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The partially closed cycle environmental control and Life Support Subsystems is examined. Components of the system include air pressure control, heat control, water management, air and water quality monitors, fire detection and suppression, personnel escape, and EVA support subsystems.
The results of the laboratory simulation of optical Kerr effect/Raman spectroscopy for the purpose of remote sensing are presented. The experimental setup is described, and measurements of the vibrational spectra of various liquids obtained. Attention is paid to the possibility of using the proposed method to detect trace hydrocarbons in water, and the spectrum of petroleum is obtained. Full-scale measurements using a laser spectrometer were made on the Black Sea.
The OH number density in the stratosphere has been measured over the altitude interval of 37 to 23 km at midday via a balloon-borne gondola launched from Palestine, Texas on July 6, 1988. OH radicals are detected with a laser-induced fluorescence instrument employing a 17-kHz-repetition-rate copper vapor laser-pumped dye laser optically coupled to an enclosed flow, in-situ sampling chamber. OH abundances ranged from 88 + or - 3l pptv in the 36 to 35 km interval to 0.9 + or - 0.8 pptv in the 24 to 23 km interval. The stated uncertainty includes that from both measurement precision and accuracy. Simultaneous detection of ozone and water vapor densities was carried out with separate on-board instruments.
Viewgraphs on the Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) for the space station are presented. The ECLSS is divided into six subsystems: temperature and humidity control (THC), atmosphere control and supply (ACS), atmosphere revitalization (AR), fire detection and suppression (FDS), water recovery management (WRM), and waste management (WM). Topics covered include: ECLSS subsystem functions; ECLSS distributed system; ECLSS functional distribution; CO2 removal; CO2 reduction; oxygen generation; urine processor; and potable water recovery.
It has been more than 25 years since Apollo 17 returned the last of the Apollo lunar samples. Since then, a vast amount of data has been obtained from the study of rocks and soils from the Apollo and Luna sample collections and, more recently, on a set of about a dozen lunar meteorites collected on Earth. Based on direct studies of the samples, many constraints have been established for the age, early differentiation, crust and mantle structure, and subsequent impact modification of the Moon. In addition, geophysical experiments at the surface, as well as remote sensing from orbit and Earth-based telescopic studies, have provided additional datasets about the Moon that constrain the nature of its surface and internal structure. Some might be tempted to say that we know all there is to know about the Moon and that it is time to move on from this simple satellite to more complex objects. However, the ongoing Lunar Prospector mission and the highly successful Clementine mission have provided important clues to the real geological complexity of the Moon, and have shown us that we still do not yet adequately understand the geologic history of Earth's companion. These missions, like Galileo during its lunar flyby, are providing global information viewed through new kinds of windows, and providing a fresh context for models of lunar origin, evolution, and resources, and perhaps even some grist for new questions and new hypotheses. The probable detection and characterization of water ice at the poles, the extreme concentration of Th and other radioactive elements in the Procellarum-Imbrium-Frigon's resurfaced areas of the nearside of the Moon, and the high-resolution gravity modeling enabled by these missions are examples of the kinds of exciting new results that must be integrated with the extant body of knowledge based on sample studies, in situ experiments, and remote-sensing missions to bring about the best possible understanding of the Moon and its history.
Material of low albedo covers the surfaces, and in some cases constitutes the surfaces, of many planetary satellites. The low mean densities and water ice absorption bands detected in the spectra of some of these bodies show that they are fundamentally icy, but other bodies contain substantial fractions of rocky material. If we define three arbitrary albedo categories ranging from very low to very high, we find that there are many examples in each group.
Instruments on the Galileo probe measured composition, cloud properties, thermal structure. winds, radiative energy balance, and electrical properties of the Jovian atmosphere. As expected the probe results confirm some expectations about Jupiter's atmosphere, refute others, and raise new questions which still remain unanswered. This talk will concentrate on those aspects of the probe observations which either raised new questions or remain unresolved. The Galileo probe observations of composition and clouds provided some of the biggest surprises of the mission. Helium abundance measured by the probe differed significantly from the remote sensing derivations from Voyager. discrepancy between the Voyager helium abundance determinations for Jupiter and the Galileo probe value have now led to a considerably increased helium determination for Saturn. Global abundance of N in the form of ammonia was observed to be supersolar by approximately the same factor as carbon, in contrast to expectations that C/N would be significantly larger than solar. This has implications for the formation and evolution of Jupiter. The cloud structure was not what was generally anticipated, even though most previous remote sensing results below the uppermost cloud referred to 5 micron hot spots, local regions with reduced cloud opacity. The Galileo probe descended in one of these hot spots. Only a tenuous, presumed ammonium hydrosulfide, cloud was detected, and no significant water cloud or super-solar water abundance was measured. The mixing ratios as a function of depth for the condensibles ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, and water, exhibited no apparent correlation with either condensation levels or with each other, an observation that is still a puzzle, although there are now dynamical models of hot spots which show promise in being able to explain such behavior. Probe tracked zonal winds show that wind magnitude increases with depth to pressures of about 4 bars, with the winds extending to at least as deep as the probe made measurements, 22 bars. Models of hot spot dynamics raise the possibility that the variation with depth of the probe measured zonal winds between 0.4 and 4 bars reflect the dynamics of the hot spot rather than the global wind pattern. Galileo upper atmosphere measurements established that there is a sharp temperature rise with altitude between about 350 and 800 km above the 1 bar pressure level, with the upper atmosphere reaching, temperatures near 900 K. The energy sources for this upper atmosphere heating are not clearly established, but various mechanisms have been proposed. These and other aspects of the Galileo probe data will be discussed.
Through the use of airborne and satellite imagery we are improving our ability to investigate ancient Maya settlement, subsistence, and landscape modification in this dense forest region. Today the area is threatened by encroaching settlement and deforestation. However, it was in this region that the Maya civilization began, flourished, and abruptly disappeared for unknown reasons in the 9th century AD. At the time of their collapse they had attained one of the highest population densities in human history. How the Maya were able to successfully manage water and feed this dense population is not well understood at this time. A NASA-funded project used remote sensing technology to investigate large seasonal swamps (bajos) that make up 40 percent of the landscape. Through the use of remote sensing, ancient Maya features such as sites, roadways, canals and water reservoirs have been detected and verified through ground reconnaissance. The results of this preliminary research cast new light on the adaptation of the ancient Maya to their environment. Microenvironmental variation within the wetlands was elucidated and the different vegetation associations identified in the satellite imagery. More than 70 new archeological sites within and at the edges of the bajo were mapped and tested. Modification of the landscape by the Maya in the form of dams and reservoirs in the Holmul River and its tributaries and possible drainage canals in bajos was demonstrated. The use of Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) and Enhanced Thematic Mapper (ETM), one-meter IKONOS satellite imagery, as well as high resolution airborne STAR-3i radar imagery--2.5 meter backscatter/10 meter Digital Elevation Model (DEM)--are opening new possibilities for understanding how a civilization was able to survive for centuries upon a karat topographic landscape. This understanding is critical for the current population that is currently experiencing rapid population growth and destroying the landscape through nontraditional farming and grazing techniques, resulting in socioeconomic problems.
Instruments on the Galileo probe measured composition, cloud properties, thermal structure, winds, radiative energy balance, and electrical properties of the Jovian atmosphere. As expected the probe results confirm some expectations about Jupiter's atmosphere, refute others, and raise new questions which still remain unanswered. This talk will concentrate on those aspects of the probe observations which either raised new questions or remain unresolved. The Galileo probe observations of composition and clouds provided some of the biggest surprises of the mission. Helium abundance measured by the probe differed significantly from the remote sensing derivations from Voyager. Discrepancy between the Voyager helium abundance determinations for Jupiter and the Galileo probe value have now led to a considerably increased helium determination for Saturn. Global abundance of N in the form of ammonia was observed to be super-solar by approximately the same factor as carbon, in contrast to expectations that C/N would be significantly larger than solar. This has implications for the formation and evolution of Jupiter. The cloud structure was not what was generally anticipated, even though most previous remote sensing results below the uppermost cloud referred to 5 micron hot spots, local regions with reduced cloud opacity. The Galileo probe descended in one of these hot spots. Only a tenuous, presumed ammomium hydrosulfide, cloud was detected, and no significant water cloud or super-solar water abundance was measured. The mixing ratios as a function of depth for the condensibles ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, and water, exhibited no apparent correlation with either condensation levels or with each other, an observation that is still a puzzle, although there are now dynamical models of hot spots which show promise in being able to explain such behavior. Probe tracked zonal winds show that wind magnitude increases with depth to pressures of about 4 bars, with the winds extending to at least as deep as the probe made measurements, 22 bars. Models of hot spot dynamics raise the possibility that the variation with depth of the probe measured zonal winds between 0.4 and 4 bars reflect the dynamics of the hot spot rather than the global wind pattern. Galileo upper atmosphere measurements established that there is a sharp temperature rise with altitude between about 350 and 800 km above the 1 bar pressure level, with the upper atmosphere reaching temperatures near 900 K. The energy sources for this upper atmosphere heating are not clearly established, but various mechanisms have been proposed. These and other aspects of the Galileo probe data will be discussed.
This project uses new satellite and airborne imagery in combination with remote sensing, GIS, and GPS technology to understand the dynamics of how the Maya successfully interacted with their karst topographic landscape for several centuries in the northern Peten region of Guatemala. The ancient Maya attained one of the greatest population densities in human history in the tropical forest of the Peten, Guatemala, and it was in this region that the Maya civilization began, flourished, and abruptly disappeared for unknown reasons around AD 800. How the Maya were able to successfully manage water and feed this dense population is not known at this time. However, a recent NASA-funded project was the first to investigate large seasonal swamps (bajos) that make up 40 percent of the landscape. Through the use of remote sensing, ancient Maya features such as cities, roadways, canals and water reservoirs have been detected and verified through ground reconnaissance. The results of this research cast new light on the adaptation of the ancient Maya to their environment. Micro-environmental variation within the wetlands was elucidated and the different vegetational associations identified in the satellite imagery. More than 70 new archeological sites within and at the edges of the bajo were mapped and tested. Modification of the landscape by the Maya in the form of dams and reservoirs in the Holmul River and its tributaries and possible drainage canals in bajos was demonstrated. The recent acquisition of one-meter IKONOS imagery and high resolution STAR-3i radar imagery (2.5m backscatter/ 10m DEM), opens new possibilities for understanding how a civilization was able to survive for centuries upon a karst topographic landscape and their human-induced effects upon the local climate. This understanding is critical for the current population that is presently experiencing rapid population growth and destroying the landscape through non-traditional farming and grazing techniques, resulting in socioeconomic problems.
We had originally planned to analyze UVCS observations of Comet Machholz, but we obtained higher quality observations of Comet Kudo-Fujikawa in January 2003 at its 0.19 AU perihelion. Besides a large and rapidly increasing water outgassing rate, we detected a bright tail in doubly ionized carbon. The amount of carbon was greater than could be accounted for by GO photodissociation, and we attribute the carbon to evaporation of organics from dust. A spectacular disconnection event was apparent in the C III tail, and it coincides within the uncertainties with the position of the heliospheric current sheet. A paper is in press in Science, and it will be the subject of a press release. We are also analyzing two sungrazing comets. Comet C/2001 C2 shows evidence for sub-fragments and for a very long lasting source of neutrals, which we tentatively identify as evaporation of pyroxene dust grains. Comet C/2002 S2 shows a sudden 2 magnitude drop in optical brightness and an equally sudden recovery. UVCS observations during that time show a steadily increasing outgassing rate. We have derived solar wind densities for both comets, but we are still sorting out the ambiguities involving the fragmentation and optical behavior. We are collaborating with Philippe Lamy on the LASCO measurements.
A fiber modulator/sensor has been fabricated by depositing a lithium niobate sol-gel thin film between the core and cladding of a fiber preform. The preform is then drawn into 125 micron fiber. The proposed design of lithium niobate cylinder fibers can enhance the existing methodology for detecting sound waves under water utilizing the acoustooptic properties of lithium niobate. Upon application of a stress or strain, light propagating inside the core, according to the principle of total internal reflection, escapes, into the cladding because of the photoelastic boundary layer of lithium niobate. Test results of the lithium niobate fiber reveal a reduction in the 1550 nm, 4mW source with applied tension. The source power from an ordinary quartz fiber under the same stress condition remained invariant to applied tension.
The analysis of Comet Kudo-Fujikawa at perihelion was published and picked up by Der Spiegel. Besides a large and rapidly increasing water outgassing rate, we detected a bright tail in doubly ionized carbon. The amount of carbon was greater than could be accounted for by CO photodissociation, and we attribute it to evaporation of organics from dust. A spectacular disconnection event was apparent in the C III tail, and it coincides within the uncertainties to the position of the heliospheric current sheet. The analysis of the sungrazing comet C2001 C2 is in press. It showed evidence for subfragments and for a very long lasting source of neutrals, which we identify as evaporation of pyroxene dust grains. Results were also presented at COSPAR. We are working on observations of another sungrazer, comet C2002 S2, which shows a sudden 2 magnitude drop in optical brightness and an equally sudden recovery. UVCS observations during that time show a steadily increasing outgassing rate. We have derived solar wind densities for both comets, but we are still sorting out the ambiguities involving the fragmentation and optical behavior.
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Nuclear Magnetic resonance (NMR) is a well-known spectroscopic technique used by chemists and is especially powerful in detecting the presence of water and distinguishing between arbitrary physisorbed and chemisorbed states. This ability is of particular importance in the search for extra-terrestrial life on planets such as Mars.
Radar has the unique capability of looking under the dry and cold surfaces of Mars. The depth of penetration of radio waves depends on a number of surface and subsurface parameters such as surface topography, subsurface geological structure and surface and subsurface electromagnetic properties. Among these parameters, the surface topography is known best largely due to valuable data provided by Mars Global Surveyor's MOLA instrument. However, little information is available on the electromagnetic properties and subsurface characteristics of Mars.
A computer program corrects for the effects of humidity on the readouts of an array of chemical sensors (an "electronic nose"). To enable the use of this program, the array must incorporate an independent humidity sensor in addition to sensors designed to detect analytes other than water vapor. The basic principle of the program was described in "Compensating for Effects of Humidity on Electronic Noses" (NPO-30615), NASA Tech Briefs, Vol. 28, No. 6 (June 2004), page 63. To recapitulate: The output of the humidity sensor is used to generate values that are subtracted from the outputs of the other sensors to correct for contributions of humidity to those readings. Hence, in principle, what remains after corrections are the contributions of the analytes only. The outputs of the non-humidity sensors are then deconvolved to obtain the concentrations of the analytes. In addition, the humidity reading is retained as an analyte reading in its own right. This subtraction of the humidity background increases the ability of the software to identify such events as spills in which contaminants may be present in small concentrations and accompanied by large changes in humidity.
The present invention relates to a method of detecting coliform bacteria in water from reflected light, and also includes devices for the measurement, calculation and transmission of data relating to that method.