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Lawrence, S. L.

Publications and source records attributed to Lawrence, S. L..

9 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2016

Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera Observations Relating to Science and Landing Site Selection in South Pole-Aitken Basin for a Robotic Sample Return Mission

The Moon's South Pole-Aitken basin (SPA) is a high priority target for Solar System exploration, and sample return from SPA is a specific objective in NASA's New Frontiers program. Samples returned from SPA will improve our understanding of early lunar and Solar System events, mainly by placing firm timing constraints on SPA formation and the post-SPA late-heavy bombardment (LHB). Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) images and topographic data, especially Narrow Angle Camera (NAC) scale (1-3 mpp) morphology and digital terrain model (DTM) data are critical for selecting landing sites and assessing landing hazards. Rock components in regolith at a given landing site should include (1) original SPA impact-melt rocks and breccia (to determine the age of the impact event and what materials were incorporated into the melt); (2) impact-melt rocks and breccia from large craters and basins (other than SPA) that represent the post-SPA LHB interval; (3) volcanic basalts derived from the sub-SPA mantle; and (4) older, "cryptomare" (ancient buried volcanics excavated by impact craters, to determine the volcanic history of SPA basin). All of these rock types are sought for sample return. The ancient SPA-derived impact-melt rocks and later-formed melt rocks are needed to determine chronology, and thus address questions of early Solar System dynamics, lunar history, and effects of giant impacts. Surface compositions from remote sensing are consistent with mixtures of SPA impactite and volcanic materials, and near infrared spectral data distinguish areas with variable volcanic contents vs. excavated SPA substrate. Estimating proportions of these rock types in the regolith requires knowledge of the surface deposits, evaluated via morphology, slopes, and terrain ruggedness. These data allow determination of mare-cryptomare-nonmare deposit interfaces in combination with compositional and mineralogical remote sensing to establish the types and relative proportions of materials expected at a given site. Remote sensing compositions, e.g., FeO, also constrain the relative abundances of components. Landing-site assessments use crater and boulder distributions, and slope and terrain rugge

Jolliff, B. L.↗
NASA NTRS1996

Parallelization of a Parabolized Navier-Stokes Solver with a Design Optimizer

The design of future supersonic aircraft, such as the High Speed Civil Transport (HSCT), will rely heavily on computational methods for aircraft design and the prediction of the complex aerodynamics encountered in flight. Parabolized Navier-Stokes (PNS) equation flow solvers are recognized as efficient and accurate computational tools for the solution of supersonic and hypersonic flow-fields, while design optimizers have the potential to be valuable tools within the overall design process. Presently, however, the execution of the flow solver in conjunction with a design optimizer presents a computationally intensive and formidable problem. To meet the challenges and increasing demand for multidisciplinary numerical tools which are faster, more robust and provide greater functionality, alternative strategies are explored to increase computational throughput by coupling a design optimizer and flow solver in a parallel processing environment. To address this problem the parallel processing of a PNS flow solver with a nonlinear constraint design optimizer is investigated as an alternative computational method.

Pallis, J. M.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Adaptive Grids For 3-D Parabolized Navier-Stokes Computations

Computational grids adjusted iteratively to reduce errors. Procedure for iterative adjustment of computational grids developed for use in numerical solution of three-dimensional parabolized Navier-Strokes equations of flow. Refines grid in regions of high gradients in initial computed flow so on subsequent iterations, one can satisfy competing requirements to produce solution capturing pertinent features as shock waves and boundary layers, accurate resolution of which typically requires fine meshes; and prevent unnecessary refinement of mesh elsewhere, preventing undue increase in amount of computation.

Harvey, A. D.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Parabolized Navier-Stokes methods for hypersonic flows

The development and numerical solution of the Parabolized Navier-Stokes (PNS) equations is discussed. Special emphasis is placed on numerical integration algorithms for PNS solvers, most notably recent applications of upwind schemes. Application of this technology to high speed, high Reynolds number flows was the focus, and modeling techniques for real gas effects and turbulence were discussed. Experiences in validating the UPS upwind PNS flow solver for relatively simple body shapes are presented. The test cases range in complexity from two dimensional perfect gas cases to three dimensional finite rate chemistry cases.

Lawrence, S. L.↗
NASA NTRS1991

The prediction of viscous hypersonic flows about complex configurations using an upwind parabolized Navier-Stokes code

A three-dimensional parabolized Navier-Stokes computer code which employs an upwind algorithm is used to conduct a numerical study of an advanced maneuvering reentry vehicle configuration. Comparisons between numerical solutions and experimental data are presented for surface pressure, wall heat flux, and overall forces and moments. The effects of angle of attack, angle of yaw, and surface mass injection are investigated. Good agreement is observed between the calculated and measured data. The results of this investigation demonstrate the accuracy and efficiency of an upwind scheme in predicting the hypersonic flow field characteristics about a complex configuration.

Narain, J. P.↗
NASA NTRS1986

An upwind algorithm for the parabolized Navier-Stokes equations

A new upwind algorithm based on Roe's scheme has been developed to solve the two-dimensional parabolized Navier-Stokes (PNS) equations. This method does not require the addition of user specified smoothing terms for the capture of discontinuities such as shock waves. Thus, the method is easy to use and can be applied without modification to a wide variety of supersonic flowfields. The advantages and disadvantages of this adaptation are discussed in relation to those of the conventional Beam-Warming scheme in terms of accuracy, stability, computer time and storage, and programming effort. The new algorithm has been validated by applying it to three laminar test cases including flat plate boundary-layer flow, hypersonic flow past a 15 deg compression corner, and hypersonic flow into a converging inlet. The computed results compare well with experiment and show a dramatic improvement in the resolution of flowfield details when compared with the results obtained using the conventional Beam-Warming algorithm.

Lawrence, S. L.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Application of the implicit MacCormack scheme to the PNS equations

The two-dimensional parabolized Navier-Stokes equations are solved using MacCormack's (1981) implicit finite-difference scheme. It is shown that this method for solving the parabolized Navier-Stokes equations does not require the inversion of block tridiagonal systems of algebraic equations and allows the original explicit scheme to be employed in those regions where implicit treatment is not needed. The finite-difference algorithm is discussed and the computational results for two laminar test cases are presented. Results obtained using this method for the case of a flat plate boundary layer are compared with those obtained using the conventional Beam-Warming scheme, as well as those obtained from a boundary layer code. The computed results for a more severe test of the method, the hypersonic flow past a 15 deg compression corner, are found to compare favorably with experiment and a numerical solution of the complete Navier-Stokes equations.

Lawrence, S. L.↗