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At least 199 records · Page 11

Marshall Space Flight Center Materials and Processes Laboratory

Marshall?s Materials and Processes Laboratory has been a core capability for NASA for over fifty years. MSFC has a proven heritage and recognized expertise in materials and manufacturing that are essential to enable and sustain space exploration. Marshall provides a "systems-wise" capability for applied research, flight hardware development, and sustaining engineering. Our history of leadership and achievements in materials, manufacturing, and flight experiments includes Apollo, Skylab, Mir, Spacelab, Shuttle (Space Shuttle Main Engine, External Tank, Reusable Solid Rocket Motor, and Solid Rocket Booster), Hubble, Chandra, and the International Space Station. MSFC?s National Center for Advanced Manufacturing, NCAM, facilitates major M&P advanced manufacturing partnership activities with academia, industry and other local, state and federal government agencies. The Materials and Processes Laborato ry has principal competencies in metals, composites, ceramics, additive manufacturing, materials and process modeling and simulation, space environmental effects, non-destructive evaluation, and fracture and failure analysis provide products ranging from materials research in space to fully integrated solutions for large complex systems challenges. Marshall?s materials research, development and manufacturing capabilities assure that NASA and National missions have access to cutting-edge, cost-effective engineering design and production options that are frugal in using design margins and are verified as safe and reliable. These are all critical factors in both future mission success and affordability.

Tramel, Terri L.↗

The reduction of wide field/planetary camera images

An overview of the procedures required for reduction of Hubble Space Telescope Wide Field/Planetary Camera images is presented, based on WFPC performance as observed during ground tests. Camera artifacts that must be removed prior to analysis of WFPC images are characterized. WFPC flat-field and dark-current images are also presented. Special emphasis is given to the design of WFPC imaging programs that minimize the effects of camera artifacts on image analysis.

Lauer, Tod R.↗

Developing a space network interface simulator: The NTS approach

This paper describes the approach used to redevelop the Network Control Center (NCC) Test System (NTS), a hardware and software facility designed to make testing of the NCC Data System (NCCDS) software efficient, effective, and as rigorous as possible prior to operational use. The NTS transmits and receives network message traffic in real-time. Data transfer rates and message content are strictly controlled and are identical to that of the operational systems. NTS minimizes the need for costly and time-consuming testing with the actual external entities (e.g., the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Payload Operations Control Center (POCC) and the White Sands Ground Terminal). Discussed are activities associated with the development of the NTS, lessons learned throughout the project's lifecycle, and resulting productivity and quality increases.

Hendrzak, Gary E.↗

Automated cataloging and characterization of space-derived data

One of the most significant technical issues that NASA must address and resolve is the problem of managing the enormous amounts of scientific and engineering data that will be generated by the next generation of remote sensing systems such as the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and the Earth Observing System (EOS). The amount of data these sensors are expected to produce will be orders of magnitude greater than NASA has ever experienced. Consequently new solutions must be developed for managing, accessing, and automatically inputting the data into a database in some expressive fashion that will provide a meaningful understanding and effective utilization of this data in a multidisciplinary environment. Presently, scientific data provided by satellites and other sources are processed, cataloged, and archived according to narrow mission or project-specific requirements with little regard to the semantics of the overall research. Scientists therefore lack knowledge of or access to potentially valuable data outside their own field. What is needed is an innovative approach that will allow collected data to be automatically cataloged, characterized, and managed in a domain-community. A concept and design approach that employs expert system-based knowledge controllers combined with advanced spatial database systems and graphical data structures is discussed.

Campbell, William J.↗

Automated cataloging and characterization of space-derived data

One of the most significant technical issues that NASA must address and resolve is the problem of managing the enormous amounts of scientific and engineering data that will be generated by the next generation of remote sensing systems such as the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and the Earth Observing System (EOS). The amount of data these sensors are expected to produce will be orders of magnitude greater than NASA has ever experienced. Consequently, new solutions must be developed for managing, accessing, and automatically inputting the data into a database in some expressive fashion that will provide a meaningful understanding and effective utilization of this data in a multidisciplinary environment. Presently, scientific data provided by satellites and other sources are processed, cataloged, and archived according to narrow mission or project-specific requirements with little regard to the semantics of the overall research. Scientists therefore lack knowledge of or access to potentially valuable data outside their own field. What is needed is an innovative approach that will allow collected data to be automatically cataloged, characterized, and managed in a domain-community. A concept and design approach that employs expert system-based knowledge controllers combined with advanced spatial database systems and graphical data structures is discussed.

Campbell, William J.↗

Modeling and interpretation of the optical and HST UV spectrum of SN 1993J

We present spherically symmetric, non-local thermodynamic equilibrium (non-LTE), expanding model atmosphere synthetic spectra of SN 1993J and compare them to the ultraviolet and optical spectra obtained simultaneously on 1993 April 15 by the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and at Lick Observatory. We are able to fit the optical and HST near-UV spectra with a variety of compositions, but find that our best fits are obtained with an enhanced helium abundance (Y = 0.8) and significant nonthermal ionization due to gamma rays produced by the decay of Ni-56. We find the effects of X-rays produced by thermal bremsstrahlung in the circumstellar material to have little effect on the spectrum. Our current models are unable to fit the HST far-UV region, predicting too little flux and strong, unseen Fe II features.

Baron, E.↗

In-orbit performance of the COSTAR-corrected Faint Object Camera

The improvements due to the Corrective Optics Space Telescope Axial Replacement (COSTAR) on imaging with the Faint Object Camera (FOC) on board the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) are presented. The encircled energy performance is dramatically improved, such that 85% of the total light in the Point Spread Function (PSF) is now enclosed within a circle of radius 0.1 sec at 486 nm wavelength, compared to 18% in the spherically aberrated PSF. This is equivalent to a sensitivity increase of 1.6 mag. The effective angular resolution is also improved from 66 to 43 mas at 486 nm. These improvements are slightly offset by a 20% lower total throughput at visible wavelengths. The plate scale is changed from 22.3 mas/pixel to 14.35 mas/pixel, resulting in a decrease in the field of view from 11 x 11/sq arcsec to 7.3 x 7.3/sq arcsec for the workhorse 512 x 512 format.

Jedrzejewski, R. I.↗

NASA GSFC's Role in the US Space Program

The paper discussss the GSFC research interests and how GSFC contributes to solve some of most basic questions Humans having been asking for thousands of years. How big is universe? How old is the universe? Will Humans and industrialization of the Earth change the climate significantly? Can Humans live in space? How does the Sun affect life on Earth? Goddard s role in Earth Science is very unique. We buy and build instruments that collect data about weather around the world. By flying those instruments on spacecraft, we have a unique vantage point to observe the weather patterns on a global scale. The best example is a satellite network called GOES (Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite) which produces the weather pictures and videos you see on the nightly news and weather channel. Earth Science is another area of great interest to Goddard scientists and spacecraft designers. This photo of an oil fire in Iraq taken on March 2Ist of this year shows the down range effect pollution will have on entire region. Space Weather has become extremely important in the Space business. Satellites not only can become inoperable due to the occasional high level of radiation but astronauts can be exposed to dangerous levels of radiation. Space Weather is actually an issue when planning Extra Vehicular Activities (EVA). At Goddard, our operation of the Hubble Space Telescope has meant we have worked closely with several Shuttle crews over the years.

Simpson, James E.↗

Sealing Europa’s Vents By Vapor Deposition: An Order-of-Magnitude Study

Fractures and vents in the ice crust of Europa, exposing the sub-surface ocean or liquid-water inclusions to the vacuum, might be responsible for the generation of planetary-scale water-vapor plumes. During its passage through the ice, the plume vapor is expected to partially condense on the cold ice walls. Together with other effects (water spillage, compression forces, etc.) this mechanism likely contributes to sealing the vent. In this work, we develop a lumped-parameter model to analyze the sealing timescales associated to water-vapor deposition alone. Neglecting all other possible mechanisms, we find shutting-off times roughly compatible with the 7-hour plume observed in 2012 by the Hubble Space Telescope, suggesting that vapor deposition might have played a major role in sealing the vent. A map of sealing times vs. plume density, mass flow rate and aperture areas is given. Plume quantities from the literature are analyzed and compared to our results. For a given plume density/mass flow rate, small apertures would be sealed quickly by vapor deposition and are thus incompatible with observations.

Europa↗

Making the Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission safe

This paper will detail how the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) system safety program is conducted. Numerous safety analyses are conducted through the various phases of design, test, and fabrication, and results are presented to NASA management for discussion during dedicated safety reviews. This paper will then address the system safety assessment and risk analysis methodologies used (i.e. hazard analysis, fault tree analysis, and failure modes and effects analysis), and how they are coupled with enginering and test analyses for a 'synergistic picture' of the system. Some preliminary safety analysis results, showing the relationship between hazard identification, control or abatement, and finally control verification, will be presented as examples of this safety process.

Bahr, N. J.↗

Chandra X-Ray Observatory Observations of the Globular Cluster M28 and its Milisecond Pulsar PSR B1821-24

We report here the results of the first Chandra X-Ray Observatory observations of the globular cluster M28 (NGC 6626). We detect 46 X-ray sources, of which 12 lie within 1 core radius of the center. We show that the apparently extended X-ray core emission seen with the ROSAT HRI is due to the superposition of multiple discrete sources, for which we determine the X-ray luminosity function down to a limit of about 6 x 10(exp 30) ergs/s. We measure the radial distribution of the X-ray sources and fit it to a King profile finding a core radius of r(sub c,X) approx. = 5 11". We measure for the first time the unconfused phase-averaged X-ray spectrum of the 3.05 ms pulsar B1821-24 and find that it is best described by a power law with photon index Gamma approx. = 1.2. We find marginal evidence of an emission line centered at 3.3 keV in the pulsar spectrum, which could be interpreted as cyclotron emission from a corona above the pulsar s polar cap if the magnetic field is strongly different from a centered dipole. The unabsorbed pulsar flux in the 0.1 - 8.0 keV band is approx. = 3.5 x 10(exp -13) ergs/s sq cm. We present spectral analyses of the five brightest unidentified sources. Based on the spectral parameters of the brightest of these sources, we suggest that it is a transiently accreting neutron star in a low-mass X-ray binary, in quiescence. Fitting its spectrum with a hydrogen neutron star atmosphere model yields the effective temperature T(sub eff, sup infinity) = 90(sup +30, sub -10) eV and the radius R(sub NS, sup infinity) = 14.5(sup +6.9, sub -3.8) km. In addition to the resolved sources, we detect fainter, unresolved X-ray emission from the central core. Using the Chandra-derived positions, we also report on the result of searching archival Hubble Space Telescope data for possible optical counterparts.

Becker, Werner↗

Gravitational lensing of quasars as seen by the Hubble Space Telescope Snapshot Survey

Results from the ongoing HST Snapshot Survey are presented, with emphasis on 152 high-luminosity, z greater than 1 quasars. One quasar among those observed, 1208 + 1011, is a candidate lens system with subarcsecond image separation. Six other quasars have point sources within 6 arcsec. Ground-based observations of five of these cases show that the companion point sources are foreground Galactic stars. The predicted lensing frequency of the sample is calculated for a variety of cosmological models. The effect of uncertainties in some of the observational parameters upon the predictions is discussed. No correlation of the drift rate with time, right ascension, declination, or point error is found.

Maoz, D.↗

Capabilities of the Materials Contamination Team at Marshall Space Flight Center

The Materials Contamination Team at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) has been recognized for its contributions supporting the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) spacecraft development programs. These programs include the Reusable Solid Rocket Motor (RSRM), Chandra X-Ray Observatory, and the International Space Station (ISS). The Environmental Effects Group, with the Materials Contamination Team and the Space Environmental Effects Team has been an integral part of NASA's success by the testing, evaluation, and qualification of materials, hardware, and processes. This paper focuses on the capabilities of the Materials Contamination Team. The Materials Contamination Team's realm of responsibility includes establishing contamination control during all phases of hardware development, including design, manufacturing, assembly, test, transportation, launch site processing, on-orbit exposure, return, and refurbishment. The team continues its mission of reducing the risk of equipment failure due to molecular or particulate contamination. Contamination is a concern in the Space Shuttle with sensitive bond-lines and reactive fluid (liquid oxygen) compatibility as well as for spacecraft with sensitive optics, such as Hubble Space Telescope and Chandra X-ray Observatory. The Materials Contamination Team has a variety of facilities and instrumentation capable of contaminant detection, identification, and monitoring. The team addresses material applications dealing with environments, including production facilities, clean rooms, and on-orbit exposure. The optically stimulated electron emission (OSEE) system, the Ultraviolet (UV) fluorescence (UVF) surface contamination detection, and the Surface Optics Corporation 400 (SOC 400) portable hand-held Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectrometer are state-of-the-art tools for in-process molecular contamination detection. The team of engineers and technicians also develop contamination calibration standards and evaluate new surface cleanliness inspection technologies. The team utilizes facilities for on-orbit simulation testing of materials for outgassing and molecular film deposition characteristics in the presence of space environmental effects, such as Atomic Oxygen (AO) and UV radiation exposure. The Materials Contamination Team maintains databases for process materials as well as outgassing and optical compatibility test results for specific environments.

Burns, Howard↗

Scattered light in the echelle modes of the Goddard high-resolution spectrograph aboard the Hubble Space Telescope. I - Analysis of prelaunch calibration data

A study of scattered light in the echelle mode of the Goddard high-resolution spectrograph (GHRS), one of the first-generation science instruments aboard the Hubble Space Telescope, is reported. The data analyzed are from the GHRS ground-based test program and include observations with the 500 channel Digicon detectors through the small science aperture of UV emission-line sources, continuum sources, and continuum sources viewed through molecular absorption cells. The two largest contributors to scattered light are the echelle and cross-disperser, the effects of which have been quantified. A computer simulation using the derived scattering functions demonstrates that the combined effects of these sources of scattered light adequately explain the observed level of interorder light when viewing UV continuum sources. Observing strategies and data reduction algorithms for measuring and removing the effects of the scattered light are discussed.

Cardelli, Jason A.↗

The Atacama Cosmology Telescope: Cosmological Parameters from Three Seasons of Data

We present constraints on cosmological and astrophysical parameters from highresolution microwave background maps at 148 GHz and 218 GHz made by the Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT) in three seasons of observations from 2008 to 2010. A model of primary cosmological and secondary foreground parameters is fit to the map power spectra and lensing deflection power spectrum, including contributions from both the thermal Sunyaev-Zeldovich (tSZ) effect and the kinematic Sunyaev-Zeldovich (kSZ) effect, Poisson and correlated anisotropy from unresolved infrared sources, radio sources, and the correlation between the tSZ effect and infrared sources. The power l(sup 2)C(sub l)/2pi of the thermal SZ power spectrum at 148 GHz is measured to be 3.4 +/- 1.4 micro-K(sup 2) at l = 3000, while the corresponding amplitude of the kinematic SZ power spectrum has a 95% confidence level upper limit of 8.6 micro-K(sup 2). Combining ACT power spectra with the WMAP 7-year temperature and polarization power spectra, we find excellent consistency with the LCDM model. We constrain the number of effective relativistic degrees of freedom in the early universe to be N(sub eff) = 2.79 +/- 0.56, in agreement with the canonical value of N(sub eff) = 3.046 for three massless neutrinos. We constrain the sum of the neutrino masses to be sigma(mν) is less than 0.39 eV at 95% confidence when combining ACT and WMAP 7-year data with BAO and Hubble constant measurements. We constrain the amount of primordial helium to be Y(sub p) = 0.225 +/- 0.034, and measure no variation in the fine structure constant alpha since recombination, with alpha/alpha(sub 0) = 1.004 +/- 0.005. We also find no evidence for any running of the scalar spectral index, derivative(n(sub s))/derivative(ln k) = −0.004 +/- 0.012.

Atacama↗

Hubble Space Telescope Hx Imaging of Star-forming Galaxies at z approximately equal to 1-1.5: Evolution in the Size and Luminosity of Giant H II Regions

We present Hubble Space Telescope/Wide Field Camera 3 narrow-band imaging of the Hα emission in a sample of eight gravitationally lensed galaxies at z = 1-1.5. The magnification caused by the foreground clusters enables us to obtain a median source plane spatial resolution of 360 pc, as well as providing magnifications in flux ranging from approximately 10× to approximately 50×. This enables us to identify resolved star-forming HII regions at this epoch and therefore study their Hα luminosity distributions for comparisons with equivalent samples at z approximately 2 and in the local Universe. We find evolution in the both luminosity and surface brightness of HII regions with redshift. The distribution of clump properties can be quantified with an HII region luminosity function, which can be fit by a power law with an exponential break at some cut-off, and we find that the cut-off evolves with redshift. We therefore conclude that 'clumpy' galaxies are seen at high redshift because of the evolution of the cut-off mass; the galaxies themselves follow similar scaling relations to those at z = 0, but their HII regions are larger and brighter and thus appear as clumps which dominate the morphology of the galaxy. A simple theoretical argument based on gas collapsing on scales of the Jeans mass in a marginally unstable disc shows that the clumpy morphologies of high-z galaxies are driven by the competing effects of higher gas fractions causing perturbations on larger scales, partially compensated by higher epicyclic frequencies which stabilize the disc.

H imaging↗

Further observations of BL Lacertae

Spectrophotometric observations of BL Lac have been obtained under conditions of fair to excellent seeing with BL Lac near the zenith. The nucleus was faint for all observations. Four absorption features identified as the Mg I and MgH band, the 4410-A band, the G-band, and H and K of Ca II, are observed. The redshift is approximately 0.070, in agreement with results in a previous paper. When the effects of the radiation from the central bright source are removed as well as possible, the residual spectral energy distribution is found to be very similar to that of a standard giant elliptical galaxy redshifted by 0.070 and reddened by a factor corresponding to a color excess of 0.28 to 0.40. The absolute visual magnitude of the underlying galaxy is -22.6 if the Hubble constant is 60 km/s per Mpc and the color excess is 0.28.

Thuan, T. X.↗

A study of the damping capacity of graphite epoxy composites in a vacuum

The damping properties of a graphite epoxy composite material (used in the construction of the Hubble Space Telescope) are measured under a variety of conditions in a vacuum chamber to simulate conditions in space. An improved method is proposed which utilizes several points of the response curve near a resonance to estimate the damping ratio and the undamped resonance frequency. The damping of a graphite epoxy tube is monitored for four weeks to study moisture desorption and temperature effects. A significant variation is observed in the damping ratio with temperature.

Rao, Mohan D.↗