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At least 451 records · Page 25
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2011

Free Body Dynamics of a Spinning Cylinder with Planar Restraint-(a.k.a. Barrel of Fun)

The dynamic motion of a cylinder is analyzed based on rotation about its center of mass and is restrained by a plane normal to the axis passing through its center of mass at an angle. The first part of this work presented an analysis of the stability of the motion. In the current report, the governing equations are numerically integrated in time and the steady state is obtained as a limit of the transient numerical solution. The calculated data are compared with observed behaviors.

Moraru, Laurentiu↗
NASA NTRS2011

Constitutive Soil Properties for Mason Sand and Kennedy Space Center

Accurate soil models are required for numerical simulations of land landings for the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV). This report provides constitutive material models for two soil conditions at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) and four conditions of Mason Sand. The Mason Sand is the test sand for LaRC s drop tests and swing tests of the Orion. The soil models are based on mechanical and compressive behavior observed during geotechnical laboratory testing of remolded soil samples. The test specimens were reconstituted to measured in situ density and moisture content. Tests included: triaxial compression, hydrostatic compression, and uniaxial strain. A fit to the triaxial test results defines the strength envelope. Hydrostatic and uniaxial tests define the compressibility. The constitutive properties are presented in the format of LSDYNA Material Model 5: Soil and Foam. However, the laboratory test data provided can be used to construct other material models. The soil models are intended to be specific to the soil conditions they were tested at. The two KSC models represent two conditions at KSC: low density dry sand and high density in-situ moisture sand. The Mason Sand model was tested at four conditions which encompass measured conditions at LaRC s drop test site.

Thomas, Michael A.↗
NASA NTRS2011

GRB 091127: The Cooling Break Race on Magnetic Fuel

Using high-quality, broad-band afterglow data for GRB 091127, we investigate the validity of the synchrotron fireball model for gamma-ray bursts, and infer physical parameters of the ultra-relativistic outflow. Methods. We used multi-wavelength (NIR to X-ray) follow-up observations obtained with GROND simultaneously in the g' r' t' i' z' JH filters and the XRT onboard the Swift satellite in the 0.3 to 10 keY energy range. The resulting afterglow light curve is of excellent accuracy with relative photometric errors as low as 1 %, and the spectral energy distribution (SED) is well-sampled over 5 decades in energy. These data present one of the most comprehensive observing campaigns for a single GRB afterglow and allow us to test several proposed emission models and outflow characteristics in unprecedented detail. Results. Both the multi-color light curve and the broad-band SED of the afterglow of GRB 091127 show evidence of a cooling break moving from high to lower energies. The early light curve is well described by a broken power-law, where the initial decay in the optical/NlR wavelength range is considerably flatter than at X-rays. Detailed fitting of the time-resolved SED shows that the break is very smooth with a sharpness index of 2.2 +/- 0.2, and evolves towards lower frequencies as a power-law with index -1.23 +/- 0.06. These are the first accurate and contemporaneous measurements of both the sharpness of the spectral break and its time evolution. Conclusions. The measured evolution of the cooling break (V(sub c) varies as t(sup -1.2) is not consistent with the predictions of the standard model, wherein V(sub c) varies as t(sup -05) is expected. A possible explanation for the observed behavior is a time dependence of the microphysical parameters, in particular the fraction of the total energy in the magnetic field epsilon(sub Beta). This conclusion provides further evidence that the standard fireball model is too simplistic, and time-dependent micro-physical parameters may be required to model the growing number of well-sampled afterglow light curves.

Filgas, R.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Scale Dependence of Spatiotemporal Intermittence of Rain

It is a common experience that rainfall is intermittent in space and time. This is reflected by the fact that the statistics of area- and/or time-averaged rain rate is described by a mixed distribution with a nonzero probability of having a sharp value zero. In this paper we have explored the dependence of the probability of zero rain on the averaging space and time scales in large multiyear data sets based on radar and rain gauge observations. A stretched exponential fannula fits the observed scale dependence of the zero-rain probability. The proposed formula makes it apparent that the space-time support of the rain field is not quite a set of measure zero as is sometimes supposed. We also give an ex.planation of the observed behavior in tenus of a simple probabilistic model based on the premise that rainfall process has an intrinsic memory.

Kundu, Prasun K.↗
NASA NTRS2007

Modeling Lunar Radar Scattering from Icy Regoliths

The Apollo 15, 16, and 17 core tubes show that the uppermost few meters of the lunar regolith are interlaced layers of a fine grained powders and blocky crater ejecta. The layers of crater ejecta have dielectric constants in the range of 7-9 while the fine-grained powders has dielectric constant on the order of 2.7. These differences in dielectric constant, in turn, create radar reflections that are both refracted and reflected back through the space-regolith interface. Note that for a dielectric constant of 2.7 for the lunar regolith, radio waves incident on the lunar surface at the angle of 30-degrees from the normal will propagate in the regolith at an angle of 18-degrees. At the limb, radio waves incident on the lunar surface at an angle near 90-degrees from the normal will propagate in the regolith at an angle of about 37-degrees. These angles are within the range where radar backscatter is in the quasi-specular regime. When these buried crater ejecta layers are modeled using Hagfors' formulation (Hagfors,1963), echo powers match the behavior observed for average lunar backscatter at centimeter wavelengths for higher (30 to 90) angles of incidence. In addition, Hagfors et al. (1965) conducted an experiment where the Moon was illuminated at 23-cm wavelength with circular polarization and the differences were observed in orthogonal linear polarizations. Modeling of these observations and assuming again that the buried crater ejecta scatter in a quasi-specular manner, echo differences in horizontal and vertical linear polarizations are in good agreement with the observations.

Moon↗
NASA NTRS2017

Heater Validation for the NEXT-C Hollow Cathodes

Swaged cathode heaters whose design was successfully demonstrated under a prior flight project are to be provided by the NASA Glenn Research Center for the NEXT-C ion thruster being fabricated by Aerojet Rocketdyne. Extensive requalification activities were performed to validate process controls that had to be re-established or revised because systemic changes prevented reuse of the past approaches. A development batch of heaters was successfully fabricated based on the new process controls. Acceptance and cyclic life testing of multiple discharge and neutralizer sized heaters extracted from the development batch was initiated in August, 2016, with the last heater completing testing in April, 2017. Cyclic life testing results substantially exceeded the NEXT-C thruster requirement as well as all past experience for GRC fabricated units. The heaters demonstrated ultimate cyclic life capability of 19050 to 33500 cycles. A qualification batch of heaters is now being fabricated using the finalized process controls. A set of six heaters will be acceptance and cyclic tested to verify conformance to the behavior observed with the development heaters. The heaters for flight use will be then be provided to the contractor. This paper summarizes the fabrication process control activities and the acceptance and life testing of the development heater units.

hollow cathodes↗
NASA NTRS2018

Heater Validation for the NEXT-C Hollow Cathodes

Swaged cathode heaters whose design was successfully demonstrated under a prior flight project are to be provided by the NASA Glenn Research Center for the NEXT-C ion thruster being fabricated by Aerojet Rocketdyne. Extensive requalification activities were performed to validate process controls that had to be re-established or revised because systemic changes prevented reuse of the past approaches. A development batch of heaters was successfully fabricated based on the new process controls. Acceptance and cyclic life testing of multiple discharge and neutralizer sized heaters extracted from the development batch was initiated in August, 2016, with the last heater completing testing in April, 2017. Cyclic life testing results substantially exceeded the NEXT-C thruster requirement as well as all past experience for GRC-fabricated units. The heaters demonstrated ultimate cyclic life capability of 19050 to 33500 cycles. A qualification batch of heaters is now being fabricated using the finalized process controls. A set of six heaters will be acceptance and cyclic tested to verify conformance to the behavior observed with the development heaters. The heaters for flight use will be then be provided to the contractor from the remainder of the qualification batch. This paper summarizes the fabrication process control activities and the acceptance and life testing of the development heater units.

Verhey, Timothy R.↗
NASA NTRS2019

Dissecting the AGN Disk-Jet System with Joint VLBI-Gaia Analysis

We analyze differences in positions of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) between Gaia data release 2 and very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) and compare the significant VLBI-to-Gaia offsets in more than 1000 objects with their jet directions. Remarkably at least three-fourths of the significant offsets are confirmed to occur downstream or upstream of the jet representing a genuine astrophysical effect. Introducing redshift and Gaia color into analysis can help distinguish between the contribution of the host galaxy, jet, and accretion disk emission. We find that strong optical jet emission at least 20-50 pc long is required to explain the Gaia positions located downstream fromVLBI ones. Offsets in the upstream direction of up to 2 mas are at least partly due to the dominant impact of the accretion disk on the Gaia coordinates and by the effects of the parsec-scale radio jet. The host galaxy was found not to play an important role in the detected offsets. BL Lacertae object and Seyfert 2 galaxies are observationally confirmed to have a relatively weak disk and consequently downstream offsets. The disk emission drives upstream offsets in a significant fraction of quasars and Seyfert 1 galaxies when it dominates over the jet in the optical band. The observed behavior of the different AGN classes is consistent with the unified scheme assuming varying contribution of the obscuring dusty torus and jet beaming.

Plavin, A. V.↗
NASA NTRS2019

Two-Stage Autoignition Dynamics of N-Dodecane Droplets Under Normal Gravity at High Pressures

Experimental observations of two-stage, autoignition characteristics of fiber-supported, n-dodecane fuel droplets under normal gravity are reported for a wide range of ambient temperatures, and pressures varying from 1 atm to 25 atm, which encompasses the fuel critical pressure (~ 18 atm). A high-speed camera is used to obtain backlit images of the autoignition process. During two-stage ignition, a cool-flame front forms below the droplet in the natural convective plume of the fuel vapor originating from the vaporizing droplet, and propagates upward, followed by the formation of a hot-flame kernel that expands rapidly and surrounds the droplet, eventually leading to the classical diffusion flame. Experimentally measured cool, and hot flame formation locations and propagation speeds are presented for varying initial temperatures and pressures. Measured first, and second stage ignition delay times are also reported. The influences of negative temperature coefficient (NTC) regime chemistry on flame starting location, propagation speeds, and ignition delay times are described. The first-stage cool flame characteristics are found to be controlled by both the chemistry, and physical aspects such as droplet evaporation and fuel-oxidizer mixing, while the second-stage hot flame ignition is primarily controlled by chemical kinetics. Further work is currently underway to develop models to quantitatively predict the observed behavior.

Rose, Evan↗
NASA NTRS2020

Analyzing Changes in the Complexity of Climate in the Last Four Decades Using MERRA-2 Radiation Data

The energy balance of the Earth is controlled by the shortwave and longwave radiation emitted to space. Changes in the thermodynamic state of the system over time afect climate and are noticeable when viewing the system as a whole. In this paper, we study the changes in the complexity of climate in the last four decades using data from the Modern-Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications, Version 2 (MERRA-2). First, we study the complexity of the shortwave and longwave radiation felds independently using Approximate Entropy and Sample Entropy, observing that the rate of complexity change is faster for shortwave radiation. Then, we study the causality of those changes using Transfer Entropy to capture the non-linear dynamics of climate, showing that the changes are mainly driven by the variations in shortwave radiation. The observed behavior of climatic complexity could be explained by the changes in cloud amount, and we research that possibility by investigating its evolution from a complexity perspective using data from the International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP).

Delgado-Bonal, Alfonso↗
NASA NTRS2019

Neutron Stars and Black Holes in the Small Magellanic Cloud: The SMC NuSTAR Legacy Survey

We present a source catalog from the first deep hard X-ray (E > 10 keV) survey of the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC), the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) Legacy Survey of the SMC. We observed three fields, for a total exposure time of 1 Ms, along the bar of this nearby star-forming galaxy. Fields were chosen for their young stellar and accreting binary populations. We detected 10 sources above a 3σ significance level (4–25 keV) and obtained upper limits on an additional 40 sources. We reached a 3σ limiting luminosity in the 4–25 keV band of ∼10(exp 35) erg s(exp −1), allowing us to probe fainter X-ray binary (XRB) populations than has been possible with other extragalactic NuSTAR surveys. We used hard X-ray colors and luminosities to constrain the compact-object type, exploiting the spectral differences between accreting black holes and neutron stars at E > 10 keV. Several of our sources demonstrate variability consistent with previously observed behavior. We confirmed pulsations for seven pulsars in our 3σ sample. We present the first detection of pulsations from a BeXRB, SXP 305 (CXO J005215.4–73191), with an X-ray pulse period of 305.69 ± 0.16 s and a likely orbital period of ∼1160–1180 days. Bright sources (≳5 × 10(exp 36) erg s(exp −1) ) in our sample have compact-object classifications consistent with their previously reported types in the literature. Lower-luminosity sources (≲5 × 10(exp 36) erg s(exp −1) ) have X-ray colors and luminosities consistent with multiple classifications. We raise questions about possible spectral differences at low luminosity between SMC pulsars and the Galactic pulsars used to create the diagnostic diagrams

Lazzarini, M.↗
NASA NTRS2018

Seeing Double: ASASSN-18bt Exhibits a Two-component Rise in the Early-time K2 Light Curve

On 2018 February 4.41, the All-Sky Automated Survey for SuperNovae (ASAS-SN) discovered ASASSN-18bt in the K2 Campaign 16 field. With a redshift of z=0.01098 and a peak apparent magnitude of B(max)=14.31, ASASSN-18bt is the nearest and brightest SNe Ia yet observed by the Kepler spacecraft. Here we present the discovery of ASASSN-18bt, the K2 light curve, and prediscovery data from ASAS-SN and the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System. The K2 early-time light curve has an unprecedented 30-minute cadence and photometric precision for an SN Ia light curve, and it unambiguously shows a ∼4 day nearly linear phase followed by a steeper rise. Thus, ASASSN-18bt joins a growing list of SNe Ia whose early light curves are not well described by a single power law. We show that a double-power-law model fits the data reasonably well, hinting that two physical processes must be responsible for the observed rise. However, we find that current models of the interaction with a nondegenerate companion predict an abrupt rise and cannot adequately explain the initial, slower linear phase. Instead, we find that existing published models with shallow 56Ni are able to span the observed behavior and, with tuning, may be able to reproduce the ASASSN-18bt light curve. Regardless, more theoretical work is needed to satisfactorily model this and other early-time SNe Ia light curves. Finally, we use Swift X-ray nondetections to constrain the presence of circumstellar material (CSM) at much larger distances and lower densities than possible with the optical light curve. For a constant-density CSM, these nondetections constrain ρ<4.5×10(exp 5)per cu.cm at a radius of 4×10(exp 15) cm from the progenitor star. Assuming a wind-like environment, we place mass loss limits of M˙ < 8 x 10(exp -6) M(ʘ)per yr for v(w)=100 km/s, ruling out some symbiotic progenitor systems. This work highlights the power of well-sampled early-time data and the need for immediate multiband, high-cadence follow-up for progress in understanding SNe Ia.

B. J. Shappee↗
NASA NTRS2022

Effect of Sulfur on siderophile element partitioning between olivine and martian mantle primary melt

Ni and Co variations in primary martian magmas exhibit anomalous incompatible behavior, which has remained an unexplained conundrum. Because martian magmas are S-rich, and some trace metals are reported to have enhanced solubility in S-bearing magmas, we have carried out a series of experiments to evaluate the effect of high-S melts on the olivine/melt partitioning of Ni, Co, Mn, V, and Cr. Near-liquidus experiments on a synthetic primary martian mantle melt (Yamato-980459 [Y98]) were completed in a piston-cylinder apparatus at 0.75 GPa. Previous studies in S-free systems illustrate that the partition coefficients for these elements are dependent chiefly on D(Mg(Ol/melt)) (the partition coefficient defined as wt% Mg in olivine/wt% Mg in melt, a proxy for temperature), and were used to calibrate a predictive expression that includes the effects of temperature [i.e., D(Mg(Ol/melt))], melt composition, and oxygen fugacity. These predictive expressions are then used to isolate any effect in DM olivine/melt due to dissolved sulfur. The results show that S might have a small effect for Co, but not enough to change Co partitioning from compatible to incompatible in our experiments. The addition of a sulfur term to the D(Co) predictive expressions shows that nearly 8000 ppm of sulfur would be required in the melt (at liquidus temperature of Y98) for D(Co) to become <1. These S contents are two times higher than those of a sulfide-saturated melt at the P-T conditions of a martian mantle source region. Therefore, the anomalous incompatible behavior observed in these primary magma suites must be due to another mechanism. High temperature, oxygen fugacity, and diffusion are not viable mechanisms, but magma mixing, assimilation, or kinetic crystallization effects remain possibilities.

shergottite↗
NASA NTRS2018

DejaVu: A Monitoring Tool for First-Order Temporal Logic

Runtime Verification (rv) is aimed at analyzing individual execution traces and temporal behaviors observed from running programs and systems. Its traditional purpose is in detecting the lack of conformance with respect to a formal specification. While very early rv systems were based on specifications given in some form of propositional temporal logic, recent efforts have focused on monitoring so-called parametric specifications over events that carry data. Since a monitor for such specifications has to store observed data, the challenge is to have an efficient representation and manipulation of data. The fundamental problem is that the actual values of the data are not necessarily bounded or provided in advance. In this paper, we describe our monitoring tool, DejaVu, which implements our algorithm [HPU17] for monitoring first-order past linear-time temporal logic over a sequence of events that carry data. We propose the use of Binary Decision Diagrams (bdds) [Bry86] for representing and manipulating sets of observed data since (1) bdds provide highly compact representations, (2) operations over bdds, in particular complementation, are very efficient, and (3) the monitor construction for the propositional case shown in [HR02] naturally extends to bdds. Our experiments show a substantial improvement in performance compared to a related tool.

Ulus, Dogan↗
NASA NTRS2023

Metallurgical Factors that Govern ST Properties in Commercial 2219-T87 Thick Plate

This report is contained within a NASA Engineering & Safety Center (NESC) assessment of the variability in short-transverse (ST) mechanical properties of commercial lots of 12.7-cm-thick 2219-T87 plate. The document comprises a review of the potential metallurgical reasons for the variations in ST tensile ductility and fracture behavior observed. Preliminary data from through-thickness mechanical testing and microstructural analyses conducted early in the investigation are referenced. The report concludes with a summary of considerations for the NESC based on the key results of this literature survey.

Aluminum alloy↗
NASA NTRS2023

Understanding the Deflection of the “Cartwheel CME”: Data Analysis and Modeling

We study the low corona evolution of the “Cartwheel” coronal mass ejection (CME; 2008 April 9) by- reconstructing its three-dimensional path and modeling it with magnetohydrodynamic simulations. This event exhibited a double deflection that has been reported and analyzed in previous works but whose underlying cause remained unclear. The Cartwheel CME traveled toward a coronal hole (CH) and against the magnetic gradients. Using a high-cadence, full-trajectory reconstruction, we accurately determine the location of the magnetic flux rope (MFR) and, consequently, the magnetic environment in which it is immersed. We find a pseudostreamer (PS) structure whose null point may be responsible for the complex evolution of the MFR at the initial phase. From the preeruptive magnetic field reconstruction, we estimate the dynamic forces acting on the MFR and provide a new physical insight into the motion exhibited by the 2008 April 9 event. By setting up a similar magnetic configuration in a 2.5D numerical simulation we are able to reproduce the observed behavior, confirming the importance of the PS null point. We find that the magnetic forces directed toward the null point cause the first deflection, directing the MFR toward the CH. Later, the magnetic pressure gradient of the CH produces the reversal motion of the MFR.

Solar prominences↗
NASA NTRS2024

Investigating Zonal Asymmetries in Stratospheric Ozone Trends From Satellite Limb Observations and a Chemical Transport Model

This study investigates the origin of a zonal asymmetry in stratospheric ozone trends at northern high latitudes, identified in satellite limb observations over the past two decades. We use a merged data set consisting of ozone profiles retrieved at the University of Bremen from SCIAMACHY and OMPS-LP measurements to derive ozone trends. We also use TOMCAT chemical transport model (CTM) simulations, forced by ERA5 reanalyses, to investigate the factors that drive the asymmetry observed in the long-term changes. By studying seasonally and longitudinally resolved observation-based ozone trends, we find, especially during spring, a well-pronounced asymmetry at polar latitudes with values up to +6 % per decade over Greenland and −5 % per decade over western Russia. The control CTM simulation agrees well with these observed trends, whereas sensitivity simulations indicate that chemical mechanisms involved in the production and removal of ozone, or their changes, are unlikely to explain the observed behavior. The decomposition of TOMCAT ozone time series and ERA5 geopotential height into the first two wavenumber components shows a clear correlation between the two variables in the middle stratosphere and demonstrates a weakening and a shift in the wavenumber-1 planetary wave activity over the past two decades. Finally, the analysis of the polar vortex position and strength points to a decadal oscillation with a reversal pattern at the beginning of the century. The same is found in the ozone trend asymmetry. This further stresses the link between changes in the polar vortex position and the identified ozone trend pattern.

Instrumentation↗
NASA NTRS2023

Irregular Proton Injection to High Energies at Interplanetary Shocks

How thermal particles are accelerated to suprathermal energies is an unsolved issue, crucial for many astrophysical systems. We report novel observations of irregular, dispersive enhancements of the suprathermal particle population upstream of a high-Mach-number interplanetary shock. We interpret the observed behavior as irregular "injections" of suprathermal particles resulting from shock front irregularities. Our findings, directly compared to self-consistent simulation results, provide important insights for the study of remote astrophysical systems where shock structuring is often neglected.

Interplanetary particle acceleration↗