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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 55 records · Page 3
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1987

Inverse kinematic-based robot control

A fundamental problem which must be resolved in virtually all non-trivial robotic operations is the well-known inverse kinematic question. More specifically, most of the tasks which robots are called upon to perform are specified in Cartesian (x,y,z) space, such as simple tracking along one or more straight line paths or following a specified surfacer with compliant force sensors and/or visual feedback. In all cases, control is actually implemented through coordinated motion of the various links which comprise the manipulator; i.e., in link space. As a consequence, the control computer of every sophisticated anthropomorphic robot must contain provisions for solving the inverse kinematic problem which, in the case of simple, non-redundant position control, involves the determination of the first three link angles, theta sub 1, theta sub 2, and theta sub 3, which produce a desired wrist origin position P sub xw, P sub yw, and P sub zw at the end of link 3 relative to some fixed base frame. Researchers outline a new inverse kinematic solution and demonstrate its potential via some recent computer simulations. They also compare it to current inverse kinematic methods and outline some of the remaining problems which will be addressed in order to render it fully operational. Also discussed are a number of practical consequences of this technique beyond its obvious use in solving the inverse kinematic question.

Wolovich, W. A.↗
NASA NTRS1996

Wavelet Sparse Approximate Inverse Preconditioners

There is an increasing interest in using sparse approximate inverses as preconditioners for Krylov subspace iterative methods. Recent studies of Grote and Huckle and Chow and Saad also show that sparse approximate inverse preconditioner can be effective for a variety of matrices, e.g. Harwell-Boeing collections. Nonetheless a drawback is that it requires rapid decay of the inverse entries so that sparse approximate inverse is possible. However, for the class of matrices that, come from elliptic PDE problems, this assumption may not necessarily hold. Our main idea is to look for a basis, other than the standard one, such that a sparse representation of the inverse is feasible. A crucial observation is that the kind of matrices we are interested in typically have a piecewise smooth inverse. We exploit this fact, by applying wavelet techniques to construct a better sparse approximate inverse in the wavelet basis. We shall justify theoretically and numerically that our approach is effective for matrices with smooth inverse. We emphasize that in this paper we have only presented the idea of wavelet approximate inverses and demonstrated its potential but have not yet developed a highly refined and efficient algorithm.

Chan, Tony F.↗
NASA NTRS2002

Chemical Compositions and Abundance Anomalies in Stellar Coronae ADP99

We have been investigating different statistical methods for analysing the metal abundances of sources with low S/N. A Bayesian technique has been developed that determines the most probable line-to-continuum ratio in the source, thereby leading to the metallicity. This method is a promising approach with which to mine the ASCA archive. Some of this work has now been published in conference proceedings. The flavour of the project has changed very slightly in the last year owing to the increasing availability of several good quality Chandra HETG and LETG spectra for stars for which we had reduced and analysed ASCA data. The Chandra grating spectra in principle provide a means of calibrating the results from the low resolution ASCA spectra and we have started some work toward that goal. One paper concerning abundance ratios in active stars is appearing shortly in conference proceedings and is being readied for publication in a main-stream astrophysical journal. This paper demonstrates for the first time that abundance anomalies cannot be categorized simply in terms of First Ionization Potential (FIP) or inverse-FIP based effects. Different Ne enhancements are found in different star types but a link between enhancement factors and stellar properties is not obvious. The publication noted as in preparation in an earlier report, finding strong Ne enhancements in active stars, is now published. These results will again be used to "calibrate" low resolution results for which line ratio techniques cannot be employed.

Drake, Jeremy↗
NASA NTRS2013

Micro-Textured Black Silicon Wick for Silicon Heat Pipe Array

Planar, semiconductor heat arrays have been previously proposed and developed; however, this design makes use of a novel, microscale black silicon wick structure that provides increased capillary pumping pressure of the internal working fluid, resulting in increased effective thermal conductivity of the device, and also enables operation of the device in any orientation with respect to the gravity vector. In a heat pipe, the efficiency of thermal transfer from the case to the working fluid is directly proportional to the surface area of the wick in contact with the fluid. Also, the primary failure mechanism for heat pipes operating within the temperature range of interest is inadequate capillary pressure for the return of fluid from the condenser to the wick. This is also what makes the operation of heat pipes orientation-sensitive. Thus, the two primary requirements for a good wick design are a large surface area and high capillary pressure. Surface area can be maximized through nanomachined surface roughening. Capillary pressure is largely driven by the working fluid and wick structure. The proposed nanostructure wick has characteristic dimensions on the order of tens of microns, which promotes menisci of very small radii. This results in the possibility of enormous pumping potential due to the inverse proportionality with radius. Wetting, which also enhances capillary pumping, can be maximized through growth of an oxide layer or material deposition (e.g. TiO2) to create a superhydrophilic surface.

Yee, Karl Y.↗
NASA NTRS2021

Simultaneous Multiwavelength Flare Observations of EV Lacertae

We present the first results of our ongoing project conducting simultaneous multiwavelength observations of flares on nearby active M dwarfs. We acquired data of the nearby dM3.5e star EV Lac using five different observatories: NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), NASA's Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory (Swift), NASA's Neutron Interior Composition Explorer (NICER), the University of Hawaii 2.2-meter telescope (UH88), and the Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope (LCOGT) Network. During the ∼25 days of TESS observations, we acquired three simultaneous UV/X-ray observations using Swift that total ∼18 ks, 21 simultaneous epochs totaling ∼98 ks of X-ray data using NICER, one observation (∼3 hr) with UH88, and one observation (∼3 hr) with LCOGT. We identified 56 flares in the TESS light curve with estimated energies in the range log E(T) (erg) = (30.5–33.2), nine flares in the Swift UVM2 light curve with estimated energies in the range log E(UV) (erg) = (29.3–31.1), 14 flares in the NICER light curve with estimated minimum energies in the range log E(N) (erg) = (30.5–32.3), and 1 flare in the LCOGT light curve with log E(L) (erg) = 31.6. We find that the flare frequency distributions (FFDs) of TESS and NICER flares have comparable slopes, β(T) = −0.67 ± 0.09 and β(N) = − 0.65 ± 0.19, and the FFD of UVOT flares has a shallower slope (β(U) = −0.38 ± 0.13). Furthermore, we do not find conclusive evidence for either the first ionization potential (FIP) or the inverse FIP effect during coronal flares on EV Lac.

Rishi R. Paudel↗
NASA NTRS1986

Kalman filtering, smoothing and recursive robot arm forward and inverse dynamics

The inverse and forward dynamics problems for multi-link serial manipulators are solved by using recursive techniques from linear filtering and smoothing theory. The pivotal step is to cast the system dynamics and kinematics as a two-point boundary-value problem. Solution of this problem leads to filtering and smoothing techniques identical to the equations of Kalman filtering and Bryson-Frazier fixed time-interval smoothing. The solutions prescribe an inward filtering recursion to compute a sequence of constraint moments and forces followed by an outward recursion to determine a corresponding sequence of angular and linear accelerations. In addition to providing techniques to compute joint accelerations from applied joint moments (and vice versa), the report provides an approach to evaluate recursively the composite multi-link system inertia matrix and its inverse. The report lays the foundation for the potential use of filtering and smoothing techniques in robot inverse and forward dynamics and in robot control design.

Rodriguez, G.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Explicit expressions of the potential and its derivatives at the origin in terms of the scattering data

The quantum mechanical theory of scattering of a particle by a spherically symmetrical potential is presented. As in the inverse scattering problem, the input of the calculation is the scattering and bound-state data, and the output is data on the potential. The results discussed are explicit expressions for the values of the potential and its derivatives at the origin in terms of the scattering and boundstate data. Various methods to obtain these results are outlined. The presentation is aimed at introducing these various approaches. The simplest scattering problem (nonrelativistic S-wave scattering on a holomorphic potential without bound states) is used as the basis for discussion, and technicalities are omitted whenever possible without loss of clarity. A complete compilation is given of the results obtained to date in this field, including the treatment of higher partial waves and the Klein-Gordon and Dirac equations.

Calogero, F.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

The ACCP Inclined Orbit Project: Enabling New and Synergistic Aerosol Remote Sensing Inversions

Atmospheric aerosols have high spatiotemporal variations due to their diverse sources including windblown dust, wildfires, volcanic eruptions, and anthropogenic emissions. These aerosols also have strong diurnal emission characteristics that influence long-range transport, air quality, Earth’s radiation budget, biogeochemical cycles, and weather forecasting. While current sensors can measure the steady-state of global 3D cloud and aerosol properties, we lack the observational datasets to discover the diurnal variability of aerosols, even at seasonal and regional scales, because these missions utilize sun synchronous orbits. An Aerosols and Clouds, Convection and Precipitation (ACCP) observing system has been established as part of NASA’s new Earth System Observatory (ESO) to fulfill the science needs presented in the 2017 Earth Science Decadal Survey. The selected ACCP architecture encompasses sensors in two orbit planes, one of which utilizes an inclined orbit (nominally ~55 degrees at a 407 km altitude) to advance our understanding of aerosol and cloud properties and target the dynamics of the cloud and aerosol processes on sub-daily time scales. The anticipated instrumentation suite for the ACCP Inclined Orbit Project is a Stereo Camera System, Polarimeter, Microwave Radiometer, Two-Frequency Radar, and Backscatter Lidar. The polarimeter is expected to have multiple wavelength bands and viewing angles to enable accurate retrievals of aerosol microphysical and optical properties. The backscatter lidar will provide vertical profiles of attenuated backscatter and depolarization ratio at two wavelengths, with better daytime signal-to-noise ratio than previous space-based lidar systems to improve aerosol detection/typing and estimates of aerosol optical properties. The stereo camera system, while designed primarily for clouds, will also provide aerosol plume heights and air motions at the plume heights. This invited presentation will provide (1) an overview of the ACCP Inclined Orbit Project, (2) a description of the new sensor capabilities and orbital characteristics, and (3) a preview of the potential for new synergistic aerosol inversion techniques.

John E Yorks↗
NASA NTRS1983

Finite-difference simulation of transonic separated flow using a full potential boundary layer interaction approach

A new, fast, direct-inverse, finite-difference boundary-layer code has been developed and coupled with a full-potential transonic airfoil analysis code via new inviscid-viscous interaction algorithms. The resulting code has been used to calculate transonic separated flows. The results are in good agreement with Navier-Stokes calculations and experimental data. Solutions are obtained in considerably less computer time than Navier-Stokes solutions of equal resolution. Because efficient inviscid and viscous algorithms are used, it is expected this code will also compare favorably with other codes of its type as they become available.

Van Dalsem, W. R.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Multi-Pinned-Phase Charge-Coupled Device

Multi-pinned-phase (MPP) technology allows charge-coupled device (CCD) to operate totally inverted during both integration and readout while maintaining other performance characteristics. MPP-CCD made with positive doping implants defining barrier phases. When all phases biased together into inversion, dark current reduced, and potential of charge-collecting wells is difference between potentials of barrier and collection phases. Advantages include complete elimination of residual image effects during integration and readout, low pixel nonuniformity, and increase in quantum efficiency in near infrared because higher operating temperatures used. More tolerant to ionizing radiation environments.

Janesick, James R.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Geoid Recovery using Geophysical Inverse Theory Applied to Satellite to Satellite Tracking Data

This report describes a new method for determination of the geopotential. The analysis is aimed at the GRACE mission. This Satellite-to-Satellite Tracking (SST) mission is viewed as a mapping mission The result will be maps of the geoid. The elements of potential theory, celestial mechanics, and Geophysical Inverse Theory are integrated into a computation architecture, and the results of several simulations presented Centimeter accuracy geoids with 50 to 100 km resolution can be recovered with a 30 to 60 day mission.

Gaposchkin, E. M.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Geoid Recovery Using Geophysical Inverse Theory Applied to Satellite to Satellite Tracking Data

This report describes a new method for determination of the geopotential, or the equivalent geoid. It is based on Satellite-to-Satellite Tracking (SST) of two co-orbiting low earth satellites separated by a few hundred kilometers. The analysis is aimed at the GRACE Mission, though it is generally applicable to any SST data. It is proposed that the SST be viewed as a mapping mission. That is, the result will be maps of the geoid or gravity, as contrasted with determination of spherical harmonics or Fourier coefficients. A method has been developed, based on Geophysical Inverse Theory (GIT), that can provide maps at a prescribed (desired) resolution and the corresponding error map from the SST data. This computation can be done area by area avoiding simultaneous recovery of all the geopotential information. The necessary elements of potential theory, celestial mechanics, and Geophysical Inverse Theory are described, a computation architecture is described, and the results of several simulations presented. Centimeter accuracy geoids with 50 to 100 km resolution can be recovered with a 30 to 60 day mission.

Gaposchkin, E. M.↗
NASA NTRS2001

Applicability of the single equivalent point dipole model to represent a spatially distributed bio-electrical source

Although the single equivalent point dipole model has been used to represent well-localised bio-electrical sources, in realistic situations the source is distributed. Consequently, position estimates of point dipoles determined by inverse algorithms suffer from systematic error due to the non-exact applicability of the inverse model. In realistic situations, this systematic error cannot be avoided, a limitation that is independent of the complexity of the torso model used. This study quantitatively investigates the intrinsic limitations in the assignment of a location to the equivalent dipole due to distributed electrical source. To simulate arrhythmic activity in the heart, a model of a wave of depolarisation spreading from a focal source over the surface of a spherical shell is used. The activity is represented by a sequence of concentric belt sources (obtained by slicing the shell with a sequence of parallel plane pairs), with constant dipole moment per unit length (circumferentially) directed parallel to the propagation direction. The distributed source is represented by N dipoles at equal arc lengths along the belt. The sum of the dipole potentials is calculated at predefined electrode locations. The inverse problem involves finding a single equivalent point dipole that best reproduces the electrode potentials due to the distributed source. The inverse problem is implemented by minimising the chi2 per degree of freedom. It is found that the trajectory traced by the equivalent dipole is sensitive to the location of the spherical shell relative to the fixed electrodes. It is shown that this trajectory does not coincide with the sequence of geometrical centres of the consecutive belt sources. For distributed sources within a bounded spherical medium, displaced from the sphere's centre by 40% of the sphere's radius, it is found that the error in the equivalent dipole location varies from 3 to 20% for sources with size between 5 and 50% of the sphere's radius. Finally, a method is devised to obtain the size of the distributed source during the cardiac cycle.

NASA Discipline Cardiopulmonary↗
NASA NTRS2001

Retrieval of Polar Stratospheric Cloud Microphysical Properties from Lidar Measurements: Dependence on Particle Shape Assumptions

A retrieval algorithm has been developed for the microphysical analysis of polar stratospheric cloud (PSC) optical data obtained using lidar instrumentation. The parameterization scheme of the PSC microphysical properties allows for coexistence of up to three different particle types with size-dependent shapes. The finite difference time domain (FDTD) method has been used to calculate optical properties of particles with maximum dimensions equal to or less than 2 mu m and with shapes that can be considered more representative of PSCs on the scale of individual crystals than the commonly assumed spheroids. Specifically. these are irregular and hexagonal crystals. Selection of the optical parameters that are input to the inversion algorithm is based on a potential data set such as that gathered by two of the lidars on board the NASA DC-8 during the Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment 0 p (SAGE) Ozone Loss Validation experiment (SOLVE) campaign in winter 1999/2000: the Airborne Raman Ozone and Temperature Lidar (AROTEL) and the NASA Langley Differential Absorption Lidar (DIAL). The 0 microphysical retrieval algorithm has been applied to study how particle shape assumptions affect the inversion of lidar data measured in leewave PSCs. The model simulations show that under the assumption of spheroidal particle shapes, PSC surface and volume density are systematically smaller than the FDTD-based values by, respectively, approximately 10-30% and approximately 5-23%.

Reichardt, J.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Control of the Earth's electric field intensity through solar wind modulation of galactic cosmic radiation: Support for a proposed atmospheric electrical sun-weather mechanism

The ionospheric potential and galactic cosmic radiation, found to be inversely correlated with the solar wind velocity are examined as being germane to weather modification. Since the ionospheric potential is proportional to the fair weather electric field intensity and cosmic radiation is the dominant source of atmospheric ionization, it is concluded that the Earth's overall electric field varies in phase with atmospheric ionization and that the latter is modulated by the solar wind. A proposed mechanism, in which solar control of ionizing radiation influences atmospheric electrification and thus possibly cloud physical processes is discussed. An experimental approach to critically test the proposed mechanism through comparison of the temporal variation of the Earth's electric field with conditions in the interplanetary medium is outlined.

Markson, R.↗