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NASA NTRS1996

Fluid Physics in a Fluctuating Acceleration Environment

We summarize several aspects of an ongoing investigation of the effects that stochastic residual accelerations (g-jitter) onboard spacecraft can have on experiments conducted in a microgravity environment. The residual acceleration field is modeled as a narrow band noise, characterized by three independent parameters: intensity (g(exp 2)), dominant angular frequency Omega, and characteristic correlation time tau. Realistic values for these parameters are obtained from an analysis of acceleration data corresponding to the SL-J mission, as recorded by the SAMS instruments. We then use the model to address the random motion of a solid particle suspended in an incompressible fluid subjected to such random accelerations. As an extension, the effect of jitter on coarsening of a solid-liquid mixture is briefly discussed, and corrections to diffusion controlled coarsening evaluated. We conclude that jitter will not be significant in the experiment 'Coarsening of solid-liquid mixtures' to be conducted in microgravity. Finally, modifications to the location of onset of instability in systems driven by a random force are discussed by extending the standard reduction to the center manifold to the stochastic case. Results pertaining to time-modulated oscillatory convection are briefly discussed.

Thomson, J. Ross↗

NASA NTRS1986

Quantitative modeling of the 'convection surge' mechanism of ion acceleration

To explore the properties of the 'convection surge' mechanism postulated by Quinn and Southwood (1982), a quantitative computer model of the mechanism is constructed. The model incorporates the dipolarization of the field line shapes as well as the results of recent transient electric field measurements by the AST-6 satellite. The computer model numerically integrates the equations of motion of ensembles of ions populating a single flux tube that goes through the convection surge or 'dipolarization' transformation. The numerical results confirm that the mechanism easily generates the bounce-phase-bunched ion distributions in question, and show that the convection surge can generate dramatically field-aligned ion distributions. It is hypothesized that the convection surge mechanism is fundamentally associated with the processes responsible for transporting tail ion populations to the geosynchronous regions of the earth's magnetosphere.

Mauk, B. H.↗

NASA NTRS1964

Dynamic Model Investigation of the Landing Characteristics of a Manned Spacecraft

Investigations were made to study the water-landing and certain grounds-surface landing characteristics of a Gemini spacecraft model. The water landing experiments were made by simulating paraglider and parachute letdowns with two 1/6- scale model configurations. Parameters included various combinations of attitude, horizontal speed, vertical speed, and landing skids extended and retracted. Investigations were made in calm water and in waves. The paraglider landings at horizontal speeds of 63 feet per second (19.8 m/sec) which resulted in a noseover or tumbling shortly after initial water contact. The maximum longitudinal acceleration of the model in calm water was about 14g units, and the maximum angular acceleration was 66 radians per second squared. In the parachute landings with the heat shield forward, the model skidded along the water surface on the heat shield. Parachute landings with the small end forward resulted in behavior similar to that of the paraglider landings. The ground-surface landings were made with a 1/3-scale model by simulating a parachute letdown with braking rockets, which were fired prior to touchdown to dissipate vertical velocity. In these landings, control of timing and aligning the rockets on the model was very critical, and violent behavior resulted when either rocket alignment or timing was in error. In the landings that were correctly controlled, the model either remained upright or slowly rolled over on its side.

EXPERIMENTS↗

NASA NTRS2021

Constraining particle acceleration in Sgr A? with simultaneous GRAVITY, Spitzer, NuSTAR, and Chandra observations

We report the time-resolved spectral analysis of a bright near-infrared and moderate X-ray flare of Sgr A⋆. We obtained light curves in the M, K, and H bands in the mid- and near-infrared and in the 2 − 8 keV and 2 − 70 keV bands in the X-ray. The observed spectral slope in the near-infrared band is νLν ∝ ν0.5 ± 0.2; the spectral slope observed in the X-ray band is νLν ∝ ν−0.7 ± 0.5. Using a fast numerical implementation of a synchrotron sphere with a constant radius, magnetic field, and electron density (i.e., a one-zone model), we tested various synchrotron and synchrotron self-Compton scenarios. The observed near-infrared brightness and X-ray faintness, together with the observed spectral slopes, pose challenges for all models explored. We rule out a scenario in which the near-infrared emission is synchrotron emission and the X-ray emission is synchrotron self-Compton. Two realizations of the one-zone model can explain the observed flare and its temporal correlation: one-zone model in which the near-infrared and X-ray luminosity are produced by synchrotron self-Compton and a model in which the luminosity stems from a cooled synchrotron spectrum. Both models can describe the mean spectral energy distribution (SED) and temporal evolution similarly well. In order to describe the mean SED, both models require specific values of the maximum Lorentz factor γmax, which differ by roughly two orders of magnitude. The synchrotron self-Compton model suggests that electrons are accelerated to γmax ∼ 500, while cooled synchrotron model requires acceleration up to γmax ∼ 5 × 104. The synchrotron self-Compton scenario requires electron densities of 1010 cm−3 that are much larger than typical ambient densities in the accretion flow. Furthermore, it requires a variation of the particle density that is inconsistent with the average mass-flow rate inferred from polarization measurements and can therefore only be realized in an extraordinary accretion event. In contrast, assuming a source size of 1 RS, the cooled synchrotron scenario can be realized with densities and magnetic fields comparable with the ambient accretion flow. For both models, the temporal evolution is regulated through the maximum acceleration factor γmax, implying that sustained particle acceleration is required to explain at least a part of the temporal evolution of the flare.

R. Abuter↗

NASA NTRS1999

Bone Density and High Salt Diets in a Space Flight Model

High salt diets accelerate bone loss with aging in patients with postmenopausal osteoporosis except when calcium supplementation is provided. We have observed that the decrease in mineral content of growing femurs in juvenile rats, exposed to a space flight model which unloads the hind limbs , is substantially less in animals fed excess salt. To determine whether excess dietary salt has the same effect on the skeleton of the mature animal whose response to unloading is increased resorption and bone loss rather than impaired growth, we carried out a metabolic study in mature rats with hindlimbs unloaded by tailsuspension.

Arnaud, S. B.↗

NASA NTRS2007

Co/Ni Ratio Between Is Approximately 0.35 - 8.0 GeV/nucleon from the TIGER-2001 Flight

The Trans-Iron Galactic Element Recorder (TIGER) was launched in December 2001 and 2003 from McMurdo, Antarctica and was designed to observe elements ranging from 14 < Z < 40 over an extended energy range. Observations of radioactive isotopes produced during explosive nucleosynthesis such as Ni-59 that decay only through electron capture provide important constraints on the delay between nucleosynthesis and the acceleration of galactic cosmic rays (GCRs). The isotopes of Co and Ni at low energies, in particular, the observations of the Ni-59 and Co-59 from the Cosmic Ray Isotope Spectrometer (CRIS) on the Advanced Composition Explorer, indicate a significant time delay (greater than 7.6 x 10^4 yr) between GCR nucleosynthesis and acceleration. While TIGER is not able to resolve isotopes, observations of the elemental abundances of Co and Ni at high energies further constrain models for the acceleration and propagation of GCRs. The 2001 & 2003 flights of TIGER lasted a total of approx. 50 days and collected sufficient statistics to study the Co/Ni elemental ratio over a wide range in energies. We present the elemental ratio of Co/Ni in galactic cosmic rays between approx. 0.8- 5.0 GeV/nucleon and compare these results with previous measurements and models for cosmic-ray propagation.

deNolfo, G. A.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Active region flows

A wide range of observations has shown that active region phenomena in the photospheric, chromospheric and coronal temperature regimes are dynamical in nature. At the photosphere, recent observations of full line profiles place an upper limit of about + or - 20/msec on any downflows at supergranule cell edges. Observations of the full Stokes 5 profiles in the network show no evidence for downflows in magnetic flux tubes. In the area of chromospheric dynamics, several models were put forward recently to reproduce the observed behavior of spicules. However, it is pointed out that these adiabatic models do not include the powerful radiative dissipation which tend to damp out the large amplitude disturbances that produce the spicular acceleration in the models. In the corona, loop flows along field lines clearly transport mass and energy at rates important for the dynamics of these structures. However, advances in understanding the heating and mass balance of the loop structures seem to require new kinds of observations. Some results are presented using a remote sensing diagnostic of the intensity and orientation of macroscopic plasma electric fields predicted by models of reconnective heating and also wave heating.

Foukal, Peter↗

NASA NTRS2015

Why Is Improvement of Earth System Models so Elusive? Challenges and Strategies from Dust Aerosol Modeling

Past decades have seen an accelerating increase in computing efficiency, while climate models are representing a rapidly widening set of physical processes. Yet simulations of some fundamental aspects of climate like precipitation or aerosol forcing remain highly uncertain and resistant to progress. Dust aerosol modeling of soil particles lofted by wind erosion has seen a similar conflict between increasing model sophistication and remaining uncertainty. Dust aerosols perturb the energy and water cycles by scattering radiation and acting as ice nuclei, while mediating atmospheric chemistry and marine photosynthesis (and thus the carbon cycle). These effects take place across scales from the dimensions of an ice crystal to the planetary-scale circulation that disperses dust far downwind of its parent soil. Representing this range leads to several modeling challenges. Should we limit complexity in our model, which consumes computer resources and inhibits interpretation? How do we decide if a process involving dust is worthy of inclusion within our model? Can we identify a minimal representation of a complex process that is efficient yet retains the physics relevant to climate? Answering these questions about the appropriate degree of representation is guided by model evaluation, which presents several more challenges. How do we proceed if the available observations do not directly constrain our process of interest? (This could result from competing processes that influence the observed variable and obscure the signature of our process of interest.) Examples will be presented from dust modeling, with lessons that might be more broadly applicable. The end result will either be clinical depression or there assuring promise of continued gainful employment as the community confronts these challenges.

Climate models↗

NASA NTRS2001

The SHIVA Project: Spaceflight Holography in a Virtual Apparatus

The poster summarizes theoretical and experimental concepts used in the development of the proposed NASA flight experiment SHIVA (Spaceflight Holography in a Virtual Apparatus). SHIVA exploits a unique holography-based, diagnostics tools to understand the behavior of small particles subjected to transient accelerations. Flight experiment protocols and apparatus will test model equations, characterize the acceleration environment and other microgravity phenomena. The primary objective of SHIVA is to enhance the current understanding of complex dynamics of small particles subjected to transient microgravity conditions. Existing theory did not fully describe the movement of particles in fluids in the microgravity environment. Results from recent ground-based experiments and comparison with the model recently developed by Rangel and Coimbra are presented.

Jim Trolinger↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Study of Advanced Occupant Models to Quantify Injury Risk for eVTOL Vehicles

Urban transportation is currently evolving from traditional ground-based vehicles (cars, taxis, and buses) to include air-based electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) vehicles which can be utilized for on-demand transportation, cargo transport, and emergency services. These new eVTOL vehicles are designed to be small, lightweight, and able to operate autonomously without user intervention. Safety is a big part of eventual eVTOL adoption, however gaps in the consideration of safety features exist. Anthropomorphic test devices (ATDs) are used in aerospace crashworthiness standards to quantify occupant injury risk and develop improved safety designs for emergency landing situations, but the ATDs currently used in aircraft certification requirements were developed many decades ago. Developments have occurred over the years involving ATD technology, which includes a host of newer and more biofidelic ATDs such as the Test Device for Human Occupant Restraint (THOR). Increased computing power has also allowed for detailed computational human body models (HBMs) to be created, such as the Global Human Body Model Consortium (GHBMC). This study aims to assess the capability of both HBMs and new ATD designs to identify injury mechanisms within eVTOL relevant emergency landing conditions. Finite element (FE) analysis was used to expand upon full-scale and seat level impact testing conducted by researchers at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to look at effects of occupant model configurations on prediction of injury. The GHBMC HBM and THOR ATD models were simulated in the seat level test conditions to characterize differences between these advanced assessment tools and traditional ATDs in the isolated seat loading environment. Results identified key differences in the responses from each of the models utilized and compared their impact response in head, neck, and spinal injury metrics. The THOR model identified potential risks for head injuries due to head impacts on the seat, however it predicted lower spinal loads than the other occupant surrogates. The GHBMC showed distinctly different biomechanical responses compared to the ATD. The GHBMC model is much more deformable than the ATDs and it exhibited higher distribution of forces and increased sensitivity to the duration of acceleration pulses. Both models incorporated into this study identified key mechanisms for injury that should be considered for passenger safety in the development of these novel aircraft. In addition, this study demonstrated the value of FE modeling for running a variety of complex human surrogates to identify potential injury mechanisms for consideration in regulation and development of new aircraft. Continued research in this field to improve validation these models will only lead to safer aircraft and more comprehensive safety measures.

Crashworthiness↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Study of Advanced Occupant Models to Quantify Injury Risk for eVTOL Vehicles

Crashworthiness↗

NASA NTRS2003

International Space Station Microgravity Analytical Model Correlation And Update

The acceleration environment aboard the completed International Space Station (ISS) is a key resource for scientific and technological endeavors. Hardware verification activIties and early measurements indicate that the ISS is well on the way of meeting these "Assembly Complete" "microgravity" provisions, however, the simulation models that compute these accelerations have, to date, lacked the high degree of empirical validation typical of standard aerospace industry practices. Assembly stage, on-orbit measurements are used to address this shortcoming and to develop higher confidence in the simulation models. The Phase I correlation results show the analyses to be consistently conservative, producing higher than measured levels. The 25 to 30% greater quasi-steady computations are deemed acceptable for verification. Updates are made to localized structural dynamic and vibroacoustic parameters that reduce responses in selected one-third octave bands by almost 50%. These models are then used for the Assembly Complete verification analysis which concludes that the ISS vehicle meets the ISS microgravity requirements with minor reservations. Two of the sixteen rack are marginally non-compliant in the quasi-steady regime, and operational constraints are needed on the U. S. Lab and ESA APM vacuum resource vents, and the Russian Resistive Exercise Device in the structural dynamic regime.

DelBasso, Steve↗

NASA NTRS1980

Phase 2 and 3 wind tunnel tests of the J-97 powered, external augmentor V/STOL model

Modifications were made to the model to improve longitudinal acceleration capability during transition from hovering to wing borne flight. A rearward deflection of the fuselage augmentor thrust vector is shown to be beneficial in this regard. Other agmentor modifications were tested, notably the removal of both endplates, which improved acceleration performance at the higher transition speeds. The model tests again demonstrated minimal interference of the fuselage augmentor on aerodynamic lift. A flapped canard surface also shows negligible influence on the performance of the wing and of the fuselage augmentor.

Garland, D. B.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Long term variability of the cosmic ray intensity

In a previous paper Bhat, et al., assess the evidence for the continuing acceleration of cosmic rays in the Loop I supernova remnant. The enhanced gamma-ray emission is found consistent with the Blandford and Cowie model for particle acceleration at the remnant shock wave. The contributions of other supernovae remnants to the galactic cosmic ray energy density are now considered, paying anisotropy of cosmic rays accelerated by local supernovae ( 100 pc). The results are compared with geophysical data on the fluctuations in the cosmic ray intensity over the previous one billion years.

Bhat, C. L.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Earth anisotropic reflection and the orbit of LAGEOS

Radiation pressure due to sunlight anisotropically reflected from the oceans apparently cannot explain the fluctuations in the anomalous along-track deceleration of the LAGEOS satellite. It fails by about a factor of 2 to account for the major peaks in the acceleration. This result is based on an extreme model: a cloudless earth whose northern hemisphere consists of continent, and whose southern hemisphere consists of ocean. The continent is assumed to reflect sunlight according to Lambert's law, while the ocean reflects anisotropically according to a simple analytical law which mimics Nimbus 7 observations. The inclusion of clouds into the model would reduce the acceleration to perhaps an order of magnitude below those observed. Some other explanation for the fluctuations, which have magnitude about 2 x 10 to the -12th m/sec sq, must be sought.

Rubincam, David Parry↗

NASA NTRS1998

Direct Acceleration of Pickup Ions at The Solar Wind Termination Shock: The Production of Anomalous Cosmic Rays

We have modeled the injection and acceleration of pickup ions at the solar wind termination shock and investigated the parameters needed to produce the observed Anomalous Cosmic Ray (ACR) fluxes. A non-linear Monte Carlo technique was employed, which in effect solves the Boltzmann equation and is not restricted to near-isotropic particle distribution functions. This technique models the injection of thermal and pickup ions, the acceleration of these ions, and the determination of the shock structure under the influence of the accelerated ions. The essential effects of injection are treated in a mostly self-consistent manner, including effects from shock obliquity, cross- field diffusion, and pitch-angle scattering. Using recent determinations of pickup ion densities, we are able to match the absolute flux of hydrogen in the ACRs by assuming that pickup ion scattering mean free paths, at the termination shock, are much less than an AU and that modestly strong cross-field diffusion occurs. Simultaneously, we match the flux ratios He(+)/H(+) or O(+)/H(+) to within a factor approx. 5. If the conditions of strong scattering apply, no pre-termination-shock injection phase is required and the injection and acceleration of pickup ions at the termination shock is totally analogous to the injection and acceleration of ions at highly oblique interplanetary shocks recently observed by the Ulysses spacecraft. The fact that ACR fluxes can be modeled with standard shock assumptions suggests that the much-discussed "injection problem" for highly oblique shocks stems from incomplete (either mathematical or computer) modeling of these shocks rather than from any actual difficulty shocks may have in injecting and accelerating thermal or quasi-thermal particles.

Ellison, Donald C.↗

NASA NTRS1994

Acceleration of electrons and ions by strong lower-hybrid turbulence in solar flares

One of the outstanding problems in solar flare theory is how to explain the 10-20 keV and greater hard x-ray emissions by a thick target bremsstrahlung model. The model requires the acceleration mechanism to accelerate approximately 10(exp 35) electrons sec(exp -l) with comparable energies, without producing a large return current which persists for long time scales after the beam ceases to exist due to Lenz's law, thereby, producing a self-magnetic field of order a few mega-Gauss. In this paper, we investigate particle acceleration resulting from the relaxation of unstable ion ring distributions, producing strong wave activity at the lower hybrid frequency. It is shown that strong lower hybrid wave turbulence collapses in configuration space producing density cavities containing intense electrostatic lower hybrid wave activity. The collapse of these intense nonlinear wave packets saturate by particle acceleration producing energetic electron and ion tails. There are several mechanisms whereby unstable ion distributions could be formed in the solar atmosphere, including reflection at perpendicular shocks, tearing modes, and loss cone depletion. Numerical simulations of ion ring relaxation processes, obtained using a 2 1/2-D fully electromagnetic, relativistic particle in cell code are discussed. We apply the results to the problem of explaining energetic particle production in solar flares. The results show the simultaneous acceleration of both electrons and ions to very high energies: electrons are accelerated to energies in the range 10-500 keV, while ions are accelerated to energies of the order of MeVs, giving rise to x-ray emission and gamma-ray emission respectively. Our simulations also show wave generation at the electron cyclotron frequency. We suggest that these waves are the solar millisecond radio spikes. The strong turbulence collapse process leads to a highly filamented plasma producing many localized regions for particle acceleration and resulting in approximately 10(exp 17) electron 'beamlets' of width approximately equal to 10 lambda sub De which eliminates the production of large magnetic fields. In this paper, we demonstrate that the model produces an energetic electron spectrum with the right flux to account for the hard x-ray observations.

Spicer, D. S.↗

NASA NTRS2020

Lunar Transient Accelerations White Paper

Recently, the United States announced a plan to return astronauts to the moon by 2024 [8]. Lunar landing (and subsequent Mars landing) architecture was not considered when the current NASA standards and vehicle design requirements for crew injury risk were developed. Therefore a gap exists in protecting the crew in planetary landing scenarios. One of the interesting aspects of this design reference mission (DRM)is the consideration of having the crew stand during dynamic phases of flight. Although this approach was contemplated for the Apollo Lunar Module, current NASA standards do not address design solutions that allow the crew to stand. Currently, NASA uses several tools and associated limits to mitigate crew injury because of dynamic loads. Some of these tools are the Brinkley Dynamic Response Criterion (BDRC) model and Hybrid III Anthropomorphic Test Devices (ATDs) [10]; and these have several limitations for assessing spaceflight loading environments, as well as specific underlying assumptions that may not be applicable in planetary landing vehicles. The BDRC is a simple lumped mass parameter model developed by the U.S. military, and has been used primarily to evaluate injury risk associated with aircraft ejection systems. The model evaluates seat accelerations in each axis to determine injury risk. Because the model treats the human-seat-restraint system as a single system, it is contingent on a restraint system and seat with similar characteristics of the original test data underlying the model. In particular, the model requires a rigid seat with a minimum natural frequency of 15Hz, minimal seat pan padding, side supports, and multipoint harness. The BDRC model uses undamped natural frequency and damping coefficients based on these requirements and any deviations may render the model injury predictions void. In lunar landing, one expects that a minimal or even no seat with minimal restraints will be employed. In this case, the original model parameters are likely to not be applicable. For capsule-based spacecraft returning crew to Earth, the Hybrid III ATD in various sizes also is used to supplement the BDRC. This analytical tool was added to address limitations in the BDRC related to spacecraft landings while wearing a pressure garment and helmet. Although the Hybrid III ATD has additional measurement capability; head, neck,and lumbar spine responses were the only metrics included because of the limitations imposed by the model.Lunar landing acceleration limits must assume the crew is standing during landing, an orientation for which we have limited data.Although the Apollo missions did employ a standing orientation for the crew, much of the data is lost. Therefore data from othersources havebeen examined to inform lunar landing acceleration limits.

Jeffrey T Somers↗