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At least 307 records · Page 17
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NASA NTRS1991

Cellular track model of biological damage to mammalian cell cultures from galactic cosmic rays

The assessment of biological damage from the galactic cosmic rays (GCR) is a current interest for exploratory class space missions where the highly ionizing, high-energy, high-charge ions (HZE) particles are the major concern. The relative biological effectiveness (RBE) values determined by ground-based experiments with HZE particles are well described by a parametric track theory of cell inactivation. Using the track model and a deterministic GCR transport code, the biological damage to mammalian cell cultures is considered for 1 year in free space at solar minimum for typical spacecraft shielding. Included are the effects of projectile and target fragmentation. The RBE values for the GCR spectrum which are fluence-dependent in the track model are found to be more severe than the quality factors identified by the International Commission on Radiological Protection publication 26 and seem to obey a simple scaling law with the duration period in free space.

Cucinotta, Francis A.↗
NASA NTRS1990

GCS programmer's manual

A variety of instructions to be used in the development of implementations of software for the Guidance and Control Software (GCS) project is described. This document fulfills the Radio Technical Commission for Aeronautics RTCA/DO-178A guidelines, 'Software Considerations in Airborne Systems and Equipment Certification' requirements for document No. 4, which specifies the information necessary for understanding and programming the host computer, and document No. 12, which specifies the software design and implementation standards that are applicable to the software development and testing process. Information on the following subjects is contained: activity recording, communication protocol, coding standards, change management, error handling, design standards, problem reporting, module testing logs, documentation formats, accuracy requirements, and programmer responsibilities.

Lowman, Douglas S.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Aeronautics and Space Report of the President

Nineteen eighty-eight marked the United States' return to space flight with two successful space shuttle launches in September and December, as well as six successful expendable rocket launches. Meanwhile, many other less spectacular but important contributions were made in aeronautics and space by the 14 participating government organizations. Each organization's aeronautics and/or space activities for the year are presented. The organizations involved include: (1) NASA; (2) Department of Defense; (3) Department of Commerce; (4) Department of Energy; (5) Department of the Interior; (6) Department of Agriculture; (7) Federal Communications Commission; (8) Department of Transportation; (9) Environmental Protection Agency; (10) National Science Foundation; (11) Smithsonian Institution; (12) Department of State; (13) Arms Control and Disarmament Agency; and (14) United States Information Agency.

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NASA NTRS1991

Aeronautics and Space Report of the President

The years 1989 to 1990 activities are reported including human space flight, unmanned expendable launch vehicles, space science and applications, space communications operations, space research and technology, and aeronautics research and technology. Contributions made by the 14 participating government organizations are outline. Each organization's aeronautics and/or space activities for the year are presented. The organizations involved include: (1) NASA; (2) Dept. of Defense; (3) Dept. of Commerce; (4) Dept. of Energy; (5) Dept. of the Interior; (6) Dept. of Agriculture; (7) Federal Communications Commission; (8) Dept. of Transportation; (9) Environmental Protection Agency; (10) National Science Foundation; (11) Smithsonian Institution; (12) Dept. of State; (13) Arms Control and Disarmament; and (14) United States Information Agency.

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NASA NTRS1991

International Workshop on Stratospheric Aerosols: Measurements, Properties, and Effects

Following a mandate by the International Aerosol Climatology Program under the auspices of International Association of Meteorology and Atmospheric Physics International Radiation Commission, 45 scientists from five nations convened to discuss relevant issues associated with the measurement, properties, and effects of stratospheric aerosols. A summary is presented of the discussions on formation and evolution, transport and fate, effects on climate, role in heterogeneous chemistry, and validation of lidar and satellite remote sensing of stratospheric aerosols. Measurements are recommended of the natural (background) and the volcanically enhanced aerosol (sulfuric acid and silica particles), the exhaust of shuttle, civil aviation and supersonic aircraft operations (alumina, soot, and ice particles), and polar stratospheric clouds (ice, condensed nitric and hydrochloric acids).

Pueschel, Rudolf F.↗
NASA NTRS1990

The GEM-T2 gravitational model

The GEM-T2 is the latest in a series of Goddard Earth Models of the terrestrial field. It was designed to bring modeling capabilities one step closer towards ultimately determining the TOPEX/Poseidon satellite's radial position to an accuracy of 10-cm RMS (root mean square). It also improves models of the long wavelength geoid to support many oceanographic and geophysical applications. The GEM-T2 extends the spherical harmonic field to include more than 600 coefficients above degree 36 (which was the limit for its predecessor, GEM-T1). Like GEM-T1, it was produced entirely from satellite tracking data, but it now uses nearly twice as many satellites (31 vs. 17), contains four times the number of observations (2.4 million), has twice the number of data arcs (1132), and utilizes precise laser tracking from 11 satellites. The estimation technique for the solution has been augmented to include an optimum data weighting procedure with automatic error calibration for the gravitational parameters. Results for the GEM-T2 error calibration indicate significant improvement over previous satellite-only models. The error of commission in determining the geoid has been reduced from 155 cm in GEM-T1 to 105 cm for GEM-T2 for the 36 x 36 portion of the field, and 141 cm for the entire model. The orbital accuracies achieved using GEM-T2 are likewise improved. Also, the projected radial error on the TOPEX satellite orbit indicates 9.4 cm RMS for GEM-T2, compared to 24.1 cm for GEM-T1.

Marsh, J. G.↗
NASA NTRS1990

STARS - Supportability Trend Analysis and Reporting System for the National Space Transportation System

The concept, implementation, and long-range goals of a Supportability Trend Analysis and Reporting System (STARS) for the National Space Transportation System (NSTS) are discussed. The requirement was established as a direct result of the recommendations of the Rogers Commission investigation of the circumstances of the Space Shuttle Challenger accident. STARS outlines the requirements for the supportability-trend data collection, analysis, and reporting requirements that each of the project offices supporting the Space Shuttle are required to provide to the NSTS program office. STARS data give the historic and predictive logistics information necessary for all levels of NSTS management to make safe and cost-effective decisions concerning the smooth flow of Space Shuttle turnaround.

Graham, Leroy J.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Operation of the University of Hawaii 2.2M telescope on Mauna Kea

NASA's planetary astronomy program provides part of the funding for the 2.2 meter telescope. The parameters for time on the telescope are laid out. A major instrumental highlight has been the commissioning of a 256 x 256 near infrared camera which uses a Rockwell NICMOS-3 array. At the f/10 focus, image scales of 0.37 and 0.75 arcsec/pixel are available. A new, high quantum efficiency Tektronix 1024 x 1024 CCD saw first light on the telescope in 1991, and was available regularly from April 1991. Data from both of these detectors are transmitted directly to the Sun workstation for immediate analysis by the observers. The autoguider software was enhanced to permit guided tracking on objects have nonsideral motions (i.e., solar system objects).

Hall, Donald N. B.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Comparison of ERBS orbit determination accuracy using batch least-squares and sequential methods

The Flight Dynamics Div. (FDD) at NASA-Goddard commissioned a study to develop the Real Time Orbit Determination/Enhanced (RTOD/E) system as a prototype system for sequential orbit determination of spacecraft on a DOS based personal computer (PC). An overview is presented of RTOD/E capabilities and the results are presented of a study to compare the orbit determination accuracy for a Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System (TDRSS) user spacecraft obtained using RTOS/E on a PC with the accuracy of an established batch least squares system, the Goddard Trajectory Determination System (GTDS), operating on a mainframe computer. RTOD/E was used to perform sequential orbit determination for the Earth Radiation Budget Satellite (ERBS), and the Goddard Trajectory Determination System (GTDS) was used to perform the batch least squares orbit determination. The estimated ERBS ephemerides were obtained for the Aug. 16 to 22, 1989, timeframe, during which intensive TDRSS tracking data for ERBS were available. Independent assessments were made to examine the consistencies of results obtained by the batch and sequential methods. Comparisons were made between the forward filtered RTOD/E orbit solutions and definitive GTDS orbit solutions for ERBS; the solution differences were less than 40 meters after the filter had reached steady state.

Oza, D. H.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Study of geopotential error models used in orbit determination error analysis

The uncertainty in the geopotential model is currently one of the major error sources in the orbit determination of low-altitude Earth-orbiting spacecraft. The results of an investigation of different geopotential error models and modeling approaches currently used for operational orbit error analysis support at the Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) are presented, with emphasis placed on sequential orbit error analysis using a Kalman filtering algorithm. Several geopotential models, known as the Goddard Earth Models (GEMs), were developed and used at GSFC for orbit determination. The errors in the geopotential models arise from the truncation errors that result from the omission of higher order terms (omission errors) and the errors in the spherical harmonic coefficients themselves (commission errors). At GSFC, two error modeling approaches were operationally used to analyze the effects of geopotential uncertainties on the accuracy of spacecraft orbit determination - the lumped error modeling and uncorrelated error modeling. The lumped error modeling approach computes the orbit determination errors on the basis of either the calibrated standard deviations of a geopotential model's coefficients or the weighted difference between two independently derived geopotential models. The uncorrelated error modeling approach treats the errors in the individual spherical harmonic components as uncorrelated error sources and computes the aggregate effect using a combination of individual coefficient effects. This study assesses the reasonableness of the two error modeling approaches in terms of global error distribution characteristics and orbit error analysis results. Specifically, this study presents the global distribution of geopotential acceleration errors for several gravity error models and assesses the orbit determination errors resulting from these error models for three types of spacecraft - the Gamma Ray Observatory, the Ocean Topography Experiment, and the Cosmic Background Explorer.

Yee, C.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Waste management technology development and demonstration programs at Brookhaven National Laboratory

Two thermoplastic processes for improved treatment of radioactive, hazardous, and mixed wastes were developed from bench scale through technology demonstration: polyethylene encapsulation and modified sulfur cement encapsulation. The steps required to bring technologies from the research and development stage through full scale implementation are described. Both systems result in durable waste forms that meet current Nuclear Regulatory Commission and Environmental Protection Agency regulatory criteria and provide significant improvements over conventional solidification systems such as hydraulic cement. For example, the polyethylene process can encapsulate up to 70 wt pct. nitrate salt, compared with a maximum of about 20 wt pct. for the best hydraulic cement formulation. Modified sulfur cement waste forms containing as much as 43 wt pct. incinerator fly ash were formulated, whereas the maximum quantity of this waste in hydraulic cement is 16 wt pct.

Kalb, Paul D.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Developments in land mobile satellite service in Europe

The evolution of land mobile radio has reached a stage to benefit from satellite communications. The provision of a service on a pan-European basis makes the use of satellites a viable proposition. The paper describes the European position on both system and space segment aspects of the land mobile satellite service. Also, some of the functions of the European institutions, such as the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI), the Conference of European Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT), and the Commission of European Communities (CEC), in establishing these services are identified.

Jayasuriya, D. A. R.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Optics Alignment Panel

The Optics Alignment Panel (OAP) was commissioned by the HST Science Working Group to determine the optimum alignment of the OTA optics. The goal was to find the position of the secondary mirror (SM) for which there is no coma or astigmatism in the camera images due to misaligned optics, either tilt or decenter. The despace position was reviewed of the SM and the optimum focus was sought. The results of these efforts are as follows: (1) the best estimate of the aligned position of the SM in the notation of HDOS is (DZ,DY,TZ,TY) = (+248 microns, +8 microns, +53 arcsec, -79 arcsec), and (2) the best focus, defined to be that despace which maximizes the fractional energy at 486 nm in a 0.1 arcsec radius of a stellar image, is 12.2 mm beyond paraxial focus. The data leading to these conclusions, and the estimated uncertainties in the final results, are presented.

Schroeder, Daniel J.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Semiannual report, January 1992

The objective of the Space Engineering Research Center is to develop and disseminate a unified technology of controlled structures, to codify and disseminate this technology, and to train a generation of skilled engineers. The disciplinary research with the Controlled Structures Testbed (CST) is ongoing. The interferometer testbed became operational and is an active vehicle for researchers. The engineering model of the Mid-Deck Active Control Experiment (MACE) multibody test article also was commissioned. It is a pathfinder for control of articulated flexible structures. The Mid-Deck 0-Gravity Dynamics Experiment (MODE) experiment flew on STS-48. Its goals were to examine the dynamics of space structures in zero-gravity.

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NASA NTRS1992

Pathways of Understanding: the Interactions of Humanity and Global Environmental Change

How humans, interacting within social systems, affect and are affected by global change is explored. Recognizing the impact human activities have on the environment and responding to the need to document the interactions among human activities, the Consortium for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN) commissioned a group of 12 scientists to develop a framework illustrating the key human systems that contribute to global change. This framework, called the Social Process Diagram, will help natural and social scientists, educators, resource managers and policy makers envision and analyze how human systems interact among themselves and with the natural system. The Social Process Diagram consists of the following blocks that constitute the Diagram's structural framework: (1) fund of knowledge and experience; (2) preferences and expectations; (3) factors of production and technology; (4) population and social structure; (5) economic systems; (6) political systems and institutions; and (7) global scale environmental processes. To demonstrate potential ways the Diagram can be used, this document includes 3 hypothetical scenarios of global change issues: global warming and sea level rise; the environmental impact of human population migration; and energy and the environment. These scenarios demonstrate the Diagram's usefulness for visualizing specific processes that might be studied to evaluate a particular global change issues. The scenario also shows that interesting and unanticipated questions may emerge as links are explored between categories on the Diagram.

Jacobson, Harold K.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Channel coding for digital HDTV terrestrial broadcasting

The Federal Communications Commission of the United States has ruled that high-definition television (HDTV) will occupy no more than 6 MHz of the VHF and UHF bands now used for conventional TV. In order to transmit the HDTV signal in 6 MHz, the four United States digital HDTV proponents, the DigiCipher, DSC-HDTV, ADTV, and ATVA-P systems, are reducing the video data rate of HDTV to 15-17 Mb/s, a compression ratio of approximately 60-70 times. The high compression dictates that channel coding be used to avoid block errors and multiframe error propagation. High efficiency in channel utilization required by the 6-MHz limitation means that the channel must be properly equalized and that the multipath and interfering signals must be severely limited. The channel coding techniques used for error reduction include data interleaving, error detection and replacement, and error correction at different levels of protection for bits and blocks of unequal importance.

Beakley, Guy W.↗
NASA NTRS1991

New 1982-1990 photometry of Lambda Andromedae and its 11-year cycle

The paper presents photoelectric photometry of Lambda And never before published, obtained between February 1982 and December 1990 at 29 different observatories. Then it is combined with all other photometry available (previously published, contained in the I.A.U. Commission 27 Archives, and obtained with the Vanderbilt 16-inch automatic telescope but not yet published), to yield a 14.8-year data base. Analysis reveals a long-term cycle in mean brightness, with a full range of 0.15 m and a period of 11.4 +/- 0.4 years. Because most of the new photometry was concentrated in the 1983-1984 observing season, this one well-defined light curve is analyzed with a two-spot model. Spot A keeps a 0.04 m amplitude throughout four rotation cycles whereas the amplitude of spot B diminishes from 0.09 m down almost to 0.03 m. The spot rotation periods were 55.9 d +/- 0.6 d and 52.8 d +/- 1.0 d, respectively.

Hall, Douglas S.↗
NASA NTRS1991

An evaluation of a DO-178A software development process

The guidance and control software (GCS) experiment is an effort to generate realistic software failure data by developing three implementations of a guidance and control software application according to the Radio Technical Commission for Aeronautics RTCA/DO-178A guidelines. The authors describe their approach for evaluating the DO-178A guidelines and give results from the development and verification process for the Pluto implementation. The other names are Mercury and Earth. The preliminary analysis of the Pluto implementation has already yielded some results that will be interesting to track for the other implementations.

Shagnea, Anita M.↗