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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1994

The effectiveness of ground level post-flight 100 percent oxygen breathing as therapy for pain-only altitude Decompression Sickness (DCS)

In both the aviation and space environments, decompression sickness (DCS) is an operational limitation. Hyperbaric recompression is the most efficacious treatment for altitude DCS. However, the inherent recompression of descent to ground level while breathing oxygen is in itself therapy for altitude DCS. If pain-only DCS occurs during a hypobaric exposure, and the symptoms resolver during descent, ground level post-flight breathing of 100% O2 for 2 hours (GLO2) is considered sufficient treatment by USAF Regulation 161-21. The effectiveness of the GLO2 treatment protocol is defined.

Demboski, John T.↗
DOE OSTI2013

GIANT GROUND LEVEL ENHANCEMENT OF RELATIVISTIC SOLAR PROTONS ON 2005 JANUARY 20. I. SPACESHIP EARTH OBSERVATIONS

A ground level enhancement (GLE) is a solar event that accelerates ions (mostly protons) to GeV range energies in such great numbers that ground-based detectors, such as neutron monitors, observe their showers in Earth's atmosphere above the Galactic cosmic ray background. GLEs are of practical interest because an enhanced relativistic ion flux poses a hazard to astronauts, air crews, and aircraft electronics, and provides the earliest direct indication of an impending space radiation storm. The giant GLE of 2005 January 20 was the second largest on record (and largest since 1956), with up to 4200% count rate enhancement at sea level. We analyzed data from the Spaceship Earth network, supplemented to comprise 13 polar neutron monitor stations with distinct asymptotic viewing directions and Polar Bare neutron counters at South Pole, to determine the time evolution of the relativistic proton density, energy spectrum, and three-dimensional directional distribution. We identify two energy-dispersive peaks, indicating two solar injections. The relativistic solar protons were initially strongly beamed, with a peak maximum-to-minimum anisotropy ratio over 1000:1. The directional distribution is characterized by an axis of symmetry, determined independently for each minute of data, whose angle from the magnetic field slowly varied from about 60 Degree-Sign to low values and then rose to about 90 Degree-Sign . The extremely high relativistic proton flux from certain directions allowed 10 s tracking of count rates, revealing fluctuations of period {approx}> 2 minutes with up to 50% fractional changes, which we attribute to fluctuations in the axis of symmetry.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS1972

Calculated maximum Hl ground-level concentrations downwind from launch pad aborts of the space shuttle and Titan 3 C vehicles at Kennedy Space Center

A quantitative assessment is described of the potential environmental hazard posed by the atmospheric release of HCl resulting from the burning of solid propellant during two hypothetical on-pad aborts of the Titan 3 C and space shuttle vehicles at Kennedy Space Center. In one pad-abort situation, it is assumed that the cases of the two solid-propellant engines are ruptured and the burning propellant falls to the ground in the immediate vicinity of the launch pad where it continues to burn for 5 minutes. In the other pad-abort situation considered, one of the two solid engines on each vehicle is assumed to ignite and burn at the normal rate while the vehicle remains on the launch pad. Calculations of maximum HCl ground-level concentration for the above on-pad abort situations were made using the computerized NASA/MSFC multilayer diffusion models in conjunction with appropriate meteorological and source inputs. Three meteorological regimes are considered-fall, spring, and afternoon sea-breeze. Source inputs for the hazard calculations were developed. The principal result of the calculations is that maximum ground-level HCl concentrations at distances greater than 1 kilometer from the launch pad are less than 3 parts per million in all cases considered.

Dumbauld, R. K.↗
DOE OSTI2013

ELECTRON AND PROTON ACCELERATION DURING THE FIRST GROUND LEVEL ENHANCEMENT EVENT OF SOLAR CYCLE 24

High-energy particles were recorded by near-Earth spacecraft and ground-based neutron monitors (NMs) on 2012 May 17. This event was the first ground level enhancement (GLE) of solar cycle 24. In this study, we try to identify the acceleration source(s) of solar energetic particles by combining in situ particle measurements from the WIND/3DP, GOES 13, and solar cosmic rays registered by several NMs, as well as remote-sensing solar observations from SDO/AIA, SOHO/LASCO, and RHESSI. We derive the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) path length (1.25 {+-} 0.05 AU) and solar particle release time (01:29 {+-} 00:01 UT) of the first arriving electrons by using their velocity dispersion and taking into account contamination effects. We found that the electron impulsive injection phase, indicated by the dramatic change in the spectral index, is consistent with flare non-thermal emission and type III radio bursts. Based on the potential field source surface concept, modeling of the open-field lines rooted in the active region has been performed to provide escape channels for flare-accelerated electrons. Meanwhile, relativistic protons are found to be released {approx}10 minutes later than the electrons, assuming their scatter-free travel along the same IMF path length. Combining multi-wavelength imaging data of the prominence eruption and coronal mass ejection (CME), we obtain evidence that GLE protons, with an estimated kinetic energy of {approx}1.12 GeV, are probably accelerated by the CME-driven shock when it travels to {approx}3.07 solar radii. The time-of-maximum spectrum of protons is typical for shock wave acceleration.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS1991

Wideband noise observed at ground level in the auroral region

A sideband noise event was detected at ground level from the Andoya Rocket Range in Norway in January 1989. The signals were observed on four commercial communication receivers (tuned to 159, 515, 905, and 1200 kHz), an ionosonde (200-kHz to 3.5-MHz interference-free observations) and a riometer (32.5 MHz). The event, which occurred during a period of magnetic disturbance near magnetic midnight, was the only one observed during nearly 3 weeks of operations. This low frequency-of-occurrence is attributed partly to high local noise levels. The ease with which this event was identified on the ionograms produced by the local ionosonde suggests that routine ionosonde recordings should be inspected in search for such events. Such an effort would enhance existing research directed toward developing techniques for identifying quiet communication channels and help to identify the origin and frequency-of-occurrence of high-latitude wideband noise events.

Benson, Robert F.↗
DOE OSTI2013

THE FIRST GROUND LEVEL ENHANCEMENT EVENT OF SOLAR CYCLE 24: DIRECT OBSERVATION OF SHOCK FORMATION AND PARTICLE RELEASE HEIGHTS

We report on the 2012 May 17 ground level enhancement (GLE) event, which is the first of its kind in solar cycle 24. This is the first GLE event to be fully observed close to the surface by the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO) mission. We determine the coronal mass ejection (CME) height at the start of the associated metric type II radio burst (i.e., shock formation height) as 1.38 Rs (from the Sun center). The CME height at the time of GLE particle release was directly measured from a STEREO image as 2.32 Rs, which agrees well with the estimation from CME kinematics. These heights are consistent with those obtained for cycle-23 GLEs using back-extrapolation. By contrasting the 2012 May 17 GLE with six other non-GLE eruptions from well-connected regions with similar or larger flare sizes and CME speeds, we find that the latitudinal distance from the ecliptic is rather large for the non-GLE events due to a combination of non-radial CME motion and unfavorable solar B0 angle, making the connectivity to Earth poorer. We also find that the coronal environment may play a role in deciding the shock strength.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

COMPARISON BETWEEN PATH LENGTHS TRAVELED BY SOLAR ELECTRONS AND IONS IN GROUND-LEVEL ENHANCEMENT EVENTS

We have examined the Wind/3DP/SST electron and Wind/EPACT/LEMT ion data to investigate the path length difference between solar electrons and ions in the ground-level enhancement (GLE) events in solar cycle 23. Assuming that the onset time of metric type II or decameter-hectometric (DH) type III radio bursts is the solar release time of non-relativistic electrons, we have found that within an error range of {+-}10% the deduced path length of low-energy ({approx}27 keV) electrons from their release site near the Sun to the 1 AU observer is consistent with the ion path length deduced by Reames from the onset time analysis. In addition, the solar longitude distribution and IMF topology of the GLE events examined are in favor of the coronal mass ejection-driven shock acceleration origin of observed non-relativistic electrons. We have also found an increase of electron path lengths with increasing electron energies. The increasing rate of path lengths is correlated with the pitch angle distribution (PAD) of peak electron intensities locally measured, with a higher rate corresponding to a broader PAD. The correlation indicates that the path length enhancement is due to the interplanetary scattering experienced by first arriving electrons. The observed path length consistency implies that the maximum stable time of magnetic flux tubes, along which particles transport, could reach 4.8 hr.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS2014

Ground Level Enhancement in the 2014 January 6 Solar Energetic Particle Event

We present a study of the 2014 January 6 solar energetic particle event which produced a small ground level enhancement (GLE), making it the second GLE of this unusual solar cycle 24. This event was primarily observed by the South Pole neutron monitors (increase of approximately 2.5 percent) while a few other neutron monitors recorded smaller increases. The associated coronal mass ejection (CME) originated behind the western limb and had a speed of 1960 kilometers per second. The height of the CME at the start of the associated metric type II radio burst, which indicates the formation of a strong shock, was measured to be 1.61 solar radii using a direct image from STEREO-A/EUVI. The CME height at the time of the GLE particle release (determined using the South Pole neutron monitor data) was directly measured as 2.96 solar radii based on STEREO-A/COR1 white-light observations. These CME heights are consistent with those obtained for GLE71, the only other GLE of the current cycle, as well as cycle-23 GLEs derived using back-extrapolation. GLE72 is of special interest because it is one of only two GLEs of cycle 24, one of two behind-the-limb GLEs, and one of the two smallest GLEs of cycles 23 and 24.

ground level enhancement↗
DOE OSTI2015

Measurement of the solar ultraviolet radiation at ground level in Bangi, Malaysia

Understanding the amount of ultraviolet (UV) radiation received by human, plant, and animal organisms near the earth’s surface is important to a wide range of fields such as cancer research, agriculture and forestry. The solar ultraviolet spectral irradiance at ground level was measured using the Avantes spectrometer for the period of January to March 2014 at Bangi (2°55´N, 101°46´E, 50 m above sea level) in Malaysia. These data were used to estimate the diurnal variation of UV irradiance (300 – 400 nm). The maximum irradiance of UV radiation was 45 W m{sup −2} on horizontal surface. The maximum irradiance of UV received in the local noon time, and the minimum values of UV irradiance was received in the local morning time. It is found a bigger value of UV radiation was observed on clear sky in January. The estimation of daily flux average of UV irradiance was (921± 91) kJ m{sup −2}.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2011

Electron density dependence of intensity ratio for FeXXII extreme ultraviolet emission lines arising from different ground levels in electron beam ion trap and large helical device

Extreme ultraviolet (EUV) spectra of highly charged iron ions in a wavelength range of 100-300 A have been observed from two different plasma sources of the Tokyo Electron Beam Ion Trap (Tokyo-EBIT) with a monoenergetic electron beam and a Large Helical Device (LHD) with Maxwellian electron energy. The excitation process of the spectral lines is compared between the two plasmas, and it is found that the excitation process for Fe XIX - Fe XXII ions is clearly different. Namely, the EUV emission lines from the EBIT plasma are only dominated by electron impact excitation connected to the ground state, but the excitation mechanism is not so simple in the LHD plasma. The difference in the excitation process is studied by measuring the intensity ratio of EUV emission lines (114.412 A [1s{sup 2}2s2p{sup 2} {sup 2}P{sub 3/2}{yields}1s{sup 2}2s{sup 2}2p {sup 2}P{sub 3/2}]/117.144 A [1s{sup 2}2s2p{sup 2} {sup 2}P{sub 1/2}{yields}1s{sup 2}2s{sup 2}2p {sup 2}P{sub 1/2}]) arising from different ground levels in the Fe XXII ions. The line intensity ratio has an extremely small value of 0.2 in the EBIT plasma with a low beam current of 30 mA and a beam energy of 2 keV, while the ratio varies with the electron density n{sub e} in the LHD plasmas, i.e., 0.35 for n{sub e} = 1 x 10{sup 13} cm{sup -3} and 0.65 for n{sub e} = 4 x 10{sup 13} cm{sup -3}. Here, the electron density of the EBIT plasma is estimated to be smaller than 10{sup 12} cm{sup -3} and the electron temperature of the LHD plasmas is 2 keV. The dependence of the line intensity ratio on the observed electron density is analyzed for both the EBIT and the LHD plasmas using several collisional-radiative (CR) models. The present experimental data can easily be reproduced by the analysis when the thermal proton impact excitation is taken into account. The importance of the proton impact excitation is also experimentally verified by injecting an iron pellet into the LHD plasmas and changing the ratio of the proton density to the electron density.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2011

ON THE POSSIBLE MECHANISMS OF TWO GROUND-LEVEL ENHANCEMENT EVENTS

We have carried out a case study on the possible mechanism of ground-level enhancement (GLE) occurrence. For this, we have considered two GLE events (GLE69 and GLE70) and scrutinized their relationships with simultaneous soft/hard X-rays as well as solar energetic particle (SEP) fluxes of different energy bands. Although most of the energy bands of the flares maintain strong correlations (r {>=} 0.8) with the GLEs, depending only on this evidence we could not precisely imply that GLEs can be caused by solar flares. So, we have attempted to understand possible relativistic energies of the GLEs, which have been determined by availing the relativistic traversing time and velocities of the particles along the nominal path of Archimedean spiral magnetic field lines. Results suggest that the energy released from accelerated particles in high-energy ({gamma}-ray) solar flares might sometimes cause the GLE. We found that during hard X-ray flares {<=}7 MeV, the relativistic energy ({<=}0.23 GeV) of GLE69 was much less than 1 GeV whereas during SEP flares >30 MeV the possible relativistic energy of GLE69 amounts to {approx}2.78 GeV, and this makes us believe that GLE69 might be caused by the energy released from particle accelerations in high-energy solar flares. On the contrary, during hard X-ray ({<=}7 MeV) as well as {gamma}-ray solar flares (>30 MeV) the relativistic energy of GLE70 amounts to {<=}{approx}0.35 GeV, indicating that the GLE70 was presumably not caused by the released energy from accelerated particles in the solar flare. Alternatively, the released energy from particle accelerations in solar radio emission type II burst concomitant coronal-mass-ejection-driven shocks seems to have been responsible for causing the GLE70.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS2018

Road Vehicle Functional Safety in Ground-Level Radiation Environments

This presentation gives an overview of the natural space radiation environment, the ground-level radiation environment, and single-event effects (SEEs). We then discuss the impact of SEEs for road vehicle functional safety and issues with commercial electronic components in these high-reliability systems. Finally, we introduce some forward-looking concepts that the radiation effects and automotive electronics communities will have to address as aggressive technology insertion continues.

Pellish, Jonathan↗
DOE OSTI2016

ARE THERE TWO DISTINCT SOLAR ENERGETIC PARTICLE RELEASES IN THE 2012 MAY 17 GROUND LEVEL ENHANCEMENT EVENT?

We examine ion release times in the solar vicinity for the 2012 May 17 Ground Level Enhancement event using the velocity dispersion analysis method. In situ energetic proton data from Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO)/Energetic and Relativistic Nuclei and Electron and Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite are used. We find two distinct releases of Solar Energetic Particles (SEPs) near the Sun, separated by ∼40 minutes. From soft X-ray observations, we find that the first release coincides with the solar flare eruption: the release starts from the flare onset and ends near the peak of the soft X-ray; type-III radio bursts also occur when the release starts. A type II radio burst may also start at the begining of the release. However, the associated Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) only has a height of 0.08R{sub s} from extrapolation of SOHO/LASCO data. At the start of the second release, the CME propagates to more than 8.4R{sub s} in height, and there are signatures of an enhanced type II radio burst. The time-integrated spectra for the two releases differ. The spectrum for the second release shows the common double-power-law feature of gradual SEP events. The spectrum for the first release does not resemble power laws because there is considerable modulation at lower energies. Based on our analysis, we suggest that SEPs of the first release were dominated by particles accelerated at the flare, and those of the second release were dominated by particles accelerated at the associated CME-driven shock. Our study may be important to understand certain extreme SEP events.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2018

Spatial modeling of daily concentrations of ground-level ozone in Montreal, Canada: A comparison of geostatistical approaches

Highlights: • The KED model with road and vegetation density as covariates showed good performance for all six synoptic classes. • The model using KED demonstrated the best results (R{sup 2} = 0.92; RMSE = 3.14 ppb). • The model using OK demonstrated a R{sup 2} = 0.85 and RMSE = 4 ppb. • Our results showed that errors appear to be substantially reduced with the KED model. • When measurements at numerous monitoring stations in a region are available, it may be better to use KED. • The BME may be more useful for prediction when data is not available. Ground-level ozone (O{sub 3}) is a powerful oxidizing agent and a harmful pollutant affecting human health, forests and crops. Estimating O{sub 3} exposure is a challenge because it exhibits complex spatiotemporal patterns. The aim in this study was to provide high-resolution maps (100 × 100 m) of O{sub 3} for the metropolitan area of Montreal, Canada. We assessed the kriging with external drift (KED) model to estimate O{sub 3} concentration by synoptic weather classes for 2010. We compared these results with ordinary kriging (OK), and a simple average of 12 monitoring stations. We also compared the estimates obtained for the 2010 summer with those from a Bayesian maximum entropy (BME) model reported in the literature (Adam-Poupart et al., 2014). The KED model with road and vegetation density as covariates showed good performance for all six synoptic classes (daily R{sup 2} estimates ranging from 0.77 to 0.92 and RMSE from 2.79 to 3.37 ppb). For the summer of 2010, the model using KED demonstrated the best results (R{sup 2} = 0.92; RMSE = 3.14 ppb), followed by the OK model (R{sup 2} = 0.85, RMSE = 4 ppb). Our results showed that errors appear to be substantially reduced with the KED model. This may increase our capacity of linking O{sub 3} levels to health problems by means of improved assessments of ambient exposures. However, future work integrating the temporal dependency in the data is needed to not overstate the performance of the KED model.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2016

DERIVING THE PROPERTIES OF CORONAL PRESSURE FRONTS IN 3D: APPLICATION TO THE 2012 MAY 17 GROUND LEVEL ENHANCEMENT

We study the link between an expanding coronal shock and the energetic particles measured near Earth during the ground level enhancement of 2012 May 17. We developed a new technique based on multipoint imaging to triangulate the three-dimensional (3D) expansion of the shock forming in the corona. It uses images from three vantage points by mapping the outermost extent of the coronal region perturbed by the pressure front. We derive for the first time the 3D velocity vector and the distribution of Mach numbers, M {sub FM}, of the entire front as a function of time. Our approach uses magnetic field reconstructions of the coronal field, full magnetohydrodynamic simulations and imaging inversion techniques. We find that the highest M {sub FM} values appear near the coronal neutral line within a few minutes of the coronal mass ejection onset; this neutral line is usually associated with the source of the heliospheric current and plasma sheet. We illustrate the variability of the shock speed, shock geometry, and Mach number along different modeled magnetic field lines. Despite the level of uncertainty in deriving the shock Mach numbers, all employed reconstruction techniques show that the release time of GeV particles occurs when the coronal shock becomes super-critical ( M {sub FM} > 3). Combining in situ measurements with heliospheric imagery, we also demonstrate that magnetic connectivity between the accelerator (the coronal shock of 2012 May 17) and the near-Earth environment is established via a magnetic cloud that erupted from the same active region roughly five days earlier.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS2025

Mars Ground Level Enhancements in the Context of the Solar Energetic Particle Clock

In this work we discuss the growing ensemble of solar particle events registered on the Martian surface, including their temporal appearance and solar sources. Solar energetic particle events from the surface of Mars have been observed starting soon after the August 2012 landing of the Radiation Assessment Detector onboard Curiosity. The Martian atmosphere prevents protons and heavy ions of up to 180 MeV/n kinetic energy from directly reaching the Martian surface. This cut-off is high enough to limit the number of solar energetic particle events measured on the surface to only 15 in ~12 ½ years. Yet we find in this analysis that Mars ground level enhancements follow the distinct SEP clock pattern as proton events observed at lower energies as reported in Posner, Richardson and Strauss (2024). Proton acceleration occurs predominantly near the solar surface, while transport to Mars incurs a delay in onset, and, as we show here, peak, that is a function of the longitudinal magnetic connection distance. between the foot point of solar wind magnetic field lines that intersect the Mars environment with the source longitude of the solar magnetic eruption. A distinct clustering of relative solar source locations at or near the Mars foot points at the Sun’s western limb is apparent, indicating lower flux thresholds from such preferred locations. Our findings have implications for astronaut safety at Mars.

Mars Ground Level Enhancements↗
NASA NTRS2010

Solar Source and CME Properties of Solar Cycle 23 Ground Level Enhancement Events

Solar cycle 23 witnessed the most complete set of observations of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) associated with the Ground Level Enhancement (GLE) events. GLE events are extreme cases of solar energetic particle (SEP) events in that the energetic particles penetrate Earth's neutral atmosphere to be detected by neutron monitors. In this paper we present the CME and their source properties that seem to be equally extreme. These observations are consistent with the idea that the GLE particles are accelerated in the same way as the regular SEP events by CME-driven shocks. While we cannot rule out the possibility of the presence of a flare component during GLE events, we can definitely say that a shock component is present in all the GLE events. We provide additional information on the GLE-associated type II radio bursts, complex type III radio bursts, and soft X-ray flares, which are not very different from those associated with large SEP events. Finally we compare the properties of GLEassociated CMEs in cycle 23 with those in cycle 22.

Gopalswamy, Nat↗
NASA NTRS2013

The First Ground Level Enhancement Event of Solar Cycle 24: Direct Observation of Shock Formation and Particle Release Heights

We report on the 2012 May 17 ground level enhancement (GLE) event, which is the first of its kind in solar cycle 24. This is the first GLE event to be fully observed close to the surface by the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO) mission.We determine the coronal mass ejection (CME) height at the start of the associated metric type II radio burst (i.e., shock formation height) as 1.38 Rs (from the Sun center). The CME height at the time of GLE particle release was directly measured from a STEREO image as 2.32 Rs, which agrees well with the estimation from CME kinematics. These heights are consistent with those obtained for cycle-23 GLEs using back-extrapolation. By contrasting the 2012 May 17 GLE with six other non-GLE eruptions from well-connected regions with similar or larger flare sizes and CME speeds, we find that the latitudinal distance from the ecliptic is rather large for the non-GLE events due to a combination of non-radial CME motion and unfavorable solar B0 angle, making the connectivity to Earth poorer. We also find that the coronal environment may play a role in deciding the shock strength.

CMEs↗