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NASA NTRS2008

NASA Tech Briefs, May 2008

Topics covered inclde: Deployable Wireless Camera Penetrators; Hand-Held Units for Short-Range Wireless Biotelemetry; Wearable Wireless Telemetry System for Implantable BioMEMS Sensors; Electronic Escape Trails for Firefighters; Architecture for a High-to-Medium-Voltage Power Converter; 24-Way Radial Power Combiner/Divider for 31 to 36 GHz; Three-Stage InP Submillimeter-Wave MMIC Amplifier; Fast Electromechanical Switches Based on Carbon Nanotubes; Solid-State High-Temperature Power Cells; Fast Offset Laser Phase-Locking System; Fabricating High-Resolution X-Ray Collimators; Embossed Teflon AF Laminate Membrane Microfluidic Diaphragm Valves; Flipperons for Improved Aerodynamic Performance; System Estimates Radius of Curvature of a Segmented Mirror; Refractory Ceramic Foams for Novel Applications; Self-Deploying Trusses Containing Shape-Memory Polymers; Fuel-Cell Electrolytes Based on Organosilica Hybrid Proton Conductors; Molecules for Fluorescence Detection of Specific Chemicals; Cell-Detection Technique for Automated Patch Clamping; Redesigned Human Metabolic Simulator; Compact, Highly Stable Ion Atomic Clock; LiGa(OTf)(sub 4) as an Electrolyte Salt for Li-Ion Cells; Compact Dielectric-Rod White-Light Delay Lines; Single-Mode WGM Resonators Fabricated by Diamond Turning; Mitigating Photon Jitter in Optical PPM Communication; MACOS Version 3.31; Fiber-Optic Determination of N2, O2, and Fuel Vapor in the Ullage of Liquid-Fuel Tanks; Spiking Neurons for Analysis of Patterns; Symmetric Phase-Only Filtering in Particle-Image Velocimetry; Efficient Coupler for a Bessel Beam Dispersive Element; and Attitude and Translation Control of a Solar Sail Vehicle.

Source record↗

NASA NTRS2021

ICESat-2 Atmospheric Channel Description, Data Processing and First Results

The Advanced Topographic Laser Altimeter System (ATLAS) was launched aboard the Ice Cloud and land-Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2) satellite in September 2018. ATLAS is a single wavelength (532 nm) lidar system designed to acquire high resolution measurements of the earth's surface while also obtaining atmospheric backscatter from molecules, clouds, and aerosols. Because ATLAS is optimized for altimetry, the atmospheric data acquired is unique in many respects and requires non-standard analysis techniques. For example, the high repetition rate laser limits the vertical extent of the profiles to just 14 km and causes atmospheric scattering from above 15 km to be added to the scattering in the lower 0–14 km profile. In addition, the limited vertical range of the acquired profiles renders it difficult to compute the magnitude of the solar background and hinders the application of standard calibration techniques. Despite these limitations, methods have been developed to successfully produce data products that have value to the atmospheric community for cloud and aerosol research and are currently available at the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC). In this paper we describe the ICESat-2 atmospheric channel and the methods used to process the ATLAS raw photon count data to obtain calibrated backscatter and higher level products such as layer heights and type, blowing snow, column optical depth and apparent surface reflectance.

Stephen P Palm↗

NASA NTRS2007

Antibodies Against Three Forms of Urokinase

Antibodies that bind to preselected regions of the urokinase molecule have been developed. These antibodies can be used to measure small quantities of each of three molecular forms of urokinase that could be contained in microsamples or conditioned media harvested from cultures of mammalian cells. Previously available antibodies and assay techniques do not yield both clear distinctions among, and measurements of, all three forms. Urokinase is a zymogen that is synthesized in a single-chain form, called ScuPA, which is composed of 411 amino acid residues (see figure). ScuPA has very little enzyme activity, but it can be activated in two ways: (1) by cleavage of the peptide bond lysine 158/isoleucine 159 and the loss of lysine 158 to obtain the high molecular-weight (HMW) form of the enzyme or (2) by cleavage of the bond lysine 135/lysine 136 to obtain the low-molecular-weight (LMW) form of the enzyme. The antibodies in question were produced in mice and rabbits by use of peptides as immunogens. The peptides were selected to obtain antibodies that bind to regions of ScuPA that include the lysine 158/isoleucine 159 and the lysine 135/lysine 136 bonds. The antibodies include monoclonal and polyclonal ones that yield indications as to whether either of these bonds is intact. The polyclonal antibodies include ones that preferentially bind to the HMW or LMW forms of the urokinase molecule. The monoclonal antibodies include ones that discriminate between the ScuPA and the HMW form. A combination of these molecular-specific antibodies will enable simultaneous assays of the ScuPA, HMW, and LMW forms in the same specimen of culture medium.

Morrison, Dennis R.↗

NASA NTRS1984

Experimental techniques for cross-section measurements

Attention is given to electron collision phenomena which can be studied under single-collision conditions at low and intermediate electron impact energies, ranging from threshold to a few hundred eV, using gas phase molecular targets. Several of the experimental methods discussed were first developed and applied to atoms, but are equally applicable to molecules with minor modifications in the interpretation of the data, due to the greater complexity of molecular systems.

Trajmar, S.↗

NASA NTRS2003

Discrimination of Single Base Pair Differences Among Individual DNA Molecules Using a Nanopore

The protein toxin alpha-hemolysin form nanometer scale channels across lipid membranes. Our lab uses a single channel in an artificial lipid bilayer in a patch clamp device to capture and examine individual DNA molecules. This nanopore detector used with a support vector machine (SVM) can analyze DNA hairpin molecules on the millisecond time scale. We distinguish duplex stem length, base pair mismatches, loop length, and single base pair differences. The residual current fluxes also reveal structural molecular dynamics elements. DNA end-fraying (terminal base pair dissociation) can be observed as near full blockades, or spikes, in current. This technique can be used to investigate other biological processes dependent on DNA end-fraying, such as the processing of HIV DNA by HIV integrase.

Vercoutere, Wenonah↗

NASA NTRS1983

Quantitative measurement of density and velocity in compressible flows using laser-induced iodine fluorescence

A nonintrusive optical technique for the quantitative measurement of molecular density and velocity at a point or in an entire cross-sectional plane of a compressible flowfield is reported. Iodine molecules, seeded into the flowfield reservoir, are excited by a tunable narrow-bandwidth laser and the resulting spatially-resolved fluorescence is collected by a single- or multiple-element detector. A theoretical model for the iodine laser-induced fluorescence process is essential for quantitative measurements and is developed using a rate-equation approach. Density measurements using laser-induced fluorescence are normally complicated by collisional quenching; however, the theory predicts that the off-resonant fluorescent signal is directly proportional to density. Velocity is directly related to the Doppler shift of the iodine absorption line, determined by monitoring the broadband fluorescent signal as the laser is tuned in frequency. Experiments in a steady supersonic flowfield are compared with numerical calculations to demonstrate the accuracy of the approach for density and velocity measurement and the lack of perturbation to the flowfield by the iodine seeding. Extensions of the current approach to density and velocity measurement in lower Mach number flows, to the measurement of pressure and temperature, and to temporally-resolved measurements are discussed.

Mcdaniel, J. C.↗

NASA NTRS2017

Development of Solid-State Nanopore Technology for Life Detection

Biomarkers for life on Earth are an important starting point to guide the search for life elsewhere. However, the search for life beyond Earth should incorporate technologies capable of recognizing an array of potential biomarkers beyond what we see on Earth, in order to minimize the risk of false negatives from life detection missions. With this in mind, charged linear polymers may be a universal signature for life, due to their ability to store information while also inherently reducing the tendency of complex tertiary structure formation that significantly inhibit replication. Thus, these molecules are attractive targets for biosignature detection as potential "self-sustaining chemical signatures." Examples of charged linear polymers, or polyelectrolytes, include deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA) as well as synthetic polyelectrolytes that could potentially support life, including threose nucleic acid (TNA) and other xenonucleic acids (XNAs). Nanopore analysis is a novel technology that has been developed for singlemolecule sequencing with exquisite single nucleotide resolution which is also well-suited for analysis of polyelectrolyte molecules. Nanopore analysis has the ability to detect repeating sequences of electrical charges in organic linear polymers, and it is not molecule- specific (i.e. it is not restricted to only DNA or RNA). In this sense, it is a better life detection technique than approaches that are based on specific molecules, such as the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), which requires that the molecule being detected be composed of DNA.

Bywaters, K. B.↗

NASA NTRS1998

Analyses at High Spatial Resolution of Organic Molecules in Extraterrestrial Samples: Two-Step Laser Mass Spectrometry: Search for Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Antarctic Meteorite and Micrometeorite Samples

Perhaps the best way to summarize the past three-year grant period is to cite the publications and present a brief synopsis of each: 1. "Indigenous Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Molecules in Circumstellar Graphite Grains." Bulk C-12/C-13 isotope ratios observed in some graphite grains extracted from primitive meteorites point strongly to a circumstellar origin. By applying our technique of microprobe two-step laser desorption laser ionization mass spectrometry ((mu)L(sup 2)MS) to individual circumstellar graphite grains we have measured the C-12/C-13 isotope ratio of various polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHS) found in these grains. 2. "Deuterium Enrichments in Cluster IDPS," Large enrichments in the D/H isotope ratios in IDPs likely arise from the preservation of presolar molecules. 3. "Evidence for thermalization of surface-disorder molecules at heating rates of 10(exp 8) K/s". A careful study of the ((mu)L(sup 2)MS) of aniline-d(sub 7) from a single-crystal surface (0001) of sapphire (al2O3) shows that all measured properties are consistent with a thermal mechanism for desorption. 4. "Search for past life on Mars; possible relic biogenic activity in Martian meteorite ALH 84001. The authors examined the Martian meteorite ALH 84001 and found several lines of evidence compatible with existence of past primitive (single-cell) life on early Mars. 5. "Microprobe two-step laser mass spectrometry as an analytical tool for meteorite samples". THis paper presents a comprehensive review of (mu)L(sup 2)MS and how this technique can be applied to meteoritic samples. 6. "Indigenous polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in circumstellar graphite grains from primitive meteorites". The C-12/C-13 isotope ratios were measured for PAHs in a total of 89 spherical graphite grains. 7. "Observation of indigenous polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in "Giant" carbonaceous antarctic micrometeorites." The (mu)L(sup 2)MS method was used to establish the nature and distribution of PAHs in fragments of fifteen (approx. 200 microns) carbonaceous antarctic micrometeorites (AMMs). 8. "Evidence for the extraterrestrial origin of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the Martian meteorite ALH 84001" We have undertaken additional contamination studies of ALH 84001.

Zare, Richard N.↗

NASA NTRS1980

Retrieval of aerosol size distributions from scattering and extinction measurements in the presence of multiple scattering

A fast technique, based on approximation to atmospheric radiative transfer in the solar aureole, is presented for the retrieval of aerosol size distribution from multispectral measurements of both scattered sky radiance and extinction by aerosol media. In this approximation, it is assumed that for a relatively clear day, the sky radiance is due to single scattering by molecules and aerosols, and to multiple scattering by molecules alone. The accuracy of this approximation is discussed in connection with the inversion of scattered radiation data. Results for aerosol size distributions retrieved from multispectral solar extinction measurements by the nonlinear least squares method are discussed, and the retrievals are found to be accurate when checked against ground truth measurements.

Deepak, A.↗

NASA NTRS2003

Synthesis and Characterization of Chalcopyrite (CuInS2 and CuhInSe2) Colloidal Nanoparticles for Optoelectronic Applications via Low-Temperature Pyrolysis of Single-Source Precursors

Nanocrystalline (or quantum dot) materials hold potential as components of next-generation photovoltaic (PV) devices. The inclusion of quantum dots in PV devices has been proposed as a means to improve the efficiency of photon conversion (quantum dot solar cell), enable low-cost deposition of thin-films, provide sites for exciton dissociation, and pathways for electron transport. Quantum dots are also expected to be more resistant to degradation from electron, proton, and alpha particle radiation than the corresponding bulk material, a requirement for use in space solar ~sells. Chalcopyrite nanocrystals can be produced by low-temperature thermal decomposition of single-source precursors such as (PR3)2CuIn(ER')4 (R = Ph, R' = Et, E = S; R = R' = Ph, E = Se). Single-source precursors are molecules which contain all the necessary elements for synthesis of a desired material. Thermal decomposition of the precursor results in the formation of material with the correct stoichiometry as a nanocrystalline powder or a thin film, often at significantly lower temperatures than those typically employed for thin-film deposition by multi-source evaporation techniques, typically less than 500 C. We show that CuInSz and CuInSe2 nanocrystals can be synthesized from the precursors at temperatures as low as 250 C. The nanocrystals are characterized by optical spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and electron microscopy.

Castro, S. L.↗

NASA NTRS1986

Theoretical study of the electric dipole moment function of the ClO molecule

The potential energy function and electric dipole moment function (EDMF) are computed for ClO X 2Pi using several different techniques to include electron correlation. The EDMF is used to compute Einstein coefficients, vibrational lifetimes, and dipole moments in higher vibrational levels. The band strength of the 1-0 fundamental transition is computed to be 12 + or - 2 per sq cm atm determined from infrared heterodyne spectroscopy. The theoretical methods used include SCF, CASSCF, multireference singles plus doubles configuration interaction (MRCI) and contracted CI, coupled pair functional (CPF), and a modified version of the CPF method. The results obtained using the different methods are critically compared.

Pettersson, L. G. M.↗

NASA NTRS1993

Laser-induced fluorescence detection strategies for sodium atoms and compounds in high-pressure combustors

A variety of laser-induced fluorescence schemes were examined experimentally in atmospheric pressure flames to determine their use for sodium atom and salt detection in high-pressure, optically thick environments. Collisional energy transfer plays a large role in fluorescence detection. Optimum sensitivity, at the parts in 10 exp 9 level for a single laser pulse, was obtained with the excitation of the 4p-3s transition at 330 nm and the detection of the 3d-3p fluorescence at 818 nm. Fluorescence loss processes, such as ionization and amplified spontaneous emission, were examined. A new laser-induced atomization/laser-induced fluorescence detection technique was demonstrated for NaOH and NaCl. A 248-nm excimer laser photodissociates the salt molecules present in the seeded flames prior to atom detection by laser-induced fluorescence.

Weiland, Karen J. R.↗

NASA NTRS1988

The ATMOS (Atmospheric Trace Molecule Spectroscopy) experiment - An overview

The objective of the ATMOS experiment is to measure the concentrations and distributions of gases in the middle and upper atmosphere (10 to 120 km) by IR absorption spectroscopy. In 1985 high resolution (0.01/cm) IR occultation spectra of the atmosphere were recorded using a modified Michelson interferometer orbiting onboard the Space Shuttle. With the sun as the radiation source, a single spectrum was obtained every 2.2 seconds with S/N ratios of 100:1 or better. An overview of the data analysis techniques, implications for malecular spectroscopy, and results obtained from the mission is presented.

Brown, L. R.↗

NASA NTRS2002

[Activities of Harvard College Observatory]

With support from this grant, we have: 1) Developed techniques for improving wavelengths and f-values for singly and doubly charged ions of the iron group and have improved the accuracy of Fe III wavelengths by an order of magnitude. New Fe II f-values have also resulted from this work. 2) Measured line oscillator strengths and photoabsorption cross sections for UV molecular spectral feature that have been, or could be, used for searches for and detection of molecules in diffuse and translucent interstellar clouds and for determination of molecular column densities there. In addition, we have determined other molecular parameters -- line assignments, wavelengths, and line widths -- that are essential for theoretical descriptions of the abundance, fractionation, and excitation of interstellar molecules and for comparison of predictions with observations. 3) Measured A-values for spin-changing and other weak lines in low-Z ions. When A-values are available, these spectral features are useful for astrophysical plasma density and temperature diagnostics. Such lines are also used in interstellar abundance determinations in cases where the stronger allowed lines are saturated in astronomical spectra. 4) Taken an activist approach to ensuring that, (i), astronomers have ready access to our data, and, (ii), avenues of communication between data users and producers are strengthened.

Dalgarno, A.↗

NASA NTRS2015

Laser Induced Fluorescence Spectroscopy of Neutral and Ionized Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in the Cosmic Simulation Chamber

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) molecules are considered the best carriers to account for the ubiquitous infrared emission bands. PAHs have also been proposed as candidates to explain the diffuse interstellar bands (DIBs), a series of absorption features seen on the interstellar extinction curve and are plausible carriers for the extended red emission (ERE), a photoluminescent process associated with a wide variety of interstellar environments. Extensive efforts have been devoted over the past two decades to characterize the physical and chemical properties of PAH molecules and ions in space. Absorption spectra of PAH molecules and ions trapped in solid matrices have been compared to the DIBs. Absorption spectra of several cold, isolated gas-phase PAHs have also been measured under experimental conditions that mimic the interstellar conditions. The purpose of this study is to provide a new dimension to the existing spectroscopic database of neutral and single ionized PAHs that is largely based on absorption spectra by adding emission spectroscopy data. The measurements are based on the laser induced fluorescence (LIF) technique and are performed with the Pulsed Discharge Nozzle (PDN) of the COSmIC laboratory facility at NASA Ames laboratory. The PDN generates a plasma in a free supersonic jet expansion to simulate the physical and the chemical conditions in interstellar environments. We focus, here, on the fluorescence spectra of large neutral PAHs and their cations where there is a lack of fluorescence spectroscopy data. The astronomical implications of the data (e.g., ERE) are examined.

Laboratory↗

NASA NTRS1989

Computational solution of chemistry problems

AB initio quantum chemical techniques have been used to investigate weakly bound complexes of H2O and SO2. An energy gradient program was used to locate stable structures for the H2O, SO2 complexes, and SCF calculations were carried out to determine the binding energies of complexes with multiple water molecules. A 4-31G basis set was used for most potential energy searches. More accurate basis sets including a generally contracted basis set with d orbitals on the sulfur were used for geometry and binding energy verification. For single water complexes, five different stable geometries were located with binding energies between 4 and 11 Kcal mol(-1), suggesting a binding shell for H2O around SO2 and a mechanism for the formation of an SO2-containing water droplet. Calculations on one of the complexes utilizing a larger double zeta basis and d functions on the sulfur atom lead to adjusted binding energies in the range 3 to 8 Kcal mol(-1). Very little charge transfer between SO2 and H2O was present. Addition of more than one H2O was found to be energetically favorable although the addition of the fourth water in certain geometries did not increase the stability of the complex. An alternative mechanism for the tropospheric gas phase production of acid rain is suggested.

Ake, Robert L.↗

NASA NTRS2009

Selective functionalization of carbon nanotube tips allowing fabrication of new classes of nanoscale sensing and manipulation tools

Embodiments in accordance with the present invention relate to techniques for the growth and attachment of single wall carbon nanotubes (SWNT), facilitating their use as robust and well-characterized tools for AFM imaging and other applications. In accordance with one embodiment, SWNTs attached to an AFM tip can function as a structural scaffold for nanoscale device fabrication on a scanning probe. Such a probe can trigger, with nanometer precision, specific biochemical reactions or conformational changes in biological systems. The consequences of such triggering can be observed in real time by single-molecule fluorescence, electrical, and/or AFM sensing. Specific embodiments in accordance with the present invention utilize sensing and manipulation of individual molecules with carbon nanotubes, coupled with single-molecule fluorescence imaging, to allow observation of spectroscopic signals in response to mechanically induced molecular changes. Biological macromolecules such as proteins or DNA can be attached to nanotubes to create highly specific single-molecule probes for investigations of intermolecular dynamics, for assembling hybrid biological and nanoscale materials, or for developing molecular electronics. In one example, electrical wiring of single redox enzymes to carbon nanotube scanning probes allows observation and electrochemical control over single enzymatic reactions by monitoring fluorescence from a redox-active cofactor or the formation of fluorescent products. Enzymes ''nanowired'' to the tips of carbon nanotubes in accordance with embodiments of the present invention, may enable extremely sensitive probing of biological stimulus-response with high spatial resolution, including product-induced signal transduction.

Wade, Lawrence A.↗

NASA NTRS1999

Novel Electric Nucleation Technique for Growing Large Single Crystal in Space

We present, herein, an electrical model for growing crystals without a seed which might not be free of defects and thereby still hinder the growth of a perfect crystal in space. The system is designed to confine nucleation to a single site automatically in an under saturated solution to avoid multiple nucleation. The technique is based on the effect of electrostriction, which is the tendency of a material to become more compressed in the presence of an electric field. The system is designed to create an electrical potential well between two hyperboloid electrodes with applied voltage at low frequency. The induced potential well between the electrodes oscillates at low frequency and attracts the solute and condenses it into the region of maximum field intensity. The alternating voltage prevents molecules with intrinsic charge from being attracted to the electrodes. The continuous presence of the electric field during the duration of the experiment, provides a continuous migration of the molecules toward the trapping site. This will eliminate the creation of a depletion region around the nucleation center and will enhance the crystal growth rate. Aside from the above mentioned advantages, the system is compact, safe to operate, and inexpensive to build.

Abdeldayem, Hossin↗