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At least 649 records · Page 36
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1994

Surface acoustic wave oxygen pressure sensor

A transducer for the measurement of absolute gas-state oxygen pressure from pressures of less than 100 Pa to atmospheric pressure (1.01 x 10(exp 5) Pa) is based on a standard surface acoustic wave (SAW) device. The piezoelectric material of the SAW device is coated with a compound which will selectively and reversibly bind oxygen. When oxygen is bound by the coating, the mass of the coating increases by an amount equal to the mass of the bound oxygen. Such an increase in the mass of the coating causes a corresponding decrease in the resonant frequency of the SAW device.

Oglesby, Donald M.↗
NASA NTRS2001

A Self-Consistent Model of the Interacting Ring Current Ions and Electromagnetic ICWs. Initial Results: Waves and Precipitation Fluxes

Initial results from the new developed model of the interacting ring current ions and ion cyclotron waves are presented. The model described by the system of two bound kinetic equations: one equation describes the ring current ion dynamics, and another one gives wave evolution. Such system gives a self-consistent description of the ring current ions and ion cyclotron waves in a quasilinear approach. Calculating ion-wave relationships, on a global scale under non steady-state conditions during May 2-5, 1998 storm, we presented the data at three time cuts around initial, main, and late recovery phases of May 4, 1998 storm phase. The structure and dynamics of the ring current proton precipitating flux regions and the wave active ones are discussed in detail.

Khazanov, G. V.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Chemical evolution. XL - Clay-mediated oxidation of diaminomaleonitrile

The inhibition of the oligomerization of HCN by montmorillonite clays is shown to be caused by oxidation of diaminomaleonitrile (DAMN) by ferric ion in the clay lattice, with ferrous ion and oxalic acid the reaction products. It is demonstrated that diiminosuccinonitrile is the initial reaction product and is rapidly hydrolized to oxalic acid and HCN. The same oxidative transformations are effected by ferric ion bound to Dowex 50, ferric ion in solution, and Ni(NH3)6(2+). The rate of reaction of DAMN indicates no catalytic role for the clay in the oxidation of DAMN, and little reaction of the latter was observed with montmorillonite in which the bulk of the iron was in the divalent state. The possible significance of these redox reactions to chemical evolution is discussed.

Ferris, J. P.↗
NASA NTRS1984

The chemical kinetics and thermodynamics of sodium species in oxygen-rich hydrogen flames

Results are presented which, it is claimed, lead to a correction of previous misconceptions over the relative importance and kinetics of NaO2. It is shown that its rapid conversion to NaO and NaOH is such that it can severely perturb the NaOH/Na ratio and produce significant concentration overshoots over that predicted from the balance of the reaction of Na with H2O. This becomes increasingly the case in flames of large O2 concentrations and temperatures below 2500 K; and the corresponding large rate constants for the termolecular formation of the other alkali peroxides imply that similar considerations will be necessary for them. Depending on the rate constants for the exothermic conversions of MO2 to MO or MOH, the steady-state concentrations of MO2 could be more or less significant than for sodium. Owing to numerous reactions that produce these conversions, the MOH species will probably be the dominant species in all cases in oxygen-rich hydrogen or hydrocarbon flames, with MO concentrations at not greater than 1 percent of the bound metal.

Hynes, A. J.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Effect of shock pressure on the structure and superconducting properties of Y-Ba-Cu-O in explosively fabricated bulk metal-matrix composites

While it is now well established that copper-oxide-based powder, or virtually any other ceramic superconductor powder, can be consolidated and encapsulated within a metal matrix by explosive consolidation, the erratic superconductivity following fabrication has posed a major problem for bulk applications. The nature of this behavior was found to arise from microstructural damage created in the shock wave front, and the residual degradation in superconductivity was demonstrated to be directly related to the peak shock pressure. The explosively fabricated or shock loaded YBa2Cu3Ox examples exhibit drastically altered rho (or R) - T curves. The deterioration in superconductivity is even more noticeable in the measurement of ac magnetic susceptibility and flux exclusion or shielding fraction which is also reduced in proportion to increasing peak shock pressure. The high-frequency surface resistance (in the GHz range) is also correspondingly compromised in explosively fabricated, bulk metal-matrix composites based on YBa2Cu3O7. Transmission electron microscopy (including lattice imaging techniques) is being applied in an effort to elucidate the fundamental (microstructural) nature of the shock-induced degradation of superconductivity and normal state conductivity. One focus of TEM observations has assumed that oxygen displaced from b-chains rather than oxygen-vacancy disorder in the basal plane of oxygen deficient YBa2Cu3Ox may be a prime mechanism. Shock-wave displaced oxygen may also be locked into new positions or interstitial clusters or chemically bound to displaced metal (possibly copper) atoms to form precipitates, or such displacements may cause the equivalent of local lattice cell changes as a result of stoichiometric changes. While the shock-induced suppression of T(sub c) is not desirable in the explosive fabrication of bulk metal-matrix superconductors, it may be turned into an advantage if the atomic-scale distortion can be understood and controlled as local flux pinning sites.

Murr, L. E.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Model order reduction applied to a hot-bench simulation of an aeroelastic wind-tunnel model

Simulations of an aeroelastically scaled wind-tunnel model were developed for hot-bench testing of a digital controller. The digital controller provided active flutter-suppression, rolling-maneuver-load alleviation, and plant estimation. To achieve an acceptable time scale for the hot-bench application, the mathematical model of the wind-tunnel model was reduced from 220 states to approximately 130 states while assuring that the required accuracy was preserved for all combinations of 10 inputs and 56 outputs. The reduction was achieved by focussing on a linear, aeroelastic submodel of the full mathematical model and by applying a method based on the internally balanced realization of a dynamic system. The error-bound properties of the internally balanced realization significantly contribute to its utility in the model reduction process. The reduction method and the results achieved are described.

Buttrill, Carey S.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Effect of shock pressure on the structure and superconducting properties of Y-Ba-Cu-O in explosively fabricated bulk metal-matrix composites

While it is now well established that copper-oxide-based power, or virtually any other ceramic superconductor powder, can be consolidated and encapsulated within a metal matrix by explosive consolidation, the erratic superconductivity following fabrication has posed a major problem for bulk applications. The nature of this behavior was found to arise from microstructural damage created in the shock wave front, and the residual degradation in superconductivity was demonstrated to be directly related to the peak shock pressure. The explosively fabricated or shock loaded YBa2Cu3Ox examples exhibit drastically altered rho (or R) - T curves. The deterioration in superconductivity is even more noticeable in the measurement of ac magnetic susceptibility and flux exclusion or shielding fraction which is also reduced in proportion to increasing peak shock pressure. The high frequency surface resistance (in the GHz range) is also correspondingly compromised in explosively fabricated, bulk metal-matrix composites based on YBa2Cu3O7. Transmission electron microscopy (including lattice imaging techniques) is being applied in an effort to elucidate the fundamental (microstructural) nature of the shock-induced degradation of superconductivity and normal state conductivity. One focus of TEM observations has assumed that oxygen displaced from b-chains rather than oxygen-vacancy disorder in the basal plane of oxygen deficient YBa2Cu3Ox may be a prime mechanism. Shock-wave displaced oxygen may also be locked into new positions or interstitial clusters or chemically bound to displaced metal (possibly copper) atoms to form precipitates, or such displacements may cause the equivalent of local lattice cell changes as a result of stoichiometric changes. While the shock-induced suppression of T(sub c) is not desirable in the explosive fabrication of bulk metal-matrix superconductors, it may be turned into an advantage if the atomic-scale distortion can be understood and controlled as local flux pinning sites.

Murr, L. E.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Model reference adaptive control of flexible robots in the presence of sudden load changes

Direct command generator tracker based model reference adaptive control (MRAC) algorithms are applied to the dynamics for a flexible-joint arm in the presence of sudden load changes. Because of the need to satisfy a positive real condition, such MRAC procedures are designed so that a feedforward augmented output follows the reference model output, thus, resulting in an ultimately bounded rather than zero output error. Thus, modifications are suggested and tested that: (1) incorporate feedforward into the reference model's output as well as the plant's output, and (2) incorporate a derivative term into only the process feedforward loop. The results of these simulations give a response with zero steady state model following error, and thus encourage further use of MRAC for more complex flexibile robotic systems.

Steinvorth, Rodrigo↗
NASA NTRS2005

A Facility for Testing High-Power Electric Propulsion Systems in Space: A Design Study

This paper will describe the results of the preliminary phase of a NASA design study for a facility to test high-power electric propulsion systems in space. The results of this design study are intended to provide a firm foundation for a subsequent detailed design and development activities leading to the deployment of a valuable space facility supporting the new vision of space exploration. The objectives for human and robotic exploration of space can be accomplished affordably, safely and effectively with high-power electric propulsion systems. But, as thruster power levels rise to the hundreds of kilowatts and up to megawatts, their testing will pose stringent and expensive demands on existing Earth-based vacuum facilities. These considerations and the access to near-Earth space provided by the International Space Station (ISS) have led to a renewed interest in space testing. The ISS could provide an excellent platform for a space-based test facility with the continuous vacuum conditions of the natural space environment and no chamber walls to modify the open boundary conditions of the propulsion system exhaust. The platform would be designed to accommodate the side-by-side testing of multiple types of electric thrusters currently under development and thus provide a strong basis for comparing their relative performance. The utility of testing on the station is further enhanced by the human presence, enabling close interaction with and modification of the test hardware in a true laboratory environment. These conditions facilitate rapid development and flight certification at potentially lower cost than with conventional Earth-bound facilities. As an added benefit, the propulsive effect of these tests could provide some drag compensation for the station, reducing the re-boost cost for the orbital facility. While it is expected that the ISS will not be capable of generating continuous levels of high power, the utilization of state-of-the-art energy storage media would be sufficient to achieve very high power levels over intervals short enough to be feasible and long enough to provide ample demonstration of steady-state operation. This paper will outline the results of the preliminary phase of the design study with emphasis on the requirements that will dictate the system design.

Petro, Andrew J.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Transient and steady state viscoelastic rolling contact

Based on moving total Lagrangian coordinates, a so-called traveling Hughes type contact strategy is developed. Employing the modified contact scheme in conjunction with a traveling finite element strategy, an overall solution methodology is developed to handle transient and steady viscoelastic rolling contact. To verify the scheme, the results of both experimental and analytical benchmarking is presented. The experimental benchmarking includes the handling of rolling tires up to their upper bound behavior, namely the standing wave response.

Padovan, J.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Long-time asymptotics of a system for plasma diffusion

A system of parabolic nonlinear equations that describe the diffusion of a fully collisional plasma across a strong magnetic field is discussed. It is demonstrated that the solution to this system tends to a time asymptotic state which is of space-time separable form, theta(t)f(x). Furthermore, f(x) is independent of the initial conditions and theta(t) depends slightly on the initial conditions. The rate of decay of the temporal part is governed by a nonlinear eigenvalue problem. Since the equations are considered in a bounded domain we are able to analyze the effect of boundary conditions on the evolution of the system. Additional effects on radiation, heating, and particle injection can also be accounted for. Essential differences between the behavior of a fully-coupled system and a scalar equation are observed.

Rosenau, P.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Correlated quadratures of resonance fluorescence and the generalized uncertainty relation

Resonance fluorescence from a two-state atom has been predicted to exhibit quadrature squeezing below the Heisenberg uncertainty limit, provided that the optical parameters (Rabi frequency, detuning, laser linewidth, etc.) are chosen carefully. When the correlation between two quadratures of the radiation field does not vanish, however, the Heisenberg limit for quantum fluctuations might be an unrealistic lower bound. A generalized uncertainty relation, due to Schroedinger, takes into account the possible correlation between the quadrature components of the radiation, and it suggests a modified definition of squeezing. We show that the coherence between the two levels of a laser-driven atom is responsible for the correlation between the quadrature components of the emitted fluorescence, and that the Schrodinger uncertainty limit increases monotonically with the coherence. On the other hand, the fluctuations in the quadrature field diminish with an increasing coherence, and can disappear completely when the coherence reaches 1/2, provided that certain phase relations hold.

Arnoldus, Henk F.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Highlights of the ASPE 2004 Winter Topical Meeting on Free-Form Optics: Design, Fabrication, Metrology, Assembly

We present highlights from the American Society for Precision Engineering's 2004 winter topical meeting entitled Free-Form Optics: Design, Fabrication, Metrology, Assembly. We emphasize those papers that are most relevant to astronomical optics. Optical surfaces that transcend the bounds of rotational symmetry have been implemented in novel optical systems with fantastic results since the release of Polaroid's first instant camera. Despite these successes, free-form optics have found only a few niche applications and have yet to enter the mainstream. The purpose of this meeting is to identify the state of the art of free-form optics design, fabrication, metrology and assembly and to identify the technical and logistical challenges that inhibit their widespread use. Issues that will be addressed include: What are free-form optics? How can optical systems be made better with free-form optics? How can designers use free-form optics? How can free-form optics be fabricated? How can they be measured? How are free-form optical systems assembled? Control of multi-axis systems.

Ohl, Raymond G.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Oxidation of the skeletal muscle Ca2+ release channel alters calmodulin binding

This study presents evidence for a close relationship between the oxidation state of the skeletal muscle Ca2+ release channel (RyR1) and its ability to bind calmodulin (CaM). CaM enhances the activity of RyR1 in low Ca2+ and inhibits its activity in high Ca2+. Oxidation, which activates the channel, blocks the binding of 125I-labeled CaM at both micromolar and nanomolar Ca2+ concentrations. Conversely, bound CaM slows oxidation-induced cross-linking between subunits of the RyR1 tetramer. Alkylation of hyperreactive sulfhydryls (<3% of the total sulfhydryls) on RyR1 with N-ethylmaleimide completely blocks oxidant-induced intersubunit cross-linking and inhibits Ca2+-free 125I-CaM but not Ca2+/125I-CaM binding. These studies suggest that 1) the sites on RyR1 for binding apocalmodulin have features distinct from those of the Ca2+/CaM site, 2) oxidation may alter the activity of RyR1 in part by altering its interaction with CaM, and 3) CaM may protect RyR1 from oxidative modifications during periods of oxidative stress.

NASA Discipline Musculoskeletal↗
NASA NTRS2009

The Integrated Medical Model - Optimizing In-flight Space Medical Systems to Reduce Crew Health Risk and Mission Impacts

The Integrated Medical Model (IMM) is a decision support tool used by medical system planners and designers as they prepare for exploration planning activities of the Constellation program (CxP). IMM provides an evidence-based approach to help optimize the allocation of in-flight medical resources for a specified level of risk within spacecraft operational constraints. Eighty medical conditions and associated resources are represented in IMM. Nine conditions are due to Space Adaptation Syndrome. The IMM helps answer fundamental medical mission planning questions such as What medical conditions can be expected? What type and quantity of medical resources are most likely to be used?", and "What is the probability of crew death or evacuation due to medical events?" For a specified mission and crew profile, the IMM effectively characterizes the sequence of events that could potentially occur should a medical condition happen. The mathematical relationships among mission and crew attributes, medical conditions and incidence data, in-flight medical resources, potential clinical and crew health end states are established to generate end state probabilities. A Monte Carlo computational method is used to determine the probable outcomes and requires up to 25,000 mission trials to reach convergence. For each mission trial, the pharmaceuticals and supplies required to diagnose and treat prevalent medical conditions are tracked and decremented. The uncertainty of patient response to treatment is bounded via a best-case, worst-case, untreated case algorithm. A Crew Health Index (CHI) metric, developed to account for functional impairment due to a medical condition, provides a quantified measure of risk and enables risk comparisons across mission scenarios. The use of historical in-flight medical data, terrestrial surrogate data as appropriate, and space medicine subject matter expertise has enabled the development of a probabilistic, stochastic decision support tool capable of optimizing in-flight medical systems based on crew and mission parameters. This presentation will illustrate how to apply quantitative risk assessment methods to optimize the mass and volume of space-based medical systems for a space flight mission given the level of crew health and mission risk.

Kerstman, Eric↗
NASA NTRS1978

Contribution of tidal dissipation to lunar thermal history

Possible contributions of tidal heating to the thermal history of the moon are investigated, and conditions under which such heating would have been an important factor in the evolution of the moon are defined as precisely as possible within the bounds of the uncertainties. The tidal dissipation is defined as a function of position in the moon and of the earth-moon separation for a homogeneous incompressible moon. Results for the dissipation are given for eccentricities of zero and 0.055 as well as for the lunar obliquity as determined by the equilibrium Cassini states. Possible orbital resonances which interrupt the assumed simplified expansion of the lunar orbit are considered, along with radial variations in rigidity. The dissipation in a two-layer model moon with a molten inner core and an outer mantle with the moon's present rigidity is determined, and implications of the results for the role of tidal heating in the history of the moon are discussed.

Peale, S. J.↗
NASA NTRS1985

A Comparison of the Bounded Derivative and the Normal Mode Initialization Methods Using Real Data

Browning et al. (1980) proposed an initialization method called the bounded derivative method (BDI). They used analytical data to test the new method. Kasahara (1982) theoretically demonstrated the equivalence between BDI and the well known nonlinear normal mode initialization method (NMI). The purposes of this study are the extension of the application of BDI to real data and comparison with NMI. The unbalanced initial state (UBD) is data of January, 1979 OOZ which were interpolated from the adjacent sigma levels of the GLAS GCM to the 300 mb surface. The global barotropic model described by Takacs and Balgovind (1983) is used. Orographic forcing is explicitly included in the model. Many comparisons are performed between various quantities. However, we only present a comparison of the time evolution at two grid points A(50 S, 90 E) and B(10 S, 20 E) which represent low and middle latitude locations. To facilitate a more complete comparison an initialization experiment based on the classical balance equation (CBE) was also included.

Semazzi, F. H. M.↗
NASA NTRS2017

Biosignatures in the Context of Low Energy Flux

Many of the features that are thought of as biosignatures - including the mediation of chemical and physical processes with speed, specificity, and selectivity - result directly or indirectly from life's unique capability to mediate and direct energy flux. As such, it is important to consider the impact that differences in energy flux may have on the quantity and quality of evidence for life. Earth differs from every other body in our solar system in the magnitude of biologically-usable energy flux into a liquid water environment. On a global basis, the capture of light energy into photosynthesis and the flux of chemical energy represented in the products of that photosynthesis (organic material + O2) are about six and four orders of magnitude larger, respectively, than the flux of energy represented in geochemical sources. Our conception of what an inhabited world "looks like" and our intuition about how to search for life are based in this high-energy context. Energy fluxes on worlds beyond Earth may be better approximated by the million-fold smaller flux provided to Earth's biosphere by geochemical sources. As a result, the nature, abundance, and quality of evidence for life that could be expected on an inhabited extraterrestrial world within our solar system may differ profoundly from that found on Earth. Understanding this potential difference in quantitative terms provides important context for the formulation of life detection strategies. The influence of energy flux on biosignatures can be evaluated through reference to the two basic purposes into which life partitions energy flux: (1) Life expends energy to sustain existing biomass in a metabolic steady state (metabolically functional but non-growing). The formal representation of this relationship in the traditional microbiology literature equates biomass directly with energy flux. The direct implication is that worlds having lower energy flux will have correspondingly lower potential to support biomass. Life detection strategies that directly target extant organisms should therefore be prepared to encounter average biomass densities that may be many orders of magnitude smaller than those found in most of Earth's surface environments (2) Life expends energy to synthesize new biomass. An end-member case in which new biomass is created at the energy-limited rate and the corresponding cells are immediately destroyed (so that the energy partitioned to cell maintenance is minimized) establishes an upper bound on the rate at which biological material can enter a bulk global pool. For a specified bulk concentration [i] of any particular biological compound, i, or for biologically produced matter overall, this synthesis rate, R (sub i), defines a characteristic time scale tau (sub i) equals [i] divided by R (sub i). tau (sub i) can be thought of as (a) the minimum time required for biosynthesis to yield a specific bulk concentration (e.g., a detection threshold) of i, and (b) the average residence time of i within a bulk pool when [i] is held in steady state through a balance between biosynthesis and attrition by physical, chemical, or biological consumption. tau (sub i) becomes an important quantity in considering the potential utility of enantiomeric excess (as a product of homochiral biosynthesis) as a biosignature. Spontaneous racemization of amino acids acts to "erase" the signature of homochiral synthesis over time scales that may range from hundreds to hundreds of thousands of years, depending on temperature. For environments in which low energy flux translates to low rates of biosynthesis, including the synthesis of homochiral amino acids, amino acid residence times in pools having detectable concentrations may compare to or significantly exceed the time scale for racemization. This and similar consequences of long residence times should be considered in the formulation of life detection strategies based on detection of biologically-produced species. Fluxes of biologically-useful energy on potentially habitable worlds within our solar system are, at present, not well constrained. Improving such constraint has the potential to inform priorities in the formulation and targeting of search-for-life strategies, based on the implications of energy flux for the abundance and quality of biosignatures overall, and in specific categories.

ENERGY FLUX↗