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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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At least 415 records · Page 23

Engineering principles to assure compatible docking between future spacecraft of USA and USSR

An androgynous peripheral type docking mechanism concept selected by the U.S. and the USSR is described. The rationale supporting the selection of the concept, the mechanical principles inherent to the concept, and the probable nature of future designs stemming from the concept are discussed. Operational situations prior to docking, impact conditions, energy absorption, and structural joining of two spacecraft are examined.

Johnson, C. C.↗

Saving Skylab

Initial difficulties encountered with the launch and operational deployment of the Skylab vehicle are described in terms of early indications of hardware failures, ground-based efforts at diagnosing the nature and significance of damage, and organization of improvized means and procedures for repair operations. Attention is given to heating and power-supply problems stemming from the loss of a micrometeoroid shield and a solar cell array. Systems engineering problems arising from the necessity of achieving a compromise among thermal, electrical, and stabilization requirements are explained, and repair solutions and operations in space and on the ground are described in detail.-

Schneider, W. C.↗

A design method for minimizing sensitivity to plant parameter variations

A method is described for minimizing the sensitivity of multivariable systems to parameter variations. The variable parameters are considered as random variables and their effect is included in a quadratic performance index. The performance index is a weighted sum of the state and control covariances that stem from both the random system disturbances and the parameter uncertainties. The numerical solution of the problem is described and application of the method to several initially sensitive tracking systems is discussed. The sensitivity factor of reduction was typically 2 or 3 over a system based on random system noise only, and yet resulted in state RMS increases of only about a factor of two.

Hadass, Z.↗

Skylab medical technology utilization

To perform the extensive medical experimentation on man in a long-term, zero-g environment, new medical measuring and monitoring equipment had to be developed, new techniques in training and operations were required, and new methods of collecting and analyzing the great amounts of medical data were developed. Examples of technology transfers to the public sector resulted from the development of new equipment, methods, techniques, and data. This paper describes several of the examples that stemmed directly from Skylab technology.

Stonesifer, J. C.↗

Daily rhythms of radiosensitivity of animals and several determining causes

Daily rhythms of radiosensitivity in rats and mice were determined by survival rates after acute total radiation at the same dosage at different times of the day. Radiosensitivity differed in animals of different species and varieties. Inbred mice exhibited one or two increases in radiosensitivity during the dark, active period of the day. These effects were attributed to periodic changes in the state of stem hematopoietic cells.

Druzhinin, Y. P.↗

Regolith history from cosmic-ray-produced nuclides

A model is given for regolith development by which the meteoroid impact parameters (time of last major impact, soil escape rate, and soil turnover depths) are determined from the Gd isotope data for the Apollo 15 and 16 drill stems. The time of the last major impact, cosmic-ray-produced-nuclide-clock reset time, at the Apollo 15 site is 0.6-1.3 aeon. The reset time at the Apollo 16 site is between 1.54 plus or minus 0.14 and 3.3-4.0 aeon. The average soil escape rate from the moon corresponding to the 1.54 plus or minus 0.14 aeon reset time is between 70 and 110 cm/aeon and corresponding to the 3.3 and 4.0 aeon reset time is between 36 and 56 cm/aeon. The soil turnover depth for the 1.54 plus or minus 0.14 aeon reset time is 250 cm and for the 3.3-4.0 aeon reset time is 750 cm. The Gd data restrict the change with time of the meteoroid flux during the past 1.4 aeon.

Fireman, E. L.↗

Lunar surface dynamics - Some general conclusions and new results from Apollo 16 and 17

The exposure ages of Apollo 17 rocks as measured by tracks and rare gases are discussed and a description is given of an investigation of a unique rock. The investigation will be an aid for the establishment of the long-term energy spectrum of solar flare heavy particles. The track record of several Apollo 17 soils is examined. It is shown that the Apollo 17 deep drill stem might make it possible to extend the energy range over which the fossil record of galactic cosmic rays can be studied. A review is provided regarding the experimental data obtained for the rates of several dynamical processes on the lunar surface.

Crozaz, G.↗

Engineering principles to assure compatible docking between future spacecraft of USA and USSR

Working jointly the USA and the USSR have selected an androgynous, peripheral type docking mechanism concept. The mechanical principles inherent to the concept, the rationale supporting its selection, and the probable nature of future designs stemming from the concept, are described. Operational situations just prior to docking, impact conditions, energy absorption, and the structural joining of the spacecraft, are specified. Docking procedures for the Apollo-Soyuz missions are discussed.

Johnson, C. C.↗

Skeletal response

The effect of weightlessness on bone mineral content during prolonged space flight was investigated. The mineral content changes which occurred during Apollo 14, 15, and 16 as measured by photon absorptiometry techniques are presented and compared. Bed rest served as an experimental model to assess the bone mineral changes, and to determine what remedial measures might be used to stem the tide of bone mineral loss. It is concluded that loss of mineral from bone due to the state of weightlessness is comparable to that observed in bed rest subjects.

Paul C. Rambaut↗

Genetic technology: Promises and problems

Issues concerning the use of genetic technology are discussed. Some areas discussed include treating genetic disease, prenatal diagnosis and selective abortion, screening for genetic disease, and genetic counseling. Policy issues stemming from these capabilities are considered.

Frankel, M. S.↗

Electrophysiological measurement of human auditory function

Contingent negative variations in the presence and amplitudes of brain potentials evoked by sound are considered. Evidence is produced that the evoked brain stem response to auditory stimuli is clearly related to brain events associated with cognitive processing of acoustic signals since their properties depend upon where the listener directs his attention, whether the signal is an expected event or a surprise, and when sound that is listened-for is heard at last.

Galambos, R.↗

Destruction of the recreational, asthetic, agricultural, wildlife conservation and preservation, and residential uses of the land as a result of the abuses of the manufacturing, commercial, extractive, construction, and transportation industries

Explicit concern over land use and abuse stems from the recognition of the negative impacts of unrestrained and unregulated economic, industrial, and population growth upon finite land resources. Only one quarter of the total surface area of the earth is land, and of that a large portion is uninhabitable. The present stresses upon the land include urbanization, urban sprawl and urban congestion; electrical, nuclear industrial park siting requirements; land degradation through stripping surface minerals; land degradation through disposal of radioactive wastes, sewage sludge, solid waste and other industrial wastes; rising demand for agricultural land; and the erosion and destruction of land through elimination of protective coverings such as forests, grasslands, and wetlands.

Source record↗

Deterioration and modification of the biosphere leading to irreversible climatic change of the global ecosystem

The level, intensity, nature and impact of man's activities upon weather and climatic changes are explored. It is shown that industrialization leads to increased CO2 levels, atmospheric dust content and land surfaces changes. This in turn causes global climatic interactions which results in a general cooling trend. Global cooperation is advocated to stem environmental degradation and weather pattern interruption by the use of corrective mechanisms.

Source record↗

Potential improvements in turbofan engine fuel economy

The method developed for initial evaluation of possible performance improvements in the NASA Aircraft Energy Efficiency Program, directed toward improving the fuel economy of turbofan engines, is outlined, and results of the evaluation of 100 candidate engine modifications are presented. The study indicates that fuel consumption improvements of as much as 5% may be possible in current JT3D, JT8D, and JT9D turbofan engines. Aerodynamic, thermodynamic, material, and structural advances are expected to yield fuel consumption improvements on the order of 10 to 15% in advanced turbofan engines, with the greatest improvement stemming from significantly higher cycle pressure ratios. Higher turbine temperature and fan bypass ratios are also expected to contribute to fuel conservation.

Hines, R. W.↗

Transfer function verification and block diagram simplification of a very high-order distributed pole closed-loop servo by means of non-linear time-response simulation

Linear frequency domain methods are inadequate in analyzing the 1975 Viking Orbiter (VO75) digital tape recorder servo due to dominant nonlinear effects such as servo signal limiting, unidirectional servo control, and static/dynamic Coulomb friction. The frequency loop (speed control) servo of the VO75 tape recorder is used to illustrate the analytical tools and methodology of system redundancy elimination and high order transfer function verification. The paper compares time-domain performance parameters derived from a series of nonlinear time responses with the available experimental data in order to select the best possible analytical transfer function representation of the tape transport (mechanical segment of the tape recorder) from several possible candidates. The study also shows how an analytical time-response simulation taking into account most system nonlinearities can pinpoint system redundancy and overdesign stemming from a strictly empirical design approach. System order reduction is achieved through truncation of individual transfer functions and elimination of redundant blocks.

Mukhopadhyay, A. K.↗

Rotational bursting of interplanetary dust particles

Rotationally induced bursting of interplanetary dust particles by a windmill effect stemming from solar radiation pressure, and eventual elimination of the particles from the solar system, is discussed. A life span on the order of 100,000 years for stony meteoritic material or tektite glass with radii of about 1 cm is arrived at for this process. A life span of a million years is computed for particles containing Fe, Ni, or Al with spin damping effects taken into cognizance. This depletion mechanism operates at a rate two orders of magnitude greater than that of the Poynting-Robertson effect in the case of nonmetallic particles and one order of magnitude greater in the case of metallic particles.

Paddack, S. J.↗

Analysis of turbofan propulsion system weight and dimensions

Weight and dimensional relationships that are used in aircraft preliminary design studies are analyzed. These relationships are relatively simple to prove useful to the preliminary designer, but they are sufficiently detailed to provide meaningful design tradeoffs. All weight and dimensional relationships are developed from data bases of existing and conceptual turbofan engines. The total propulsion system is considered including both engine and nacelle, and all estimating relations stem from physical principles, not statistical correlations.

Waters, M. H.↗