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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1971

Metabolic effects of artificial environments

The mechanisms by which inert gases influence metabolism were investigated from several viewpoints. Groups of rats were exposed at the thermal neutral temperature of the respective mixtures, to normoxic (P sub A 02 = 100 mm Hq) environments with argon, helium or nitrogen as the diluent at a total pressure of one atmosphere. The possible influence of diluent gases on oxygen transport to the cell was examined with hypoxic (P sub A O2 = 70 mm Hg) mixtures of the same diluent gases. Metabolic measurements included food, water, and oxygen consumption, CO2 production, hematocrit and the rate C-14O2 of expiration subsequent to intraperitoneal injection of acetate-1-C-14 or glucose UL-C-14. Argon-exposed animals showed a consistently decreased metabolic rate while, on the other hand, helium-exposed rats did not significantly alter metabolic rate relative to nitrogen. Certain indices, including acetate and glucose utilization, suggested that helium attenuated the imposed hypoxia at the cellular level while argon facilitated it as compared with nitrogen. These results suggest that metabolic influence of helium is largely thermal in nature while argon has a significant direct metabolic effect and that diluent gases may selectively influence oxygen availability to the interior of the cell.

Jordan, J. P.↗
NASA NTRS2015

Total Land Water Storage Change over 2003 - 2013 Estimated from a Global Mass Budget Approach

We estimate the total land water storage (LWS) change between 2003 and 2013 using a global water mass budget approach. Hereby we compare the ocean mass change (estimated from GRACE space gravimetry on the one hand, and from the satellite altimetry-based global mean sea level corrected for steric effects on the other hand) to the sum of the main water mass components of the climate system: glaciers, Greenland and Antarctica ice sheets, atmospheric water and LWS (the latter being the unknown quantity to be estimated). For glaciers and ice sheets, we use published estimates of ice mass trends based on various types of observations covering different time spans between 2003 and 2013. From the mass budget equation, we derive a net LWS trend over the study period. The mean trend amounts to +0.30 +/- 0.18 mm/yr in sea level equivalent. This corresponds to a net decrease of −108 +/- 64 cu km/yr in LWS over the 2003-2013 decade. We also estimate the rate of change in LWS and find no significant acceleration over the study period. The computed mean global LWS trend over the study period is shown to be explained mainly by direct anthropogenic effects on land hydrology, i.e. the net effect of groundwater depletion and impoundment of water in man-made reservoirs, and to a lesser extent the effect of naturally-forced land hydrology variability. Our results compare well with independent estimates of human-induced changes in global land hydrology.

Water↗
NASA NTRS1997

Vibrational force alters mRNA expression in osteoblasts

Serum-deprived mouse osteoblastic (MC3T3E1) cells were subjected to a vibrational force modeled by NASA to simulate a space shuttle launch (7.83 G rms). The mRNA levels for eight genes were investigated to determine the effect of vibrational force on mRNA expression. The mRNA levels of two growth-related protooncogenes, c-fos and c-myc, were up-regulated significantly within 30 min after vibration, whereas those of osteocalcin as well as transforming growth factor-beta1 were decreased significantly within 3 h after vibration. No changes were detected in the levels of beta-actin, histone H4, or cytoplasmic phospholipase A2 after vibration. No basal levels of cyclooxygenase-2 expression were detected. In addition, the extracellular concentrations of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), a potent autocrine/paracrine growth factor in bone, were not significantly altered after vibration most likely due to the serum deprivation state of the osteoblasts. In comparison with the gravitational launch profile, vibrational-induced changes in gene expression were greater both in magnitude and number of genes activated. Taken together, these data suggest that the changes in mRNA expression are due to a direct mechanical effect of the vibrational force on the osteoblast cells and not to changes in the local PGE2 concentrations. The finding that launch forces induce gene expression is of utmost importance since many of the biological experiments do not dampen vibrational loads on experimental samples. This lack of dampening of vibrational forces may partially explain why 1-G onboard controls sometimes do not reflect 1-G ground controls. These data may also suggest that scientists use extra ground controls that are exposed to launch forces, have these forces dampened on launched samples, or use facilities such as Biorack that provide an onboard 1-G centrufuge in order to control for space shuttle launch forces.

NASA Discipline Cell Biology↗
NASA NTRS1990

NGC 3312: A victim of ram pressure sweeping

Researchers are undertaking a volume limited survey of the Hydra I cluster in neutral hydrogen using the National Radio Astronomy Observatory's Very Large Array (VLA). The main purpose is to study the effects of a dense environment on the gaseous component of the galaxies. Observational evidence has been accumulating recently that ram pressure sweeping does occur in the centers of clusters, but it is possible that tidal interactions play a role as well. Results of high resolution HI imaging of NGC 3312, the large peculiar spiral near the cluster center are presented. Hydra I (= A1060) is the nearest rich cluster beyond Virgo and, as such, presents a unique opportunity to do a complete survey of a cluster. It is similar to the Virgo cluster in many of its general physical characteristics, such as size, x ray luminosity, velocity dispersion, and galaxy content (high spiral fraction). However, Hydra I appears to be more regular and relaxed. This is evident in the x ray distribution in its central region, which is radially symmetric and centered on the dominant galaxy, NGC 3311, a cD-like elliptical. The observed x ray luminosity implies a central gas density of 4.5 x 10 to the 3rd power cm(-3). Gallagher (1978) argued from optical images of NGC 3312 that this galaxy might be an ideal candidate to directly study effects of the ram pressure process; it might currently be undergoing stripping of its interstellar medium. The researchers' data are consistent with this suggestion, but other origins of the peculiar appearance cannot yet be ruled out.

Mcmahon, P. M.↗
NASA NTRS2013

Radiative Forcing in the ACCMIP Historical and Future Climate Simulations

A primary goal of the Atmospheric Chemistry and Climate Model IntercomparisonProject (ACCMIP) was to characterize the short-lived drivers of preindustrial to 2100climate change in the current generation of climate models. Here we evaluate historicaland 5 future radiative forcing in the 10 ACCMIP models that included aerosols, 8 of whichalso participated in the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 5 (CMIP5).The models generally reproduce present-day climatological total aerosol opticaldepth (AOD) relatively well. components to this total, however, and most appear to underestimate AOD over East10 Asia. The models generally capture 1980-2000 AOD trends fairly well, though theyunderpredict AOD increases over the YellowEastern Sea. They appear to strongly underestimate absorbing AOD, especially in East Asia, South and Southeast Asia, SouthAmerica and Southern Hemisphere Africa.We examined both the conventional direct radiative forcing at the tropopause (RF) and the forcing including rapid adjustments (adjusted forcing AF, including direct andindirect effects). The models calculated all aerosol all-sky 1850 to 2000 global meanannual average RF ranges from 0.06 to 0.49 W m(sup -2), with a mean of 0.26 W m(sup -2) and a median of 0.27 W m(sup -2. Adjusting for missing aerosol components in some modelsbrings the range to 0.12 to 0.62W m(sup -2), with a mean of 0.39W m(sup -2). Screen20ing the models based on their ability to capture spatial patterns and magnitudes ofAOD and AOD trends yields a quality-controlled mean of 0.42W m(sup -2) and range of0.33 to 0.50 W m(sup -2) (accounting for missing components). The CMIP5 subset of ACCMIPmodels spans 0.06 to 0.49W m(sup -2), suggesting some CMIP5 simulations likelyhave too little aerosol RF. A substantial, but not well quantified, contribution to histori25cal aerosol RF may come from climate feedbacks (35 to 58). The mean aerosol AF during this period is 1.12W m(sup -2) (median value 1.16W m(sup -2), range 0.72 to1.44W m(sup -2), indicating that adjustments to aerosols, which include cloud, water vaporand temperature, lead to stronger forcing than the aerosol direct RF.

Climate Models↗
NASA NTRS1957

Investigation at High Subsonic Speeds of the Static Longitudinal and Lateral Stability Characteristics of Two Canard Airplane Configurations

The present investigation was conducted in the Langley high-speed 7-by 10-foot tunnel to determine the static longitudinal and lateral stability characteristics at high subsonic speeds of two canard airplane configurations previously tested at supersonic speeds. The Mach number range of this investigation extended from 0.60 to 0.94 and a maximum angle-of-attack range of -2dewg to 24deg was obtained at the lowest test Mach number. Two wing plan forms of equal area were studied in the present tests; one was a 60deg delta wing and the other was a trapezoid wing having an aspect ratio of 3, taper ratio of 0.143, and an unswept 80-percent-chord line. The canard control had a trapezoidal plan form and its area was approximately 11.5 percent of the wing area. The model also had a low-aspect-ratio highly swept vertical tail and twin ventral fins. The longitudinal control characteristics of the models were consistent with past experience at low speed on canard configurations in that stalling of the canard surface occurred at moderate and high control deflections for moderate values of angle of attack. This stalling could impose appreciable limitations on the maximum trim-lift coefficient attainable. The control effectiveness and maximum value of trim-lift was significantly increased by addition of a body flap having a conical shape and located slightly behind the canard surface on the bottom of the body. Addition of the canard surface at 0deg deflection had relatively little effect on overall directional stability of the delta-wing configuration; however, deflection of the canard surface from 0deg to 10deg had a large favorable effect on directional stability at high angles of attack for both the trapezoid- and delta-wing configurations.

Sleeman, William C., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS2021

The Thermal Infrared Optical Depth of Mineral Dust Retrieved from Integrated CALIOP and IIR Observations

Recent studies reveal that a higher fraction of coarse mineral dust particles than that estimated by climate model simulations has been observed in the atmosphere, leading to a more significant positive (i.e., warming) longwave (LW) thermal infrared (TIR) direct radiative effect (DRE). However, the magnitude of this DRE remains highly uncertain because our understanding of the radiative properties, quantitatively represented by the optical depth of dust, especially information on the TIR, remains limited. This study presents a simple approach to retrieve the thermal infrared dust aerosol optical depth (DAODTIR) over oceans during nighttime using the observations from the Infrared Imaging Radiometer (IIR) and the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP) onboard CALIPSO. For each cloud-free dust-laden profile identified by the IIR-CALIOP observation, a Lookup-Table (LUT) of the 10.6 μm IIR band brightness temperatures difference (dBT) under different DAODTIR with respect to their dust-free BTs is constructed based on the CALIOP retrieved dust vertical profile and pre-assumed dust scattering properties using a fast radiative transfer model. Then the DAODTIR is retrieved by projecting the IIR-observed dBT on the LUT. Sensitivity studies show that the DAODTIR retrieval at 10.6 μm is more susceptible to the dust particle size distribution (PSD) assumption than dust refractive indices. To estimate the uncertainty caused by PSD assumption, two DAODTIR retrieval products, one based on the dust PSD from the AERONET at Cape Verde and the other on an in situ measured PSD from the recent Fennec campaign, are provided. The retrieval uncertainty is mainly contributed by the BT difference between the observation and simulation using auxiliary atmospheric data. The climatology of the retrieval from 2013 to 2019 shows confident spatiotemporal variations of DAODTIR with the global-averaged value of 0.006 and 0.008 based on different pre-assumed dust PSDs. Climatological results agree reasonably well with two independent DAODTIR retrieval products based on the Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI) over the active dust transport regions, such as North and Tropical Atlantic (r = 0.904 and 0.819) and Indian Ocean (r = 0.832). The seasonal and interannual variation is also well-compared (r = 0.758) with AERONET coarse-mode AOD at 97 selected sites. The synergic CALIOP observation allows the retrieved DAODTIR to directly compare with the extrapolated DAODTIR from DAOD in visible (i.e., 532 nm), which helps evaluate the observational constraints on DAODTIR. This study offers a unique prospect of collocating active lidar and passive IR observations for retrieving dust DAODTIR.

aerosol↗
NASA NTRS1972

Some analyses of the variability of atmospheric parameters at low altitudes significant for aircraft propagation

The results are discussed in terms of the meteorological data acquisition procedures necessary to monitor changes in atmospheric parameters to support aircraft flyover noise measurements and aircraft noise certification programs. The data consisted primarily of sequential radiosonde ascents to approximately 5000 ft spaced some half-hour to an hour apart. The weather covered by the data sample was predominantly that of clear skies and calm-to-light surface winds associated with well established high-pressure systems. Under these restrictive weather conditions, the study shows that the largest variabilities in temperature and humidity occur during the early morning hours resulting from the effects of direct solar heating of the surface. These rapid changes apparently do not penetrate above approximately 1000 ft. In the late morning hours, the atmosphere appears to become stabilized so that net changes in temperatures and relative humidities at all levels are insignificant even in time periods exceeding three hours. By noon, however, turbulent fluctuations in surface wind and the wind speed itself increase to levels which would make the microphone recording of acoustic signals in the field difficult.

Chang, D. T.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Development of gas-pressure bonding process for air-cooled turbine blades

An investigation was conducted on the application of gas-pressure bonding to the joining of components for convectively cooled turbine blades and vanes. A processing procedure was established for joining the fins of Udimet 700 and TD NiCr sheet metal airfoil shells to cast B1900 struts without the use of internal support tooling. Alternative methods employing support tooling were investigated. Testing procedures were developed and employed to determine shear strengths and internal burst pressures of flat and cylindrical bonded finned shell configurations at room temperature and 1750 F. Strength values were determined parallel and transverse to the cooling fin direction. The effect of thermal cycles from 1750 F to room temperature on strength was also investigated.

Meiners, K. E.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Metal-poor stars. IV - The evolution of red giants.

Detailed evolutionary calculations for six Population-II red giants are presented. The first five of these models are followed from the zero age main sequence to the onset of the helium flash. The sixth model allows the effect of direct electron-neutrino interactions to be estimated. The updated input physics and evolutionary code are described briefly. The results of the calculations are presented in a manner pertinent to later stages of evolutions and suitable for comparison with observations.

Rood, R. T.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Observations of interactions between interplanetary and geomagnetic fields

Magnetospheric effects associated with variations of the north-south component of the interplanetary magnetic field are examined in light of recent recent experimental and theoretical results. Although the occurrence of magnetospheric substorms is statistically related to periods of southward interplanetary magnetic field, the details of the interaction are not understood. In particular, attempts to separate effects resulting directly from the interaction between the interplanetary and geomagnetic fields from those associated with substorms have produced conflicting results. The transfer of magnetic flux from the dayside to the nightside magnetosphere is evidenced by equatorward motion of the polar cusp and increases of the magnetic energy density in the lobes of the geomagnetic tail. The formation of a macroscopic X-type neutral line at tail distances less than 35 R sub E appears to be a substorm phenomenon.

Burch, J. L.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Geomagnetic background events observed by Uhuru

Problems due to sporadic background events observed by Uhuru (Small Astronomy Satellite - A) do not compromise the study of discrete X-ray sources. Nevertheless, direct particle effects and auroral type X-ray events in the atmosphere may occasionally occur. Therefore, even on the geomagnetic equator, an experiment must be prepared to recognize and eliminate such events when the ultimate level of sensitivity is desired. The test equipment contained in the satellite and the orbital mechanics of Small Astronomy Satellite - A are described. The sporadic events which were observed by the satellite are analyzed.

Schwartz, D. A.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Observations of interactions between interplanetary and geomagnetic fields

Magnetospheric effects associated with variations of the north-south component of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) are examined in light of recent experimental and theoretical results. Although the occurrence of magnetospheric substorms is statistically related to periods of southward IMF, the details of the interaction are not understood. In particular, attempts to separate effects resulting directly from the interaction between interplanetary and geomagnetic fields from those associated with substorms have produced conflicting results. It is possible, however, to say with some assurance that the transfer of magnetic flux from the dayside to the nightside magnetosphere, as evidenced by equatorward motion of the polar cusp and increases of the magnetic energy density in the lobes of the geomagnetic tail, is a direct consequence of the southward IMF. On the other hand, the formation of a macroscopic X-type neutral line at tail distances less than 35 earth radii appears to be a substorm phenomenon.

Burch, J. L.↗
NASA NTRS1975

A catalog of atmospheric densities from the drag on five balloon satellites

A catalog of atmospheric densities derived for the drag on five balloon satellites is presented. Much of the catalog was based on precisely reduced Baker-Nunn observations and, for that reason, provides much improved time resolution. The effect of direct solar radiation pressure was precisely evaluated, and that of terrestrial radiation pressure was included in every case. The interval covered for each satellite varies between 3.1 and 7.6 years, with the data extending from early 1961 to early 1973.

Jacchia, L. G.↗