Velocity Estimation of a Wind Driven Martian Balloon
Balloon borne instruments have long been used to measure the properties of the Earth's atmosphere.
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SEARCH · Engineering Papers
Results for “WIND VELOCITY”
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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Evidence of a velocity gradient in the solar wind
Sector-boundary velocity data obtained by Mariner 5 near Venus and by Explorers 33, 34, and 35 near earth are analyzed to determine why higher velocities were measured at earth. Differences in the corresponding velocities are plotted as a function of the heliocentric latitude separation of Mariner and earth, and evidence of a significant latitude gradient in the solar wind is found. Several indirect arguments in support of a latitude gradient are presented, and it is concluded that if the solar wind velocity varies with latitude, latitudinal stresses may have a significant effect on the properties of the solar wind, such as the existence and character of the north-south component of the interplanetary magnetic field.
Smith, E. J.↗
Implications of L1 Observations for Slow Solar Wind Formation by Solar Reconnection
While the source of the fast solar wind is known to be coronal holes, the source of the slow solar wind has remained a mystery. Long time scale trends in the composition and charge states show strong correlations between solar wind velocity and plasma parameters, yet these correlations have proved ineffective in determining the slow wind source. We take advantage of new high time resolution (12 min) measurements of solar wind composition and charge state abundances at L1 and previously identified 90 min quasi periodic structures to probe the fundamental timescales of slow wind variability. The combination of new high temporal resolution composition measurements and the clearly identified boundaries of the periodic structures allows us to utilize these distinct solar wind parcels as tracers of slowwind origin and acceleration. We find that each 90 min (2000 Mm) parcel of slow wind has near-constant speed yet exhibits repeatable, systematic charge state and composition variations that span the entire range of statistically determined slow solar wind values. The classic composition-velocity correlations do not hold on short, approximately hour long, time scales. Furthermore, the data demonstrate that these structures were created by magnetic reconnection. Our results impose severe new constraints on slow solar wind origin and provide new, compelling evidence that the slow wind results from the sporadic release of closed field plasma via magnetic reconnection at the boundary between open and closed flux in the Sun's atmosphere.
Kepko, L.↗
Small scale wind perturbation analysis for vertically rising launch vehicles
This paper discusses the determination of small-scale vertical wind spectra used with space flight and ballistic technology. In particular, Jimsphere, a precision balloon wind sensor with high radar reflectivity is considered. Gross wind velocity data is analyzed to subtract the steady-state wind and wind change-shear effects. A residue of small wind perturbations is left in the horizontal (scalar) along the vertical direction. An analysis leading to formulation of the covariance function with altitude is presented. The function is decoupled to yield an almost periodic representation of the vertical wind perturbations. Forcing functions are determined when the representation is coupled with the vehicle velocity characteristics.
Chenoweth, H. B.↗
Modeling solar wind with boundary conditions from interplanetary scintillations
Interplanetary scintillations make it possible to create three-dimensional, time- dependent distributions of the solar wind velocity. Combined with the magnetic field observations in the solar photosphere, they help perform solar wind simulations in a genuinely time-dependent way. Interplanetary scintillation measurements from the Ooty Radio Astronomical Observatory in India provide directions to multiple stars and may assure better resolution of transient processes in the solar wind. In this paper, we present velocity distributions derived from Ooty observations and compare them with those obtained with the Wang-Sheeley-Arge (WSA) model. We also present our simulations of the solar wind flow from 0.1 AU to 1 AU with the boundary conditions based on both Ooty and WSA data.
79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
Influence of the outer-magnetospheric magnetohydrodynamic waveguide on the reflection of hydromagnetic waves from a shear flow at the magnetopause
The coefficient of reflection of a fast magnetosonic wave incident on the magnetosphere from the solar wind is studied analytically in the framework of a plane-stratified model of the medium with allowance for the transverse inhomogeneity of the magnetosphere and a jump of the plasma parameters at the magnetopause. Three factors decisively affecting the properties of reflection are taken into account: the shear flow of the solar wind plasma relative to the magnetosphere; the presence of a magnetospheric magnetohydrodynamic waveguide caused by the transverse plasma inhomogeneity; and the presence of an Alfvén resonance deep in the magnetosphere, where the oscillation energy dissipates. If the solar wind velocity exceeds the wave phase velocity along the magnetopause, then the wave energy in the solar wind is negative and such a wave experiences overreflection. In the opposite case, the wave energy is positive and the wave is reflected only partially. The wave reflection has a pronounced resonant character: the reflection coefficient has deep narrow minima or high narrow maxima at the eigenfrequencies of the magnetospheric waveguide. For other frequencies, the reflection coefficient only slightly differs from unity. The wave energy influx into the magnetosphere is positive for waves with both positive and negative energies. For waves with a negative energy, this is a consequence of their overreflection, because the flux of negative energy carried away by the reflected wave exceeds the incident flux of negative energy.
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
AGN Outflow Shocks on Bonnor–Ebert Spheres
Feedback from active galactic nuclei (AGNs) and subsequent jet cocoons and outflow bubbles can have a significant impact on star formation in the host galaxy. To investigate feedback physics on small scales, we perform hydrodynamic simulations of realistically fast AGN winds striking Bonnor–Ebert spheres and examine gravitational collapse and ablation. We test AGN wind velocities ranging from 300 to 3000 km s{sup −1} and wind densities ranging from 0.5 to 10 m {sub p} cm{sup −3}. We include heating and cooling of low- and high-temperature gas, self-gravity, and spatially correlated perturbations in the shock, with a maximum resolution of 0.01 pc. We find that the ram pressure is the most important factor that determines the fate of the cloud. High ram pressure winds increase fragmentation and decrease the star formation rate, but they also cause star formation to occur on a much shorter timescale and with increased velocities of the newly formed stars. We find a threshold ram pressure of ∼2 × 10{sup −8} dyn cm{sup −2} above which stars are not formed because the resulting clumps have internal velocities large enough to prevent collapse. Our results indicate that simultaneous positive and negative feedback will be possible in a single galaxy, as AGN wind parameters will vary with location within a galaxy.
79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
Curled-Skewed Wakes behind Yawed Wind Turbines Subject to Veered Inflow
This work presents a new engineering analytical model that predicts the effect of both the turbine yaw misalignment and the inflow wind veer on the wake flow distribution downwind of a wind turbine. To consider the veered inflow, two methods were examined. In the first method, the curled shape of the wake due to the yaw offset is initially modelled. The wake shape is then laterally skewed at each height due to the wind veer based on the assumption that the turbine wake is transported downstream by the incoming flow. The second method is a more realistic approach that accounts for the effect of wind veer on the wind velocity direction and the yaw angle seen by the wind turbine. This models the wake region in a local coordinate system defined based on the wind direction at each height. A coordinate transformation is then performed to represent the wake flow distribution in the global coordinate system attached to the ground. The results show that while the two methods provide similar outputs for small variations in the wind direction across the rotor, the difference becomes more evident with an increase in wind veer. High-fidelity simulations for a turbine subject to a neutral atmospheric boundary layer were employed to validate model predictions for different operating conditions.
17 WIND ENERGY↗
Analog simulation of wind turbulence
Mathematical model of random wind velocity for synthesis of analog computer network to simulate wind turbulence
Finn, D. L.↗
New empirical models of the electron temperature and density in the Venus ionosphere with application to transterminator flow
Pioneer Venus Orbiter (PVO) electron temperature probe measurements from the Venus years between December 1978 and December 1982 have been used to construct new empirical models of electron temperature and density. The models are used to obtain a two-dimensional solution of the momentum equation for the nightward ion flow velocities believed to be largely responsible for the maintenance of the nightside ionosphere. The velocities at the terminator rise from the neutral atmospheric wind velocity of about 300 m/s at 150 km to a peak velocity exceeding 2000 m/s above 500 km, in general agreement with PVO measurements of ion drift in that region.
Theis, R. F.↗
Interpolation problems in meteor radar analysis, part 7.6A
Meteor echoes come from random points in the observation volume, and are irregularly spaced in time. This precludes the use of fast fourier transformations (FFT) techniques on the raw data to give the spectrum of waves that are present. One way around this obstacle is to restrict our interest to a particular class of waves, and fit a corresponding model to the raw data. It is assumed that there is no horizontal variation across the observation volume for tides, but in the vertical this is certainly not the case. If, in addition, we are interested in other types of waves which may be present and whose periods are unknown, then examining the raw line-of-sight velocities does not tell us how to modify the model, since the line-of-sight direction is not fixed. This is the motivation for interpolation. Interpolation takes a temporal series of line-of-sight velocities, and transforms it to a temporal series of wind velocities for each orthogonal direction. The velocities along a given direction can then be examined readily for any waves in addition to tides.
Tetenbaum, D.↗
The recovery of the cosmic ray flux from maximum solar modulation at IMP-8 (1 AU) and at Pioneer (R 30 AU)
In the period 1980-84, observations of relativistic and low energy (30 E 70 MeV/n) cosmic ray nuclei from Pioneer 10 in the outer heliosphere and from IMP-8 at AU show that increases as well as decreases in intensity propagate outward at velocities equal to or greater than the average solar wind velocity.
Mckibben, R. B.↗
SOLAR WIND PROTONS AT 1 AU: TRENDS AND BOUNDS, CONSTRAINTS AND CORRELATIONS
The proton temperature anisotropy in the solar wind exhibits apparent bounds which are compatible with the theoretical constraints imposed by temperature-anisotropy-driven kinetic instabilities. Recent statistical analyses based on conditional averaging indicate that near these theoretical constraints the solar wind protons typically have enhanced temperatures and a weaker collisionality. Here we carefully analyze the solar wind data and show that these results are a consequence of superposition of multiple correlations in the solar wind, namely, they mostly result from the correlation between the proton temperature and the solar wind velocity and from the superimposed anti-correlation between the proton temperature anisotropy and the proton parallel beta in the fast solar wind. Colder and more collisional data are distributed around temperature isotropy whereas hotter and less collisional data have a wider range of the temperature anisotropy anti-correlated with the proton parallel beta with signatures of constraints owing to the temperature-anisotropy-driven instabilities. However, most of the hot and weakly collisional data, including the hottest and least collisional ones, lies far from the marginal stability regions. Consequently, we conclude that there is no clear relation between the enhanced temperatures and instability constraints and that the conditional averaging used for these analyses must be used carefully and need to be well tested.
79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
Geostrophic adjustment in a shallow-water numerical model as it relates to thermospheric dynamics
The theory of geostrophic adjustment and its application to the dynamics of the high latitude thermosphere have been discussed in previous papers based on a linearized treatment of the fluid dynamical equations. However, a linearized treatment is only valid for small Rossby numbers given by Ro = V/fL, where V is the wind speed, f is the local value of the Coriolis parameter, and L is a characteristic horizontal scale for the flow. For typical values in the auroral zone, the approximation is not reasonable for wind speeds greater than 25 m/s or so. A shallow-water (one layer) model was developed that includes the spherical geometry and full nonlinear dynamics in the momentum equations in order to isolate the effects of the nonlinearities on the adjustment process. A belt of accelerated winds between 60 deg and 70 deg latitude was used as the initial condition. The adjustment process was found to proceed as expected from the linear formulation, but that an asymmetry between the response for an eastward and westward flow results from the nonlineawr curvature (centrifugal) terms. In general, the amplitude of an eastward flowing wind will be less after adjustment than a westward wind. For instance, if the initial wind velocity is 300 m/s, the linearized theory predicts a final wind speed of 240 m/s, regardless of the flow direction. However, the nonlinear curvature terms modify the response and produce a final wind speed of only 200 m/s for an initial eastward wind and a final wind speed of almost 300 m/s for an initial westward flow direction. Also, less gravity wave energy is produced by the adjustment of the westward flow than by the adjustment of the eastward flow. The implications are that the response of the thermosphere should be significantly different on the dawn and dusk sides of the auroral oval. Larger flow velocities would be expected on the dusk side since the plasma will accelerate the flow in a westward direction in that sector.
Larsen, M. F.↗
Transverse velocity measurement
Carbon dioxide (CO2) laser Doppler lidar systems are employed in the remote measurement of wind velocities. The cross velocity component is measured utilizing an appropriate detector array configuration. This allows determination of the three dimensional characteristics of the wind with conventional Doppler lidar systems.
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Laser-Doppler gas velometer
Three dimensional laser Doppler instrument measures both local mean and fluctuating gas velocity of air flow. Technique is used for measuring atmospheric wind velocity and turbulence. Under certain conditions liquid flows can be measured.
Huffaker, R. M.↗
Study on multi-satellite, multi-measurement of the structure of the earth's bow shock
The pulsation model of the earth's bow shock proposed a nonuniform shock having both perpendicular (abrupt, monotonic) and oblique (oscillatory, multigradient) properties simultaneously, depending on local orientation of the shock surface to the interplanetary field B sub sw in parallel planes defined by B sub sw and solar wind velocity. Multiple, concurrent, satellite observations of the shock and solar wind conditions were used. Twenty-six potentially useful intervals of concurrent Explorer 33 and 35 data acquisition were examined, of which six were selected for closer study. In addition, two years of OGO-5 and HEOS 1 magnetometer data were examined for possible conjunctions to these spacecraft having applicable data. One case of clear nonuniformity and several of field-dependent structure were documented. A computational aid, called pulsation index, was developed.
Source record↗
Signal conditioning electronics for a laser vector velocimeter.
A type of laser velocimeter termed a laser vector velocimeter (LVV) resolves the 180 deg directional ambiguity problem of the conventional laser velocimeter by exploiting optical frequency translation techniques and frequency division demultiplexing techniques. This paper defines some fundamental LVV system signal characteristics and signal conditioning and data acquisition problems. The signal conditioning electronics for a three velocity component LVV system are described. Data obtained from atmospheric wind velocity measurements using a two velocity component LVV system are presented to illustrate the vector velocity measurement capabilities of the system. The operational status LVV systems presently in use are two orthogonal velocity component units. However, a laboratory status LVV system has been used to make three-dimensional vector velocity measurements.
Crosswy, F. L.↗