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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1982

Terrestrial environment (climatic) criteria guidelines for use in aerospace vehicle development

Guidelines on terrestrial environment data specifically applicable for NASA aerospace vehicles and associated equipment development are provided. The general distribution of natural environmental extremes in the conterminous United States that may be needed to specify design criteria in the transportation of space vehicle subsystems and components is considered. Atmospheric attenuation was included, since certain Earth orbital experiment missions are influenced by the Earth's atmosphere. Climatic extremes for worldwide operational needs is also included. Atmospheric chemistry, seismic criteria, and a mathematical model to predict atmospheric dispersion of aerospace engine exhaust cloud rise and growth are discussed. Atmospheric cloud phenomena are considered.

Turner, R. E.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Experimental tests of range-profiling algorithms

The natural tendency in the design of a spaceborne weather radar is to select frequencies at 10 GHz or higher. A major disadvantage of this approach is that increased attenuation limits the maximum rain rate that can be accurately estimated. Here, a way to lessen this problem is suggested which uses estimates of path attenuation to reconstruct a profile of the rain rate.

Meneghini, R.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Evaluation of simulation motion fidelity criteria in the vertical and directional axes

An evaluation of existing motion fidelity criteria was conducted on the NASA Ames Vertical Motion Simulator. Experienced test pilots flew single-axis repositioning tasks in both the vertical and the directional axes. Using a first-order approximation of a hovering helicopter, tasks were flown with variations only in the filters that attenuate the commands to the simulator motion system. These filters had second-order high-pass characteristics, and the variations were made in the filter gain and natural frequency. The variations spanned motion response characteristics from nearly full math-model motion to fixed-base. Between configurations, pilots recalibrated their motion response perception by flying the task with full motion. Pilots subjectively rated the motion fidelity of subsequent configurations relative to this full motion case, which was considered the standard for comparison. The results suggested that the existing vertical-axis criterion was accurate for combinations of gain and natural frequency changes. However, if only the gain or the natural frequency was changed, the rated motion fidelity was better than the criterion predicted. In the vertical axis, the objective and subjective results indicated that a larger gain reduction was tolerated than the existing criterion allowed. The limited data collected in the yaw axis revealed that pilots had difficulty in distinguishing among the variations in the pure yaw motion cues.

Schroeder, Jeffery A.↗
DOE OSTI2021

Fault Location Using the Natural Frequency of Oscillation of Current Discharge in MTdc Networks

This paper discusses a novel offline-fault location approach using single ended measurements. The natural dissipation of the circuit parameters are considered for fault location. A relationship between the damped natural frequency of oscillation of the transmission line current and fault location is established. The hybrid dc circuit breaker (dcCB) interrupts the fault current, whereby the transmission line current attenuates under the absence of any driving voltage source. The line capacitance discharges into the fault at a specific frequency of oscillation and rate of attenuation. Utilizing this information, the fault location in a multi-terminal direct current (MTdc) network can be obtained. A three terminal radial model of a MTdc is used for performance evaluation of the proposed method using Power System Computer Aided Design (PSCAD)/Electromagnetic Transients including dc (EMTdc).

42 ENGINEERING↗
NASA NTRS1989

Modal control of an oblique wing aircraft

A linear modal control algorithm is applied to the NASA Oblique Wing Research Aircraft (OWRA). The control law is evaluated using a detailed nonlinear flight simulation. It is shown that the modal control law attenuates the coupling and nonlinear aerodynamics of the oblique wing and remains stable during control saturation caused by large command inputs or large external disturbances. The technique controls each natural mode independently allowing single-input/single-output techniques to be applied to multiple-input/multiple-output systems.

Phillips, James D.↗
DOE OSTI2026

Enhancing the efficiency of time-dependent density functional theory calculations of dynamic response properties

X-ray Thomson scattering (XRTS) constitutes an essential technique for diagnosing material properties under extreme conditions, such as high pressures and intense laser heating. Time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) is one of the most accurate available ab initio methods for modeling XRTS spectra, as well as a host of other dynamic material properties. However, strong thermal excitations, along with the need to account for variations in temperature and density as well as the finite size of the detector significantly increase the computational cost of TDDFT simulations compared to ambient conditions. In this work, we present a broadly applicable method for optimizing and enhancing the efficiency of TDDFT calculations. Our approach is based on a one-to-one mapping between the dynamic structure factor and the imaginary time density–density correlation function, which naturally emerges in Feynman’s path integral formulation of quantum many-body theory. Specifically, we combine rigorous convergence tests in the imaginary time domain with a constraints-based attenuation of narrow-band fluctuations to improve the efficiency of TDDFT modeling without the introduction of any significant bias. As a result, we can report a speed-up by up to an order of magnitude, thus substantially reducing the burden of computational cost required for XRTS analysis.

Moldabekov, Zhandos A. [Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-↗
NASA NTRS1993

Active Suppression Of Vibrations On Elastic Beams

Pairs of colocated piezoelectric transducers, independently controlled by multichannel adaptive controller, employed as actuators and sensors to achieve simultaneous attenuation of both extensional and flexural motion. Single pair used to provide simultaneous control of flexural and extensional waves, or two pairs used to control torsional motion also. Capability due to nature of piezoelectric transducers, when bonded to surfaces of structures and activated by oscillating voltages, generate corresponding oscillating distributions of stresses in structures. Phases and amplitudes of actuator voltages adjusted by controller to impede flow of vibrational energy simultaneously, in waves of various forms, beyond locations of actuators. Concept applies equally to harmonic or random response of structure and to multiple responses of structure to transverse bending, torsion, and compression within structural element. System has potential for many situations in which predominant vibration transmission path through framelike structure.

Silcox, Richard J.↗
NASA NTRS1997

Advanced Technology for Isolating Payloads in Microgravity

One presumption of scientific microgravity research is that while in space disturbances are minimized and experiments can be conducted in the absence of gravity. The problem with this assumption is that numerous disturbances actually occur in the space environment. Scientists must consider all disturbances when planning microgravity experiments. Although small disturbances, such as a human sneeze, do not cause most researchers on earth much concern, in space, these minuscule disturbances can be detrimental to the success or failure of an experiment. Therefore, a need exists to isolate experiments and provide a quiescent microgravity environment. The objective of microgravity isolation is to quantify all possible disturbances or vibrations and then attenuate the transmission of the disturbance to the experiment. Some well-defined vibration sources are: experiment operations, pumps, fans, antenna movements, ventilation systems and robotic manipulators. In some cases, it is possible to isolate the source using simple vibration dampers, shock absorbers and other isolation devices. The problem with simple isolation systems is that not all vibration frequencies are attenuated, especially frequencies less than 0.1 Hz. Therefore, some disturbances are actually emitted into the environment. Sometimes vibration sources are not well defined, or cannot be controlled. These include thermal "creak," random acoustic vibrations, aerodynamic drag, crew activities, and other similar disturbances. On some "microgravity missions," such as the United States Microgravity Laboratory (USML) and the International Microgravity Laboratory (IML) missions, the goal was to create extended quiescent times and limit crew activity during these times. This might be possible for short periods, but for extended durations it is impossible due to the nature of the space environment. On the International Space Station (ISS), vehicle attitude readjustments are required to keep the vehicle in a minimum torque orientation and other experimental activities will occur continually, both inside and outside the station. Since all vibration sources cannot be controlled, the task of attenuating the disturbances is the only realistic alternative. Several groups have independently developed technology to isolate payloads from the space environment. Since 1970, Honeywell's Satellite Systems Division has designed several payload isolation systems and vibration attenuators. From 1987 to 1992, NASA's Lewis Research Center (LeRC) performed research on isolation technology and developed a 6 degree-of-freedom (DOF) isolator and tested the system during 70 low gravity aircraft flight trajectories. Beginning in early 1995, NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) and McDonnell Douglas Aerospace (MDA) jointly developed the STABLE (Suppression of Transient Accelerations By Levitation Evaluation) isolation system. This 5 month accelerated effort produced the first flight of an active microgravity vibration isolation system on STS-73/USML-02 in late October 1995. The Canadian Space Agency developed the Microgravity Vibration Isolation Mount (MIM) for isolating microgravity payloads and this system began operating on the Russian Mir Space Station in May 1996. The Boeing Defense & Space Group, Missiles & Space Division developed the Active Rack Isolation System (ARIS) for isolating payloads in a standard payload rack. ARIS was tested in September 1996 during the STS-79 mission to Mir. Although these isolation systems differ in their technological approach, the objective is to isolate payloads from disturbances. The following sections describe the technologies behind these systems and the different types of hardware used to perform isolation. The purpose of these descriptions is not to detail the inner workings of the hardware but to give the reader an idea of the technology and uses of the hardware components. Also included in the component descriptions is a paragraph detailing some of the advances in isolation technology for that particular component. The final section presents some concluding thoughts and a summary of anticipated advances in research and development for isolating microgravity experiments.

Alhorn, Dean C.↗
DOE OSTI2020

Applications of HPGe-detected high energy gamma rays toward quantifying neutron emission rates and 234 U enrichment in UF 6 cylinders

This study presents a 234 U enrichment meter that uses high energy gamma and neutron count rate as measured by a portable, high-purity germanium gamma ray detector. Twenty-one 30B cylinders containing UF 6 of varying origin were analyzed with an HPGe detector for high-energy gamma ray and neutron counts. Excellent correlations (R 2 0.95) between various regions of 3.0 MeV gamma rays, neutron count rate, and uranium enrichment were found. These neutron and high-energy gamma data are used to create calibration-dependent enrichment meters for 234 U. The 234 U enrichment calculated from the neutron count rate and 4 – 6 MeV gamma count rate is more accurate than methods that rely on the 120.9 keV peak which is strongly attenuated inside commercial sized UF 6 cylinders. These neutron and high-energy gamma enrichment calculators can also be used to determine a 235 U enrichment, assuming mass-based enrichment from natural uranium, but the results are not as accurate as the traditional 185.7 keV peak enrichment meter.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
NASA NTRS1982

Control of the forebody vortex orientation by asymmetric air injection. Part A: Application to enhance departure/spin recovery of fighter aircraft. Part B: Details of the flow structure

A novel concept which was developed to provide powerful directional control effectiveness for a fighter aircraft at high angles of attack, where more traditional controls have very limited capability is discussed. The concept utilizes the energy concentrated in the strong forebody vortices (which form on slender bodies at high relative incidence) by controlling the lateral orientation of the vortices with respect to the body. The present concept seeks to utilize the inherent sensitivity of the vortex positioning and its bistable nature to an advantage allowing control of the forces which are developed. As it turns out, the direction or sense of the asymmetric vortex pair is much easier to control than to attenuate. The work which was done to develop the concept for application to an aircraft is described and is directed toward the effects of the concept on aircraft forces and moments and on the flight mechanics of the aircraft during maneuvering at high angles of attack. The objective was to utilize the side force associated with asymmetric vortices, in a controlled manner, to enhance the ability of the fighter to recover from a departure from controlled flight. The results from these water tunnel and wind tunnel experiments show that a small amount of tangential blowing along the forebody near the apex can effectively alter the forebody vortex system and generate large restoring yawing moments.

Skow, A. M.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Moorable spectroradiometers in the BIOWATT experiment

A new oceanographic instrument, the MER-2020, has been developed for the long term measurement of bio-optical properties. This instrument is a self-contained reflectance spectroradiometer with 40 megabytes of internal data storage and battery power permitting deployments for as long as 6 months. It can serve as the control and recording center for a variety of other sensors including fluorometers, transmissometers, temperature and conductivity probes. Instruments of this type were deployed at depths to 70 meters on a 5000 meter mooring during the BIOWATT experiment between February and November 1987. Measurements of the spectral diffuse attenuation coefficient and of the remote sensed reflectance from the ten month period in 1987 in the Northern Sargasso Sea are presented. In addition, the temperature, pressure, package orientation and sunlight stimulated natural fluorescence of phytoplankton are discussed. This instrument will be a key part of in situ optical calibration for future remote color sensors, and presently permits direct measurement of long term optical variability, important in visibility and communication problems.

Booth, C. R.↗
NASA NTRS1982

A method to determine the acoustical properties of locally and nonlocally reacting duct liners in grazing flow

The acoustical properties of locally and nonlocally reacting acoustical liners in grazing flow are described. The effect of mean flow and shear flow are considered as well as the application to rigid and limp bulk reacting materials. The axial wavenumber of the least attenuated mode in a flow duct is measured. The acoustical properties of duct liners is then deduced from the measured axial wavenumber and known flow profile and boundary conditions. This method is a natural extension of impedance-like measurements.

Succi, G.↗
NASA NTRS2008

Terrestrial Environment (Climatic) Criteria Guidelines for use in Aerospace Vehicle Development

This document provides guidelines for the terrestrial environment that are specifically applicable in the development of design requirements/specifications for NASA aerospace vehicles, payloads, and associated ground support equipment. The primary geographic areas encompassed are the John F. Kennedy Space Center, FL; Vandenberg AFB, CA; Edwards AFB, CA; Michoud Assembly Facility, New Orleans, LA; John C. Stennis Space Center, MS; Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX; George C. Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL; and the White Sands Missile Range, NM. This document presents the latest available information on the terrestrial environment applicable to the design and operations of aerospace vehicles and supersedes information presented in NASA-HDBK-1001 and TM X-64589, TM X-64757, TM-78118, TM-82473, and TM-4511. Information is included on winds, atmospheric thermodynamic models, radiation, humidity, precipitation, severe weather, sea state, lightning, atmospheric chemistry, seismic criteria, and a model to predict atmospheric dispersion of aerospace engine exhaust cloud rise and growth. In addition, a section has been included to provide information on the general distribution of natural environmental extremes in the conterminous United States, and world-wide, that may be needed to specify design criteria in the transportation of space vehicle subsystems and components. A section on atmospheric attenuation has been added since measurements by sensors on certain Earth orbital experiment missions are influenced by the Earth s atmosphere. There is also a section on mission analysis, prelaunch monitoring, and flight evaluation as related to the terrestrial environment inputs. The information in these guidelines is recommended for use in the development of aerospace vehicle and related equipment design and associated operational criteria, unless otherwise stated in contract work specifications. The terrestrial environmental data in these guidelines are primarily limited to information below 90 km altitude.

D L Johnson↗
NASA NTRS1987

Evaluation and comparison of dominant backscattering sources at 10 GHz in two treatments of tall-grass prairie

A very-fine-range resolution Frequency Modulated-Continuous Wave radar, operating at X-band, was used to evaluate the primary backscattering contributors to the radar signal from a tall-grass prairie. Defoliation was used to help measure relative backscatter from various components of the canopy with both linear polarizations and at 30 deg and 50 deg incidence angles. Variation of the average returned power with incidence angle was greatest for the natural prairie at horizontal polarization and was the least for vertical polarization. Vertical polarization seemed to be more sensitive to the upper portions of the plants, whereas horizontal polarization was to the lower portions. Attenuation for horizontal polarization was only half that for vertical polarization. Dielectric measurements of the grass and some of the canopy components were conducted as well.

Zoughi, Reza↗
NASA NTRS1971

Operating frequencies for educational satellite services

The factors affecting the choice of transmission frequencies are identified. These include international radio regulations, natural environment, man-made environment, hardware considerations, and interconnection and spectrum space considerations. An analysis is presented of international radio regulations with emphasis on 1963 EARC and 1971 WARC frequency allocations, powerflux density restrictions, and resolutions concerning introduction of broadcasting-satellite systems. Natural-environmental effects were divided into two categories: (1) those due to transionospheric propagation, and (2) those that can be credited to the earth's atmosphere and its constituents. The frequency dependence of the signal attenuation, signal distortion, and contributions to system noise temperature due to environmental effects are discussed, and comparisons were made for frequencies of interest. Man-made environmental effects were examined in terms of various sharing limitations as well as the indigenous noise contribution to the overall system noise.

Singh, J. P.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Sensitivity of Space Station Alpha Joint robust controller to structural modal parameter variations

The baseline design of the photovoltaic-array sun-tracking control system is presented with special attention given to the optimization of design variables related to stability and performance. The procedures utilized to attenuate control/structure interaction are described, and controller sensitivity to variations in structural modal parameters is examined. Constrained optimization techniques determine the stability margin and tracking capability, which are then tested for sensitivity to variations in natural frequency, mode-shape amplitudes, and modal-damping ratios. The effect of variations in the modal parameters of the dominant modes on performance indicators is also examined to optimize tracking-performance responsiveness and satisfy the design requirements. It is concluded that accurate on-orbit modal data are necessary to make the reoptimization procedure effective in improving the performance of the control system.

Kumar, Renjith R.↗
NASA NTRS2014

Sound Transmission Loss Through a Corrugated-Core Sandwich Panel with Integrated Acoustic Resonators

The goal of this study is to better understand the effect of structurally integrated resonators on the transmission loss of a sandwich panel. The sandwich panel has facesheets over a corrugated core, which creates long aligned chambers that run parallel to the facesheets. When ports are introduced through the facesheet, the long chambers within the core can be used as low-frequency acoustic resonators. By integrating the resonators within the structure they contribute to the static load bearing capability of the panel while also attenuating noise. An analytical model of a panel with embedded resonators is derived and compared with numerical simulations. Predictions show that acoustic resonators can significantly improve the transmission loss of the sandwich panel around the natural frequency of the resonators. In one configuration with 0.813 m long internal chambers, the diffuse field transmission loss is improved by more than 22 dB around 104 Hz. The benefit is achieved with no added mass or volume relative to the baseline structure. The embedded resonators are effective because they radiate sound out-of-phase with the structure. This results in destructive interference, which leads to less transmitted sound power.

Schiller, Noah H.↗
DOE OSTI2021

High-Quality Revision of the Israeli Seismic Bulletin

Seismic bulletins, with trustworthy phase picks, origin times, and source locations are key for regional seismic studies, such as travel-time (TT) tomography, attenuation tomography, and anisotropy studies. To lay the groundwork for such studies in Israel, we revised the seismic bulletin of Israel and the surrounding area and obtained a trustworthy TT data set. From the earthquake and explosion bulletins of the Geophysical Institute of Israel, we compiled a starting data set of about 123,000 earthquakes and explosions that occurred during the past 40 yr. After screening out the poorly recorded events, we were left with a data set of ~38,000 well-recorded events. We then revised the remaining data set in two consecutive steps. In the first, we reviewed and updated station metadata, including changes in station metadata parameters over time. In the second step, we jointly relocated a list of selected seismic events, using the Bayesian hierarchical location software package (BayesLoc) of Myers et al. (2007) that performs joint relocation of multiple events. We observed striking dissimilarities between the spatial distributions of the newly relocated catalog and the initial locations. Although the depth distribution of the starting catalog is trimodal with peaks at 0, 5, and 10 km, the distribution in this study is unimodal, with a broad peak between 7.5 and 12.5 km. By differencing the observed arrival times and the origin times obtained through relocation with BayesLoc, we obtained a revised TT database that consists of 261,336 Pg, 132,876 Pn, 114,816 Sg, and 60,394 Sn arrivals, from a set of 30,458 jointly relocated seismic sources. In this work, we compared prerevision and postrevision TTs as a function of epicentral distance and concluded that the revised data set contains far fewer outliers and inconsistencies than the original data set. The revised TT data set may be used for seismic studies, such as TT tomography, attenuation tomography, and anisotropy studies.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗