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Radioactivity induced by protons in sodium iodide scintillation crystals were calculated and directly measured. These data are useful in determining trapped radiation and cosmic-ray induced, background-counting rates in spaceborne detectors.
A plain spherical bearing design with a ball diameter of 28.6 mm, a race length of 12.7 mm, and a 1.7-mm-thick, molded composite liner was evaluated. The liner material is a self-lubricating composite of graphite-fiber-reinforced polyimide resin (GFRPI). The liner is prepared by transfer molding a mixture of one part chopped graphite fiber and one part partially polymerized resin into the space between the bearing ball and the outer race and then completing the polymerization under heat and pressure. Several liner compositions were evaluated: two types of polyimide, condensation and addition; two types of graphite fiber, low and high modulus; and four powder additives - cadmium oxide, cadmium iodide, graphite fluoride, and molybdenum disulfide. The bearings were oscillated + or - 15 deg at 1 Hz for 20 kilocycles under a radial unit load of 29 MN sq m (4200 psi) in dry air at 25, 200, or 315 C. Both types of fiber and polyimide gave low friction and wear. A simple equation was developed to fit the wear-time data and adequately predicted wear to 100 kilocycles.
The possibility of space disposal of iodine waste from nuclear power reactors is investigated. The space transportation system utilized relies upon the space shuttle, a liquid hydrogen/liquid oxygen orbit transfer vehicle, and a solid propellant final stage. The iodine is assumed to be in the form of either an iodide or an iodate, and calculations assume that the final destination is either solar orbit or solar system escape. It is concluded that space disposal of iodine is feasible.
A 5 inch by 5 inch diameter sodium iodide scintillation crystal, viewed by a 5 inch photomultiplier was designed to be mounted near the center of the shuttle payload bay to quantitatively measure the neutron and gamma ray environment during the second Spacelab mission. The expected energy resolution is 8% FWHM at 662 keV. The detector will operate in an energy range from 0.1 to 20 MeV. A charged anticoincidence shield consisting of a 1 cm thick plastic scintillator viewed by three 2 inch photomultiplier tubes, covers the crystal detector which has nearly omnidirectional response.
Goods and services that may be furnished by the Space Shuttle are described. A single multibeam antenna array capable of supplying satellite communication for 256 U.S. cities, a disaster warning network, and a TV link to remote areas is discussed. Attention is also given to such materials processing programs as crystal growth (for example, production of mercuric iodide crystals for gamma-ray detectors), eutectic growth of solid-solution crystals such as mercury-cadmium-telluride, manufacture of uniform latex spheres for medical applications, and development of small glass spheres for fusion power applications. In addition to the Space Telescope, a meter-class telescope on the Shuttle and a wide-field survey instrument are under study.
Improved microbial-check-valve resins have been tested for their microbicidal effectiveness and long-term stability. Resins give more-stable iodine concentrations than previous preparations and do not impart objectionable odor or taste to treated water. Microbial check valve is small cylindrical device, packed with iodide-saturated resin, that is installed in water line where contamination by micro-organisms is to be prevented. Prototype microbial check valve was tested for stability and performance under harsh environmental conditions. Effectiveness was 100 percent at 35 deg, 70 deg, and 160 deg F (2 deg, 21 deg, and 71 deg C).
The high resolution spectrograph (HRS) for ultraviolet astronomy with the Space Telescope will provide a spectral resolution of approximately 120,000 over a nominal wavelength range of 110-320 nm, together with a spatial resolution of about 0.25 arc seconds. The two detectors will consist of 512-element Digicons with cesium telluride and cesium iodide photocathodes, respectively. Photoelectrons in transit between the photocathodes and the diodes within the Digicons can be deflected in two axes with 12-bit resolution. This feature facilitates a design that emphasizes reliability since (once a hermetic seal is opened in orbit), only two moving parts, a grating carrousel and a shutter, are required for regular operation of the HRS. The instrument will be controlled by a computer in the spacecraft. The scientific objectives of the HRS investigation relate to interstellar matter in our own and nearby galaxies, physical processes of stellar mass loss and mass transfer, chemical abundances, bright quasars and Seyfert galaxy nuclei, and solar system phenomena.
The isotopic compositions of galactic cosmic ray boron, carbon, and nitrogen were measured at energies near 300 MeV amu, using a balloon-borne instrument at an atmospheric depth of approximately 5 g/sq cm. The calibrations of the detectors comprising the instrument are described. The saturation properties of the cesium iodide scintillators used for measurement of particle energy are studied in the context of analyzing the data for mass. The achieved rms mass resolution varies from approximately 0.3 amu at boron to approximately 0.5 amu at nitrogen, consistent with a theoretical analysis of the contributing factors. Corrected for detector interactions and the effects of the residual atmosphere the results are B-10/B=0.33 (+0.17, -0.11), C-13/C=0.06 (+0.13, -0.11), and N-15/N=0.42 (+0.19, -0.17). A model of galactic propagation and solar modulation is described. Assuming a cosmic ray source composition of solar-like isotopic abundances, the model predicts abundances near Earth consistent with the measurements.
Parameters for a photolytically pumped alkyl iodide lasant gas by the nuclear-induced XeBr excimer fluorescence are calculated according to a detailed kinetic model. High gain on the atomic iodine 2P1/2 state is estimated and 100-mJ pulses with an average power output on the order of 1 kW appear possible.
A detailed study of the photochemistry of iodine and its oxides indicates that iodine species may play an important role in the tropospheric photochemical system. Methyl iodide, often observed in the marine troposphere with an average concentration of 5-10 ppt, is photolyzed and thereby produces I atoms. Chemical interactions with O3, HxOy, and NOx cause I to be converted to other inorganic compounds such as IO, HOI, IONO2, and I2. The production of these species and their subsequent recycling back to I can lead to the catalytic removal of tropospheric O3, the enhancement of the NO2/NO ratio, the destruction of HxOy free radicals, and the conversion of HO2 to OH. Ultimately, tropospheric inorganic iodine is removed by heterogeneous processes. Calculations using a numerical model to simulate tropospheric photochemistry indicate that iodine may have a strong impact upon the atmospheric O3-NOx-HxOy system. The magnitude of these effects is dependent upon the value of several uncertain rate constants and the primary source distributions of CH3I and other organic and inorganic iodine compounds.
Organic iodide gas is stimulated by portion of Sun's spectrum to emit laser light. Chopper forms pulses from beam of Xenon-Arc light. Chopper is only necessary to avoid buildup of laser-quenching species in sealed tube of present experiment. Perfluoropropyliodide lasing medium functions at temperatures of about 670 K, a fact that reduces cooling requirements in space.
The astrophysical processes responsible for line and continuum emission in the spectra range 2 keV to 200 keV are examined from the viewpoint of designing a spectrometer which would operate in this regime. Phenomena considered include fluorescent line radiation in X-ray binaries, magnetically shifted iron lines and cyclotron emission from neutron star surfaces, line emission from cosmically abundant elements in thermal plasmas, and nuclear deexcitation lines in fresh nucleosynthetically produced matter. An instrument consisting of a approximately 10 sq cm array of planar germanium detectors surrounded by a large sodium-iodide anticoincidence shield is described and projected background rates and sensitivities are considered. A sample observing program for a two-day shuttle-based mission is included as an example of the wide range of scientific questions which could be addressed by such an instrument.
Curing epoxy resins with novalac phenolic resins is a feasible approach for increasing intact char of the resin system. Char yields above 40% at 700 C were achieved with epoxy novalac (DEN 438)/novalac phenolic (BRWE 5833) resin systems with or without catalyst such as ethyl tri-phenyl phosphonium iodide. These char yields are comparable to commercially used epoxy resin systems like MY-720/DDS/BF3. Stable prepregs are easily made from a solvent solution of the epoxy/phenolic system and this provides a feasible process for fabrication of same into commercial laminates.
Most proposed space power systems are comprised of three general stages, including the collection of the solar radiation, the conversion to a useful form, and the transmission to a receiver. The solar-pumped laser, however, effectively eliminates the middle stage and offers direct photon-to-photon conversion. The laser is especially suited for space-to-space power transmission and communication because of minimal beam spread, low power loss over large distances, and extreme energy densities. A description is presented of the first gas laser pumped by a solar simulator that is scalable to high power levels. The lasant is an iodide C3F7I that as a laser-fusion driver has produced terawatt peak power levels.
The development of a sulfur-iodine thermal water splitting cycle is described. The process features a 50% thermal efficiency, plus all liquid and gas handling. Basic chemical investigations comprised the development of multitemperature and multistage sulfuric acid boost reactors, defining the phase behavior of the HI/I2/H2O/H3PO4 mixtures, and development of a decomposition process for hydrogen iodide in the liquid phase. Initial process engineering studies have led to a 47% efficiency, improvements of 2% projected, followed by coupling high-temperature solar concentrators to the splitting processes to reduce power requirements. Conceptual flowsheets developed from bench models are provided; materials investigations have concentrated on candidates which can withstand corrosive mixtures at temperatures up to 400 deg K, with Hastelloy C-276 exhibiting the best properties for containment and heat exchange to I2.
Observations of intensity transitions in the X-ray emission from the black-hole candidate Cygnus X-1 were made by the Hakucho satellite during the summer of 1980 and are reported here. In addition, the results of hard (20-120 keV) X-ray observations of Cyg X-1 are reported. These data were obtained during the 'high' intensity state by balloon-borne mercuric iodide detectors, and are compared with data obtained at similar energies approximately 1 month earlier (A. Sheepmaker et al., in preparation) during the 'low' intensity state.
Pulsed gamma ray emission from three pulsars (PSR 0833-45, 1747-46, and 1818-04) have been sought on a balloon flight of the University of New Hampshire Large Gamma Ray Telescope, which incorporates a shielded sodium iodide scintillator array, and was launched from Alice Springs, Australia. Over the energy range 0.1 - 10 MeV, no evidence is found for pulsed gamma rays, and upper limits are set for Vela which are comparable to, or below, the extrapolation to lower energies of the pulsed emission reported by SAS-2 and COS-B.
Features and results produced by the HEAO 3 spacecraft gamma ray spectrometer are outlined. The instrument had high resolution germanium detectors, each 55 mm diam and 45 mm long, surrounded by a cesium iodide anticoincidence shield with four quadrants of well-crystal and a collimayor crystal. The crystals had a total effective area of 70 sq cm at 100 keV and 26.4 sq cm at .511 MeV with a spectral resolution at launch of .23 percent at 1.33 MeV. The spacecraft travels a circular orbit of 500 km altitude with an inclination of 43.6 deg. Solid methane and ammonia cryogenic fluids refrigerated the crystals for 8.5 mos, after which the shield crystals functioned as isotropic detectors for solar flare events and gamma ray bursts until mission termination in May 1981. A total of 37 solar flare type events were observed, with gamma ray events occurring with flares of class X1 or stronger.