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At least 253 records · Page 14
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2015

Development of Long-Lifetime Pulsed Gas Valves for Pulsed Electric Thrusters

It is advantageous for gas-fed pulsed electric thrusters to employ pulsed valves so propellant is only flowing to the device during operation. The propellant utilization of the thruster will be maximized when all the gas injected into the thruster is acted upon by the fields produced by the electrical pulse. Gas that is injected too early will diffuse away from the thruster before the electrical pulse can act to accelerate the propellant. Gas that is injected too late will miss being accelerated by the already-completed electrical pulse. As a consequence, the valve must open quickly and close equally quickly, only remaining open for a short duration. In addition, the valve must have only a small amount of volume between the sealing body and the thruster so the front and back ends of the pulse are as coincident as possible with the valve cycling, with very little latent propellant remaining in the feed lines after the valve is closed. For a real mission of interest, a pulsed thruster can be expected to pulse at least 10(exp 10) - 10(exp 11) times, setting the range for the number of times a valve must open and close. The valves described in this paper have been fabricated and tested for operation in an inductive pulsed plasma thruster (IPPT) for in-space propulsion. In general, an IPPT is an electrodeless space propulsion device where a capacitor is charged to an initial voltage and then discharged, producing a high-current pulse through a coil. The field produced by this pulse ionizes propellant, inductively driving current in a plasma located near the face of the coil. Once the plasma is formed, it can be accelerated and expelled at a high exhaust velocity by the electromagnetic Lorentz body force arising from the interaction of the induced plasma current and the magnetic field produced by the current in the coil. The valve characteristics needed for the IPPT application require a fast-acting valve capable of a minimum of 10(exp 10) valve actuation cycles. Since even 10(exp 9) cycles is well above anything demonstrated, this lower value was selected as the design point for the present work. The valve seal must remain leak-tight throughout operation, and the body must maintain a low internal leakage at relatively high operating temperatures. The full set of design requirements used for this program are summarized in Table 1. In this work, we describe two pulsed gas valves that have been fabricated to have long lifetime and demonstrate the characteristics listed above. The first is a miniaturized, conventional electromagnet-based valve while the second is a piezoelectric-based valve design. The conventional valve, shown in Fig. 1, is opened by use of a solenoid electromagnetic actuator. When current is applied to the solenoid coil, magnetic forces pull the plunger away from the valve seat, allowing fluid to flow through the valve. Removal of electrical current permits the spring and fluid pressure to seat the plunger, halting the flow of fluid. The valve body is fabricated from 304L corrosion resistant steel (CRES) and while the parts that form the magnetic circuit are fabricated from 430 CRES. This material does not have optimum magnetic properties, but its corrosion resistance permits incorporation into a design without requiring an additional plating process. A viton O-ring compound (Parker V0884-75), selected for its mechanical strength at elevated temperatures, was used for the valve seat seal. The design was based solely on the use of analytical sizing calculations, as opposed to a more rigorous finite element analysis. While this valve is small and relatively lightweight, it does not represent a design that is optimized for mass and/or a given volume envelope. The piezoelectric valve is a "puller" valve design. Applying a voltage to the piezo crystal causes it to elongate and pull a pintle off the seat, opening the valve. The valve seal consists of the pintle with an external, spherically-formed tip fabricated from Inconel 625 and the seat fabricated from Inconel 718 and possessing a spherical surface that permits the pintle to align with the valve body centerline after each cycle, maintaining the circumferential metal-on-metal seal. The contact stress on the valve pintle is expected in the worst case to be 96.5 MPa (14 ksi), which is well below the work hardening value of 413.7 MPa (60 ksi) for Inconel 615. Results presented in this work will compare the performance of each valve, both to each other and to the valve design requirements given in Table 1. In general, both valves meet all the performance envelope requirements, but the piezoelectric valve consumes considerably less power and has a faster response time over the conventional solenoid-driven valves.

Burkhardt, Wendel M.↗
NASA NTRS2001

Laboratory for Extraterrestrial Physics

The NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) Laboratory for Extraterrestrial Physics (LEP) performs experimental and theoretical research on the heliosphere, the interstellar medium, and the magnetospheres and upper atmospheres of the planets, including Earth. LEP space scientists investigate the structure and dynamics of the magnetospheres of the planets including Earth. Their research programs encompass the magnetic fields intrinsic to many planetary bodies as well as their charged-particle environments and plasma-wave emissions. The LEP also conducts research into the nature of planetary ionospheres and their coupling to both the upper atmospheres and their magnetospheres. Finally, the LEP carries out a broad-based research program in heliospheric physics covering the origins of the solar wind, its propagation outward through the solar system all the way to its termination where it encounters the local interstellar medium. Special emphasis is placed on the study of solar coronal mass ejections (CME's), shock waves, and the structure and properties of the fast and slow solar wind. LEP planetary scientists study the chemistry and physics of planetary stratospheres and tropospheres and of solar system bodies including meteorites, asteroids, comets, and planets. The LEP conducts a focused program in astronomy, particularly in the infrared and in short as well as very long radio wavelengths. We also perform an extensive program of laboratory research, including spectroscopy and physical chemistry related to astronomical objects. The Laboratory proposes, develops, fabricates, and integrates experiments on Earth-orbiting, planetary, and heliospheric spacecraft to measure the characteristics of planetary atmospheres and magnetic fields, and electromagnetic fields and plasmas in space. We design and develop spectrometric instrumentation for continuum and spectral line observations in the x-ray, gamma-ray, infrared, and radio regimes; these are flown on spacecraft to study the interplanetary medium, asteroids, comets, and planets. Suborbital sounding rockets and groundbased observing platforms form an integral part of these research activities. This report covers the period from approximately October 1999 through September 2000.

Vondrak, Richard R.↗
NASA NTRS2001

Proportional counter as neutron detector

A technique to separate out the dose, and lineal energy spectra of neutrons and charged particles is described. It is based on using two proportional counters, one with a wall, and the other with similar characteristics but wall made from a non-hydrogen containing material. Results of a calibration in a neutron field are also shown. c2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

NASA Center JSC↗
NASA NTRS2017

NASA's Electric Sail Propulsion System Investigations over the Past Three Years

Personnel from NASA's MSFC have been investigating the feasibility of an advanced propulsion system known as the Electric Sail for future scientific missions of exploration. This team initially won a NASA Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) Phase I NASA Innovative Advanced Concept (NIAC) award and then a two year follow-on Phase II NIAC award. This paper documents the findings from this three year investigation. An Electric sail propulsion system is a propellant-less and extremely fast propulsion system that takes advantage of the ions that are present in the solar wind to provide very rapid transit speeds whether to deep space or to the inner solar system. Scientific spacecraft could arrive to Pluto in ~5 years, to the boundary of the solar system in ten to twelve years vs. thirty five plus years it took the Voyager spacecraft. The team's recent focused activities are: 1) Developing a Particle in Cell (PIC) numeric engineering model from the experimental data collected at MSFC's Solar Wind Facility on the interaction between simulated solar wind interaction with a charged bare wire that can be applied to a variety of missions, 2) The development of the necessary tether deployers/tethers to enable successful deployment of multiple, multi km length bare tethers, 3) Determining the different missions that can be captured from this revolutionary propulsion system 4) Conceptual designs of spacecraft to reach various destinations whether to the edge of the solar system, or as Heliophysics sentinels around the sun, or to trips to examine a multitude of asteroids These above activities, once demonstrated analytically, will require a technology demonstration mission (~2021 to 2023) to demonstrate that all systems work together seamlessly before a Heliophysics Electrostatic Rapid Transit System (HERTS) could be given the go-ahead. The proposed demonstration mission will require that a small spacecraft must first travel to cis-lunar space as the Electric Sail must be outside of Earth's Magnetic fields to produce thrust. The paper will outline what was done over the past three years from performing various plasma chamber tests to obtain data for the PIC model development, investigation of tether material trades, and conceptual designs of proposed spacecraft.

Wiegmann, Bruce M.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Molecular Dynamics Simulations of Carbon Nanotubes in Water

We study the hydrophobic/hydrophilic behavior of carbon nanotubes using molecular dynamics simulations. The energetics of the carbon-water interface are mainly dispersive but in the present study augmented with a carbon quadrupole term acting on the charge sites of the water. The simulations indicate that this contribution is negligible in terms of modifying the structural properties of water at the interface. Simulations of two carbon nanotubes in water display a wetting and drying of the interface between the nanotubes depending on their initial spacing. Thus, initial tube spacings of 7 and 8 A resulted in a drying of the interface whereas spacing of > 9 A remain wet during the course of the simulation. Finally, we present a novel particle-particle-particle-mesh algorithm for long range potentials which allows for general (curvilinear) meshes and "black-box" fast solvers by adopting an influence matrix technique.

Walther, J. H.↗
NASA NTRS1981

A study pertaining to inertial energy storage machine designs for space applications

The preliminary design of a counterrotating fast discharge homopolar generator (HPG) and a counterrotating active rotary flux compressor (CARFC) for space application is reported. The HPG is a counterrotating spool-type homopolar with superconducting field coil excitation. It delivers a 20-ms, 145-kJ pulse to a magnetoplasmahydrodynamic thruster. The peak output current is 42.7 kA at 240 V. After 20 ms the current is 29.7 kA at 167 V. The CARFC delivers ten 50-kJ, 250 microsecond pulses at 50-ms interval to six Xenon flash lamps pumping an Nd glass laser. The flux compressor is counterrotating for torque compensation. Current is started in the machine with a 5-kV, 5-kJ pulse-charged capacitor. Both designs were based upon demonstrated technology. The sensitivity of the designs to technology that may be available in five to ten years was determined.

Zowarka, R. C.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Theoretical investigation of EM wave generation and radiation in the ULF, ELF, and VLF bands by the electrodynamic orbiting tether

The problem of electromagnetic wave generation by an electrodynamic tethered satellite system is important both for the ordinary operation of such systems and for their possible application as orbiting transmitters. The tether's ionospheric circuit closure problem is closely linked with the propagation of charge-carrying electromagnetic wave packets away from the tethered system. Work is reported which represents a step towards a solution to the problem that takes into account the effects of boundaries and of vertical variations in plasma density, collision frequencies, and ion species. The theory of Alfen wave packet generation by an electrodynamic tethered system in an infinite plasma medium is reviewed, and brief summary of previous work on the problem is given. The consequences of the presence of the boundaries and the vertical nonuniformity are then examined. One of the most significant new features to emerge when ion-neutral collisions are taken into account is the coupling of the Alfven waves to the fast magnetosonic wave. This latter wave is important, as it may be confined by vertical variations in the Alfven speed to a sort of leaky ionospheric wave guide, the resonances of which could be of great importance to the signal received on the Earth's surface. The infinite medium solution for this case where the (uniform) geomagnetic field makes an arbitrary angle with the vertical is taken as the incident wave-packet. Even without a full solution, a number of conclusions can be drawn, the most important of which may be that the electromagnetic field associated with the operation of a steady-current tethered system will probably be too weak to detect on the Earth's surface, even for large tethered currents. This is due to the total reflection of the incident wave at the atmospheric boundary and the inability of a steady-current tethered system to excite the ionospheric wave-guide. An outline of the approach to the numerical problem is given. The use of numerical integrations and boundary conditions consistent with a conducting Earth is proposed to obtain the solution for the horizontal electromagnetic field components at the boundary of the ionosphere with the atmospheric cavity.

Estes, Robert D.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Partition function corrections

The vibration-rotation interaction coupling in diatomic molecules is analyzed and first-order expressions for the energy levels are deduced. Corrections to the partition function to account for this coupling are derived. The effects of long-range intermolecular forces due to induced dipole-induced dipole interactions, dipole-induced dipole interactions, charge-dipole interactions, and charge-charge interactions are considered. London's quantized oscillator model of the induced dipole-induced dipole interaction is developed. The partition function including effects of such dispersion forces is derived and is shown to lead to the virial equation of state. For a model combining the hard sphere and long-range attractive type potentials, this is found to lead to the van der Waals equation of state. The equation of state near the critical point is presented in reduced form (thermodynamic variables expressed in units of critical point values). Finally, approximate corrections to the electronic partition functions are derived to account for perturbations of excited electronic states induced by neighboring neutral particles, heavy ions, and fast electron collisions.

Source record↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Molten Salt Lattice Confinement Fusion (LCF) Fast Fission Reactor for Lunar and Planetary Surface Power

Molten salt fission reactors (MSR) have been suggested for lunar and planetary surface power systems. They have the advantage of operating at high temperature, for efficient thermal-electrical conversion, low pressure, long-lived with high nuclear fuel burnup. MSR are often designed to breed fissile 233U from natural 232Th by neutron capture and  decay via: 232Th(n,)233Th(,)233Pa(,)233U Unfortunately, this process requires 233Pa isotope separation and segregation to decay to 233U. This requirement prevents additional neutron capture that interferes with 233U breeding. Instead, Wooley’s sub-critical, fast fission, molten salt reactor would use externally generated tokamak fusion neutrons1,2 to fission all actinides.We propose a simpler fusion-fast-fission sub-critical reactor that generates fast neutrons in situ from lattice confinement fusion (LCF) to fission fertile and fissile actinides. This hybrid reactor doesn't require enriched 235U fissile pins to initiate fis-sion reactions, nor 233Pa separation and segregation during operation. Like Wooley’s, this hybrid reactor “burns” natural uranium (238U) or thorium (232Th) which avoids uranium enrichment and additional fissile material launch safety and security costs. The LCF neutron source is initiated by bremsstrahlung photoneutrons (Fig. 1)3 or isotopic neutron sources in electron-screened lattices (Fig. 2)4,5. Alternatively, the electrolytic Pd-deuterium co-deposition6protocol fast fissions7 both 232Th and 238U. However, an aqueous electrolyte-based system, without pressurization similar to conventional pressurized water fission reactors, is incapable of high temperatures due to the boiling point of the electrolyte slightly over 100 C. Molten salts can be used instead as was demonstrated at the University of Hawaii8 using a variety of Ni and Pd cathodes in lithiated, hydrided and deuterated salts. These salts have melting points often exceeding 500C making them suitable to efficiently produce electrical power9 through either Advanced Stirling Genera-tors (< 100 kWe) or closed-Brayton Cycle (> 100 kWe). This hybrid reactor could power a wide range of lunar or Martian applications from unmanned in-struments, to charging vehicles and entire facilities such as human habitats or in situ resource utilization. The power conversion cycles are Carnot Cycle limited, but generally 30% efficient at best. However, waste heat on the moon or Mars is important to surviving either two-week lunar nights or Martian nights as well as providing process heat for mineral extraction and “living off the land”

Lawrence Forsley↗
NASA NTRS1992

AMPTE CCE observations of Pi 2 pulsations in the inner magnetosphere

Magnetic field data acquired with the AMPTE Charge Composition Explorer satellite in the inner magnetosphere (L = 2-5) often show Pi 2 pulsations whose waveforms match Pi 2 pulsations simultaneously observed on the ground at Kakioka (L = 1.2). From a study such events, it is found that the magnetic pulsations in the equatorial magnetosphere are dominated by poloidal-mode oscillations. The relative phase between the compressional component at CCE and the horizontal component at Kakioka is either near zero or near 180 deg, with the 180 lag observed only when the satellite is at L greater than 3. This observation implies that there is a node of a radial standing wave at L greater than 3. It is argued that the nodal structure arises from reflection of MHD fast-mode waves at some inner boundary of the magnetosphere and discuss the relevance of the nodal structure to cavity-mode resonances and oscillations in the inner magnetosphere forced by a source wave external to the inner magnetosphere.

Takahashi, Kazue↗
NASA NTRS2011

Comparative Examination of Plasmoid Ejection at Mercury, Earth, Jupiter, and Saturn

The onset of magnetic reconnection in the near-tail of Earth, long known to herald the fast magnetospheric convection that leads to geomagnetic storms and substorms, is very closely associated with the formation and down-tail ejection of magnetic loops or flux ropes called plasmoids. Plasmoids form as a result of the fragmentation of preexisting cross-tail current sheet as a result of magnetic reconnection. Depending upon the number, location, and intensity of the individual reconnection X-lines and how they evolve, some of these loop-like or helical magnetic structures may also be carried sunward. At the inner edge of the tail they are expected to "re-reconnect' with the planetary magnetic field and dissipate. Plasmoid ejection has now been observed in the magnetotails of Mercury, Earth, Jupiter, and Saturn. These magnetic field and charged particle measurements have been taken by the MESSENGER, Voyager, Galileo, Cassini, and numerous Earth missions. Here we present a comparative examination of the structure and dynamics of plasmoids observed in the magnetotails of these 5 planets. The results are used to learn more about how these magnetic structures form and to assess similarities and differences in the nature of magnetotail reconnection at these planets.

Slavin, James A.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Crush Test Abuse Stand

The purpose of this system is to simulate an internal short on battery cells by causing deformation (a crushing force) in a cell without penetration. This is performed by activating a hydraulic cylinder on one side of a blast wall with a hydraulic pump located on the other. The operator can control the rate of the crush by monitoring a local pressure gauge connected to the hydraulic cylinder or a load cell digital display located at the hydraulic pump control area. The internal short simulated would be considered a worst-case scenario of a manufacturer fs defect. This is a catastrophic failure of a cell and could be a very destructive event. Fully charged cells are to have an internal short simulated at the center of the length of the cell (away from terminals). The crush can be performed with a .- to 1-in. (.0.6- to 2.5-cm) rod placed crossways to the cell axis, causing deformation of the cell without penetration. The OCV (open-circuit voltage) and temperature of the cells, as well as the pressure and crushing force, are recorded during the operation. Occurrence of an internal short accompanied by any visible physical changes such as venting, fires, or explosions is reported. Typical analytical data examined after the test would be plots of voltage, temperature, and pressure or force versus time. The rate of crushing force can be increased or decreased based on how fast the operator pumps the hydraulic pump. The size of cylinder used to compress the battery cell can be easily changed by adding larger or smaller fittings onto the end of the hydraulic cylinder based on the battery/cell size being tested. The cell is crushed remotely and videotaped, allowing the operator to closely monitor the situation from a safe distance.

Collins, Jacob↗
NASA NTRS2023

Quantifying the Energy Budget in the Solar Wind from 13.3 to 100 Solar Radii

A variety of energy sources, ranging from dynamic processes, such as magnetic reconnection and waves, to quasi steady terms, such as plasma pressure, may contribute to the acceleration of the solar wind. We utilize a combination of charged particle and magnetic field observations from the Parker Solar Probe (PSP) to attempt to quantify the steady-state contribution of the proton pressure, the electric potential, and the wave energy to the solar wind proton acceleration observed by PSP between 13.3 and ∼100 solar radii (R☉). The proton pressure provides a natural kinematic driver of the outflow. The ambipolar electric potential acts to couple the electron pressure to the protons, providing another definite proton acceleration term. Fluctuations and waves, while inherently dynamic, can act as an additional effective steady-state pressure term. To analyze the contributions of these terms, we utilize radial binning of single-point PSP measurements, as well as repeated crossings of the same stream at different distances on individual PSP orbits (i.e., fast radial scans). In agreement with previous work, we find that the electric potential contains sufficient energy to fully explain the acceleration of the slower wind streams. On the other hand, we find that the wave pressure plays an increasingly important role in the faster wind streams. The combination of these terms can explain the continuing acceleration of both slow and fast wind streams beyond 13.3 R☉.

J S Halekas↗
NASA NTRS2014

Graphene-Based Ultra-Light Batteries for Aircraft

Develop a graphene‐based ultracapacitor prototype that is flexible, thin, lightweight, durable, low cost, and safe and that will demonstrate the feasibility for use in aircraft center dot These graphene‐based devices store charge on graphene sheets and take advantage of the large accessible surface area of graphene (2,600 m2/g) to increase the electrical energy that can be stored. center dot The proposed devices should have the electrical storage capacity of thin‐film‐ion batteries but with much shorter charge/discharge cycle times as well as longer lives center dot The proposed devices will be carbon‐based and so will not have the same issues with flammability or toxicity as the standard lithium‐based storage cells There are two main established methods for the storage and delivery of electrical energy: center dot Batteries - Store energy with electrochemical reactions - High energy densities - Slow charge/discharge cycles - Used in applications requiring large amounts of energy  aircraft center dot Electrochemical capacitors - Store energy in electrochemical double layers - Fast charge/discharge cycles - Low energy densities - Used in electronics devices - Large capacitors are used in truck engine cranking

Graphene↗
NASA NTRS1983

Hy-wire and fast electric field change measurements near an isolated thunderstorm, appendix C

Electric field measurements near an isolated thunderstorm at 6.4 km distance are presented from both a tethered balloon experiment called Hy-wire and also from ground based fast and slow electric field change systems. Simultaneous measurements were made of the electric fields during several lightning flashes at the beginning of the storm which the data clearly indicate were cloud-to-ground flashes. In addition to providing a comparison between the Hy-wire technique for measuring electric fields and more traditional methods, these data are interesting because the lightning flashes occurred prior to changes in the dc electric field, although Hy-wire measured changes in the dc field of up to 750 V/m in the direction opposite to the fair weather field a short time later. Also, the dc electric field was observed to decay back to its preflash value after each flash. The data suggest that Hy-wire was at the field reversal distance from this storm and suggest the charge realignment was taking place in the cloud with a time constant on the order of 20 seconds.

Holzworth, R. H.↗
NASA NTRS2000

RF Single Electron Transistor Readout Amplifiers for Superconducting Astronomical Detectors for X-Ray to Sub-mm Wavelengths

We report progress on using a new type of amplifier, the Radio-Frequency Single-Electron Transistor (RF-SET), to develop multi-channel sensor readout systems for fast and sensitive readout of high impedance cryogenic photodetectors such as Superconducting Tunnel Junctions and Single Quasiparticle Photon Counters. Although cryogenic, these detectors are desirable because of capabilities not other-wise attainable. However, high impedances and low output levels make low-noise, high-speed readouts challenging, and large format arrays would be facilitated by compact, low-power, on-chip integrated amplifiers. Well-suited for this application are RF-SETs, very high performance electrometers which use an rf readout technique to provide 100 MHz bandwidth. Small size, low power, and cryogenic operation allow direct integration with detectors, and using multiple rf carrier frequencies permits simultaneous readout of 20-50 amplifiers with a common electrical connection. We describe both the first 2-channel demonstration of this wavelength division multiplexing technique for RF-SETs, and Charge-Locked-Loop operation with 100 kHz of closed-loop bandwidth.

Stevenson, Thomas↗
NASA NTRS2012

Solar Eruptive Events

It s long been known that the Sun plays host to the most energetic explosions in the solar system. But key insights into the forms that energy takes have only recently become available. Solar flares have been phenomena of both academic and practical interest since their discovery in 1859. From the academic point of view, they are the nearest events for studying the explosive release of energy in astrophysical magnetized plasmas. From the practical point of view, they disrupt communication channels on Earth, from telegraph communications in 1859 to radio and television signals today. Flares also wreak havoc on the electrical power grid, satellite operations, and GPS signals, and energetic charged particles and radiation are dangerous to passengers on high-altitude polar flights and to astronauts. Flares are not the only explosive phenomena on the Sun. More difficult to observe but equally energetic are the large coronal mass ejections (CMEs), the ejection of up to ten billion tons of magnetized plasma into the solar wind at speeds that can exceed 1000 km/s. CMEs are primarily observed from the side, with coronagraphs that block out the bright disk of the Sun and lower solar atmosphere so that light scattered from the ejected mass can be seen. Major geomagnetic storms are now known to arise from the interaction of CMEs with Earth's magnetosphere. Solar flares are observed without CMEs, and CMEs are observed without flares. The two phenomena often occur together, however, and almost always do in the case of large flares and fast CMEs. The term solar eruptive event refers to the combination of a flare and a CME. Solar eruptive events generate a lot of heat: They can heat plasma to temperatures as high at 50 million Kelvin, producing radiation across the electromagnetic spectrum. But that s not all. A fascinating aspect of solar eruptive events is the acceleration of electrons and ions to suprathermal often relativistic energies. The accelerated particles are primarily observed through their emissions in the higher energy x-ray, gamma-ray, and rf regimes. The radio and x-ray emissions are both from mildly relativistic electrons with energies of tens of keV and above. Gamma-ray line emission comes indirectly from accelerated protons and heavier ions with MeV and higher energies. The difficulty in collecting spatially and spectrally resolved x-ray and gamma-ray data has long been a barrier to learning about the accelerated particles. Considerable progress has been made in the last decade in understanding the relationship between the flare, the CME, energy release, and particle acceleration. But many new questions have also arisen. In this article, I describe those new insights and our evolving understanding of solar eruptive events.

Holman, Gordon D.↗
NASA NTRS1978

A quick response four decade logarithmic high-voltage stepping supply

An improved high-voltage stepping supply, for space instrumentation is described where low power consumption and fast settling time between steps are required. The high-voltage stepping supply, utilizing an average power of 750 milliwatts, delivers a pair of mirror images with 64 level logarithmic outputs. It covers a four decade range of + or - 2500 to + or - 0.29 volts having an output stability of + or - 0.5 percent or + or - 20 millivolts for all line load and temperature variations. The supply provides a typical step setting time of 1 millisecond with 100 microseconds for the lower two decades. The versatile design features of the high-voltage stepping supply provides a quick response staircase generator as described or a fixed voltage with the option to change levels as required over large dynamic ranges without circuit modifications. The concept can be implemented up to + or - 5000 volts. With these design features, the high-voltage stepping supply should find numerous applications where charged particle detection, electro-optical systems, and high voltage scientific instruments are used.

Doong, H.↗