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At least 37 records · Page 2
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1993

A hydrodynamic treatment of the tilted cold dark matter cosmological scenario

A standard hydrodynamic code coupled with a particle-mesh code is used to compute the evolution of a tilted cold dark matter (TCDM) model containing both baryonic matter and dark matter. Six baryonic species are followed, with allowance for both collisional and radiative ionization in every cell. The mean final Zel'dovich-Sunyaev y parameter is estimated to be (5.4 +/- 2.7) x 10 exp -7, below currently attainable observations, with an rms fluctuation of about (6.0 +/- 3.0) x 10 exp -7 on arcmin scales. The rate of galaxy formation peaks at a relatively late epoch (z is about 0.5). In the case of mass function, the smallest objects are stabilized against collapse by thermal energy: the mass-weighted mass spectrum peaks in the vicinity of 10 exp 9.1 solar masses, with a reasonable fit to the Schechter luminosity function if the baryon mass to blue light ratio is about 4. It is shown that a bias factor of 2 required for the model to be consistent with COBE DMR signals is probably a natural outcome in the present multiple component simulations.

Cen, Renyue↗
NASA NTRS1977

Optimum space shuttle launch times relative to natural environment

The probabilities of favorable and unfavorable weather conditions for launch and landing of the STS under different criteria were computed for every three hours on a yearly basis using 14 years of weather data. These temporal probability distributions were considered for three sets of weather criteria encompassing benign, moderate and severe weather conditions for both Kennedy Space Center and for Edwards Air Force Base. In addition, the conditional probabilities were computed for unfavorable weather conditions occurring after a delay which may or may not be due to weather conditions. Also for KSC, the probabilities of favorable landing conditions at various times after favorable launch conditions have prevailed. The probabilities were computed to indicate the significance of each weather element to the overall result.

King, R. L.↗
NASA NTRS2013

Causes and Predictability of the 2012 Great Plains Drought

Central Great Plains precipitation deficits during May-August 2012 were the most severe since at least 1895, eclipsing the Dust Bowl summers of 1934 and 1936. Drought developed suddenly in May, following near-normal precipitation during winter and early spring. Its proximate causes were a reduction in atmospheric moisture transport into the Great Plains from the Gulf of Mexico. Processes that generally provide air mass lift and condensation were mostly absent, including a lack of frontal cyclones in late spring followed by suppressed deep convection in summer owing to large-scale subsidence and atmospheric stabilization. Seasonal forecasts did not predict the summer 2012 central Great Plains drought development, which therefore arrived without early warning. Climate simulations and empirical analysis suggest that ocean surface temperatures together with changes in greenhouse gases did not induce a substantial reduction in summertime precipitation over the central Great Plains during 2012. Yet, diagnosis of the retrospective climate simulations also reveals a regime shift toward warmer and drier summertime Great Plains conditions during the recent decade, most probably due to natural decadal variability. As a consequence, the probability for severe summer Great Plains drought may have increased in the last decade compared to the 1980s and 1990s, and the so-called tail-risk for severe drought may have been heightened in summer 2012. Such an extreme drought event was nonetheless still found to be a rare occurrence within the spread of 2012 climate model simulations. Implications of this study's findings for U.S. seasonal drought forecasting are discussed.

Forecasts↗
NASA NTRS1972

Plate drift in the Afar and Issas territory (French Somalia) and eastern Ethiopia as seen on space photography

Apollo 9 photographs of the region northwest of the Gulf of Tadjura were studied. The occurrence of a large region of basement rocks, probably crystalline in nature, with a strongly faulted overlayer was recognized and has been named the Tadjura uplift. Study of this region is adding detailed knowledge to the literature on the phenomenon of plate drift in the southern Red Sea region.

Bannert, D.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Spectral evidence for a carbonaceous chondrite surface composition on Deimos

The surface compositions of Phobos and Deimos as determined by their UV-visible reflectance are compared in order to evaluate the hypothesis that the different surface morphologies of the two satellites are due to different mechanical properties. The UV-visible reflectance spectrum of Deimos is compiled from Mariner 9 UV spectrometry and Canopus star tracker photometry and ground-based colorimetry and polarimetry; the geometric albedo of Deimos is determined from Mariner 9 Canopus star tracker data. The reflectance spectra of Deimos and Phobos are found to be similar in a first approximation, exhibiting low, flat reflectivities in the visible and dropping off sharply in the UV, compatible with a probable carbonaceous chondrite nature for Deimos as well as Phobos and suggesting that their different surface morphologies are most likely due to different orbital histories.

Pang, K. D.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Extended hopane derivatives in sediments - Identification by H-1 NMR

Sedimentary C32 hopanoic acid, one of the most abundant in nature and of probable bacterial origin, has been isolated for the first time as a single component and characterized by H-1 NMR. The 17 alpha H, 21 beta H configuration of the C31 alkane has been similarly confirmed.

Taylor, J.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Process Research On Polycrystalline Silicon Material (PROPSM)

The performance-limiting mechanisms in large-grain (greater than 1 to 2 mm in diameter) polycrystalline silicon solar cells were investigated by fabricating a matrix of 4 sq cm solar cells of various thickness from 10 cm x 10 cm polycrystalline silicon wafers of several bulk resistivities. Analysis of the illuminated I-V characteristics of these cells suggests that bulk recombination is the dominant factor limiting the short-circuit current. The average open-circuit voltage of the polycrystalline solar cells is 30 to 70 mV lower than that of co-processed single-crystal cells; the fill-factor is comparable. Both open-circuit voltage and fill-factor of the polycrystalline cells have substantial scatter that is not related to either thickness or resistivity. This implies that these characteristics are sensitive to an additional mechanism that is probably spatial in nature. A damage-gettering heat-treatment improved the minority-carrier diffusion length in low lifetime polycrystalline silicon, however, extended high temperature heat-treatment degraded the lifetime.

Culik, J. S.↗
NASA NTRS1984

The X-ray nebula around PSR 1509 - 58

With the use of measured spectra and a model, volumes and luminosities are derived for several components of the supernova remnant MSH 15 - 52. The hard, featureless spectrum and spatial symmetry of the X-ray nebula surrounding the central pulsar strongly indicate synchrotron radiation as the source of emission. Power requirements are easily supplied by the pulsar. The observed surface brightness is only 0.00002 that of the X-ray synchrotron emission around the Crab pulsar, and the X-ray luminosity is 0.01 that of the Crab. In spite of the great difference in luminosity and size, the two systems are probably similar in nature, with the high brightness and unique appearance of the Crab synchrotron nebula being due to the high energy output of the pulsar and the relatively small volume of the confining filaments.

Seward, F. D.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Meteoroid capture into earth orbit by atmospheric drag

A probabilistic analysis, based on orbital mechanics, is performed to evaluate the chances of meteoroids entering into earth orbit and the potential population of such objects. The problem is addressed in terms of meteoroids on earth collision courses, slowed by atmosphere entry/exit, entering elliptical orbits with apogees above the atmosphere. The overall capture probability is derived by integrating the capture fraction dependence on velocity and size over the probability frequency distribution of the collision courses. Account is taken of eventual orbit decay, lunar infall and ejection after encounters with the moon. The results indicate that the probability that a natural 10-100 m diam object has achieved earth orbit is negligibly small.

Friedlander, A. L.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Polarization of the impulsive signals observed in the nightside ionosphere of Venus

The impulsive plasma wave bursts detected by the Pioneer Venus Orbiter electric field detector in the nightside ionosphere of Venus have been attributed to atmospheric lightning. However, it has also been argued that the wave bursts are generated locally by plasma instabilities. The waves associated with local instabilities are most probably electrostatic in nature, while lightning-generated waves should be whistler mode waves, at least at the lowest frequencies. It is shown that for typical ionospheric parameters the whistler mode wave electric field should be polarized predominantly perpendicular to the ambient magnetic field. It is shown that the 100-Hz waves are polarized perpendicular to the ambient magnetic field provided the data are restricted to those intervals in which the magnetic field is sufficiently far from horizontal to allow vertical propagation within the whistler mode resonance cone. The 100-Hz waves detected outside of the resonance cone are polarized parallel to the magnetic field, as are the waves at higher frequency. The waves consequently fall into two classes: whistler mode waves which are most likely due to atmospheric lightning, and a mode that is polarized parallel to the ambient field. This latter mode may be analogous to the anomalous parallel polarized wave fields detected in the terrestrial ionosphere above thunderstorms.

Strangeway, R. J.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Whistler mode waves in the Jovian magnetosheath

During the Ulysses flyby of Jupiter in February 1992, the spacecraft traversed the Jovian magnetosheath for a few hours during the inbound pass and for aa few days during the outbound pass. Burstlike electomagnetic waves at frequencies of approximately 0.1-0.4 of the local electron cyclotron frequency have been observed by the Unified Radio and Plasma Wave (URAP) experiement. The waves were more often observed in the regions which were probably the outer or the middle magnetosheath, especially near the bow shock, and rarely seen in the magnetosphere/magnetosheath boundary layer. The propagation angles of the waves are estimated by comparing the measurements of the wave electric and magnetic fields in the spacecraft spin plane with the corresponding values calculated using the cold plasma dispersion relation under local field and plasma conditions. It is found that the waves propagate obliquely with wave angles between approximately 30 deg and 50 deg. These waves are likely to be the whistler mode waves which are excited by suprathermal electrons with a few hundred eV and a slight anisotropy (T(sub perp)/T(sub parallel) approximately 1.1-1.5). They are probably similar in nature to the lion roars observed in the Earth's magnetosheath. Signature of coupling between the mirror and the whistler mode have also been observed. The plasma conditions which favor the excitation of the whistler mode instability during the wave events exists as observed by the plasma experiement of Ulysses.

Lin, Naiguo↗
NASA NTRS2016

Erasing the Milky Way: New Cleaning Technique Applied to GBT Intensity Mapping Data

We present the first application of a new foreground removal pipeline to the current leading HI intensity mapping dataset, obtained by the Green Bank Telescope (GBT). We study the 15- and 1-h field data of the GBT observations previously presented in Masui et al. (2013) and Switzer et al. (2013), covering about 41 square degrees at 0.6 less than z is less than 1.0, for which cross-correlations may be measured with the galaxy distribution of the WiggleZ Dark Energy Survey. In the presented pipeline, we subtract the Galactic foreground continuum and the point source contamination using an independent component analysis technique (fastica), and develop a Fourier-based optimal estimator to compute the temperature power spectrum of the intensity maps and cross-correlation with the galaxy survey data. We show that fastica is a reliable tool to subtract diffuse and point-source emission through the non-Gaussian nature of their probability distributions. The temperature power spectra of the intensity maps is dominated by instrumental noise on small scales which fastica, as a conservative sub-traction technique of non-Gaussian signals, can not mitigate. However, we determine similar GBT-WiggleZ cross-correlation measurements to those obtained by the Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) method, and confirm that foreground subtraction with fastica is robust against 21cm signal loss, as seen by the converged amplitude of these cross-correlation measurements. We conclude that SVD and fastica are complementary methods to investigate the foregrounds and noise systematics present in intensity mapping datasets.

Wolz, L.↗
NASA NTRS2002

Tensile Creep of Polycrystalline Near-Stoichiometric NiAl

Long term tensile creep studies were conducted on binary NiAl in the temperature range 700-1200 K with the objectives of characterizing and understanding the creep mechanisms. Inverse and normal primary creep curves were observed depending on stress and temperature. It was concluded that the creep of NiAl is limited by dislocation mobility. The stress exponent for creep, n, increased from 5.5 at 1200 K to 13.9 at 700 K. The true activation energy for creep, Qc, was constant and equal to about 400 kJ per mole between 20 and 50 MPa but decreased to a constant value of 250 kJ per mole between 50 and 110 MPa. The activation energy was observed to be stress dependent above 110 MPa. The tensile creep results reported in this investigation were compared with compression creep data reported in the literature. A detailed discussion of the probable dislocation creep mechanisms governing compressive and tensile creep of NiAl is presented. It is concluded that the non-conservative motion of jogs on screw dislocations influenced the nature of the primary creep curves, where the climb of these jogs involves either the next nearest neighbor or the six-jump cycle vacancy diffusion mechanism. The probable nature of the atom vacancy exchange that occur within the core of an edge dislocation undergoing climb in NiAl are schematically examined.

Raj, Sai V.↗
NASA NTRS2005

Compression and Tensile Creep of Binary NiAl

Compression creep and long term tensile creep studies were conducted on cast and extruded binary NiAl in the temperature range 700-1200 K with the objectives of characterizing and understanding the creep mechanisms. Inverse and normal primary creep curves were observed in both compression and tension creep depending on stress and temperature although an asymmetrical response was observed under these two stress states. It was concluded that the primary creep of NiAl is limited by dislocation mobility. The stress exponents, n, for compression and tensile creep were similar varying between about 5 and 14. However, there were significant differences in the stress dependence of the activation energies for compression and tensile creep. The true activation energy for tensile creep, Q(sub c), was constant and equal to about 400 kJ/mol between 20 and 50 MPa but decreased to a constant value of 250 kJ/mol between 50 and 110 MPa. The activation energy was observed to be inversely stress dependent above 110 MPa. In contrast, Q(sub c) = 300 kJ/mol for compression creep was constant between 25 and 70 MPa and inversely dependent on the true stress above 70 MPa. A detailed discussion of the probable dislocation creep mechanisms governing compressive and tensile creep of NiAl is presented. It is concluded that the non-conservative motion of jogs on screw dislocations influenced the nature of the primary creep curves, where the climb of these jogs involves either the next nearest neighbor or the six-jump cycle vacancy diffusion mechanism. The probable natures of the atom-vacancy exchange that occur within the core of an edge dislocation undergoing climb in NiAl are schematically examined.

Raj, Sai V.↗
NASA NTRS2014

Quantification of In-flight Physical Changes: Anthropometry and Neutral Body Posture

Currently, NASA does not have sufficient in-flight anthropometric data gathered to assess the impact of physical body shape and size changes on suit sizing. For developing future planetary and reduced gravity suits, NASA needs to quantify the impacts of microgravity on anthropometry, body posture, and neutral body postures (NBP) to ensure optimal crew performance, fit, and comfort. To obtain these impacts, anthropometric data, circumference, length, height, breadth, and depth for body segments (i.e. chest, waist, bicep, thigh, calf) from astronauts for pre, in-, and postflight conditions needs to be collected. Once this data has been collected, a comparison between pre, in-, and postflight anthropometric values will be analyzed, yielding microgravity factors. The NBP will be used to determined body posture (joint angle) changes between subjects throughout the duration of a mission. Data collection, starting with Increments 37/38, is still in progress with the completion of 3 out of 12 subjects. NASA suit engineers and NASA's Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Project Office have identified that suit fit in microgravity could become an issue. It has been noted that crewmembers often need to adjust their suit sizing once they are in orbit. This adjustment could be due to microgravity effects on anthropometry and postural changes, and is necessary to ensure optimal crew performance, fit, and comfort in space. To date, the only data collected to determine the effects of microgravity on physical human changes have been during Skylab, STS-57, and a recent HRP study on seated height changes due to spinal elongation (Spinal Elongation, Master Task List [MTL] #221). The Skylab and the STS-57 studies found that there is a distinct neutral body posture (NBP) based on photographs. The still photographs showed that there is a distinguishable posture with the arms raised and the shoulder abducted; and, in addition, the knees were flexed with noticeable hip flexion and the foot plantar flexed [1,2]. This is the one standard set of body joint angles for a NBP in microgravity. A recent simulated microgravity NBP study [3] has shown an individual variability and inconsistencies in defining NBP. This variation may be influenced by spinal growth, the type of suit fit, and other potential anthropometry factors such as spinal curvature, age, and gender. The variation aspect of this essential data is required for all kinds of space device designs (e.g. suits, habitat, mobility aids, etc.). The method proposed considers the dynamic nature of body movement and will use a measurement technique to continually monitor posture and develop a probability likelihood of the natural posture and how the NBP postures are affected by anthropometry. Additionally, Skylab studies found that crewmembers experienced a stature growth of up to 3%. The data included 3 crewmembers that showed that there is a bi-phasic stature growth once the crew enters into weightlessness. However, the Spinal Elongation study identified that the crewmembers could experience about a 6% growth in seated height and a 3% stature growth, when exposed to microgravity. The results prove that not all anthropometric measurements have the same microgravity percent growth factor. For EVA and suit engineers to properly update the sizing protocol for microgravity, they need additional anthropometric data from space missions. Hence, this study is aimed to gather additional in-flight anthropometric measurements, such as length, depth, breadth, and circumference, to determine the changes to body shape and size due to microgravity effects. It is anticipated that by recording the potential changes to body shape and size, a better suit sizing protocol will be developed for ISS and other space missions. In essence, this study will help NASA quantify the impacts of microgravity on anthropometry to ensure optimal crew performance, fit, and comfort. This study will use simplistic data collection techniques, 3D laser scanning, digital still, and video data, and perform photogrammetric analyses to determine the changes that occur to the body shape, size, and NBP when exposed to a microgravity environment.

Young, K. S.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Force Density Function Relationships in 2-D Granular Media

An integral transform relationship is developed to convert between two important probability density functions (distributions) used in the study of contact forces in granular physics. Developing this transform has now made it possible to compare and relate various theoretical approaches with one another and with the experimental data despite the fact that one may predict the Cartesian probability density and another the force magnitude probability density. Also, the transforms identify which functional forms are relevant to describe the probability density observed in nature, and so the modified Bessel function of the second kind has been identified as the relevant form for the Cartesian probability density corresponding to exponential forms in the force magnitude distribution. Furthermore, it is shown that this transform pair supplies a sufficient mathematical framework to describe the evolution of the force magnitude distribution under shearing. Apart from the choice of several coefficients, whose evolution of values must be explained in the physics, this framework successfully reproduces the features of the distribution that are taken to be an indicator of jamming and unjamming in a granular packing. Key words. Granular Physics, Probability Density Functions, Fourier Transforms

Youngquist, Robert C.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Probabilistic evaluation of uncertainties and risks in aerospace components

This paper summarizes a methodology developed at NASA Lewis Research Center which computationally simulates the structural, material, and load uncertainties associated with Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) components. The methodology was applied to evaluate the scatter in static, buckling, dynamic, fatigue, and damage behavior of the SSME turbo pump blade. Also calculated are the probability densities of typical critical blade responses, such as effective stress, natural frequency, damage initiation, most probable damage path, etc. Risk assessments were performed for different failure modes, and the effect of material degradation on the fatigue and damage behaviors of a blade were calculated using a multi-factor interaction equation. Failure probabilities for different fatigue cycles were computed and the uncertainties associated with damage initiation and damage propagation due to different load cycle were quantified. Evaluations on the effects of mistuned blades on a rotor were made; uncertainties in the excitation frequency were found to significantly amplify the blade responses of a mistuned rotor. The effects of the number of blades on a rotor were studied. The autocorrelation function of displacements and the probability density function of the first passage time for deterministic and random barriers for structures subjected to random processes also were computed. A brief discussion was included on the future direction of probabilistic structural analysis.

Shah, A. R.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Decision analysis with approximate probabilities

This paper concerns decisions under uncertainty in which the probabilities of the states of nature are only approximately known. Decision problems involving three states of nature are studied. This is due to the fact that some key issues do not arise in two-state problems, while probability spaces with more than three states of nature are essentially impossible to graph. The primary focus is on two levels of probabilistic information. In one level, the three probabilities are separately rounded to the nearest tenth. This can lead to sets of rounded probabilities which add up to 0.9, 1.0, or 1.1. In the other level, probabilities are rounded to the nearest tenth in such a way that the rounded probabilities are forced to sum to 1.0. For comparison, six additional levels of probabilistic information, previously analyzed, were also included in the present analysis. A simulation experiment compared four criteria for decisionmaking using linearly constrained probabilities (Maximin, Midpoint, Standard Laplace, and Extended Laplace) under the eight different levels of information about probability. The Extended Laplace criterion, which uses a second order maximum entropy principle, performed best overall.

Whalen, Thomas↗