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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 271 records · Page 15
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2006

Monthly-Diurnal Water Budget Variability Over Gulf of Mexico-Caribbean Sea Basin from Satellite Observations

This study presents results from a multi-satellite/multi-sensor retrieval system design d to obtain the atmospheric water budget over the open ocean. A combination of hourly-sampled monthly datasets derived from the GOES-8 5-channel Imager, the TRMM TMI radiometer, and the DMSP 7-channel passive microwave radiometers (SSM/I) have been acquired for the combined Gulf of Mexico-Caribbean Sea basin. Whereas the methodology has been tested over this basin, the retrieval system is designed for portability to any open-ocean region. Algorithm modules using the different datasets to retrieve individual geophysical parameters needed in the water budget equation are designed in a manner that takes advantage of the high temporal resolution of the GOES-8 measurements, as well as the physical relationships inherent to the TRMM and SSM/I passive microwave measurements in conjunction with water vapor, cloud liquid water, and rainfall. The methodology consists of retrieving the precipitation, surface evaporation, and vapor-cloud water storage terms in the atmospheric water balance equation from satellite techniques, with the water vapor advection term being obtained as the residue needed for balance. Thus, the intent is to develop a purely satellite-based method for obtaining the full set of terms in the atmospheric water budget equation without requiring in situ sounding information on the wind profile. The algorithm is validated by cross-checking all the algorithm components through multiple-algorithm retrieval intercomparisons. A further check on the validation is obtained by directly comparing water vapor transports into the targeted basin diagnosed from the satellite algorithms to those obtained observationally from a network of land-based upper air stations that nearly uniformly surround the basin, although it is fair to say that these checks are more effective in identifying problems in estimating vapor transports from a "leaky" operational radiosonde network than in verifying the transport estimates determined from the satellite algorithm system. Total columnar atmospheric water budget results are presented for an extended annual cycle consisting of the months of October-97, January-98, April-98, July-98,October-98, and January- 1999. These results are used to emphasize the changing relationship in E-P, as well as in the varying roles of storage and advection in balancing E-P both on daily and monthly time scales and on localized and basin space scales. Results from the algorithm-to-algorithm intercomparisons are also presented in the context of sensitivity testing to help understand the intrinsic uncertainties in evaluating the water budget terms by an all-satellite algorithm approach.

Smith, E. A.↗
NASA NTRS2007

Infrared Camera Characterization of Bi-Propellant Reaction Control Engines during Auxiliary Propulsion Systems Tests at NASA's White Sands Test Facility in Las Cruces, New Mexico

This paper describes the application of a FUR Systems A40M infrared (IR) digital camera for thermal monitoring of a Liquid Oxygen (LOX) and Ethanol bi-propellant Reaction Control Engine (RCE) during Auxiliary Propulsion System (APS) testing at the National Aeronautics & Space Administration's (NASA) White Sands Test Facility (WSTF) near Las Cruces, New Mexico. Typically, NASA has relied mostly on the use of ThermoCouples (TC) for this type of thermal monitoring due to the variability of constraints required to accurately map rapidly changing temperatures from ambient to glowing hot chamber material. Obtaining accurate real-time temperatures in the JR spectrum is made even more elusive by the changing emissivity of the chamber material as it begins to glow. The parameters evaluated prior to APS testing included: (1) remote operation of the A40M camera using fiber optic Firewire signal sender and receiver units; (2) operation of the camera inside a Pelco explosion proof enclosure with a germanium window; (3) remote analog signal display for real-time monitoring; (4) remote digital data acquisition of the A40M's sensor information using FUR's ThermaCAM Researcher Pro 2.8 software; and (5) overall reliability of the system. An initial characterization report was prepared after the A40M characterization tests at Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) to document controlled heat source comparisons to calibrated TCs. Summary IR digital data recorded from WSTF's APS testing is included within this document along with findings, lessons learned, and recommendations for further usage as a monitoring tool for the development of rocket engines.

Holleman, Elizabeth↗
NASA NTRS2007

Emissions from Forest Fires near Mexico City

The emissions of NOx (defined as NO (nitric oxide) + NO2 (nitrogen dioxide)) and hydrogen cyanide (HCN), per unit amount of fuel burned, from fires in the pine forests that dominate the mountains surrounding Mexico City (MC) are about 2 times higher than normally observed for forest burning. The ammonia (NH3) emissions are about average for forest burning. The upper limit for the mass ratio of NOX to volatile organic compounds (VOC) for these MC-area mountain fires was approximately 0.38, which is similar to the NOx/VOC ratio in the MC urban area emissions inventory of 0.34, but much larger than the NOx/VOC ratio for tropical forest fires in Brazil (approximately 0.068). The nitrogen enrichment in the fire emissions may be due to deposition of nitrogen-containing pollutants in the outflow from the MC urban area. This effect may occur worldwide wherever biomass burning coexists with large urban areas (e.g. the tropics, southeastern US, Los Angeles Basin). The molar emission ratio of HCN to carbon monoxide (CO) for the mountain fires was 0.012 +/- 0.007, which is 2-9 times higher than widely used literature values for biomass burning. The ambient molar ratio HCN/CO in the MC-area outflow is about 0.003 +/- 0.0003. Thus, if only mountain fires emit significant amounts of HCN, these fires may be contributing about 25% of the CO production in the MCarea (approximately 98-100 W and 19-20 N). Comparing the PM10/CO and PM2.5/CO mass ratios in the MC Metropolitan Area emission inventory (0.01 15 and 0.0037) to the PM1/CO mass ratio for the mountain fires (0.133) then suggests that these fires could produce as much as approximately 79-92% of the primary fine particle mass generated in the MC-area. Considering both the uncertainty in the HCN/CO ratios and secondary aerosol formation in the urban and fire emissions implies that about 50 +/- 30% of the "aged" fine particle mass in the March 2006 MC-area outflow could be from these fires.

Yokelson, R.↗
NASA NTRS2012

NASA Gulf of Mexico Initiative Hypoxia Research

The Applied Science & Technology Project Office at Stennis Space Center (SSC) manages NASA's Gulf of Mexico Initiative (GOMI). Addressing short-term crises and long-term issues, GOMI participants seek to understand the environment using remote sensing, in-situ observations, laboratory analyses, field observations and computational models. New capabilities are transferred to end-users to help them make informed decisions. Some GOMI activities of interest to the hypoxia research community are highlighted.

Armstrong, Curtis D.↗
NASA NTRS2012

Decline of Monarch Butterflies Overwintering in Mexico- Is the Migratory Phenomenon at Risk?

1.During the 2009-2010 overwintering season and following a 15-year downward trend, the total area in Mexico occupied by the eastern North American population of overwintering monarch butterflies reached an all-time low. Despite an increase, it remained low in 2010-2011. 2. Although the data set is small, the decline in abundance is statistically significant using both linear and exponential regression models. 3. Three factors appear to have contributed to reduce monarch abundance: degradation of the forest in the overwintering areas; the loss of breeding habitat in the United States due to the expansion ofGM herbicide-resistant crops, with consequent loss of milkweed host plants, as well as continued land development; and severe weather. 4. This decline calls into question the long-term survival of the monarchs' migratory phenomenon

Habitat↗
NASA NTRS2013

Aerosol Airmass Type Mapping Over the Urban Mexico City Region From Space-based Multi-angle Imaging

Using Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) and sub-orbital measurements from the 2006 INTEX-B/MILAGRO field campaign, in this study we explore MISR's ability to map different aerosol air mass types over the Mexico City metropolitan area. The aerosol air mass distinctions are based on shape, size and single scattering albedo retrievals from the MISR Research Aerosol Retrieval algorithm. In this region, the research algorithm identifies dust-dominated aerosol mixtures based on non-spherical particle shape, whereas spherical biomass burning and urban pollution particles are distinguished by particle size. Two distinct aerosol air mass types based on retrieved particle microphysical properties, and four spatially distributed aerosol air masses, are identified in the MISR data on 6 March 2006. The aerosol air mass type identification results are supported by coincident, airborne high-spectral-resolution lidar (HSRL) measurements. Aerosol optical depth (AOD) gradients are also consistent between the MISR and sub-orbital measurements, but particles having single-scattering albedo of approx. 0.7 at 558 nm must be included in the retrieval algorithm to produce good absolute AOD comparisons over pollution-dominated aerosol air masses. The MISR standard V22 AOD product, at 17.6 km resolution, captures the observed AOD gradients qualitatively, but retrievals at this coarse spatial scale and with limited spherical absorbing particle options underestimate AOD and do not retrieve particle properties adequately over this complex urban region. However, we demonstrate how AOD and aerosol type mapping can be accomplished with MISR data over complex urban regions, provided the retrieval is performed at sufficiently high spatial resolution, and with a rich enough set of aerosol components and mixtures.

aerosol optical depth↗
NASA NTRS2011

Mechanical Design of NESSI: New Mexico Tech Extrasolar Spectroscopic Survey Instrument

NESSI: the New Mexico Tech Extrasolar Spectroscopic Survey Instrument is a ground-based multi-object spectrograph that operates in the near-infrared. It will be installed on one of the Nasmyth ports of the Magdalena Ridge Observatory (MRO) 2.4-meter Telescope sited in the Magdalena Mountains, about 48 km west of Socorro-NM. NESSI operates stationary to the telescope fork so as not to produce differential flexure between internal opto-mechanical components during or between observations. An appropriate mechanical design allows the instrument alignment to be highly repeatable and stable for both short and long observation timescales, within a wide-range of temperature variation. NESSI is optically composed of a field lens, a field de-rotator, re-imaging optics, an auto-guider and a Dewar spectrograph that operates at LN2 temperature. In this paper we report on NESSI's detailed mechanical and opto-mechanical design, and the planning for mechanical construction, assembly, integration and verification.

exoplanet↗
NASA NTRS2015

Coordinated Field Campaigns in Chesapeake Bay and Gulf of Mexico

NASA's GEOstationary Coastal and Air Pollution Events (GEO-CAPE) mission concept recommended by the U.S. National Research Council (2007) focuses on measurements of atmospheric trace gases and aerosols and aquatic coastal ecology and biogeochemistry from geostationary orbit (35,786 km altitude). Two GEO-CAPE-sponsored multi-investigator ship-based field campaigns were conducted to coincide with the NASA Earth Venture Suborbital project DISCOVER-AQ (Deriving Information on Surface conditions from Column and Vertically Resolved Observations Relevant to Air Quality) field campaigns: (1) Chesapeake Bay in July 2011 and (2) northwestern Gulf of Mexico in September 2013. Goal: to evaluate whether GEO-CAPE coastal mission measurement and instrument requirements are optimized to address science objectives while minimizing ocean color satellite sensor complexity, size and cost - critical mission risk reduction activities. NASA continues to support science studies related to the analysis of data collected as part of these coordinated field campaigns and smaller efforts.

GoMex↗
NASA NTRS2016

Estimates of Lightning NOx Production Based on OMI NO2 Observations Over the Gulf of Mexico

We evaluate nitrogen oxide (NO(sub x) NO + NO2) production from lightning over the Gulf of Mexico region using data from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) aboard NASAs Aura satellite along with detection efficiency-adjusted lightning data from the World Wide Lightning Location Network (WWLLN). A special algorithm was developed to retrieve the lightning NOx [(LNO(sub x)] signal from OMI. The algorithm in its general form takes the total slant column NO2 from OMI and removes the stratospheric contribution and tropospheric background and includes an air mass factor appropriate for the profile of lightning NO(sub x) to convert the slant column LNO2 to a vertical column of LNO(sub x). WWLLN flashes are totaled over a period of 3 h prior to OMI overpass, which is the time an air parcel is expected to remain in a 1 deg. x 1 deg. grid box. The analysis is conducted for grid cells containing flash counts greater than a threshold value of 3000 flashes that yields an expected LNO(sub x) signal greater than the background. Pixels with cloud radiance fraction greater than a criterion value (0.9) indicative of highly reflective clouds are used. Results for the summer seasons during 2007-2011 yield mean LNO(sub x) production of approximately 80 +/- 45 mol per flash over the region for the two analysis methods after accounting for biases and uncertainties in the estimation method. These results are consistent with literature estimates and more robust than many prior estimates due to the large number of storms considered but are sensitive to several substantial sources of uncertainty.

Lightning↗
NASA NTRS2018

Detrital Shocked Zircon Provides First Radiometric Age Constraint of <1472 Ma for the Santa Fe Impact Structure, New Mexico, USA

Impact structures are prone to erosion, burial and tectonic deformation. The Santa Fe impact structure in New Mexico contains shatter cones and shocked quartz, but is highly tectonized and eroded; estimates of the impact age (1200-300 Ma) and size (6-13 km) are poorly constrained. Here we report the first occurrence of shock-twinned zircon identified both in modern sediments and bedrock at the Santa Fe impact structure. Zircon {112} twin lamellae are considered diagnostic evidence of shock deformation and have been identified at several impact structures including Vredefort, Sudbury, Ries, Rock Elm, and in lunar impact breccia. A total of 6619 grains from fifteen sediment samples and two rock samples were surveyed; seven shocked grains were identified (7/6619 = 0.1%). One shocked zircon was identified in a biotite schist shatter cone. Five of seven shocked zircon grains were EBSD mapped; three were analyzed with multiple SIMS spots. EBSD mapping revealed {112} deformation twin lamellae in each of the five zircon grains. U-Pb geochronology for three of the shocked zircon grains yield crystallization ages from 1715+/-22 to 1472+/-35 Ma. LA-ICPMS U-Th-Pb analysis of detrital zircon grains from five samples yielded Paleoproterozoic (1800-1600 Ma) and Mesoproterozoic (1500-1300 Ma) ages. We reveal the first confirmed shocked zircon at the Santa Fe structure. Zircon is the third shocked mineral identified at this site, in addition to xenotime and quartz]; the {112} twin lamellae indicate that exposed bedrock may have experienced shock pressures up to ~20 GPa. The 1472+/-35 Ma age determined from a shock-twinned zircon is the first reliable maximum impact age constraint based on analysis of shocked material and extends the window for the Santa Fe impact event into the Mesoproterozoic.

Montalvo, Pedro E.↗
NASA NTRS2019

Interdisciplinary Studies of a Marine Microbial Mat Ecosystem, Baja California, Mexico

Cyanobacterial mats in extensive seawater evaporation ponds at Guerrero Negro, Baja California, Mexico, have been excellent subjects for interdisciplinary research. Exportadora de Sal, S.A. (ESSA) has maintained this solar saltern since the 1950s. The following entities provided research support: NASA Exobiology (1984-1988), Precambrian Paleobiology Research Group (1986-1993), NAI (1998-2010), and Exobiology (2010-2016). This summary emphasizes research that was supported by the NAI and conducted by its teams.

Des Marais, David J.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Galactic Cosmic Radiation (GCR) Measurements Made by M-42 Active Dosimeters on NASA Balloon Flights (New Mexico & Antarctica) Resemble Levels Expected at Mars

Mimicking galactic cosmic radiation (GCR) is difficult with ground-based simulations and experimental results are limited by facility constraints. In the past year, we flew two consecutive missions on large NASA scientific balloons (to ~ 38 km altitude) launched from New Mexico (6.5-hr flight) and Antarctica (32-d flight) and will report GCR doses comparable to levels expected at the equatorial Mars surface. Measurements were made in collaboration with the DLR and utilizing the M-42 active radiation dosimeter developed for use on Artemis 1. The M-42 instrument stores data in flash memory, records charged particles over a substantial part of the trapped proton and the GCR LET spectrum, and can be easily integrated into payloads due to its compact size (182 x 44 x 22 mm; 237 g) and internal battery (up to 6 weeks of operation). Our presentation will provide an overview of the two recent balloon missions (payload description; flight profiles), and summarize the radiation data collected in the middle stratosphere, highlighting how robust, real GCR exposures can be achieved without needing to fly orbital or deep space experiments.

radiation↗
NASA NTRS2005

Mapping variations in weight percent silica measured from multispectral thermal infrared imagery - Examples from the Hiller Mountains, Nevada, USA and Tres Virgenes-La Reforma, Baja California Sur, Mexico

Remotely sensed multispectral thermal infrared (8-13 mu m) images are increasingly being used to map variations in surface silicate mineralogy. These studies utilize the shift to longer wavelengths in the main spectral feature in minerals in this wavelength region (reststrahlen band) as the mineralogy changes from felsic to mafic. An approach is described for determining the amount of this shift and then using the shift with a reference curve, derived from laboratory data, to remotely determine the weight percent SiO2 of the surface. The approach has broad applicability to many study areas and can also be fine-tuned to give greater accuracy in a particular study area if field samples are available. The approach was assessed using airborne multispectral thermal infrared images from the Hiller Mountains, Nevada, USA and the Tres Virgenes-La Reforma, Baja California Sur, Mexico. Results indicate the general approach slightly overestimates the weight percent SiO2 of low silica rocks (e.g. basalt) and underestimates the weight percent SiO2 of high silica rocks (e.g. granite). Fine tuning the general approach with measurements from field samples provided good results for both areas with errors in the recovered weight percent SiO2 of a few percent. The map units identified by these techniques and traditional mapping at the Hiller Mountains demonstrate the continuity of the crystalline rocks from the Hiller Mountains southward to the White Hills supporting the idea that these ranges represent an essentially continuous footwall block

Stock, Joann M.↗
NASA NTRS2022

Albuquerque Urban Development: Enhancing Urban Cooling Interventions by Modeling Urban Forestry through NASA Earth Observations in Albuquerque, New Mexico

The City of Albuquerque, New Mexico is experiencing increasing urban heat island(UHI) effects, which impact the health, safety, and comfort of the community. In partnership with the City of Albuquerque Department of Environmental Health, Department of Parks and Recreation, and Let’s Plant Albuquerque!, this project used satellite Earth observations from April 2016–August 2022 to model increases in tree canopy within the City of Albuquerque to help combat the urban heat island in the city’s warmer areas over the next decade. Using Landsat 8’s Thermal Infrared Sensor (TIRS) and the Ecosystem Spaceborne Thermal Radiometer Experiment on the International Space Station (ECOSTRESS), along with the Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs (InVEST) Urban Cooling and ENVI-Met models, the team modeled tree cover interventions and created land surface temperature maps. These outputs will help the city make data-driven decisions for their tree planting goal in a targeted approach.

Max Stewart↗
NASA NTRS2022

A preliminary assessment of olivine phenocrysts from the monogenetic basalt of the McCartys Flow, Zuni-Bandera Volcanic Field, New Mexico

Monogenetic small-volume basaltic volcanoes are the most abundant subaerial volcanic landforms on Earth but are some of the most poorly understood systems. Their short durations, small volumes, and lack of recurrence make monitoring and hazard assessment difficult. The Zuni-Bandera volcanic field in western New Mexico contains small-volume basaltic centers erupting tholeiitic to alkalic basalts. Evidence shows no correlation of magma composition with eruption age, location, or volumetric output, prompting questions about the influence of magma ascent rates, magma storage conditions, and mantle source characteristics on lava compositions. Here, we present olivine major and minor element mineral chemistry from the 3200-year-old McCartys Flow, the youngest tholeiite basalt in the volcanic field. Olivine displays four phenocryst types with unique textures and major and minor element compositions. Multiple olivine types co-exist at the thin section scale. Major and minor element diffusion at frozen melt–phenocryst interfaces was modeled, revealing magma residence times ranging from 3–9 months. Type 3 olivine phenocrysts require step function initial conditions and record diffusion re-equilibration followed by magma mixing. These profiles indicate the magma resided in the reservoir for 10–15 years and accumulated from multiple batches of mixed magmas less than 10 days before the eruption. Our results show that primitive magmas in small-volume monogenetic volcanoes have complex lithospheric magmatic histories and stored in magma bodies influenced by an open system to develop different local chemical environments.

Gary S. Michelfelder↗
NASA NTRS2023

Implementation of A Drone Delivery System for Healthcare in Mexico: International Precedents and Domestic Considerations

One of the Mexican healthcare system’s principal problems is providing access to its rural communities. Drone delivery has repeatedly proven to be a compelling and cost-effective solution to this problem elsewhere, yet there is currently no scholarship connecting global developments in drone technology to problems in the Mexican healthcare system. This paper is to outline lessons learned from drone systems in several countries, providing information on the potential target communities, technical drone and nest specs, goods of delivery, and regulation of a drone system for healthcare in Mexico.

Drone↗