires an understanding of the complex interactions of species within the atmosphere and of the atmosphere with other physical systems such as the oceans, lithosphere, and biosphere. The concentration of a particular species is determined by competition between various production and loss processes. The abundances of tropospheric gases are examined. The reactions of the members of the oxygen group are considered along with the models which have been developed to describe the involved relationships. Attention is also given to the natural carbon cycle, perturbations to the carbon cycle, the natural nitrogen cycle, perturbations to the nitrogen cycle, the hydrogen group, the sulfur group, and the halogen group.

Stewart, R. W.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Methane-producing bacteria - Natural fractionations of the stable carbon isotopes

Procedures for determining the C-13/C-12 fractionation factors for methane-producing bacteria are described, and the fractionation factors (CO2/CH4) for the reduction of CO2 to CH4 by pure cultures are 1.045 for Methanosarcina barkeri at 40 C, 1.061 for Methanobacterium strain M.o.H. at 40 C, and 1.025 for Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum at 65 C. The data are consistent with the field determinations if fractionation by acetate dissimilation approximates fractionations observed in natural environments. In other words, the acetic acid used by acetate dissimilating bacteria, if they play an important role in natural methane production, must have an intramolecular isotopic fractionation (CO2H/CH3) approximating the observed CO2/CH4 fractionation.

Games, L. M.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Second order approximation of natural frequency constraints in structural synthesis

The paper is concerned with structural optimization problems in which the constraints consist of limits imposed on the natural frequencies of the structure. Improvements in the quality of approximations for the frequency constraints are sought by considering second-order Taylor series expansions. Analysis of the second-order sensitivity of natural frequencies is carried out. As an example, the design of a midplane symmetric aluminum beam of constant depth supporting three nonstructural masses is considered. Web thickness and chord member areas were determined so as to achieve minimum structural mass while maintaining the fundamental frequency at or above 30 Hz.

Miura, H.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Effect of crack size on the natural frequencies of a cracked plate

Results are presented for a finite element modal analysis of a centrally cracked rectangular plate made of linearly elastic material. The objective is to assess the effect of crack size on the natural vibration frequencies of the cracked plate. Only the in-plane vibration modes are studied. The results presented are finite-element mesh-size dependent. Namely, shrinking the mesh size, especially in the crack tip region, would change the magnitudes of the natural frequencies, and the trends would be the same as shown in the present note.

Ko, W. L.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Implementation of natural frequency analysis and optimality criterion design

A description is presented of an effective optimality criterion computer design approach for member size selection to improve frequency characteristics for moderately large structure models. It is shown that the implementation of the simultaneous iteration method within a natural frequency structural design optimization provides a method which is more efficient in isolating the lowest natural frequency modes than the frequently applied Stodola method. Additional computational advantages are derived by using previously converged eigenvectors at the start of the iterations during the second and the following design cycles. Vectors with random components can be used at the first design cycle, which, in relation to the entire computer time for the design program, results in only a moderate computational penalty.

Levy, R.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Thermal resistance of naturally occurring airborne bacterial spores

Simulation of a heat process used in the terminal dry-heat decontamination of the Viking spacecraft is reported. Naturally occurring airborne bacterial spores were collected on Teflon ribbons in selected spacecraft assembly areas and subsequently subjected to dry heat. Thermal inactivation experiments were conducted at 105, 111.7, 120, 125, 130, and 135 C with a moisture level of 1.2 mg of water per liter. Heat survivors were recovered at temperatures of 135 C when a 30-h heating cycle was employed. Survivors were recovered from all cycles studied and randomly selected for identification. The naturally occurring spore population was reduced an average of 2.2 to 4.4 log cycles from 105 to 135 C. Heating cycles of 5 and 15 h at temperature were compared with the standard 30-h cycle at 111.7, 120, and 125 C. No significant differences in inactivation (alpha = 0.05) were observed between 111.7 and 120 C. The 30-h cycle differs from the 5- and 15-h cycles at 125 C. Thus, the heating cycle can be reduced if a small fraction (about 0.001 to 0.0001) of very resistant spores can be tolerated.

Puleo, J. R.↗