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At least 595 records · Page 33

Towards a knowledge-based system to assist the Brazilian data-collecting system operation

A study is reported which was carried out to show how a knowledge-based approach would lead to a flexible tool to assist the operation task in a satellite-based environmental data collection system. Some characteristics of a hypothesized system comprised of a satellite and a network of Interrogable Data Collecting Platforms (IDCPs) are pointed out. The Knowledge-Based Planning Assistant System (KBPAS) and some aspects about how knowledge is organized in the IDCP's domain are briefly described.

Rodrigues, Valter↗

Wide band data collection system

The Incorporated Research Institutes for Seismology (IRIS) approached NASA Headquarters in 1986 about the need to collect data daily from seismic stations around the world as part of the Earth Observing System (EOS) mission. A typical IRIS Seismic Station generates 16 Megabytes of data per day when there is seismic activity. The Preliminary Design Parameters of the Wide Band Data Collection System are summarized.

Turkiewicz, J. M.↗

A model of electron collecting plasma contractors

A model of plasma contractors is being developed, which can be used to describe electron collection in a laboratory test tank and in the space environment. To validate the model development, laboratory experiments are conducted in which the source plasma is separated from the background plasma by a double layer. Model calculations show that an increase in ionization rate with potential produces a steep rise in collected current with increasing potential.

Davis, V. A.↗

Micro-based fact collection tool user's manual

A procedure designed for use by an analyst to assist in the collection and organization of data gathered during the interview processes associated with system analysis and modeling task is described. The basic concept behind the development of this tool is that during the interview process an analyst is presented with assertions of facts by the domain expert. The analyst also makes observations of the domain. These facts need to be collected and preserved in such a way as to allow them to serve as the basis for a number of decision making processes throughout the system development process. This tool can be thought of as a computerization of the analysts's notebook.

Mayer, Richard↗

Cosmic Dust Collection Facility: Scientific objectives and programmatic relations

The science objectives are summarized for the Cosmic Dust Collection Facility (CDCF) on Space Station Freedom and these objectives are related to ongoing science programs and mission planning within NASA. The purpose is to illustrate the potential of the CDCF project within the broad context of early solar system sciences that emphasize the study of primitive objects in state-of-the-art analytical and experimental laboratories on Earth. Current knowledge about the sources of cosmic dust and their associated orbital dynamics is examined, and the results are reviewed of modern microanalytical investigations of extraterrestrial dust particles collected on Earth. Major areas of scientific inquiry and uncertainty are identified and it is shown how CDCF will contribute to their solution. General facility and instrument concepts that need to be pursued are introduced, and the major development tasks that are needed to attain the scientific objectives of the CDCF project are identified.

Hoerz, Fred↗

Scientific guidelines for preservation of samples collected from Mars

The maximum scientific value of Martian geologic and atmospheric samples is retained when the samples are preserved in the conditions that applied prior to their collection. Any sample degradation equates to loss of information. Based on detailed review of pertinent scientific literature, and advice from experts in planetary sample analysis, number values are recommended for key parameters in the environmental control of collected samples with respect to material contamination, temperature, head-space gas pressure, ionizing radiation, magnetic fields, and acceleration/shock. Parametric values recommended for the most sensitive geologic samples should also be adequate to preserve any biogenic compounds or exobiological relics.

Gooding, James L.↗

Theory of collective flux creep

The nature of flux-creep phenomena in the case of collective pinning by weak disorder is discussed. The Anderson concept of flux bundle is explored and developed. The dependence of the bundle activation barrier U on current j is studied and is shown to be of power-law type: U(j) is proportional to j exp -alpha. The values of exponent alpha for the different regimes of collective creep are found.

Feigel'man, M. V.↗

Interplanetary dust particles collected in the stratosphere - Observations of atmospheric heating and constraints on their interrelationships and sources

TEM and IR spectroscopy investigations of the interplanetary dust particles (IDPs) collected in the stratosphere have shown the majority of IDPs in the layer-lattice silicate and pyroxene classes to not have been heated to temperatures above 600 C during atmospheric entry. This implies that they arrive at the upper atmosphere with low geocentric encounter velocities, and limits the possible encounter trajectories for these particles to relatively circular prograde orbits. On this basis, it is judged unlikely that these IDPs are from earth-crossing comets or asteroids; collected IDPs dominated by olivine include a larger portion of above-600 C-heated particles, suggesting their capture from more eccentric orbits.

Sandford, Scott A.↗

Current collection model on tether satellite system

Results are reported from numerical simulations of current collection by a tethered satellite moving in the earth magnetic field. The focus is on the instruments of the Research on Orbital Plasma Electrodynamics (ROPE) experiment planned for the TSS-1 mission (scheduled launch 1991). The derivation of the governing equations is outlined, and the results of simulations with and without the geomagnetic field are presented in graphs. It is predicted that beam-beam interaction will occur when no magnetic effect is present, especially when the instrument bias is lower than the local potential; with the magnetic effect, there should be complex multiple-stream interactions, magnetic-field shielding covering 30 percent or more of the satellite surface when the B field is greater than 0.35 G, and nearly complete collection of the electrons by the instrument arm.

Hwang, K. S.↗

Current collection from an unmagnetized plasma: A tutorial

The current collected by a body in an unmagnetized plasma depends in general on: (1) the properties of the plasma; (2) the properties of the body; and (3) the properties of any neutral species that are present. The important plasma properties are the velocity distributions of the plasma particles at a location remote from the body (at infinity), and the Debye length which determines the importance of plasma space charge effects. The important body properties are its surface characteristics, namely the conductivity and secondary yield coefficients. The neutral species affect the current through collisions which impede the flow of current and possibly through ionization of the neutrals which can enhance the current. The technique for calculating the current collected by a body in a plasma is reviewed with special attention given to the distinction between orbit limited and space charge limited regimes, the asymptotic variation of the potential with distance from a body, and the concept of a sheath.

Whipple, Elden C.↗

Science requirements for Heavy Nuclei Collection (HNC) experiment on NASA Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) Mission 2

The Heavy Nuclei Collection (HNC) is a passive array of stacks of a special glass, 14 sheets thick, that record tracks of ultraheavy cosmic rays for later readout by automated systems on Earth. The primary goal is to determine the relative abundances of both the odd- and even-Z cosmic rays with Z equal to or greater than 50 with statistics a factor at least 60 greater than obtained in HEAO-3 and to obtain charge resolution at least as good as 0.25 charge unit. The secondary goal is to search for hypothetical particles such as superheavy elements. The HNC detector array will have a cumulative collection power equivalent to flying 32 sq m of detectors in space for 4 years. The array will be flown as a free-flight spacecraft and/or attached to Space Station Freedom.

Price, P. Buford↗

Study of meteoroid impact craters on various materials (AO 138-1). Attempt at dust debris collection with stacked detectors (AO 138-2)

Part of the Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) tray allocated to French experiments, known as FRECOPA payload, was devoted to the study of dust particles. Two passive experiments were flown: one composed of a set of glass and metallic samples and one composed of multilayer thin foils detectors. In addition to these experiments, a broad variety of materials were exposed to the bombardment of microparticles and provide more data. Thick target experiment comprises selected metallic (Al, Au, Cu, W, Stainless Steel) 250 microns thick and glass surfaces 1.5 mm thick. Crater size distribution from these thick target experiments enable, with the aid of lab calibrations by solid particle accelerators, the evaluation of the incident microparticle flux in the near earth environment. The aim of the multiple foil penetration and collection experiment is primarily to study the feasibility of multilayer thin film detectors acting as energy sorters in order to collect micrometeoroids, if not in their original shape, at least as 'breakup' fragments suitable for chemical analysis. Foil thicknesses range from 0.75 to 5 microns of Al.

Mandeville, Jean Claude↗

Charge collected by diffusion from an ion track under mixed boundary conditions

Charge-carrier diffusion from an ion track in a silicon substrate at least a few hundred microns thick is analyzed. The substrate upper surface is treated as reflective except for a small section, intended to represent a reverse-biased junction, which is treated as a sink. Total charge collected by the sink is calculated by assuming transport to be governed by an ambipolar diffusion equation with temporally constant and spatially uniform carrier lifetime and diffusion coefficient. Present results apply to a normally incident track but could easily be generalized to arbitrary track direction. The collected charge is found to depend on track length and on the electrostatic capacitance, rather than the area, of the sink. Theoretical predictions are compared to the results of a numerical simulation called the Poisson and Continuity Equation Solver (PISCES) for three cases and are found to agree within a factor of two in the worst case.

Edmonds, Larry D.↗

Effect Of Funneling On Collected Charge

Report discusses collection of electrical charge from track of energetic heavy ion through reverse-biased n+/p junction in semiconductor device. Study focuses on effect of funneling upon total charge collected by low-impedance external circuit. Presents detailed qualitative description of collapse of depletion region and subsequent recovery.

Edmonds, Larry D.↗

Flight test of an improved solid waste collection system

A system for human waste collection is described and evaluated on the basis of a prototype employed for the shuttle flight STS-35. The manually operated version of the unit is designed to collect, compact, and store human waste and cleaning material in replaceable volumes. The system is presented with illustrations and descriptions of the disposable pads that are used to clean the cylinder and occlusive air valves as well as seal the unit. Temporary retention and waste entrainment are provided by the variable airflow in the manual unit tested. The prototype testing indicates that sufficient airflow is achieved at 45 CFM and that the stowage volume (18.7 cu in.) is adequate for storing human waste with minimal logistical support. Higher compaction pressure and the use of a directed airstream are proposed for improving the packing efficiency of the unit.

Thornton, W.↗

Stray-light suppression with high-collection efficiency in laser light-scattering experiments

An optical system is described for collecting a large fraction of fluorescent light emitted isotropically from a cylindrical interaction region. While maintaining an overall detection efficiency of 9 percent, the system rejects, by more than 12 orders of magnitude, incident laser light along a single axis that intersects the interaction region. Such a system is useful for a wide variety of light-scattering experiments in which high-collection efficiency is desirable, but in which light from an incident laser beam must be rejected without resorting to spectral filters.

Deilamian, K.↗

A uniqueness result concerning the identification of a collection of cracks from finitely many electrostatic boundary measurements

The problem of locating and identifying a collection of finitely many cracks inside a planar domain from measurements of the electrostatic boundary potentials induced by specified current fluxes is considered. It is shown that a collection of n or fewer cracks can be uniquely identified by measuring the boundary potentials induced by n + 1 specified current fluxes, consisting entirely of electrode pairs.

Bryan, Kurt↗

Current collection through the transport of electrons across magnetic field lines

Numerical simulations are used to investigate the collection of electrons by a long conducting cylinder in a flowing plasma. The plasma flow simulates the relative motion between a spacecraft and the plasma. The sheath structures and the levels of electron current collections for the cases with and without an ambient magnetic field are examined. It is found that for the flow perpendicular to the magnetic field, the current is considerably enhanced depending on the relative drift velocity. In the case of a nonzero magnetic field perpendicular to the cylinder axis, the potential structure is a 2D double layer with dimensions L-perpendicular much less than L-parallel. L-perpendicular is found to be the current limiting radius given by the Parker-Murphy model (1967). For the flow along the ambient magnetic field, the electron current is found to be smaller than that for the flow perpendicular to this field. This is explained in terms of the potential structures.

Singh, N.↗