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At least 307 records · Page 17

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NASA NTRS1991

Shiftwork in space - Bright light as a chronobiologic countermeasure

The potential of timed exposures to bright light as a countermeasure to the changes in the work/rest schedules during space missions was investigated. In the experiments, four human subjects were exposed to two sessions of eleven days of simulated weightlessness (6-deg head-down-tilt bedrest) with 6-hr extensions of the scheduled wake time on days 3 and 4 (a 12-hr phase delay). In a blind crossover design, subjects were exposed to bright light (greater than 3500 lux) for 5 hrs on each of the two shift days and on the following day, at times expected to accelerate adaptation to the phase delay (experimental group), or have no phase shifting effect (control group). Results indicate that bright light may accelerate the rate of adaptation to work/rest schedule delays under simulated weightlessness conditions. However, such effect was found to be largely independent of the timing of the light exposure.

Gander, Philippa H.↗

NASA NTRS1995

Capillary Pressure Balance with Repeated Head-Up Tilt in Humans

We measured blood density (BD). plasma density (PD) and hematocrit (Ht) during repeated 70 deg head-up tilt (HUT) consisting of a pre-drink period with two supine (P and P3) and two HUT (P2 and P4) phases of 45 min each. At the end of P4 test subjects (N=8) drank 10 ml/kg body weight of isotonic (290 mOsm/kg) sodium chloride (ISO) or hypotonic (<10 mOsm/kg) unsweetened us (HYP), or nothing (control: CON). The following periods continued the supine (P5, P7) / upright (P6) sequence. Mass density of plasma and whole blood using a "mechanical oscillation" technique were measured from ear lobe blood. Tilting altered (p<0.001) BD, PD, and Ht in all consecutive Phases. BD and PD were different (p<0.05) between CON. HYP. and ISO Phases 6 and 7. The computed mass density of fluid (FD). which moved between intra. and extravascular compartments. averaged 1008 g/l and was the same in any conditions. In the non-drink treatment (P3, P5, P7), supine PV steadly decreased when compared to P1. Tilt-induced PV shifts ranged from 9.7 to 16.7% when compared to PV du. ring the respective previous Phases. After drinking, PV increased above CON values at the end of Phase 7 by 12.9% with ISO, and by 6.6% with HYP. Progressive hemoconcentration. occurred during non-drink supine; isotonic saline ingestion increased supine PV a control level but did not stop or reverse the decrease of upright hemoconcentration. Upright density values were not slowed with repeated upright tilting; decreased fluid loss occurred in consecutive upright periods. Upright capillary pressure balance was achieved with diminished plasma volume loss during repeated tilting.

Hinghofer-Szalkay, H. G.↗

NASA NTRS2006

Development of the Gecko (Pachydactylus turneri) Animal Model during Foton M-2 to Study Comparative Effects of Microgravity in Terrestrial and Aquatic Organisms

Terrestrial organisms exposed to microgravity during spaceflight experience degeneration in bone, muscle, and possibly other tissues that require gravity-mediated mechanical stimulation for normal regenerative growth. In the Gecko experiment aboard Foton M-2, we flew for the first time, five terrestrial Pachydactylus turneri specimens to develop a model of microgravity effects comparable to the newt Pleurodeles waltl, a well-established model organism for spaceflight. These lower vertebrate species have similar body plans and size, are poikilothermic, have tissue regenerative ability, and are adapted to moderate periods of fasting. Furthermore the gecko (Pachydactylus) can also survive prolonged periods without water. In pre-flight control experiments and after a 16-day Foton M-2 spaceflight without food or water, the geckos were recovered and showed no apparent negative health effects. However, detailed analysis of bone mass and architecture by micro Computed Tomography { pCT), showed that both synchronous control and spaceflight animals lost significant amounts of cancellous bone in the distal femur and humerus relative to basal controls. In addition, cell cycle analysis of 30h post-flight liver tissue reveals a shift of DNA content from G2 and S to G1, both in spaceflight and synchronous controls. Together, these results suggest that housing conditions alone induce rapid catabolism of cancellous bone and reduced normal tissue regeneration. Further use of the gecko Puchydactylus turneri as a spaceflight model requires modification of housing conditions, possibly by including water and food, or changing other factors such as eliminating housing stresses to obtain stable bone structure and tissue regeneration during spaceflight experiments.

Almeida, E. A.↗

NASA NTRS2012

Effect of Inductive Coil Geometry on the Operating Characteristics of a Pulsed Inductive Plasma Accelerator

Operational characteristics of two separate inductive thrusters with coils of different cone angles are explored through thrust stand measurements and time-integrated, un- filtered photography. Trends in impulse bit measurements indicate that, in the present experimental configuration, the thruster with the inductive coil possessing a smaller cone angle produced larger values of thrust, in apparent contradiction to results of a previous thruster acceleration model. Areas of greater light intensity in photographs of thruster operation are assumed to qualitatively represent locations of increased current density. Light intensity is generally greater in images of the thruster with the smaller cone angle when compared to those of the thruster with the larger half cone angle for the same operating conditions. The intensity generally decreases in both thrusters for decreasing mass ow rate and capacitor voltage. The location of brightest light intensity shifts upstream for decreasing mass ow rate of propellant and downstream for decreasing applied voltage. Recognizing that there typically exists an optimum ratio of applied electric field to gas pressure with respect to breakdown efficiency, this result may indicate that the optimum ratio was not achieved uniformly over the coil face, leading to non-uniform and incomplete current sheet formation in violation of the model assumption of immediate formation where all the injected propellant is contained in a magnetically-impermeable current sheet.

Hallock, Ashley K.↗

NASA NTRS2012

Effect of Inductive Coil Geometry on the Operating Characteristics of an Inductive Pulsed Plasma Thruster

Operational characteristics of two separate inductive thrusters with conical theta pinch coils of different cone angles are explored through thrust stand measurements and time- integrated, unfiltered photography. Trends in impulse bit measurements indicate that, in the present experimental configuration, the thruster with the inductive coil possessing a smaller cone angle produced larger values of thrust, in apparent contradiction to results of a previous thruster acceleration model. Areas of greater light intensity in photographs of thruster operation are assumed to qualitatively represent locations of increased current density. Light intensity is generally greater in images of the thruster with the smaller cone angle when compared to those of the thruster with the larger half cone angle for the same operating conditions. The intensity generally decreases in both thrusters for decreasing mass flow rate and capacitor voltage. The location of brightest light intensity shifts upstream for decreasing mass flow rate of propellant and downstream for decreasing applied voltage. Recognizing that there typically exists an optimum ratio of applied electric field to gas pressure with respect to breakdown efficiency, this result may indicate that the optimum ratio was not achieved uniformly over the coil face, leading to non-uniform and incomplete current sheet formation in violation of the model assumption of immediate formation where all the injected propellant is contained in a magnetically-impermeable current sheet.

Hallock, Ashley K.↗

NASA NTRS2019

Growth Response of Water Hyacinth to Environmental Ranges in the California Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta

Management of aquatic weeds in complex watersheds and river systems present many challenges to assessment, planning, and implementation of management for aquatic invasive plants. The Delta Region Areawide Aquatic Weed Project (DRAAWP), a USDA sponsored area-wide project including NASA Ames Research Center and State of California Department of Boating and Waterways, is working to enhance decision-making and operational efficiency of invasive plant management in the California Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Expansion of invasive aquatic plants has been detrimental to water management and the ecosystem complex in the San Francisco Bay/California Delta. The portion of DRAAWP reported here focuses on parametrizing the environmental response inputs for the Delta models for prominent invasive aquatic plants. Changing climate, long-term drought, shifts in land use, and variation in water flow and quality from input watersheds lead to wide and unique variation in environmental conditions. Environmental variability occurs across a range of time scales from long-term climate and seasonal trends to short-term water flow mediated variations. Response of invasive aquatic plants are examined using controlled environment growth facilities at time scales of weeks, day, and hours using a combination of study duration and growth assessment techniques to assess water quality, temperature, nutrient, and light effects. These provide response parameters for plant growth models in response to the variation and interact with management and economic models associated with aquatic weed management. Plant growth models are informed by remote sensing and applied spatially across the Delta to balance location and type of aquatic plant, growth response to altered environments and phenology.

Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.v↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Bluntness and Supersaturation Effects on the Second Mode Instability in Mach 10 Flow

An experimental campaign was conducted on a 7-degree half-angle cone in the NASA Langley Research Center 31-Inch Mach 10 Tunnel to investigate the impact of nosetip radius and freestream supersaturation on the development of the second mode instability. The model was instrumented with surface-mounted Kulite® and PCB® pressure transducers and thermocouples. Power spectral density plots demonstrate the anticipated trends of the second mode instability weakening and shifting to lower frequencies with increased bluntness. Heat transfer measurements suggest laminar flow over the bulk of the model for most testing conditions, with evidence of transition by the cone base for the sharpest nosetip (R = 0.15 mm) at the higher unit Reynolds numbers. The dynamic surface pressure and heat transfer measurements show that reducing the temperature of the freestream to a supersaturated state has a significant stabilizing effect on the model boundary layer. The surface measurements are observed to be highly dependent on the level of clustering in the freestream. Significant changes in surface pressure spectra due to total temperature reduction are first noted below T0= 948 K, while more substantial fluctuation reductions are found below T0= 810 K.

Hypersonics↗

NASA NTRS2020

Computational Simulations of a Mach 0.745 Transonic Truss-Braced Wing Design

A joint effort between the NASA Ames and Langley Research Centers was undertaken to analyze the Mach 0.745 variant of the Boeing Transonic Truss-Braced Wing (TTBW) Design. Two different flow solvers, LAVA and USM3D, were used to predict the TTBW flight performance. Sensitivity studies related to mesh resolution and numerical schemes were conducted to define best practices for this type of geometry and flow regime. Validation efforts compared the numerical simulation results of various modeling methods against experimental data taken from the NASA Ames 11-foot Unitary Wind Tunnel experimental data. The fidelity of the computational representation of the wind tunnel experiment, such as utilizing a porous wall boundary condition to model the ventilated test section, was varied to examine how different tunnel effects influence CFD predictions. LAVA and USM3D results both show an approximate 0.5 angle of attack shift from experimental lift curve data. This drove an investigation that revealed that the trailing edge of the experimental model was rounded in comparison to the CAD model, due to manufacturing tolerances, which had not been accounted for in the initial simulations of the experiment. Simulating the TTBW with an approximation of this rounded trailing-edge reduces error by approximately 60%. An accurate representation of the tested TTBW geometry, ideally including any wing twists and deflections experienced during the test under various loading conditions, will be necessary for proper validation of the CFD.

Maldonado, Daniel↗

NASA NTRS2017

An Experimental Flow-Through Assessment of Acidic Fe/Mg Smectite Formation on Early Mars

Orbital observations have detected the phyllosilicate smectite in layered material hundreds of meters thick, intracrater depositional fans, and plains sediments on Mars; however, the detection of carbonate deposits is limited. Instead of neutral/alkaline conditions during the Noachian, early Mars may have experienced mildly acidic conditions derived from volcanic acid-sulfate solutions that allowed Fe/Mg smectite formation but prevented widespread carbonate formation. The detection of acid sulfates (e.g., jarosite) associated with smectite in Mawrth Vallis supports this hypothesis. Previous work demonstrated smectite (saponite) formation in closed hydrologic systems (batch reactor) from basaltic glass at pH 4 and 200°C (Peretyazhko et al., 2016 GCA). This work presents results from alteration of basaltic glass from alkaline to acidic conditions in open hydrologic systems (flow-through reactor). Preliminary experiments exposed basaltic glass to deionized water at 190°C at 0.25 ml/min where solution pH equilibrated to 9.5. These initial high pH experiments were conducted to evaluate the flow-through reactor system before working with lower pHs. Smectite at this pH was not produced and instead X-ray diffraction results consistent with serpentine was detected. Experiments are in progress exposing basaltic glass from pH 8 down to pH 3 to determine what range of pHs could allow for smectite formation in this experimental opensystem. The production of smectite under an experimental open-system at low pHs if successful, would support a significant paradigm shift regarding the geochemical evolution of early Mars: Early Mars geochemical solutions were mildly acidic, not neutral/alkaline. This could have profound implications regarding early martain microbiology where acid conditions instead of neutral/alkaline conditions will require further research in terrestrial analogs to address the potential for biosignature preservation on Mars.

Sutter, Brad↗

NASA NTRS2020

Computational Simulations of a Mach 0.745 Transonic Truss-Braced Wing Design

A joint effort between the NASA Ames and Langley Research Centers was undertaken to analyze the Mach 0.745 variant of the Boeing Transonic Truss-Braced Wing (TTBW) Design. Two different flow solvers, LAVA and USM3D, were used to predict the TTBW flight performance. Sensitivity studies related to mesh resolution and numerical schemes were conducted to define best practices for this type of geometry and flow regime. Validation efforts compared the numerical simulation results of various modeling methods against experimental data taken from the NASA Ames 11-foot Unitary Wind Tunnel experimental data. The fidelity of the computational representation of the wind tunnel experiment, such as utilizing a porous wall boundary condition to model the ventilated test section, was varied to examine how different tunnel effects influence CFD predictions. LAVA and USM3D results both show an approximate 0.5o angle of attack shift from experimental lift curve data. This drove an investigation that revealed that the trailing edge of the experimental model was rounded in comparison to the CAD model, due to manufacturing tolerances, which had not been accounted for in the initial simulations of the experiment. Simulating the TTBW with an approximation of this rounded trailing-edge reduces error by approximately 60%. An accurate representation of the tested TTBW geometry, ideally including any wing twists and deflections experienced during the test under various loading conditions, will be necessary for more thorough validation of the CFD.

Maldonado, Daniel↗

NASA NTRS1975

Blood circulation under weightless conditions

Biomedical data obtained on men and animals during weightlessness conditions establish instabilities in pulse rate and blood circulation that smooth out in proportion to adaptation to the weightless condition. The unusual slowness of recovery of pulse rate to initial values after space flight stress is attributed to biological simulation of hormonal shifts and discharge of humoral substances into the blood that prevent a rapid recovery of some biological indicators to initial values.

Kasyan, I. I.↗

NASA NTRS1976

Light scattering by tenuous particles - A generalization of the Rayleigh-Gans-Rocard approach

We consider scattering by arbitrarily shaped particles that satisfy two conditions: (1) that the polarizability of the particle relative to the ambient medium be small compared to 1 and (2) that the phase shift introduced by the particle be less than 2. We solve the integro-differential equation proposed by Shifrin by using the method of successive iterations and then applying a Fourier transform. For the second iteration, results are presented that accurately describe scattering by a broad class of particles. The phase function and other elements of the scattering matrix are shown to be in excellent agreement with Mie theory for spherical scatterers.

Acquista, C.↗

NASA NTRS1980

Prediction of unsuppressed jet engine exhaust noise in flight from static data

A methodology developed for predicting in-flight exhaust noise from static data is presented and compared with experimental data for several unsuppressed turbojet engines. For each engine, static data over a range of jet velocities are compared with the predicted jet mixing noise and shock-cell noise. The static engine noise over and above the jet and shock noises is identified as excess noise. The excess noise data are then empirically correlated to smooth the spectral and directivity relations and account for variations in test conditions. This excess noise is then projected to flight based on the assumption that the only effects of flight are a Doppler frequency shift and a level change given by 40 log (1 - m sub 0 cos theta), where M sub 0 is the flight Mach number and theta is the observer angle relative to the jet axis.

Stone, J. R.↗

NASA NTRS1980

Prediction of unsuppressed jet engine exhaust noise in flight from static data

In order to assess the impact of aircraft noise on the environment in the vicinity of an airport, it is essential that a methodology be developed for predicting in-flight exhaust noise from static data. Such a methodology is presented in this paper and is compared with experimental data for several unsuppressed turbojet engines. For each engine, static data over a range of jet velocities are compared with the predicted jet mixing noise and shock-cell noise. The static engine noise over and above the jet and shock noises is identified as 'excess' noise. The excess noise data are then empirically correlated to smooth the spectral and directivity relations and account for variations in test conditions. This excess noise is then projected to flight based on the assumption that the only effects of flight are a Doppler frequency shift and a level change. The effects of flight on jet mixing noise and shock noise are computed by published NASA methods.

Stone, J. R.↗

NASA NTRS1982

Effects of chronic acceleration on body composition

Studies of the centrifugation of adult rats showed an unexpected decrease in the mass of fat-free muscle and bone, in spite of the added load induced by centrifugation. It is suggested that the lower but constant fat-free body mass was probably regulated during centrifugation. Rats placed in weightless conditions for 18.5 days gave indirect but strong evidence that the muscle had increased in mass. Other changes in the rats placed in weightless conditions included a smaller fraction of skeletal mineral, a smaller fraction of water in the total fat-free body, and a net shift of fluid from skin to viscera. Adult rats centrifuged throughout the post-weaning growth period exhibited smaller masses of bone and central nervous system (probably attributable to slower growth of the total body), and a larger mass of skin than controls at 1 G. Efforts at simulating the effects of weightlessness or centrifugation on the body composition of rats by regimens at terrestrial gravity were inconclusive.

Pitts, G. C.↗

NASA NTRS1986

Single frequency multitransmitter telemetry

The invention relates to a single frequency multitransmitter telemetry system that will deliver a substantial amount of data at low cost. The invention consists essentially of a plurality of sensor transmitter units at different locations, with individual signal conditioning and logic, which send sampled data signals to a single receiver. The transmitters operate independently on the same frequency in a frequency shift keying modulation system and are not synchronized to the receiver. The problem of reception of data from more than one transmitter simultaneously is solved by discarding the data - when there is overlap of data from two or more transmitters, the data is discarded and when there is no overlap the data is retained. The invention utilizes a unique overlap detection technique to determine if data should be retained or discarded. When data is received from a transmitter, it goes into a shift register.

Carreno, Victor A.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Electro-optical characterization of the Tektronix TK512M-011 charge-coupled device

An electrooptical characterization encompassing linearity, blooming, dark-count rate, charge-transfer efficiency (CTE), and quantum efficiency, is presented for a front/side-illuminated CCD with 512x512 format and 27x27-micron pixels. The detailed noise characteristics of the CCD-output FET are reported. While very good low light level CTE is obtained in the parallel-shift direction, CTE problems arise in the serial direction. The output FET noise is equivalent to 5-12 electrons, depending on FET operating conditions and system bandwidth.

Epperson, Patrick M.↗

NASA NTRS1994

Perpendicular electron heating by absorption of auroral kilometric radiation

We investigate the possibility of perpendicular heating of electrons and the generation of '90 deg -electron conics' by particle diffusion in velocity space due to wave-particle interaction with intense auroral kilometric radiation. This interaction is made possible by the downward shift in the R-X cutoff below the electron cyclotron frequency that occurs in the presence of warm plasma. We stimulate this condition and solve the diffusion equation using a finite difference algorithm. The results show strong perpendicular electron heating and indicate that the main characteristics of an electron conic distribution can be reproduced under these conditions.

Morgan, D. D.↗