SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “SHADOW”

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.

SourceResearch connectionFrom yearThrough year

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 37 records · Page 2

All sources NASA NTRS DOE OSTI

NASA NTRS1972

An analytical and experimental evaluation of shadow shields and their support members.

Review of the major results of an analytical and experimental program aimed at determining the potential effectiveness of shadow shields in minimizing radiant heat transfer into cryogenic propellant tanks on long-duration interplanetary missions, taking into account the thermal interaction between shields and their support structures. Analytical procedures are developed and applied that include the strut-shield interaction in predicting shadow shield performance. The results of experimental studies of the effects of configuration variables on the performance of a scale model of a shadow shield system are presented. The experimental results are used to verify the validity of analytical predictions. The results obtained show that: (1) shadow shields can be effective in reducing the heat transfer into cryogenic propellant tanks, and (2) the conductive heat transfer through supports can be reduced by selective surface coatings.

Stochl, R. J.↗

NASA NTRS1976

Magnetic shadowing of charged particles by an extended surface

The problem of particle shadowing by the lunar surface is examined. Shadow zones are obtained analytically for small-aperture detectors on an infinite flat surface and are shown to be in good agreement with those obtained by numerical trajectory tracing. The shadow zones cover about half of all possible external field orientations for a vertical detector, which may result in serious underestimations of the frequency of observation of a particular plasma region. Shadowing may cause wide variations between observed and actual pitch angle distributions even in the case of multiple- or large-aperture detectors. Since the particle flux can be considered approximately isotropic only for magnetic fields within 35 deg of the surface normal, the electron flux to the surface may be overestimated in current balance calculations ignoring the magnetic field direction. In addition, photoelectrons may be returned to the surface by the magnetic field.

Reiff, P. H.↗

NASA NTRS1984

Self-shadowing effects on the thermal-structural response of orbiting trusses

An investigation of self-shadowing effects on the thermal-structural response of orbiting trusses is described. The shadowing, heating, thermal and structural analyses are summarized. The significance of shadowing on the thermal-structural behavior of a single member and a beam constructed from truss members is described. For the trusses considered, the study shows that member self-shadowing effects significantly alter the behavior and must be included to predict the thermal-structural response correctly.

Thornton, E. A.↗

NASA NTRS1985

The shadow world of superstring theories

Some possible astrophysical and cosmological implications of 'shadow matter', a form of matter which only interacts gravitationally with ordinary matter and which may or may not be identical in its properties to ordinary matter, are considered. The possible existence, amount, and location of shadow matter in the solar system are discussed, and the significance of shadow matter for primordial nucleosynthesis, macroscopic asymmetry, baryogenesis, double-bubble inflation, and asymmetric microphysics is addressed. Massive shadow states are discussed.

Kolb, E. W.↗

NASA NTRS1988

Curvature of blended rolled edge reflectors at the shadow boundary contour

A technique is advanced for computing the radius of curvature of blended rolled edge reflector surfaces at the shadow boundary, in the plane perpendicular to the shadow boundary contour. This curvature must be known in order to compute the spurious endpoint contributions in the physical optics (PO) solution for the scattering from reflectors with rolled edges. The technique is applicable to reflectors with radially-defined rim-shapes and rolled edge terminations. The radius of curvature for several basic reflector systems is computed, and it is shown that this curvature can vary greatly along the shadow boundary contour. Finally, the total PO field in the target zone of a sample compact range system is computed and corrected using the shadow boundary radius of curvature, obtained using the technique. It is shown that the fields obtained are a better approximation to the true scattered fields.

Ellingson, S. W.↗

NASA NTRS1990

Scattering of sound by atmospheric turbulence predictions in a refractive shadow zone

According to ray theory, regions exist in an upward refracting atmosphere where no sound should be present. Experiments show, however, that appreciable sound levels penetrate these so-called shadow zones. Two mechanisms contribute to sound in the shadow zone: diffraction and turbulent scattering of sound. Diffractive effects can be pronounced at lower frequencies but are small at high frequencies. In the short wavelength limit, then, scattering due to turbulence should be the predominant mechanism involved in producing the sound levels measured in shadow zones. No existing analytical method includes turbulence effects in the prediction of sound pressure levels in upward refractive shadow zones. In order to obtain quantitative average sound pressure level predictions, a numerical simulation of the effect of atmospheric turbulence on sound propagation is performed. The simulation is based on scattering from randomly distributed scattering centers ('turbules'). Sound pressure levels are computed for many realizations of a turbulent atmosphere. Predictions from the numerical simulation are compared with existing theories and experimental data.

Mcbride, Walton E.↗

NASA NTRS1990

Functional relation among subpixel canopy cover, ground shadow, and illuminated ground at large sampling scales

The functional relation among subpixel canopy cover, illuminated soil, and shadowed soil, which progressively develops with increasing pixel size, is investigated for Poisson distributed plants using a geometric canopy simulation model. An analytical relation among cover components is shown to be applicable when the scale of the pixel is much larger than the scale of the plant and ground shadow. The analysis is facilitated through the use of a nondimensional solar-geometric similarity parameter, eta, equal to the ratio of the area of one plant canopy to its associated ground shadow area, as viewed from nadir. A sampling scale ratio, defined as the ratio of the area of the pixel to the mean area of a single plant shadow, is tested as a quantitative criterion to evaluate when the functional relation among subpixel components occurs. The results of a remote sensing experiment over a natural conifer landscape provide preliminary confirmation of the theoretical analysis.

Jasinski, Michael F.↗

NASA NTRS1992

Interpreting asteroid photometry and polarimetry using a model of shadowing and coherent backscattering

The shadow-hiding models for the opposition effect and negative polarization of atmosphereless solar system bodies do not explain some experimental findings, such as the enhancing opposition effect and negative polarization with decreasing particle size down to wavelength scales. The enhancement for laboratory photometric and polarimetric data on artificial glass samples with different particle size is shown. These results are in agreement with the so-called coherent backscattering or interference mechanism proposed for the interpretation of the opposition effect and negative polarization. Two different approaches for describing the opposition effect and negative polarization produced by the shadow-interference mechanism were developed. One is based on exact electromagnetic solutions for simple scattering systems that include dipole-dipole and dipole-surface coupling; The other is based on a point-scatterer approximation characterized by model photometric and polarimetric phase functions, and the mutual shadowing effect is derived using virtual volumes associated with the point-scatterers. Both approaches yield qualitatively similar results, although neither is entirely satisfactory. We regard them as prototypes for a future unified model of shadowing and coherent backscattering. The sharp opposition effect of 44 Nysa and the asteroid albedo-polarization rule are here explained using the point-scatterer approach.

Shkuratov, Y. G.↗

NASA NTRS1993

The X-ray shadow of the high-latitude molecular cloud MBM 12

ROSAT XRT/PSPC observations show a deep shadow cast by the high-latitude molecular cloud MBM 12 in the 3/4 keV diffuse background. Modeling of the shadow implies that less than 20 percent of the typical high-latitude 3/4 keV diffuse background intensity is emitted in front of the cloud (D = 60-70 pc). A weaker shadow consistent with the lower optical depth at higher energies was observed in the 1.5 keV band. Since little shadowing was seen in the 1/4 keV band, this observation places strong constraints on the amount of 0.5-2 keV emission that is intermixed with the source of the observed 1/4 keV flux.

Snowden, S. L.↗

NASA NTRS1993

Beamforming in an acoustic shadow

The sound field deep within an acoustic shadow region is less well understood than that outside the shadow region. Signal levels are substantially lower within the shadow, but beamforming difficulties arise for other reasons such as loss of spatial coherence. Based on analysis of JAPE-91 data, and other data, three types of characteristic signals within acoustic shadow regions are identified. These signal types may correspond to different, intermittent signal propagation conditions. Detection and classification algorithms might take advantage of the signal characteristics. Frequency coherence is also discussed. The extent of coherence across frequencies is shown to be limited, causing difficulties for source classification based on harmonic amplitude relationships. Discussions emphasize short-term characteristics on the order of one second. A video presentation on frequency coherence shows the similarity, in the presence of atmospheric turbulence, between the received signal from a stable set of harmonics generated by a loudspeaker and that received from a helicopter hovering behind a hill.

Havelock, David↗

NASA NTRS1994

A uniform geometrical optics and an extended uniform geometrical theory of diffraction for evaluating high frequency EM fields near smooth caustics and composite shadow boundaries

A uniform geometrical optics (UGO) and an extended uniform geometrical theory of diffraction (EUTD) are developed for evaluating high frequency electromagnetic (EM) fields within transition regions associated with a two and three dimensional smooth caustic of reflected rays and a composite shadow boundary formed by the caustic termination or the confluence of the caustic with the reflection shadow boundary (RSB). The UGO is a uniform version of the classic geometrical optics (GO). It retains the simple ray optical expressions of classic GO and employs a new set of uniform reflection coefficients. The UGO also includes a uniform version of the complex GO ray field that exists on the dark side of the smooth caustic. The EUTD is an extension of the classic uniform geometrical theory of diffraction (UTD) and accounts for the non-ray optical behavior of the UGO reflected field near caustics by using a two-variable transition function in the expressions for the edge diffraction coefficients. It also uniformly recovers the classic UTD behavior of the edge diffracted field outside the composite shadow boundary transition region. The approach employed for constructing the UGO/EUTD solution is based on a spatial domain physical optics (PO) radiation integral representation for the fields which is then reduced using uniform asymptotic procedures. The UGO/EUTD analysis is also employed to investigate the far-zone RCS problem of plane wave scattering from two and three dimensional polynomial defined surfaces, and uniform reflection, zero-curvature, and edge diffraction coefficients are derived. Numerical results for the scattering and diffraction from cubic and fourth order polynomial strips are also shown and the UGO/EUTD solution is validated by comparison to an independent moment method (MM) solution. The UGO/EUTD solution is also compared with the classic GO/UTD solution. The failure of the classic techniques near caustics and composite shadow boundaries is clearly demonstrated and it is shown that the UGO/EUTD results remain valid and uniformly reduce to the classic results away from the transition regions. Mathematical details on the asymptotic properties and efficient numerical evaluation of the canonical functions involved in the UGO/EUTD expressions are also provided.

Constantinides, E. D.↗

NASA NTRS1995

Analysis of shadowing effects on spacecraft power systems

This paper describes the Orbiting Spacecraft Shadowing Analysis (OSSA) computer program that was developed at NASA Lewis Research Center in order to assess the shadowing effects on various power systems. The algorithms, inputs and outputs are discussed. Examples of typical shadowing analyses that have been performed for the International Space Station Freedom, International Space Station Alpha and the joint United States/Russian Mir Solar Dynamic Flight Experiment Project are covered. Effects of shadowing on power systems are demonstrated.

Fincannon, H. J.↗

NASA NTRS1994

The shadow wind in high-mass X-ray binaries

We present hydrodynamic simulations of the most X-ray luminous high-mass X-ray binary systems, such as Cen X-3 and SMC X-1. These models illustrate the presence of both a normal radiatively driven wind confined to the X-ray shadow of the primary star -- a shadow wind -- and a thermally driven wind excited by the X-ray heating of the primary's stellar surface -- an X-ray-excited wind. The X-ray flux in these systems is sufficiently intense that any circumstellar gas exposed to the X-ray source will be highly photoionized. These extreme ionization conditions prevent the formation of a normal radiatively driven wind from the irradiated surface of the primary, but such a wind can still form on the shadowed side of the primary. Orbital rotation can then bring this shadow wind into the line of sight toward the X-ray source, enhancing the column density of the wind seen near eclipse egress. Furthermore, such a high X-ray flux can also excite a thermal wind from the irradiated surface of the primary. Again, orbital rotation tends to deflect the wind, this time leading to an enhanced column density near eclipse ingress.

Blondin, John M.↗

NASA NTRS1999

A Catalog of Soft X-Ray Shadows, and More Contemplation of the 1/4 KeV Background

This paper presents a catalog of shadows in the 1/4 keV soft X-ray diffuse background 4 (SXRB) that were identified by a comparison between ROSAT All-Sky Survey maps and DIRB&corrected IRAS 100 micron maps. These "shadows" are the negative correlations between the surface brightness of the SXRB and the column density of the Galactic interstellar medium (ISIM) over limited angular regions (a few degrees in extent). We have compiled an extensive but not exhaustive set of 378 shadows in the polar regions of the Galaxy (Absolute value (beta) > and approximately equal 20 deg.), and determined their foreground and background X-ray intensities (relative to the absorbing features), and the respective hardness ratios of that emission. The portion of the sky that was examined to find these shadows was restricted in general to regions where the minimum column density is less than and approximately equal to 4 x 10(exp 20) H/square cm, i.e., relatively high Galactic latitudes, and to regions away from distinct extended features in the SXRB such as supernova remnants and superbubbles. The results for the foreground intensities agree well with the recent results of a general analysis of the local 1/4 KeV emission while the background intensities show additional. but not unexpected scatter. The results also confirm the existence of a gradient in the hardness of the local 1/4 keV emission along a Galactic center/ anticenter axis with a temperature that varies from 10(exp 6.13) K to 10(exp 6.02) K, respectively. The average temperature of the foreground component from this analysis is 10(exp 6.08) K, compared to 10(exp 6.06) K in the previous analysis. Likewise, the average temperature for the distant component for the current and previous analyses are 10(exp 6.06) K and 10(exp 6.02) K, respectively. Finally, the results for the 1/4 keV halo emission are compared to the observed fluxes at 3/4 keV, where the lack of correlation suggests that the Galactic halo's 1/4 keV and 3/4 keV fluxes are likely produced by separate emission regions.

Snowden, S. L.↗

NASA NTRS2003

International Space Station Power System Telemetry Compared With Analytically Derived Data for Shadowed Cases

This article highlights fiscal year 2002 work performed by NASA Glenn Research Center personnel to validate algorithms and data developed in-house to predict shadowing effects on the International Space Station (ISS) solar arrays power generation. The validation effort utilized video footage and on-orbit telemetry for cases spanning a 1-yr period. Validation was required because of the uncertainty of various aspects involved in shadowing analysis. Results show that a good comparison exists between actual and predicted shadowed power system performance for solar array front and backside shadowing.

Fincannon, H. James↗

NASA NTRS2011

Direct Solar Wind Proton Access into Permanently Shadowed Lunar Polar Craters

Recent analyses of Lunar Prospector neutron spectrometer (LPNS) data have suggested that high abundances of hydrogen exist within cold traps at the lunar poles, and it has often been assumed that hydrogen-bearing volatiles sequestered in permanent shadow are topographically shielded from sputtering by solar wind protons. However, recent simulation results are presented showing that solar wind protons clearly access the floor of an idealized, shadowed lunar crater through a combination of thermal and ambipolar processes, in effect creating a plasma "miniwake". These simulations are the first to model the mini-wake environment in two spatial dimensions with a self-consistent lunar surface-plasma interaction. Progress is reported on constraining the nonzero particle fluxes and energies incident on kilometer-scale shadowed topography, such as a small crater embedded within a larger one. The importance of direct solar wind proton bombardment is discussed within the context of understanding the stability and inventory of hydrogen-bearing volatiles in shadow at the lunar poles. The support of the National Lunar Science institute, the DREAM institute, LPROPS, and the NASA Postdoctoral Program at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center administered by ORAU are gratefully acknowledged.

Zimmerman, M. I.↗

NASA NTRS2016

Surface Water-Ice Deposits in the Northern Shadowed Regions of Ceres

Ceres, a dwarf planet located in the main asteroid belt, has a low bulk density, and models predict that a substantial amount of water ice is present in its mantle and outer shell. The Herschel telescope and the Dawn spacecraft have observed the release of water vapor from Ceres, and exposed water ice has been detected by Dawn on its surface at mid-latitudes. Water molecules from endogenic and exogenic sources can also be cold-trapped in permanent shadows at high latitudes, as happens on the Moon and Mercury. Here we present the first image-based survey of Ceres's northern permanent shadows and report the discovery of bright deposits in cold traps. We identify a minimum of 634 permanently shadowed craters. Bright deposits are detected on the floors of just 10 of these craters in multiscattered light. We spectroscopically identify one of the bright deposits as water ice. This detection strengthens the evidence that permanently shadowed areas have preserved water ice on airless planetary bodies.

Surface Water↗

NASA NTRS1972

An analytical and experimental evaluation of shadow shields and their support members

Experimental tests were performed on a model shadow shield thermal protection system to examine the effect of certain configuration variables. The experimental results were used to verify the ability of an analytical program to predict the shadow shield performance including the shield-support interaction. In general, the analysis (assuming diffuse surfaces) agreed well with the experimental support temperature profiles. The agreement for the shield profiles was not as good. The results demonstrated: (1) shadow shields can be effective in reducing the heat transfer into cryogenic propellant tanks, and (2) the conductive heat transfer through supports can be reduced by selective surface coatings.

Stochl, R. J.↗