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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 19 records

Simultaneous observation solutions for NASA-MOTS and SPEOPT station positions on the North American datum

Simultaneous observations of the GEOS-I and II flashing lamps by the NASA MOTS and SPEOPT cameras on the North American Datum (NAD) were analyzed using geometrical techniques to provide an adjustment of the station coordinates. Two separate adjustments were obtained. An optical data only solution was computed in which the solution scale was provided by the Rosman-Mojave distance obtained from a dynamic station solution. In a second adjustment, scaling was provided by processing simultaneous laser ranging data from Greenbelt and Wallops Island in a combined optical-laser solution. Comparisons of these results with previous GSFC dynamical solutions indicate an rms agreement on the order of 4 meters or better in each coordinate. Comparison with a detailed gravimetric geoid of North America yields agreement of 3 meters or better for mainland U.S. stations and 7 and 3 meters, respectively, for Bermuda and Puerto Rico.

Reece, J. S.↗

Motion of Cesium Atoms in the One-Dimensional Magneto-Optical Trap

The force to which Cs atoms are subjected in the one-dimensional magneto-optical trap (lD-MOT) is calculated, and properties of this force are discussed. Several methods to increase the number of Cs atoms in the lD-MOT are presented on the basis of the analysis of the capture and escape of Cs atoms in the ID-MOT.

Li, Yimin↗

Cold Atom Source Containing Multiple Magneto-Optical Traps

An apparatus that serves as a source of a cold beam of atoms contains multiple two-dimensional (2D) magneto-optical traps (MOTs). (Cold beams of atoms are used in atomic clocks and in diverse scientific experiments and applications.) The multiple-2D-MOT design of this cold atom source stands in contrast to single-2D-MOT designs of prior cold atom sources of the same type. The advantages afforded by the present design are that this apparatus is smaller than prior designs.

Ramirez-Serrano, Jaime↗

The Effects of Chronic Sleep Restriction on Multiple Object Tracking

The ability to simultaneously track numerous moving objects in the presence of irrelevant stimuli is essential for carrying out a variety of tasks. Sleep loss has been found to impair neurocognitive functioning and, as a result, attentional processing capacity is reduced. A common form of sleep loss is chronic sleep restriction (CSR), in which an inadequate amount of sleep is obtained over consecutive days. The objective of the current study was to determine if performance on the multiple object tracking (MOT) task was adversely impacted by a week of CSR. Twelve healthy participants (6 males, 6 females) kept a fixed sleep-wake schedule, with a constant waketime, at home for four weeks (activity monitors worn on the participant’s nondominant wrist were used to confirm compliance). Weeks one and three were deemed washout weeks, during which participants maintained a 9-hour sleep-wake schedule. Weeks two and four were deemed experimental weeks, during which participants were randomly assigned a 5-hour (CSR) and 9-hour (sleep satiation) sleep-wake schedule. Following night seven of each experimental week, participants completed a 13-hour laboratory visit under dim light (less than 15 lux) where they maintained a constant posture and were provided with hourly isocaloric snacks. MOT was presented at approximately 6 and 8 hours after waking. Participants were required to track four, five, or six moving targets in the presence of identical distractors (always 12 total objects). It was found that participants slept significantly less during the week of CSR compared to the week of sleep satiation. There was no difference in the overall proportion of correct MOT responses following the CSR and sleep satiation weeks. However, an additional analysis examining only the 6 target condition found that the proportion of correct responses was significantly lower following the week of CSR. These findings suggest that CSR has an adverse impact on tracking performance when the cognitive demand was higher. This has implications for individuals, such as air traffic controllers and truck drivers, who must visually track multiple moving objects under high workload situations, often while chronically sleep deprived.

sleep restriction↗

Free adjustment of a geometric global satellite network (solution MPS-7)

The basic purpose of this experiment was to compute reduced normal equations from the observational data of several different systems described below to combine them eventually with the normal equations of the Wild BC-4 observations taken in the DOD/DOC cooperative worldwide geodetic satellite program and provide station coordinates from a single least squares adjustment. The solution described is a partial one obtained without the use of the BC-4 data. The observational systems combined were the Baker-Nunn simultaneous camera observational systems combined were the Baker-Nunn simultaneous camera observations from the SAO worldwide network, the MOTS and PC-1000 optical observations in North America, miscellaneous camera observations in Europe which were included in the SAO69 solution, and, lastly, a group of optical observations where Baker-Nunn cameras observed simultaneously with MOTS and/or PC-1000 cameras in the previously mentioned group.

Mueller, I. I.↗

Studies of condensation effects on airfoil testing in a transonic cryogenic tunnel

In the context of an overall development of transonic, cryogenic wind tunnel technology, NASA has been investigating the onset of condensation effects in nitrogen gas. The temperature at which condensation occurs determines the minimum operating temperature (MOT) of cryogenic tunnels. The apparatus and airfoils are discussed, taking into account a description of the 0.3-m Transonic Cryogenic Tunnel (TCT), the drag rake, the airfoils, and the technique used for determining the onset of condensation effects. Attention is also given to the types of nucleation processes, the relative sensitivity of drag rake and surface pressure measurements, correlations between data and theory, the prediction of minimum operating temperatures for the 0.3-m TCT, and MOT's for different tunnels.

Hall, R. M.↗

Studies of condensation effects on airfoil testing in the Langley 0.3-meter transonic cryogenic tunnel

In the context of an overall development of transonic, cryogenic wnd tunnel technology, NASA has been investigating the onset of condensation effects in nitrogen gas. The temperature at which condensation occurs determines the minimum operating temperature (MOT) of cryogenic tunnels. The apparatus and airfoils are discussed, taking into account a description of the 0.3-m Transonic Cryogenic Tunnel (TCT), the drag rake, the airfoils, and the technique used for determining the onset of condensation effects. Attention is also given to the types of nucleation processes, the relative sensitivity of drag rake and surface pressure measurements, correlations between data and theory, the prediction of minimum operating temperatures for the 0.3-m TCT, and MOT's for different tunnels.

Hall, R. M.↗

UCLA IGPP Space Plasma Simulation Group

During the past 10 years the UCLA IGPP Space Plasma Simulation Group has pursued its theoretical effort to develop a Mission Oriented Theory (MOT) for the International Solar Terrestrial Physics (ISTP) program. This effort has been based on a combination of approaches: analytical theory, large scale kinetic (LSK) calculations, global magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations and self-consistent plasma kinetic (SCK) simulations. These models have been used to formulate a global interpretation of local measurements made by the ISTP spacecraft. The regions of applications of the MOT cover most of the magnetosphere: the solar wind, the low- and high-latitude magnetospheric boundary, the near-Earth and distant magnetotail, and the auroral region. Most recent investigations include: plasma processes in the electron foreshock, response of the magnetospheric cusp, particle entry in the magnetosphere, sources of observed distribution functions in the magnetotail, transport of oxygen ions, self-consistent evolution of the magnetotail, substorm studies, effects of explosive reconnection, and auroral acceleration simulations.

Source record↗

Theoretical Technology Research for the International Solar Terrestrial Physics (ISTP) Program

During the last four years the UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles) IGPP (Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics) Space Plasma Simulation Group has continued its theoretical effort to develop a Mission Oriented Theory (MOT) for the International Solar Terrestrial Physics (ISTP) program. This effort has been based on a combination of approaches: analytical theory, large-scale kinetic (LSK) calculations, global magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations and self-consistent plasma kinetic (SCK) simulations. These models have been used to formulate a global interpretation of local measurements made by the ISTP spacecraft. The regions of applications of the MOT cover most of the magnetosphere: solar wind, low- and high- latitude magnetospheric boundary, near-Earth and distant magnetotail, and auroral region. Most recent investigations include: plasma processes in the electron foreshock, response of the magnetospheric cusp, particle entry in the magnetosphere, sources of observed distribution functions in the magnetotail, transport of oxygen ions, self-consistent evolution of the magnetotail, substorm studies, effects of explosive reconnection, and auroral acceleration simulations. A complete list of the activities completed under the grant follow.

Ashour-Abdalla, Maha↗

A Transportable Gravity Gradiometer Based on Atom Interferometry

A transportable atom interferometer-based gravity gradiometer has been developed at JPL to carry out measurements of Earth's gravity field at ever finer spatial resolutions, and to facilitate high-resolution monitoring of temporal variations in the gravity field from ground- and flight-based platforms. Existing satellite-based gravity missions such as CHAMP and GRACE measure the gravity field via precise monitoring of the motion of the satellites; i.e. the satellites themselves function as test masses. JPL's quantum gravity gradiometer employs a quantum phase measurement technique, similar to that employed in atomic clocks, made possible by recent advances in laser cooling and manipulation of atoms. This measurement technique is based on atomwave interferometry, and individual laser-cooled atoms are used as drag-free test masses. The quantum gravity gradiometer employs two identical atom interferometers as precision accelerometers to measure the difference in gravitational acceleration between two points (Figure 1). By using the same lasers for the manipulation of atoms in both interferometers, the accelerometers have a common reference frame and non-inertial accelerations are effectively rejected as common mode noise in the differential measurement of the gravity gradient. As a result, the dual atom interferometer-based gravity gradiometer allows gravity measurements on a moving platform, while achieving the same long-term stability of the best atomic clocks. In the laboratory-based prototype (Figure 2), the cesium atoms used in each atom interferometer are initially collected and cooled in two separate magneto-optic traps (MOTs). Each MOT, consisting of three orthogonal pairs of counter-propagating laser beams centered on a quadrupole magnetic field, collects up to 10(exp 9) atoms. These atoms are then launched vertically as in an atom fountain by switching off the magnetic field and introducing a slight frequency shift between pairs of lasers to create a moving rest frame for the trapped atoms. While still in this moving-frame molasses, the laser frequencies are further detuned from the atomic resonance (while maintaining this relative frequency shift) to cool the atom cloud's temperature to 2 K or below, corresponding to an rms velocity of less than 2 cm/s. After launch, the cold atoms undergo further state and velocity selection to prepare for atom interferometry. The atom interferometers are then realized using laser-induced stimulated Raman transitions to perform the necessary manipulations of each atom, and the resulting interferometer phase is measured using laser-induced fluorescence for state-normalized detection. More than 20 laser beams with independent controls of frequency, phase, and intensity are required for this measurement sequence. This instrument can facilitate the study of Earth's gravitational field from surface and air vehicles, as well as from space by allowing gravity mapping from a low-cost, single spacecraft mission. In addition, the operation of atom interferometer-based instruments in space offers greater sensitivity than is possible in terrestrial instruments due to the much longer interrogation times available in the microgravity environment. A space-based quantum gravity gradiometer has the potential to achieve sensitivities similar to the GRACE mission at long spatial wavelengths, and will also have resolution similar to GOCE for measurement at shorter length scales.

Yu, Nan↗

A Compact, High-Flux Cold Atom Beam Source

The performance of cold atom experiments relying on three-dimensional magneto-optical trap techniques can be greatly enhanced by employing a highflux cold atom beam to obtain high atom loading rates while maintaining low background pressures in the UHV MOT (ultra-high vacuum magneto-optical trap) regions. Several techniques exist for generating slow beams of cold atoms. However, one of the technically simplest approaches is a two-dimensional (2D) MOT. Such an atom source typically employs at least two orthogonal trapping beams, plus an additional longitudinal "push" beam to yield maximum atomic flux. A 2D atom source was created with angled trapping collimators that not only traps atoms in two orthogonal directions, but also provides a longitudinal pushing component that eliminates the need for an additional push beam. This development reduces the overall package size, which in turn, makes the 2D trap simpler, and requires less total optical power. The atom source is more compact than a previously published effort, and has greater than an order of magnitude improved loading performance.

Kellogg, James R.↗

Dynamic Sampling of Cabin VOCs during the Mission Operations Test of the Deep Space Habitat

The atmospheric composition inside spacecraft is dynamic due to changes in crew metabolism and payload operations. A portable FTIR gas analyzer was used to monitor the atmospheric composition of four modules (Core lab, Veggie Plant Atrium, Hygiene module, and Xhab loft) within the Deep Space Habitat '(DSH) during the Mission Operations Test (MOT) conducted at the Johnson Space Center. The FTIR was either physically relocated to a new location or the plumbing was changed so that a different location was monitored. An application composed of 20 gases was used and the FTIR was zeroed using N2 gas every time it was relocated. The procedures developed for operating the FTIR were successful as all data was collected and the FTIR worked during the entire MOT mission. Not all the 20 gases in the application sampled were detected and it was possible to measure dynamic VOC concentrations in each DSH location.

Monje, Oscar↗

Functional Volume Assessment of an Early Version of the Mars Transit Habitat

During the summer of 2020, the NASA Mars Architecture Team (MAT) conducted a functional volume assessment of the Transit Habitat (TH). The TH has evolved substantially since that time and the current TH does not share the same internal configuration, but the insights gained from the assessment remain relevant. In virtually all architectures involving chemical, electric, or nuclear propulsion, the majority of the crew mission is spent aboard the TH. The Earth to Mars transit durations may vary from architecture to architecture, but all are on the order of hundreds of days, regardless of whether an opposition or conjunction class trajectory is selected, and regardless of whether the propulsion system is chemical, electric, or nuclear. Thus, the TH must provide capabilities appropriate to a very long duration. So, despite significant changes in the current Mars architecture over the past few years, this evaluation still provides useful recommendations in the form of habitability guidance that can be applied to current and future TH concepts. This assessment had six primary objectives: provide a sanity check to the BOC-derived TH layout; understand if we can fit the hardware and functional tasks in the volume; provide a high-level assessment of how aggressive the layout is; generate a list of challenges or assumptions necessary to make it work; generate a list of future work to refine understanding; and identify proposed requirements. All of this information is critical to drive habitat sizing studies and key architecture decisions. It was clear that a human-in-the-loop (HITL) evaluation of some kind would be necessary, but several challenges were immediately identified. The most information could be gleaned from a Desert Research and Technology Studies (DRATS) type of mission operations test (MOT), but the TH concept was too low fidelity to construct the type of prototype necessary to conduct a MOT, nor were their financial resources to do so. The next best option – and really the one most appropriate for the BOC’s stage of maturity – is a Virtual Reality (VR) walk-through evaluation. However, NASA was in a shutdown state due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the VR labs were inaccessible. As a result, a tabletop evaluation was created, using .jpg imagery from the ECM CAD model along with Excel-based datasheets. High-level crew living and working functions within the habitat were identified for evaluation. Questionnaires using Likert scales assessed acceptability of habitat functions and sim quality – the degree to which the function was represented in CAD. This enabled the evaluation to be conducted by personnel working remotely. Each function was evaluated individually along with several overarching habitability parameters and vehicle subsystems. The results of this evaluation are discussed, including methodological challenges and rating challenges. Acceptability results are discussed for functions that the participants were able to rate and participant comments for functions that could not be related are also described. Final conclusions are described, including challenges or assumptions needed to make the TH design acceptable, future work needed to refine understanding of the TH, and proposed habitat requirements based on test data.

Transit Habitat↗

Intercomparison of GEOS-A observation systems.

NASA geodetic Satellite Observation Systems Intercomparison Investigation, discussing Goddard Range and Range Rate, Laser and MOTS camera systems, AF PC-1000 camera, etc

Berbert, J. H.↗

Metric analysis of minitrack optical and interferometer data

The network analysis program (NAP-2), which has the capability of simultaneously solving for orbits and tracking station error model terms, was, after several modifications, used in the calibration of minitrack stations using minitrack satellite measurements (self-calibration). Several support programs were written to aid in this task. A simultaneous four-arc solution was obtained. A comparison with optically determined arcs for the same time spans showed rms position differences of 67m, 86m, 124m and 168m for the 4 arcs considered. An apparatus incorporating a diffraction grating was designed and successfully used to measure the drift rate of the Fort Myers MOTS camera drive.

Brown, D. C.↗

Short arc optical survey techniques

The effect of the gravity parameter, mu, the choice and local survey of the fixed origin station, and the choice of initial datum on the results of short arc satellite survey adjustments were investigated using GEOS 1 MOTS optical observations from 13 stations. It is concluded that each of these parameters has an effect on derived network scale on the order of 0.000002 for the nominal variations used. A particular solution using assumed best available values for these parameters is recommended.

Berbert, J. H.↗