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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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NASA NTRS2009

The Swift BAT Hard X-ray Survey - A New Window on the Local AGN Universe

The Swift Burst and Transient telescope (BAT) has surveyed the entire sky for the last 3.5 years obtaining the first sensitive all sky survey of the 14-195 keV sky. At high galactic latitudes the vast majority of the detected sources are AGN. Since hard x-rays penetrate all but Compton thick obscuring material (Column densities of 1.6E24 atms/cm2) this survey is unbiased with respect to obscuration, host galaxy type, optical , radio or IR properties. We will present results on the broad band x-ray properties, the nature of the host galaxies, the luminosity function and will discuss a few of the optical, IR and x-ray results in detail.

Mushotzky, Richard↗
NASA NTRS2008

The Swift Burst and Transient Telescope (BAT)

The Swift Burst and Transient telescope (BAT) has surveyed the entire sky for the last 3.5 years obtaining the first sensitive all sky survey of the 14-195 kev sky. At high galactic latitudes the vast majority of the detected sources are AGN. Since hard x-rays penetrate all but Compton thick obscuring material (Column densities of 1.6324 atms/sq cm) this survey is unbiased with respect to obscuration, host galaxy type, optical , radio or IR properties. We will present results on the broad band x-ray properties, the nature of the host galaxies, the luminosity function and will discuss a few of the optical, IR and x-ray results in detail.

Mushotzky, Richard↗
NASA NTRS1986

JPL's role in the SETI program

The goal of the JPL SETI Team is to develop the strategies and the instrumentation required to carry out an effective, yet affordable, SETI Microwave Observing Program. The primary responsibility for JPL is the development and implementation of the Sky Survey component of the bimodal search program recommended by the SETI Science Working Group (NASA Technical Paper 2244, 1983). JPL is also responsible for the design and implementation of microwave analog instrumentation (including antenna feed systems, low noise RF amplifiers, antenna monitor and control interfaces, etc.) to cover the microwave window for the Sky Survey and the Target Search observations. The primary site for the current SETI Field Test activity is the Venus Station of the Goldstone Deep Space Communication Complex. A SETI controller was constructed and installed so that pre-programmed and real time SETI monitor and control data can be sent to and from the station controller. This unit will be interfaced with the MCSA. A SETI Hardware Handbook was prepared to describe the various systems that will be used by the project at the Venus Station; the handbook is frequently being expanded and updated. The 65,000 channel FFT Spectrum analyzer in the RFI Surveillance System was modified to permit operation with variable resolutions (300 Hz to less than 1 Hz) and with real-time accumulation, which will enhance the capability of the system for testing Sky Survey search strategies and signal detection algorithms.

Klein, M. J.↗
NASA NTRS1984

The HEAO 1 A-4 catalog of high-energy X-ray sources

Results are reported from an all-sky survey carried out at high X-ray energies (13-180 keV) from August 1977 until January 1979 using data obtained with the UCSD/MIT Hard X-Ray and Low-Energy Gamma-Ray Instrument on the HEAO 1 satellite. Visual displays are presented which indicate qualitatively the location, intensities, and time variability of the detected high-energy X-ray sources. A model-dependent procedure for the quantitative analysis of the sky survey data is described. The results of this procedure are presented in tabular form and include fitted count rates in four broad energy bands for about 70 sources. All sources which were detected at a level of statistical significance of not less than about 6 sigma were clearly evident in the visual displays of sky survey data. The survey is therefore complete, except in regions of source confusion, down to an intensity level of about 1/75 of the Crab Nebula in the 13-80 keV band. Forty-four sources were detected in the 40-80 keV energy band, and 14 were detected in the 80-180 keV band. Although most of the detected sources are galactic, seven are extragalactic.

Levine, A. M.↗
NASA NTRS2001

Far-Infrared Extragalactic Surveys: Past, Present, and Future

As much as one third of the luminosity of the local universe is emitted in the far infrared. In order to understand the history of energy release in the universe, it is crucial to characterize this rest-frame far-infrared contribution from the present back to the era of initial galaxy formation. Over the redshift range from 0 to 10, this energy is received in the 80 micrometers to 1 mm spectral region. In the 1980's the Infrared Astronomy Satellite (IRAS) all-sky survey provided the first comprehensive view of the far infrared emission from the local universe. The diffuse background measurements by Cosmic Background Explorer Satellite (COBE) have provided constraints on the integral contributions from the high redshift universe. In the past five years, submillimeter measurements made using the SCUBA instrument have revealed powerful high redshift sources. To develop a clear history of energy release in the universe, we need numbers and redshifts of representative populations of energetically important objects. The near future will bring the Space Infrared Telescope Facility Multiband Imaging Photometer (SIRTF)(MIPS) survey, which will cover about 100 square degrees at wavelengths out to 160 micrometers, providing a large sample of energetically important galaxies out to z of approx.3. In 2005, the Japanese IRIS survey will provide a 160 micrometers full sky survey, which will provide larger samples of the high z galaxy populations and will find intrinsically rare high luminosity objects. The SPIRE instrument on the FIRST facility will extend these surveys to longer wavelengths, providing a view of the universe at higher redshifts in three spectral bands. A concept for an all-sky submillimeter survey is under development, called the Survey of Infrared Cosmic Evolution (SIRCE). With a 2 m cryogenic telescope, it can map the entire sky to the confusion limit in the 100 to 500 micrometers range in six months. This survey will provide photometric redshifts, number counts, and will find the most luminous objects in the universe. In the next decade, the opening of the submillimeter, combined with the near infrared capability of NGST will provide us with a clear picture of energy release in the early universe.

Moseley, Samuel H., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1986

An intermediate-sensitivity survey at high Galactic latitude with HEAO A-1

A 314 square degree region of sky at high galactic latitude was mapped in 0.5-20 keV X-rays using summed data from the HEAO A-1 experiment. 21 sources are detected above a 5 sigma threshold corresponding to a limiting flux of about 0.2 UFU. This limit is at a decade intermediate to those achieved in the full-sky surveys, Uhuru, Ariel 5, and the HEAO A-2 experiment, and to those achieved in the Einstein partial-sky surveys. The HEAO A-1 detectors also complement these other instruments in terms of spectral response characteristics. A table of source intensities and positional error boxes for the 21 source detections is presented. A graphical representation of the positional error boxes is also presented. Identifications for 14 sources are proposed. A number-flux curve representing all high galactic latitude X-ray sources detected with HEAO A-1 has been constructed. The number-flux curve appears to be consistent with d log N/d log S = -1.5.

Shrader, C. R.↗
NASA NTRS1994

EUVE Guest Observer Program Handbook: Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer Guest Observer Documentation: Use with Addendum 1 for 1995 - Appendix G

The Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer (EUVE) is a NASA explorer-class satellite mission devoted entirely to observations in the wavelength range from 70 to 760 Angstroms. The science payload incorporates five separate instruments: four photometric imaging systems and a three-channel EUV spectrometer. During the first phase of the mission, the imaging instruments were used to conduct a complete sky survey in four different bands in the EUV. The survey results are available to the scientific community in the first EUVE sky survey bright source list and the first EUVE all-sky catalog. The second part of the mission is being conducted by NASA as a Guest Observer program, for which pointed spectroscopic observations are conducted for guest scientists under proposals submitted to NASA and supported by the EUVE Guest Observer Center at Berkeley. The mission lifetime will extend through at least a third year of observations. Further extensions of the EUVE mission will be partially contingent upon a review process conducted in September of 1994. To support an extended mission, please contact the chair of the EUVE User 's Committee1 or the EUVE Project Office (address below). The EUVE Guest Observer (EGO) Program is supported by the EUVE Guest Observer Center (EGO Center) at the Center for Extreme Ultraviolet Astrophysics (CEA), at the University of California, Berkeley. The policies of the EGO Program and specified in the NRA. This Handbook is produced by the EGO Center as a guide to choosing appropriate targets for observation and preparing proposals. The rest of this chapter gives a broad overview of the EUVE mission and the EGO Center.

EUVE↗
NASA NTRS1993

Pre-phase A: Development of a far-ultraviolet photometric- and spectroscopic-survey small-explorer experiment

We propose to perform a far ultraviolet photometric and spectroscopic survey covering the lambda lambda 1300-2000 band with a sensitivity comparable to that of the Palomar Sky Survey. This survey will proceed in three phases: an all-sky survey in three bands to 18-19.5(sup m), deep surveys of selected targets of interest in the same bands to 21-22(sup m), and a spectroscopic survey of 2 percent of the sky to 18(sup m) with a resolution of 3-20A. This mission, the Joint Ultraviolet Nightsky Observer (JUNO), can be performed by a Small-Explorer-class satellite.

Martin, Christopher↗
NASA NTRS2010

Managing the Development of the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer Mission

The Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE), a NASA Medium-Class Explorer (MIDEX) mission, is surveying the entire sky in four bands from 3.4 to 22 microns with a sensitivity hundreds to hundreds of thousands times better than previous all-sky surveys at these wavelengths. The single WISE instrument consists of a 40 cm three-mirror anastigmatic telescope, a two-stage solid hydrogen cryostat, a scan mirror mechanism, and reimaging optics giving 6" resolution (full-width-half-maximum). WISE was placed into a Sun-synchronous polar orbit on a Delta II 7320 launch vehicle on December 14, 2009. NASA selected WISE as a MIDEX in 2002 following a rigorous competitive selection process. To gain further confidence in WISE, NASA extended the development period one year with an option to cancel the mission if certain criteria were not met. MIDEX missions are led by the principal investigator who in this case delegated day-to-day management to the project manager. With a cost cap and relatively short development schedule, it was essential for all WISE partners to work seamlessly together. This was accomplished with an integrated management team representing all key partners and disciplines. The project was developed on budget and on schedule in spite of the need to surmount significant technical challenges. This paper describes our management approach, key challenges and critical decisions made. Results are described from a programmatic, technical and scientific point of view. Lessons learned are offered for projects of this type.

cryogenic↗
NASA NTRS1994

A complete southern sky redshift survey

We discuss a magnitude-limited redshift survey covering a region around the south Galactic pole (SSRS2). The survey includes 3592 galaxies and covers a region of 1.13 sr to a limiting m(sub B(0)) = 15.5, directly comparable to CfA2. Together, CfA2 and SSR2 cover more than a third of the sky. The northern and southern surveys are remarkably similar. Both contain voids with diameters as large as 5000 km/s. The southern survey contains the Southern Wall, similar to the northern Great Wall. The distributions of velocity dispersions for systems extracted from the SSRS2 and CfA2 surveys are also remarkably similar. For the SSRS2, an inhomogeneity-independent technique yields Schechter luminosity function parameters M(sup *) = -19.50 and alpha = -1.20 (H(sub O) = 100 h km/s/Mpc, h = 1 unless otherwise specified). The steep faint-end slope is probably attributable to bluer galaxies. By examining the normalized density fluctuations in the SSRS2 and CfA2 surveys, we suggest that the combined sample is not yet large enough to be 'fair.' There are large fluctuations in shells at 10,000 km/s.

Da Costa, L. Nicolaci↗
NASA NTRS2013

B- and A-Type Stars in the Taurus-Auriga Star-Forming Region

We describe the results of a search for early-type stars associated with the Taurus-Auriga molecular cloud complex, a diffuse nearby star-forming region noted as lacking young stars of intermediate and high mass. We investigate several sets of possible O, B, and early A spectral class members. The first is a group of stars for which mid-infrared images show bright nebulae, all of which can be associated with stars of spectral-type B. The second group consists of early-type stars compiled from (1) literature listings in SIMBAD, (2) B stars with infrared excesses selected from the Spitzer Space Telescope survey of the Taurus cloud, (3) magnitude- and color-selected point sources from the Two Micron All Sky Survey, and (4) spectroscopically identified early-type stars from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey coverage of the Taurus region. We evaluated stars for membership in the Taurus-Auriga star formation region based on criteria involving: spectroscopic and parallactic distances, proper motions and radial velocities, and infrared excesses or line emission indicative of stellar youth. For selected objects, we also model the scattered and emitted radiation from reflection nebulosity and compare the results with the observed spectral energy distributions to further test the plausibility of physical association of the B stars with the Taurus cloud. This investigation newly identifies as probable Taurus members three B-type stars: HR 1445 (HD 28929), τ Tau (HD 29763), 72 Tau (HD 28149), and two A-type stars: HD 31305 and HD 26212, thus doubling the number of stars A5 or earlier associated with the Taurus clouds. Several additional early-type sources including HD 29659 and HD 283815 meet some, but not all, of the membership criteria and therefore are plausible, though not secure, members.

B- and A-Type↗
NASA NTRS1993

Search for extraterrestrial intelligence/high resolution microwave survey team member

This semiannual status report describes activities conducted by the Principal Investigator during the first half of this third year of the NASA High Resolution Microwave Survey (HRMS) Investigator Working Group (IWG). As a (HRMS) Team Member with primary interest in the Sky Survey activity, this investigator attended IWG meetings at NASA/Ames and U.C.-Santa Cruz in Apr. and Aug. 1992, and has traveled independently to NRAO/Kitt Peak, Arizona (April 1993) and Woodbury, Georgia (July 1993). During the July 1993 visit to the Georgia Tech Research Corporation/Woodbury Research Facility, an experiment was conducted to study the effects of interference from C-band (3.7 - 4.2 GHz) geostationary spacecraft on the Sky Survey operation in that band. At the first IWG meeting in April of this year, results of a SETI observation conducted at the 203 GHz positronium hyperfine resonance using the NRAO facility at Kitt Peak, AZ, were presented, as well as updates on the development of the spaceborne RFI data bases developed for the project. At the second meeting, results of the study of interference from C-band geostationary spacecraft were presented. Likewise, a presentation was made at the accompanying 1993 Bioastronomy Symposium describing the SETI observation at the positronium hyperfine resonance.

Steffes, Paul G.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Merged infrared catalogue

A compilation of equatorial coordinates, spectral types, magnitudes, and fluxes from five catalogues of infrared observations is presented. This first edition of the Merged Infrared Catalogue contains 11,201 oservations from the Two-Micron Sky Survey, Observations of Infrared Radiation from Cool Stars, the Air Force Geophysics Laboratory four Color Infrared Sky Survey and its Supplemental Catalog, and from Catalog of 10 micron Celestial Objects (HALL). This compilation is a by-product of a computerized infrared data base under development at Goddard Space Flight Center; the objective is to maintain a complete and current record of all infrared observations from 1 micron m to 1000 micron m of nonsolar system objects. These observations are being placed into a standardized system.

Schmitz, M.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Discovery of a new white dwarf in a binary system (EUVE 0720-317) in the Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer survey and implications for the late stages of stellar evolution

A new precataclysmic binary is identified in the Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer (EUVE) all-sky survey. The bright source EUVE 0720-317 shows a hot hydrogen-rich white dwarf optical continuum with overlying narrow Balmer-line emission. Using high signal-to-noise ratio spectroscopy in the 4100-6700 A range, we identify a late-type companion and find a 1.3d periodic modulation in the emission-line velocities and strengths. This is the signature of Feige 24-type close binary systems. We determine the components' spectral types (DAO and dM0-2), orbital velocities (K(sub DAO) = 104 +/- 12 km/s, K(sub dM) = 96 +/- 7 km/s), and systemic velocity (gamma = 15 +/- 12 km/s). A first estimate of the white dwarf gravitational redshift, gamma(sub g) = 45 +/- 20 km/s, and theoretical mass-radius relationships imply R(sub DAO) = 0.010-0.016 solar radius and M(sub DAO) = 0.55-0.90 solar mass. The orbital inclination is therefore i greater than or equal to 52 deg, consistent with the large amplitude variations found in H-alpha equivalent widths that imply i greater than or equal to 42 deg. We show that the discovery of new close WD + MS binary systems in extreme ultraviolet (EUV) sky surveys has important implications for theory of common-envelope evolution, in particular for the predicted close binary birthrate and orbital and stellar parameters.

Vennes, Stephane↗
NASA NTRS1994

Optical studies of gamma-ray bursts. 2: The superbowl burst GRB 930131

We report Charge Couple Devices (CCD) observations of the central region of the Compton Telescope (COMPTEL) error box for the 31 Jan 1993 gamma-ray burst. One optical transient was found. Its distance from the IPN track and Energy Gamma Ray Experiment Telescope (EGRET) error box make the association of this object with GRB 930131 doubtful. We present new CCD observations of two objects identified by Schaefer et al. (1993) that are located within a few arcminutes of the interplanetary network (IPN) that were reported to be possibly variable. We also report observations on the ROSAT All-sky Survey Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) source noted by those investigators and the RS CVn star HD 106255. The ROSAT All-Sky Survey EUV source is suggested to arise from a faint, but relatively rich cluster of galaxies. HD 106255 is located approximately 7 min from the IPN. Our CCD results show that this star was bluer than previously reported, but these observations were obtained significantly after the occurrence of GRB 930131. It is not possible to estimate the color of HD 106255 when the burst occurred.

Mcnamara, Bernard↗
NASA NTRS2003

Ultra-long Duration Balloon Mission Concept Study: EXIST-LITE Hard X-ray Imaging Survey

We carried out a mission concept Study for an ultra-long duration balloon (ULDB) mission to conduct a high-sensitivity hard x-ray (approx. 20-600 keV) imaging sky survey. The EXIST-LITE concept has been developed, and critical detector technologies for realistic fabrication of very large area Cd-Zn-Te imaging detector arrays are now much better understood. A ULDB mission such as EXIST-LITE is now even more attractive as a testbed for the full Energetic X-ray Imaging Survey Telescope (EXIST) mission, recommended by the Decadal Survey, and now included in the NASA Roadmap and Strategic Plan as one of the 'Einstein Probes'. In this (overdue!) Final Report we provide a brief update for the science opportunities possible with a ULDB mission such as EXIST-LITE and relate these to upcoming missions (INTErnational Gamma-Ray Astrophysics Laboratory (INTEGRAL) and Swift) as well as the ultimate very high sensitivity sky survey mission EXIST. We then review the progress made over this investigation in Detector/Telescope design concept, Gondola and Mission design concept, and Data Handling/Analysis.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1980

The SETI instrument development plan

The architecture of the instrument system for the SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) program is briefly described and the development approach used to implement the operational instruments is discussed. The two versions of the instrument system include a target survey instrument to observe at a very high sensitivity a selected set of interesting stars that have particular a priori promise, and a sky survey instrument to observe the entire celestial sphere at a lower sensitivity. The targeted survey utilizes the 305 meter antenna at Arecibo, Puerto Rico, a 64 meter DSN antenna, and other large radio telescopes. The Arecibo instrument provides the highest sensitivity by virtue of the antenna gain. The antenna line feeds cover an instantaneous frequency range of 50 MHz (tunable over 100 MHz), while the multichannel spectrum analyzer/signal detector is capable of analyzing a frequency segment 16 MHz wide with a maximum resolution of 1 Hz. The sky survey employs a listen-only, 34 meter antenna. The SETI breadboard development is also described.

Crow, R. B.↗
NASA NTRS1988

The Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer mission - Instrumentation and science goals

NASA's Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer (EUVE) will carry out an all-sky survey from 80 to 800A in four bandpasses. It is expected that many types of sources will be detected, including white dwarfs and late type stars. A deep survey will also be carried out along the ecliptic which will have a limiting sensitivity a factor of 10 better than the all-sky survey in the bandpass from 80 to 300A. The payload includes a spectrometer to observe the brigher sources found in the surveys with a spectral resolution of 1 to 2A.

Bowyer, Stuart↗