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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 235 records · Page 13
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1984

Size-distributions of chondrule types in the Inman and Allan Hills A77011 L3 chondrites

The size distributions of barred-olivine (BO) and radial-pyroxene/cryptocrystalline (RPC) chondrules are investigated in a petrographic study of nine and 18 thin sections (respectively) of the L3 chondrites Inman and ALHA77011. It is found that the Inman chondrules are significantly larger than the ALHA77011 chondrules and that RPC chondrules in Inman and BO chondrules in ALHA77011 are relatively more numerous, but no significant difference in the BO and RPC size distributions is observed. A formation mechanism involving size sorting of dustball chondrule precursors by aerodynamic particle-gas interactions in a large region of the solar nebula, melting of sorted dustballs in relatively small regions, and chondrule mixing and agglomeration (from subreservoirs containing uniformly large or uniformly small chondrules of a particular compositional type) to form chondrites is proposed.

Rubin, A. E.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Shuttle ground operations efficiencies/technologies study. Volume 4: Preliminary Issues Database (PIDB) catalog

The Preliminary Issues Database (PIDB) was assembled very early in the study as one of the fundamental tools to be used throughout the study. Data was acquired from a variety of sources and compiled in such a way that the data could be easily sorted in accordance with a number of different analytical objectives. The system was computerized to significantly expedite sorting and make it more usable. The information contained in the PIDB is summarized and the reader is provided with the capability to manually find items of interest.

Scholz, A. L.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Run-time parallelization and scheduling of loops

The class of problems that can be effectively compiled by parallelizing compilers is discussed. This is accomplished with the doconsider construct which would allow these compilers to parallelize many problems in which substantial loop-level parallelism is available but cannot be detected by standard compile-time analysis. We describe and experimentally analyze mechanisms used to parallelize the work required for these types of loops. In each of these methods, a new loop structure is produced by modifying the loop to be parallelized. We also present the rules by which these loop transformations may be automated in order that they be included in language compilers. The main application area of the research involves problems in scientific computations and engineering. The workload used in our experiment includes a mixture of real problems as well as synthetically generated inputs. From our extensive tests on the Encore Multimax/320, we have reached the conclusion that for the types of workloads we have investigated, self-execution almost always performs better than pre-scheduling. Further, the improvement in performance that accrues as a result of global topological sorting of indices as opposed to the less expensive local sorting, is not very significant in the case of self-execution.

Saltz, Joel H.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Schedule-Report-Generator Computer Program

Schedule Report Generator provides simple method for generating periodic schedule reports. Enables engineering manager to monitor tasks assigned to staff members on weekly basis. Sorts three types of reports by use of one or more data fields as sorting keys. Schedule Organizer (SO) (COSMIC program MSC-21525), Schedule Tracker (ST) (COSMIC program MSC-21526), and Schedule Report Generator (SRG) computer programs manipulating data-base files in ways advantageous in scheduling. Written in PL/1 and DEC Command Language (DCL).

Collazo, Fernando F.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Binary space partitioning trees and their uses

Binary Space Partitioning (BSP) trees have some qualities that make them useful in solving many graphics related problems. The purpose is to describe what a BSP tree is, and how it can be used to solve the problem of hidden surface removal, and constructive solid geometry. The BSP tree is based on the idea that a plane acting as a divider subdivides space into two parts with one being on the positive side and the other on the negative. A polygonal solid is then represented as the volume defined by the collective interior half spaces of the solid's bounding surfaces. The nature of how the tree is organized lends itself well for sorting polygons relative to an arbitrary point in 3 space. The speed at which the tree can be traversed for depth sorting is fast enough to provide hidden surface removal at interactive speeds. The fact that a BSP tree actually represents a polygonal solid as a bounded volume also makes it quite useful in performing the boolean operations used in constructive solid geometry. Due to the nature of the BSP tree, polygons can be classified as they are subdivided. The ability to classify polygons as they are subdivided can enhance the simplicity of implementing constructive solid geometry.

Bell, Bradley N.↗
NASA NTRS1990

HI and FIR emission from S0 galaxies

A large body of work has accumulated in recent years which throws into disarray the traditional assumption that S0 systems are inert, non-starforming galaxies with uniform, old stellar populations. The copious 21-cm data have been recently reviewed and assessed by Wardle and Knapp (1986). This work showed that roughly a third of the several hundred observed S0's contain detectable amounts of neutral hydrogen (HI). More recently, Pogge and Eskridge (1987) have shown that a significant fraction of HI-rich systems also exhibit H alpha emission. Thronson et al. (1989) report detection of CO line emission from two thirds of the S0's in their sample. Both of these last papers, however, report on fairly small data sets (approx. 20 objects each). From co-added Infrared Astronomy Satellite (IRAS) data, Knapp et al. (1989) report that roughly two thirds of a sample of several hundred S0's are detected at 60 and 100 microns. Work by Bally and Thronson (1989) and Walsh et al. (1989) has shown that, while a large number of S0's follow a relation between radio continuum and far infrared radiation (FIR) emission similar to that found for spirals, significant numbers of both radio-bright, and FIR-bright S0's exist. Clearly, a large number of factors are involved in determining the state of the interstellar medium in S0 galaxies. The class is probably heterogeneous, suggesting that large data samples are required to sort out various sorts of objects. The 21 cm and FIR samples are the two largest currently available. It is therefore of interest to compare the two and see where this leads. The following results are already clear: HI and FIR flux data can be used to isolate strong candidates for systems which have gained their HI gas via accretion; a rough power-law relationship exists for galaxies which are undergoing relatively normal star-forming activity; a heterogeneous class of galaxies with strong FIR emission compared to their HI emission exists. Further work is required to determine the various physical processes responsible for this last class.

Eskridge, Paul B.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Reference models for thermospheric NO

Nitric oxide has been measured with an ultraviolet spectrometer on the polar-orbiting satellite Solar Mesosphere Explorer (SME) for the period January 1982 to August 1986. The nitric oxide database contains densities at all latitudes sorted into 5 degree bins and at altitudes between 100 and 140 km sorted into 3.3 km-bins. The largest densities occur at latitudes in the auroral zones where the density varies as a function of geomagnetic activity. Variations of a factor of 10 occur between times of intense activity and quiet times. At low latitudes, the nitric oxide density at 110 km varies from a mean value of 3 times 10(exp 7) molecules per cubic cm in January 1982 to a mean value of 4 times 10(exp 6) molecules per cubic cm during solar minimum conditions in 1986. In addition, the low-latitude nitric oxide density varies plus or minus 50 percent with a period of 27 days during times of high solar activity.

Barth, C. A.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Neural computation of arithmetic functions

An area of application of neural networks is considered. A neuron is modeled as a linear threshold gate, and the network architecture considered is the layered feedforward network. It is shown how common arithmetic functions such as multiplication and sorting can be efficiently computed in a shallow neural network. Some known results are improved by showing that the product of two n-bit numbers and sorting of n n-bit numbers can be computed by a polynomial-size neural network using only four and five unit delays, respectively. Moreover, the weights of each threshold element in the neural networks require O(log n)-bit (instead of n-bit) accuracy. These results can be extended to more complicated functions such as multiple products, division, rational functions, and approximation of analytic functions.

Siu, Kai-Yeung↗
NASA NTRS1989

Systolic array processing of the sequential decoding algorithm

A systolic array processing technique is applied to implementing the stack algorithm form of the sequential decoding algorithm. It is shown that sorting, a key function in the stack algorithm, can be efficiently realized by a special type of systolic arrays known as systolic priority queues. Compared to the stack-bucket algorithm, this approach is shown to have the advantages that the decoding always moves along the optimal path, that it has a fast and constant decoding speed and that its simple and regular hardware architecture is suitable for VLSI implementation. Three types of systolic priority queues are discussed: random access scheme, shift register scheme and ripple register scheme. The property of the entries stored in the systolic priority queue is also investigated. The results are applicable to many other basic sorting type problems.

Chang, C. Y.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Radiometric calibration and monitoring of NOAA AVHRR visible data

Results and corrections to calibration for the NOAA-7, -8, -9, -10, and -11 AVHRR Channel 1 data, covering the period from July 1983 through December 1989, are presented. Results from the NOAA-7 and NOAA-9 analysis are used as examples to illustrate key points and present detailed results. In the AVHRR monitor procedure, the spatial variability index is calculated first to classify the data as CLEAR or CLOUD. This classification is then used to sort the data to produce three 1D radiance histograms for different surface types. The surface reflectances are retrieved from the radiances, and a set of reflectance filters are applied to sort the data into global surface reflectance maps. An examination of the NOAA-7 results shows that the NOAA-7 radiometer sensitivity actually decreased at a rate of about 0.5-1.0 percent per year. Trends inferred from the point measurements representing independent calibrations at different times, using models, known sites, and coincident aircraft measurements, agree well with the satellite methods.

Brest, Christopher L.↗
NASA NTRS1992

An experimental study of aeolian structures on Venus

Experiments to simulate the formation of aeolian bed forms on Venus show that a high-density atmosphere produces small transverse bed forms with dimensionless similarities to terrestrial dunes but with both dimensional and behavioral similarities to subaqueous current ripples. Their development is influenced by wind speed, particle size, and atmospheric density. Although aeolian bed forms should be observed at all elevations on Venus, their optimum expression is compatible with the lowest elevations where atmospheric pressure is greatest. Their development is relatively unhindered by the presence of dense grains, the lack of sorting in source sediment from which they form, or the addition of cohesive dust. Small (about 10 cm) bed forms are efficient in sorting materials either by density or particle size. Bed forms developed in the limited size of the wind tunnel are probably representative of small bed forms on Venus; considerations suggest that bed forms on Venus may grow to larger sizes. Discovery of dune fields on Magellan images of Venus support this prediction.

Marshall, John R.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Combustion noise and combustion instabilities in propulsion systems

This paper is concerned with some aspects of non-linear behavior of unsteady motions in combustion chambers. The emphasis is on conditions under which organized oscillations having discrete frequencies may exist in the presence of random motions. In order to treat the two types of motions together, and particularly to investigate coupling between noise and combustion instabilities, the unsteady field is represented as a synthesis of acoustic modes having time-varying amplitudes. Each of the amplitudes are written as the sum of two parts, one associated with the random field and the remainder representing the organized oscillations. After spatial averaging, the general problem is reduced to solution of a set of second-order ordinary differential equations whose structure depends on the sorts of nonlinear processes accounted for. This formulation accommodates any physical process; in particular, terms are included to represent noise sources, although only limited modeling is discussed. Our results suggest that random sources of noise have only small effects on combustion instabilities and seem not to be a cause of unstable motions. However, the coupling between the two sorts of unsteady motions may be important as an essential process in a proposed scheme for noise control. It is now a familiar observation that many nonlinear deterministic systems are capable of exhibiting apparently random motions called 'chaos.' This is a particularly interesting possibility for systems which also executed non-deterministic random motions. In combustion chambers, a nonlinear deterministic system (acoustical motions) exists in the presence of noise produced by flow separation, turbulent motions, and energy released by combustion processes. The last part of the paper is directed to the matter of discovering whether or not chaotic motions exist in combustion systems. Analysis has not progressed sufficiently far to answer the question. We report here recent results of processing data taken in one combustor to determine the dimensions of any attractors in the motions. No evidence has been found for chaos in the strict sense, but the method seems to be an important means of investigating the nonlinear behavior of combustion systems.

F. E. C. Culick↗
NASA NTRS1992

Compression of color-mapped images

In a standard image coding scenario, pixel-to-pixel correlation nearly always exists in the data, especially if the image is a natural scene. This correlation is what allows predictive coding schemes (e.g., DPCM) to perform efficient compression. In a color-mapped image, the values stored in the pixel array are no longer directly related to the pixel intensity. Two color indices which are numerically adjacent (close) may point to two very different colors. The correlation still exists, but only via the colormap. This fact can be exploited by sorting the color map to reintroduce the structure. The sorting of colormaps is studied and it is shown how the resulting structure can be used in both lossless and lossy compression of images.

Hadenfeldt, A. C.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Imaging Spectrometers Using Concave Holographic Gratings

Imaging spectroscopy combines the spatial attributes of imaging with the compositionally diagnostic attributes of spectroscopy. For spacebased remote sensing applications, mass, size, power, data rate, and application constrain the scanning approach. For the first three approaches, substantial savings in mass and size of the spectrometer can be achieved in some cases with a concave holographic grating and careful placement of an order-sorting filter. A hologram etched on the single concave surface contains the equivalent of the collimating, dispersing, and camera optics of a conventional grating spectrometer and provides substantial wavelength dependent corrections for spherical aberrations and a flat focal field. These gratings can be blazed to improve efficiency when used over a small wavelength range or left unblazed for broadband uniform efficiency when used over a wavelength range of up to 2 orders. More than 1 order can be imaged along the dispersion axis by placing an appropriately designed step order-sorting filter in front of the one- or two-dimensional detector. This filter can be shaped for additional aberration corrections. The VIRIS imaging spectrometer based on the broadband design provides simultaneous imaging of the entrance slit from lambda = 0.9 to 2.6 microns (1.5 orders) onto a 128 x 128 HgCdTe detector (at 77 K). The VIRIS spectrometer was used for lunar mapping with the UH 24.in telescope at Mauna Kea Observatory. The design is adaptable for small, low mass, space based imaging spectrometers.

Gradie, J.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Guide star catalogue data retrieval software 2

The Guide Star Catalog (GSC), being the largest astronomical catalog to date, is widely used by the astronomical community for all sorts of applications, such as statistical studies of certain sky regions, searches for counterparts to observational phenomena, and generation of finder charts. It's format (2 CD-ROM's) requires minimum hardware and is ideally suited for all sorts of conditions, especially observations. Unfortunately, the actual GSC data is not easily accessible. It takes the form of FITS tables, and the coordinates of the objects are given in one coordinate system (equinox 2000). The included reading software is rudimentary at best. Thus, even generation of a simple finder chart is not a trivial undertaking. To solve this problem, at least for PC users, GUIDARES was created. GUIDARES is a user-friendly program that lets you look directly at the data in the GSC, either as a graphical sky map or as a text table. GUIDARES can read a sampling of GSC data from a given sky region, store this sampling in a text file, and display a graphical map of the sampled region in projected celestial coordinates (perfect for finder charts). GUIDARES supports rectangular and circular regions defined by coordinates in the equatorial, ecliptic (any equinox) or galactic systems.

Smirnov, O. M.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Glass microsphere lubrication

The harsh lunar environment eliminated the consideration of most lubricants used on earth. Considering that the majority of the surface of the moon consists of sand, the elements that make up this mixture were analyzed. According to previous space missions, a large portion of the moon's surface is made up of fine grained crystalline rock, about 0.02 to 0.05 mm in size. These fine grained particles can be divided into four groups: lunar rock fragments, glasses, agglutinates (rock particles, crystals, or glasses), and fragments of meteorite material (rare). Analysis of the soil obtained from the missions has given chemical compositions of its materials. It is about 53 to 63 percent oxygen, 16 to 22 percent silicon, 10 to 16 percent sulfur, 5 to 9 percent aluminum, and has lesser amounts of magnesium, carbon, and sodium. To be self-supporting, the lubricant must utilize one or more of the above elements. Considering that the element must be easy to extract and readily manipulated, silicon or glass was the most logical choice. Being a ceramic, glass has a high strength and excellent resistance to temperature. The glass would also not contaminate the environment as it comes directly from it. If sand entered a bearing lubricated with grease, the lubricant would eventually fail and the shaft would bind, causing damage to the system. In a bearing lubricated with a solid glass lubricant, sand would be ground up and have little effect on the system. The next issue was what shape to form the glass in. Solid glass spheres was the only logical choice. The strength of the glass and its endurance would be optimal in this form. To behave as an effective lubricant, the diameter of the spheres would have to be very small, on the order of hundreds of microns or less. This would allow smaller clearances between the bearing and the shaft, and less material would be needed. The production of glass microspheres was divided into two parts, production and sorting. Production includes the manufacturing of the microspheres, while sorting entails deciphering the good microspheres from the bad ones. Each process is discussed in detail.

Geiger, Michelle↗
NASA NTRS1994

CLIPS template system for program understanding

Program understanding is a subfield of software reengineering and attempts to recognize the run-time behavior of source code. To this point, success in this area has been limited to very small code segments. An expert system, HLAR (High-Level Algorithm Recognizer), has been written in CLIPS and recognizes three sorting algorithms, selection sort, quicksort, and heapsort. This paper describes the HLAR system in general and, in depth, the CLIPS templates used for program representation and understanding.

Finkbine, Ronald B.↗