Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “GEM”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 55 records · Page 3

Comparative verification between GEM model and official aviation terminal forecasts

The Generalized Exponential Markov (GEM) model uses the local standard airways observation (SAO) to predict hour-by-hour the following elements: temperature, pressure, dew point depression, first and second cloud-layer height and amount, ceiling, total cloud amount, visibility, wind, and present weather conditions. GEM is superior to persistence at all projections for all elements in a large independent sample. A minute-by-minute GEM forecasting system utilizing the Automated Weather Observation System (AWOS) is under development.

Miller, Robert G.↗

An infrared spectral match between GEMS and interstellar grains

Infrared spectral properties of silicate grains in interplanetary dust particles (IDPs) were compared with those of astronomical silicates. The approximately 10-micrometer silicon-oxygen stretch bands of IDPs containing enstatite (MgSiO3), forsterite (Mg2SiO4), and glass with embedded metal and sulfides (GEMS) exhibit fine structure and bandwidths similar to those of solar system comets and some pre-main sequence Herbig Ae/Be stars. Some GEMS exhibit a broad, featureless silicon-oxygen stretch band similar to those observed in interstellar molecular clouds and young stellar objects. These GEMS provide a spectral match to astronomical "amorphous" silicates, one of the fundamental building blocks from which the solar system is presumed to have formed.

NASA Discipline Exobiology↗

Synthesis of GEMS from Shock-accelerated Crystalline Dust in Superbubbles: Model and Predictions

GEMS (Glass Embedded with Metals and Sulfides) are highly enigmatic yet common components of anhydrous IDPs. We have recently proposed a model of GEMS formation from shock-accelerated crystalline dust in superbubbles[1] which explains the three most perplexing properties of GEMS: pseudomorphism[2], their chemistry[3], and their size range. In this Abstract, we briefly review the main points of the model, and suggest tests that will either prove or rule out this hypothesis.

Westphal, Andrew J.↗

Coordinated Chemical and Isotropic Studies of IDPS: Comparison of Circumstellar and Solar GEMS Grains

Silicate stardust in IDPs and meteorites include forsterite, amorphous silicates, and GEMS grains [1]. Amorphous presolar silicates are much less abundant than expected based on astronomical models [2], possibly destroyed by parent body alteration. A more accurate accounting of presolar silicate mineralogy may be preserved in anhydrous IDPs. Here we present results of coordinated TEM and isotopic analyses of an anhydrous IDP (L2005AL5) that is comprised of crystalline silicates and sulfides, GEMS grains, and equilibrated aggregates embedded in a carbonaceous matrix. Nanometer-scale quantitative compositional maps of all grains in two microtome thin sections were obtained with a JEOL 2500SE. These sections were then subjected to O and N isotopic imaging with the JSC NanoSIMS 50L. Coordinated high resolution chemical maps and O isotopic com-positions were obtained on 11 GEMS grains, 8 crystalline grains, and 6 equilibrated aggregates.

Keller, L. P.↗

Editorial: Reviewer Selection Process and New Areas of Expertise in GEMS

One method of selecting potential reviewers for papers submitted to the Journal of Geophysical Research Space Physics is to filter the user database within the Geophysical Electronic Manuscript System (GEMS) by areas of expertise. The list of these areas in GEMS can be self selected by users in their profile settings. The Editors have added 18 new entries to this list, an increase of 33 more than the previous 55 entries. All space physicists are strongly encouraged to update their profile settings in GEMS, especially their areas of expertise selections, and details of how to do this are provided.

Liemohn, Michael W.↗

Galileo Europa Mission (GEM) Tour Design

Galileo has received approval for a two-year follow-on mission, called the Galileo Europa (GEM). A three-phase tour has been designed for GEM that includes eight Europa encounters, four Callisto flybys, and two Io encounters to end the GEM in Decemger 1999. Although science desires for the satallite encountes were of primary importance to the tour design, the flyby conditions were also necessarily selected on the basis of the gravity assist they contributed to the trajectory. The tour design was heavily influenced by the requirement to return to Io, since the radiation exposure that acompanies such a flyby may serverely degrade the health of the spacecraft.

Galileo↗

GAS eleven node thermal model (GEM)

The Eleven Node Thermal Model (GEM) of the Get Away Special (GAS) container was originally developed based on the results of thermal tests of the GAS container. The model was then used in the thermal analysis and design of several NASA/GSFC GAS experiments, including the Flight Verification Payload, the Ultraviolet Experiment, and the Capillary Pumped Loop. The model description details the five cu ft container both with and without an insulated end cap. Mass specific heat values are also given so that transient analyses can be performed. A sample problem for each configuration is included as well so that GEM users can verify their computations. The model can be run on most personal computers with a thermal analyzer solution routine.

Butler, Dan↗

An improved error assessment for the GEM-T1 gravitational model

Several tests were designed to determine the correct error variances for the GEM-T1 gravitational solution which was derived exclusively from satellite tracking data. The basic method employs both wholly independent and dependent subset data solutions and produces a full field coefficient by coefficient estimate of the model uncertainties. The GEM-T1 errors were further analyzed using a method based upon eigenvalue-eigenvector analysis which calibrates the entire covariance matrix. Dependent satellite and independent altimetric and surface gravity data sets, as well as independent satellite deep resonance information, confirm essentially the same error assessment.

Lerch, F. J.↗

Gem Analysis

World Gem Laboratory, Inc.'s cathodoluminoscope is an instrument that magnifies a specimen and produces heat-generated light emissions that bring out features important in gemological analysis. It can indicate whether a stone can be successfully cut, useful in the study of growth and strain patterns in diamonds, detection of dyes in jade, and analysis of the growth and structure of rubies and sapphires. In combination with other tests these analyses can separate synthetic from natural gems.

Source record↗

Galium Electromagnetic (GEM) Thruster Concept and Design

We describe the design of a new type of two-stage pulsed electromagnetic accelerator, the gallium electromagnetic (GEM) thruster. A schematic illustration of the GEM thruster concept is given. In this concept, liquid gallium propellant is pumped into the first stage through a porous metal electrode using an electromagnetic pump. At a designated time, a pulsed discharge (approx. 10-50 J) is initiated in the first stage, ablating the liquid gallium from the porous electrode surface and ejecting a dense thermal gallium plasma into the second state. The presence of the gallium plasma in the second stage serves to trigger the high-energy (approx. 500 J), second-stage pulse which provides the primary electromagnetic (j x B) acceleration.

Polzin, Kurt A.↗

Gallium Electromagnetic (GEM) Thrustor Concept and Design

We describe the design of a new type of two-stage pulsed electromagnetic accelerator, the gallium electromagnetic (GEM) thruster. A schematic illustration of the GEM thruster concept is given in Fig. 1. In this concept, liquid gallium propellant is pumped into the first stage through a porous metal electrode using an electromagneticpump[l]. At a designated time, a pulsed discharge (approx.10-50 J) is initiated in the first stage, ablating the liquid gallium from the porous electrode surface and ejecting a dense thermal gallium plasma into the second state. The presence of the gallium plasma in the second stage serves to trigger the high-energy (approx.500 I), send-stage puke which provides the primary electromagnetic (j x B) acceleration.

Polzin, Kurt A.↗

Coordinated Chemical and Isotopic Studies of GEMS in IDPS

Cometary IDPs contain a record of the building blocks of the solar system including presolar grains, molecular cloud material, and materials formed in the early solar nebula [1]. Following their accretion, these materials have remained relatively unaltered because of the lack of parent body hydrothermal alteration. We are using coordinated transmission electron microscope (TEM) and ion microprobe studies to establish the origins of the various components within cometary IDPs. Of particular interest is the nature and abundance of presolar silicates in these IDPs because astronomical observations suggest that crystalline and amorphous silicates are the dominant grain types produced in young main sequence stars and evolved O-rich stars [e.g. 2]. Amorphous silicates (in the form of GEMS grains) are a major component of cometary IDPs and so a major objective of this work is to elucidate their origins. In rare cases, GEMS grains have highly anomalous O isotopic compositions that establish their origins as circumstellar condensates [3]. Here we present data on a systematic study of the silicate components within a primitive IDP.

Keller, L. P.↗

Hydrogen Cyanide in the Upper Troposphere: GEM-AQ Simulation and Comparison with ACE-FTS Observations

We investigate the spatial and temporal distribution of hydrogen cyanide (HCN) in the upper troposphere through numerical simulations and comparison with observations from a space-based instrument. To perform the simulations, we used the Global Environmental Multiscale Air Quality model (GEM-AQ), which is based on the threedimensional Gobal multiscale model developed by the Meteorological Service of Canada for operational weather forecasting. The model was run for the period 2004-2006 on a 1.5deg x 1.5deg global grid with 28 hybrid vertical levels from the surface up to 10 hPa. Objective analysis data from the Canadian Meteorological Centre were used to update the meteorological fields every 24 h. Fire emission fluxes of gas species were generated by using year-specific inventories of carbon emissions with 8-day temporal resolution from the Global Fire Emission Database (GFED) version 2. The model output is compared with HCN profiles measured by the Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment Fourier Transform Spectrometer (ACE-FTS) instrument onboard the Canadian SCISAT-1 satellite. High values of up to a few ppbv are observed in the tropics in the Southern Hemisphere; the enhancement in HCN volume mixing ratios in the upper troposphere is most prominent in October. Low upper-tropospheric mixing ratios of less than 100 pptv are mostly recorded at middle and high latitudes in the Southern Hemisphere in May-July. Mixing ratios in Northern Hemisphere peak in the boreal summer. The amplitude of the seasonal variation is less pronounced than in the Southern Hemisphere. The comparison with the satellite data shows that in the upper troposphere GEM-AQ perform7s well globally for all seasons, except at northern hi gh and middle latitudes in surnmer, where the model has a large negative bias, and in the tropics in winter and spring, where it exhibits large positive bias. This may reflect inaccurate emissions or possible inaccuracies in the emission profile. The model is able to explain most of the observed variability in the upper troposphere HCN field, includin g the interannual variations in the observed mixing ratio. A complementary comparison with daily total columns of HCN from two middle latitude ground-based stations in Northern Japan for the same simulation period shows that the model captures the observed seasonal variation and also points to an underestimation of model emissions in the Northern Hemisphere in the summer. The estimated average global emission equals 1.3 Tg N/yr. The average atmospheric burden is 0.53 Tg N, and the corresponding lifetime is 4.9 months.

Lupu, A.↗

Dst Index in the 2008 GEM Modeling Challenge - Model Performance for Moderate and Strong Magnetic Storms

The GEM 2008 modeling challenge efforts are expanding beyond comparing in-situ measurements in the magnetosphere and ionosphere to include the computation of indices to be compared. The Dst index measures the largest deviations of the horizontal magnetic field at 4 equatorial magnetometers from the quiet-time background field and is commonly used to track the strength of the magnetic disturbance of the magnetosphere during storms. Models can calculate a proxy Dst index in various ways, including using the Dessler-Parker Sckopke relation and the energy of the ring current and Biot-Savart integration of electric currents in the magnetosphere. The GEM modeling challenge investigates 4 space weather events and we compare models available at CCMC against each other and the observed values of Ost. Models used include SWMF/BATSRUS, OpenGGCM, LFM, GUMICS (3D magnetosphere MHD models), Fok-RC, CRCM, RAM-SCB (kinetic drift models of the ring current), WINDMI (magnetosphere-ionosphere electric circuit model), and predictions based on an impulse response function (IRF) model and analytic coupling functions with inputs of solar wind data. In addition to the analysis of model-observation comparisons we look at the way Dst is computed in global magnetosphere models. The default value of Dst computed by the SWMF model is for Bz the Earth's center. In addition to this, we present results obtained at different locations on the Earth's surface. We choose equatorial locations at local noon, dusk (18:00 hours), midnight and dawn (6:00 hours). The different virtual observatory locations reveal the variation around the earth-centered Dst value resulting from the distribution of electric currents in the magnetosphere during different phases of a storm.

Rastaetter, Lutz↗

X-Ray Polarimetry with GEMS

The polarization properties of cosmic X-ray sources are still largely unexplored. The Gravity and Extreme Magnetism SMEX (GEMS) will carry out the first sensitive X-ray polarization survey of a wide range of sources including; accreting compact objects (black holes and neutron stars), AGN, supernova remnants, magnetars and rotation-powered pulsars. GEMS employs grazing-incidence foil mirrors and novel time-projection chamber (TPC) polarimeters leveraging the photoelectric effect to achieve high polarization sensitivity in the 2 - 10 keV band. I will provide an update of the project status, illustrate the expected performance with several science examples, and provide a brief overview of the data analysis challenges

Strohmayer, Tod↗