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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 253 records · Page 14
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1984

Dynamic model of the Earth's upper atmosphere

An initial modification to the MSF/J70 Thermospheric Model, in which the variations due to sudden geomagnetic disturbances upon the Earth's upper atmospheric density structure were modeled is presented. This dynamic model of the geomagnetic variation included is an improved version of one which SAO developed from the analysis of the ESRO 4 mass spectrometer data that was incorporated in the Jacchia 1977 model. The variation with geomagnetic local time as well as with geomagnetic latitude are included, and also the effects due to disturbance of the temperature profiles in the region of energy deposition.

Slowey, J. W.↗
NASA NTRS1985

The longitudinal development of muons in cosmic ray air showers at energies 10(15) - 10(17) eV

The relationship between longitudinal development of muons and conventional equi-intensity cuts is carefully investigated. The development of muons in Extensive Air Showers (EAS) has been calculated using simulation with a scaling violation model at the highest energies and mixed primary composition. Profiles of equi-intensity cuts expected at observation altitudes of 550, 690 and 930/sq cm can fit the observed data very well.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1984

Spectral feature of 31 December 1981 gamma-ray burst not confirmed

Measurements of a gamma ray burst at 01:37 UT on December 31, 1981 using the SMM gamma ray spectrometer (GRS) are compared with those made by the Konus instruments on Veneras 11-14. Burst time profiles, photon spectra, and detector energy loss spectra for three time intervals are compared for the GRS and the Konus instruments. It is concluded that the SMM spectra exhibit no evidence for the presence of emission features reported by the Konus group.

Nolan, P. L.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Morphological study of energetic electron precipitation events using the satellite bremsstrahlung X ray technique

The precipitation of energetic electrons into the atmosphere is investigated with simultaneous measurements of bremsstrahlung X-rays, emitted from different local time sectors. The measurements were performed from the low-altitude, polar-orbiting satellite P78-1 with an array of X-ray spectrometers (21-139 keV). Magnetic local-time (MLT) profiles of the intensities and energy spectra were obtained for a broad span of L values. From approximately 0930 to 1400 MLT the average X-ray intensity was found to decrease with increasing magnetic local time, whereas from 2200 to 0200 MLT no clear trend with local time was observed. The data presented are noted to correspond closely with the relative electron precipitation (REP)-type events, though no evidence of a distinct group of REP was found.

Imhof, W. L.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Measuring interstellar dust grains from the haloes of binary X-ray sources

A method for determining the location, size distribution, and composition of interstellar dust grains from the haloes of binary X-ray sources is described. The method is based on the time dependence of the halo X-ray emission during an eclipse of the point source. The distance of the dust cloud is inferred directly from observations of the growth of the dark circle around the eclipsed point source. Grain size distribution in the interstellar dust clouds is derived from the halo brightness profile at a given photon energy. The composition of the grains is obtained by observing the spectral features in the total optical depth due to X-ray scattering near the photoionization thresholds of the elements in the grains. The haloes become dim just below the ionization threshold, and sharply increase in function brightness as the photon energy increases beyond the absorption edge of the relevant atom. The method makes it possible to observe and analyze the halo emission during eclipse even without imaging the source. It is suggested that haloes probably account for the soft X-rays observed during eclipses and dips observed in sources including 4U1915-05 and X1755-338.

Xu, Y.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Design and verification by nonlinear simulation of a Mach/CAS control law for the NASA TCV B737 aircraft

A Mach/CAS control system using an elevator was designed and developed for use on the NASA TCV B737 aircraft to support research in profile descent procedures and approach energy management. The system was designed using linear analysis techniques primarily. The results were confirmed and the system validated at additional flight conditions using a nonlinear 737 aircraft simulation. All design requirements were satisfied.

Bruce, Kevin R.↗
NASA NTRS1985

A new convective parameterization scheme for global models

A convective adjustment scheme is presented for parameterization of the vertical temperature and moisture structure for large-scale numerical weather models. The temperature and moisture structure is adjusted toward observed quasi-equilibrium structures to maintain a realistic vertical temperature and moisture structure in grid-scale global models during convection. Two reference thermodynamic structures are modeled analytically to account for shallow and deep convection. The thermodynamic structure obtained is permitted to change as a function of large-scale advective terms, radiation and surface fluxes. The reference profiles are applied when an energy integral provides a description of the shallow or deep convective processes occurring. Comparisons with GATE, BOMEX and ATEX data and a 10 day forecast for weather over the tropical ocean illustrate the climate and precipitation forecast accuracy improvements available with the adjustment scheme relative to standard parameterization schemes.

Miller, M. J.↗
NASA NTRS1987

A possible energy source to power stable auroral red arcs - Precipitating electrons

Results of coincident measurements by ground-based photometers and the low-altitude plasma instrument on board the Dynamics Explorer 2 satellite are presented that demonstrate the association of precipitating low-energy electrons with stable auroral red (SAR) arcs. A search of available data has yielded 23 instances of DE 2 overflights during the presence of SAR arcs being monitored by the photometers. For each case, downward fluxes of electrons are found to be enhanced along field lines penetrating the arcs in relation to regions both north and south of the features. Modeling of the atmospheric response to these influxes indicates that these electrons can represent a major source of the energy required to establish temperature profiles within the ionospheric electron gas that are sufficient to produce the recorded 6300-A emission rates. The sensitivity of these results to uncertainties of the assumed spacecraft potential and thermospheric composition has been investigated and found to be important, but does not alter the conclusion that precipitating electrons are a fundamental link in the production of SAR arcs.

Slater, D. W.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Two-equation turbulence modeling of oscillatory boundary layers

Three time-dependent turbulent boundary layer problems are treated using a k-epsilon turbulence model. The flows are characterized by large pressure gradients and either reversing or rotating wall shear stress vectors. Two existing and one new near-wall formulations are tested. The computed results are compared with data from Direct Numerical Simulations of the same flows. In one case previously unpublished DNS-data are given. It is found that the k-epsilon model can provide good predictions for the wall shear as well as profiles of velocities, turbulent kinetic energy, and dissipation. The crucial part is the choice of near-wall terms.

Justesen, Peter↗
NASA NTRS1993

A new investigation of microbursts at meter-decameter wavelengths

The results of a new investigation of microbursts at meter-decameter wavelengths are reported. Several properties of microbursts reported earlier are confirmed, and some new properties, such as time profile characteristics, flux density, and energy spectra are studied in order to compare the properties of microbursts with those of normal type III bursts. Electron beams of similar characteristics are found to generate both microbursts and type III bursts. Plasma waves generated by the electron beams due to beam-plasma instability are quickly isotropized as they scatter on the density fluctuations in the corona, leading to the low brightness temperature of microbursts. The resulting low levels of plasma waves produce transverse radiation of low brightness temperature. As a result of the isotropization, the second harmonic plasma emission dominates the fundamental, so that microbursts are expected to be primarily a harmonic plasma emission.

Subramanian, K. R.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Relationships between evaprorative fraction and remotely sensed vegetation index and microwave brightness temperature for semiarid rangelands

Measurements of the microwave brightness temperature (TB) with the Pushbroom Microwave Radiometer (PBMR) over the Walnut Gulch Experiment Watershed were made on selected days during the MONSOON 90 field campaign. The PBMR is an L-band instrument (21-cm wavelength) that can provide estimates of near-surface soil moisture over a variety of surfaces. Aircraft observations in the visible and near-infrared wavelengths collected on selected days also were used to compute a vegetation index. Continuous micrometeorological measurements and daily soil moisture samples were obtained at eight locations during experimental period. Two sites were instrumented with time domain reflectometry probes to monitor the soil moisture profile. The fraction of available energy used for evapotranspiration was computed by taking the ratio of latent heat flux (LE) to the sum of net radiation (Rn) and soil heat flux (G). This ratio is commonly called the evaporative fraction (EF) and normally varies between 0 and 1 under daytime convective conditions with minimal advection. A wide range of environmental conditions existed during the field campaign, resulting in average EF values for the study area varying from 0.4 to 0.8 and values of TB ranging from 220 to 280 K. Comparison between measured TB and EF for the eight locations showed an inverse relationship. Other days were included in the analysis by estimating TB with the soil moisture data. Because transpiration from the vegetation is more strongly coupled to root zone soil moisture, significant scatter in this relationship existed at high values of TB or dry near-surface soil moisture conditions. The variation in EF under dry near-surface soil moisture conditions was correlated to the amount of vegetation cover estimated with a remotely sensed vegetation index. These findings indicate that information obtained from optical and microwave data can be used for quantifying the energy balance of semiarid areas. The microwave data can indicate when soil evaporation is significantly contributing to EF, while the optical data is helpful for quantifying the spatial variation in EF due to the distribution of vegetation cover.

Kustas, W. P.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Float-Zone Growth of Gel-xSix (x ? 10 at .%) Single Crystals: Influence of Thermocapillary and Solutocapillary Convection

Gel-xSix (x ? 10 at.%) single crystals have been grown with the float-zone technique applied within a monoellipsoid mirror furnace. The feed crystal consisted of synthesized GeO.95siO.05 polycrystalline material. Two Boron-doped (much much more than 1-2 (raised dot) 1017 at/cm3) crystals were grown under identical conditions using <100> Ge seeds. One Ge:Ga-doped (much much more than 1018 at/cm3) reference crystal was also grown in the same furnace. Compositional profiles were measured with an energy dispersive analysis by X-ray (EDAX). The maximum silicon concentration attained was 10 at.%. Micrographs of the etched crystals show sharp changes in interface curvature at the crystal edges. These are considered to be caused by solutal Marangoni convection, whose strength is assumed to be a direct function of silicon concentration, Theoretical considerations show that the flow direction, velocity, and strength varies significantly from a solutal Marangoni convection regime directly in front of the solid-liquid interface to a thermal Marangoni convection regime within the bulk melt.

Campbell, Tom A.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Numerical Study of Wave Propagation in a Non-Uniform Flow

The propagation of acoustic waves originating from cylindrical and spherical pulses, in a non-uniform mean flow, and in the presence of a reflecting wall is investigated by Hardin and Pope approach using compact approximation of spatial derivatives. The 2-D and 3-D stagnation flows and a flow around a cylinder are taken as prototypes of real world flows with strong gradients of mean pressure and velocity. The intensity and directivity of acoustic wave patterns appear to be quite different from the benchmark solutions obtained in a static environment for the same geometry. The physical reasons for amplification and weakening of sound are discussed in terms of dynamics of wave profile and redistribution of acoustic energy and its potential and kinetic components. For an acoustic wave in the flow around a cylinder, the observed mean acoustic pressure is approximately doubled (upstream pulse position) and halved (downstream pulse position) in comparison with the sound propagation in static ambient conditions.

Povitsky, Alex↗
NASA NTRS2002

XTE J1946+274 = GRO J1944+26: An Enigmatic Be/X-ray Binary

XTE J1946+274 = GRO J1944+26 is a 15.8-s Be/X-ray pulsar discovered simultaneously in 1998 September with the, Burst and Transient Source Experiment (BATSE) on the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory (CGRO) and the All-Sky Monitor (ASM) on the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE). Pulse timing analysis yielded an orbital period of 169.2 days, a moderate eccentricity of 0.33, and implied a mass function of 9.7 solar mass. We observed evidence for an accretion disk, a correlation between measured spin-up rate and flux, which was fitted to obtain a distance estimate of 9.2 +/- 1.0 kpc. XTE J1946+274 remained active from 1998 September - 2001 July, undergoing 13 outbursts that were not locked in orbital phase. Comparing RXTE PCA observations from the initial bright outburst in 1998 and the last pair of outburst in 2001, we found energy and intensity dependent pulse profile variations in both outbursts and hardening spectra with increasing intensity during the fainter 2001 outbursts. In 2001 July, optical H(alpha) observations indicate a density perturbation appeared in the Be disk as the X-ray outbursts ceased. We propose that the equatorial plane of the Be star is inclined with respect to the orbital plane in this system and that this inclination may produce the unusual outburst behavior of the system.

Wilson, Colleen A.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Layered Model for Radiation-Induced Chemical Evolution of Icy Surface Composition on Kuiper Belt and Oort Cloud Bodies

The diversity of albedos and surface colors on observed Kuiper Belt and Inner Oort Cloud objects remains to be explained in terms of competition between primordial intrinsic versus exogenic drivers of surface and near-surface evolution. Earlier models have attempted without success to attribute this diversity to the relations between surface radiolysis from cosmic ray irradiation and gardening by meteoritic impacts. A more flexible approach considers the different depth-dependent radiation profiles produced by low-energy plasma, suprathermal, and maximally penetrating charged particles of the heliospheric and local interstellar radiation environments. Generally red objects of the dynamically cold (low inclination, circular orbit) Classical Kuiper Belt might be accounted for from erosive effects of plasma ions and reddening effects of high energy cosmic ray ions, while suprathermal keV-MeV ions could alternatively produce more color neutral surfaces. The deepest layer of more pristine ice can be brought to the surface from meter to kilometer depths by larger impact events and potentially by cryovolcanic activity. The bright surfaces of some larger objects, e.g. Eris, suggest ongoing resurfacing activity. Interactions of surface irradiation, resultant chemical oxidation, and near-surface cryogenic fluid reservoirs have been proposed to account for Enceladus cryovolcanism and may have further applications to other icy irradiated bodies. The diversity of causative processes must be understood to account for observationally apparent diversities of the object surfaces.

Cooper, John F.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Layered Model for Radiation-Induced Chemical Evolution of Icy Surface Composition and Dynamics on Kuiper Belt and Oort Cloud Bodies

The diversity of albedos and surface colors on observed Kuiper Belt and Inner Oort Cloud objects remains to be explained in terms of competition between primordial intrinsic versus exogenic drivers of surface and near-surface evolution. Earlier models have attempted without success to attribute this diversity to the relations between surface radiolysis from cosmic ray irradiation and gardening by meteoritic impacts. A more flexible approach considers the different depth-dependent radiation profiles produced by low-energy plasma, suprathermal, and maximally penetrating charged particles of the heliospheric and local interstellar radiation environment. Generally red objects of the dynamically cold (low inclination, circular orbit) Classical Kuiper Belt might be accounted for from erosive effects of plasma ions and reddening effects of high energy cosmic ray ions, while suprathermal keV-MeV ions could alternatively produce more color neutral surfaces. The deepest layer of more pristine ice can be brought to the surface from meter to kilometer depths by larger impact events and potentially by cryovolcanic activity. The bright surfaces of some larger objects, e.g. Eris, suggest ongoing resurfacing activity. Cycles of atmospheric formation and surface freezeout can further account for temporal variation as observed on Pluto. The diversity of causative processes must therefore be understood to account for observationally apparent diversities of the object surfaces.

Cooper, John F.↗
NASA NTRS2007

Lunar South Pole Illumination: Review, Reassessment, and Power System Implications

This paper reviews past analyses and research related to lunar south pole illumination and presents results of independent illumination analyses using an analytical tool and a radar digital elevation model. The analysis tool enables assessment at most locations near the lunar poles for any time and any year. Average illumination fraction, energy storage duration, solar/horizon terrain elevation profiles and illumination fraction profiles are presented for various highly illuminated sites which have been identified for manned or unmanned operations. The format of the data can be used by power system designers to develop mass optimized solar and energy storage systems. Data are presented for the worse case lunar day (a critical power planning bottleneck) as well as three lunar days during lunar south pole winter. The main site under consideration by present lunar mission planners (on the Crater Shackleton rim) is shown to have, for the worse case lunar day, a 0.71 average illumination fraction and 73 to 117 hours required for energy storage (depending on power system type). Linking other sites and including towers at either site are shown to not completely eliminate the need for energy storage.

Fincannon, James↗
NASA NTRS1990

Fuel cell energy storage for Space Station enhancement

Viewgraphs on fuel cell energy storage for space station enhancement are presented. Topics covered include: power profile; solar dynamic power system; photovoltaic battery; space station energy demands; orbiter fuel cell power plant; space station energy storage; fuel cell system modularity; energy storage system development; and survival power supply.

Stedman, J. K.↗