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At least 595 records · Page 33

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NASA NTRS2005

Solar Effects on Global Climate Due to Cosmic Rays and Solar Energetic Particles

Although the work reported here does not directly connect solar variability with global climate change, this research establishes a plausible quantitative causative link between observed solar activity and apparently correlated variations in terrestrial climate parameters. Specifically, we have demonstrated that ion-mediated nucleation of atmospheric particles is a likely, and likely widespread, phenomenon that relates solar variability to changes in the microphysical properties of clouds. To investigate this relationship, we have constructed and applied a new model describing the formation and evolution of ionic clusters under a range of atmospheric conditions throughout the lower atmosphere. The activation of large ionic clusters into cloud nuclei is predicted to be favorable in the upper troposphere and mesosphere, and possibly in the lower stratosphere. The model developed under this grant needs to be extended to include additional cluster families, and should be incorporated into microphysical models to further test the cause-and-effect linkages that may ultimately explain key aspects of the connections between solar variability and climate.

Turco, R. P.↗

NASA NTRS2003

New Technique of High-Performance Torque Control Developed for Induction Machines

Two forms of high-performance torque control for motor drives have been described in the literature: field orientation control and direct torque control. Field orientation control has been the method of choice for previous NASA electromechanical actuator research efforts with induction motors. Direct torque control has the potential to offer some advantages over field orientation, including ease of implementation and faster response. However, the most common form of direct torque control is not suitable for the highspeed, low-stator-flux linkage induction machines designed for electromechanical actuators with the presently available sample rates of digital control systems (higher sample rates are required). In addition, this form of direct torque control is not suitable for the addition of a high-frequency carrier signal necessary for the "self-sensing" (sensorless) position estimation technique. This technique enables low- and zero-speed position sensorless operation of the machine. Sensorless operation is desirable to reduce the number of necessary feedback signals and transducers, thus improving the reliability and reducing the mass and volume of the system. This research was directed at developing an alternative form of direct torque control known as a "deadbeat," or inverse model, solution. This form uses pulse-width modulation of the voltage applied to the machine, thus reducing the necessary sample and switching frequency for the high-speed NASA motor. In addition, the structure of the deadbeat form allows the addition of the high-frequency carrier signal so that low- and zero-speed sensorless operation is possible. The new deadbeat solution is based on using the stator and rotor flux as state variables. This choice of state variables leads to a simple graphical representation of the solution as the intersection of a constant torque line with a constant stator flux circle. Previous solutions have been expressed only in complex mathematical terms without a method to clearly visualize the solution. The graphical technique allows a more insightful understanding of the operation of the machine under various conditions.

Kenny, Barbara H.↗

NASA NTRS2005

Novel Elastomeric Membranes Developed for Polymer Electrolytes in Lithium Batteries

Lithium-based polymer batteries for aerospace applications need to be highly conductive from -70 to 70 C. State-of-the-art polymer electrolytes are based on polyethylene oxide (PEO) because of the ability of its ether linkages to solvate lithium ions. Unfortunately, PEO has a tendency to form crystalline regions below 60 C, dramatically lowering conductivity below this temperature. PEO has acceptable ionic conductivities (10(exp -4) to 10(exp -3) S/cm) above 60 C, but it is not mechanically strong. The room-temperature conductivity of PEO can be increased by adding solvent or plasticizers, but this comes at the expense of thermal and mechanical stability. One of NASA Glenn Research Center s objectives in the Polymer Rechargeable System program (PERS) is to develop novel polymer electrolytes that are highly conductive at and below room temperature without added solvents or plasticizers.

Tigelaar, Dean M.↗

NASA NTRS2004

ISSPO Educational Outreach through Educational Program Cooperation

The International Space Station Program Office (ISSPO) has organized a consolidated program to provide communication, education, and outreach to the general public. Existing space station education programs, including amateur radio activities on ISS done voluntarily by the crew members, can be linked to additional classroom and field activities, multiplying the impact of this very scarce and valuable Station resource. Linkages could be created between programs such as Starshine, Space Camp Turkey, MISSES/PCSAT2, and Amateur Radio on ISS. In addition, Amateur radio provides a means of introducing school children to technical hardware and concepts while being fun for the youthful mind. Amateur radio can reach the worldwide community while remaining within very affordable budgets of schools and individuals. When the radio communication is coupled with the Internet, the effect is even greater. People in many diverse areas of the world have access to the internet or radio.

Conley, Carolynn↗

NASA NTRS2005

Crewbot Suspension Design

Planetary Surface Robot Work Crews (RWC) represent a new class of construction robots for future deployment in planetary exploration. Rovers currently being used for the RWC platform lack the load carrying capabilities required in regular work. Two new rovers, dubbed CrewBots, being designed in JPL's Planetary Robotics Lab specifically for RWC applications greatly increase the load carrying capabilities of the platform. A major component of the rover design was the design of the rocker type suspension, which increases rover mobility. The design of the suspension for the Crewbots departed from the design of recent rovers. While many previous rovers have used internal bevel gear differentials, the increased load requirements of the Crewbots calls for a more robust system. The solution presented is the use of an external modified three-bar, slider-linkage, rocker-style suspension that increases the moment arm of the differential. The final product is a suspension system capable of supporting the extreme loading cases the RWC platform presents, without consuming a large portion of the Crewbots' internal space.

Wood, Nathan A.↗

NASA NTRS2006

Principle Component Analysis of the Evolution of the Saharan Air Layer and Dust Transport: Comparisons between a Model Simulation and MODIS Retrievals

The onset and evolution of Saharan Air Layer (SAL) episodes during June-September 2002 are diagnosed by applying principal component analysis to the NCEP reanalysis temperature anomalies at 850 hPa, where the largest SAL-induced temperature anomalies are located. The first principal component (PC) represents the onset of SAL episodes, which are associated with large warm anomalies located at the west coast of Africa. The second PC represents two opposite phases of the evolution of the SAL. The positive phase of the second PC corresponds to the southwestward extension of the warm anomalies into the tropical-subtropical North Atlantic Ocean, and the negative phase corresponds to the northwestward extension into the subtropical to mid-latitude North Atlantic Ocean and the southwest Europe. A dust transport model (CARMA) and the MODIS retrievals are used to study the associated effects on dust distribution and deposition. The positive (negative) phase of the second PC corresponds to a strengthening (weakening) of the offshore flows in the lower troposphere around 10deg - 20degN, causing more (less) dust being transported along the tropical to subtropical North Atlantic Ocean. The variation of the offshore flow indicates that the subseasonal variation of African Easterly Jet is associated with the evolution of the SAL. Significant correlation is found between the second PC time series and the daily West African monsoon index, implying a dynamical linkage between West African monsoon and the evolution of the SAL and Saharan dust transport.

Wong, S.↗

NASA NTRS2005

Online Metadata Directories: A way of preserving, sharing and discovering scientific information

The Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) assists the scientific community in the discovery of and linkage to Earth Science data and provides data holders a means to advertise their data to the community through its portals, i.e. online customized subset metadata directories. These directories are effectively serving communities like the Joint Committee on Antarctic Data Management (JCADM), the Global Observing System Information Center (GOSIC), and the Global Ocean Ecosystems Dynamic Program (GLOBEC) by increasing the visibility of their data holding. The purpose of the Gulf of Maine Ocean Data Partnership (GoMODP) is to "promote and coordinate the sharing, linking, electronic dissemination, and use of data on the Gulf of Maine region". The participants have decided that a "coordinated effort is needed to enable users throughout the Gulf of Maine region and beyond to discover and put to use the vast and growing quantities of data in their respective databases". GoMODP members have invited the GCMD to discuss potential collaborations associated with this effort. The presentation will focus on the use of the GCMD s metadata directory as a powerful tool for data discovery and sharing. An overview of the directory and its metadata authoring tools will be given.

Meaux, M.↗

NASA NTRS2000

Use of Concurrent Engineering in Space Mission Design

In recent years, conceptual-phase (proposal level) design of space missions has been improved considerably. Team structures, tool linkage, specialized facilities known as design centers and scripted processes have been demonstrated to cut proposal-level engineering design time from a few months to a few weeks.

concurent Engineering-Space Mission Design↗

NASA NTRS2000

MISR activities at SAFARI 2000

SAFARI 2000 is an international regional science initiative being developed for Southern Africa to explore, study and address linkages between land-atmosphere processes and the relationship of biogenic, pyrogenic or anthropogenic emissions and the consequences of their deposition to the functioning of the biogeophysical and biogeochemical systems of southern Africa.

MISR AIRMISR SAFARI 2000 southern Africa↗

NASA NTRS1998

The Causes of Geomagnetic Storms During Solar Maximum

One of the oldest mysteries in geomagnetism is the linkage between solar and geomagnetic activity. The 11-year cycles of both the numbers of sunspots and Earth geomagnetic storms were first noted by Sabine (1852).

mass ejections plasma link↗

NASA NTRS2006

Three-Dimensional Field Solutions for Multi-Pole Cylindrical Halbach Arrays in an Axial Orientation

This article presents three-dimensional B field solutions for the cylindrical Halbach array in an axial orientation. This arrangement has applications in the design of axial motors and passive axial magnetic bearings and couplers. The analytical model described here assumes ideal magnets with fixed and uniform magnetization. The field component functions are expressed as sums of 2-D definite integrals that are easily computed by a number of mathematical analysis software packages. The analysis is verified with sample calculations and the results are compared to equivalent results from traditional finite-element analysis (FEA). The field solutions are then approximated for use in flux linkage and induced EMF calculations in nearby stator windings by expressing the field variance with angular displacement as pure sinusoidal function whose amplitude depends on radial and axial position. The primary advantage of numerical implementation of the analytical approach presented in the article is that it lends itself more readily to parametric analysis and design tradeoffs than traditional FEA models.

Thompson, William K.↗

NASA NTRS2007

Composite Electrolytes for Lithium Batteries: Ionic Liquids in APTES Crosslinked Polymers

Solvent free polymer electrolytes were made consisting of Li(+) and pyrrolidinium salts of trifluoromethanesulfonimide added to a series of hyperbranched poly(ethylene oxide)s (PEO). The polymers were connected by triazine linkages and crosslinked by a sol-gel process to provide mechanical strength. The connecting PEO groups were varied to help understand the effects of polymer structure on electrolyte conductivity in the presence of ionic liquids. Polymers were also made that contain poly(dimethylsiloxane) groups, which provide increased flexibility without interacting with lithium ions. When large amounts of ionic liquid are added, there is little dependence of conductivity on the polymer structure. However, when smaller amounts of ionic liquid are added, the inherent conductivity of the polymer becomes a factor. These electrolytes are more conductive than those made with high molecular weight PEO imbibed with ionic liquids at ambient temperatures, due to the amorphous nature of the polymer.

Tigelaar, Dean M.↗

NASA NTRS2007

Methods for Characterizing Fine Particulate Matter Using Satellite Remote-Sensing Data and Ground Observations: Potential Use for Environmental Public Health Surveillance

This study describes and demonstrates different techniques for surfacing daily environmental / hazards data of particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter less than or equal to 2.5 micrometers (PM2.5) for the purpose of integrating respiratory health and environmental data for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC s) pilot study of Health and Environment Linked for Information Exchange (HELIX)-Atlanta. It described a methodology for estimating ground-level continuous PM2.5 concentrations using B-Spline and inverse distance weighting (IDW) surfacing techniques and leveraging National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS) data to complement The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ground observation data. The study used measurements of ambient PM2.5 from the EPA database for the year 2003 as well as PM2.5 estimates derived from NASA s satellite data. Hazard data have been processed to derive the surrogate exposure PM2.5 estimates. The paper has shown that merging MODIS remote sensing data with surface observations of PM2.5 not only provides a more complete daily representation of PM2.5 than either data set alone would allow, but it also reduces the errors in the PM2.5 estimated surfaces. The results of this paper have shown that the daily IDW PM2.5 surfaces had smaller errors, with respect to observations, than those of the B-Spline surfaces in the year studied. However the IDW mean annual composite surface had more numerical artifacts, which could be due to the interpolating nature of the IDW that assumes that the maxima and minima can occur only at the observation points. Finally, the methods discussed in this paper improve temporal and spatial resolutions and establish a foundation for environmental public health linkage and association studies for which determining the concentrations of an environmental hazard such as PM2.5 with good accuracy levels is critical.

Al-Hamdan, Mohammad Z.↗

NASA NTRS2006

The Role of Aerosols in Cloud Growth, Suppression, and Precipitation: Yoram Kaufman and his Contributions

Aerosol particles are produced in the earth's atmosphere through both natural as well as manmade processes, and contribute profoundly to the (i) formation and characteristics of clouds, (ii) lifetime of clouds, (iii) optical and microphysical properties of clouds, (iv) human health through effects on air quality and the size of particulates as well as vectors for transport of pathogens, (v) climate response and feedbacks, (vi) precipitation, and (vii) harmful algal blooms. Without aerosol particles in the Earth's atmosphere, there would be no fogs, no clouds, ,no mists, and probably no rain, as noted as far back as 1880 by Scottish physicist John Aitken. With the modern development of instrumentation, both groundbased, airborne, and satellite-based, much progress has been made in linkng phenomena and processes together, and putting regional air quality characteristics and hypothesized cloud response into closer scrutiny and linkages. In h s presentation I will summarize the wide ranging contributions that Yoram Kaufman has made in ground-based (AERONET), aircraft field campaigns (such as SCAR-B and TARFOX), and, especially, satellite remote sensing (Landsat, MODIS, POLDER) to shed new light on this broad ranging and interdisciplinary field of cloud-aerosol-precipitation interactions.

King, Michael D.↗

NASA NTRS2006

Developmental Considerations on the Free-Piston Stirling Power Convertor for Use in Space

Free-piston Stirling power conversion has been considered a candidate for radioisotope power systems for space for more than a decade. Prior to the free-piston Stirling architecture, systems were designed with kinematic Stirling engines with rotary alternators to convert heat to electricity. These systems were proposed with lightly loaded linkages to achieve the necessary life. When the free-piston configuration was initially proposed, it was thought to be attractive due to the relatively high conversion efficiency, acceptable mass, and the potential for long life and high reliability. These features have consistently been recognized by teams that have studied technology options for radioisotope power systems. Since free-piston Stirling power conversion was first considered for space power applications, there have been major advances in three general areas of development: demonstration of life and reliability, the success achieved by Stirling cryocoolers in flight, and the overall developmental maturity of the technology for both flight and terrestrial applications. Based on these advances, free-piston Stirling convertors are currently being developed for a number of terrestrial applications. They commonly operate with the power, efficiency, life, and reliability as intended, and much of the development now centers on system integration. This paper will summarize the accomplishments of free-piston Stirling power conversion technology over the past decade, review the status, and discuss the challenges that remain.

Schreiber, Jeffrey G.↗

NASA NTRS2007

Developmental Considerations on the Free-piston Stirling Power Convertor for Use in Space

Schreiber, Jeffrey G.↗

NASA NTRS2004

Complexity Computational Environment: Data Assimilation SERVOGrid

We are using Web (Grid) service technology to demonstrate the assimilation of multiple distributed data sources (a typical data grid problem) into a major parallel high-performance computing earthquake forecasting code. Such a linkage of Geoinformatics with Geocomplexity demonstrates the value of the Solid Earth Research Virtual Observatory (SERVO) Grid concept, and advance Grid technology by building the first real-time large-scale data assimilation grid Here we develop the next steps for both the SERVO concept and the identified need for a Solid Earth problem-solving environment. We use a challenging motivating problem of importance to NASA namely integrating NASA space geodetic observations with numerical simulations of a changing earth.

data assimiliation↗

NASA NTRS2004

QuakeSim and the Solid Earth Research Virtual Observatory

We are developing simulation and analysis tools in order to develop a solid Earth science framework for understanding and studying active tectonic and earthquake processes. The goal of QuakeSim and its extension, the Solid Earth Research Virtual Observatory (SERVO), is to study the physics of earthquakes using state-of-the-art modeling, data manipulation, and pattern recognition technologies. We are developing clearly defined accessible data formats and code protocols as inputs to simulations, which are adapted to high-performance computers. The solid Earth system is extremely complex and nonlinear resulting in computationally intensive problems with millions of unknowns. With these tools it will be possible to construct the more complex models and simulations necessary to develop hazard assessment systems critical for reducing future losses from major earthquakes. We are using Web (Grid) service technology to demonstrate the assimilation of multiple distributed data sources (a typical data grid problem) into a major parallel high-performance computing earthquake forecasting code. Such a linkage of Geoinformatics with Geocomplexity demonstrates the value of the Solid Earth Research Virtual Observatory (SERVO) Grid concept, and advances Grid technology by building the first real-time large-scale data assimilation grid.

virtual observatory↗