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At least 1,729 records · Page 96

Near hybrid passenger vehicle development program, phase 1. Appendices A and B. Mission analysis and performance specification studies report, volume 1

The three most promising vehicle use patterns (missions) for the near term electric hybrid vehicle were found to be all-purpose city driving, commuting, and family and civic business. The mission selection process was based principally on an analysis of the travel patterns found in the Nationwide Transportation Survey and on the Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. origin-destination studies data. Travel patterns in turn were converted to fuel requirements for 1985 conventional and hybrid cars. By this means, the potential fuel savings for each mission were estimated, and preliminary design requirements for hybrid vehicles were derived.

Source record↗

Development of a 611 MHz feed for a 9-meter reflector

A 2 by 2 array of fan dipoles was designed as a feed for an existing 9.14 meter diameter reflector. Baffles (conducting fences) were utilized to reduce mutual coupling between dipoles and to improve the feed radiation pattern in the H plane. Significant strut scattering effects are noted in the secondary patterns of the reflector antenna.

Bailey, M. C.↗

Goldstone field test activities: Sky survey

The goals are to conduct a research and development program aimed at determining the most effective way to do SETI within the constraints of current technology and estimated budgets. The general search strategy adopted is that which is recommended by the SETI Science Working Group. The strategy for an all sky survey for SETI was further developed over the last year. Scan patterns, scan rates, and signal detection algorithms were developed. Spectral power measurement instrumentation was tested at the Venus Station of the Goldstone Deep Space Communication Complex. A specially designed radio frequency interference (RFI) measurement system was built and installed at the Venus Station. A data base management system for storage and retrieval of the RFI data was partially implemented on a VAX 750 computer at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Gulkis, S.↗

High-Capacity Aeronautical Satellite Communication System

System primarily designed to serve aircraft en route. Provides 5,093 forward communication channels and 7,093 reverse channels. This allocation of forward and reverse channels reflects anticipated communication traffic patterns. East and west satellites relay messages from ground to airplanes and from airplanes to ground. Use of two satellites instead of one increases availability of services and reliability of system.

Sue, M. K.↗

Design of QMF (Quadrature Mirror Filter) in spatial domain and edge encoding

Simoncelli and Adelson have extended the one dimensional Quadrature Mirror Filter (QMF) to two dimensions with hexagon symmetry and three dimensional spatio-temporal extensions with rhombic-duodecahedray symmetry. Jain and Crochiere presented an excellent QMF design technique in the time domain. It is proposed to extend the design of a two dimensional QMF over a rectangular lattice in the spatial domain based primarily on the extension of the idea of Jain and Crochiere. In addition, the design will investigate the use of two dimensional Z-transformations. Since this proposed QMF is intended for the applications in image processing, all the important and interesting engineering issues will be addressed throughout the development phase. The design of a two dimensional QMF is discussed. The motivation is to achieve an extremely high data compression ratio. It is entirely possible to achieve dramatic results when pattern recognition techniques are employed. The final goal is the demonstration of extremely high data compression ratios using NASA pictures.

Wang, Paul P.↗

Mode interaction in stiffened composite shells under combined mechanical and thermal loadings

Stiffened shells of various configurations fabricated out of composite materials find extensive applications in aircraft structures. Two distinctive modes of buckling dominate structural response of stiffened panels, viz. the short-wave local mode in which the shell skin buckles essentially between the stiffeners and the long-wave overall mode in which the shell skin buckles carrying the stiffeners with it. In optimized designs, the critical stresses corresponding to these modes of buckling would be close to each other. This leads to a nonlinear mode interaction which is recognized to be the principal cause of the failure of stiffened structures. If the structure is subjected to through-the-thickness thermal gradients, then large-wave bending effects would begin to occur well below the overall critical load and these would play the role of overall imperfections. The load carrying capacity would be significantly diminished as a result of interaction of local buckling with overall thermal distortions. The analysis of this problem using standard finite element techniques can be shown to be prohibitively expensive for design iterations. A concept which would greatly facilitate the analysis of mode interaction is advanced. We note that the local buckling occurs in a more or less periodic pattern in a structure having regular spacings of stiffeners. Thus it is a relatively simple matter to analyze the local buckling and the second order effects (which are essential for modeling postbuckling phenomena) using a unit cell of the structure. Once analyzed, these dormations are embedded in a shell element. Thus, a shell element could span several half-waves of local buckling and still be able to depict local buckling effects with requisite accuracy. A major consequence of the interaction of overall buckling/bending is the slow variation of the local buckling amplitude across the structure - the phenomenon of 'amplitude modulation' - and this is accounted for in the present model by letting the scaling parameter of the local mode vary according to a 'slowly varying' function. The construction of the analytical model involves essentially two stages and these are described briefly.

Sridharan, Srinivasan↗

Application of Rapid Prototyping and Wire Arc Spray to the Fabrication of Injection Mold Tools (MSFC Center Director's Discretionary Fund)

Rapid prototyping (RP) is a layer-by-layer-based additive manufacturing process for constructing three-dimensional representations of a computer design from a wax, plastic, or similar material. Wire arc spray (WAS) is a metal spray forming technique, which deposits thin layers of metal onto a substrate or pattern. Marshall Space Flight Center currently has both capabilities in-house, and this project proposed merging the two processes into an innovative manufacturing technique, in which intermediate injection molding tool halves were to be fabricated with RP and WAS metal forming.

Cooper, K. G.↗

Augmented Reality in a Simulated Tower Environment: Effect of Field of View on Aircraft Detection

An optical see-through, augmented reality display was used to study subjects' ability to detect aircraft maneuvering and landing at the Dallas Ft. Worth International airport in an ATC Tower simulation. Subjects monitored the traffic patterns as if from the airport's western control tower. Three binocular fields of view (14 deg, 28 deg and 47 deg) were studied in an independent groups' design to measure the degradation in detection performance associated with the visual field restrictions. In a second experiment the 14 deg and 28 deg fields were presented either with 46% binocular overlap or 100% overlap for separate groups. The near asymptotic results of the first experiment suggest that binocular fields of view much greater than 47% are unlikely to dramatically improve performance; and those of the second experiment suggest that partial binocular overlap is feasible for augmented reality displays such as may be used for ATC tower applications.

Ellis, Stephen R.↗

Patterns of Error in Confidential Maintenance Incident Reports

Confidential reports of maintenance incidents are a valuable source of information on maintenance errors and the contexts within which they occur. NASA's Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) has been receiving an increasing number of maintenance incident reports since a specialized maintenance reporting form was introduced in 1996. In a series of studies, the database of ASRS maintenance incidents was examined using correspondence analysis, a statistical technique that converts complex data tables into a visual form. The analyses revealed patterns within the ASRS data set that would have otherwise been difficult to detect. The results have implications for a range of purposes including human factors training, the design of procedures, and the identification of improvements in aircraft design.

Hobbs, Alan↗

Patterned Ferroelectric Films for Tunable Microwave Devices

Tunable microwave devices based on metal terminals connected by thin ferroelectric films can be made to perform better by patterning the films to include suitably dimensioned, positioned, and oriented constrictions. The patterns can be formed during fabrication by means of selective etching processes. If the width of the ferroelectric film in such a device is reduced at one or more locations, then both the microwave field and any applied DC bias (tuning) electric field become concentrated at those locations. The magnitudes of both the permittivity and the dielectric loss of a ferroelectric material are reduced by application of a DC field. Because the concentration of the DC field in the constriction(s) magnifies the permittivity- and loss-reducing effects of the applied DC voltage, the permittivity and dielectric loss in the constriction(s) are smaller in the constriction(s) than they are in the wider parts of the ferroelectric film. Furthermore, inasmuch as displacement current must flow through either the constriction(s) or the low-loss dielectric substrate, the net effect of the constriction(s) is equivalent to that of incorporating one or more low-loss, low-permittivity region(s) in series with the high-loss, high-permittivity regions. In a series circuit, the properties of the low-capacitance series element (in this case, the constriction) dominate the overall performance. Concomitantly, the capacitance between the metal terminals is reduced. By making the capacitance between the metal terminals small but tunable, a constriction increases the upper limit of the frequency range amenable to ferroelectric tuning. The present patterning concept is expected to be most advantageous for devices and circuits that must operate at frequencies from about 4 to about 60 GHz. A constriction can be designed such that the magnitude of the microwave electric field and the effective width of the region occupied by the microwave electric field become functions of the applied DC electric field, so that tunability is enhanced. It should even be possible to design the constriction to obtain a specific tuning-versus-voltage profile.

Miranda, Felix A.↗

Stardust Interstellar Preliminary Examination VII: Synchrotron X-Ray Fluorescence Analysis of Six Stardust Interstellar Candidates Measured with the Advanced Photon Source 2-ID-D Microprobe

The NASA Stardust spacecraft exposed an aerogel collector to the interstellar dust passing through the solar system. We performed X-ray fluorescence element mapping and abundance measurements, for elements 19 < or = Z < or = 30, on six "interstellar candidates," potential interstellar impacts identified by Stardust@Home and extracted for analyses in picokeystones. One, I1044,3,33, showed no element hot-spots within the designated search area. However, we identified a nearby surface feature, consistent with the impact of a weak, high-speed particle having an approximately chondritic (CI) element abundance pattern, except for factor-of-ten enrichments in K and Zn and an S depletion. This hot-spot, containing approximately 10 fg of Fe, corresponds to an approximately 350 nm chondritic particle, small enough to be missed by Stardust@Home, indicating that other techniques may be necessary to identify all interstellar candidates. Only one interstellar candidate, I1004,1,2, showed a track. The terminal particle has large enrichments in S, Ti, Cr, Mn, Ni, Cu, and Zn relative to Fe-normalized CI values. It has high Al/Fe, but does not match the Ni/Fe range measured for samples of Al-deck material from the Stardust sample return capsule, which was within the field-of-view of the interstellar collector. A third interstellar candidate, I1075,1,25, showed an Al-rich surface feature that has a composition generally consistent with the Al-deck material, suggesting that it is a secondary particle. The other three interstellar candidates, I1001,1,16, I1001,2,17, and I1044,2,32, showed no impact features or tracks, but allowed assessment of submicron contamination in this aerogel, including Fe hot-spots having CI-like Ni/Fe ratios, complicating the search for CI-like interstellar/interplanetary dust.

Stardust↗

Supplementing biomechanical modeling with EMG analysis

It is well established that astronauts experience musculoskeletal deconditioning when exposed to microgravity environments for long periods of time. Spaceflight exercise is used to counteract these effects, and the Advanced Resistive Exercise Device (ARED) on the International Space Station (ISS) has been effective in minimizing musculoskeletal losses. However, the exercise devices of the new exploration vehicles will have requirements of limited mass, power and volume. Because of these limitations, there is a concern that the exercise devices will not be as effective as ARED in maintaining astronaut performance. Therefore, biomechanical modeling is being performed to provide insight on whether the small Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV) device, which utilizes a single-strap design, will provide sufficient physiological loading to maintain musculoskeletal performance. Electromyography (EMG) data are used to supplement the biomechanical model results and to explore differences in muscle activation patterns during exercises using different loading configurations.

electromyography↗

Hayabusa Re-Entry: Trajectory Analysis and Observation Mission Design

On June 13th, 2010, the Hayabusa sample return capsule successfully re-entered Earth s atmosphere over the Woomera Prohibited Area in southern Australia in its quest to return fragments from the asteroid 1998 SF36 Itokawa . The sample return capsule entered at a super-orbital velocity of 12.04 km/sec (inertial), making it the second fastest human-made object to traverse the atmosphere. The NASA DC-8 airborne observatory was utilized as an instrument platform to record the luminous portion of the sample return capsule re-entry (~60 sec) with a variety of on-board spectroscopic imaging instruments. The predicted sample return capsule s entry state information at ~200 km altitude was propagated through the atmosphere to generate aerothermodynamic and trajectory data used for initial observation flight path design and planning. The DC- 8 flight path was designed by considering safety, optimal sample return capsule viewing geometry and aircraft capabilities in concert with key aerothermodynamic events along the predicted trajectory. Subsequent entry state vector updates provided by the Deep Space Network team at NASA s Jet Propulsion Laboratory were analyzed after the planned trajectory correction maneuvers to further refine the DC-8 observation flight path. Primary and alternate observation flight paths were generated during the mission planning phase which required coordination with Australian authorities for pre-mission approval. The final observation flight path was chosen based upon trade-offs between optimal viewing requirements, ground based observer locations (to facilitate post-flight trajectory reconstruction), predicted weather in the Woomera Prohibited Area and constraints imposed by flight path filing deadlines. To facilitate sample return capsule tracking by the instrument operators, a series of two racetrack flight path patterns were performed prior to the observation leg so the instruments could be pointed towards the region in the star background where the sample return capsule was expected to become visible. An overview of the design methodologies and trade-offs used in the Hayabusa re-entry observation campaign are presented.

Cassell, Alan M.↗

Bio-active molecules modified surfaces enhanced mesenchymal stem cell adhesion and proliferation

Surface modification of the substrate as a component of in vitro cell culture and tissue engineering, using bio-active molecules including extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins or peptides derived ECM proteins can modulate the surface properties and thereby induce the desired signaling pathways in cells. The aim of this study was to evaluate the behavior of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (hBM-MSCs) on glass substrates modified with fibronectin (Fn), collagen (Coll), RGD peptides (RGD) and designed peptide (R-pept) as bio-active molecules. The glass coverslips were coated with fibronectin, collagen, RGD peptide and R-peptide. Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells were cultured on different substrates and the adhesion behavior in early incubation times was investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and confocal microscopy. The MTT assay was performed to evaluate the effect of different bio-active molecules on MSCs proliferation rate during 24 and 72 h. Formation of filopodia and focal adhesion (FA) complexes, two steps of cell adhesion process, were observed in MSCs cultured on bio-active molecules modified coverslips, specifically in Fn coated and R-pept coated groups. SEM image showed well adhesion pattern for MSCs cultured on Fn and R-pept after 2 h incubation, while the shape of cells cultured on Coll and RGD substrates indicated that they might experience stress condition in early hours of culture. Investigation of adhesion behavior, as well as proliferation pattern, suggests R-peptide as a promising bio-active molecule to be used for surface modification of substrate in supporting and inducing cell adhesion and proliferation. - Highlights: • Bioactive molecules modified surface is a strategy to design biomimicry scaffold. • Bi-functional Tat-derived peptide (R-pept) enhanced MSCs adhesion and proliferation. • R-pept showed similar influences to fibronectin on FA formation and attachment.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Human adaptation to isolated and confined environments: Preliminary findings of a seven month Antarctic winter-over human factors study

This field study was conducted during the last decade of an austral winter-over at Palmer Station in the Antarctic. The purpose of the study was to understand temporal patterns in physiological arousal and psychological mood over the course of the mission. The investigators were principally interested in how people adapted over time to chronic and acute stressors, and how people use and modify their built environment. Physiological and psychological data were collected several times a week, and information on behavior and the use of physical facilities was collected monthly. Physiological and psychological data were compared with social changes in the setting toward the development of a sequential model of human-environment transactional relationships. Based on the study results, guidelines for design of future isolated and confined environments (ICEs) included: plan space for items which make people feel at home, provide materials to allow people to personalize their environment, allow for flexible environments, provide areas for visual and auditory privacy, equip areas for socializing and remove them from private areas, and provide facilities for exercise and for projects involving physical activity. The study offers guidelines about patterns of adaption that could be expected in an ICE, discusses how these settings can be programmed to facilitate successful adjustment, and provides information about how to design future ICE habitats to maximize a healthy living environment.

Evans, Gary W.↗

Coiled Tube Gas Heaters For Nuclear Gas-Brayton Power Conversion

This project developed an alternative design for heat exchangers for application to heating supercritical carbon dioxide (S-CO 2 ) or air for power conversion. We have identified an annular coiled tube bundle configuration–where hot sodium enters tubes from multiple vertical inlet manifold pipes, flows in a spiral pattern radially inward and downward, and then exits into an equal number of vertical outlet manifold pipes–as a potentially attractive option. The S-CO 2 gas or air flows radially outward through the tube bundle. Coiled tube gas heaters (CTGHs) are expected to have excellent thermal shock, long-term thermal creep, in-service inspection, and reparability characteristics, compared to alternative options. CTGHs have significant commonality with modern nuclear steam generators. Extensive experience exists with the design, manufacture, operation, in-service inspection and maintenance of nuclear steam generators. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission also has extensive experience with regulatory guidance documented in NUREG 0800. CTGHs leverage this experience and manufacturing capability. The most important difference between steam generators and gas-Brayton cycles such as the S-CO 2 cycle is that the heat exchangers must operate with counter flow with high effectiveness to minimize the pinch-point temperature difference between the hot liquid coolant and the heated gas. S-CO 2 -cycle gas heaters also operate at sufficiently elevated temperatures that time dependent creep is important and allowable stresses are relatively low. Designing heat exchangers to operate in this regime requires configurations that minimize stresses and stress concentrations. The cylindrical tubes and cylindrical manifold pipes used in CTGHs are particularly effective geometries. The first major goal of this research project was to develop and experimentally validate a detailed, 3-D multi-phase (gas-solid-liquid) heat transport model for CTGHs, using methods similar to earlier UCB multi-scale models for PCHEs, which will enable optimization of CTGH designs with respect to the number of manifold pipes, S-CO 2 and sodium circulating power, and other design parameters. CTGHs are relatively novel because the tubes loaded in compression as well as the manifold pipes which form the tube sheets. The second major goal of the experimental and modeling effort was to optimize the assembly and heat treatment of the tube-to-tubesheet joints, using a novel tapered joint configuration, and to develop diffusion-bonded joints with high shear strength and creep resistance, as has been done in other applications for tapered plugs. The project would also conduct creep testing of these tubesheet joints in pressurized furnaces under prototypical conditions of stress and temperature, however this was not feasible due to numerous hinderances. Detailed microstructural investigations was conducted on the diffusion bond interface, while the bond strength was evaluated by tensile testing. The mechanical testing quantified the overall strength of the bond and measured the pull out force as well as long term behavior, which complemented the microstructural analysis and gave a complete understanding of the diffusion bond.

30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION↗

Clustering and statistical analyses of air-conditioning intensity and use patterns in residential buildings

Energy conservation in residential buildings has gained increased attention due to its large portion of global energy use and potential of energy savings. Occupant behavior has been recognized as a key factor influencing the energy use and load diversity in buildings, therefore more realistic and accurate air-conditioning (AC) operating schedules are imperative for load estimation in equipment design and operation optimization. With the development of sensor technology, it became easier to access an increasing amount of heating/cooling data from thermal energy metering systems in residential buildings, which provides another possible way to understand building energy usage and occupant behaviors. However, except for cooling energy consumption benchmarking, there currently lacks effective and easy approaches to analyze AC usage and provide actionable insights for occupants. To fill this gap, this study proposes clustering analysis to identify AC use patterns of residential buildings, and develops new key performance indicators (KPIs) and data analytics to explore the AC operation characteristics using the long-term metered cooling energy use data, which is of great importance for inhabitants to understand their thermal energy use and save energy cost through adjustment of their AC use behavior. We demonstrate the proposed approaches in a residential district comprising 300 apartments, located in Zhengzhou, China. Main outcomes include: Representative AC use patterns are developed for three room types of residential buildings in the cold climate zone of China, which can be used as more realistic AC schedules to improve accuracy of energy simulation; Distributions of KPIs on household cooling energy usage are established, which can be used for household AC use intensity benchmarking and performance diagnoses.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

Large Deployable Antenna Shuttle Experiment

An experiment designed to use the Space Shuttle in tests of the mechanical and electrical properties of spaceborne deployable antennas under zero-gravity conditions is outlined. Space-erectable 20-meter diameter phased arrays or reflector/feed systems, and self-deploying mechanisms, are to be tested. Reflector surface integrity will be tested by an AM laser technique, and electrical behavior will be tested by a spin-stabilized RF beacon injected into orbit prior to unfurlment of the antenna. Focusing and gain measurements, static pattern measurements, dynamic RF gain measurements, and measurements of cross-polarized signals will be conducted, and the reflector will be illuminated by separate feeds for the S-, X-, and K-bands. Mechanical features of the mesh-wrapped rib furlable antenna design are described.

Freeland, R. E.↗