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At least 487 records · Page 27
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1991

Microprobe studies of microtomed particles of white druse salts in shergottite EETA 79001

The white druse material in Antarctic shergottite EETA 79001 has attracted much attention as a possible sample fo Martian aqueous deposits. Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA) was used to determine trace element analyses of small particles of this material obtained by handpicking of likely grains from broken surfaces of the meteorite. Electron microprobe work was attempted on grain areas as large as 150x120 microns. Backscattered electron images show considerable variations in brightness, and botryoidal structures were observed. Microprobe analyses showed considerable variability both within single particles and between different particles. Microtomed surfaces of small selected particles were shown to be very useful in obtaining information on the texture and composition of rare lithologies like the white druse of EETA 79001. This material is clearly heterogeneous on all distance scales, so a large number of further analyses will be required to characterize it.

Lindstrom, D. J.↗
NASA NTRS1980

On the constancy of solar particle fluxes from track, thermoluminescence and solar wind measurements in lunar rocks

Evidence contained within lunar rocks concerning possible variations in solar activity over the last 1 to 2 million years is reviewed. The effects of solar wind particles, which are implanted at shallow depths, solar flare protons, which produce thermoluminescence as well as stable and radionuclides, and solar flare heavy nuclei, which produce tracks, are considered, and the quality and limitations of nuclear tracks measurements as indicators of solar flare flux histories are discussed. Methods used for the determination of the solar flare track production rate, which must be known in order to measure lunar rock surface exposure times, are compared, and it is concluded that most of the evidence favors the rate obtained by Blanford et al. (1975). Information on the constancy of the solar flare particle flux obtained by comparison of the effects of different surface phenomena with solar particle effects is then illustrated for the cases of comparisons between solar flare tracks and microcrater densities, solar flare particle fluxes measured over different periods, and comparisons of the solar flare track production rate with the solar wind flux and microcratering rate. It is noted that these studies provide no evidence for a change in solar particle flux by more than a factor of two over the last 10,000 to 1 million years, or for a change in the solar flare Fe/H ratio in the last 2 million years.

Zinner, E.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Effects of interplanetary magnetic field azimuth on auroral zone and polar cap magnetic activity

During relatively quiet times in the period 1964-1968, AE is found to be greater when the interplanetary magnetic field (b sub IMF) is directed toward the sun in Jan., Feb., and Apr., and when B sub IMF is directed away from the sun in Oct. to Dec. Using Murmansk hourly H values and the AE components, AU and AL, it is shown that this sector dependence is present only in the negative H deviations. This observation supports the idea that negative bay magnitudes are determined chiefly by particle-produced ionization, while positive bay magnitudes are rather insensitive to increases in particle precipitation. The ratio of DP2-type magnetic activity in the southern polar cap to that in the northern polar cap is found to be greater by a factor of about 1.75 for B sub IMF toward the sun.

Burch, J. L.↗
NASA NTRS2017

Aerosol Sampling Experiment on the International Space Station

The International Space Station (ISS) is a unique indoor environment which serves as both home and workplace to the astronaut crew. There is currently no particulate monitoring, although particulate matter requirements exist. An experiment to collect particles in the ISS cabin was conducted recently. Two different aerosol samplers were used for redundancy and to collect particles in two size ranges spanning from 10 nm to hundreds of micrometers. The Active Sampler is a battery operated thermophoretic sampler with an internal pump which draws in air and collects particles directly on a transmission electron microscope grid. This commercial-off-the-shelf device was modified for operation in low gravity. The Passive Sampler has five sampling surfaces which were exposed to air for different durations in order to collect at least one sample with an optimal quantity of particles for microscopy. These samples were returned to Earth for analysis with a variety of techniques to obtain long-term average concentrations and identify particle emission sources. Results are compared with the inventory of ISS aerosols which was created based on sparse data and the literature. The goal of the experiment is to obtain data on indoor aerosols on ISS for future particulate monitor design and development.

Aerosol↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

LEIA: An Investigation of Radiation Risks to Biology at the Lunar South Pole

Radiation and reduced gravity pose biological risks to crewed deep space exploration. At the cellular level, radiation damage can be amplified by reduced gravity. Empirical evidence on cellular responses to beyond low Earth orbit (BLEO) environments is imperative to develop effective countermeasures for crew health and in-space biomanufacturing. The Lunar Explorer Instrument for Space Biology Applications (LEIA) project is developing an instrument suite to be delivered to the south polar region of the Moon by the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program. This presentation will provide an overview of the LEIA hardware, experiments, and mission timeline. The LEIA instruments include the BioSensor, the ARES charged particle detector, and the Mini-FND. The BioSensor is an autonomous light emitting diode (LED)-based spectrophotometer and microfluidic incubator. The BioSensor activates yeast cultures and can measure cell growth, metabolic activity, and carotenoid production. The ARES is a Timepix-based charged particle radiation detector that measures dose, dose rate, and linear energy transfer spectra. The Mini-FND is a fast neutron detector that measures albedo neutron flux and energy spectra. Combined, these instruments will be used for yeast genetics experiments to quantify growth, metabolism, and synthetic biology-enabled production of human nutrients, while taking real time measurements of biologically relevant radiation exposure on the lunar surface. These data will be used to test the importance of selected DNA damage repair and reactive oxygen species defense pathways in mitigating cellular damage from lunar surface radiation.

Yeast↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

LEIA: An Investigation of Radiation Risks to Biology at the Lunar South Pole

Radiation and reduced gravity pose biological risks to crewed deep space exploration. At the cellular level, radiation damage can be amplified by reduced gravity. Empirical evidence on cellular responses to beyond low Earth orbit (BLEO) environments is imperative to develop effective countermeasures for crew health and in-space biomanufacturing. The Lunar Explorer Instrument for Space Biology Applications (LEIA) project is developing an instrument suite to be delivered to the south polar region of the Moon by the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program. This presentation will provide an overview of the LEIA hardware, experiments, and mission timeline. The LEIA instruments include the BioSensor, the ARES charged particle detector, and the Mini-FND. The BioSensor is an autonomous light emitting diode (LED)-based spectrophotometer and microfluidic incubator. The BioSensor activates yeast cultures and can measure cell growth, metabolic activity, and carotenoid production. The ARES is a Timepix-based charged particle radiation detector that measures dose, dose rate, and linear energy transfer spectra. The Mini-FND is a fast neutron detector that measures albedo neutron flux and energy spectra. Combined, these instruments will be used for yeast genetics experiments to quantify growth, metabolism, and synthetic biology-enabled production of human nutrients, while taking real time measurements of biologically relevant radiation exposure on the lunar surface. These data will be used to test the importance of selected DNA damage repair and reactive oxygen species defense pathways in mitigating cellular damage from lunar surface radiation.

Yeast↗
NASA NTRS2002

Albedo in the ATIC Experiment

ATIC(Advanced Thin Ionization Calorimeter) is a balloon borne experiment designed to measure the cosmic ray composition for elements from hydrogen to iron and their energy spectra from approx.50 GeV to near 100 TeV. It consists of a Si-matrix detector to determine the charge of a CR particle, a scintillator hodoscope for tracking, carbon interaction targets and a fully active BGO calorimeter. ATIC had its first 16-day flight from McMurdo, Antarctica from 28/12/2000 to 13/01/2000. The ATIC flight collected approximately 25 million events. To measure charge of primary particle in presence of radiation scattered back from the interaction and subsequent shower development in the calorimeter a charge detector must be a mosaic of small detector pads so that the pad containing the signal from the incident particle has no additional signal from albedo particles. Therefore the silicon matrix was built of 4480 individual silicon pads each 2 cm x 1.5 cm. The matrix consists of four planes of detectors and the active detector area, in these planes are partially overlapped to completely cover the aperture. The lateral and amplitude distributions of albedo signals in Si-matrix are analyzed for different primary nuclei and different energy deposits in BGO calorimeter. The greater part of albedo signals has Q near 1, where Q = square root of Amplitude(MIP). The albedo distribution exponentially decreases up to Q near 8. These high values are produced by slow protons and plans. There are also a small number of signals of Q > 8, mainly for heavy nucleus primaries. These signals are apparently generated by neutrons. The comparison of the experimental data and simulations with GEANT 3-21 code using QGSM generator for nucleus-nucleus interactions is presented.

Sokolskaya, N. V.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Radon-222 in the lunar atmosphere.

In 1969 Yeh and Van Allen set upper limits for the alpha-particle emissivity of the moon. The equilibrium surface activity reported by Turkevich et al. (1970) for each alpha active Rn-222 daughter at Mare Tranquillitatis cannot be reconciled with existing diffusion theory. The data, therefore, suggest that earth based diffusion constants are not applicable in the vacuum conditions of the moon, or that there are substantial variations in the uranium content of the moon over relatively small distances.

Brodzinski, R. L.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Modulation of low-energy galactic cosmic rays over the present solar cycle

Explorer satellite observations of modulations in the cosmic ray spectrum during the entire period of the solar cycle show intensity variations in the proton and alpha modulated spectra. A positive correlation between plasma density and variation in cosmic ray intensity is found that breaks during the transition period when higher energy intensity is decreasing as the solar activity increases. It is suggested that the alpha particles lead the proton particles during transition periods and thus make the lag time shorter for high rigidity near the solar maximum and the solar minimum.

Vanhollebeke, M. A.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Future prospects for gamma-ray

Astrophysical phenomena discussed are: the very energetic and nuclear processes associated with compact objects; astrophysical nucleo-synthesis; solar particle acceleration; the chemical composition of the planets and other bodies of the solar system; the structure of our galaxy; the origin and dynamic pressure effects of the cosmic rays; the high energy particles and energetic processes in other galaxies, especially active ones; and the degree of matter antimater symmetry of the universe. The gamma ray results of GAMMA-I, the gamma ray observatory, the gamma ray burst network, solar polar, and very high energy gamma ray telescopes on the ground provide justification for more sophisticated telescopes.

Fichtel, C.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Future prospects for gamma-ray astronomy

As gamma-ray astronomy moves from the discovery to the exploratory phase, the promise of gamma-ray astrophysics noted by theorists in the late 1940s and 1950s is beginning to be realized. In the future, satellites should carry instruments that will have over an order of magnitude greater sensitivity than those flown thus far, and, for at least some portions of the gamma-ray energy range, these detectors will also have substantially improved energy and angular resolution. The information to be obtained from these experiments should greatly enhance our knowledge of several astrophysical phenomena including the very energetic and nuclear processes associated with compact objects, astrophysical nucleosynthesis, solar particle acceleration, the chemical composition of the planets and other bodies of the solar system, the structure of our galaxy, the origin and dynamic pressure effects of the cosmic rays, high energy particles and energetic processes in other galaxies especially active ones, and the degree of matter-antimatter symmetry of the universe. The gamma-ray results of the forthcoming programs such as Gamma-I, the Gamma Ray Observatory, the gamma-ray burst network, Solar Polar, and very high energy gamma-ray telescopes on the ground will almost certainly provide justification for more sophisticated telescopes. These advanced instruments might be placed on the Space Platform currently under study by N.A.S.A.

Fichtel, C.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Some consequences of intense electromagnetic wave injection into space plasmas

The future possibility of actively testing the current understanding of how energetic particles may be accelerated in space or dumped from the radiation belts using intense electromagnetic energy from ground based antennas is discussed. The ground source of radiation is merely a convenience. A space station source for radiation that does not have to pass through the atmosphere and lower ionosphere, is an attractive alternative. The text is divided into two main sections addressing the possibilities of: (1) accelerating electrons to fill selected flux tubes above the Kennel-Petscheck limit for stably trapped fluxes, and (2) using an Alfven maser to cause rapid depletion of energetic protons or electrons from the radiation belts.

Burke, William J.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Magnetosphere, ionosphere and thermosphere; Proceedings of the Topical Meeting of the Twenty-sixth COSPAR Plenary Meeting, Toulouse, France, June 30-July 11, 1986

Papers are presented on satellite observations of new particle and field signatures associated with SAR arc field lines at magnetospheric heights, the structure of the polar oval from simultaneous observations of the optical emissions and particle precipitations during the period of high solar activity between 1981 and 1982, and SAR-arcs and emissions in the main trough of the electron concentration. Also considered are a model calculation of hydrogen Balmer emissions under various modes of proton precipitation, electron precipitation near L = 4, and an investigation of the thermosphere-ionosphere interaction by means of the neutral post-storm effect. Other topics include auroral electric field penetration into the middle-latitude trough, field-aligned currents and related phenomena in the cust, and the positive phase of ionospheric storms and its connection with the dayside cusp.

Schmerling, E. R.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Workshop on Analysis of Returned Comet Nucleus Samples

This volume contains abstracts that were accepted by the Program Committee for presentation at the workshop on the analysis of returned comet nucleus samples held in Milpitas, California, January 16 to 18, 1989. The abstracts deal with the nature of cometary ices, cryogenic handling and sampling equipment, origin and composition of samples, and spectroscopic, thermal and chemical processing methods of cometary nuclei. Laboratory simulation experimental results on dust samples are reported. Some results obtained from Halley's comet are also included. Microanalytic techniques for examining trace elements of cometary particles, synchrotron x ray fluorescence and instrument neutron activation analysis (INAA), are presented.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1991

On the precipitation of relativistic electrons from the outer belt

A model in which a partially filled drift loss cone plays a prominent role is presently used to investigate relativistic electron data obtained by the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program spacecraft in the outer belt region. The good agreement obtained between model predictions and observations indicates that electron drift in the drift loss cone, which is known to dominate electron precipitation phenomena at lower latitudes, is also important at outer beta latitudes. In conjunction with the degree of partial filling of the drift loss cone, this effect indicates that slow pitch angle diffusion dominates the morphology of outer belt electrons. It is concluded that half of the electron precipitation from the outer belt is due to wave-particle interactions, and the other half by auroral activity and electron drift in the drift loss cone.

Sheldon, W. R.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Atmospheric Effects of Biomass Burning

Biomass fires are both natural and anthropogenic in origin. The natural trigger is lightning, which leads to mid- and high-latitude fires and episodes of smoke and pollution associated with them. Lightning is also prominent in tropical regions when the dry season gives way to the wet season and lightning in convective systems ignites dry vegetation. Atmospheric consequences of biomass fires are complex. When considering the impacts of fires for a given ecosystem, inputs of fires must be compared to other process that emit trace gases and particles into the atmosphere. Other processes include industrial activity, fires for household purposes and biogenic sources which may themselves interact with fires. That is, fires may promote or restrict biogenic processes. Several books have presented various aspects of fire interactions with atmospheric chemistry and a cross-disciplinary review of a 1992 fire-oriented experiment appears in SAFARI: The Role of southern African Fires in Atmospheric and Ecological Environments. The IGAC/BIBEX core activity (see acronyms at end of Chapter) has sponsored field campaigns that integrate multiple aspects of fires ground-based measurements with an ecological perspective, atmospheric measurements with chemical and meteorological components, and remote sensing. This Chapter presents two aspects of biomass fires and the environment. Namely, the relationship between biomass burning and ozone is described, starting with a brief description of the chemical reactions involved and illustrative measurements and interpretation. Second, because of the need to observe biomass burning and its consequences globally, a summary of remote sensing approaches to the study of fires and trace gases is given. Examples in this Chapter are restricted to tropical burning for matters of brevity and because most burning activity globally is within this zone.

Thompson, Anne M.↗