Engineering Papers⌕ Search

Engineering topics

Mende, S. B.

Publications and source records attributed to Mende, S. B..

At least 37 records · Page 2
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1993

Artificial auroras in the upper atmosphere. II - Imaging results

On the ATLAS 1 mission (STS-45, launched March 24, 1992) two experiments, AEPI (Atmospheric Emissions Photometric Imaging) and SEPAC (Space Experiments with Particle Accelerators) performed the first of a series of active experiments intended to probe the atmosphere, ionosphere and magnetosphere with electron beams. The luminous artificial aurora generated by the electron beam interaction was detected and measured by AEPI both in white light and in a narrow wavelength band at 427.8 nm (peak intensity 5 kR). Modelling calculation showed that there was a significant contribution from emissions originating near the spacecraft. The spatial intensity distribution of the observed auroral patch is consistent with emission contribution from both high and low altitude regions. An extended tail in the direction of the shuttle wake was observed in the 427.8 nm channel, consistent with a decay time associated with the dissipation of the hot electron plasma.

Mende, S. B.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Spectral characteristics of Shuttle glow

The glowing cloud near the ram surfaces of the Space Shuttle was observed with a hand-held, intensified spectrograph operated by the astronauts from the aft-flight-deck of the Space Shuttle. The spectral measurements were made between 400 and 800 nm with a resolution of 3 nm. Analysis of the spectral response of the instrument and the transmission of the Shuttle window was performed on orbit using earth-airglow OH Meinel bands. This analysis resulted in a correction of the Shuttle glow intensity in the spectral region between 700 and 800 nm. The data presented in this report is in better agreement with laboratory measurements of the NO2 continuum.

Viereck, R. A.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Medium resolution spectra of the shuttle glow in the visible region of the spectrum

Recent spectral measurements of the visible shuttle glow (lambda = 400 - 800 nm) at medium resolution (1 nm) reveal the same featureless continuum with a maximum near 680 nm that was reported previously. This is also in good agreement with recent laboratory experiments that attribute the glow to the emissions of NO2 formed by the recombination of O + NO. The data that are presented were taken from the aft flight deck with a hand-held spectrograph and from the shuttle bay with a low-light-level television camera. Shuttle glow images and spectra are presented and compared with laboratory data and theory.

Viereck, R. A.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Charge exchange contamination of CRIT-II barium CIV experiment

Experiments have been recently performed which attempted to confirm critical ionization velocity (CIV) ionization by deploying chemicals at high velocity in the ionosphere. Specifically, the CRIT-II rocket performed a barium release in the ionosphere, where observations of Ba(+) resonant emissions following the release are believed to have resulted from the CIV process. Calculations are presented which suggest a significant fraction (if not all) of the Ba(+) observed likely resulted from charge exchange with the thermosphere ions and not through CIV processes. The results presented here are pertinent to other CIV experiments performed in the ionosphere. It is recommended that laboratory measurements should be made of the charge exchange cross section between O(+) and Ba as well as other metal vapors used in CIV experiments.

Swenson, G. R.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Dynamics of a barium release in the magnetospheric tail

The late time behavior of the May 13, 1985 magnetotail barium cloud is examined. The bulk dynamics of the cloud are studied based on triangulated data and data from Fabry-Perot Doppler velocity measurements. The changes in cloud morphology in relation to the in situ measurements made by the Ion Release Module satellite are discussed.

Mende, S. B.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Report from upper atmospheric science

Most of the understanding of the thermosphere resulted from the analysis of data accrued through the Atmosphere Explorer satellites, the Dynamics Explorer 2 satellite, and observations from rockets, balloons, and ground based instruments. However, new questions were posed by the data that have not yet been answered. The mesosphere and lower thermosphere have been less thoroughly studied because of the difficulty of accessibility on a global scale, and many rather fundamental characteristics of these regions are not well understood. A wide variety of measurement platforms can be used to implement various parts of a measurement strategy, but the major thrusts of the International Solar Terrestrial Physics Program would require Explorer-class missions. A remote sensing mission to explore the mesosphere and lower thermosphere and one and two Explorer-type spacecraft to enable a mission into the thermosphere itself would provide the essential components of a productive program of exploration of this important region of the upper atomsphere. Theoretical mission options are explored.

Carignan, G. R.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Imaging observations of lower thermospheric O(1S) and O2 airglow emissions from STS 9 - Implications of height variations

The lower thermospheric nightglow in the Southern Hemisphere was observed with the Atmospheric Emissions Photometric Imager during the Spacelab 1 mission in December, 1983. Observations of emission from O(1S) at 2972 and 5577A, O2 at 7620 A, OH near 6300 A, and the combined emission from the three upper states of O2 which lead to the Herzberg I and II and Chamberlain band emissions in B and near UV are discussed. The altitudes of peak emission heights are determined, showing that the peak heights are not constant with latitude. It is found that airglow heights varied with latitude by as much as 8 km. The observed airglow height pattern near the equator is similar to that of Wasser and Donahue (1979).

Swenson, G. R.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Atmospheric Emissions Photometric Imaging (AEPI) experiment

Space plasma physics will be studied on the Atmospheric Laboratory for Applications and Science (ATLAS 1) NASA mission during the Atmospheric Emissions Photometric Imaging (AEPI) experiment. The basic scientific objective of the AEPI is the investigation of the upper atmosphere-ionosphere and the space shuttle environment. The experiment areas of the AEPI include: (1) the investigation of ionospheric transport processes by observing Mg(+) ions; (2) studies of optical properties of artificially induced electron beams; (3) measurement of electron cross sections for selected atmospheric species; (4) studies of natural airglow; and (5) studies of natural auroras. On ATLAS 1, optical emissions generated by the shuttle (shuttle ram glow) will also be investigated.

Mende, S. B.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Spacecraft ram glow and surface temperature

Space shuttle glow intensity measurements show large differences when the data from different missions are compared. In particular, on the 41-G mission the space shuttle ram glow was observed to display an unusually low intensity. Subsequent investigation of this measurement and earlier measurements suggest that there was a significant difference in temperature of the glow producing ram surfaces. The highly insulating properties coupled with the high emissivity of the shuttle tile results in surfaces that cool quickly when exposed to deep space on the night side of the orbit. The increased glow intensity is consistent with the hypothesis that the glow is emitted from excited NO2. The excited NO2 is likely formed through three body recombination (OI + NO + M = NO2*) where ramming of OI interacts with weakly surface bound NO. The NO is formed from atmospheric OI and NI which is scavenged by the spacecraft moving through the atmosphere. It is postulated that the colder surfaces retain a thicker layer of NO thereby increasing the probability of the reaction. It has been found from the glow intensity/temperature data that the bond energy of the surface bound precursor, leading to the chemical recombination producing the glow, is approximately 0.14 eV. A thermal analysis of material samples of STS-8 was made and the postulated temperature change of individual material samples prior to the time of glow measurements above respective samples are consistent with the thermal effect on glow found for the orbiter surface.

Swenson, G. R.↗
NASA NTRS1986

The effect of temperature on Shuttle glow

The glow on ram surfaces of the Space Shuttle has been reported from a series of photographic observations made during several orbiter missions. These measurements have shown that the spectrum of the glow is a continuum, has a spectral peak at 680 nm, and the brightness decreases with altitude. The spectrum has been tentatively identified as the nitrogen dioxide continuum and follows the interaction of adsorbed nitric oxide with ramming atmospheric oxygen. In this paper the variation of the glow brightness among several different Shuttle flights is reexamined and it is shown that a major contributing factor to glow brightness is probably the temperature of the rammed surface. The derived temperature dependence is also consistent with the Atmospheric Explorer-C satellite 'red' glow intensity data.

Swenson, G. R.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Spectral measurement of the Space Shuttle leeside shock layer and wake

Leeside shock layer and wake spectral radiation measured during the high altitude portion of the reentry of Space Shuttle Orbiter STS 51-D are presented and are compared with similar measurements obtained in an arc jet tunnel. The spectra, measured with a low-resolution spectral camera, are compared in order to identify the radiating species in a wavelength range from 4000 to 8000 angstroms. Emissions identified are: N2 first positive and N2 second positive systems, the N2(+) first negative system, and the sodium-D lines. No atomic air species or CN are observed. The spectra and procedure will be of use in comparison of flight flowfield properties with computational predictions and for guidance in developing future flight experiments.

Blackwell, H. E.↗
NASA NTRS1986

STS-9 Shuttle grow - Ram angle effect and absolute intensities

Visible imagery from Space Shuttle mission STS-9 (Spacelab 1) has been analyzed for the ram angle effect and the absolute intensity of glow. The data are compared with earlier measurements and the anomalous high intensities at large ram angles are confirmed. Absolute intensities of the ram glow on the shuttle tile, at 6563 A, are observed to be about 20 times more intense than those measured on the AE-E spacecraft. Implications of these observations for an existing theory of glow involving NO2 are presented.

Swenson, G. R.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Vehicle glow measurements on the space shuttle

From the combined data set of glow observations on shuttle flight STS-3, STS-4, STS-5, STS-8, STS-9, 41-E, and 41-G some of the properties of the shuttle glow are discussed. Comparison of the STS-3 and STS-5 (240 and 305 km altitude, respectively) photographs shows that the intensity of the glow is about a factor of 3.5 brighter on the low-altitude (STS-3) flight. In an experiment to observe the dependence of the intensity on the ram angle, the angle of incidence between the spacecraft surface normal and the velocity vector, the Orbiter was purposely rotated about the x axis on the STS-5 mission. For a relatively large angle between the velocity vector and the surface normal there is an appreciable glow, provided the surface is not shadowed by some other spacecraft structure. As the angle becomes less the glow intensifies. Material samples were also exposed in the ram direction during nightside orbits and the glow surrounding the samples was photographed.

Mende, S. B.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Space shuttle ram glow: Implication of NO2 recombination continuum

The ram glow data gathered to data from imaging experiments on space shuttle suggest the glow is a continuum (within 34 angstrom resolution); the continuum shape is such that the peak is near 7000 angstroms decreasing to the blue and red, and the average molecular travel leading to emission after leaving the surface is 20 cm (assuming isotropic scattering from the surface). Emission continuum is rare in molecular systems but the measured spectrum does resemble the laboratory spectrum of NO2 (B) recombination continuum. The thickness of the observed emission is consistent with the NO2 hypothesis given an exit velocity of approx. 2.5 km/sec (1.3 eV) which leaves approx. 3.7 eV of ramming OI energy available for unbonding the recombined NO2 from the surface. The NO2 is formed in a 3-body recombination of OI + NO + m = NO2 + m where OI originates from the atmosphere and NO is chemically formed on the surface from atmospheric NI and OI. The spacecraft surface then acts as the n for the reaction: Evidence exists from orbital mass spectrometer data that the NO and NO2 chemistry described in this process does occur on surfaces of spectrometer orifices in orbit. Surface temperature effects are likely a factor in the NO sticking efficiency and, therefore, glow intensities.

Swenson, G. R.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Orbiter glow observations at high spectral resolution

An experiment flow on mission STS 41-G as part of the Canadian complement of experiments was designed to obtain relatively high resolution spectra of the Orbiter glow phenomenon over limited spectral regions centered on prominent upper atmospheric emissions. Observations were carried out successfully at altitudes of 360 km and 230 km although those at the lower altitude were limited by degradation of the image intensifier. Definitive glow results were obtained at the end of a thruster firing which showed the spectrum to be a continuum at a resolution of approximately 0.4 nm centered at a wavelength of 360 nm. Results at other wavelengths in the absence of any firings strongly suggest that the Orbiter glow is a continuum throughout the spectral region 550 nm to 760 nm. A discussion is presented that considers the reaction NO + O2 as being a possible candidate for the mechanism producing the shuttle glow.

Kendall, D. J. W.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Data requirements for verification of ram glow chemistry

A set of questions is posed regarding the surface chemistry producing the ram glow on the space shuttle. The questions surround verification of the chemical cycle involved in the physical processes leading to the glow. The questions, and a matrix of measurements required for most answers, are presented. The measurements include knowledge of the flux composition to and from a ram surface as well as spectroscopic signatures from the U to visible to IR. A pallet set of experiments proposed to accomplish the measurements is discussed. An interim experiment involving an available infrared instrument to be operated from the shuttle Orbiter cabin is also be discussed.

Swenson, G. R.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Observations of E and F region Mg(+) from Spacelab 1

Images of airglow at 2800 A were taken on the Spacelab 1 Shuttle mission and have been interpreted to be solar resonant emission of magnesium ions. On two orbital passes, observations were made near the magnetic equator while observing in the 2800-A channel. The observations were made near the sunset terminator (approximately 1800 LT), in winter (1983, day 335). Three separate emission clouds were observed, all of which extended well into the F region. The location of the clouds in horizontal space is shown. The processed images have been pseudocolored to highlight the intensity distribution in the clouds. Observations included clouds with apparent magnetic-field aligned striations. Bright emissions were observed at the magnetic equator, at 12-deg north magnetic latitude, and at 12-deg south magnentic latitude. Cloud-center brightnesses varied between 680 rayleighs and 1700 rayleighs.

Mende, S. B.↗