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Experiment analysis tasks performed during program definition study are described. Experiment accommodation and scheduling, and defining and implementing the laboratory evolution are discussed. The general purpose laboratory requirements and concepts are defined, and supplemental studies are reported.
In this final report, the set of tasks that evolved from the Laser Atmosphere Wind Sounder (LAWS) Science Team are reviewed, the major accomplishments are summarized, and a complete set of resulting references provided. The tasks included preparation of a plan for the LAWS Algorithm Development and Evolution Laboratory (LADEL); participation in the preparation of a joint CNES/NASA proposal to build a space-based DWL; involvement in the Global Backscatter Experiments (GLOBE); evaluation of several DWL concepts including 'Quick-LAWS', SPNDL and several direct detection technologies; and an extensive series of system trade studies and Observing System Simulation Experiments (OSSE's). In this report, some of the key accomplishments are briefly summarized with reference to interim reports, special reports, conference/workshop presentations, and publications.
Globular clusters have long been considered the closest approximation to a physicist's laboratory in astrophysics, and as such a near-ideal laboratory for (low-mass) stellar evolution, However, recent observations have cast a shadow on this long-standing paradigm, suggesting the presence of multiple populations with widely different abundance patterns, and - crucially - with widely different helium abundances as welL In this review we discuss which features of the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram may be used as helium abundance indicators, and present an overview of available constraints on the helium abundance in globular clusters,
The evolution of construction techniques and the use of metal in wings is presented. Drag is discussed along with the fuselage and tail. The interaction of these parts is also investigated.
The modest extinction and reasonably face-on viewing geometry make the luminous infrared galaxy NGC 1614 an ideal laboratory for study of a powerful starburst. HST/NICMOS observations show: (1) deep CO stellar absorption, tracing a starburst nucleus about 45 pc in diameter; (2) surrounded by an approx. 600 pc diameter ring of supergiant H II regions revealed in Pa-alpha line emission; (3) lying within a molecular ring indicated by its extinction shadow in H - K; and (4) all at the center of a disturbed spiral galaxy. The luminosities of the giant H II regions in the ring axe extremely high, an order of magnitude brighter than 30 Doradus; very luminous H II regions, comparable with 30 Dor, are also found in the spiral arms of the galaxy. Luminous stellar clusters surround the nucleus and lie in the spiral arms, similar to clusters observed in other infrared luminous and ultraluminous galaxies. The star forming activity may have been initiated by a merger between a disk galaxy and a companion satellite, whose nucleus appears in projection about 300 pc to the NE of the nucleus of the primary galaxy. The relation of deep stellar CO bands to surrounding ionized gas ring to molecular gas indicates that the luminous starburst started in the nucleus and is propagating outward into the surrounding molecular ring. This hypothesis is supported by evolutionary starburst modeling that shows that the properties of NGC 1614 can be fitted with two short-lived bursts of star formation separated by 5 Myr (and by inference by a variety of models with a similar duration of star formation). The total dynamical mass of the starburst region of 1.3 x 10(exp 9) solar masses is mostly accounted for by the old pre-starburst stellar population. Although our starburst models use a modified Salpeter initial mass function (turning over near one solar mass), the tight mass budget suggests that the IMF may contain relatively more 10 - 30 solar masses stars and fewer low mass stars than the Salpeter function. The dynamical mass is nearly four times smaller than the mass of molecular gas estimated from the standard ratio of (C-12)O (1 - 0) to H2. A number of arguments place the mass of gas in the starburst region at approx. 25% of the dynamical mass, nominally about 1/15 and with an upper limit of 1/10 of the amount estimated from (C-12)O and the standard ratio.
Repeated impacts into fragmental targets simulating unconsolidated debris on planetary surfaces have provided empirical insight into the evolution of planetary regoliths. The techniques of dimensional analysis have been employed to quantify and examine the relationships between the more important variables in the evolution of these experimental regoliths. Application of this method to the results of 10 experimental series shows that the quantity of comminuted target mass is directly proportional to (1) the number of impacts, (2) the diameter of the projectile, (3) the mean size of the crystals, (4) the mean grain size of the evolving regolith, (5) the total target mass, (6) the impactor density, and (7) the ratio of the impact velocity to the velocity of sound in the target rock. The comminuted mass is inversely proportional to the density of the target rock and the sorting of the regolith.
We report the timing results for PSR J2234+0611, a 3.6 ms pulsar in a 32 day, eccentric (e = 0.13) orbit with a helium white dwarf. The precise timing and eccentric nature of the orbit allow measurements of an unusual number of parameters: (a) a precise proper motion of 27.10(3) mas yr−1 and a parallax of 1.05(4) mas resulting in a pulsar distance of 0.95(4) kpc; enabling an estimate of the transverse velocity, 123(5) km s−1. Together with previously published spectroscopic measurements of the systemic radial velocity, this allows a 3D determination of the system’s velocity; (b) precise measurements of the rate of advance of periastron yields a total system mass of 1.6518 +0.0033-0.0035 Msun; (c) a Shapiro delay measurement, h3 = 82 ± 14 ns, despite the orbital inclination not being near 90°; combined with the measurement of the total mass yields a pulsar mass of 1.353 +0.014-0.017 Msun and a companion mass of 0.298 +0.015-0.0120 Msun; (d) we measure precisely the secular variation of the projected semimajor axis and detect a significant annual orbital parallax; together these allow a determination of the 3D orbital geometry of the system, including an unambiguous orbital inclination (i = 138.7 +2.5-2.2 deg) and a position angle for the line of nodes ( omega = 44 +5-4 deg). We discuss the component masses to investigate the hypotheses previously advanced to explain the origin of eccentric MSPs. The unprecedented determination of the 3D position, motion, and orbital orientation of the system, plus the precise pulsar and WD masses and the latter’s optical detection make this system a unique test of our understanding of white dwarfs and their atmospheres.
Cosmic dust plays an essential role in our understanding of the chemical and physical evolution of the universe. Our understanding of cosmic dust relies on a combination of astronomical observations (either remote or on extraterrestrial dust samples), astrophysical modeling and laboratory studies of realistic analogs of cosmic dust grains. The COSmIC facility was developed at NASA Ames to study the evolution of cosmic carbon from circumstellar outflows to interstellar clouds to planetary atmospheres in the laboratory [1]. COSmIC stands for “Cosmic Simulation Chamber” and is dedicated to the study of neutral and ionized molecules and grain particles under the low temperature and density conditions that are required to simulate space environments. COSmIC integrates a variety of instruments that allow generating, processing, and monitoring simulated space conditions in the laboratory. It is composed of a Pulsed Discharge Nozzle (PDN) expansion that generates a plasma in a free supersonic jet expansion, coupled to high-sensitivity, complementary in situ diagnostic tools used for the detection and characterization of the species present in the expansion: Cavity Ring Down Spectroscopy (CRDS) and fluorescence spectroscopy systems for photonic detection and an orthogonal Reflectron Time-Of-Flight Mass Spectrometer (oReTOF-MS) for mass detection. Recent advances achieved in laboratory astrophysics using COSmIC’s laboratory data in synergy with observational data will be presented. These results include the formation of dust grains and aerosols from gas-phase molecular precursors in environments as varied as circumstellar outflows of late AGB stars [2] and planetary atmospheres [3] and the evolution of our understanding of the diffuse interstellar bands (DIBs) with applications to the ESO Diffuse Interstellar Bands Large Exploration Survey (EDIBLES [4, 5]). Plans for future laboratory developments and techniques to study the evolution of cosmic carbon molecules and grains (including NIR-MIR CRDS, laser induced fluorescence (LIF) and incandescence (LII)) will also be addressed as well as their astronomical applications.
This is the annual status report for the third year of our LTSA grant 'Open Clusters as Laboratories.' Because we have now had a few years to work on the project, we have started to produce and publish a large number of papers. We have been extremely successful in obtaining ROSAT observations of open clusters. With the demise of the PSPC on ROSAT, our main data source has come to an end and we will be able to concentrate on analyzing those data.
We are interested in the biochemistry of existing RNA enzymes and in the development of RNA enzymes with novel catalytic function. The focal point of our research program has been the design and operation of a laboratory system for the controlled evolution of catalytic RNA. This system serves as working model of RNA-based life and can be used to explore the catalytic potential of RNA. Evolution requires the integration of three chemical processes: amplification, mutation, and selection. Amplification results in additional copies of the genetic material. Mutation operates at the level of genotype to introduce variability, this variability in turn being expressed as a range of phenotypes. Selection operates at the level of phenotype to reduce variability by excluding those individuals that do not conform to the prevailing fitness criteria. These three processes must be linked so that only the selected individuals are amplified, subject to mutational error, to produce a progeny distribution of mutant individuals. We devised techniques for the amplification, mutation, and selection of catalytic RNA, all of which can be performed rapidly in vitro within a single reaction vessel. We integrated these techniques in such a way that they can be performed iteratively and routinely. This allowed us to conduct evolution experiments in response to artificially-imposed selection constraints. Our objective was to develop novel RNA enzymes by altering the selection constraints in a controlled manner. In this way we were able to expand the catalytic repertoire of RNA. Our long-range objective is to develop an RNA enzyme with RNA replicase activity. If such an enzyme had the ability to produce additional copies of itself, then RNA evolution would operate autonomously and the origin of life will have been realized in the laboratory.
The core group concentrated on three primary research topics: (1) ROSAT observation of the coronal activity of low mass stars in young open clusters; (2) the determination of stellar ages and the determination of the timescale for dissipation of circumstellar disks around young stars; and (3) the determination of rotation velocities of low mass stars in young open cluster and the inferred angular momentum evolution of low mass stars. With accurate ages for the clusters, we can then derive an independent estimate of the timescale for debris disks to dissipate. As the second half of that project, we are using the Caltech/UC/NASA Keck telescopes to obtain spectra of brown dwarf candidates in a number of nearby, young open clusters, from which we can determine new and accurate cluster ages. The final primary program that we have addressed was the determination of rotational velocities for low mass stars in our target open clusters. Our group has obtained rotational velocities for a large number of stars in several open clusters during this LTSA program, and we have published the results in several papers. One particularly time-consuming aspect of our program was the development of a database of the photometry and rotational velocities for nearby open clusters, which we have made available to the community.
The samples returned from near-Earth asteroid (162173) Ryugu provide a pristine record of the 4.6 billion years since the birth of the Solar System. The Hayabusa2 initial analysis team has integrated a range of analytical techniques to investigate Ryugu’s organic chemistry. Here, we highlight their latest findings, the potential questions which may be answered, and provide an overview of new prospects in the decade to come.
This paper examines the premise that object-oriented technology (OOT) is the most significant technology ever examined by the Software Engineering Laboratory. The evolution of the use of OOT in the Software Engineering Laboratory (SEL) 'Experience Factory' is described in terms of the SEL's original expectations, focusing on how successive generations of projects have used OOT. General conclusions are drawn on how the usage of the technology has evolved in this environment.
Biogenesis, chemical evolution, detection of extraterrestrial life and future automated biological laboratory to explore Mars
Recent astronomical observations and theoretical modeling led to a consensus regarding the global scenario of the formation of young stellar objects (YSO) from a cold molecular cloud of interstellar dust (organics and minerals) and gas that, in some cases, leads to the formation of a planetary system. In the case of our Solar System, which has already evolved for approximately 4567 Ma, the quest is to access, through the investigation of planets, moons, cometary and asteroidal bodies, meteorites, micrometeorites, and interplanetary dust particles, the primitive material that contains the key information about the early Solar System processes and its evolution. However, laboratory analyses of extraterrestrial samples, astronomical observations and dynamical models of the Solar System evolution have not brought yet any conclusive evidence on the nature and location of primitive matter in the Solar System, preventing a clear understanding of its early stages.
Understanding the origin of organic matter in astrophysical environments ranging from circumstellar (CS) outflows to diffuse and dense interstellar (IS) clouds to protoplanetary disks and planetary bodies has become a central objective in astrophysics. Experimental facilities dedicated to the formation and characterization of laboratory analogs generated under conditions relevant to the targeted environments have been developed in the past recent years. Recent advances achieved in laboratory astrophysics using COSmIC’s laboratory data in synergy with observational data will be presented. These results include the use of laboratory spectra to search for IS organic molecules and ions in astronomical spectra, the formation of laboratory analogs of CS and IS dust grains and planetary atmospheres aerosols from molecular precursors.
How can we improve our ability to predict the weather-tomorrow, next week, and into the future? How is the Earth's climate changing? What causes such change? And what are its costs? What can the atmospheres of distant planets teach us about our own planet and its evolution? The Laboratory for Atmospheres is helping to answer these and other scientific questions about our planet and its neighbors. The Laboratory conducts a broad theoretical and experimental research program studying all aspects of the atmospheres of the Earth and other planets, including their structural, dynamical, radiative, and chemical properties, with the overarching goal to provide better understanding and to improve prediction of the Earth's climate. Vigorous research is central to NASA's exploration of the frontiers of knowledge. NASA scientists play a key role in conceiving new space missions, providing mission requirements, and carrying out research to explore the behavior of planetary systems, including, notably, the Earth's. Our Laboratory's scientists also supply outside scientists with technical assistance and scientific data to further investigations not immediately addressed by NASA itself. Laboratory scientists submit competitive research proposals with diverse scientific or technological approaches to NASA and other Federal agencies to acquire research support. The Laboratory management strives to provide a working environment that promotes creativity, competition, and openness. The Laboratory for Atmospheres is a vital participant in NASA's research program. Our Laboratory often has relatively large programs, sizable satellite missions, or observational campaigns that require the cooperative and collaborative efforts of many scientists. We ensure an appropriate balance between our scientists' responsibility for these large collaborative projects and their need for an active individual research agenda. This balance allows members of the Laboratory to continuously improve their scientific credentials. The Laboratory places high importance on promoting and measuring quality in its scientific research. We strive to assure high quality through peer-review funding processes that support approximately 90% of the work in the Laboratory. The overall quality of our scientific efforts is evaluated periodically by committees of advisors from the external scientific community, as detailed in Appendix 2 of this document. Members of the Laboratory interact with the general public to support a wide range of interests in the atmospheric sciences. Among other activities, the Laboratory raises the public's awareness of atmospheric science by presenting public lectures and demonstrations, by making scientific data available to wide audiences, by teaching, and by mentoring students and teachers. Section 6 presents details of the Laboratory's outreach activities during 2002. The Laboratory is also committed to addressing the demographic imbalances that exist today in the atmospheric and space sciences. We must address these imbalances for our field to enjoy the full benefit of all of the Nation's talent. The Laboratory makes substantial efforts to attract new scientists to the fields of atmospheric and space sciences. We strongly encourage the establishment of partnerships with Federal and state agencies that have operational responsibilities to promote the societal application of Earth sciences.
Measurements of the current-voltage characteristics of a Langmuir probe in the near wake of a disk immersed in a pulsed flowing plasma were made. A 1 cm diameter biasable sphere was placed in the ion-free near wake region of a 10 cm diameter disk immersed in a Mach 8 pulsed flowing plasma. The current-voltage characteristic of the sphere was observed as a function of time as the sphere bias was scanned from -5000 V to +1000 V. The collected current is found to be monotonically increasing with increasing positive bias voltage but exhibits a threshold voltage for current collection as the bias voltage becomes more negative. Potential measurements in the wake region were made for a sphere bias voltages below, at, and above the current collection threshold for a number of times during the wake formation period. The time evolution of the potential profile is shown to change as the sheath around the biased sphere is established. Predictions from the particle trajectory code SIMION are compared with data, showing excellent agreement in the prediction of the current collection threshold.