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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 505 records · Page 28
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1992

Separation of cirrus cloud from clear surface from AVIRIS data using the 1.38 micron water vapor band

Cirrus clouds play an important role in climate systems because of their large area coverage, persistence, and radiative effects. Thin cirrus clouds are difficult to detect in visible images and infrared images in the 10-12 micron atmospheric window region, particularly over land, because these clouds are partially transparent. Ackerman recently developed a method for detecting cirrus clouds using three narrow channels centered near 8, 11, and 12 microns, respectively, based on the analysis of IR emission spectra measured with a high spectral resolution interferometer. Barton also described a method for estimating cirrus cloud height and amount from measurements with two narrow channel radiometers of the Selective Chopper Radiometer on Nimbus 5. Both channels are located within the strong 2.7 micron water vapor band absorption region. One of the channels includes additional carbon dioxide absorption. A differential absorption technique with sets of empirical coefficients was used in the estimation of cirrus cloud heights and amounts. A technique using narrow channels in the strong 1.38 micron water vapor band absorption region for detecting cirrus clouds from spectral imaging data acquired by the Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) on 5 Dec. 1991 during the FIRE (The First International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP) Regional Experiment) Phase 2 Field Experiment is described.

Gao, Bo-Cai↗
NASA NTRS1977

Probe corrected far-field reconstruction from measurements on a cylinder: A novel formulation and efficient algorithm

A novel and numerically efficient method of far field evaluation from measurements taken on a cylinder is based on the representation of both the antenna and the probe fields as superpositions of plane waves. A system of two integral equations are established whose unknown functions are the azimuthal and elevation components of the antenna pattern and whose known terms are the set of measurement data taken with two different probes - the second probe in most practical instances being simply the same probe with a different geometrical orientation. The equations express the known data - for each angular position of the antenna under measurement - as the integrals of the products of the corresponding components of the unknown antenna and known probe patterns multiplied by a phase term. The convolutional nature of the integral equations makes their solutions straight-forward. If, as is virtually always the case, the probe is small or of moderate size so that the axis of rotation of the antenna mount is in the far field of the probe, the intervention of asymptotic techniques makes the solution numerically very efficient. The agreement of calculated and experimental patterns is excellent.

Borgiotti, G. V.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Plasma Pressure in the Topside Ionosphere

A previous three year NASA-funded project resulted in the first 2-D maps of magnetotail pressure, density and temperature. A proposal to continue the work was declined, but modest funding was provided for one year to ramp down of the work. During the phase-out year, we used a time when 5 DMSP satellites were simultaneously active to produce the first instantaneous partial image of the magnetotail. The results have been submitted to the proceedings of the 1998 Huntsville Meeting on "The New Millennium Magnetosphere: Integrating Imaging, Discrete Observations and Global Simulations". A method of inferring central plasma sheet (CPS) temperature, density, and pressure from ionospheric observations was developed under a previous 3-year grant. These particles properties are calculated from data taken by particle instruments on DMSP satellites. Ion spectra occurring in conjunction with electron acceleration events are excluded. Because of the variability of magnetotail stretching, mapping to the plasma sheet was done using a modified Tsyganenko 1989 magnetic field model adjusted to agree with the actual magnetotail stretch. On May 25, 1997, five DMSP satellites (F10-F14) passed through the southern hemisphere nightside oval within a 19 minute period. Attached is the first magnetotail image, which results from applying our technique to that data set.

Newell, Patrick T.↗
NASA NTRS1961

A General Computer Program for Ionospheric Ray-Tracing

The study of the ionosphere using the Faraday rotation effect has been undertaken recently by means of rocket, satellite, and moon echo experiments. Different approximations have been used by different authors, resulting in methods with different degrees of complexity, and it is possible to say that the more accurate a method is, the more difficult its application becomes. However, the use of modern high-speed digital computers offers the possibility of using more complex methods in the solution of this problem, The program described in this report was written for the ILLIAC, the digital computer of the University of Illinois. Only the general features common to most digital computers will be mentioned. This program was prepared having in mind the analysis of the Faraday rotation effect, as recorded from artificial satellites. It is intended to be as general as possible in the conditions imposed on the assumed propagating medium: specifically there are no restrictions on the models of the electron density distribution and the earth's magnetic fields. long as the ray theory Ls valid. The program will trace separately the ordinary and the extraordinary mode, and it will find the virtual phase path length of a ray of each mode between the transmitter (satellite) and a receiver (station). The difference between respective phase path-lengths is related to the Faraday rotation through a constant which depends on the frequency.

Gonzales, Victor H.↗
NASA NTRS2004

An Interactive Microsoft(registered tm) Excel Program for Tracking a Single Evaporating Droplet in Crossflow

Droplet interaction with a high temperature gaseous crossflow is important because of its wide application in systems involving two phase mixing such as in combustion requiring quick mixing of fuel and air with the reduction of pollutants and for jet mixing in the dilution zone of combustors. Therefore, the focus of this work is to investigate dispersion of a two-dimensional atomized and evaporating spray jet into a two-dimensional crossflow. An interactive Microsoft Excel program for tracking a single droplet in crossflow that has previously been developed will be modified to include droplet evaporation computation. In addition to the high velocity airflow, the injected droplets are also subjected to combustor temperature and pressure that affect their motion in the flow field. Six ordinary differential equations are then solved by 4th-order Runge-Kutta method using Microsoft Excel software. Microsoft Visual Basic programming and Microsoft Excel macrocode are used to produce the data and plot graphs describing the droplet's motion in the flow field. This program computes and plots the data sequentially without forcing the user to open other types of plotting programs. A user's manual on how to use the program is included.

Droplet↗
NASA NTRS1989

Electron Spin Resonance (ESR) detection of active oxygen species and organic phases in Martian soils

The presence of active oxygen species (O(-), O2(-), O3(-)) and other strong oxidants (Fe2O3 and Fe3O4) was invoked in interpretations of the Viking biological experiments and a model was also suggested for Martian surface chemistry. The non-biological interpretations of the biological results gain futher support as no organic compounds were detected in the Viking pyrolysis-gas chromatography mass spectrometer (GCSM) experiments at concentrations as low as 10 ppb. Electron spin resonance (ESR) measures the absorption of microwaves by a paramagnetic and/or ferromagnetic center in the presence of an external field. In many instances, ESR has the advantage of detailed submicroscopic identification of the transient species and/or unstable reaction intermediates in their environments. Since the higly active oxygen species (O(-), O2(-), O3(-), and R-O-O(-)) are all paramagnetic in nature, they can be readily detected in native form by the ESR method. Active oxygen species likely to occur in the Martian surface samples were detected by ESR in UV-irradiated samples containing MgO. A miniaturized ESR spectrometer system can be developed for the Mars Rover Sample Return Mission. The instrument can perform the following in situ Martian samples analyses: detection of active oxygen species; characterization of Martian surface chemistry and photooxidation processes; and searching for organic compounds in the form of free radicals preserved in subsoils, and detection of microfossils with Martian carbonate sediments.

Tsay, Fun-Dow↗
NASA NTRS1993

Analysis of the GOES 6.7 micrometer channel observations during FIRE 2

Clouds form in moist environments. FIRE Phase II Cirrus Implementation Plan (August, 1990) noted the need for mesoscale measurements of upper tropospheric water vapor content. These measurements are needed for initializing and verifying numerical weather prediction models and for describing the environment in which cirrus clouds develop and dissipate. Various instruments where deployed to measure the water vapor amounts of the upper troposphere during FIRE II (e.g. Raman lidar, CLASS sonds and new cryogenic frost hygrometer on-board aircraft). The formation, maintenance and dissipation of cirrus clouds involve the time variation of the water budget of the upper troposphere. The GOES 6.7 mu m radiance observations are sensitive to the upper tropospheric relative humidity, and therefore proved extremely valuable in planning aircraft missions during the field phase of FIRE II. Warm 6.7 mu m equivalent black body temperatures indicate a relatively dry upper troposphere and were associated with regions generally free of cirrus clouds. Regions that were colder, implying more moisture was available may or may not have had cirrus clouds present. Animation of a time sequence of 6.7 mu m images was particularly useful in planning various FIRE missions. The 6.7 mu m observations can also be very valuable in the verification of model simulations and describing the upper tropospheric synoptic conditions. A quantitative analysis of the 6.7 mu m measurement is required to successfully incorporate these satellite observations into describing the upper tropospheric water vapor budget. Recently, Soden and Bretherton (1993) have proposed a method of deriving an upper tropospheric humidity based on observations from the GOES 6.7 mu m observations. The method is summarized in the next section. In their paper they compare their retrieval method to radiance simulations. Observations were also compared to ECMWF model output to assess the model performance. The FIRE experiment provides a unique opportunity to further verify the GOES upper tropospheric relative humidity retrieval scheme by providing (1) aircraft observations to cross-validate the calibration of the GOES 6.7 mu m channel, (2) accurate upper tropospheric water vapor concentrations for verification, and (3) veritical variability of upper tropospheric water vapor.

Soden, B. J.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Two-way satellite time transfer: Overview and recent developments

The experiment using small earth stations for transatlantic two-way satellite time transfer between the USA and Germany has had its 10th anniversary this year. Pseudo-random noise coded time signals were phase modulated and demodulated at each station using a modem. Recently, during the last two weeks of Aug. 1993, six European time laboratories have used the INTELSAT 307E satellite for line-up tests and preliminary time transfer sessions using the same type of MITREX modem. The need for a uniform format for the exchange of data was felt heavily after these sessions. This problem was foreseen and addressed in international working parties. During Apr. 1993, in Task Group 7/2 of the ITU Radiocommunication Sector, a very intense discussion has taken place about what procedure should be recommended for TWSTFT and what items the header and data lines of the resulting data fields should contain. A difficulty is that two different methods of calibration of the earth station delays exist which result in different sets of delay data to be exchanged. Further study and discussions are necessary. Also, a meeting of the CCDS Working Group on TWSTFT addressed this in Oct. 1993. The outcome of the discussions and the prospect for future developments are presented.

Dejong, Gerrit↗
NASA NTRS1985

Method and apparatus for Delta Kappa synthetic aperture radar measurement of ocean current

A synthetic aperture radar (SAR) employed for delta k measurement of ocean current from a spacecraft without the need for a narrow beam and long observation times. The SAR signal is compressed to provide image data for different sections of the chirp band width, equivalent to frequencies and a common area for the separate image fields is selected. The image for the selected area at each frequency is deconvolved to obtain the image signals for the different frequencies and the same area. A product of pairs of signals is formed, Fourier transformed and squared. The spectrum thus obtained from different areas for the same pair of frequencies are added to provide an improved signal to noise ratio. The shift of the peak from the center of the spectrum is measured and compared to the expected shift due to the phase velocity of the Bragg scattering wave. Any difference is a measure of current velocity v sub o (delta k).

Jain, A.↗
NASA NTRS2001

Tropical Oceanic Precipitation Processes Over Warm Pool: 2D and 3D Cloud Resolving Model Simulations

Rainfall is a key link in the hydrologic cycle as well as the primary heat source for the atmosphere. The vertical distribution of convective latent-heat release modulates the large-scale circulations of the topics. Furthermore, changes in the moisture distribution at middle and upper levels of the troposphere can affect cloud distributions and cloud liquid water and ice contents. How the incoming solar and outgoing longwave radiation respond to these changes in clouds is a major factor in assessing climate change. Present large-scale weather and climate model simulate processes only crudely, reducing confidence in their predictions on both global and regional scales. One of the most promising methods to test physical parameterizations used in General Circulation Models (GCMs) and climate models is to use field observations together with Cloud Resolving Models (CRMs). The CRMs use more sophisticated and physically realistic parameterizations of cloud microphysical processes, and allow for their complex interactions with solar and infrared radiative transfer processes. The CRMs can reasonably well resolve the evolution, structure, and life cycles of individual clouds and clouds systems. The major objective of this paper is to investigate the latent heating, moisture and momentum budgets associated with several convective systems developed during the TOGA COARE IFA - westerly wind burst event (late December, 1992). The tool for this study is the Goddard Cumulus Ensemble (GCE) model which includes a 3-class ice-phase microphysics scheme.

Tao, W.-K.↗
NASA NTRS1998

Tropical Oceanic Precipitation Processes over Warm Pool: 2D and 3D Cloud Resolving Model Simulations

Rainfall is a key link in the hydrologic cycle as well as the primary heat source for the atmosphere, The vertical distribution of convective latent-heat release modulates the large-scale circulations of the tropics, Furthermore, changes in the moisture distribution at middle and upper levels of the troposphere can affect cloud distributions and cloud liquid water and ice contents. How the incoming solar and outgoing longwave radiation respond to these changes in clouds is a major factor in assessing climate change. Present large-scale weather and climate models simulate cloud processes only crudely, reducing confidence in their predictions on both global and regional scales. One of the most promising methods to test physical parameterizations used in General Circulation Models (GCMS) and climate models is to use field observations together with Cloud Resolving Models (CRMs). The CRMs use more sophisticated and physically realistic parameterizations of cloud microphysical processes, and allow for their complex interactions with solar and infrared radiative transfer processes. The CRMs can reasonably well resolve the evolution, structure, and life cycles of individual clouds and cloud systems, The major objective of this paper is to investigate the latent heating, moisture and momenti,im budgets associated with several convective systems developed during the TOGA COARE IFA - westerly wind burst event (late December, 1992). The tool for this study is the Goddard Cumulus Ensemble (CCE) model which includes a 3-class ice-phase microphysical scheme, The model domain contains 256 x 256 grid points (using 2 km resolution) in the horizontal and 38 grid points (to a depth of 22 km depth) in the vertical, The 2D domain has 1024 grid points. The simulations are performed over a 7 day time period. We will examine (1) the precipitation processes (i.e., condensation/evaporation) and their interaction with warm pool; (2) the heating and moisture budgets in the convective and stratiform regions; (3) the cloud (upward-downward) mass fluxes in convective and stratiform regions; (4) characteristics of clouds (such as cloud size, updraft intensity and cloud lifetime) and the comparison of clouds with Radar observations. Differences and similarities in organization of convection between simulated 2D and 3D cloud systems. Preliminary results indicated that there is major differences between 2D and 3D simulated stratiform rainfall amount and convective updraft and downdraft mass fluxes.

Tao, W.- K.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Formation of a very thin current sheet in the near-earth magnetotail and the explosive growth phase of substorms

A magnetofricional method is used to construct two-dimensional MHD equilibria of the Earth's magnetosphere for a given distribution of entropy functions(S = pV(exp gamma), where p is the plasma pressure and V is the tube volume per unit magnetic flux. It is found that a very thin current sheet with B (sub zeta) is less than 0.5 nu T and thickness less than 1000 km can be formed in the near-earth magnetotail (x is approximately -8 to -20R(sub e) during the growth phase of substorm. The tail current sheets are found to become thinner as the entropy or the entropy gradient increases. It is suggested that the new entropy anti-diffusion instability associated with plasma transport across field lines leads to magnetic field dipolarization and accelerates the formation of thin current sheet, which may explain the observed explosive growth phase of substorms.

Lee, L. C.↗
NASA NTRS2012

Compact Two-step Laser Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometer for in Situ Analyses of Aromatic Organics on Planetary Missions

RATIONALE A miniature time-of-flight mass spectrometer has been adapted to demonstrate two-step laser desorption-ionization (LOI) in a compact instrument package for enhanced organics detection. Two-step LDI decouples the desorption and ionization processes, relative to traditional laser ionization-desorption, in order to produce low-fragmentation conditions for complex organic analytes. Tuning UV ionization laser energy allowed control ofthe degree of fragmentation, which may enable better identification of constituent species. METHODS A reflectron time-of-flight mass spectrometer prototype measuring 20 cm in length was adapted to a two-laser configuration, with IR (1064 nm) desorption followed by UV (266 nm) postionization. A relatively low ion extraction voltage of 5 kV was applied at the sample inlet. Instrument capabilities and performance were demonstrated with analysis of a model polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, representing a class of compounds important to the fields of Earth and planetary science. RESULTS L2MS analysis of a model PAH standard, pyrene, has been demonstrated, including parent mass identification and the onset o(tunable fragmentation as a function of ionizing laser energy. Mass resolution m/llm = 380 at full width at half-maximum was achieved which is notable for gas-phase ionization of desorbed neutrals in a highly-compact mass analyzer. CONCLUSIONS Achieving two-step laser mass spectrometry (L2MS) in a highly-miniature instrument enables a powerful approach to the detection and characterization of aromatic organics in remote terrestrial and planetary applications. Tunable detection of parent and fragment ions with high mass resolution, diagnostic of molecular structure, is possible on such a compact L2MS instrument. Selectivity of L2MS against low-mass inorganic salt interferences is a key advantage when working with unprocessed, natural samples, and a mechanism for the observed selectivity is presented.

Getty, Stephanie↗
NASA NTRS1993

Spacecraft signal sources portable test system

There is a frequent need to measure the frequency stability and phase noise levels of very high performance signal sources that are required for certain spacecraft missions. These measurements need to be done at different locations as the spacecraft subsystems progress through the various stages of development, assembly, test, and integration. Allan Deviation and Phase Noise of high performance sources are generally measured by comparing the unit under test to a reference standard. Five basic requirements are associated with making these kind of measurements: (1) the reference standard performance needs to be equal or better than the unit under test; (2) the measurement system needs to accommodate odd, nonstandard measurement frequencies that can range from 4 MHz to 35 GHz; (3) warm-up frequency drift and aging can corrupt a measurement and must be dealt with; (4) test equipment generated noise must be understood and prevented from limiting the measurements; (5) test equipment noise performance must be verifiable in the field as needed. A portable measurement system that was built by JPL and used in the field is described. The methods of addressing the above requirements are outlined and some measurement noise floor values are given. This test set was recently used to measure state of the art crystal oscillator frequency standards on the TOPEX and MARS OBSERVER spacecraft during several stages of acceptance tests.

Kirk, Albert↗
NASA NTRS1999

Dynamic Nucleation of Supercooled Melts and Measurement of the Surface Tension and Viscosity

We investigate the phenomenon of acoustic pressure-induced nucleation by using a novel approach involving the large amplitude resonant radial oscillations and collapse of a single bubble intentionally injected into a supercooled liquid. Using a combination of previously developed and proven techniques, the bubble is suspended in a fluid host by an ultrasonic field which supplies both the levitation capability as well as the forcing of the radial oscillations. We observe the effects of an increase in pressure (due to bubble collapse) in a region no larger than 100 microns within the supercooled melt to rigorously probe the hypothesis of pressure-induced nucleation of the solid phase. The use of single bubbles operating in narrow temporal and spatial scales will allow the direct and unambiguous correlation between the origin and location of the generation of the disturbance and the location and timing of the nucleation event. In a companion research effort, we are developing novel techniques for the non-contact measurements of the surface tension and viscosity of highly viscous supercooled liquids. Currently used non-invasive methods of surface tension measurement for the case of undercooled liquids generally rely of the quantitative determination of the resonance frequencies of drop shape oscillations, of the dynamics of surface capillary waves, or of the velocity of streaming flows. These methods become quickly ineffective when the liquid viscosity rises to a significant value. An alternate and accurate method which would be applicable to liquids of significant viscosity is therefore needed. We plan to develop such a capability by measuring the equilibrium shape of levitated undercooled melt droplets as they undergo solid-body rotation. The experimental measurement of the characteristic point of transition (bifurcation point) between axisymmetric and two-lobed shapes will be used to calculate the surface tension of the liquid. Such an approach has already been validated through the experimental verification of numerical modeling results. The experimental approach involves levitation, melting, and solidification of undercooled droplets using a hybrid ultrasonic-electrostatic technique in both a gaseous as well as a vacuum environment. A shape relaxation method will be investigated in order to derive a reliable method to measure the viscosity of undercooled melts. The analysis of the monotonic relaxation to equilibrium shape of a drastically deformed and super-critically damped free drop has been used to derive interfacial tension of immiscible liquid combinations where one of the component has high viscosity. A standard approach uses the initial elongation of a droplet through shear flows, but an equivalent method could involve the initial deformation of a drop levitated in a gas by ultrasonic radiation pressure, electric stresses, or even solid body rotation. The dynamic behavior of the free drop relaxing back to equilibrium shape will be modeled, and its characteristic time dependence should provide a quantitative means to evaluate the liquid viscosity.

Trinh, E. H.↗
NASA NTRS2017

The Substorm Cycle as Reproduced by Global MHD Models

Recently, Gordeev et al. (2015) suggested a method to test global MHD models against statistical empirical data. They showed that four community-available global MHD models supported by the Community Coordinated Modeling Center (CCMC) produce a reasonable agreement with reality for those key parameters (the magnetospheric size, magnetic field, and pressure) that are directly related to the large-scale equilibria in the outer magnetosphere. Based on the same set of simulation runs, here we investigate how the models reproduce the global loading-unloading cycle. We found that in terms of global magnetic flux transport, three examined CCMC models display systematically different response to idealized2 h north then 2 h south interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) Bz variation. The LFM model shows a depressed return convection and high loading rate during the growth phase as well as enhanced return convection and high unloading rate during the expansion phase, with the amount of loaded unloaded magnetotail flux and the growth phase duration being the closest to their observed empirical values during isolated substorms. Two other models exhibit drastically different behavior. In the BATS-R-US model the plasma sheet convection shows a smooth transition to the steady convection regime after the IMF southward turning. In the Open GGCM a weak plasma sheet convection has comparable intensities during both the growth phase and the following slow unloading phase. We also demonstrate potential technical problem in the publicly available simulations which is related to post processing interpolation and could affect the accuracy of magnetic field tracing and of other related procedures.

Gordeev, E.↗
NASA NTRS2018

In-Flight Characterization of the Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter Instrument Pointing and Far-Field Pattern

The Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (LOLA) aboard the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) has collected nearly seven billion measurements of surface height on the Moon with an absolute accuracy of ∼1 m and a precision of ∼10 cm. Converting time-of-flight laser altimeter measurements to topographic elevations requires accurate knowledge of the laser pointing with respect to the spacecraft body-fixed coordinate system. To that end, we have utilized altimetric crossovers from LOLA, as well as bidirectional observations of the LOLA laser and receiver boresight via an Earth-based laser tracking ground station. Based on a sample of ∼780,000 globally distributed crossovers from the circular-orbit phase of LRO's mission (∼27 months), we derive corrections to the LOLA laser boresight. These corrections improve the cross-track and along-track agreement of the crossovers by 24% and 33%, respectively, yielding RMS residuals of ∼10 m. Since early in the LRO mission, the bidirectional laser tracking experiments have confirmed a pointing anomaly when the LOLA instrument is facing toward deep space or the night side of the Moon and have allowed the reconstruction of the laser far-field pattern and receiver telescope pointing. By conducting such experiments shortly after launch and nearly eight years later, we have directly measured changes in the laser characteristics and obtained critical data to understand the laser behavior and refine the instrument pointing model. The methods and results presented here are also relevant to the design, fabrication, and operation of future planetary laser altimeters and their long-term behavior in the space environment.

Barker, M. K.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Development of methods for inferring cloud thickness and cloud-base height from satellite radiance data

Cloud-top height is a major factor determining the outgoing longwave flux at the top of the atmosphere. The downwelling radiation from the cloud strongly affects the cooling rate within the atmosphere and the longwave radiation incident at the surface. Thus, determination of cloud-base temperature is important for proper calculation of fluxes below the cloud. Cloud-base altitude is also an important factor in aircraft operations. Cloud-top height or temperature can be derived in a straightforward manner using satellite-based infrared data. Cloud-base temperature, however, is not observable from the satellite, but is related to the height, phase, and optical depth of the cloud in addition to other variables. This study uses surface and satellite data taken during the First ISCCP Regional Experiment (FIRE) Phase-2 Intensive Field Observation (IFO) period (13 Nov. - 7 Dec. 1991, to improve techniques for deriving cloud-base height from conventional satellite data.

Smith, William L., Jr.↗