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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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50 records · Page 3

Precise measurement method for ionospheric total electron content using signals from GPS satellites

A GPS codeless receiver called GTR-2 was for measuring total electron content (TEC) along the line of sight to the GPS satellite by using the cross correlation amplitude of the received P-code signals carried by L1(1575.42 MHz) and L2(1227.6 MHz). This equipment has the performance of uncertainty in the measurement of TEC of about 2 X 10(exp 16) electrons/sq m when a 10 dBi gain antenna was used. To increase the measurement performance, an upper version of GTR-2 called GTR-3 is planned which uses the phase information of the continuous signals obtained by making a cross correlation or multiplication of the received L1 and L2 P-code signals. By using the difference of these measured phases values, the ionospheric delay with the ambiguities of the periods of L1+L2 and L1-L2 signals can be estimated.

Imae, Michito

Millisecond pulsar observation system at CRL

Millisecond pulsars have attracted attention as future reference clocks in place of present atomic clocks. The Communications Research Laboratory (CRL) has been developing an observation system to measure the pulse timing of a millisecond pulsar precisely, and has recently completed the basic part of the task. We observed PSR1937+21 at 1.5GHz band and got a pulse timing with a precision of 16 micro sec/tau by five days of observation.

Hanado, Yuko

Pulsar astrometry by using VLBI (PSR0329 between Kashima 26mPhi and Usuda 64mPhi)

Communications Research Laboratory (CRL) carried out a VLBI (Very Long Baseline Interferometer) experiment of the Pulsar 0329 plus 54 on November in 1992 between Kashima 26mPhi and Usuda 64mPhi. We got a correlation for it by using K-3 VLBI correlator which was developed by CRL. Though we observed a slow pulsar this time, we are going to make millisecond pulsar experiments by making good use of this result and by using K-4 correlator which is under developing in CRL. Its result will give us precise positions and proper motions of pulsars which are useful for obtaining precise pulsar timing.

Hama, S.

Study of tropospheric correction for intercontinental GPS common-view time transfer

Current practice is to incorporate general empirical models of the troposphere, which depend only on the station height and the elevation of the satellite, in GPS time receivers used for common-view time transfer. Comparisons of these models with a semi-empirical model based on weather measurements show differences of several nanoseconds. This paper reports on a study of tropospheric correction during GPS common-view time transfer over a short baseline of about 700 km, and three long baselines of 6400 km, 9000 km and 9600 km. It is shown that the use of a general empirical model of the troposphere within a region where the climate is similar does not affect time transfer by more than a few hundreds of picoseconds. For the long distance links, differences between the use of a general empirical model and the use of a semi-empirical model reach several nanoseconds.

Lewandowski, Wlodzimierz W.

Biogeochemical Cycles in Degraded Lands

The objectives of this project were to define and describe the types of landscapes that fall under the broad category of "degraded lands" and to study biogeochemical cycles across this range of degradation found in secondary forests. We define degraded land as that which has lost part of its capacity of renovation of a productive ecosystem, either in the context of agroecosystems or as native communities of vegetation. This definition of degradation permits evaluation of biogeochemical constraints to future land uses.

Davidson, Eric A.

Biogeochemical Cycles in Degraded Lands

The objectives of this project were to define and describe the types of landscapes that fall under the broad category of "degraded lands" and to study biogeochemical cycles across this range of degradation found in secondary forests. We define degraded land as that which has lost part of its capacity of renovation of a productive ecosystem, either in the context of agroecosystems or as native communities of vegetation. This definition of degradation permits evaluation of biogeochemical constraints to future land uses.

Davidson, Eric A.

What Are Space Exposure Histories Telling Us about CM Carbonaceous Chondrites?

Chondrites are chemically primitive and carbonaceous (C) chondrites are potentially the most primitive among them because they mostly escaped thermal metamor-phism that affected the other chondrite groups and ratios of their major, non-volatile and most of the volatile elements are similar to those of the Sun. Therefore, C chondrites are ex-pected to retain a good record of the origin and early history of the solar system. Carbonaceous chondrites are chemically differentiated from other chondrites by their high Mg/Si ratios and refractory elements, and have experienced various degrees of aqueous alteration. They are subdivided into eight subgroups (CI, CM, CO, CV, CK, CR, CB and CH) based on major element and oxygen isotopic ratios. Their elemental ratios spread over a wide range though those of ordinary and enstatite chondrites are relatively uniform. It is critical to know how many sepa-rate bodies are represented by the C chondrites. In this study, CM chondrites, the most abundant carbona-ceous chondrites, are examined. They are water-rich, chon-drule- and CAI-bearing meteorites and most of them are brec-cias. High-temperature components such as chondrules, iso-lated olivine and CAIs in CMs are frequently altered and some of them are replaced by clay minerals and surrounded by sul-fides whose Fe was derived from mafic silicates. On the basis of degrees of aqueous alteration, CMs have been classified into subtypes from 1 to 2, although Rubin et al. [1] assigned subtype 1 to subtype 2 and subtype 2 to subtype 2.6 using various petrologic properties. The classification is based on petrographic and mineralogic properties. For example, though tochilinite (2[(Fe, Mg, Cu, Ni[])S] 1.57-1.85 [(Mg, Fe, Ni, Al, Ca)(HH)2]) clumps are produced during aqueous alteration, they disappear and sulfide appears with increasing degrees of aqueous alteration. Cosmic-ray exposure (CRE) age measurements of CM chondrites reveal an unusual feature. Though CRE ages of other chondrite groups range from several Myr to tens of Myr, CMs exposure ages are not longer than 7 Myr with one-third of the CM having less than 1 Myr CRE age. For those CM chondrites that have CRE ages <1 Myr, there are two discern-able CRE peaks. Because a CRE age reflects how long a me-teorite is present as a separate body in space, the peaks pre-sumably represent collisional events on the parent body (ies) [2]. In this study we defined 4 distinct CRE age groups of CMs and systematically characterized the petrography in each of the 4 CRE age groups to determine whether the groups have significant petrographic differences, with such differences probably reflecting different parent body (asteroid) geological processing, or multiple original bodies.

Takenouchi, A.

On the Relationship between Cosmic Ray Exposure Ages and Petrography of CM Chondrites

Carbonaceous (C) chondrites are potentially the most primitive among chondrites because they mostly escaped thermal metamorphism that affected the other chondrite groups. C chondrites are chemically distinguished from other chondrites by their high Mg/Si ratios and refractory elements, and have experienced various degrees of aqueous alteration. They are subdivided into eight subgroups (CI, CM, CO, CV, CK, CR, CB and CH) based on major element and oxygen isotopic ratios. Their elemental ratios vary over a wide range, in contrast to those of ordinary and enstatite chondrites which are relatively uniform. It is critical to know how many separate bodies are represented by the C chondrites. In this study we defined 4 distinct cosmic-ray exposure (CRE) age groups of CMs and systematically characterized the petrography in each of the 4 CRE age groups to determine whether the groups have significant petrographic differences with such differences probably reflecting different parent body (asteroid) geological processing, or multiple original bodies. We have reported the results of a preliminary grouping at the NIPR Symp. in 2013 [3], however, we revised the grouping and here report our new results.

Takenouchi, A.

CM Carbonaceous Chondrite Lithologies and Their Space Exposure Ages

The CMs are the most commonly falling C chondrites, and therefore may be a major component of C-class asteroids, the targets of several current and future space missions. Previous work [1] has concluded that CM chondrites fall into at least four distinct cosmic ray space exposure (CRE) age groups (0.1 million years, 0.2 million years, 0.6 million years and greater than 2.0 million years), an unusually large number, but the meaning of these groupings is unclear. It is possible that these meteorites came from different parent bodies which broke up at different times, or instead came from the same parent body which underwent multiple break-up events, or a combination of these scenarios, or something else entirely. The objective of this study is to investigate the diversity of lithologies which make up CM chondrites, in order to determine whether the different exposure ages correspond to specific, different CM lithologies, which permit us to constrain the history of the CM parent body(ies). We have already reported significant petrographic differences among CM chondrites [2-4]. We report here our new results.

Zolensky, Michael

The Relationship Between Cosmic-Ray Exposure Ages And Mixing Of CM Chondrite Lithologies

Carbonaceous (C) chondrites are primitive materials probably deriving from C, P and D asteroids, and as such potentially include samples and analogues of the target asteroids of the Dawn, Hayabusa2 and OSIRIS-Rex missions. Foremost among the C chondrites are the CM chondrites, the most common type, and which have experienced the widest range of early solar system processes including oxidation, hydration, metamorphism, and impact shock deformation, often repeatedly or cyclically [1]. To track the activity of these processes in the early solar system, it is critical to learn how many separate bodies are represented by the CMs. Nishiizumi and Caffee [2] have reported that the CMs are unique in displaying several distinct peaks for cosmic-ray exposure (CRE) age groups, and that excavation from significant depth and exposure as small entities in space is the best explanation for the observed radionuclide data. There are either 3 or 4 CRE groups for CMs (Fig.1). We decided to systematically characterize the petrography in each of the CRE age groups to determine whether the groups have significant petrographic differences with these reflecting different parent asteroid geological processing or multiple original bodies. We previously re-ported preliminary results of our work [3], however we have now reexamined these meteorites from the perspective of brecciation, with interesting new results.

Zolensky, M. E.

Early Fluid Activity on Ryugu Inferred By Oxygen, Carbon, and 53Mn-53Cr Isotopic Analyses of Carbonates and Magnetite

Samples from asteroid Ryugu returned by the Hayabusa2 mission contain evidence of extensive alteration by aqueous fluids and appear related to the CI chondrites. To understand the sources of the fluid and the timing of chemical reactions occurring during the alteration processes, we investigated the oxygen, carbon, and 53Mn-53Cr systematics of carbonate and magnetite in two Ryugu particles. We find that the fluid was initially between 0−20 °C and enriched in 13C, and 17O and 18O, and subsequently evolved towards lighter carbon and oxygen isotopic compositions as alteration proceeded. Carbonate ages show that this fluid-rock interaction took place within the first ~1.8 million years of solar system history, requiring early accretion either in a planetesimal less than ~20 km in diameter or within a larger body which was disrupted and reassembled.

Astromaterials

Early Aqueous Alteration of Ryugu’s Parent Body – Insight from In-situ Isotopic Analyses

The Hayabusa2 mission returned approximately 5.4 g of highly aqueously-altered material resembling the CI (Ivuna-type) chondrites from the C-type asteroid Ryugu. To understand the timing and duration of aqueous alteration on Ryugu’s parent body, we measured the 53Mn-53Cr (t1/2 = 3.7 Myr) ages of dolomite, breunnerite, and Ca-carbonate minerals in Ryugu particles A0037 and C0009 using secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) with the UCLA CAMECA ims-1290 instrument with Hyperion II oxygen plasma source. Using these carbonate formation ages, we estimate the accretion time and size of Ryugu’s parent body to have been within the first 1.8 million years of Solar System history in a planetesimal less than ~20 km in diameter, or within a larger body which was disrupted and reassembled. To further constrain the conditions of aqueous alteration, we measured the δ13C, δ18O, and Δ17O of Ryugu dolomite, Ca-carbonate, and magnetite using the UCLA CAMECA ims-1290. The results of our stable isotopic analyses show that the earliest stages of aqueous alteration occurred at low temperatures (between 0 and 20 °C), that the initial fluid was enriched in the heavy 13C, 17O and 18O isotopes, and that the fluid evolved towards lighter carbon and oxygen isotopic compositions as alteration proceeded.

Astromaterials