Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “Sulphur”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 163 records · Page 9
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1996

Cellular Precipitates Of Iron Oxide in Olivine in a Stratospheric Interplanetary Dust Particle

The petrology of a massive olivine-sulphide interplanetary dust particle shows melting of Fe,Ni-sulphide plus complete loss of sulphur and subsequent quenching to a mixture of iron-oxides and Fe,Ni-metal. Oxidation of the fayalite component in olivine produced maghemite discs and cellular intergrowths with olivine and rare andradite-rich garnet. Cellular reactions require no long-range solid-state diffusion and are kinetically favourable during pyrometamorphic oxidation. Local melting of the cellular intergrowths resulted in three dimensional symplectic textures. Dynamic pyrometamorphism of this asteroidal particle occurred at approx. 1100 C during atmospheric entry flash (5-15 s) heating.

Rietmeijer, Frans J. M.↗
NASA NTRS2001

Cloud and Radiation Studies during SAFARI 2000

Though the emphasis of the Southern Africa Regional Science Initiative 2000 (SAFARI-2000) dry season campaign was largely on emission sources and transport, the assemblage of aircraft (including the high altitude NASA ER-2 remote sensing platform and the University of Washington CV-580, UK MRF C130, and South African Weather Bureau JRA in situ aircrafts) provided a unique opportunity for cloud studies. Therefore, as part of the SAFARI initiative, investigations were undertaken to assess regional aerosol-cloud interactions and cloud remote sensing algorithms. In particular, the latter part of the experiment concentrated on marine boundary layer stratocumulus clouds off the southwest coast of Africa. Associated with cold water upwelling along the Benguela current, the Namibian stratocumulus regime has received limited attention but appears to be unique for several reasons. During the dry season, outflow of continental fires and industrial pollution over this area can be extreme. From below, upwelling provides a rich nutrient source for phytoplankton (a source of atmospheric sulphur through DMS production as well as from decay processes). The impact of these natural and anthropogenic sources on the microphysical and optical properties of the stratocumulus is unknown. Continental and Indian Ocean cloud systems of opportunity were also studied during the campaign. Aircraft flights were coordinated with NASA Terra Satellite overpasses for synergy with the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and other Terra instruments. An operational MODIS algorithm for the retrieval of cloud optical and physical properties (including optical thickness, effective particle radius, and water path) has been developed. Pixel-level MODIS retrievals (11 km spatial resolution at nadir) and gridded statistics of clouds in th SAFARI region will be presented. In addition, the MODIS Airborne Simulator flown on the ER-2 provided high spatial resolution retrievals (50 m at nadir). These retrievals will be discussed and compared with in situ observations.

Platnick, Steven↗
NASA NTRS1998

Atomization Energies of SO and SO2; Basis Set Extrapolation Revisted

The addition of tight functions to sulphur and extrapolation to the complete basis set limit are required to obtain accurate atomization energies. Six different extrapolation procedures are tried. The best atomization energies come from the series of basis sets that yield the most consistent results for all extrapolation techniques. In the variable alpha approach, alpha values larger than 4.5 or smaller than 3, appear to suggest that the extrapolation may not be reliable. It does not appear possible to determine a reliable basis set series using only the triple and quadruple zeta based sets. The scalar relativistic effects reduce the atomization of SO and SO2 by 0.34 and 0.81 kcal/mol, respectively, and clearly must be accounted for if a highly accurate atomization energy is to be computed. The magnitude of the core-valence (CV) contribution to the atomization is affected by missing diffuse valence functions. The CV contribution is much more stable if basis set superposition errors are accounted for. A similar study of SF, SF(+), and SF6 shows that the best family of basis sets varies with the nature of the S bonding.

Bauschlicher, Charles W., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Coal Research

Coal slurries are "clean" pulverized coal mixed with oil or water. Significant fuel savings can be realized when using coal slurries. Advanced Fuels Technology (AFT) utilized a COSMIC program, (Calculation of Complex Chemical Equilibrium Compositions), which provides specific capabilities for determining combustion products. The company has developed a cleaning process that removes much of the mineral sulphur and ash from the coals.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2004

Lipid Biomarkers for a Hypersaline Microbial Mat Community

The use of lipid biomarkers and their carbon isotopic compositions are valuable tools for establishing links to ancient microbial ecosystems. Various lipids associated with specific microbial groups can serve as biomarkers for establishing organism source and function in contemporary microbial ecosystems (membrane lipids), and by analogy, potential relevance to ancient organic-rich sedimentary rocks (geolipids). As witnessed by the stromatolite record, benthic microbial mats grew in shallow water lagoonal environments. Our recent work has focused on lipid biomarker analysis of a potential analogue for such ancient mats growing in a set of hypersaline evaporation ponds at Guerrero Negro, Baja California Sur, Mexico. The aerobic, surface layer of this mat (0 to 1 mm) contained a variety of ester-bound fatty acids (FA) representing a diverse bacterial population including cyanobacteria, sulphate reducers (SRB) and heterotrophs. Biomarkers for microeukaryotes detected in this layer included sterols, C-20 polyunsaturated FA and a highly branched isoprenoid, diagnostic for diatoms. Cyanobacteria were also indicated by the presence of a diagnostic set of mid-chain methylalkanes. C-28, to C-34 wax esters (WXE) present in relatively small amounts in the upper 3 mm of the mat are considered biomarkers for green non-sulphur bacteria. Ether-bound isoprenoids were also identified although in considerably lower abundance than ester-bound FA (approx. 1:l0). These complex ether lipids included archatol, hydroxyarchaeol and a C-40 tetraether, all in small amounts. After ether cleavage with boron tribromide, the major recovered isoprenyl was a C-30:1. This C(sub 30;1) yelded squalane after hydrogenation, a known geobiomarker for hypersaline environments in ancient oils and sediments. In this mat, it represents the dominant Archaeal population. The carbon isotopic composition of biomarker lipids were generally depleted relative to the bulk organic material (delta C-13 TOC -10%). Most depleted were the cyanobacterial methylalkanes at -27% with FA such as the SRB biomarker, 10- methyl C-I6, somewhat heavier at -16%, and WXE at -17%. The C-30:1 isoprenyl was most enriched with delta C-13 in the -7 to -11% range, much too heavy to represent the methanogen population responsible for mat methane values measured at -60%.

Jahnke, Linda↗
NASA NTRS2004

Detection of Nitrogen and Neon in the X-ray Spectrum of GP Com with XMM/Newton

We report on X-ray spectroscopic observations with XMM/Newton of the ultra-compact, double white dwarf binary, GP Com. With the Reflection Grating Spectrometers (RGS) we detect the L(alpha) and L(beta) lines of hydrogen-like nitrogen (N VII) and neon (Ne X), as well as the helium-like triplets (N VI and Ne IX) of these same elements. All the emission lines are unresolved. These are the first detections of X-ray emission lines from a double-degenerate, AM CVn system. We detect the resonance (r) and intercombination (i) lines of the N VI triplet, but not the forbidden (f) line. The implied line ratios for N VI, R = f/i less than 0.3, and G = (f + i ) / r approx. = 1, combined with the strong resonance line are consistent with a dense, collision-dominated plasma. Both the RGS and EPIC/MOS spectra are well fit by emission horn an optically thin thermal plasma with an emission measure (EM) is a member of (kT/6.5 keV)(sup 0.8) (model cevmkl in XSPEC). Helium, nitrogen, oxygen and neon are required to adequately model the spectrum, however, the inclusion of sulphur and iron further improves the fit, suggesting these elements may also be present at low abundance. We confirm in the X-rays the under- abundance of both carbon and oxygen relative to nitrogen, first deduced from optical spectroscopy by Marsh et al. The average X-ray luminosity of approx. = 3 x 10(exp 30) ergs/s implies a mass accretion rate dot-m approx. = 9 x 10(exp -13) solar mass/yr. The implied temperature and density of the emitting plasma, combined with the presence of narrow emission lines and the low dot-m value, are consistent with production of the X-ray emission in an optically thin boundary layer just above the surface of the white dwarf.

Strohmayer, Tod E.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Evidence for only minor contributions from bacteria to sedimentary organic carbon

Because their molecular signatures are often prominent in extracts of sediments, bacteria are thought to be important contributors to petroleum source beds. It has been shown recently, however, that abundances of biomarkers do not always reflect relative contributions to sedimentary organic carbon (Corg). The contribution of photosynthetic green sulphur bacteria to sediments can be assessed effectively because the diagenetic products of distinctive carotenoids from these organisms occur widely and their biomass is isotopically labelled, being enriched in 13C. We show here that, although sediments and oils from the Western Canada and Williston basins contain prominent biomarkers of photosynthetic bacteria, the absence of 13C enrichment in the total Corg requires that the bacterial contribution is in fact minimal. Although the importance of bacterial reworking of sedimentary debris cannot be doubted, we argue that our findings, when considered in conjunction with those from other settings, suggest that bacterial biomass may commonly represent only a minor component of total Corg in carbonaceous rocks.

NASA Discipline Exobiology↗
NASA NTRS1992

Sulfur and nitrogen reactions for cometary comae ion chemistry

The low pressure reactions of sulfur dioxide, carbon disulfide, and hydrazine with H2O+ and H3O+ were studied by the ion cyclotron resonance technique. These reactions are potentially important for sulphur chemistry in cometary comae. Rate coefficients and branching ratios of product channels are presented.

NASA Center JPL↗
NASA NTRS1993

A 6,000-year sedimentary molecular record of chemocline excursions in the Black Sea

The Black Sea is the world's largest anoxic basin; it is also a contemporary analogue of the environment in which carbonaceous shales and petroleum source beds formed. Recently, Repeta et al. reported that anoxygenic photosynthesis may be an important component of carbon cycling in the present Black Sea, owing to a shoaling of the chemocline and consequent penetration of the photic zone by anaerobic waters in the past few decades. It has been suggested that this was due to an anthropogenic decrease in freshwater input to the Black Sea, although natural causes were not ruled out. Here we report the distributions of sequestered photosynthetic pigments in eight core samples of sediments from the Black Sea ranging in age from zero to 6,200 years before the present. Our results show that photosynthetic green sulphur bacteria (Chlorobiaceae [correction of Clorobiaceae]) have been active in the Black Sea for substantial periods of time in the past. This finding indicates that the penetration of the photic zone by anaerobic waters is not a recent phenomenon, and suggests that natural causes for shoaling of the chemocline are more likely than anthropogenic ones.

NASA Program Exobiology↗
NASA NTRS1993

Characterization of Magnetoacoustic Emission Related to Structural Properties of Ferromagnets

An extensive study of magnetoacoustic emission (MAE) properties has been performed over the past several years. As a result, the dependence of the spectral characteristics of MAE on certain microstructural variations and uniaxially applied stress in a particular type of low carbon steel are now well known. The embrittlement-causing concentration of certain atomic species, e. g., tin, sulphur, phosphorous etc., at the grain boundaries of this steel creates strong potential barriers resisting the motion of non-180 domain walls which is the source of MAE. (Since the only type of non-180 domain walls in this material are 90 domain walls, the term 90 domain wall will be used throughout this paper in place of non-180 domain wall.) An MAE burst produced during one-half cycle of a hysteresis loop at a low AC magnetic field frequency (e. g., 0.7 Hz) shows two sub-peaks; the leading peak is usually sharp and short-lived, while the trailing peak is usually smooth and long-lasting. It has been shown that the enhanced domain wall-defect interaction, due to the strengthened potential barriers, causes an increase in the asymmetry of the MAE signal by suppressing the leading sub-peak and amplifying the trailing sub-peak. This phenomena is due to the delayed motion of the 90 domain walls. The effect of a tensile stress applied parallel to the external AC magnetic field is to diminish the MAE. On the other hand, the amplitude of the MAE burst has been shown to be a non-monotonic function of the stress amplitude. Recently, our study has concentrated on obtaining quantitative values for parameters computed from the MAE spectra averaged over a sufficient number of cycles to achieve statistical stability. Nevertheless, certain fundamental elements of the MAE characteristics remain unexplained.

Namkung, M.↗
NASA NTRS1998

Effects of posture on blood flow diversion by hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction in dogs

We used differential excretion of sulphur hexafluoride from the left and right lung to measure blood flow diversion by hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction (HPV) in the prone and supine positions in dogs (n = 9). Gas exchange was assessed using the multiple inert gas elimination technique. Blood flow diversion from the hypoxic (3% oxygen) left lung was mean 70.7 (SD 11.2)% in the supine compared with 57.0 (12.1)% in the prone position (P < 0.02). The supine position was associated with increased perfusion to low VA/Q regions (P < 0.05). The increased flow diversion with hypoxia in the supine position was associated with more ventilation to high VA/Q regions (P < 0.05). We conclude that flow diversion by hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction is greater in the supine position. This effect could contribute to the variable response in gas exchange with positioning in patients with ARDS.

Non-NASA Center↗
NASA NTRS2005

Lunar and Planetary Science XXXVI, Part 19

The topics include: 1) The abundances of Iron-60 in Pyroxene Chondrules from Unequilibrated Ordinary Chondrites; 2) LL-Ordinary Chondrite Impact on the Moon: Results from the 3.9 Ga Impact Melt at the Landing Site of Appolo 17; 3) Evaluation of Chemical Methods for Projectile Identification in Terrestrial and Lunar Impactites; 4) Impact Cratering Experiments in Microgravity Environment; 5) New Achondrites with High-Calcium Pyroxene and Its implication for Igneous Differentiation of Asteroids; 6) Climate History of the Polar Regions of Mars Deduced form Geologic Mapping Results; 7) The crater Production Function for Mars: A-2 Cumulative Power-Law Slope for Pristine Craters Greater than 5 km in Diameter Based on Crater Distribution for Northern Plains Materials; 8) High Resolution Al-26 Chronology: Resolved Time Interval Between Rim and Interior of a Highly Fractionated Compact Type a CAI from Efremovka; 9) Assessing Aqueous Alteration on Mars Using Global Distributions of K and Th; 10) FeNi Metal Grains in LaPaz Mare Basalt Meteorites and Appolo 12 Basalts; 11) Unique Properties of Lunar Soil for In Situ Resource Utilization on the Moon; 12) U-Pb Systematics of Phosphates in Nakhlites; 13) Measurements of Sound Speed in Granular Materials Simulated Regolith; 14) The Effects of Oxygen, Sulphur and Silicon on the Dihedral Angles Between Fe-rich Liquid Metal and Olivine, Ringwoodite and Silicate Perovskite: Implications for Planetary Core Formation; 15) Seismic Shaking Removal of Craters 0.2-0.5 km in Diameter on Asteroid 433 Eros; 16) Focused Ion Beam Microscoopy of ALH84001 Carbonate Disks; 17) Simulating Micro-Gravity in the Laboratory; 18) Mars Atmospheric Sample Return Instrument Development; 19) Combined Remote LIBS and Raman Spectroscopy Measurements; 20) Unusual Radar Backscatter Properties Along the Northern Rim of Imbrium Basin; 21) The Mars Express/NASAS Project at JPL; 22) The Geology of the Viking 2 Lander Site Revisited; 23) An Impact Genesis for Loki Patera? 24) Mars Polar Cap Edges Tracked over 3 Full Mars Years; 25) Elemental Abundance in Presolar SiC: Comparing Grains Separated by Acid Residue and Gently Separation Procedures; 26) First Results from the Descent Imager/Spectral Radiometer (DISR) Experiment on the Huygens Entry Probe of Titan; 27) Minor Element Behavior of Pallasite Olivine: Understanding Pallasite Thermal History and Chronology; 28) Canonical Anorthite in a Grosnaja Forsterite-bearing CAI; 29) Experimental Evidence for Condensation of 'Astrophysical' Carbonate; 30) Distribution and Classification of Multiple Coronae on Venus; 31) Recognition of Rayed Craters on Mars in THEMIS Thermal Infrared Imagery: Implications for Martian Meteorite Source Regions; 32) Geochemical Modeling of Evaporites on Mars: Insight from Meridiani Planum; 33) Hadean Crustal Processes Revealed from Oxygen Isotopes and U-Th-Pb Depth Profiling of Pre-4.0 Ga Detrital Zircons from Western Australia; 34) On Modeling the Seepage of Water into the Martian Subsurface; 35) Martial Gullies and Groundwater: A Series of Unfortunate Exceptions; 36) Olivine and Carbonate Globules in ALH84001: A Terrestrial Analog, and Implications for Water on Mars; 37) A Reevaluation of Mass Movements Within the Valles Marineris Region of Mars Using MOLA and MOC Data; 38) Evidence of Hydrated 109P/Swift-Tuttle Meteoroids from Meteor Spectroscopy; 39) Cr-54 Anomalies in the Solar System: Their Extent and Origin; 40) Reevaluation of the Mn-53-Cr-53 Systematic in the Basaltic Achondrites; 41) Effective Liquid Metal-Silicate Mixing Upon Shock by Power-Law Droplet Size Scaling in Richtmyer-Meshkov Like Perturbations; 42) Post-Impact Deformation of Impact Craters: Towards a Better Understanding Through the Study of Mjolnir Crater; 43) Cutting Silica Aerogel for Particle Extraction; 44) Liquid Hydrocarbons on Titan's Surface? How Cassini ISS Observations Fit into the Story (So Far); and 45) Mesoscale Simulations of Polar Circulations: Late Spring to Late Summe

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2005

Research on Spectroscopy, Opacity, and Atmospheres

I propose to continue providing observers with basic data for interpreting spectra from stars, novas, supernovas, clusters, and galaxies. These data will include allowed and forbidden line lists, both laboratory and computed, for the first five to ten ions of all atoms and for all relevant diatomic molecules. I will eventually expand to all ions of the first thirty elements to treat far UV and X-ray spectra, and for envelope opacities. I also include triatomic molecules provided by other researchers. I have also made CDs with Partridge and Schwenke's water data for work on UV stars. The line data also serve as input to my model atmosphere and synthesis programs that generate energy distributions, photometry, limb darkening, and spectra that can be used for planning observations and for fitting observed spectra. The spectrum synthesis programs produce detailed plots with the lines identified. Grids of stellar spectra can be used for radial velocity-, rotation-, or abundance templates and for population synthesis. I am fitting spectra of bright stars to test the data and to produce atlases to guide observers. For each star the whole spectrum is computed from the UV to the far IR. The line data, opacities, models, spectra, and programs are freely distributed on CDs and on my Web site and represent a unique resource for many NASA programs. I am now in full production of new line lists for atoms. I am computing all ions of all elements from H to Zn and the first 5 ions of all the heavier elements, about 800 ions. For each ion I treat as many as 61 even and 61 odd configurations, computing all energy levels and eigenvectors. The Hamiltonian is determined from a scaled-Hartree-Fock starting guess by least squares fitting the observed energy levels. The average energy of each configuration is used in computing scaled-Thomas-Fermi-Dirac wavefunctions for each configuration which in turn are used to compute allowed and forbidden transition integrals. These are multiplied into the LS allowed and forbidden transition arrays. The transition arrays are transformed to the observed coupling to yield the allowed and forbidden line lists. Results are put on the web as they are finished. Provided I get funding,there will be more than 500 million lines. I will then compare ion by ion, to all the laboratory and computed data in the literature and make up a working line list for spectrum synthesis and opacity calculations with the best available data. As the laboratory spectrum analyses are improved, I will redo the calculations with the new energy levels. My original plan when I started the new calculations was to run through all the atoms using my old Cray programs from the 1980's that were limited to 1100 x 1100 arrays in the Hamiltonian for each J. Then I would go back and rerun the more complicated cases with 3000 x 3000 arrays so that I could include many more configurations and more configuration interactions. At present I am limited to 61 even and 61 odd configurations and I try to include everything up through n = 9. The current program runs on Alpha workstations. I decided to test the big program on Fe I and Fe II to see whether there was any great difference in the low configurations compared to those from the Cray program. Besides increasing the number of E1 lines by a factor of 6 to 7.7 million, there was an unexpected result: the electric quadrupole transitions were 10 times stronger than before because the transition integrals are weighted by r(exp 2) ---they become very large for high n, and because there are numerous configuration interactions that mix the low and high configurations. As a check I was able to reproduce Carstang's (1962) lower results by running his three configurations with my program. Since my model atom is still only a subset of a real Fe II ion, the true quadrupole A values are probably larger than mine. The magnetic dipole lines are affected by the mixing but the overall scale does not change. Because of this scovery I decided that there was no point in computing the small array cases. I have been running with as many configurations as I can and with thousands of parameters in the Hamiltonian. The computer runs take much longer to set up and produce than I had expected. I have concentrated on redoing the low iron group spectra, especially to get data for supernova modelers. I have done only Ca I -- Zn I, Ca II -- Zn II, CU I -- Cu XXIX, Zn I - Zn XXX, for practice at high stages of ionization, C I, C II, S I, and CL I and Ag I for people who were working on the laboratory spectra. Check my web site kurucz.harvard.edu for current additions. My latest calculations have been for carbon I and sulphur I, and silicon I is under way using the same elaborate approach as for C I, which took many months to do. These line lists greatly increase the number of lines in the ultraviolet, in the visible, and especially in the infrared. They will increase the opacity in A, F, and G stars. They will account for many unidentified lines in the sun.

Kurucz, Robert L.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Volcanic CO2 Abundance of Kilauea Plume Retrieved by Meand of AVIRIS Data

Absorbing the electromagnetic radiation in several regions of the solar spectrum, CO2 plays an important role in the Earth radiation budget since it produces the greenhouse effect. Many natural processes in the Earth s system add and remove carbon dioxide. Overall, measurements of atmospheric carbon dioxide at different sites around the world show an increased carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere. At Mauna Loa Observatory (Hawaii) the measured carbon dioxide increased from 315 to 365 ppm, in the period 1958 2000 [Keeling et al., 2001]. While at the large scale, the relationship between CO2 increase and global warming is established [IPCC, 1996], at the local scale, many studies are still needed to understand regional and local sources of carbon dioxide, such as volcanoes. The volcanic areas are particularly rich in carbon dioxide; this is due to magma degassing in the summit craters region of active volcanoes, and to the presence of fractures and active faults [Giammanco et al., 1998]. Several studies estimate a global flux of volcanic CO2 (34+/-24)10(exp 6) tons/day from effusive volcanic emissions, such as the tropospheric volcanic plume (Table 1) [McClelland et al., 1989]. Plumes are a turbulent mixture of gases, solid particles and liquid droplets, emitted continuously at high temperature from summit craters, fumarolic fields or during eruptive episodes. Inside the plume, water vapour represents 70 90% of the volcanic gases. The main gaseous components are CO2, SO2, HCl, H2, H2S, HF, CO, N2 and CH4. Other plume components are volcanic ash, aqueous and acid droplets and solid sulphur-derived particles [Sparks et al., 1997]. Volcanic gases and aerosols are evidences of volcanic activity [Spinetti et al., 2003] and they have important climatic and environmental effects [Fiocco et al., 1994]. For example, Etna volcano is one of the world s major volcanic gas sources [Allard et al., 1991]. New studies on volcanic gaseous emissions have pointed out that a variation of the gas ratio CO2/SO2 is related to eruptive episodes [Caltabiano et al., 1994]. However, measurements and monitoring of volcanic carbon dioxide are difficult and often hazardous, due to the high background presence of atmospheric CO2 and the inaccessibility of volcanic sites. Hyperspectral remote sensing is a suitable technique to overcome the difficulties of ground measurement. It permits a rapid, comprehensive view of volcanic plumes and their evolution over time, detection of all gases with absorption molecular lines within the sensor s multispectral range and, in general, measurement of all the volatile components evolving from craters. The molecular and particle plume components scatter and absorb incident solar radiation. The integral of the radiation difference composes the signal measured by the remote spectrometer. The inversion technique consists of retrieving the plume component concentrations, hence decomposing the signal into the different contributions. The accuracy of remote sensing techniques depends primarily on the sensor capability and sensitivity.

Spinetti, C.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Robotic Technology for Exploration of Venus

Venus, the "greenhouse planet", is a scientifically fascinating place. A huge number of important scientific questions remain to be answered. Venus is sometimes called Earth's "sister planet" due to the fact that it is closest to the Earth in distance and similar to Earth in size. Despite its similarity to Earth, however, the climate of Venus is vastly different from Earth's. Understanding the atmosphere, climate, geology, and history of Venus could shed considerable light on our understanding of our own home planet. The surface of Venus is a hostile environment, with an atmosperic pressure of over 90 bar of carbon dioxide, temperature of 450 C, and shrouded in sulphuric-acid clouds. Venus has been explored by a number of missions from Earth, including the Russian Venera missions which landed probes on the surface, the American Pioneer missions which flew both orbiters and atmospheric probes to Venus, the Russian "Vega" mission, which floated balloons in the atmosphere of Venus, and most recently the American Magellan mission which mapped the surface by radar imaging. While these missions have answered basic questions about Venus, telling us the surface temperature and pressure, the elevations and topography of the continents, and the composition of the atmosphere and clouds, scientific mysteries still abound. Venus is of considerable interest to terrestrial atmospheric science, since of all the planets in the solar system, it is the closest analogue to the Earth in terms of atmosphere. Yet Venus' atmosphere is an example of "runaway greenhouse effect." Understanding the history and the dynamics of Venus' atmosphere could tell us considerable insight about the workings of the atmosphere of the Earth. It also has some interest to astrobiology-- could life have existed on Venus in an earlier, pre-greenhouse-effect phase? Could life still be possible in the temperate middle-atmosphere of Venus? The geology of Venus also has interest in the study of Earth. surface robot will require new technologies; specifically, it will require electronics, scientific instruments, power supplies, and mechanical linkages designed to operate at a temperature above 450 C-hot enough to melt the solder on a standard electronic circuit board. This will require devices made from advanced semiconductor materials, such as silicon carbide, or even new approaches, such as micro-vacuum tube electronics. Such materials are now being developed in the laboratory.

Landis, Geoffrey A.↗
NASA NTRS2007

Microfossils of Cyanobacteria in Carbonaceous Meteorites

During the past decade, Environmental and Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopes have been used at the NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center to investigate freshly fractured interior surfaces of a large number of different types of meteorites. Large, complex, microfossils with clearly recognizable biological affinities have been found embedded in several carbonaceous meteorites. Similar forms were notably absent in all stony and nickel-iron meteorites investigated. The forms encountered are consistent in size and morphology with morphotypes of known genera of Cyanobacteria and microorganisms that are typically encountered in associated benthic prokaryotic mats. Even though many coccoidal and isodiametric filamentous cyanobacteria have a strong morphological convergence with some other spherical and filamentous bacteria and algae, many genera of heteropolar cyanobacteria have distinctive apical and basal regions and cellular differentiation that makes it possible to unambiguously recognize the forms based entirely upon cellular dimensions, filament size and distinctive morphological characteristics. For almost two centuries, these morphological characteristics have historically provided the basis for the systematics and taxonomy of cyanobacteria. This paper presents ESEM and FESEM images of embedded filaments and thick mats found in-situ in the Murchison CM2 and Orgueil cn carbonaceous meteorites. Comparative images are also provided for known genera and species of cyanobacteria and other microbial extremophiles. Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS) studies indicate that the meteorite filaments typically exhibit dramatic chemical differentiation with distinctive difference between the possible microfossil and the meteorite matrix in the immediate proximity. Chemical differentiation is also observed within these microstructures with many of the permineralized filaments enveloped within electron transparent carbonaceous sheaths. Elemental distributions of these embedded filaments are not consistent with recent cyanobacteria or other living or preserved microbial extremophiles that have been investigated during this research. The meteorite filaments often have nitrogen content below the sensitivity level of the EDS detector. Carbon, Sulphur, Iron or Silicon are often highly enriched and hence anomalous C/N and CIS ratios when compared with modem cyanobacteria. The meteorite forms that are unambiguously recognizable as biological filaments are interpreted as indigenous microfossils analogous to several known genera of modem cyanobacteria and associated trichomic filamentous prokaryotes.

Hoover, Richard B.↗
NASA NTRS2008

X-ray Timing Measurements

We present new, extended X-ray timing measurements of the ultra-compact binary candidates V407 Vul and RX J0806.3+1527 (J0806), as well as a summary of the first high resolution X-ray spectra of 50806 obtained with the Chandra/LETG. The temporal baseline for both objects is approximately 12 years, and our measurements confirm the secular spin-up in their X-ray periods. The spin-up rate in 50806 is remarkably uniform at 3.55x10(exp -16)Hz/s, with a measurement precision of 0.2%. We place a limit (90% confidence) on 1 d dot nu < 4x10(exp -26)Hz/sq s. Interestingly, for V407 Vul we find the first evidence that the spin-up rate is slowing, with d dot\nu = -2.8 pm 1x10(exp -26)Hz/sq s. This provides the first indication that torques in addition to gravitational radiation are present in V407 Vul. Further monitoring could constrain the nature of the torque, as either accretion induced or due to unipolar induction. We also obtained the first high resolution X-ray spectrum of J0806 with an 80 ksec Chandra/LETG observation. We find evidence for emission features in the 25-50 AA range, with the strongest feature centered at 27 AA. The spectrum appears largely devoid of common lines of oxygen, nitrogen and neon, and we suggest the 27 AA feature may be associated with heavier species, such as magnesium, silicon or sulphur. Deeper observations will be needed to fully exploit the strong diagnostic potential of high resolution spectroscopy for these objects.

Strohmayer, T.↗
NASA NTRS2008

"Long-term Timing and High Resolution Spectroscopy of Ultracompact Candidates V407 Vul and RX J0806.3+1527"

We present new, extended X-ray timing measurements of the ultracompact binary candidates V407 Vul and RX J0806.3+1527 (J0806), as well as a summary of the first high resolution X-ray spectrum of 50806 obtained with the Chandra/LETG. The temporal baseline for both objects is about 12 years, and our measurements confirm the secular spin-up of their X-ray periods. The spin-up rate in J0806 is remarkably uniform at 3.55x10(exp -16) Hz/s, with a measurement precision of 0.2%, and we place a limit (90% confidence) on [dn/dt] < 4x10(exp -26) Hz/sq s. Interestingly, for V407 Vul we find the first evidence that the spin-up rate is slowing, with d(sup 2)n/dt(sup 2) = -2.8+/- 1x10(exp -26) Hz/sq s. This provides the first indication that torques in addition to gravitational radiation are present in V407 Vul. Further monitoring could constrain the nature of the torque, as either accretion-induced or due to unipolar induction. We also obtained the first high resolution X-ray spectrum of J0806 with an 80 ksec Chandra/LETG observation. We find evidence for emission features in the 25-50 Angstrom range, with the strongest feature centered at 27 Angstrom. The spectrum appears largely devoid of common lines of oxygen, nitrogen and neon, and we suggest the 27 Angstrom feature may be associated with heavier species, such as magnesium, silicon or sulphur. Deeper observations will be needed to fully exploit the apparently strong diagnostic potential of high resolution spectroscopy for these objects.

Strohmayer, Tod↗