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Meteorite mass distributions and differences between Antarctic and non-Antarctic meteorites

Meteorite mass distributions provide important insight into real and apparent differences between Antarctic and non-Antarctic meteorites. Antarctic meteorites are typically smaller than non-Antarctic meteorites and represent a different portion of the mass distribution of infalling meteorites. This results from the different methods employed to acquire the collections and from the much smaller effective collecting area for Antarctic meteorites. Comparisons of the proportions and mass distributions of H and L chondrites for different ice fields suggest that previously reported high H to L ratio among Antarctic meteorites compared to witnessed falls results from an unrecognized H5 shower fall that covered the Allan Hills Main and Near Western ice fields in the relatively recent past. The probable presence of unrecognized shower falls among the Antarctic meteorites means that population statistics, even corrected for presently recognized pairing, cannot be used to support the suggestion by Dennison et al. (1986) of a temporal variation in the mixture of meteorites arriving on earth.

Huss, Gary R.↗

Locating very high energy gamma-ray sources with arcminute accuracy

The angular accuracy of gamma-ray detectors is intrinsically limited by the physical processes involved in photon detection. Although a number of pointlike sources were detected by the COS B satellite, only two have been unambiguously identified by time signature with counterparts at longer wavelengths. By taking advantage of the extended longitudinal structure of VHE gamma-ray showers, measurements in the TeV energy range can pinpoint source coordinates to arcminute accuracy. This has now been demonstrated with new data analysis procedures applied to observations of the Crab Nebula using Cherenkov air shower imaging techniques. With two telescopes in coincidence, the individual event circular probable error will be 0.13 deg. The half-cone angle of the field of view is effectively 1 deg.

Akerlof, C. W.↗

Locating very high energy gamma ray sources with arc minute accuracy

The angular accuracy of gamma-ray detectors is intrinsically limited by the physical processes involved in photon detection. Although a number of point-like sources were detected by the COS-B satellite, only two were unambiguously identified by time signature with counterparts at longer wavelengths. By taking advantage of the extended longitudinal structure of Very High Energy gamma-ray showers, measurements in the TeV energy range can pinpoint source coordinates to arc minute accuracy. This was demonstrated using Cerenkov air shower imaging techniques. With two telescopes in coincidence, the individual event circular probable error will be 0.13 deg. The half-cone angle of the field of view is effectively 1 deg.

Akerlof, C. W.↗

Evolution of the Quadrantid meteor stream

According to previous orbital calculations, the last close approach of the Quadrantid stream with Jupiter occurred 3200 years ago at which time the parent comet of the stream may have been captured into its present short-period orbit. If this is the case the stream may only be a few thousand years old. We have modeled the evolution of the stream to determine if such a short time scale is consistent with the observed features of the Quadrantid/ delta- Aquarid/Arietid/Ursid complex. A detailed modeling of a stream consisting of 500 test particles released 4000 yr ago and which included the effects of the gravitational perturbations of 6 planets as well as the likely spread in the initial orbital elements resulting from the ejection of the grains from the comet was carried out. Our calculations indicate that an intense shower should be seen a few days before the Quadrantid shower, and that, 4000 yr is too short a period for the branch corresponding to the D-Arietid branch to appear. We have considered the quasi-constants of motion 1/a and J, the Tisserand quantity, and find that the Ursids and the D-Arietids are unlikely to be members of the complex, and that, the complex is probably be less than 4000 yr old.

Jones, James↗

Meteor radiant mapping with MU radar

The radiant point mapping of meteor showers with the MU radar by using a modified mapping method originally proposed by Morton and Jones (1982) was carried out. The modification is that each meteor echo was weighted by using the beam pattern of the radar system. A preliminary result of the radiant point mapping of the Geminids meteor shower in 1989 is presented.

Watanabe, Jun-Ichi↗

Formation of the Leonid meteor stream and storm

It is well known that some meteor showers display a very high level of activity at certain times, the most famous being the Leonid shower with very spectacular displays at roughly 33 year intervals. This period being also the period of the parent comet of the stream, Comet Tempel-Tuttle. An investigation of the geometry of the comet and the Earth at the time of each high activity occurrence by Yeomans suggests that most of the meteoroids are found outside the cometary orbit and lagging the comet. The formation process of such a stream by numerically integrating the orbits of dust particles ejected from the comet and moving under the influence of gravity and radiation pressure are simulated. The intersection of these dust particles with the Earth is also considered and it is concluded that about 12 percent of the ejected particles may be observed and that of those observable, 63 percent will be outside the cometary orbit and behind the comet.

Wu, Zidian↗

Meteorites from recent amor-type orbits

We report here the discovery of a recent meteorite shower in Antarctica, the members of which have very high natural thermoluminescence levels. It is apparent from these data that the shower has been on Earth only a short time (approximately 1000 years) and the meteorite probably came to Earth through rapid (less than 10 exp 5 years) evolution from an orbit with perihelion greater than 1.1 AU, similar to Amor asteroids. Only a very small number of meteorites, including a few modern falls, appear to have had similar orbital histories.

Benoit, P. H.↗

Geochemical evidences for two chondritic-like cometary or asteroidal impacts before and at the K/T boundary

A number of geological and palaeontological evidences support multiple impacts of cometary showers within a short time (approximately 1-3 Ma) and their connection with mass extinctions. Observations include clustered crater ages, stratigraphic horizons of impact ejecta closely spaced in time, and evidence for stepwise mass extinctions spanning intervals of 1-3 Ma. For the K/T boundary, three candidates, Popigai, Manson, and Yucatan, have been proposed as impact craters. Two distinct strata at the K/T boundary in western North America have been interpreted as evidence for two sequential impacts. If multiple impacts occurred within a time span of about 1 Ma then multiple Ir enrichments should be observed. DSDP Hole 577B on the Shatsky Plateau in the northern Pacific at K/T time is the first site. Samples contain approximately greater than 97 percent CaCO3, which exhibit clear chemical signals associated with asteroidal/cometary impact. Ir, Fe, and Cr data are presented. From the Th-normalized data, two satellite peaks below the major peak at 78 cm and 81 cm of 577B-1-4 are clearly shown. The major Ir peak (K/T boundary) is at 72 cm. Fe and Cr, from C1-like impactor ejecta fallout, also show two peaks at the same positions. For hole 738C on the southern Kerguelen Plateau, Ir values reach a peak concentration of 18 ppb in the clay layer at 96.0-96.2 cm in section 20R-5, and gradually tail off. In the sample 115 cm above the boundary, Ir concentrations have still not reached background levels. From the Ir peak downward to the lowermost sample analyzed at 102 cm, the Ir concentration is still as high as 1.7 ppb. From the Th-normalized data, we observe a small Ir/Th peak at 100-101 cm. Though this peak is within the error margin, the trend is clear. Fe and Cr exhibit the same pattern. The third case is Hole 690C on the Queen Maud Ridge. Again, the Ir/Th plot indicates the strong possibility of satellite peaks at approximately 52 cm. The main peak is at 39-40 cm. For the Stevns Klint K/T boundary layers, the stratification of trace elements appears threefold with peak concentrations in sublayers A1, A3, and B2 for different element groups, including Ir. C1 ratios for many siderophile elements found in combined layers III and IV, corresponding to layers A, B, C, and D, strongly support the impact hypothesis. Also, multiple Ir anomalies in the K/T section at Lattengebirge, Bavarian Alps are reported. Recent works on Ni-rich spinels and Ir at the K/T boundaries clearly establish cometary/asteroidal impacts at the K/T boundary. Lastly, cometary showers can explain the enhanced Ir contents over approximately a 1 Ma interval in Gubbio shales.

Liu, Y.-G.↗

Eureka! Aerogel capture of meteoroids in space

Light gas gun studies have shown that 6 km/s solid mineral and glass test particles can be successively captured in 0.05 g cm(exp -3) aerogel without severe heating or fragmentation. In spite of this work, there has been uncertainty in the performance of aerogel for hypervelocity capture of real meteoroids. Natural impacts differ from simulations in that the particles are likely to be structurally weak and they typically impact at higher velocity that can be simulated in the laboratory. We are fortunate now to have had two successful capture experiments using aerogel exposed in space. These experiments provide fundamental data for the assessment of the value of silica aerogel for capture of hypervelocity meteoroids from spacecraft. The first experiment used 0.02 g cm(exp -3) aerogel flown on the lid of a Shuttle Get Away Special canister. During its 9 day exposure, the 0.165 m(exp 2) of aerogel in this Sample Return Experiment (SRE) captured two long 'carrot-shaped' tracks and one highly fractured bowl shaped 'crater'. The second collection was with 0.04 m(exp 2) of 0.05 g cm(exp -3) aerogel exposed on ESA's Eureca freeflying spacecraft that was exposed for 11 months before recovery by the Shuttle. The Eureca aerogel exposure consisted of four 10x10 cm module trays that were part of the TiCCE meteoroid collector built by the University of Kent at Canterbury. To date we have found ten 'carrot-shaped' tracks and two 'craters' on this experiment. The longest tracks in both exposures are over 2 mm long. Two of the TiCCE modules had a 0.1 micron Al film suspended a millimeter above the aerogel. On these modules several of the projectiles fragmented during passage through the film producing fields of carrot shaped tracks from the resulting miniature 'meteor' shower. Most of the tracks in these showers have observable particles at their ends. We have extracted one of the carrot track meteoroids and mounted it in epoxy for sectioning. So far the examination of these 14 impacts suggests that low density aerogel is a magic and highly effective media for intact capture of hypervelocity particles in space.

Brownlee, D. E.↗

Prediction of Film Cooling on Gas Turbine Airfoils

A three-dimensional Navier-Stokes analysis tool has been developed in order to study the effect of film cooling on the flow and heat transfer characteristics of actual turbine airfoils. An existing code (Arnone et al., 1991) has been modified for the purpose. The code is an explicit, multigrid, cell-centered, finite volume code with an algebraic turbulence model. Eigenvalue scaled artificial dissipation and variable-coefficient implicit residual smoothing are used with a full-multigrid technique. Moreover, Mayle's transition criterion (Mayle, 1991) is used. The effects of film cooling have been incorporated into the code in the form of appropriate boundary conditions at the hole locations on the airfoil surface. Each hole exit is represented by several control volumes, thus providing an ability to study the effect of hole shape on the film-cooling characteristics. Comparison is fair with near mid-span experimental data for four and nine rows of cooling holes, five on the shower head, and two rows each on the pressure and suction surfaces. The computations, however, show a strong spanwise variation of the heat transfer coefficient on the airfoil surface, specially with shower-head cooling.

Garg, Vijay K.↗

Leading edge film cooling effects on turbine blade heat transfer

An existing three dimensional Navier-Stokes code, modified to include film cooling considerations, has been used to study the effect of spanwise pitch of shower-head holes and coolant to mainstream mass flow ratio on the adiabatic effectiveness and heat transfer coefficient on a film-cooled turbine vane. The mainstream is akin to that under real engine conditions with stagnation temperature = 1900 K and stagnation pressure = 3 MPa. It is found that with the coolant to mainstream mass flow ratio fixed, reducing P, the spanwise pitch for shower-head holes, from 7.5 d to 3.0 d, where d is the hole diameter, increases the average effectiveness considerably over the blade surface. However, when P/d= 7.5, increasing the coolant mass flow increases the effectiveness on the pressure surface but reduces it on the suction surface due to coolant jet lift-off. For P/d = 4.5 or 3.0, such an anomaly does not occur within the range of coolant to mainstream mass flow ratios analyzed. In all cases, adiabatic effectiveness and heat transfer coefficient are highly three-dimensional.

Garg, Vijay K.↗

Development of a Rational Modeling Approach for the Design, and Optimization of the Multifiltration Unit

This thesis includes the development and verification of an adsorption model for analysis and optimization of the adsorption processes within the International Space Station multifiltration beds. The fixed bed adsorption model includes multicomponent equilibrium and both external and intraparticle mass transfer resistances. Single solute isotherm parameters were used in the multicomponent equilibrium description to predict the competitive adsorption interactions occurring during the adsorption process. The multicomponent equilibrium description used the Fictive Component Analysis to describe adsorption in unknown background matrices. Multicomponent isotherms were used to validate the multicomponent equilibrium description. Column studies were used to develop and validate external and intraparticle mass transfer parameter correlations for compounds of interest. The fixed bed model was verified using a shower and handwash ersatz water which served as a surrogate to the actual shower and handwash wastewater.

Hand, David W.↗

Heat Transfer on a Film-Cooled Blade - Effect of Hole Physics

A multi-block, three-dimensional Navier-Stokes code has been used to study the within-hole and near-hole physics in relation to heat transfer on a film-cooled blade. The flow domain consists of the coolant flow through the plenum and hole-pipes for the three staggered rows of shower-head holes on the VK1 rotor, and the main flow over the blade. A multi-block grid is generated that is nearly orthogonal to the various surfaces. It may be noted that for the VK1 rotor the shower-head holes are inclined at 30 deg. to the spanwise direction, and are normal to the streamwise direction on the blade. Wilcox's k-omega turbulence model is used. The present study provides a much better comparison for the heat transfer coefficient at the blade mid-span with the experimental data than an earlier analysis wherein coolant velocity and temperature distributions were specified at the hole exits rather than extending the computational domain into the hole-pipe and plenum. Details of the distributions of coolant velocity, temperature, k and omega at the hole exits are also presented.

Garg, Vijay K.↗

Heat Transfer on a Film-Cooled Blade: Effect of Hole Physics

A multiblock, three-dimensional Navier Stokes code has been used to study the within-hole and near-hole physics in relation to heat transfer on a film-cooled blade. The flow domain consists of the coolant flow through the plenum and hole-pipes for the three staggered rows of shower-head holes on the VKI rotor, and the main flow over the blade. A multiblock grid is generated that is nearly orthogonal to the various surfaces. It may be noted that for the VKI rotor the shower-head holes are inclined at 30 deg to the spanwise direction, and are normal to the streamwise direction on the blade. Wilcox's k-omega turbulence model is used. The present study provides a much better comparison for the span-averaged heat transfer coefficient on the blade surface with the experimental data than an earlier analysis wherein coolant velocity and temperature distributions were specified at the hole exits rather than extending the computational domain into the hole-pipe and plenum. Details of the distributions of coolant velocity, temperature, k and omega at the hole exits are also presented.

Garg, Vijay K.↗

Comparison of Two-Equation Turbulence Models for Prediction of Heat Transfer on Film-Cooled Turbine Blades

A three-dimensional Navier-Stokes code has been used to compute the heat transfer coefficient on two film-cooled turbine blades, namely, the VKI rotor with six rows of cooling holes, including three rows on the shower head and the C3X vane with nine rows of holes, including five rows on the shower head. Predictions of heat transfer coefficient at the blade surface using three two-equation turbulence model specifically, Coakley's q-omega model, Chien's k-epsilon model and Wilcox's k-omega model with Menter's modifications, have been compared with the experimental data of Camci and Arts for the VKI rotor, and of Hylton et al. for the C3X vane along with predictions using the Baldwin-Lomar (B-L) model taken from Garg and Gaugler. It is found that for the cases considered here the two equation models predict the blade heat transfer somewhat better than the B-L model except immediately downstream of the film-cooled holes on the suction surface of the VKI rotor, and over most of the suction surface of the C3X vane. However, all two-equation models require 40% more computer core than the B-L model for solution, and while the q-omega and k-epsilon models need 40% more computer time than the B-L model the k-omega model requires at least 65% more time because of the slower rate of convergence. It is found that the heat transfer coefficient exhibit a strong spanwise as well as streamwise variation for both blades and all turbulence models.

Garg, Vijay K.↗

Adiabatic Effectiveness and Heat Transfer Coefficient on a Film-Cooled Rotating Blade

three-dimensional Navier-Stokes code has been used to compute the adiabatic effectiveness and heat transfer coefficient on a rotating film-cooled turbine blade. The blade chosen is the United Technologies Research Center(UTRC) rotor with five film-cooling rows containing 83 holes, including three rows on the shower head with 49 holes, covering about 86% of the blade span. The mainstream is akin to that under real engine conditions with stagnation temperature 1900 K and stagnation pressure 3 MPa. The blade speed is taken to be 5200 rpm. The adiabatic effectiveness is higher for a rotating blade as compared to that for a stationary blade. Also, the direction of coolant injection from the shower-head holes considerably affects the effectiveness and heat transfer coefficient values on both the pressure and suction surfaces. In all cases the heat transfer coefficient and adiabatic effectiveness are highly three-dimensional in the vicinity of holes but tend to become two-dimensional far downstream.

Garg, Vijay K.↗

The 1998 Leonid Multi-Instrument Aircraft Campaign-An Early Review

The 1998 return of the Leonid shower was the target of the Leonid multi-instrument aircraft campaign (Leonid MAC), an unusual two-aircraft astronomical research mission executed near Okinawa, Japan. The prospect of a meteor storm brought 28 researchers of 7 nationalities together in a concerted effort to observe the shower by imaging, spectroscopic, and ranging techniques. This paper is a review of the major science issues that are behind the deployment of each of the present array of instruments and describes the interconnection of the various experiments. This was NASA's first astrobiology mission. The mission also aimed to study contemporary issues in planetary astronomy, in atmospheric sciences, and concerning the satellite impact hazard. First results of the participating observers are discussed and put in context, in preparation for the deployment of a planned second mission in November of 1999.

Jenniskens, Peter↗

First Flight of the Advanced Thin Ionization Calorimeter (ATIC) Balloon Experiment

The ATILT instrument is designed to measure the composition and energy spectra of Z = 1 to 28 cosmic rays over the energy range -10 GeV - 100 TeV. ATIC was launched as a long duration test balloon flight on 12/28/00 local time from McMurdo, Antarctica. The operations preceding and during launch went very smoothly. During the first -20 hr while the instrument remained within line of sight (LOS), a full system check out was conducted, the experiment was operated in several test configurations, and all major tuning was completed. Preliminary analysis of the science data indicates that the overall detector system is functioning as expected. With our fully functioning analysis software we were able to monitor the data in nearly real time. Each event was reconstructed event-by-event to confirm the detector performance. The shower profiles indicate that the shower maximum location is deeper in the calorimeter for higher energy events, as expected. The energy spectra of protons, Helium nuclei, and "all particles" appear to follow power laws. Both the Si matrix and top scintillator layer of the charge module show clear charge separation for p and He. As the statistics increase, heavy nuclei charge separation will be evaluated. We will present preliminary results of the LOS data, as well as other data that will be available from the flight-data hard disk,

Case, G.↗