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(abstract) Using GPS Measurements to Identify Global Ionospheric Storms in Near Real-Time

The solar wind interacts with the Earth's magnetosphere, eventually dissipating energy into the ionosphere and atmosphere. As a terminator, the ionosphere responds to magnetic storms, which is very important in understanding the energy coupling process between the Sun and the Earth and in forecasting space weather changes.The worldwide GPS network, for the first time, makes near real-time global ionospheric TEC measurements a possibility. Based on these measurements, global ionospheric TEC maps are generated with time resolution of from 5 minutes to hours. Using these maps, we can analyze the global evolution of ionospheric storms on temporal and spatial scales, which have been dificult to study before. We find that for certain types of storms (such as TID-driven), it is possible to identify them near onset and issue warning signals during the early stages. Main attention has been paid on northern hemispheric winter storms. Their common features and physical mechanisms are being investigated.

solar wind magnetospheres GPS ionosphere atmospher↗

Benchmarking the multiconfigurational Hartree method by the exact wavefunction of two harmonically trapped bosons with contact interaction

Highlights: • Comparison of exact and numerical single-particle density matrices. • Benchmark for multiconfigurational Hartree. • Convergence for large number of orbitals. We consider two bosons in a one-dimensional harmonic trap, interacting by a contact potential, and compare the exact solution of this problem to a self-consistent numerical solution by using the multiconfigurational time-dependent Hartree (MCTDH) method. We thereby benchmark the predictions of the MCTDH method with a few-body problem that has an analytical solution for the most commonly experimentally realized interaction potential in ultracold quantum gases. It is found that exact ground state energy and first order correlations are accurately reproduced by MCTDH up to the intermediate dimensionless coupling strengths corresponding to typical background scattering lengths of magnetically trapped ultracold dilute Bose gases. For larger couplings, established for example by (a combination of) Feshbach resonances and optical trapping, the MCTDH approach overestimates the depth of the trap-induced correlation dip of first order correlations in position space, as well as overestimates the fragmentation, defined as the average relative occupation of orbitals other than the energetically lowest one. We anticipate that qualitatively similar features in the correlation function may arise for larger particle numbers, paving the way for a quantitative assessment of the accuracy of MCTDH by experiments with ultracold atoms.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Microstructural Studies of Space Weathering Effects in Lunar Materials

Space weathering is a term used to include all of the processes which act on material exposed at the surface of a planetary or small body. In the case of the moon, it includes a variety of processes which have formed the lunar regolith, caused the maturation of lunar soils, and formed patina on rock surfaces. The processes include micrometeorite impact and reworking, implantation of solar wind and flare particles, radiation damage and chemical effects from solar particles and cosmic rays, interactions with the lunar atmosphere, and sputtering erosion and deposition. Space weathering effects collectively result in a reddened continuum slope, lowered albedo, and attenuated absorption features in reflectance spectra of lunar soils as compared to finely comminuted rocks from the same Apollo sites. However, the regolith processes that cause these effects are not well known, nor is the petrographic setting of the products of these processes fully understood. An interesting confluence of events occurred in the early 1990s. First, came the discovery of vapor deposited coatings on lunar regolith grains by Keller and McKay, who showed that amorphous coatings from 50-100 nm thick containing fine-grained Fe metal (1-10 nm in diameter) were common in the fine size fraction of several mature lunar soils. The other discovery was the recognition that the optical properties of lunar soils were dominated by fine grain sized material (less than 45 micrometer fraction) by Pieters and coworkers. These discoveries led to coordinated studies that looked at the mineralogy, chemistry, and optical properties of lunar soils as function of composition, maturity, and grain size fraction. One of the major revelations from these studies was the recognition that much of the nanophase Fe metal is surface-correlated especially in the finest size fractions, and that it was this nanophase Fe that dominated the optical properties of the soil.

Keller, L. P.↗

Wideband Single-Crystal Transducer for Bone Characterization

The microgravity conditions of space travel result in unique physiological demands on the human body. In particular, the absence of the continual mechanical stresses on the skeletal system that are present on Earth cause the bones to decalcify. Trabecular structure decreases in thickness and increases in spacing, resulting in decreased bone strength and increased risk of injury. Thus, monitoring bone health is a high priority for long-term space travel. A single probe covering all frequency bands of interest would be ideal for such measurements, and this would also minimize storage space and eliminate the complexity of integrating multiple probes. This invention is an ultrasound transducer for the structural characterization of bone. Such characterization measures features of reflected and transmitted ultrasound signals, and correlates these signals with bone structure metrics such as bone mineral density, trabecular spacing, and thickness, etc. The techniques used to determine these various metrics require measurements over a broad range of ultrasound frequencies, and therefore, complete characterization requires the use of several narrowband transducers. This is a single transducer capable of making these measurements in all the required frequency bands. The device achieves this capability through a unique combination of a broadband piezoelectric material; a design incorporating multiple resonator sizes with distinct, overlapping frequency spectra; and a micromachining process for producing the multiple-resonator pattern with common electrode surfaces between the resonators. This device consists of a pattern of resonator bars with common electrodes that is wrapped around a central mandrel such that the radiating faces of the resonators are coplanar and can be simultaneously applied to the sample to be measured. The device operates as both a source and receiver of acoustic energy. It is operated by connection to an electronic system capable of both providing an excitation signal to the transducer and amplifying the signal received from the transducer. The excitation signal may be either a wide-bandwidth signal to excite the transducer across its entire operational spectrum, or a narrow-bandwidth signal optimized for a particular measurement technique. The transducer face is applied to the skin covering the bone to be characterized, and may be operated in through-transmission mode using two transducers, or in pulse-echo mode. The transducer is a unique combination of material, design, and fabrication technique. It is based on single-crystal lead magnesium niobate lead titanate (PMN-PT) piezoelectric material. As compared to the commonly used piezoceramics, this piezocrystal has superior piezoelectric and elastic properties, which results in devices with superior bandwidth, source level, and power requirements. This design necessitates a single resonant frequency. However, by operating in a transverse length-extensional mode, with the electric field applied orthogonally to the extensional direction, resonators of different sizes can share common electrodes, resulting in a multiply-resonant structure. With carefully sized resonators, and the superior bandwidth of piezocrystal, the resonances can be made to overlap to form a smooth, wide-bandwidth characteristic.

Liang, Yu↗

Wideband Single-Crystal Transducer for Bone Characterization

The microgravity conditions of space travel result in unique physiological demands on the human body. In particular, the absence of the continual mechanical stresses on the skeletal system that are present on Earth cause the bones to decalcify. Trabecular structure decreases in thickness and increases in spacing, resulting in decreased bone strength and increased risk of injury. Thus, monitoring bone health is a high priority for long-term space travel. A single probe covering all frequency bands of interest would be ideal for such measurements, and this would also minimize storage space and eliminate the complexity of integrating multiple probes. This invention is an ultrasound transducer for the structural characterization of bone. Such characterization measures features of reflected and transmitted ultrasound signals, and correlates these signals with bone structure metrics such as bone mineral density, trabecular spacing, and thickness, etc. The techniques used to determine these various metrics require measurements over a broad range of ultrasound frequencies, and therefore, complete characterization requires the use of several narrowband transducers. This is a single transducer capable of making these measurements in all the required frequency bands. The device achieves this capability through a unique combination of a broadband piezoelectric material; a design incorporating multiple resonator sizes with distinct, overlapping frequency spectra; and a micromachining process for producing the multiple-resonator pattern with common electrode surfaces between the resonators. This device consists of a pattern of resonator bars with common electrodes that is wrapped around a central mandrel such that the radiating faces of the resonators are coplanar and can be simultaneously applied to the sample to be measured. The device operates as both a source and receiver of acoustic energy. It is operated by connection to an electronic system capable of both providing an excitation signal to the transducer and amplifying the signal received from the transducer. The excitation signal may be either a wide-bandwidth signal to excite the transducer across its entire operational spectrum, or a narrow-bandwidth signal optimized for a particular measurement technique. The transducer face is applied to the skin covering the bone to be characterized, and may be operated in through transmission mode using two transducers, or in pulse-echo mode.

Liang, Yu↗

Ionospheric Electron/Ion Densities Temperatures on CD-ROM and WWW

As part of this project a large volume of ionospheric satellite insitu data from the sixties, seventies and early eighties were made accessible online in ASCII format for public use. This includes 14 data sets from the BE-B, Alouette 2, DME-A, AE-B, ISIS-1, ISIS-2, OGO-6, DE-2, AEROS-A, AE-C, AE-D, AE-E, and Hinotori satellites. The original data existed in various machine-specific, highly compressed, binary encoding on 7-, or 9-track magnetic tapes. The data were decoded and converted to a common ASCII data format, solar and magnetic indices were added, and some quality control measures were taken. The original intent of producing CD-ROMs with these data was overtaken by the rapid development of the Internet. Most users now prefer to obtain the data directly online and greatly value WWW-interfaces to browse, plot and subset the data. Accordingly the data were made available online on the anonymous ftp site of NASA's National Space Science Data Center (NSSDC) at ftp://nssdcftp.gsfc.nasa.gov/spacecraft data/ and on NSSDC's ATMOWeb (http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/atmoweb/), a WWW-interface for plotting, subsetting, and downloading the data. Several new features were implemented into ATMOWeb as part of this project including a filtering and scatter plot capability. The availability of this new database and WWW system was announced through several electronic mailer (AGU, CEDAR, IRI, etc) and through talks and posters during scientific meetings.

Bilitza, Dieter↗

Facilitating Analysis of Multiple Partial Data Streams

Robotic Operations Automation: Mechanisms, Imaging, Navigation report Generation (ROAMING) is a set of computer programs that facilitates and accelerates both tactical and strategic analysis of time-sampled data especially the disparate and often incomplete streams of Mars Explorer Rover (MER) telemetry data described in the immediately preceding article. As used here, tactical refers to the activities over a relatively short time (one Martian day in the original MER application) and strategic refers to a longer time (the entire multi-year MER missions in the original application). Prior to installation, ROAMING must be configured with the types of data of interest, and parsers must be modified to understand the format of the input data (many example parsers are provided, including for general CSV files). Thereafter, new data from multiple disparate sources are automatically resampled into a single common annotated spreadsheet stored in a readable space-separated format, and these data can be processed or plotted at any time scale. Such processing or plotting makes it possible to study not only the details of a particular activity spanning only a few seconds, but also longer-term trends. ROAMING makes it possible to generate mission-wide plots of multiple engineering quantities [e.g., vehicle tilt as in Figure 1(a), motor current, numbers of images] that, heretofore could be found only in thousands of separate files. ROAMING also supports automatic annotation of both images and graphs. In the MER application, labels given to terrain features by rover scientists and engineers are automatically plotted in all received images based on their associated camera models (see Figure 2), times measured in seconds are mapped to Mars local time, and command names or arbitrary time-labeled events can be used to label engineering plots, as in Figure 1(b).

Maimone, Mark W.↗

A Software Framework for Aircraft Simulation

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration Dryden Flight Research Center has a long history in developing simulations of experimental fixed-wing aircraft from gliders to suborbital vehicles on platforms ranging from desktop simulators to pilot-in-the-loop/aircraft-in-the-loop simulators. Regardless of the aircraft or simulator hardware, much of the software framework is common to all NASA Dryden simulators. Some of this software has withstood the test of time, but in recent years the push toward high-fidelity user-friendly simulations has resulted in some significant changes. This report presents an overview of the current NASA Dryden simulation software framework and capabilities with an emphasis on the new features that have permitted NASA to develop more capable simulations while maintaining the same staffing levels.

Curlett, Brian P.↗

Diagenetic Features in Yellowknife Bay, Gale Crater, Mars: Implications for Substrate Rheology and Potential Gas Release

Multiple diagenetic features have been observed in clay­-bearing mudstone exposed within Yellowknife Bay, Gale Crater, Mars. These features occurred during at least two separate episodes: an early generation of spheroidal concretions that co-­occur with a dense networks of mineralized fractures, and a later generation of mineralized veins. Concretions consist of mm-sized spheroids (0.4 to 8.0 mm, mean diameter of 1.2 mm) that are distinctly more resistant than the encompassing mudstone. Dissected spheroids suggest an origin via compaction and incipient lithification of the substrate at the perimeter of syndepositional void space. Concretions are generally patchy in their distribution within clay-‐bearing mudstone, but in places can be the dominant fabric element. Locally dense networks of mineralized fractures occur in regions of low concretion abundance. These consist of short (< 50 cm), curvilinear to planar mineralized voids that occur across a range of orientations from vertical to subhorizontal. Fractures are filled by multi-phase cement consisting of two isopachous, erosionally resistant outer bands, and a central less resistant fill. Physical relationships suggests that original fractures may have formed as both interconnected voids and as discrete cross--cutting features. Co--occurrence of early diagenetic concretions and fracture networks suggests a common origin via gas release within a subaqueous, shallow substrate. We suggest that gas release within weakly cohesive subsurface sediments resulted in substrate dewatering and an increase in the cohesive strength of the substrate. Local differences in substrate strength and rate of gas production would have result in formation of either discrete voids or fracture networks. A second generation of mineralized veins is characterized by a regionally low spatial density, predominantly vertical or horizontal orientations, and a single phase of Ca-‐sulfate mineral fill. These veins cross-cut the early diagenetic elements and intersect a greater thickness of stratigraphy within Yellowknife Bay, suggesting a later-‐diagenetic origin via hydraulic fracturing.

Kah, L. C.↗

SDSS IV MaNGA: visual morphological and statistical characterization of the DR15 sample

ABSTRACT We present a detailed visual morphological classification for the 4614 MaNGA galaxies in SDSS Data Release 15, using image mosaics generated from a combination of r band (SDSS and deeper DESI Legacy Surveys) images and their digital post-processing. We distinguish 13 Hubble types and identify the presence of bars and bright tidal debris. After correcting the MaNGA sample for volume completeness, we calculate the morphological fractions, the bi-variate distribution of type and stellar mass M* – where we recognize a morphological transition ‘valley’ around S0a-Sa types – and the variations of the g − i colour and luminosity-weighted age over this distribution. We identified bars in 46.8 per cent of galaxies, present in all Hubble types later than S0. This fraction amounts to a factor ∼2 larger when compared with other works for samples in common. We detected 14 per cent of galaxies with tidal features, with the fraction changing with M* and morphology. For 355 galaxies, the classification was uncertain; they are visually faint, mostly of low/intermediate masses, low concentrations, and discy in nature. Our morphological classification agrees well with other works for samples in common, though some particular differences emerge, showing that our image procedures allow us to identify a wealth of added value information as compared to SDSS-based previous estimates. Based on our classification, we also propose an alternative criteria for the E–S0 separation, in the structural semimajor to semiminor axis versus bulge to total light ratio (b/a − B/T) and concentration versus semimajor to semiminor axis (C − b/a) space.

Vázquez-Mata, J. A. (ORCID:0000000186941204)↗

2-45 Micron Infrared Spectroscopy of Carbon-Rich Proto-Planetary Nebulae

Infrared Space Observatory (ISO) 2-45 micron observations of seven proto-planetary nebulae (PPNs) and two other carbon-rich objects are presented. The unidentified emission features at 21 and 30 microns are detected in six sources, including four new detections of the 30 micron feature. This previously unresolved 30 micron feature is now resolved and found to consist of a broad feature peaking at 27.2 microns (the '30 micron' feature) and a narrower feature at 25.5 microns (the '26 micron' feature). This new 26 micron feature is detected in eight sources and is particularly strong in IRAS Z02229 + 6208 and 16594-4656. The unidentified infrared (UIR) emission features at 3.3, 6.2, 7.7, and 11.3 microns which are commonly observed in planetary nebulae and H II regions, are also seen in these PPNs. However, their strengths relative to the continuum plateaus at 8 and 12 microns are weaker than in planetary nebulae. The 6.9 micron feature, seen almost exclusively in PPNs, is strong. New millimeter CO and HCN observations were made; they support the carbon-rich nature of the objects and yield the expansion velocities of the gaseous envelopes. The spectral energy distributions of these PPNs were fitted with a radiative-transfer model, taking into account the emission features at 21, 26, and 30 microns. A significant fraction of the total energy output is emitted in these features: as high as 20% in the 30 micron feature and 8% in the 21 micron feature. The fact that so much energy is carried in these features suggests that the material responsible for these features must be made of abundant elements and most likely involves carbon. SiS, appears to be ruled out as the emitter of the 21 micron feature due to the absence of a predicted companion feature.

Hrivnak, Bruce J.↗

BATSE Observations of Gamma-Ray Burst Tails

With the discovery of low-energy radiation appearing to come from the site of gamma-ray bursts in the hours to weeks after the initial burst of gamma rays, it would appear that astronomers have seen a cosmological imprint made by the burster on its surroundings. I discuss in this paper the phenomenon of post-burst emission in BATSE (Burst and Transient Source Experiment) gamma-ray bursts at energies traditionally associated with prompt emission. By summing the background-subtracted signals from hundreds of bursts, I find that tails out to hundreds of seconds after the trigger may be a common feature of long events (duration greater than 2s), and perhaps of the shorter bursts at a lower and shorter-lived level. The tail component appears independent of both the duration (within the long GRB sample) and brightness of the prompt burst emission, and may be softer. Some individual bursts have visible tails at gamma-ray energies and the spectrum in at least a few cases is different from that of the prompt emission. Afterglow at lower energies was detected for one of these bursts, GRB-991216, raising the possibility of afterglow observations over large energy ranges using the next generation of GRB detectors in conjunction with sensitive space or ground-based telescopes.

Connaughton, Valerie↗

BATSE Observations of Gamma-Ray Burst Tails

With the observation of low-energy radiation coming from the site of gamma-ray bursts in the hours to weeks after the initial gamma ray burst, it appears that astronomers have discovered a cosmological imprint made by the burster on its surroundings. This paper discusses the phenomenon of postburst emission in Burst and Transient Source Experiment (BATSE) gamma-ray bursts at energies usually associated with prompt emission. After summing up the background-subtracted signals from hundreds of bursts, it is found that tails out to hundreds of seconds after the trigger could be a common feature of events of a duration greater than 2 seconds, and perhaps of the shorter bursts at a lower and shorter-lived level. The tail component may be softer and seems independent of the duration (within the long-GRB sample) and brightness of the prompt burst emission. Some individual bursts have visible tails at gamma-ray energies, and the spectrum in a few cases differs from that of the prompt emission. For one of these bursts, GRB 991216, afterglow at lower energies was detected, which raised the possibility of seeing afterglow observations over large energy ranges using the next generation of GRB detectors in addition to sensitive space- or ground-based telescopes.

Connaughton, Valerie↗

Python-Based Scientific Analysis and Visualization of Precipitation Systems at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center

At NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), Python is used several different ways to analyze and visualize precipitating weather systems. A number of different Python‐based software packages have been developed, which are available to the larger scientific community. The approach in all these packages is to utilize pre‐existing Python modules as well as to be object‐oriented and scalable. The first package that will be described and demonstrated is the Python Advanced Microwave Precipitation Radiometer (AMPR) Data Toolkit, or PyAMPR for short. PyAMPR reads geolocated brightness temperature data from any flight of the AMPR airborne instrument over its 25‐year history into a common data structure suitable for user‐defined analyses. It features rapid, simplified (i.e., one line of code) production of quick‐look imagery, including Google Earth overlays, swath plots of individual channels, and strip charts showing multiple channels at once. These plotting routines are also capable of significant customization for detailed, publication‐ready figures. Deconvolution of the polarization‐varying channels to static horizontally and vertically polarized scenes is also available. Examples will be given of PyAMPR's contribution toward real‐time AMPR data display during the Integrated Precipitation and Hydrology Experiment (IPHEx), which took place in the Carolinas during May‐June 2014. The second software package is the Marshall Multi‐Radar/Multi‐Sensor (MRMS) Mosaic Python Toolkit, or MMM‐Py for short. MMM‐Py was designed to read, analyze, and display three‐dimensional national mosaicked reflectivity data produced by the NOAA National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL). MMM‐Py can read MRMS mosaics from either their unique binary format or their converted NetCDF format. It can also read and properly interpret the current mosaic design (4 regional tiles) as well as mosaics produced prior to late July 2013 (8 tiles). MMM‐Py can easily stitch multiple tiles together to provide a larger regional or national picture of precipitating weather systems. Composites, horizontal and vertical crosssections, and combinations thereof are easily displayed using as little as one line of code. MMM‐Py can also write to the native MRMS binary format, and sub‐sectioning of tiles (or multiple stitched tiles) is anticipated to be in place by the time of this meeting. Thus, MMM‐Py also can be used to power the creation of custom mosaics for targeted regional studies. Overlays of other data (e.g., lightning observations) are easily accomplished. Demonstrations of MMM‐Py, including the creation of animations, will be shown. Finally, Marshall has done significant work to interface Python‐based analysis routines with the U.S. Department of Energy's Py‐ART software package for radar data ingest, processing, and analysis. One example of this is the Python Turbulence Detection Algorithm (PyTDA), an MSFC‐based implementation of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) Turbulence Detection Algorithm (NTDA) for the purposes of convective‐scale analysis, situational awareness, and forensic meteorology. PyTDA exploits Py‐ART's radar data ingest routines and data model to rapidly produce aviation‐relevant turbulence estimates from Doppler radar data. Work toward processing speed optimization and better integration within the Py‐ART framework will be highlighted. Python‐based analysis within the Py‐ART framework is also being done for new research related to intercomparison of ground‐based radar data with satellite estimates of ocean winds, as well as research on the electrification of pyrocumulus clouds.

Lang, Timothy J.↗

Surface film effects on drop tube undercooling studies

The effects of various gaseous atmospheric constituents on drop-tube solidified samples of elemental metals were examined from a microstructural standpoint. All specimens were prepared from the purest available elements, so effects of impurities should not account for the observed effects. The drop-tube gas has a definite effect on the sample microstructure. Most dramatically, the sample cooling rate is effected. Some samples receive sufficient cooling to solidify in free fall while others do not, splating at the end of the drop tube in the sample catcher. Gases are selectively absorbed into the sample. Upon solidification gas can become less soluble and as a result forms voids within the sample. The general oxidation/reduction characteristics of the gas also affect sample microstructures. In general, under the more favorable experimental conditions including reducing atmospheric conditions and superheatings, examination of sample microstructures indicates that nucleation has been suppressed. This is indicated by underlying uniform dendrite spacings throughout the sample and with a single dendrite orientation through most of the sample. The samples were annealed yielding a few large grains and single or bi-crystal samples were commonly formed. This was especially true of samples that were inadvertently greatly superheated. This is in contrast with results from a previous study in which surface oxides were stable and contained numerous sites of nucleation. The number of nucleation events depends upon the surface state of the specimen as determined by the atmosphere and is consistent with theoretical expectations based upon the thermodynamic stability of surface oxide films. Oxide-free specimens are characterized by shiny surfaces, with no observable features under the scanning electron microscope at 5000X.

Ethridge, E. C.↗

Sensor selection and tool wear prediction with data‐driven models for precision machining

Abstract Estimation of tool wear in precision machining is vital in the traditional subtractive machining industry to reduce processing cost, improve manufacturing efficiency and product quality. In this vein, fusion of time and frequency‐domain features of commonly sensed signals can provide an early indication of tool wear and improve its prediction accuracy for prognostics and health management. This paper presents a data‐driven methodology and a complete tool chain for the inference of precision machining tool wear from fused machine measurements, such as cutting force, power, audio and vibration signals, and quantify the usefulness of each measurement. Indicators of tool wear are extracted from time‐domain signal statistics, frequency‐domain analysis, and time‐frequency domain analysis. Correlation coefficients between the extracted features (indicators) and the tool wear are used to select the most informative features. Principal Component Analysis and Partial Least‐Squares are used to reduce the dimensionality of the feature space. Regression models, including linear regression, support vector regression, Decision tree regression, neural network regression and Gaussian process regression, are used to predict the tool wear using data from a Haas milling machine performing spiral boss face milling. The performance of the regression models based on subsets of sensors validates the preliminary estimates about the saliency of the sensors. The experimental results show that the proposed methods can predict the machine tool wear precisely, with readily available sensor measurements. Neural network and Gaussian process regression were able to achieve good estimates of tool wear at different machine operating conditions. The most informative signal in predicting tool wear was shown to be the vibration signal. Time‐frequency domain features were the most informative features among the combination of features of three domains. In addition, using partial least squares components extracted from the original features of signals led to higher prediction accuracy.

Han, Seulki↗

Machine learning guided optimal composition selection of niobium alloys for high temperature applications

Nickel- and cobalt-based superalloys are commonly used as turbine materials for high-temperature applications. However, their maximum operating temperature is limited to about 1100 °C. Therefore, to improve turbine efficiency, current research is focused on designing materials that can withstand higher temperatures. Niobium-based alloys can be considered as promising candidates because of their exceptional properties at elevated temperatures. The conventional approach to alloy design relies on phase diagrams and structure–property data of limited alloys and extrapolates this information into unexplored compositional space. In this work, we harness machine learning and provide an efficient design strategy for finding promising niobium-based alloy compositions with high yield and ultimate tensile strength. Unlike standard composition-based features, we use domain knowledge-based custom features and achieve higher prediction accuracy. We apply Bayesian optimization to screen out novel Nb-based quaternary and quinary alloy compositions and find these compositions have superior predicted strength over a range of temperatures. We develop a detailed design flow and include Python programming code, which could be helpful for accelerating alloy design in a limited alloy data regime.

Mohanty, Trupti (ORCID:0000000342701430)↗

SPICE Module for the Satellite Orbit Analysis Program (SOAP)

A SPICE module for the Satellite Orbit Analysis Program (SOAP) precisely represents complex motion and maneuvers in an interactive, 3D animated environment with support for user-defined quantitative outputs. (SPICE stands for Spacecraft, Planet, Instrument, Camera-matrix, and Events). This module enables the SOAP software to exploit NASA mission ephemeris represented in the JPL Ancillary Information Facility (NAIF) SPICE formats. Ephemeris types supported include position, velocity, and orientation for spacecraft and planetary bodies including the Sun, planets, natural satellites, comets, and asteroids. Entire missions can now be imported into SOAP for 3D visualization, playback, and analysis. The SOAP analysis and display features can now leverage detailed mission files to offer the analyst both a numerically correct and aesthetically pleasing combination of results that can be varied to study many hypothetical scenarios. The software provides a modeling and simulation environment that can encompass a broad variety of problems using orbital prediction. For example, ground coverage analysis, communications analysis, power and thermal analysis, and 3D visualization that provide the user with insight into complex geometric relations are included. The SOAP SPICE module allows distributed science and engineering teams to share common mission models of known pedigree, which greatly reduces duplication of effort and the potential for error. The use of the software spans all phases of the space system lifecycle, from the study of future concepts to operations and anomaly analysis. It allows SOAP software to correctly position and orient all of the principal bodies of the Solar System within a single simulation session along with multiple spacecraft trajectories and the orientation of mission payloads. In addition to the 3D visualization, the user can define numeric variables and x-y plots to quantitatively assess metrics of interest.

Coggi, John↗