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At least 631 records · Page 35

Kilometric shock-associated events and microwave bursts

The peak times of impulsive microwaves bursts are compared with those of shock-associated (SA) kilometric radio events. The first peaks in these two frequency regimes are usually well-correlated in time, but the last peaks of the SA events observed at 1 MHz occur an average of 20 min after the last impulsive microwave peaks. In some cases, the SA events overlap in time with the post-burst increases of microwave bursts; sometimes there is general correspondence in their intensity time profiles. These observations suggest that the earlier components of the SA events are usually caused by electrons accelerated in or near the microwave source region. The possibility that the later components of some SA events could be associated with nonthermal electrons responsible for microwave post-burst increases, although they have traditionally been attributed to electrons accelerated at type II burst producing shocks in the upper corona is discussed.

Kundu, M. R.↗

Detailed design of a Ride Quality Augmentation System for commuter aircraft

The design of a Ride Quality Augmentation System (RQAS) for commuter aircraft is documented. The RQAS is designed for a Cessna 402B, an 8 passenger prop twin representative to this class of aircraft. The purpose of the RQAS is the reduction of vertical and lateral accelerations of the aircraft due to atmospheric turbulence by the application of active control. The detailed design of the hardware (the aircraft modifications, the Ride Quality Instrumentation System (RQIS), and the required computer software) is examined. The aircraft modifications, consisting of the dedicated control surfaces and the hydraulic actuation system, were designed at Cessna Aircraft by Kansas University-Flight Research Laboratory. The instrumentation system, which consist of the sensor package, the flight computer, a Data Acquisition System, and the pilot and test engineer control panels, was designed by NASA-Langley. The overall system design and the design of the software, both for flight control algorithms and ground system checkout are detailed. The system performance is predicted from linear simulation results and from power spectral densities of the aircraft response to a Dryden gust. The results indicate that both accelerations are possible.

Suikat, Reiner↗

Uncrewed Aerial Systems for Emergency Medical First Response: A Market Research Report

This report presents the findings from market research conducted for NASA’s Aerial Aid Convergent Aeronautics Solutions (CAS) exploration project, which aims to assess the current state of the market and technological readiness for Uncrewed Aerial Systems (UAS) for medical emergency first response. The research reveals a robust and rapidly growing market for UAS, with a notable emerging sector for Drones as First Responders (DFR). Despite this growth, DFR applications are currently limited by regulatory, technical, and other challenges, which restrict their use primarily to manned remote video surveillance, and therefore are primarily employed by police units. To our knowledge, there is no evidence of UAS being utilized by medical first responders for scene assessment. Limited evidence exists for closely related applications; however, these are mostly confined to pilot programs for the delivery of medical supplies or equipment. Although there has been discussion around fully autonomous DFR applications for medical purposes such as UAS ambulances or patient transport drones, these applications are generally not yet operational in practice. The technology for full autonomy, especially in guidance and control, has seen significant advancements, and recent Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)regulations are likely to accelerate adoption. Computer vision algorithms for fully autonomous medical emergency response scene surveillance are primed for advancement and deployment. A notable gap likely exists between advancements in computer vision research and what is being integrated in the commercial DFR sector. This gap is primarily due to challenges such as quality assurance for autonomous systems, the availability of application-specific training datasets for computer vision algorithms, regulatory constraints, and public perception and privacy concerns.

Joshua M Fody↗

The Spacelab 3 simulation: basis for a model of growth plate response in microgravity in the rat

Data from Spacelab 3 (SL3) suggested that spaceflight significantly reduces the activity of the rat tibial growth plate. Animal processing after SL3 began twelve hours post-landing, so data reflect post-flight re-adaptation in addition to spaceflight effects. To determine if a twelve-hour period of weight bearing after seven days of unloading could affect the physes of spaceflown rats, the present study assessed the growth plate response to unloading with or without a reloading period. Rats were subjected to hind-limb suspension for seven days and then euthanized, with or without twelve hours of reloading. Activity of the growth plate was assessed by morphometric analysis. Rats suspended without reloading had reserve zone (RZ) height greater than controls, and shorter hypertrophy/calcification zone (HCZ) with fewer cells. The greater RZ was associated with a larger cell area, indicating a possible mitotic delay or secretion defect. Twelve hours of reloading decreased RZ height and cell number, and restored the number of cells in HCZ to control values, but the number of cells in the proliferative zone and height in HCZ were reduced. These results suggest the rebound response to preserve/restore skeletal function after a period of unloading involves an acceleration of growth associated with a decreased cell cycle time in PZ. Changes during the reloading period in this simulation support our hypothesis that the effects of spaceflight on SL3 growth plates were altered by changes that occurred post-landing. The similarities in response to unloading by suspension or during spaceflight are used to propose a model of growth plate response during spaceflight.

manned↗

Detection of Nonthermal Hard X-Ray Emission from the “Fermi Bubble” in an External Galaxy

We report new Chandra hard X-ray (>2 keV) and Jansky Very Large Array C-band observations of the nuclear super bubble of NGC 3079, an analog of the “Fermi bubble” in our Milky Way. We detect extended hard X-ray emission on the southwest (SW)side of the galactic nucleus with coherent multiwavelength features in radio, Hα, and soft X-ray. The hard X-ray feature has a cone shape with possibly a weak cap, forming a bubble-like structure with a diameter of∼1.1 kpc. A similar extended feature, however, is not detected on the northeast (NE)side, which is brighter in all other wavelengths such as radio, Hα, and soft X-ray. Scattered photons from the nuclear region or other nearby point-like X-ray bright sources, inverse Compton emission from cosmic-ray(CR)electrons via interaction with the cosmic microwave background, or any individually faint stellar X-ray source populations, cannot explain the extended hard X-ray emission on the SW side and the strongly NE/SW asymmetry. A synchrotron emission model, plus a thermal component accounting for the excess at∼1 keV, can well characterize the broadband radio/hard X-ray spectra. The broadband synchrotron spectra do not show any significant cutoff, and even possibly slightly flatten at higher energy. This rule out a loss-limited scenario in the acceleration of the CR electrons in or around this superbubble. As the first detection of kiloparsec-scale extended hard X-ray emission associated with a galactic nuclear superbubble, the spatial and spectral properties of the multiwavelength emissions indicate that the CR leptons responsible for the broadband synchrotron emission from the SW bubble must be accelerated in situ, instead of transported from the nuclear region of the galaxy.

Jiang-Tao Li↗

Atomic References for Measuring Small Accelerations

Accelerometer systems that would combine the best features of both conventional (e.g., mechanical) accelerometers and atom interferometer accelerometers (AIAs) have been proposed. These systems are intended mainly for use in scientific research aboard spacecraft but may also be useful on Earth in special military, geological, and civil-engineering applications. Conventional accelerometers can be sensitive, can have high dynamic range, and can have high frequency response, but they lack accuracy and long-term stability. AIAs have low frequency response, but they offer high sensitivity, and high accuracy for measuring small accelerations. In a system according to the proposal, a conventional accelerometer would be used to perform short-term measurements of higher-frequency components of acceleration, while an AIA would be used to provide consistent calibration of, and correction of errors in, the measurements of the conventional accelerometer in the lower-frequency range over the long term. A brief description of an AIA is prerequisite to a meaningful description of a system according to the proposal. An AIA includes a retroreflector next to one end of a cell that contains a cold cloud of atoms in an ultrahigh vacuum. The atoms in the cloud are in free fall. The retroreflector is mounted on the object, the acceleration of which is to be measured. Raman laser beams are directed through the cell from the end opposite the retroreflector, then pass back through the cell after striking the retroreflector. The Raman laser beams together with the cold atoms measure the relative acceleration, through the readout of the AIA, between the cold atoms and the retroreflector.

Maleki, Lute↗

Tolerance of snakes to hypergravity

Sensitivity of carotid blood flow to increased gravitational force acting in the head-to-tail direction(+Gz) was studied in diverse species of snakes hypothesized to show adaptive variation of response. Tolerance to increased gravity was measured red as the maximum graded acceleration force at which carotid blood flow ceased and was shown to vary according to gravitational adaptation of species defined by their ecology and behavior. Multiple regression analysis showed that gravitational habitat, but not body length, had a significant effect on Gz tolerance. At the extremes, carotid blood flow decreased in response to increasing G force and approached zero near +1 Gz in aquatic and ground-dwelling species, whereas in climbing species carotid flow was maintained at forces in excess of +2 Gz. Tolerant (arboreal) species were able to withstand hypergravic forces of +2 to +3 Gz for periods up to 1 h without cessation of carotid blood flow or loss of body movement and tongue flicking. Data suggest that the relatively tight skin characteristic of tolerant species provides a natural antigravity suit and is of prime importance in counteracting Gz stress on blood circulation.

NASA Discipline Cardiopulmonary↗

Solar accelerated particles - Comparisons of abundances and energy spectra from particle and gamma-ray observations

Gamma-ray observations of the April 27, 1981 flare have been used to derive elemental abundances of both the ambient gas and the accelerated particle which interact with this gas to produce gamma rays. The results show that the abundances of the accelerated particles which produce the gamma rays are much more consistent with first-class particle abundances than with large proton-flare abundances. Observed bremsstrahlung spectral from 16 flares are compared with calculated bremsstrahlung spectra. It is concluded that the electrons observed in interplanetary space and the electrons responsible for gamma-ray production cannot be drawn from the same accelerated particle population without the former being affected by reacceleration or energy-dependent escape.

Ramaty, R.↗

Effect of initial acceleration on the development of the flow field of an airfoil pitching at constant rate

We present results from a series of experiments where an airfoil is pitched at constant rate from 0 to 60 degrees angle of attack. It is well documented that the dynamic stall behavior of such an airfoil strongly depends on the nondimensional pitch rate K = dot-alpha C/(2U(sub infinity)), where C is the chord, dot-alpha the constant pitch rate, and U(sub infinity) the free stream speed. In reality, the actual motion of the airfoil deviates from the ideal ramp due to the finite acceleration and deceleration periods imposed by the damping of drive system and response characteristics of the airfoil. It is possible that the pitch rate alone may not suffice in describing the flow and that the details of the motion trajectory before achieving a desired constant pitch rate may also affect the processes involved in the dynamic stall phenomenon. The effects of acceleration and deceleration periods are investigated by systematically varing the acceleration magnitude and its duration through the initial acceleration phase to constant pitch rate. The magnitude and duration of deceleration needed to bring the airfoil motion to rest is similarly controlled.

Koochesfahani, M. M.↗

Nonlinear Effects in Single-Pass ICRF Heating

The Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket (VASIMR) concept employs Ion Cyclotron Resonant Frequency (ICRF) heating as the main power deposition mechanism. Since the ions accelerate to the full energy in a single pass through the cyclotron resonance, their response to the RF-field will be essentially nonlinear - hence the motivation to amend the commonly used linear approach to the problem. In a collisionless plasma, the energy gain of an accelerated ion is limited by the time the particle spends at the resonance. This time is affected by: (1) incident flow velocity, (2) longitudinal grad B force, (3) ambipolar electric field, and (4) ponderomotive force of the RF-field. Our analysis shows that the grad B force is the dominant factor at low to moderate levels of RF-power. We present nonlinear scaling for the energy gain and the absorption efficiency with RF-power and plasma parameters. We also demonstrate that the nonlinear regime exhibits a steep decrease in the plasma density at the resonance.

Arefiev, A. V.↗

Transient Optimization of an Electrified Gas Turbine Engine Using Machine Learning

Gas turbine engines are designed with sufficient margin to prevent stall under normal operating conditions throughout their life. This compromise ensures that during rapid accelerations, compressor operation remains stable, but at the cost of efficiency and thrust responsiveness. The design margin encompasses multiple sources of uncertainty and systematic deviances from the operating line, the largest of which is the transient allowance. This set-aside accounts for the temporary incoordination of the engine spools during an acceleration while still enabling it to meet the certification requirement to accelerate from low to high power within a specified time, and without experiencing overtemperature, surge, stall, or other detrimental factors. Electrification of the powertrain provides the opportunity to address this reserve and truly optimize the design. The addition of electric machines inherent in hybrid propulsion concepts offers a means to interact with the engine shafts such that the necessary margin can be reduced, which can positively impact the engine design. By adjusting the amount of power extracted from or injected to the engine spools by the electric machines during transient operation, excursions from the operating line can be minimized. Past work using a dynamic engine model has shown that optimization of the fuel flow schedule during acceleration can reduce the required margin while still meeting the time requirement, and results are further improved when combined with power injection and extraction. The current work uses machine learning through a genetic algorithm to address the problem holistically by concurrently optimizing the electric machine power command and fuel flow acceleration schedule using an updated, higher fidelity version of the original engine model.

Stall Margin↗

Transient Optimization of an Electrified Gas Turbine Engine Using Machine Learning

Gas turbine engines are designed with sufficient margin to prevent stall under normal operating conditions throughout their life. This compromise ensures that during rapid accelerations, compressor operation remains stable, but at the cost of efficiency and thrust responsiveness. The design margin encompasses multiple sources of uncertainty and systematic deviances from the operating line, the largest of which is the transient allowance. This set-aside accounts for the temporary incoordination of the engine spools during an acceleration while still enabling it to meet the certification requirement to accelerate from low to high power within a specified time, and without experiencing overtemperature, surge, stall, or other detrimental factors. Electrification of the powertrain provides the opportunity to address this reserve and truly optimize the design. The addition of electric machines inherent in hybrid propulsion concepts offers a means to interact with the engine shafts such that the necessary margin can be reduced, which can positively impact the engine design. By adjusting the amount of power extracted from or injected to the engine spools by the electric machines during transient operation, excursions from the operating line can be minimized. Past work using a dynamic engine model has shown that optimization of the fuel flow schedule during acceleration can reduce the required margin while still meeting the time requirement, and results are further improved when combined with power injection and extraction. The current work uses machine learning through a genetic algorithm to address the problem holistically by concurrently optimizing the electric machine power command and fuel flow acceleration schedule using an updated, higher fidelity version of the original engine model.

Stall Margin↗

Transient Optimization of an Electrified Gas Turbine Engine Using Machine Learning

Gas turbine engines are designed with sufficient margin to prevent stall under normal operating conditions throughout their life. This compromise ensures that during rapid accelerations, compressor operation remains stable, but at the cost of efficiency and thrust responsiveness. The design margin encompasses multiple sources of uncertainty and systematic deviances from the operating line, the largest of which is the transient allowance. This set-aside accounts for the temporary incoordination of the engine spools during an acceleration while still enabling it to meet the certification requirement to accelerate from low to high power within a specified time, and without experiencing overtemperature, surge, stall, or other detrimental factors. Electrification of the powertrain provides the opportunity to address this reserve and truly optimize the design. The addition of electric machines inherent in hybrid propulsion concepts offers a means to interact with the engine shafts such that the necessary margin can be reduced, which can positively impact the engine design. By adjusting the amount of power extracted from or injected to the engine spools by the electric machines during transient operation, excursions from the operating line can be minimized. Past work using a dynamic engine model has shown that optimization of the fuel flow schedule during acceleration can reduce the required margin while still meeting the time requirement, and results are further improved when combined with power injection and extraction. The current work uses machine learning through a genetic algorithm to address the problem holistically by concurrently optimizing the electric machine power command and fuel flow acceleration schedule using an updated, higher fidelity version of the original engine model.

Stall Margin↗

Stimulus specificity and individual stereotypy of autonomic responses to motion stressors

Motion sickness research shows a lack of agreement regarding the contribution of the autonomic nervous system (ANS). The resolution of this question is exigent for Space Adaptation Syndrome, zero gravity sickness. A case is drawn for the necessity to apply a methodological approach that incorporates: (1) standardization of parameters in relation to the individual differences in variability and prestimulus levels; (2) a concern for patterning of responses; and (3) the physiological association with subjective reports. Vasomotor, heart rate, respiration rate, skin conductance and subjective reports of malaise were collected from 22 subjects while participating in three motion stressors; vertical acceleration, Coriolis stimulation, and combined optokinetic and Coriolis stimulation. The results demonstrate that ANS response patterns can be separated into three mutually exclusive components: (1) a generalized response to motion sickness; (2) a stimulus specific response to the type of stressor being presented; and (3) individualized stereotypical response patterns that are associated with subjective reports of malaise.

Morgan, M. G.↗

Crashworthy design considerations for general aviation seats

This report summarizes the experimental research conducted at the NASA Langley Research Center on general aviation seat and occupant crash response and discusses seat design considerations. Included are typical floor acceleration pulses from general aviation airplane crash tests, the performance of typical general aviation seats in a simulated crash environment, and the performance of prototype energy absorbing (EA) seat designs. Static and dynamic seat testing procedures and test facilities are discussed. Also presented are results from a series of dynamic tests of typical general aviation seats and prototype EA seats.

Alfaro-Bou, E.↗

The heavy ion compositional signature in 3He-rich solar particle events

A survey of the approx. 1 MeV/nucleon heavy ion abundances in 66 He3-rich solar particle events was performed using the Max-Planck-Institut/University of Maryland and Goddard Space Flight Center instruments on the ISEE-3 spacecraft. The observations were carried out in interplanetary space over the period 1978 October through 1982 June. Earlier observations were confirmed which show an enrichment of heavy ions in HE3-rich events, relative to the average solar energetic particle composition in large particle events. For the survey near 1.5 MeV/nucleon the enrichments compared to large solar particle events are approximately He4:C:O:Ne:Mg:Si:Fe = 0.44:0.66:1.:3.4:3.5:4.1:9.6. Surprising new results emerging from the present broad survey are that the heavy ion enrichment pattern is the same within a factor of approx. 2 for almost all cases, and the degree of heavy ion enrichment is uncorrelated with the He3 enrichment. Overall, the features established appear to be best explained by an acceleration mechanism in which the He3 enrichment process is not responsible for the heavy ion enrichment, but rather the heavy ion enrichment is a measure of the ambient coronal composition at the sites where the He3-rich events occur.

Mason, G. M.↗