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At least 667 records · Page 37
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1995

Designing A Mode Converter For Use With A Gyrotron

Report describes process of designing corrugated, circular-cross-section length of waveguide converting input electromagnetic radiation at frequency of 34.5 GHz in TM(11) mode to output radiation in HE(11) mode. TM(11)-mode input radiation supplied by gyrotron generating continuous-wave power of 200 kW at 34.5 GHz in TE(01) mode followed by TE(01)-to-TM(11) mode converter. Together, gyrotron and mode converters constitute prototype high-power transmitter for long-distance free-space communication.

Hoppe, Daniel J.↗
NASA NTRS1990

JESNET Expert Assistant

The Johnson Space Center Engineering and Science Network (JESNET) supports the JSC Engineering and Space and Life Sciences Directorates by providing a network of interconnected ETHERNETS with a wide diversity of processing and routing nodes throughout the Johnson Space Center and off-site contractor locations. The JESNET provides the primary method of communication between the various computers that support the Directorates. Lockheed Engineering and Sciences Co. (LESC) is tasked with the operation and maintenance of certain primary portions of this network. Since maintenance of this network depends on the timely identification and subsequent repair of problems on the network, the decision was made to develop a JESNET Expert Assistant (JEA) to assist LESC personnel in the operation and maintenance of the JESNET. The JEA is being implemented in CLIPS, DEC Graphical Kernal System (GKS(TM)) and C on a DEC MicroVAX(TM) with VMS(TM).

Hansen, Roger F.↗
NASA NTRS1995

TIA Software User's Manual

This user's manual describes the installation and operation of TIA, the Thermal-Imaging acquisition and processing Application, developed by the Nondestructive Evaluation Sciences Branch at NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia. TIA is a user friendly graphical interface application for the Macintosh 2 and higher series computers. The software has been developed to interface with the Perceptics/Westinghouse Pixelpipe(TM) and PixelStore(TM) NuBus cards and the GW Instruments MacADIOS(TM) input-output (I/O) card for the Macintosh for imaging thermal data. The software is also capable of performing generic image-processing functions.

Cramer, K. Elliott↗
NASA NTRS1996

Chemical Microthruster Options

Chemical propulsion systems with potential application to microsatellites are classified by propellant phase, i.e. gas, liquid, or solid. Four promising concepts are selected based on performance, weight, size, cost, and reliability. The selected concepts, in varying stages of development, are advanced monopropellants, tridyne(TM), electrolysis, and solid gas generator propulsion. Tridyne(TM) and electrolysis propulsion are compared vs. existing cold gas and monopropellant systems for selected microsatellite missions. Electrolysis is shown to provide a significant weight advantage over monopropellant propulsion for an orbit transfer and plane change mission. Tridyne(TM) is shown to provide a significant advantage over cold gas thrusters for orbit trimming and spacecraft separation.

DeGroot, Wim↗
NASA NTRS1998

HO:LULF and HO:LULF Laser Materials

A laser host material LULF (LuLiF4) is doped with holmium (Ho) and thulium (Tm) to produce a new laser material that is capable of laser light production in the vicinity of 2 microns. The material provides an advantage in efficiency over conventional Ho lasers because the LULF host material allows for decreased threshold and upconversion over such hosts as YAG and YLF. The addition of Tm allows for pumping by commonly available GaAlAs laser diodes. For use with flashlamp pumping, erbium (Er) may be added as an additional dopant. For further upconversion reduction, the Tm can be eliminated and the Ho can be directly pumped.

Barnes, Norman P.↗
NASA NTRS1998

Comparison of Spacecraft Contamination Models with Well-Defined Flight Experiment

The report presents analyzed surface areas on particular experiment trays from the Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) for silicone-based molecular contamination. The trays for examination were part of the Ultra-Heavy Cosmic Ray Experiment (UHCRE). These particular trays were chosen because each tray was identical to the others in construction, and the materials on each tray were well known, documented, and characterized. In particular, a known specific source of silicone contamination was present on each tray. Only the exposure conditions varied from tray to tray. The results of post-flight analyses of surfaces of three trays were compared with the predictions of the three different spacecraft molecular contamination models. Phase one tasks included: 1) documenting the detailed geometry of the hardware; 2) determining essential properties of the anodized aluminum, Velcro(Tm), silverized Teflon(Tm), silicone gaskets, and DC6-1104(Tm) silicone adhesive materials used to make the trays, tray covers, and thermal control blankets; 3) selecting and removing areas from each tray; and 4) beginning surface analysis of the selected tray walls. Phase two tasks included: 1) completion of surface analysis measurements of the selected tray surface, 2) obtaining auger depth profiles at selected locations, and 3) running versions of the ISEM, MOFLUX, and PLIMP (Plume Impingement) contamination prediction models and making comparisons with experimental results.

Pippin, G. H.↗
NASA NTRS1998

2-Micron Diode-Pumped Pulsed Laser Transmitter for SPARCLE: A Coherent Wind Lidar Shuttle Mission

To enable a tropospheric vector wind velocity profiling from space with a pulsed Doppler lidar, a diode-pumped, room temperature Ho:Tm:YLF coherent pulsed transmitter has been developed at NASA Langley Research Center. This pulsed laser transmitter will be a part of coherent wind lidar shuttle mission SPARCLE. The acronym stands for SPAce Readiness Coherent Lidar Experiment and is primarily a technology demonstration mission and is expected to fly in 2001 as NASA's New Millennium Program (NMP) second Earth Orbiter (EO-2) mission. The laser transmitter for SPARCLE is a Ho:Tm:YLF power oscillator operating at eye-safe wavelength of 2.05 microns. The Q-switched output energy is 125 mJ at six Hz, and it has a near-transform limited beam with a pulse width of 170 ns. The high power and high beam quality of this laser makes it well suited as a coherent wind lidar transmitter on a space platform. When the output of this power oscillator is amplified by using four diode-pumped Ho:Tm:YLF amplifiers, an output energy of 600 mJ at 10 Hz is achieved. This is the highest energy ever produced at 10 Hz, and is at least an order of magnitude greater than previously achieved for a 2-micron diode-pumped laser at room temperature.

Singh, Upendra N.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Design of a Channel Error Simulator using Virtual Instrument Techniques for the Initial Testing of TCP/IP and SCPS Protocols

There exists a need for designers and developers to have a method to conveniently test a variety of communications parameters for an overall system design. This is no different when testing network protocols as when testing modulation formats. In this report, we discuss a means of providing a networking test device specifically designed to be used for space communications. This test device is a PC-based Virtual Instrument (VI) programmed using the LabVIEW(TM) version 5 software suite developed by National Instruments(TM)TM. This instrument was designed to be portable and usable by others without special, additional equipment. The programming was designed to replicate a VME-based hardware module developed earlier at New Mexico State University (NMSU) and to provide expanded capabilities exceeding the baseline configuration existing in that module. This report describes the design goals for the VI module in the next section and follows that with a description of the design of the VI instrument. This is followed with a description of the validation tests run on the VI. An application of the error-generating VI to networking protocols is then given.

Horan, Stephen↗
NASA NTRS1999

Path Radiance Techniques for Retrieving Aerosol Optical Thickness over Land

The key issue in retrieving aerosol optical thickness over land from shortwave satellite radiances is to identify and separate the signal due to scattering by a largely transparent aerosol layer from the noise due to reflection by the background surface, where the signal is relatively uniform compared to the highly inhomogeneous surface contribution. Sensitivity studies in aerosol optical thickness retrievals reveal that the apparent reflectance at the top of the atmosphere is very susceptible to the surface reflectance, especially when aerosol optical thickness is small. Uncertainties associated with surface reflectance estimation can greatly amplify the error of the aerosol optical thickness retrieval. To reduce these uncertainties, we have developed a "path radiance" method to retrieve aerosol optical thickness over land by extending the traditional technique that uses the "dark object" approach to extract the aerosol signal. This method uses the signature of the correlation of visible and mid-IR reflectance at the surface, and couples the correlation with the atmospheric effect. We have applied this method to a TM (Landsat Thematic Mapper) image acquired over the Oklahoma Southern Great Plains (SGP) site of DoE's ARM (Atmospheric Radiation Measurement) program on September 27, 1997, a very clear day during the first Landsat IOP (Intensive Observation Period). The retrieved mean aerosol optical thickness for TM band 1 at 0.49 micrometers and band 3 at 0.66 micrometers agree very well with the ground-based sun-photometer measurements at the ARM site. The ability to retrieve small aerosol optical thickness (such as 0.07 at 0.5 micrometers as in the example considered here) makes this path radiance technique promising. More importantly, the path radiance is relatively insensitive to surface inhomogeneity. The retrieved mean path radiances in reflectance units have very small standard deviations for both TM blue and red bands. This small variability of path radiance further supports the current aerosol retrieval method.

Wen, Guoyong↗
NASA NTRS1999

Cloud 3D Effects Evidenced in Landsat Power Spectra and Autocorrelation Functions

An analysis of nadir reflectivity Fourier spatial power spectra and autocorrelation functions at solar wavelengths and for cloudy conditions has been carried out. The data come from Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) observations, while Monte Carlo (MC) simulations are used to aid the interpretation of the Landsat results. We show that radiative processes produce consistent signatures on power spectra and autocorrelation functions. The former take a variety of forms not shown or explained in previous observational studies. We demonstrate that the TM spectra can potentially be affected by both radiative "roughening" at intermediate scales (approx. 1 -5 km), being more prevalent at large solar zenith angles, and the already documented radiative "smoothing" at small scales (less than 1 km). These processes are wavelength dependent, as shown by systematic differences between conservative (for cloud droplets) TM band 4 (approx. 0.8 microns) and absorbing band 7 (approx. 2.2 microns): band 7 exhibits more roughening and less smoothing. This is confirmed quantitatively by comparing least-squared fitted power spectral slopes for the two bands. It is also corroborated by a slower decrease with distance of autocorrelation function values for band 4 compared to band 7. The appearance of roughening at large solar zenith angles is a result of side illumination and shadowing and adds an additional complexity to the power spectra. MC spectra are useful in illustrating that scale invariant optical depth fields can produce complex power spectra that take a variety of shapes under different conditions. We show that radiative roughening increases with the decrease of single scattering albedo and with the increase of solar zenith angle (as in the observations). For high Sun there is also a clear shift of the radiative smoothing scale to smaller values as droplet absorption increases. The shape of the power spectrum is sensitive to the magnitude and type of cloud top height variability, with the spectral signatures of decorrelation between reflectance and optical depth at large scales becoming stronger as the magnitude of cloud top variations increase. Finally, the usefulness of power spectral analysis in evaluating the skill of novel optical depth retrieval techniques in removing 3D radiative effects is demonstrated. New techniques using inverse Non-local Independent Pixel Approximation (NIPA) and Normalized Difference of Nadir Reflectivity (NDNR) yield optical depth fields which better match the scale-by-scale variability of the true optical depth field.

Oreopoulos, Lazaros↗
NASA NTRS2000

Optical Analysis of Transparent Polymeric Material Exposed to Simulated Space Environment

Many innovations in spacecraft power and propulsion have been recently tested at NASA, particularly in non-chemical propulsion. One improvement in solar array technology is solar concentration using thin polymer film Fresnel lenses. Weight and cost savings were proven with the Solar Concentrator Arrays with Refractive Linear Element Technology (SCARLET)-II array on NASA's Deep Space I spacecraft. The Fresnel lens concentrates solar energy onto high-efficiency solar cells, decreasing the area of solar cells needed for power. Continued efficiency of this power system relies on the thin film's durability in the space environment and maintaining transmission in the 300 - 1000 nm bandwidth. Various polymeric materials have been tested for use in solar concentrators, including Lexan(TM), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), several formulations of Tefzel(Tm) and Teflon(TM), and DC 93-500, the material selected for SCARLET-II. Also tested were several innovative materials including Langley Research Center's CPI and CP2 polymers and atomic oxygen- resistant polymers developed by Triton Systems, Inc. The Environmental Effects Group of the Marshall Space Flight Center's Materials, Processes, and Manufacturing Department exposed these materials to simulated space environment and evaluated them for any change in optical transmission. Samples were exposed to a minimum of 1000 equivalent Sun hours of near-UV radiation (250 - 400 nm wavelength). Materials that appeared robust after near-UV exposure were then exposed to charged particle radiation equivalent to a five-year dose in geosynchronous orbit. These exposures were performed in MSFC's Combined Environmental Effects Test Chamber, a unique facility with the capability to expose materials simultaneously or sequentially to protons, low-energy electrons, high-energy electrons, near UV radiation and vacuum UV radiation. Reflectance measurements can be made on the samples in vacuum. Prolonged exposure to the space environment will decrease the polymer film's transmission and thus reduce the conversion efficiency. A method was developed to normalize the transmission loss and thus rank the materials according to their tolerance to space environmental exposure. Spectral results and the material ranking according to transmission loss are presented.

Edwards, David L.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Thermal Analysis of a Finite Element Model in a Radiation Dominated Environment

This paper presents a brief overview of thermal analysis, evaluating the University of Arizona mirror design, for the Next Generation Space Telescope (NGST) Pre-Phase A vehicle concept. Model building begins using Thermal Desktop(Tm), by Cullimore and Ring Technologies, to import a NASTRAN bulk data file from the structural model of the mirror assembly. Using AutoCAD(R) capabilities, additional surfaces are added to simulate the thermal aspects of the problem which, for due reason, are not part of the structural model. Surfaces are then available to accept thermophysical and thermo-optical properties. Thermal Desktop(Tm) calculates radiation conductors using Monte Carlo simulations. Then Thermal Desktop(Tm) generates the SINDA/Fluint input file having a one-to-one correspondence with the NASTRAN node and element definitions. A model is now available to evaluate the mirror design in the radiation dominated environment conduct parametric trade studies of the thermal design, and provide temperatures to the finite element structural model.

Page, Arhur T.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Dust Optical Properties derived from Sun/Sky Measurements and Satellite Data

We derive the optical properties of dust originating from the Sahara and nearby regions using a combination of ground based and satellite measurements. The AErosol ROBotic NETwork (AERONET) sun/sky radiances from Cap Verde and Sede Boker are used together with Landsat TM data over Senegal and the Atlantic Ocean. The data introduce a cascade of increasing complexity of dust optical properties: The sky aureole radiance is sensitive mainly to the dust size distribution; the TM data over the ocean at 150 deg scattering angle are also sensitive to the spectral refractive index from 470 to 2,210 nm. The TM data over the land measure the balance between the dust scattering and absorption of light reflected by the bright surface, thus very sensitive to dust spectral absorption. Sky radiance at scattering angle of 120 deg, add sensitivity to the dust nonsphericity. Preliminary results, indicative of the ambient dust in the entire atmospheric column, show that dust is less absorbing and with smaller nonspherical properties than anticipated from in situ measurements. Dust is dominated by particles with effective radius of 2 to 2.5 micron, refractive index for wavelengths less then 1 micron of 1.53-0.001i and nonsphericity that increases the phase function at 120 deg above that of spheres by 1.8 and 1.7 at 673 nm down to 1.2 and 1.3 for 1020 nm for Cap Verde and Sede Boker respectively. No significant nonsphericity effect is noticed for scattering angle of 150 deg. This agrees with a mixture of 30% and 45% respectively of Mishchenko et al (JGR, 102, 1997: plate 5 on page 16,841) "polydisperse equiprobable shape mixture of prolate and oblate spheroids with aspect ratios ranging from 1.4 to 2.21, with the rest being spherical particles.

Kaufman, Yoram J.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Path Radiance Technique for Retrieving Aerosol Optical Thickness over Land

The key issue in retrieving aerosol optical thickness over land from short-wave satellite radiances is to identify and separate the signal due to scattering by a largely transparent aerosol layer from the noise due to reflection by the background surface, where the signal is relatively uniform compared to the highly inhomogeneous surface contribution. Sensitivity studies in aerosol optical thickness retrievals reveal that the apparent reflectance at the top of the atmosphere is very susceptible to the surface reflectance, especially when aerosol optical thickness is small. Uncertainties associated with surface reflectance estimation can greatly amplify the error of the aerosol optical thickness retrieval. To reduce these uncertainties, we have developed a "path radiance" method to retrieve aerosol optical thickness over land by extending the traditional technique that uses the "dark object" approach to extract the aerosol signal. This method uses the signature of the correlation of visible and mid-IR reflectance at the surface, and couples the correlation with the atmospheric effect. We have applied this method to a Landsat TM (Thematic Mapper) image acquired over the Oklahoma Southern Great Plains (SGP) site of DoE's ARM (Department of Energy's Atmospheric Radiation Measurement) program on September 27, 1997, a very clear day (aerosol optical thickness of 0.07 at 0.5 pm) during the first Landsat IOP (Intensive Observation Period). The retrieved mean aerosol optical thickness for TM band 1 at 0.49 pm and band 3 at 0.66 pm agree very well with the ground-based sun-photometer measurements at the ARM site. The ability to retrieve small aerosol optical thickness makes this path radiance technique promising. More importantly, the path radiance is relatively insensitive to surface inhomogeneity. The retrieved mean path radiances in reflectance units have very small standard deviations for both TM blue and red bands. This small variability of path radiance further supports the current aerosol retrieval method.

Tsay, S.-C.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Path Radiance Technique for Retrieving Aerosol Optical Thickness Over Land

The key issue in retrieving aerosol optical thickness over land from shortwave satellite radiances is to identify and separate the signal due to scattering by a largely transparent aerosol layer from the noise due to reflection by the background surface, where the signal is relatively uniform compared to the highly inhomogeneous surface contribution. Sensitivity studies in aerosol optical thickness retrievals reveal that the apparent reflectance at the top of the atmosphere is very susceptible to the surface reflectance, especially when aerosol optical thickness is small. Uncertainties associated with surface reflectance estimation can greatly amplify the error of the aerosol optical thickness retrieval. To reduce these uncertainties, we have developed a "path radiance" method to retrieve aerosol optical thickness over land by extending the traditional technique that uses the "dark object" approach to extract the aerosol signal. This method uses the signature of the correlation of visible and mid-IR reflectance at the surface, and couples the correlation with the atmospheric effect. We have applied this method to a Landsat TM (Thematic Mapper) image acquired over the Oklahoma Southern Great Plains (SGP) site of DoE's ARM (Department of Energy's Atmospheric Radiation Measurement) program on September 27,1997, a very clear day (aerosol optical thickness of 0.07 at 0.5 microns) during the first Landsat Intensive Observation Period (IOP). The retrieved mean aerosol optical thickness for TM band 1 at 0.49 micron and band 3 at 0.66 micron agree very well with the ground-based sun-photometer measurements at the ARM site. The ability to retrieve small aerosol optical thickness makes this path radiance technique promising. More importantly, the path radiance is relatively insensitive to surface inhomogeneity. The retrieved mean path radiances in reflectance units have very small standard deviations for both TM blue and red bands. This small variability of path radiance further supports the current aerosol retrieval method.

Tsay, S.-C.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Optical Analysis of Transparent Polymeric Material Exposed to Simulated Space Environment

Transparent polymeric materials are being designed and utilized as solar concentrating lenses for spacecraft power and propulsion systems. These polymeric lenses concentrate solar energy onto energy conversion devices such as solar cells and thermal energy systems. The conversion efficiency is directly related to the transmissivity of the polymeric lens. The Environmental Effects Group of the Marshall Space Flight Center's Materials, Processes, and Manufacturing Department exposed a variety of materials to a simulated space environment and evaluated them for an, change in optical transmission. These materials include Lexan(TM), polyethylene terephthalate (PET). several formulations of Tefzel(TM). and Teflon(TM), and silicone DC 93-500. Samples were exposed to a minimum of 1000 Equivalent Sun Hours (ESH) of near-UV radiation (250 - 400 nm wavelength). Data will be presented on materials exposed to charged particle radiation equivalent to a five-year dose in geosynchronous orbit. These exposures were performed in MSFC's Combined Environmental Effects Test Chamber, a unique facility with the capability to expose materials simultaneously or sequentially to protons, low-energy electrons, high-energy electrons, near UV radiation and vacuum UV radiation.Prolonged exposure to the space environment will decrease the polymer film's transmission and thus reduce the conversion efficiency. A method was developed to normalize the transmission loss and thus rank the materials according to their tolerance to space environmental exposure. Spectral results and the material ranking according to transmission loss are presented.

Edwards, David L.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Fiber Effects on Minicomposite Mechanical Properties for Several Silicon Carbide Fiber: Chemically Vapor-Infiltrated Silicon Carbide Matrix Systems

Several different types of SiC fiber tows were coated with BN and composited using chemically vapor-infiltrated SiC to form single-tow minicomposites. The types of SiC fiber included Nicalon(sup TM), Hi-Nicalon(sup TM), and the new Sylramic(sup TM) polycrystalline SiC fiber. The interfacial shear stresses were determined from unload-reload tensile hysteresis-loop tests. The ultimate stress and strain properties also were determined for the minicomposites. The ultimate strengths of the newer Hi-Nicalon and Sylramic fibers were superior to that of Nicalon minicomposites with similar fiber volume fractions. The Sylramic minicomposites had the lowest strain to failure and highest interfacial shear strength, respectively, because of the high modulus of the fiber and the rough surface of this fiber type. The apparent interfacial shear strength increased as the stress increased for the Sylramic minicomposites, which also was attributed to the surface roughness of this fiber.

Morscher, Gregory N.↗
NASA NTRS1996

Comparison of Long-Term Storage in Chemical Fixatives on Morphology and Anatomy of Super-Dwarf Wheat

Wheat plants (Triticum aestivum L. cv Super-Dwarf) are grown in the microgravity of space and harvested for morphological and anatomical comparison with those exposed to gravity on earth. Such plants are subjected to relatively long periods of storage in chemical fixatives. Examination, evaluation and verification that the integrity of the vascular system is maintained for extended periods of storage in fixatives are required. McDowell and Trump's [4% Formaldehyde -- 1 % Glutaraldehyde (4F: 1 G)] or Variant I [(Russian Fixative): Formalin: Acetic Acid: Alcohol] fixatives, adjusted to pH 7.2, were placed in Aclam(TM), FilmORap(TM), or FilmOSun(TM) plastic bags on April 4, 1994. Wheat seedlings were harvested on days 9, 28, and 68 and preserved in these fixatives. Subsamples of leaves and/or seeds were taken from these stocks after various times in storage, dehydrated, and embedded in Spurr's, LR White's or Unicryl resin. Semithin (1 mm) and thin (50-70 nm) sections were examined by light and transmission electron microscopy. In a few sections, we have observed a slight plasmolysis of the cytostol in leaf tissue fixed with the Variant I, but overall there seem to be no major artifacts in the anatomical structure. The plasmalemma and other organelles appeared normal in the McDowell and Trump fixative. Use of differential chromophores suggests that LR White or Unicryl resins may give greater flexibility for enzyme localizations at both the light and electron microscopical levels.

Bubenheim, David L.↗