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Abstracts of 73 technical papers published or presented by MSFC personnel in FY-78 are presented. In addition, over 400 papers by contractors to that facility are listed along with the STAR document number for each report. Titles of 208 additional papers already cleared for publication are included.
It has been suggested that the recently discovered radio emission from AM Her arises as a result of gyrosynchrotron radiation from electrons at energies approximately 400 keV in the magnetosphere of the white dwarf. However, no mechanism for producing such energetic electrons was discussed. In this paper, it is argued that small departures from synchronous rotation can cause the companion star to act as a unipolar inductor. This leads to high voltages being produced across the companion star, which provides the necessary acceleration mechanism. This also implies that if the magnetic white dwarf was formed with a rapid rotation, synchronization would be achieved on a time scale approximately 10,000 yr.
This paper considers the control of a continuous linear plant disturbed by white plant noise when the control is constrained to be a piecewise constant function of time; i.e. a stochastic sampled-data system. The cost function is the integral of quadratic error terms in the state and control, thus penalizing errors at every instant of time while the plant noise disturbs the system continuously. The problem is solved by reducing the constrained continuous problem to an unconstrained discrete one. It is shown that the separation principle for estimation and control still holds for this problem when the plant disturbance and measurement noise are Gaussian.
Propagation measurement campaigns are critical to characterizing the atmospheric behavior of a location and efficiently designing space-ground links. However, as global climate change affects weather patterns, the long-term trends of propagation data may be impacted over periods of decades or longer. Particularly, at high microwave frequencies (10 GHz and above), rain plays a dominant role in the attenuation statistics, and it has been observed that rain events over the past 50 years have trended toward increased frequency, intensity, and rain height. In the interest of quantifying the impact of these phenomena on long-term trends in propagation data, this paper compares two 20 GHz measurement campaigns both conducted at NASAs White Sands facility in New Mexico. The first is from the Advanced Communications Technology Satellite (ACTS) propagation campaign from 1994 to 1998, while the second is amplitude data recorded during a site test interferometer (STI) phase characterization campaign from 2009 to 2014.
Critical flight hardware typically undergoes a series of nondestructive evaluation methods to screen for defects before it is integrated into the flight system. Conventionally, pressure vessels have been inspected for flaws using a technique known as fluorescent dye penetrant, which is biased to inspector interpretation. An alternate method known as eddy current is automated and can detect small cracks better than dye penetrant. A new multipurpose pressure vessel scanner has been developed to perform internal and external eddy current scanning, laser profilometry, and thickness mapping on pressure vessels. Before this system can be implemented throughout industry, a probability of detection (POD) study needs to be performed to validate the system’s eddy current crack/flaw capabilities. The POD sample set will consist of 6 flight-like metal pressure vessel liners with defects of known size. Preparation for the POD includes sample set fabrication, system operation, procedure development, and eddy current settings optimization. For this, collaborating with subject matter experts was required. This technical paper details the preparation activities leading up to the POD study currently scheduled for winter 2015/2016. Once validated, this system will be a proven innovation for increasing the safety and reliability of necessary flight hardware.Additionally, testing of frangible joint requires Photon Doppler Velocimetry (PDV) and Digital Image Correlation instrumentation. There is often noise associated with PDV data, which necessitates a frequency modulation (FM) signal-to-noise pre-test. Generally, FM radio works by varying the carrier frequency and mixing it with a fixed frequency source, creating a beat frequency which is represented by audio frequency that can be heard between about 20 to 20,000 Hz. Similarly, PDV reflects a shifted frequency (a phenomenon known as the Doppler Effect) from a moving source and mixes it with a fixed source frequency, which results in a beat frequency. However, for PDV, discerning the signal from the noise is difficult without a moving source to induce the modulation. A rotating wheel is currently being used as the moving source but its configuration is impractical and has cumbersome placement inside the current frangible joint test cell. As a way to combat this problem and verify a satisfactory signal-to-noise ratio, a reflective moving crystal piezo will be used to modulate a beat frequency, and an absorptive target will be used to block the signal in order to determine any back reflection coming from the probe and discern the true signal-to noise ratio. The piezo will be mounted and inserted onto the test table on an extendable telescopic antenna grounded by a magnetic base in the test zone. This piezo configuration will be more compatible within the test zone and allow for easy removal of the disk following acceptable signal verification and prior to frangible joint tests.Additionally, topics of what was learned and smaller tasks given at White Sands Test Facility (WSTF) will be discussed. All statements in this paper are newly gained knowledge of what I have learned, observed, and have done while at WSTF.
The papers presented in this volume provide an overview of current research in both optical and digital pattern recognition, with a theme of identifying overlapping research problems and methodologies. Topics discussed include image analysis and low-level vision, optical system design, object analysis and recognition, real-time hybrid architectures and algorithms, high-level image understanding, and optical matched filter design. Papers are presented on synthetic estimation filters for a control system; white-light correlator character recognition; optical AI architectures for intelligent sensors; interpreting aerial photographs by segmentation and search; and optical information processing using a new photopolymer.
Algorithms used in geomagnetic main-field modelling have for the most part treated the noise in the field measurements as if it were white. A major component of the noise consists of the field due to magnetization in the crust and it has been realized for some time that such signals are highly correlated at satellite altitude. Hence approximation by white noise, while of undoubted utility, is of unknown validity. In this paper we study two plausible statistical models for the crustal magnetization, in which the magnetization is a realization of a stationary, isotropic, random process. At a typical satellite altitude the associated fields exhibit significant correlation over ranges as great as 15 deg. or more, which introduces off-diagonal elements into the covariance matrix, elements that have usually been neglected in modelling procedures. Dealing with a full covariance matrix for a large data set would present a formidable computational challenge, but fortunately most of the entries in the covariance matrix are so small that they can be replaced by zeros. The resultant matrix comprises only about 3 per cent non-zero entries and thus we can take advantage of efficient sparse matrix techniques to solve the numerical system. We construct several main-field models based on vertical-component data from a selected 5 deg. by 5 deg. data set derived from the Magsat mission. Models with and without off-diagonal terms are compared.
Fires in three P3 aircraft oxygen systems have occurred: one in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) in 1984 and two in the U.S. Navy in 1998 and 2003. All three fires started in the aluminum manifold and check valve (MCV) assembly and produced similar damages to the aircraft in which they occurred. This paper discusses a failure analysis conducted by the NASA Johnson Space Center White Sands Test Facility (WSTF) Oxygen Hazards and Testing Team on the 2003 U.S. Navy VP62 fire. It was surmised that the fire started due to heat generated by an oxygen leak past a silicone check valve seal or possibly because of particle impact near the seat of one of the MCV assembly check valves. An additional analysis of fires in several check valve poppet seals from other aircraft is discussed. These burned poppet seals came from P3 oxygen systems that had been serviced at the Naval Air Station (NAS) in Jacksonville following standard fill procedures. It was concluded that these seal fires occurred due to the heat from compression heating, particle impact, or the heat generated by an oxygen leak past the silicone check valve seal. The fact that catastrophic fires did not occur in the case of each check valve seal fire was attributed to the protective nature of the aluminum oxide layer on the check valve poppets. To prevent future fires of this nature, the U.S. and Canadian fleets of P3 aircraft have been retrofitted with MCV assemblies with an upgraded design and more burn-resistant materials.
Propagation measurement campaigns are critical to characterizing the atmospheric behavior of a location and efficiently designing space-ground links. However, as global climate change affects weather patterns, the long-term trends of propagation data may be impacted over periods of decades or longer. Particularly, at high microwave frequencies (10 GHz and above), rain plays a dominant role in the attenuation statistics, and it has been observed that rain events over the past 50 years have trended toward increased frequency, intensity, and rain height. In the interest of quantifying the impact of these phenomena on long-term trends in propagation data, this paper compares two 20 GHz measurement campaigns both conducted at NASA's White Sands facility in New Mexico. The first is from the Advanced Communication Technology Satellite (ACTS) propagation campaign from 1994 - 1998, while the second is amplitude data recorded during a site test interferometer (STI) phase characterization campaign from 2009 - 2014.
We carried out an Advanced Satellite for Cosmology and Astrophysics (ASCA) observation of WZ Sagittae, to obtain the first X-ray spec- trum and to search for an X-ray counterpart near the well-known optical signal of 27.87 s. At around the same epoch, we carried out a similar search in ultraviolet radiation with the Faint Object Spectrograph (FOS) aboard the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). These experiments were done to test the hypothesis that the signal arises from rapid white dwarf rotation. The result generally confirmed that hypothesis, because signals were apparently detected at 27.87 s in both UV and hard X-ray light. But the detailed results were somewhat confusing, not exactly as simple as we dreamed in the proposal. The X-ray signal only emerges with fairly subtle methods of data analysis: either a "period-biased" search, or a sorting of X-ray photons into hard/soft - thus the detections are slightly marred by the taint of a posterz'ori reasoning. The UV data suffer a different but also worrisome problem: although 27.87 s is definitely detected, it's weaker than two other signals, at 28.22 and 29.69 s. That's quite surprising - we expected that the UV power spectrum would be simple, on the grounds that the UV flux distribution is nearly a pure white dwarf. Considered in isolation, such behavior from a white dwarf should be considered evidence for the pulsation hypothesis. The X-ray spectrum was interesting, mostly by virtue of what it did not show. It was essentially a pure thermal bremsstrahlung with kT = 5 keV, with only a very weak Fe K complex. This probably signifies origin near the central white dwarf and heating from accretion (propellor heating farther out would give lower densities and more cooling by emission lines). We published a paper reporting most of these details (Patterson et al. (1998), PASP, 110, 403), Much of the world accepts now that WZ Sge contains a rapidly spinning white dwarf - the fastest spin of any accreting white dwarf.
A colorimetric passive ozone monitoring system is currently in use in the GLOBE project, as well as several other environmental studies, as commercially supplied as Eco-Badge by Vistanomics. This simple, but effective, system consists of papers treated with a chemical preparation, tin(II) diphenylcarbazidel that reacts with ozone to change them from white to purple. The intensity of the purple coloration is dependent on the concentration of ozone. Our previous contributions to that method of analysis involved modest modifications to the chemical substrate employed. The new formulation improved the reproducibility and linearity of the color change of treated papers.
The Cosmology Large Angular Scale Surveyor (CLASS) observes the polarized cosmic microwave background (CMB) over the angular scales of 1° ≲ θ ≤ 90° with the aim of characterizing primordial gravitational waves and cosmic reionization. We report on the on-sky performance of the CLASS Q-band (40 GHz), W-band (90 GHz), and dichroic G-band (150/220 GHz) receivers that have been operational at the CLASS site in the Atacama desert since 2016 June, 2018 May, and 2019 September, respectively. We show that the noise-equivalent power measured by the detectors matches the expected noise model based on on-sky optical loading and lab-measured detector parameters. Using Moon, Venus, and Jupiter observations, we obtain power to antenna temperature calibrations and optical efficiencies for the telescopes. From the CMB survey data, we compute instantaneous array noise-equivalent-temperature sensitivities of 22, 19, 23, and 71 $\mu {{\rm{K}}}_{\mathrm{cmb}}\sqrt{{\rm{s}}}$ for the 40, 90, 150, and 220 GHz frequency bands, respectively. These noise temperatures refer to white noise amplitudes, which contribute to sky maps at all angular scales. Future papers will assess additional noise sources impacting larger angular scales.
There is great interest in techniques that potentially enable the direct detection of light from planets orbiting nearby stars. In one technique, nulling interfer~metry, the light from two or more separate telescopes can be destructively interfered to cancel the light from the star, allowing detection of the faint off-axis light from an orbiting planet or circumstellar disc. At the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, broadband white light nulls limited by dispersion effects have been previously reported. In this paper, we investigate other limiting effects using a monochromatic laser source. We report transient laser nulls as deep as 1 part in 10^6 and stabilized nulls as deep as 1 part in 10^5 at a wavelength of 633 nm and discuss the techniques used to obtain these nulls and the residual sources of stray light. We compare the measured performance of the rotational shearing interferometer with a theoretical model.
The ignition of cellulosic paper by low level thermal radiation is investigated. Past work on radiative ignition of paper is briefly reviewed. No experimental study has been reported for radiative ignition of paper at irradiances below 10 Watts/sq.cm. An experimental study of radiative ignition of paper at these low irradiances is reported. Experimental parameters investigated and discussed include radiant power levels incident on the sample, the method of applying the radiation (focussed vs. diffuse Gaussian source), the presence and relative position of a separate pilot ignition source, and the effects of natural convection (buoyancy) on the ignition process in a normal gravity environment. It is observed that the incident radiative flux (in W/sq.cm) has the greatest influence on ignition time. For a given flux level, a focussed Gaussian source is found to be advantageous to a more diffuse, lower amplitude, thermal source. The precise positioning of a pilot igniter relative to gravity and to the fuel sample affects the ignition process, but the precise effects are not fully understood. Ignition was more readily achieved and sustained with a horizontal fuel sample, indicating the buoyancy plays a role in the ignition process of cellulosic paper. Smoldering combustion of doped paper samples was briefly investigated, and results are discussed.
The first part of this paper presents a simple and systematic technique for constructing multidimensional M-ary phase shift keying (MMK) trellis coded modulation (TCM) codes. The construction is based on a multilevel concatenation approach in which binary convolutional codes with good free branch distances are used as the outer codes and block MPSK modulation codes are used as the inner codes (or the signal spaces). Conditions on phase invariance of these codes are derived and a multistage decoding scheme for these codes is proposed. The proposed technique can be used to construct good codes for both the additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) and fading channels as is shown in the second part of this paper.
The Ninth Symposium (International) on Combustion was held at Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, August 27 to September 1, 1962, under the auspices of the Combustion Institute. Registration was in excess of 600, with more than 100 attending from Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Spain and Sweden. Over 200 papers were submitted for consideration, of which 121 were placed on the program and 108 printed in the Proceedings. Two Discussions (Detonations, organized by Dr. D. R. White, General Electric Research Laboratory; Fundamental Flame Processes, organized by Dr. W. H. Avery, APL/The Johns Hopkins University) occupied 4 half-day sessions each. Preprints of all Discussions papers were available several weeks prior to the Symposium. Three Colloquia (Modeling Principles, organized by Professor D. 13. Spalding, Imperial College; Reactions and Phase Changes in Supersonic Plow, organized by Professor P. P. Wegener, Yale University; Reciprocating Engine Combustion Research, organized by Professor E. S. Starkman, University of California) occupied 2 or 3 half-day sessions each. Contributed Papers in many areas of the combustion field were presented in 10 half-day sessions. Comments on nearly every paper are included in the Proceedings.
The physical nature of the apparently densest groups of galaxies, known as compact groups is a topic of some recent controversy, despite the detailed observations of a well-defined catalog of 100 isolated compact groups compiled by Hickson (1982). Whereas many authors have espoused the view that compact groups are bound systems, typically as dense as they appear in projection on the sky (e.g., Williams & Rood 1987; Sulentic 1987; Hickson & Rood 1988), others see them as the result of chance configurations within larger systems, either in 1D (chance alignments: Mamon 1986; Walke & Mamon 1989), or in 3D (transient cores: Rose 1979). As outlined in the companion review to this contribution (Mamon, in these proceedings), the implication of Hickson's compact groups (HCGs) being dense bound systems is that they would then constitute the densest isolated systems of galaxies in the Universe and the privileged site for galaxy interactions. In a previous paper (Mamon 1986), the author reviewed the arguments given for the different theories of compact groups. Since then, a dozen papers have been published on the subject, including a thorough and perceptive review by White (1990), thus more than doubling the amount written on the subject. Here, the author first enumerates the arguments that he brought up in 1986 substantiating the chance alignment hypothesis, then he reviews the current status of the numerous recent arguments arguing against chance alignments and/or for the bound dense group hypothesis (both for the majority of HCGs but not all of them), and finally he reconsiders each one of these anti-chance alignment arguments and shows that, rather than being discredited, the chance alignment hypothesis remains a fully consistent explanation for the nature of compact groups.
The space flight community has been investigating lightweight composite materials for use in propellant tanks for both liquid and gaseous oxygen for space flight vehicles. The use of these materials presents some risks pertaining to ignition and burning hazards in the presence of oxygen. Through hazard analysis process, some ignition mechanisms have been identified as being potentially credible. One of the ignition mechanisms was reciprocal friction; however, test data do not exist that could be used to clear or fail these types of materials as "oxygen compatible" for the reciprocal friction ignition mechanism. Therefore, testing was performed at White Sands Test Facility (WSTF) to provide data to evaluate this ignition mechanism. This paper presents the test system, approach, data results, and findings of the reciprocal friction testing performed on composite sample materials being considered for propellant tanks.