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Laser-activated microwave semiconductor device switches at microwave speeds, generates pulses, or detects optical pulses with fast response. Device consists essentially of back-to-back metal/thin oxide/silicon (MTOS) capacitors on silicon chip.
Contract generated publications are compiled which describe the research activities for the reporting period. Study topics include: equivalent configurations of systolic arrays; least squares estimation algorithms with systolic array architectures; modeling and equilization of nonlinear bandlimited satellite channels; and least squares estimation and Kalman filtering by systolic arrays.
Three planets, the earth, Jupiter and Saturn are known to emit nonthermal radio waves which require coherent radiation processes. The characteristic features (frequency spectrum, polarization, occurrence probability, radiation pattern) are discussed. Radiation which is externally controlled by the solar wind is distinguished from internally controlled radiation which only originates from Jupiter. The efficiency of the externally controlled radiation is roughly the same at all three planets (5 x 10 to the -6th) suggesting that similar processes are active there. The maser radiation mechanism for the generation of the radio waves and general requirements for the mechanism which couples the power generator to the region where the radio waves are generated are briefly discussed.
After presenting global properties of M dwarfs, the principal diagnostic of activity phenomena occurring in their atmosphere from the geometrical, energetic, and temporal points of view is stressed. Observations of sunspots, plages, flares, and activity cycles are presented. The major sources of activity are discussed with particular emphasis on the generation, intensification, and measurements of stellar magnetic fields.
Numerical calculations in two dimensions show that solitary wave disturbances can propagate along thermal plumes in a homogeneous, viscous fluid with a thermally activated rheology similar to the mantle. Comparison of the numerical results with analytic results from an idealized two-fluid model indicates that the two-fluid model can be applied to solitary waves in the thermally activated plume. A two-fluid model of solitary waves on cylindrical conduits is accordingly applied to mantle plumes to estimate the propagation speeds, time durations, and pulse lengths of solitary waves in mantle plumes as a function of background mantle viscosity, plume flux, plume density deficit, plume viscosity, and the volume of material transported by the solitary wave. It is inferred that mantle plumes may be eposodic via solitary waves and that these disturbances might account for observed 0(10 m.y.) variations in the durations and spacings of episodes of enhanced hotspot volcanic activity. Solitary waves in mantle plumes could be generated by interactions among plumes and between plumes and the large-scale, time-dependent mantle circulation.
Optimized Royal Signals and Radar Establishment (RSRE), Laser True Airspeed System (LATAS) algorithm for low backscatter conditions was developed. The algorithm converts backscatter intensity measurements from focused continuous-wave (CW) airborne Doppler lidar into backscatter coefficients. The performance of optimized algorithm under marginal backscatter signal conditions was evaluated. The 10.6 micron CO2 aerosol backscatter climatologies were statistically analyzed. Climatologies reveal clean background aerosol mode near 10(exp -10)/kg/sq m/sr (mixing ratio units) through middle and upper troposhere, convective mode associated with planetary boundary layer convective activity, and stratospheric mode associated with volcanically-generated aerosols. Properties of clean background mode are critical to design and simulation studies of Laser Atmospheric Wind Sounder (LAWS), a MSFC facility Instrument on the Earth Observing System (Eos). Previous intercomparisons suggested correlation between aerosol backscatter at CO2 wavelength and water vapor. Field measurements of backscatter profiles with MSFC ground-based Doppler lidar system (GBDLS) were initiated in late FY-88 to coincide with independent program of local rawinsonde releases and overflights by Multi-spectral Atmospheric Mapping Sensor (MAMS), a multi-channel infrared radiometer capable of measuring horizontal and vertical moisture distributions. Design and performance simulation studies for LAWS would benefit from the existence of a relationship between backscatter and water vapor.
In the accretion disks of quiescent dwarf novae, Doppler mapping studies reveal that Balmer emission lines increase sharply toward the center of the disk, with surface brightnesses scaling roughly as R exp -3/2 varies as Omega(Kep). Similarly, among chromospherically active stars the H-alpha and Ca II H and K emission cores are stronger in the more rapidly rotating stars, with surface brightnesses scaling again roughly as Omega(rot). Since in both cases the emission lines scale linearly with the rotation frequency, it is proposed that the mechanism powering the emission lines in quiescent accretion disks is the same as that in chromospherically active stars, namely, the emergence of magnetic flux generated by the action of a dynamo, and its interaction with the atmosphere. If this empirical connection between disks and stars is in fact due to magnetic dynamos, the range of rotation rates available for testing dynamo theories expands from a factor of 1000 to 10 to the 7th.
This paper discusses the performance of the Research Animal Holding Facility (RAHF) and General Purpose Work Station (GPWS) plus other associated hardware during the recent flight of Spacelab Life Sciences 1 (SLS-1). The RAHF was developed to provide proper housing (food, water, temperature control, lighting and waste management) for up to 24 rodents during flights on the Spacelab. The GPWS was designed to contain particulates and toxic chemicals generated during plant and animal handling and dissection/fixation activities during space flights. A history of the hardware development involves as well as the redesign activities prior to the actual flight are discussed.
The paper describes the status of a comprehensive synthetic aperture radar (SAR) software package developed specifically to aid the calibration of a multifrequency and multipolarization radar like the Shuttle Imaging Radar, SIR-C. The primary data types processed are engineering telemetry, point targets (corner reflectors and polarimetric active radar calibrators), distributed targets (clutter), tone-generators, and ground receivers. The parameters derived to aid the calibration of the production processor include measurements of relative radiometric channel to channel imbalance, absolute calibration constants, antenna pattern corrections, noise levels, polarimetric cross-talk, and geometric offsets. The software reports standard performance measurements such as resolution, peak and integrated sidelobes, radiometric response accuracy, and geometrical distortions such as scale errors, position bias and standard deviation, and image skew. Furthermore, the inclusion of software to allow updates of the shuttle-state vector (position and velocity) is considered.
An in vitro evolution procedures was used to obtain RNA enzymes with a particular catalytic function. A population of 10 exp 13 variants of the Tetrahymena ribozyme, a group I ribozyme that catalyzes sequence-specific cleavage of RNA via a phosphoester transfer mechanism, was generated. This enzyme has a limited ability to cleave DNA under conditions of high temperature or high MgCl2 concentration, or both. A selection constraint was imposed on the population of ribozyme variants such that only those individuals that carried out DNA cleavage under physiologic conditions were amplified to produce 'progeny' ribozymes. Mutations were introduced during amplification to maintain heterogeneity in the population. This process was repeated for ten successive generations, resulting in enhanced (100 times) DNA cleavage activity.
Electromagnetic actuators that use a current-carrying coil (which is placed in a magnetic field) to generate mechanical force are conceptually attractive components for active control of rotating shafts. In one concept that is being tested in the laboratory, the control forces from such actuators are applied on the flexibly supported bearing housings of the rotor. Development of this concept into a practical reality requires a clear and thorough understanding of the role of electromechanical parameters of these actuators in delivering the right amount of control force at the right phase into the rotor. The electromechanical parameters of the actuators investigated are the mass of the armature, stiffness of its suspension, electrical resistance, and inductance of the coils. Improper selection of these parameters can result in degradation in their performance, leading to mistuning between the actuator and the rotor. Through a simple analysis, it is shown that use of such mistuned actuators could result in sharp fluctuations in the phase of the control force delivered into the rotor around the critical speeds. These sharp fluctuations in phase, called 'Phase Glitches', are undesirable. Hence, future designs of controllers should take into account the undesirable mistuning effects between the actuator and the rotor caused by the phase glitches.
Viewgraphs on Space Station Freedom solar dynamic power generation are presented. Topics covered include: prime contract activity; key solar dynamic power module requirements; solar dynamic heat receiver technology; and solar concentrator advanced development.
Spacecraft crews risk exposure to relatively high levels of ionizing radiation. This radiation may come from charged particles trapped in the Earth's magnetic fields, charged particles released by solar flare activity, galactic cosmic radiation, energetic photons and neutrons generated by interaction of these primary radiations with spacecraft and crew, and man-made sources (e.g., nuclear power generators). As missions are directed to higher radiation level orbits, viz., higher altitudes and inclinations, longer durations, and increased flight frequency, radiation exposure could well become a major factor for crew stay time and career lengths. To more accurately define the radiological exposure and risk to the crew, real-time radiation monitoring instrumentation, which is capable of identifying and measuring the various radiation components, must be flown. This presentation describes a radiation dosimeter instrument which was successfully flown on the Space Shuttle, the RME-3.
Extreme UV spectroheliograms from an experimental time series are employed to investigate the nature of the quiet solar transition region with respect to temporal variability. A statistical treatment is developed to analyze the fraction of spatial elements that yield intensity variations significantly higher than the signal noise. The EUV intensity in every spatial resolution varies on a time scale of minutes by about 10-30 percent, and the fractional amplitude of the temporal variations is found to be nearly independent of mean intensity. The paper concludes that the quiet solar transition region is probably generated and modulated by small-scale magnetic activity, since the temporal variability in the transition region is spatially uniform and rather pervasive.
This report contains the 1997 annual progress reports of the research fellows and students supported by the Center for Turbulence Research (CTR). Titles include: Invariant modeling in large-eddy simulation of turbulence; Validation of large-eddy simulation in a plain asymmetric diffuser; Progress in large-eddy simulation of trailing-edge turbulence and aeronautics; Resolution requirements in large-eddy simulations of shear flows; A general theory of discrete filtering for LES in complex geometry; On the use of discrete filters for large eddy simulation; Wall models in large eddy simulation of separated flow; Perspectives for ensemble average LES; Anisotropic grid-based formulas for subgrid-scale models; Some modeling requirements for wall models in large eddy simulation; Numerical simulation of 3D turbulent boundary layers using the V2F model; Accurate modeling of impinging jet heat transfer; Application of turbulence models to high-lift airfoils; Advances in structure-based turbulence modeling; Incorporating realistic chemistry into direct numerical simulations of turbulent non-premixed combustion; Effects of small-scale structure on turbulent mixing; Turbulent premixed combustion in the laminar flamelet and the thin reaction zone regime; Large eddy simulation of combustion instabilities in turbulent premixed burners; On the generation of vorticity at a free-surface; Active control of turbulent channel flow; A generalized framework for robust control in fluid mechanics; Combined immersed-boundary/B-spline methods for simulations of flow in complex geometries; and DNS of shock boundary-layer interaction - preliminary results for compression ramp flow.
The advantage of a head-up auditory display was evaluated in a preliminary experiment designed to measure and compare the acquisition time for capturing visual targets under two auditory conditions: standard one-earpiece presentation and two-earpiece three-dimensional (3D) audio presentation. Twelve commercial airline crews were tested under full mission simulation conditions at the NASA-Ames Man-Vehicle Systems Research Facility advanced concepts flight simulator. Scenario software generated visual targets corresponding to aircraft that would activate a traffic collision avoidance system (TCAS) aural advisory; the spatial auditory position was linked to the visual position with 3D audio presentation. Results showed that crew members using a 3D auditory display acquired targets approximately 2.2 s faster than did crew members who used one-earpiece head- sets, but there was no significant difference in the number of targets acquired.
NASA has entered a new phase of in-depth exploration of the planets where robotic exploration of the Solar System is focusing on in-situ missions that pave the way for human exploration. Creating a human presence on Mars will require specialized knowledge and experience concerning the Martian environment and validated technologies that will provide life-supporting consumables. An understanding of the response of terrestrial organisms to the Martian environment with respect to potential deleterious effects on crew health and changes to biological processes will be paramount. In response to these challenges an innovative selfcontained flight experiment is proposed, which is designed to assess the biocompatibility of the Martian environment by germinating seeds and following their growth through to flowering. The experiment, dubbed Mars Greenhouse Experiment Module (Mars GEM), will be accomplished in a sealed pressurized growth chamber or 'Mars Greenhouse'. Seeds will be grown in Martian soil and the Mars Greenhouse will provide ultraviolet-radiation protected, thermal-controlled environment for plant growth that actively controls the CO2 (required nutrient) and O2 (generated by the plants) levels in the chamber. The simple, but visually dramatic, demonstration of the potential to grow a plant in a man-made environment on the surface of Mars should establish a strong connection between current robotic missions and future human habitation on Mars.
One of the most challenging arenas for enhanced and synthetic vision systems is the flight deck. Here, pilots must perform active and supervisory control behaviors based on imagery generated in real time or transduced from imaging sensors. Although enhanced and synthetic vision technologies have been used in military vehicles for more than two decades, they have only recently been considered for civilian transport aircraft. In this paper we discuss the human performance issues still to be resolved for these systems, and consider the special constraints that must be considered for their use in the transport domain.