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At least 325 records · Page 18
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1992

Radiation dose to critical body organs for October 1989 proton event

The Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES-7) provides high-quality environmental data about the temporal development and energy characteristics of the protons emitted during a solar particle event. The GOES-7 time history of the hourly averaged integral proton flux for various particle kinetic energies are analyzed for the solar proton event occurring October 19-29, 1989. This event is similar to the August 1972 event that has been widely studied to estimate free-space and planetary radiation-protection requirements. By analyzing the time-history data, the dose rates, which can vary over many orders of magnitude in the early phases of the flare, can be estimated as well as the cumulative dose as a function of time. When basic transport results are coupled with detailed body organ thickness distributions calculated with the Computerized Anatomical Man and Computerized Anatomical Female models, the dose rates and cumulative doses to specific organs can be predicted. With these results, the risks of cancer incidence and mortality are estimated for astronauts in free space protected by various water shield thicknesses.

Simonsen, Lisa C.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Spaceflight payload design flight experience G-408

Worcester Polytechnic Institute's first payload of spaceflight experiments flew aboard Columbia, STS-40, during June of 1991 and culminated eight years of work by students and faculty. The Get Away Special (GAS) payload was installed on the GAS bridge assembly at the aft end of the cargo bay behind the Spacelab Life Sciences (SLS-1) laboratory. The Experiments were turned on by astronaut signal after reaching orbit and then functioned for 72 hours. Environmental and experimental measurements were recorded on three cassette tapes which, together with zeolite crystals grown on orbit, formed the basis of subsequent analyses. The experiments were developed over a number of years by undergraduate students meeting their project requirements for graduation. The experiments included zeolite crystal growth, fluid behavior, and microgravity acceleration measurement in addition to environmental data acquisition. Preparation also included structural design, thermal design, payload integration, and experiment control. All of the experiments functioned on orbit and the payload system performed within design estimates.

Durgin, William W.↗
NASA NTRS1992

A new era in magnetospheric research

Accounts are given of the development status and prospective efficacy of the Geoscience Environmental Data Display, the Space Environment Laboratory Data Acquisition and Display System, and the Geospace Environment Modeling program, which are all concerned with the 3D definition of the earth's magnetosphere. Attention is given to current and prospective improvements in the integration of all these data-gathering systems.

Akasofu, S.-I.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Space Station Freedom Environmental Health Care Program

The paper discusses the environmental planning and monitoring aspects of the Space Station Freedom (SSF) Environmental Health Care Program, which encompasses all phases of the SSF assembly and operation from the first element entry at MB-6 through the Permanent Manned Capability and beyond. Environmental planning involves the definition of acceptability limits and monitoring requirements for the radiation dose barothermal parameters and potential contaminants in the SSF air and water and on internal surfaces. Inflight monitoring will be implemented through the Environmental Health System, which consists of five subsystems: Microbiology, Toxicology, Water Quality, Radiation, and Barothermal Physiology. In addition to the environmental data interpretation and analysis conducted after each mission, the new data will be compared to archived data for statistical and long-term trend analysis and determination of risk exposures. Results of these analyses will be used to modify the acceptability limits and monitoring requirements for the future.

Richard, Elizabeth E.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Design and evaluation of a payload to support plant growth onboard COMET 1

The paper describes the design and the operation principles of the Plant Module for Autonomous Space Support (P-MASS), designed to provide life support for a variety of plants, algae, and bacteria in low earth orbit during the maiden flight of COMET-1, scheduled for 1993. During flight (scheduled to continue for 30 days), both color video images and collected environmental data (including light intensity, temperature, relative humidity, CO2 and O2 concentrations, soil moisture, and nutrients released) will be downlinked to earth several times a day. These data will also be stored within the payload and retrieved from it after reentry and recovery.

Hoehn, A.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Fundamental studies of radar scattering from water surfaces: The Lake Washington experiment

The University of Kansas and the University of Washington conducted a series of experiments during July and August of 1989, and July and August of 1990, to study the effects of various geophysical parameters on radar backscatter. The experiments were conducted from a platform in Lake Washington. Measurements of backscattered power and radar range were made by the University of Kansas, and environmental data such as wind speed, wind direction, and air and water temperature were measured by the University of Washington. Results of preliminary data processing are described. Radar data were acquired using two radars, one that operated at C and X bands and another at Ka band. Measurements were made at W and HH antenna polarizations, at different angles of incidence and under various wind conditions. Plots of backscattered power, normalized radar cross section, and wave height, and the Modulation Transfer Functions of selected data are presented.

Salam, A.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Earth observations from space: History, promise, and reality. Executive summary

In this report the Committee on Earth Studies (CES), a standing committee of the Space Studies Board (SSB) within the National Research Council (NRC), reviews the recent history (nominally from 1981 to 1995) of the U.S. earth observations programs that serve civilian needs. The principal observations programs examined are those of NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The Air Force' s Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) is discussed, but only from the perspective of its relationship to civil needs and the planned merger with the NOAA polar-orbiting system. The report also reviews the interfaces between the earth observations satellite programs and the major national and international environmental monitoring and research programs. The monitoring and research programs discussed are the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP), the International Geosphere-Biosphere Program (IGBP), the World Climate Research Program (WCRP), related international scientific campaigns, and operational programs for the sharing and application of environmental data. The purpose of this report is to provide a broad historical review and commentary based on the views of the CES members, with particular emphasis on tracing the lengthy record of advisory committee recommendations. Any individual topic could be the subject of an extended report in its own right. Indeed, extensive further reviews are already under way to that end. If the CES has succeeded in the task it has undertaken. This report will serve as a useful starting point for any such more intensive study. The report is divided into eight chapters: ( I ) an introduction, (2) the evolution of the MTPE, (3) its relationship to the USGCRP, (4) applications of earth observations data, (5) the role that smaller satellites can play in research and operational remote sensing, (6) earth system modeling and information systems, (7) a number of associated activities that contribute to the MTPE and the USGCRP, and (8) organizational issues in the conduct of civil earth observations programs. Following the body of the report is a series of appendixes: after a list of acronyms and abbreviations and collected short biographies of CES members, six brief tutorials discuss several scientific topics important to the science and applications of earth observations. Highlights from the eight chapters follow.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1999

Mars Surveyor Program 2001 Mission Overview

The Mars Surveyor 2001 mission to Mars was initially a key element in the Mars sample return sequence of missions. A capable rover, carrying the Cornell Athena instruments would be placed on Mars to roam over several kilometers, select samples, and place them in a cache for return by a subsequent mission. Inevitably, budget constraints forced descopes. At one critical point, the landed payload consisted only of the HEDS (Human Exploration and Development of Space) payloads selected for testing environmental properties of the surface for future human exploration. Then Congress intervened and put back some of the funding that had been deleted. NASA next redefined the payload to include as many of the Athena instruments as possible, to be distributed between the lander deck and a Sojourner class rover. This payload would then be placed on a modified version of the Mars Polar Lander rather than on the much larger, and more expensive, lander that had been originally designed for the mission. With this functionality restored the '01 mission remains an important and pivotal element of the Mars Surveyor program. It completes the Mars Observer objectives with the gamma ray spectrometer mapping. This mission will largely complete the global characterization phase of Mars exploration and mark the beginning of focused surface exploration leading to return of the first samples and the search for evidence of past Martian life. MSP'01 also is the first mission in the combined Mars exploration strategy of the HEDS and Space Science Enterprises of NASA. This mission, and those to follow, will demonstrate technologies and collect environmental data that will provide the basis for a decision to send humans to Mars. The NASA exploration strategy for Mars includes orbiters, landers and rovers launched in 2001 and 2003 and a sample return mission to be launched in 2005, returning a sample by 2008. The purpose of the rovers is to explore and characterize sites on Mars. The 2003 and 2005 missions will select rocks, soil, and atmosphere for return to earth.

Saunders, R. Stephen↗
NASA NTRS2004

Accessing the Lunar Poles for Human Exploration Missions

The National Vision for Space Exploration calls for an American return to the Moon in preparation for the human exploration of Mars and other destinations. The surface environment of the Moon is a challenge for human operations, but recent findings from robotic and Earth-based studies have indicated that the polar regions of the Moon may offer advantages in terms of thermal conditions, availability of solar energy, and access to local resources. While accessing these regions represents a challenge due to orbital dynamics and propulsive performance, methods for accessing the regions with humans are being actively pursued, and environmental data gathering is planned through future robotic missions.

Joosten, B. Kent↗
NASA NTRS2007

Candidate Landing Site for the Mars Science Laboratory: Vernal Crater, S.W. ARabia Terra

In the fall of 2009, the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) will be launched to Mars. The purpose of this mission is to assess biologic potential and geology and to investigate planetary processes of relevance to past habitability. MSL will be able to provide visual, chemical, radiation, and environmental data with its suite of instruments [1]. In order to be selected for the MSL landing site, certain engineering requirements must be met [1] and the area should contain geologic features suggestive of past habitability, so that the overriding science goal of the mission will be attained. There are a total of 33 proposed landing sites as of the first MSL Landing Site Workshop held in Pasadena, CA from May 31st to June 2nd, 2006 [1]. There will be an opportunity to gather high resolution visual and hyperspectral data on all proposed landing sites from the now-orbiting Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) which entered martian orbit and began its main science phase in November of 2006 [2]. The data being gathered are from: the high resolution imaging science experiment (HiRISE), the context (CTX) camera and the compact reconnaissance imaging spectrometer (CRISM) onboard the spacecraft. The footprints of these instruments are centered on a single point, and each proposer must submit these coordinates, along with the coordinates of the proposed landing ellipse. Data from these instruments, along with new MOC images and THEMIS mosaics, will be used to enhance our understanding of the geologic and engineering parameters of each site.

Paris, K. N.↗
NASA NTRS2006

Thermal Cycle Reliability of PBGA/CCGA 717 I/Os

Status of thermal cycle test results for a nonfunctional daisy-chained peripheral ceramic column grid array (CCGA) and its plastic ball grid array (PBGA) version. both having 560 I/Os. were presented in last year's conference. Test results included environmental data for three different thermal cycle regimes (-55 C/125 C, -55 C/100 C, and -50 C /75 C). Update information on these - especially failure type for assemblies with high and low solder volumes-were presented. The thermal cycle test procedure followed those recommended IPC-9701 for tin-lead solder joint assemblies. Revision A of this specification covers guideline thermal cycle requirements for Pb-free solder joints. Some background information discussed during release of this specification with its current guideline recommendations were also presented. In a recent reliability investigation a fully populated CCGA with 717 I/Os was also considered for assembly reliability. evaluation. The functional package is a field-programmable gate array that has much higher processing power than its previous version. This new package is smaller in dimension, has no interposer, and has a thinner column wrapped with copper for reliability improvement. This paper will also present thermal cycle test results for this package assembly and its plastic version with 728 I/Os. both of which were exposed to three different cycle regimes. Two cycle profiles were those specified by IPC- 9701A for tin-lead, i.e. -55 to 100 C and -55 to 125 C and one was a cycle profile specified by Mil-Std-883, i.e.. -65 C/150 C which is generally used for ceramic hybrid packages. Per IPC-9701 A, test vehicles were built using daisy chain packages and were continuously monitored. The effects of many process and assembly variables-including corner staking commonly used for improving resistance to mechanical loading such as drop and vibration loads--were also considered as part of the test matrix. Optical photomicrographs were taken at various thermal cycle intervals to document damage progress and behavior. Representative samples of these along with cross-sectional photomicrographs at higher magnification taken by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to determine crack propagation and failure analyses for packages are also presented.

staking↗
NASA NTRS2008

Terrestrial Environment (Climatic) Criteria Guidelines for use in Aerospace Vehicle Development

This document provides guidelines for the terrestrial environment that are specifically applicable in the development of design requirements/specifications for NASA aerospace vehicles, payloads, and associated ground support equipment. The primary geographic areas encompassed are the John F. Kennedy Space Center, FL; Vandenberg AFB, CA; Edwards AFB, CA; Michoud Assembly Facility, New Orleans, LA; John C. Stennis Space Center, MS; Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX; George C. Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL; and the White Sands Missile Range, NM. This document presents the latest available information on the terrestrial environment applicable to the design and operations of aerospace vehicles and supersedes information presented in NASA-HDBK-1001 and TM X-64589, TM X-64757, TM-78118, TM-82473, and TM-4511. Information is included on winds, atmospheric thermodynamic models, radiation, humidity, precipitation, severe weather, sea state, lightning, atmospheric chemistry, seismic criteria, and a model to predict atmospheric dispersion of aerospace engine exhaust cloud rise and growth. In addition, a section has been included to provide information on the general distribution of natural environmental extremes in the conterminous United States, and world-wide, that may be needed to specify design criteria in the transportation of space vehicle subsystems and components. A section on atmospheric attenuation has been added since measurements by sensors on certain Earth orbital experiment missions are influenced by the Earth s atmosphere. There is also a section on mission analysis, prelaunch monitoring, and flight evaluation as related to the terrestrial environment inputs. The information in these guidelines is recommended for use in the development of aerospace vehicle and related equipment design and associated operational criteria, unless otherwise stated in contract work specifications. The terrestrial environmental data in these guidelines are primarily limited to information below 90 km altitude.

D L Johnson↗
NASA NTRS2009

Solder Joint Health Monitoring Testbed System

The density and pin count for Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) has been increasing, and has exceeded current methods of solder joint inspection, making early detection of failures more problematic. These failures are a concern for both flight safety and maintenance in commercial aviation. Ridgetop Group, Inc. has developed a method for detecting solder joint failures in real time. The NASA Dryden Flight Research Center is developing a set of boards to test this method in ground environmental and accelerated testing as well as flight test on a Dryden F-15 or F-18 research aircraft. In addition to detecting intermittent and total solder joint failures, environmental data on the boards, such as temperature and vibration, will be collected and time-correlated to aircraft state data. This paper details the technical approach involved in the detection process, and describes the design process and products to date for Dryden s FPGA failure detection boards.

Delaney, Michael M.↗
NASA NTRS2009

Solder Joint Health Monitoring Testbed

A method of monitoring the health of selected solder joints, called SJ-BIST, has been developed by Ridgetop Group Inc. under a Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) contract. The primary goal of this research program is to test and validate this method in a flight environment using realistically seeded faults in selected solder joints. An additional objective is to gather environmental data for future development of physics-based and data-driven prognostics algorithms. A test board is being designed using a Xilinx FPGA. These boards will be tested both in flight and on the ground using a shaker table and an altitude chamber.

Delaney, Michael M.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Porting and Testing NPOESS CrIMSS EDR Algorithms

As a part of the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS) and the NPOESS Preparatory Project (NPP), the instruments Cross-track Infrared Sounder (CrIS) and Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder (ATMS) make up the Cross-track Infrared and Microwave Sounder Suite (CrIMSS). CrIMSS will primarily provide global temperature, moisture, and pressure profiles and calibrated radiances [1]. In preparation for the NPOESS/NPP launch, porting and testing of the CrIMSS Environmental Data Record (EDR) algorithms need to be performed.

Kizer, Susan↗
NASA NTRS2011

The GOES-R GeoStationary Lightning Mapper (GLM)

The Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES-R) is the next series to follow the existing GOES system currently operating over the Western Hemisphere. Superior spacecraft and instrument technology will support expanded detection of environmental phenomena, resulting in more timely and accurate forecasts and warnings. Advancements over current GOES capabilities include a new capability for total lightning detection (cloud and cloud-to-ground flashes) from the Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM), and improved capability for the Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI). The Geostationary Lighting Mapper (GLM) will map total lightning activity (in-cloud and cloud-to-ground lighting flashes) continuously day and night with near-uniform spatial resolution of 8 km with a product refresh rate of less than 20 sec over the Americas and adjacent oceanic regions. This will aid in forecasting severe storms and tornado activity, and convective weather impacts on aviation safety and efficiency among a number of potential applications. In parallel with the instrument development (a prototype and 4 flight models), a GOES-R Risk Reduction Team and Algorithm Working Group Lightning Applications Team have begun to develop the Level 2 algorithms (environmental data records), cal/val performance monitoring tools, and new applications using GLM alone, in combination with the ABI, merged with ground-based sensors, and decision aids augmented by numerical weather prediction model forecasts. Proxy total lightning data from the NASA Lightning Imaging Sensor on the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite and regional test beds are being used to develop the pre-launch algorithms and applications, and also improve our knowledge of thunderstorm initiation and evolution. An international field campaign planned for 2011-2012 will produce concurrent observations from a VHF lightning mapping array, Meteosat multi-band imagery, Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) Lightning Imaging Sensor (LIS) overpasses, and related ground and in-situ lightning and meteorological measurements in the vicinity of Sao Paulo. These data will provide a new comprehensive proxy data set for algorithm and application development.

Goodman, Steven J.↗
NASA NTRS2012

Fiber-Optic Sensor for Aircraft Lightning Current Measurement

An electric current sensor based on Faraday rotation effect in optical fiber was developed for measuring aircraft lightning current. Compared to traditional sensors, the design has many advantages including the ability to measure total current and to conform to structure geometries. The sensor is also small, light weight, non-conducting, safe from interference, and free of hysteresis and saturation. Potential applications include characterization of lightning current waveforms, parameters and paths, and providing environmental data for aircraft certifications. In an optical fiber as the sensing medium, light polarization rotates when exposed to a magnetic field in the direction of light propagation. By forming closed fiber loops around a conductor and applying Ampere s law, measuring the total light rotation yields the enclosed current. A reflective polarimetric scheme is used, where polarization change is measured after the polarized light travels round-trip through the sensing fiber. The sensor system was evaluated measuring rocket-triggered lightning over the 2011 summer. Early results compared very well against a reference current shunt resistor, demonstrating the sensor's accuracy and feasibility in a lightning environment. While later comparisons show gradually increasing amplitude deviations for an undetermined cause, the overall waveforms still compared very well.

Nguyen, Truong X.↗
NASA NTRS2012

An Overview of Suomi NPP VIIRS Calibration Maneuvers

The first Visible Infrared Imager Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instrument was successfully launched on-board the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (SNPP) spacecraft on October 28, 2011. Suomi NPP VIIRS observations are made in 22 spectral bands, from the visible (VIS) to the long-wave infrared (LWIR), and are used to produce 22 Environmental Data Records (EDRs) with a broad range of scientific applications. The quality of these VIIRS EDRs strongly depends on the quality of its calibrated and geo-located Sensor Date Records (SDRs). Built with a strong heritage to the NASA's EOS MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument, the VIIRS is calibrated on-orbit using a similar set of on-board calibrators (OBC), including a solar diffuser (SD) and solar diffuser stability monitor (SDSM) system for the reflective solar bands (RSB) and a blackbody (BB) for the thermal emissive bands (TEB). On-orbit maneuvers of the SNPP spacecraft provide additional calibration and characterization data from the VIIRS instrument which cannot be obtained pre-launch and are required to produce the highest quality SDRs. These include multi-orbit yaw maneuvers for the characterization of SD and SDSM screen transmission, quasi-monthly roll maneuvers to acquire lunar observations to track sensor degradation in the visible through shortwave infrared, and a driven pitch-over maneuver to acquire multiple scans of deep space to determine TEB response versus scan angle (RVS). This paper pro-vides an overview of these three SNPP calibration maneuvers. Discussions are focused on their potential calibration and science benefits, pre-launch planning activities, and on-orbit scheduling and implementation strategies. Results from calibration maneuvers performed during the Intensive Calibration and Validation (ICV) period for the VIIRS sensor are illustrated. Also presented in this paper are lessons learned regarding the implementation of calibration spacecraft maneuvers on follow-on missions.

Butler, James J.↗