Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “declerators”

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.

Aerodynamic Models for the Low Density Supersonic Declerator (LDSD) Supersonic Flight Dynamics Test (SFDT)

An overview of pre-flight aerodynamic models for the Low Density Supersonic Decelerator (LDSD) Supersonic Flight Dynamics Test (SFDT) campaign is presented, with comparisons to reconstructed flight data and discussion of model updates. The SFDT campaign objective is to test Supersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator (SIAD) and large supersonic parachute technologies at high altitude Earth conditions relevant to entry, descent, and landing (EDL) at Mars. Nominal SIAD test conditions are attained by lifting a test vehicle (TV) to 36 km altitude with a large helium balloon, then accelerating the TV to Mach 4 and and 53 km altitude with a solid rocket motor. The first flight test (SFDT-1) delivered a 6 meter diameter robotic mission class decelerator (SIAD-R) to several seconds of flight on June 28, 2014, and was successful in demonstrating the SFDT flight system concept and SIAD-R. The trajectory was off-nominal, however, lofting to over 8 km higher than predicted in flight simulations. Comparisons between reconstructed flight data and aerodynamic models show that SIAD-R aerodynamic performance was in good agreement with pre-flight predictions. Similar comparisons of powered ascent phase aerodynamics show that the pre-flight model overpredicted TV pitch stability, leading to underprediction of trajectory peak altitude. Comparisons between pre-flight aerodynamic models and reconstructed flight data are shown, and changes to aerodynamic models using improved fidelity and knowledge gained from SFDT-1 are discussed.

Van Norman, John W.↗

The Balmer-dominated northeast limb of the Cygnus loop supernova remnant

We present a comprehensive investigation of the Balmar-dominated northeast limb of the Cygnus Loop supernova remnant. Data presented include H alpha (O III), and X-ray images, UV and visible spectrophotometry, and high-resolution spectroscophy. The two relatively bright Balmer-dominated filaments visible on the POSS prints are seen to be part of a very smooth and regular complex of filaments. These filaments mark the current location of the blast wave and are seen to bound the sharply limb-brightened X-ray emission, including the previously reported X-ray, 'halo.' The (O III)/h beta ratio throughout the region is approximately 0.1, except for regions in which the shock is undergoing a transition from nonradiative to incomplete radiative to incomplete radiative conditions. At these locations (O III) emission from the cooling region is quite strong, while collisionally excited Balmer-line emission can be weak because of photoionization of the preshock medium by UV from the nascent cooling region. As a result (O III)/H beta is greater than 100 in some locations. The nonradiative/radiative transition is best studied along the length of the northwestern of the two brightest filaments, where the shock velocity and swept-up column go from approximately 180 km/s and 10(exp 17)/sq cm at one end to approximately 140 km/s and 8 x 10(exp 17)/cm at the other. There are also a number of locations of such incomplete radiative emission where the shock has recently encountered denser regions with characteristic sizes of approximately 10(exp 18) cm. There is a considerable amount of evidence that the shock has decelerated from approximately 400 km/s to less than 200 km/s in the last 1000 yr. We interpret this as the result of the blast wave hitting the wall of a cavity which surround the supernova precursor and succeed in matching a wide range of data with a reflected shock model in which the density ofthe cavity wall is approximately 1.2/cu cm and the density in the interior of the cavity is about 0.09/cu cm. This analysis supports previous suggestions that the Cygnus Loop was a cavity explosion. We opredict that the X-ray shell will continue to brighten for the next 1000 years or so, during which time the shock front will become radiative throughout the northeast region. The similarity of the time scales for post-shock cooling, shock deceleration, and the 1ressure evolution of the region violates assumptions of steady flow, and greatly complicated interpretation of shock specptra in the region. This may be a common and important effect in many supernova remnants. High-resolutoin spectroscopy of the H alpha line profile shows that the broad component is surprisingly narrow (approximately 130 km/s). Consistency between this line width and the shock velocity inferred from spectrophotometry requires either rapid postshock equilibration of T(sub i) and T(sub e), or that the shock front has declerated from 180 km/s to 150 km/s in the last approximately 200 yr. While we cannot unambiguously distinquish between these models, the required deceleration is consistent with extrapolation of the shock decleration rate inferred over the last 1000 years. The width of the narrow component of the h alpha line profile is approximately 3 km/s, which indicates that the preshock medium has been heated to approximately 25,000 K by a shock precursor. The most promising types of precursor are heating either by fast neutrals which overtake the shock or by cosmic rays. In the latter case the observed properties of the precursor constrain the cosmic-ray diffusion coefficient to be between about 10(exp 23) sq cm/s. The characteristics of the precursor seem to be about right to explain the presence of weak (S II) and (N II) emission previously reported by Fesen & Itoh (1985).

Hester, J. Jeff↗

Study of advanced atmospheric entry systems for Mars

Entry system designs are described for various advanced Mars missions including sample return, hard lander, and Mars airplane. The Mars exploration systems for sample return and the hard lander require decleration from direct approach entry velocities of about 6 km/s to terminal velocities consistent with surface landing requirements. The Mars airplane entry system is decelerated from orbit at 4.6 km/s to deployment near the surface. Mass performance characteristics of major elements of the Mass performance characteristics are estimated for the major elements of the required entry systems using Viking technology or logical extensions of technology in order to provide a common basis of comparison for the three entry modes mission mode approaches. The entry systems, although not optimized, are based on Viking designs and reflect current hardware performance capability and realistic mass relationships.

Source record↗

Time dependence of solid-particle impingement erosion of an aluminum alloy

Erosion studies were conducted on 6061-T6511 aluminum alloy by using jet impingement of glass beads and crushed glass particles to investigate the influence of exposure time on volume loss rate at different pressures. The results indicate a direct relationship between erosion-versus-time curves and pitmorphology (width, depth, and width-depth ratio)-versus-time curves for both glass forms. Extensive erosion data from the literature were analyzed to find the variations of erosion-rate-versus-time curves with respect to the type of device, the size and shape of erodent particles, the abrasive charge, the impact velocity, etc. Analysis of the experimental data, obtained with two forms of glass, resulted in three types of erosion-rate-versus-time curves: (1) curves with incubation, acceleration, and steadystate periods (type 1); (2) curves with incubation, acceleration, decleration, and steady-state periods (type 3); and (3) curves with incubation, acceleration, peak rate, and deceleration periods (type 4). The type 4 curve is a less frequently seen curve and was not reported in the literature. Analysis of extensive literature data generally indicated three types of erosion-rate-versus-time curves. Two types (types 1 and 3) were observed in the present study; the third type involves incubation (and deposition), acceleration, and steady-state periods (type 2). Examination of the extensive literature data indicated that it is absolutely necessary to consider the corresponding stages or periods of erosion in correlating and characterizing erosion resistance of a wide spectrum of ductile materials.

Veerabhadrarao, P.↗