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At least 613 records · Page 34
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1979

Martian channel morphology - Maja and Kasei Valles

Detailed geomorphic mapping from Viking imagery of selected portions of Kasei Vallis, Maja Vallis, and vicinity reveals numerous similarities of channel morphology to erosional and depositional features of the Channeled Scabland. Characteristic scabland landforms which occur in Kasei and Maja Valles include erosional grooves, streamlined uplands and hills, scour zones around flow obstacles, inner channels with erosional head cuts, breached ridges and basin (crater) rims, pendant forms (bars), erosional terracing of streamlined hills and channel margins, and possible midchannel bars. These features constitute an assemblage of landforms which on earth is most characteristic of catastrophic flood channeling in jointed bedrock. Prominent mass wastage and sapping features are associated with the high-wall relief in lower Kasei Vallis. Many cliffs along the channel margins exhibit steep upper slopes and gentler lower talus slopes which form the spur-and-gully topography that has also been described along chasma walls in the Valles Marineris. Landslides, debris fans, and debris cones can also be recognized. Much less wall modification occurs in the shallower Maja Vallis. Probably, the steep escarpments of Kasei were created by tectonic processes and subsequent channel incision. These escarpments later receded by mass wasting and sapping.

Baker, V. R.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Error detection and rectification in digital terrain models

Digital terrain models produced by computer correlation of stereo images are likely to contain occasional gross errors in terrain elevation. These errors typically result from having mismatched sub-areas of the two images, a problem which can occur for a variety of image- and terrain-related reasons. Such elevation errors produce undesirable effects when the models are further processed, and should be detected and corrected as early in the processing as possible. Algorithms have been developed to detect and correct errors in digital terrain models. These algorithms focus on the use of constraints on both the allowable slope and the allowable change in slope in local areas around each point. Relaxation-like techniques are employed in the iteration of the detection and correction phases to obtain best results.

Hannah, M. J.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Radar, visual and thermal characteristics of Mars - Rough planar surfaces

High-resolution Viking Orbiter images contain significant information on Martian surface roughness at 25- to 100-m lateral scales, while earth-based radar observations of Mars are sensitive to roughness at lateral scales of 1 to 30 m or more. High-rms slopes predicted for the Tharsis-Memnonia-Amazonis volcanic plains from extremely weak radar returns are qualitatively confirmed by the Viking image data. Large-scale, curvilinear ridges on lava flows in the Memnonia Fossae region are interpreted as innate flow morphology caused by compressional foldover of moving lava sheets of possible rhyolite-dacite composition. The presence or absence of a recent mantle of fine-grained eolian material on the volcanic surfaces studied was determined by the visibility of fresh impact craters with diameters less than 50 m. Lava flows with surfaces modified by eolian erosion and deposition occur west-northwest of Apollinaris Patera at the border of the cratered equatorial uplands and southern Elysium Planitia. Nearby yardangs, for which radar observations indicate very high-rms slopes, are similar to terrestrial features of similar origin.

Schaber, G. G.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Synthetic aperture radar imaging of ocean waves - Comparison with wave measurements

Synthetic aperture radar images of ocean waves were obtained in conjunction with reference wave data near Marineland, Florida, December 14, 1975. Each of the various types of measurements were processed into a form that allowed direct comparisons with the others. Maxima of radar spectra occurred at the same frequencies as the maxima of reference wave height spectra. In a comparison of a radar spectrum with observed spectra of wave height, wave orbital velocity, and surface slope the high-frequency portion of the radar spectrum lay near and between the wave height and the orbital velocity spectra but differed significantly from the surface slope spectrum. The radar-derived mean directions and model-fitted directional spreads of wave energy were close to the values from a directional wave buoy and indicated the accuracy of radar measurements of wave direction. However, a directional plot of a radar spectrum near shore at the frequency of the maximum showed a sharper peak than such a plot of a fitted spectrum derived from reference data.

Mcleish, W.↗
NASA NTRS1980

An investigation of the modulation of capillary and short gravity waves in the open ocean

A preliminary investigation of the modulation of capillary and gravity waves by long ocean waves is described. A pressure transducer is used to obtain water surface displacements, and a high-response laser-optical system is used to detect short-wave slopes. Analytical techniques are developed to account for the orbital motion of long waves. The local mean squared wave slope is found to be maximum leeward of the long-wave crests. For the long waves studied here and for short waves from 1 cm to 1 m, the longer a short-wave component is, the more leeward its maximum tends to occur. Also, the shortest waves tend to modulate least. The modulation of short waves is found to be strong enough to be an important component of the synthetic aperture radar image formation mechanism for long ocean waves.

Evans, D. D.↗
NASA NTRS1980

New interpretations of shock-associated noise with and without screech

Anomalous trends in present convergent nozzle (Mach 1) shock associated noise analyses and predictions, with particular emphasis on the roles of screech and jet temperature, are discussed. Experimentally measured values of shock associated noise are used to reassess data trends, including both frequency and sound pressure level. The data used includes model-scale nozzles, varying in nominal diameter from 5 cm to 13 cm, and full scale engine nozzles up to 48 cm. All data were obtained at static conditions. From this reassessment of the measured data, new empirical methods for the prediction of shock associated noise are developed. Separate procedures are presented for screech free and screech contaminated shock associated noise. In the present approach, shock associated noise spectra are developed from considerations that include the peak sound pressure level and its frequency, the low frequency sound pressure level slope, and the high frequency sound pressure level slope or roll-off; the latter is shown to vary with directivity angle.

Vonglahn, U.↗
NASA NTRS1979

A method for the processing and analysis of digital terrain elevation data

A method is presented for the processing and analysis of digital topography data that can subsequently be entered in an interactive data base in the form of slope, slope length, elevation, and aspect angle. A discussion of the data source and specific descriptions of the data processing software programs are included. In addition, the mathematical considerations involved in the registration of raw digitized coordinate points to the UTM coordinate system are presented. Scale factor considerations are also included. Results of the processing and analysis are illustrated using the Shiprock and Gallup Quadrangle test data.

Junkin, B. G.↗
NASA NTRS1980

The thermal decomposition of 1,3,5-trinitrohexahydro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX) and RDXd6 at high temperatures

The ballistics behavior of nitramine propellants containing RDX in an inert binder was examined. It is shown that at 2000 to 5000 psi, depending on the particle size, a slope break or discontinuity in the log burning rate versus log pressure curve occurs. It is shown that at higher pressures the nitramine decomposition proceeds predominately by C-N bond rupture and gives CH2 and N20. At still higher pressures (after the slope break) the decomposition proceeds by N-N rupture. The decomposition of RDX was investigated from 170 to 800 C at atmospheric pressure. The major decomposition products were CH2, CO, CO2, N20, N2, and H20. The ratio of the products varied with the pyrolysis rate and temperature.

Miller, P. J.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Thermodynamic and melting properties of RDX at elevated pressures

The laboratory set up for determination of melting and thermodynamic properties of RDX using a diamond anvil cell apparatus capable of pressures exceeding 10 kbar and 250 C is described. The slope of the melting temperature versus applied pressure curve for RDX, as determined in the diamond cell, was found to equal 4.09 + or - 0.6 C (kbar). The density of liquid RDX at its melting point was calculated from this slope to be approximately 1.63 gm/cu cm. Practical and theoretical considerations in using the diamond anvil cell to generate thermodynamic data on RDX are discussed.

Carlson, D. W.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Remote sensing data applied to the evaluation of soil erosion caused by land-use. Ribeirao Anhumas Basin Area: A case study

Formerly covered by a tropical forest, the study area was deforested in the early 40's for coffee plantation and cattle raising, which caused intense gully erosion problems. To develop a method to analyze the relationship between land use and soil erosion, visual interpretations of aerial photographs (scale 1:25.000), MSS-LANDSAT imagery (scale 1:250,000), as well as automatic interpretation of computer compatible tapes by IMAGE-100 system were carried out. From visual interpretation the following data were obtained: land use and cover tapes, slope classes, ravine frequency, and a texture sketch map. During field work, soil samples were collected for texture and X-ray analysis. The texture sketch map indicate that the areas with higher slope angles have a higher susceptibilty to the development of gullies. Also, the over carriage of pastureland, together with very friable lithologies (mainly sandstone) occuring in that area, seem to be the main factors influencing the catastrophic extension of ravines in the study site.

Dejesusparada, N.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Ice sheet altimetry

Generalized surface slopes were computed for the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets by differencing plotted contour levels and dividing them by the distance between the contours. It was observed that more than 90% of the ice sheets have surface slopes less than 1%. Seasat test mode-1 Seasat altimeter measurements over Greenland were analyzed by comparisons with collinear and intersecting normal mode Seasat altimeter passes. Over the ice sheet, the computed surface elevations from test mode-1 measurements were consistently lower by about 45 m and the AGC levels were down by approximately 6 dB. No test mode-1 data were acquired over Antarctica. It is concluded that analysis of the existing altimeter data base over the two ice sheets is crucial in designing a future improved altimeter tracking capability. It is recommended that additional waveform retracking be performed to characterize ice sheet topography as a function of geographic area and elevation.

Brooks, R. L.↗
NASA NTRS1981

On the compensation of geoid anomalies due to subducting slabs

Candidate models of the forces which oppose the sinking of slabs are all constrained to produce results consistent with the following observation: relative geoid highs, which one assumes are due to slabs, characteristically occur over subduction zones. Certain models which are otherwise plausible, such as those based on a Newtonian half-space mantle, yield geoid lows instead of highs. This study has extended a published model of viscous corner flow in subduction zones in order to demonstrate that it can, in certain cases, produce the requisite geoid highs. Specifically the relative geoid highs are produced if mantle flow is distinctly non-Newtonian (stress exponent n 2). Results in the form of deflection on vertical (or geoid slope) profiles are computed for typical values of the slab parameters; they are compared with a representative profile of geoid slopes derived from Seasat altimeter data in order to show qualitative similarities. It is concluded that the effect of non-Newtonian flow as opposed to Newtonian, is to spread out the induced surface deformation, thereby stretching out the regional compensation to wavelengths, (transverse to the trench) of several thousand kilometers.

Mcadoo, D. C.↗
NASA NTRS1981

The effects of organosulfur compounds upon the storage stability of Jet A fuel

This study examined the effect of sulfur-containing compounds on the storage stability of Jet A turbine fuel. It was found that alkyl sulfides and disulfides increased the fuel's stability while all thiols and thiophene derivatives tested decreased fuel stability (increased deposit formation) at temperatures and sulfur concentrations selected. Linear Arrhenius plots of sulfur-spiked fuel samples demonstrated that deposit formation decreased with increased slope for all alkyl sulfides, alkyl disulfides, thiols, and thiophene derivatives. A plot of insoluble deposit vs. concentration of added alkyl sulfide produces a negative slope. It appears that the inhibiting mechanism for alkyl sulfides is a result of the compound's reactivity with intermediate soluble precursors to deposit in the fuel. A method of approximating the relative basicity of weak organosulfur bases was developed via measurement of their resonance chemical shifts in proton NMR. Linear plots of log gm. deposit vs. change in chemical shift (shift differences between sulfur bases neat and complexed with I2) were found for alkyl sulfides and alkyl thiols. This suggests the possibility that increased deposit formation is due to base catalysis with these compound classes.

Heneman, F. C.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Geoid height versus age for symmetric spreading ridges

Geoid height-age relations have been extracted from Geos 3 altimeter data for large areas in the North Atlantic, South Atlantic, southeast Indian, and southeast Pacific oceans. Except for the southeast Pacific area, geoid height decreases approximately linearly with the age of the ocean floor for ages less than about 80 m.y. in agreement with the prediction of an isostatically compensated thermal boundary layer model (Haxby and Turcotte, 1978). The geoid-age data for 0 to 80 m.y. are consistent with constant slopes of -0.094 + or - -0.131 + or - 0.041, and -0.149 + or - 0.028 m/m.y. for the South Atlantic, southeast Indian, and North Atlantic regions, respectively. For ages greater than 80 m.y. the geoid-age relation for the North Atlantic is nearly flat, indicating a reduction in the rate of boundary layer thickening with age. The uncertainties in the geoid slope-age estimates are positively correlated with spreading velocity.

Sandwell, D.↗
NASA NTRS1980

New interpretations of shock-associated noise with and without screech

Anomalous trends in present convergent nozzle (Mach 1) shock-associated noise analyses and predictions, with particular emphasis on the roles of screech and jet temperature, are discussed. Experimentally measured values of shock-associated noise are used to reassess data trends, including both frequency and sound pressure level. The data used includes model-scale nozzles, varying in nominal diameter from 5 cm to 13 cm, and full-scale engine nozzles up to 48 cm. All data were obtained at static conditions. From this reassessment of the measured data, new empirical methods for the prediction of shock-associated noise are developed. Separate procedures are presented for screech-free and screech-contaminated shock-associated noise. In the present approach, shock-associated noise spectra are developed from considerations that include the peak sound pressure level and its frequency, the low frequency sound pressure level slope, and the high frequency sound pressure level slope or roll-off; the latter is shown to vary with directivity angle.

Von Glahn, U.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Stability of individual loudness functions obtained by magnitude estimation and production

A correlational analysis of individual magnitude estimation and production exponents at the same frequency is performed, as is an analysis of individual exponents produced in different sessions by the same procedure across frequency (250, 1000, and 3000 Hz). Taken as a whole, the results show that individual exponent differences do not decrease by counterbalancing magnitude estimation with magnitude production and that individual exponent differences remain stable over time despite changes in stimulus frequency. Further results show that although individual magnitude estimation and production exponents do not necessarily obey the .6 power law, it is possible to predict the slope of an equal-sensation function averaged for a group of listeners from individual magnitude estimation and production data. On the assumption that individual listeners with sensorineural hearing also produce stable and reliable magnitude functions, it is also shown that the slope of the loudness-recruitment function measured by magnitude estimation and production can be predicted for individuals with bilateral losses of long duration. Results obtained in normal and pathological ears thus suggest that individual listeners can produce loudness judgements that reveal, although indirectly, the input-output characteristic of the auditory system.

Hellman, R. P.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Pioneer Venus radar results - Altimetry and surface properties

A topographic map of 93% of the Venus globe was depicted by the radar altimeter of the Pioneer Venus orbiter with a resolution better than 150 km. Extremes in relief expressed as a center-of-mass-to-surface radius extend from 6049 to 6062 km; the elevated terrain is dominated by a massive equatorial area equal in size to South America. The distribution of average meter-scale surface slopes is determined for the same regions in the 1 to 10 deg range; elevated areas have higher slopes, so that most features observed in the earth-based images are also evident in the vertical-incidence spacecraft measurements.

Pettengill, G. H.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Asymptotic solution for the reflectivity of a very rough surface

Asymptotic solutions for the reflectivity of a very rough surface are obtained in closed form up to second order in variance of slope. The zeroth-order solution gives the reflectivity of a specular surface and the sum of the higher-order terms yields the net effect of the rough surface. Within the common regions of validity of small rms slope and incident angle not close to grazing, the result agrees very well with those obtained with numerical methods.

Tsang, L.↗