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At least 415 records · Page 23

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NASA NTRS1983

Image motion compensation by area correlation and centroid tracking of solar surface features

An experimental solar correlation tracker was tested and evaluated on a ground-based solar magnetograph. Using sunspots as fixed targets, tracking error signals were derived by which the telescope image was stabilized against wind induced perturbations. Two methods of stabilization were investigated; mechanical stabilization of the image by controlled two-axes motion of an active optical element in the telescope beam, and electronic stabilization by biasing of the electron scan in the recording camera. Both approaches have demonstrated telescope stability of about 0.6 arc sec under random perturbations which can cause the unstabilized image to move up to 120 arc sec at frequencies up to 30 Hz.

Nein, M. E.↗

NASA NTRS1983

Acoustic bubble removal method

A method is described for removing bubbles from a liquid bath such as a bath of molten glass to be used for optical elements. Larger bubbles are first removed by applying acoustic energy resonant to a bath dimension to drive the larger bubbles toward a pressure well where the bubbles can coalesce and then be more easily removed. Thereafter, submillimeter bubbles are removed by applying acoustic energy of frequencies resonant to the small bubbles to oscillate them and thereby stir liquid immediately about the bubbles to facilitate their breakup and absorption into the liquid.

Trinh, E. H.↗

NASA NTRS1982

Cooled grating array spectrometer for 0.6-5 microns

A grating spectrometer, designed to illuminate an array of 122 InSb photodiodes with minimum aberrations and maximum speed, has been constructed. The instrument will be used on the 5 meter Hale telescope at Palomar Observatory, and is easily adaptable to telescopes of various focal ratios. A resolving power of 100-1000 can be obtained at wavelengths between 0.6 microns and 5 microns with remotely interchangeable gratings. The spectrometer is sufficiently compact to fit on the 8-inch work surface of a commercially available dewar, and uses simple on-axis spherical and paraboloidal optical elements. The camera mirror produces an f/2.5 beam which, with the 0.2 mm detectors, allows a 3-in. focal-plane aperture on the 5 meter telescope. All rays fall within a 100 microns blur circle at all points along the array. Distortions have been corrected with a tilted field flattening lens in front of the detector.

Nordholt, J. E.↗

NASA NTRS1983

Integrated control system concept for high-speed aircraft

The synthesis and evaluation of flight control system architectures for future aircraft are discussed in terms of design features and the requirements for fighter aircraft. Advanced fighter configurations may feature canards, flaperons, two-dimensional vectoring nozzles, a mixing compression inlet, and an advanced turbojet engine. Survey and evaluation technology will also progress to include distributed microprocessors, VLSI and VHSIC microcircuitry, optical circuits, analytic redundancy, etc. Bottom-p and top-down architectures have been investigated to fulfill the reliability, maintainability, cost, and performance goals. A centralized architecture has been devised with line-removable units to facilitate maintainability and reduce weight. Descriptions are provided of the performance parameters and applications of optical elements, photoelastic pressure sensors, rare earth sensors, computing elements, and information transfer system.

Carlin, C. M.↗

NASA NTRS1983

Optical coating in space

A technological appraisal of the steps required to approach the goal of in-situ optical coating, cleaning and re-coating the optical elements of a remote telescope in space is reported. Emphasis is placed on the high ultraviolet throughput that a telescope using bare aluminum mirrors would offer. A preliminary design is suggested for an Orbital Coating Laboratory to answer basic technical questions.

Bunner, A. N.↗

NASA NTRS1984

Acoustic-optic spectrometer. 1: Noise contributions and system consideration

An acousto-optic spectrometer (AOS) used as an IF spectrometer to a heterodyne receiver is modeled as a total power multi-channel integrating receiver. Systematic noise contributions common to all total power, time integrating receivers, as well as noise terms unique to the use of optical elements and photo-detectors in an AOS are identified and discussed. In addition, degradation of signal-to-noise ratio of an unbalanced Dicke receiver compared to a balanced Dicke receiver is found to be due to gain calibration processing and is not an instrumental effect.

Chin, G.↗

NASA NTRS1984

A review of internal combustion engine combustion chamber process studies at NASA Lewis Research Center

The performance of internal combustion stratified-charge engines is highly dependent on the in-cylinder fuel-air mixing processes occurring in these engines. Current research concerning the in-cylinder airflow characteristics of rotary and piston engines is presented. Results showing the output of multidimensional models, laser velocimetry measurements and the application of a holographic optical element are described. Models which simulate the four-stroke cycle and seal dynamics of rotary engines are also discussed.

Schock, H. J.↗

NASA NTRS1983

Optimization of dish solar collectors

Methods for optimizing parabolic dish solar collectors and the consequent effects of various optical, thermal, mechanical, and cost variables are examined. The most important performance optimization is adjusting the receiver aperture to maximize collector efficiency. Other parameters that can be adjusted to optimize efficiency include focal length, and, if a heat engine is used, the receiver temperature. The efficiency maxima associated with focal length and receiver temperature are relatively broad; it may, accordingly, be desirable to design somewhat away from the maxima. Performance optimization is sensitive to the slope and specularity errors of the concentrator. Other optical and thermal variables affecting optimization are the reflectance and blocking factor of the concentrator, the absorptance and losses of the receiver, and, if a heat engine is used, the shape of the engine efficiency versus temperature curve. Performance may sometimes be improved by use of an additional optical element (a secondary concentrator) or a receiver window if the errors of the primary concentrator are large or the receiver temperature is high. Previously announced in STAR as N83-19224

Jaffe, L. D.↗

NASA NTRS1983

Mechanical design of a low concentration ratio solar array for a space station application

This paper describes a preliminary study and conceptual design of a low concentration ratio solar array for a space station application with approximately a 100 kW power requirement. The baseline design calls for a multiple series of inverted, truncated, pyramidal optical elements with a geometric concentration ratio (GCR) of 6. It also calls for low life cycle cost, simple on-orbit maintainability, 1984 technology readiness date, and gallium arsenide (GaAs) of silicon (Si) solar cell interchangeability. Due to the large area needed to produce the amount of power required for the baseline space station, a symmetrical wing design, making maximum use of the commonality of parts approach, was taken. This paper will describe the mechanical and structural design of a mass-producible solar array that is very easy to tailor to the needs of the individual user requirement.

Biss, M. S.↗

NASA NTRS1984

Albedo of a forest modeled as a plane with dense protrusions

An analytical model for the absorption of solar radiation by surfaces such as a pine forest or a wheat field is presented. Objectives include understanding the parameters affecting the absorption of the solar irradiance in a complex structure, and determining the influence of the direction of illumination on light trapping. The surface is treated as a Lambertian reflectivity soil-plane; thin, vertical cylinders are regarded as Lambertian reflectors. Using a dimensionless protrusion parameter based on the height and diameter of the vertical plant elements, optical characteristics (e.g., the dependence of the albedo on the solar zenith angle) of a complex structure are well quantified.

Otterman, J.↗

NASA NTRS1984

Zirconium fluoride glass - Surface crystals formed by reaction with water

The hydrated surfaces of a zirconium barium fluoride glass, which has potential for application in optical fibers and other optical elements, were observed by scanning electron microscopy. Crystalline zirconium fluoride was identified by analysis of X-ray diffraction patterns of the surface crystals and found to be the main constituent of the surface material. It was also found that hydrated zirconium fluorides form only in highly acidic fluoride solutions. It is possible that the zirconium fluoride crystals form directly on the glass surface as a result of its depletion of other ions. The solubility of zirconium fluoride is suggested to be probably much lower than that of barium fluoride (0.16 g/100 cu cm at 18 C). Dissolution was determined to be the predominant process in the initial stages of the reaction of the glass with water. Penetration of water into the glass has little effect.

Doremus, R. H.↗

NASA NTRS1984

A review of internal combustion engine combustion chamber process studies at NASA Lewis Research Center

Schock, H. J.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Retrodirective-Optical-Transponder Concept

Pointing errors and optical imperfections automatically corrected. Coherent optical transponder employs nearly-degenerate four-wave mixing in nonlinear optical element to produce signal traveling back toward source of incoming signal. Return signal modulated for communication, navigation, data transmission, tracking, and identification. When perfected concept finds important civilian and military applications in line-of-sight tracking, communication and identification.

Dickinson, R. M.↗

NASA NTRS1986

Designing Eccentric Aperture Optical Systems

Computer program aids in design of eccentric aperture optical systems by predicting vector aberration that occurs in optical system having tilted or decentered optical elements. Computer program incorporates vector theory of aberrations.

Rogers, J. R.↗

NASA NTRS1985

The vector magnetograph of the Sayan Solar Observatory

The problem of choosing an optimum scheme for the electrooptical analyzer of polarization and related control principles are discussed. An electrooptical deflector, which is advantageously used to employ a single photodetector and to remove systematic errors inherent in magnetographs with two photodetectors in the wings of the line is discussed, as well as adjustment errors of optical elements of the polarization analyzer and errors of control voltages. A method for measuring the telescope's polarization matrix, reduction of magnetographic measurements for instrumental polarization and calibration of magnetograph channels are examined. Questions of evaluating scattered light and of reducing magnetic field measurements are also considered as a computational procedure for the magnetic field vector parameters is briefly outlined. Computer control of the solar magnetograph and of the processing and control system software is discussed.

Grigoryev, V. M.↗

NASA NTRS1984

Normal incidence multilayer mirrors for extreme ultraviolet astronomy

Sputtered multilayer coatings allow the use of normal incidence optics in the extreme ultraviolet (EUV) region below 500 A. Multilayer mirrors can be tailored to provide images at strong EUV lines in the sun and stars, in many cases making more efficient use of the telescope aperture than grazing incidence optics. Alternatively, the bandpass can be broadened at the expense of peak effective area, by varying the multilayer structure over the mirror surface. Such mirrors can also serve as optical elements in spectrographs for investigation of specific emission and absorption line complexes, and are self-filtering in that they reject nearby geocoronal and cosmic resonance line backgrounds. Current efforts at the Lockheed Palo Alto Research Laboratory in the design, fabrication, and testing of EUV multilayer mirrors are discussed. This program includes the design and fabrication of normal incidence EUV multilayer mirrors, and the deposition of multilayers on lacquer-coated substrates.

Stern, R. A.↗

NASA NTRS1985

An alternate fine guidance sensor for the Space Telescope

Design features and the performance envelope of an alternate fine guidance sensor for the Space Telescope are delineated. A Digicon sensor, which requires focusing of a star image on the sensor, was selected as the alternate for the Koesters prism interferometer originally chosen. Optical elements scan the focal plane and are connected to star selecter servomechanisms. A 5 sq arcsec FOV serves as input, and guide stars have been identified to assure a 0.95 probability that one will always be present. The Digicon will permit pointing by 14.5 visual magnitude stars with errors kept below 0.004 arcsec. Guide star acquisition will be effected in the bang-bang mode with a state feedback in the linear area of the instrument error function. Simulations have demonstrated a satisfactory lock-on to stars down to 19th magnitude.

Griffin, M. D.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Focal plane optics in far-infrared and submillimeter astronomy

The construction of airborne observatories, high mountain-top observatories, and space observatories designed especially for infrared and submillimeter astronomy has opened fields of research requiring new optical techniques. A typical far-IR photometric study involves measurement of a continuum spectrum in several passbands between approx 30 microns and 1000 microns and diffraction-limited mapping of the source. At these wavelengths, diffraction effects strongly influence the design of the field optics systems which couple the incoming flux to the radiation sensors (cold bolometers). The Airy diffraction disk for a typical telescope at submillimeter wavelengths approx 100 microns-1000 microns is many millimeters in diameter; the size of the field stop must be comparable. The dilute radiation at the stop is fed through a Winston nonimaging concentrator to a small cavity containing the bolometer. The purpose of this paper is to review the principles and techniques of infrared field optics systems, including spectral filters, concentrators, cavities, and bolometers (as optical elements), with emphasis on photometric systems for wavelengths longer than 60 microns.

Hildebrand, R. H.↗