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At least 649 records · Page 36

Assessment of chemical nonequilibrium for massively ablating graphite.

Several types of artificial graphite have been irradiated by laser pulses in vacuum, and the composition of the resulting vapor cloud has been determined in situ by mass spectrometric techniques in order to gain information pertaining to nonequilibrium ablation of graphitic probes entering planetary atmospheres. Results are discussed in terms of variations in concentrations of carbon species from their equilibrium values, and plotted curves illustrate the effect of nonequilibrium ablation on radiative shielding for simulated Jupiter entry conditions.

Lincoln, K. A.↗

Study of magnetic perturbations on SEC vidicon tubes

A laboratory measurements program was conducted to determine the tolerances that must be imposed to achieve optimum performance from SEC-vidicon data sensors in the LST mission. These measurements along with other data were used to formulate recommendations regarding the necessary telemetry and remote control for the television data sensors when in orbit. The study encompassed the following tasks: (1) Conducted laboratory measurements of the perturbations which an external magnetic field produces on a magnetically focused, SEC-vidicon. Evaluated shielding approaches. (2) Experimentally evaluated the effects produced on overall performance by variations of the tube electrode potentials, and the focus, deflection and alignment fields. (3) Recommended the extent of ground control of camera parameters and camera parameter telemetry required for optimizing the performance of the television system in orbit. The experimental data are summarized in a set of graphs.

Long, D. C.↗

Interleaved shielding for cables

Interleaved wrapping of metal foil shielding on power cables gives more effective electromagnetic interference protection without increasing amount of material or weight.

Read, G. R.↗

System for the measurement of ultra-low stray light levels

An apparatus is described for measuring the effectiveness of stray light suppression light shields and baffle arrangements used in optical space experiments and large space telescopes. The light shield and baffle arrangement and a telescope model are contained in a vacuum chamber. A source of short, high-powered light energy illuminates portions of the light shield and baffle arrangement and reflects a portion of same to a photomultiplier tube by virtue of multipath scattering. The resulting signal is transferred to time-channel electronics timed by the firing of the high energy light source allowing time discrimination of the signal thereby enabling the light scattered and suppressed by the model to be distinguished from the walls and holders around the apparatus.

Wyman, C. L.↗

Space vehicle meteoroid shielding design

Design principles of spaced, multiwall meteoroid protection are investigated in the light of experimental data generated during the Apollo Program. The outer wall or shield is shown to be the most important element in the meteoroid-spacecraft interaction. The condition of the debris is primarily a function of the shock pressure, the melting points of the meteoroid and the shield, and the length of the meteoroid and thickness of the shield. Spacing between the walls is effective up to approximately 100 times the length of the meteoroid. The required thickness of the second wall is shown to be proportional to the meteoroid mass, velocity, and density, and to the spacing between the walls, taken with exponents dependent upon the condition of the debris. The effects of placing additional elements (insulation or honeycomb cells) between the two walls are discussed, and the efficiency of various protective configurations is presented. An analysis of the meteoroid protection proposed for the Comet Halley probe is included as an appendix.

Cour-Palais, B. G.↗

Shielded conductor cable system

A cable system carries one or more insulated conductors completely enclosed within a shield having one end connected to ground. A lightning protector network connects the other end of the shield to ground. The protector network is normally open circuited and becomes only short circuited in response to a momentary abnormal surge voltage induced in the shield. The protector network's open to short impedance change completes a conductive circuit path between the shield and the two grounded ends for conducting a shield current which has the desired effect of protecting the signal carrying conductors in the cable from the large surge voltage.

Castle, K. D.↗

Ground effects on aircraft noise for a wide-body commercial airplane

Ground effects on noise from a high-bypass ratio engined aircraft are investigated. A 747 is flown at altitudes from 30 to 960 m past a 20-microphone array, and ground effects are calculated from noise measurements as a function of elevation angle and slant range. Results are given in terms of EPNL units and are compared with previous results of a turbojet-powered T-38 and SAE-recommended empirical lateral attenuation prediction procedures. Theoretical predictions are made based on a method developed by Pao et al. (1978) and are compared with both 747 and T-38 results, demonstrating good agreement although a consistent underprediction of peak measured attenuation is observed. Measured ground effects are found largest at 200 Hz, and no definite shielding differences are apparent for a directivity angle of 122.5 deg. Less lateral attenuation of effective perceived noise is measured for both aircraft and is attributed to the dominance of low-frequency noise in the source spectrum.

Willshire, W. L., Jr.↗

The effect of asymmetric attack on trim angle of attack

Ballistic range tests were conducted to determine the effect of an asymmetrically ablated heat shield on the trim angle of attack of an entry vehicle. The tests, which were in support of Project Galileo, were conducted in atmospheric air at Mach numbers from 0.7 to 2.0. For the results for the configuration that was tested, the deduced trim angle varied between 13 deg and 21 deg.

Kruse, R. L.↗

Cosmogenic neon from precompaction irradiation of Kapoeta and Murchison

Neon from hand-picked Murchison and Kapoeta grains, selected on the basis of the presence or absence of solar flare particle tracks, was analyzed in order to delineate the precompaction history of this material. The irradiated grains showed large enrichments of cosmogenic neon relative to the unirradiated grains. Galactic cosmic ray (GCR) exposure ages for the unirradiated grains yield the nominal values reported for the recent exposure history of these meteorites. Apparent minimum precompaction galactic exposure ages of 28 m.y. and 56 m.y. would have been obtained for Murchison and Kapoeta, respectively, if the cosmogenic effects in the irradiated grains were due to GCR irradiation. Since this seems unreasonably long, the cosmogenic neon in the irradiated grains may be due to spallation by solar cosmic rays. This, however, would require a more active early sun. The isotopic composition of the cosmogenic neon in these grains suggests a harder energy spectrum than is characteristic of present solar flares. Lack of apparent solar wind effects may require some kind of shielding, such as nebular gas.

Caffee, M. W.↗

The photodissociation and chemistry of interstellar CO

Recent work on the vacuum UV absorption spectrum of CO to the description of the photodissociation of interstellar CO and its principal isotopic varieties is discussed. The effects of line broadening, self-shielding, shielding by H and H2, and isotope-selective shielding are examined as functions of depth into interstellar clouds. The photodissociation rates of the isotopic species are larger than that of (C-12)O inside the clouds by up to one to two orders of magnitude. A simple approximation to the attenuation by line absorption is given in tabular form. Computed abundances of CO and related species C and C+ are presented for a variety of interstellar clouds ranging from diffuse clouds to dense photodissociation regions. Several series of models of translucent clouds are presented which illustrate how the CO abundance increases rapidly with total cloud thickness. The variations of the isotopic abundances with depth and their sensitivity to temperature and total cloud thickness are explored in detail.

Van Dishoeck, Ewine F.↗

Radiation hazards in low earth orbit, polar orbit, geosynchronous orbit, and deep space

The predicted doses to the blood forming organs and skin of spacecraft crews in low inclination at high inclination and polar orbits, in LEO and in free space are reviewed. Doses from trapped solar radiation and galactic cosmic radiation are covered, and also those to be expected from anomalous, large solar particle events. They are compared with the maximum annual and career doses laid down by the National Council on Radiation protection (1987). The effect of spacecraft and space suit shielding is also considered. Space Shuttle flights have allowed extensive comparison of predicted doses with those measured experimentally. This has revealed some defects in the radiation and magnetic fields models used and has led to extensive reexamination of these models.

Mccormack, Percival D.↗

Thermal design, testing, and analysis of the Cosmic Background Explorer's external calibrator

The thermal design of a calibrator used to correlate the collected data with an absolute reference onboard of the Cosmic Background Explorer is considered. Since flight conditions could not be simulated in ground testing, the design was qualified by analysis and testing. The requirements imposed on the calibrator are outlined, along with spacecraft hardware modifications aimed at reducing the thermal load on the calibrator. A geometric mathematical model created in order to obtain view factors from the cryogenic instruments to the spacecraft and dewar is discussed. It is shown that the calibrator met or exceeded all of its performance requirements, and that the modifications to such energy sources as the thermal shield and differential microwave radiometers proved effective in reducing the radiative energy the calibrator received from the spacecraft to acceptable levels.

Mosier, Carol L.↗

Design considerations in clustering nuclear rocket engines

An initial investigation of the design considerations in clustering nuclear rocket engines for space transfer vehicles has been made. The clustering of both propulsion modules (which include start tanks) and nuclear rocket engines installed directly to a vehicle core tank appears to be feasible. Special provisions to shield opposite run tanks and the opposite side of a core tank - in the case of the boost pump concept - are required; the installation of a circumferential reactor side shield sector appears to provide an effective solution to this problem. While the time response to an engine-out event does not appear to be critical, the gimbal displacement required appears to be important. Since an installation of three engines offers a substantial reduction in gimbal requirements for engine-out and it may be possible to further enhance mission reliability with the greater number of engines, it is recommended that a cluster of four engines be considered.

Sager, Paul H.↗

Neutron measurements in near-Earth orbit with COMPTEL

The fast neutron flux in near-Earth orbit has been measured with the COMPTEL instrument on the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory (CGRO). For this measurement one of COMPTEL's seven liquid scintillator modules was used as an uncollimated neutron detector with threshold of 12.8 MeV. The measurements cover a range of 4.8 to 15.5 GV in vertical cutoff rigidity and 3 deg to 177 deg in spacecraft geocenter zenith angle. One of the measurements occurred near the minimum of the deepest Forbush decrease ever observed by ground-level neutron monitors. After correction for solar modulation, the total flux is well fitted by separable functions in rigidity and zenith angle. With the spacecraft pointed near the nadir the flux is consistent with balloon measurements of the atmospheric neutron albedo. The flux varies by about a factor of 4 between the extremes of rigidity and a factor of 2 between the extremes of zenith angle. The effect of the spacecraft mass in shielding the detector from the atmospheric neutron albedo is much more important than its role as a source of additional secondary neutrons. The neutron spectral hardness varies little with rigidity or zenith angle and lies in the range spanned by earlier atmospheric neutron albedo measurements.

Morris, D. J.↗

Performance of the Zero Degree Detector

The Zero Degree Detector (ZDD) is a large area pixelated silicon detector that measures secondary particle angular distributions from heavy ion interactions. The ZDD is part of the instrumentation being used in an ongoing measurement program to measure fragmentation cross-sections of heavy nuclei and evaluate the relative effectives of novel materials for spacecraft shielding. The initial performance of the ZDD has been assessed using the primary heavy ions measured. We report here on the ZDD's design, capabilities and signal calibration using heavy ions.

Christl, Mark J.↗

Applications of telemedicine in the United States space program

Since the beginning of human space flight, NASA has been placing humans in extreme and remote environments. There are many challenges in maintaining humans in outer space, including the provision of life-support systems, radiation shielding, and countermeasures for minimizing the effect of microgravity. Because astronauts are selected for their health, among other factors, disease and illness are minimized. However, it is still of great importance to have appropriate medical care systems in place to address illness and injury should they occur. With the exception of the Apollo program, exploration of space has been limited to missions that are within several hundred miles of the surface of the Earth. At the drawn of the 21st century and the new millennium, human exploration will be focused on operation of the International Space Station (ISS) and preparation for human missions to Mars. These missions will present inherent risks to human health, and, therefore, appropriate plans must be established to address these challenges and risks. Crews of long-duration missions must become more independent from ground controllers. New systems, protocols, and procedures are currently being perfected. Application of emerging technologies in information systems and telecommunications will be critical to inflight medical care. Application of these technologies through telemedicine will provide crew members access to information, noninvasive procedures for assessing health status, and guidance through the integration of sensors, holography, decision-support systems, and virtual environments. These technologies will also serve as a basis to enhance training and medical education. The design of medical care for space flight should lead to a redesign of the practice of medicine on Earth.

Review, Tutorial↗

Steady-State Vacuum Ultraviolet Exposure Facility With Automated Lamp Calibration and Sample Positioning Fabricated

The Next Generation Space Telescope (NGST) will be placed in an orbit that will subject it to constant solar radiation during its planned 10-year mission. A sunshield will be necessary to passively cool the telescope, protecting it from the Sun s energy and assuring proper operating temperatures for the telescope s instruments. This sunshield will be composed of metalized polymer multilayer insulation with an outer polymer membrane (12 to 25 mm in thickness) that will be metalized on the back to assure maximum reflectance of sunlight. The sunshield must maintain mechanical integrity and optical properties for the full 10 years. This durability requirement is most challenging for the outermost, constantly solar-facing polymer membrane of the sunshield. One of the potential threats to the membrane material s durability is from vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) radiation in wavelengths below 200 nm. Such radiation can be absorbed in the bulk of these thin polymer membrane materials and degrade the polymer s optical and mechanical properties. So that a suitable membrane material can be selected that demonstrates durability to solar VUV radiation, ground-based testing of candidate materials must be conducted to simulate the total 10- year VUV exposure expected during the Next Generation Space Telescope mission. The Steady State Vacuum Ultraviolet exposure facility was designed and fabricated at the NASA Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field to provide unattended 24-hr exposure of candidate materials to VUV radiation of 3 to 5 times the Sun s intensity in the wavelength range of 115 to 200 nm. The facility s chamber, which maintains a pressure of approximately 5 10(exp -6) torr, is divided into three individual exposure cells, each with a separate VUV source and sample-positioning mechanism. The three test cells are separated by a water-cooled copper shield plate assembly to minimize thermal effects from adjacent test cells. Part of the interior sample positioning mechanism of one test cell is shown in the illustration. Of primary concern in VUV exposure is the maintenance of constant measured radiation intensity so that the sample s total exposure can be determined in equivalent Sun hours. This is complicated by the fact that a VUV lamp s intensity degrades over time, necessitating a decrease in the distance between the test samples and the lamp. The facility overcomes this challenge by periodically measuring the lamp s intensity with a cesium-iodide phototube and adjusting the sample distance as required to maintain constant exposure intensity. Sample positioning and periodic phototube location under the lamp are both achieved by a single lead-screw assembly. The lamps can be isolated from the main vacuum chamber for cleaning or replacement so that samples are not exposed to the atmosphere during a test.

Sechkar, Edward A.↗