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At least 73 records · Page 4

The atmospheric temperature structure of Titan

The contribution of various factors to the thermal structure of Titan's past and present atmosphere are discussed. A one dimensional model of Titan's thermal structure is summarized. The greenhouse effect of Titan's atmosphere, caused primarily by pressure induced opacity of N2, CH4, and H2, is discussed together with the antigreenhouse effect dominated by the haze which absorbs incident sunlight. The implications for the atmosphere of the presence of an ocean on Titan are also discussed.

Mckay, Christopher P.↗

Earth radiation pressure and the determination of density from atmospheric drag.

The effect of earth radiation pressure relative to that of atmospheric drag increases with height through the lower thermosphere. While it can be entirely neglected as a correction in the determination of density at lower heights, it becomes significant somewhat below 1000 km and rapidly becomes comparable in magnitude to drag above 1000 km. The effects of earth radiation pressure on the orbit of the balloon satellite 1963 30D were calculated during two series of intervals when the orbit was entirely in sunlight. The first of these was when the perigee was very high so that hydrogen was expected to be the dominant atmospheric constituent. The second was when the perigee was lower and helium was expected to be the dominant constituent. Two sets of calculations were performed, one using a constant mean model and the other using a seasonal-latitudinal model, based on reported Tiros VII data, for the albedo and infrared radiation.

Slowey, J. W.↗

Space vehicle with artificial gravity and earth-like environment

A space vehicle adapted to provide an artificial gravity and earthlike atmospheric environment for occupants is disclosed. The vehicle comprises a cylindrically shaped, hollow pressure-tight body, one end of which is tapered from the largest diameter of the body, the other end is flat and transparent to sunlight. The vehicle is provided with thrust means which rotates the body about its longitudinal axis, generating an artificial gravity effect upon the interior walls of the body due to centrifugal forces. The walls of the tapered end of the body are maintained at a temperature below the dew point of water vapor in the body and lower than the temperature near the transparent end of the body. The controlled environment and sunlight permits an earth like environment to be maintained wherein the CO2/O2 is balanced, and food for the travelers is supplied through a natural system of plant life grown on spacecraft walls where soil is located.

Gray, V. H.↗

On the apparent velocity of integrated sunlight. 2: 1983-1992 and comparisons with magnetograms

We report additional results in our program to monitor the wavelength stability of lines in the 2.3 micrometer spectrum of integrated sunlight. We use the McMath Fourier transform spectrometer (FTS) of the National Solar Observatory to monitor 16 delta V = 2 lines of (12)C(16)O, as well as five atomic lines. Wavenumber calibration is achieved using a low-pressure N2O absorption cell and checked against terrestrial atmospheric lines. Imperfect optical integration of the solar disk remains the principal source of error, but this error has been reduced by improved FTS/telescope collimation and observing procedures. The present results include data from an additional 13 quarterly observing runs since 1985. We continue to find that the apparent velocity of integrated sunlight is variable, in the sense of having a greater reshift at solar maximum. This is supported by the temporal dependence of the integrated light velocity, and by the presence of a correlation between velocity and the disk-averaged magnetic flux derived from Kitt Peak magnetograms. The indicated peak-to-peak apparent velocity amplitude over a solar cycle is approximately the same as the velocity amplitude of the Sun's motion about the solar system barycenter. This represents about half the amplitude which we inferred in Paper I (Deming et al. 1987), but the present result has a much greater statistical significance. Our results have implications for those investigations which search for the Doppler signatures of planetary-mass companions to solar-type stars. We contrast our results to the recent finding by McMillan et al. 1993 that solar absorption lines in the violet spectral region are wavelength-stable over the solar cycle.

Deming, Drake↗

Radiation-dominated Snowmelt on Mars

A set of microclimatic conditions conducive to the generation of liquid water is being sought to see whether their requirements are any less stringent than those suggested by the global-climatic models. In particular, the melting of snow and ice in the equatorial zone (where the valley networks are preferentially situated) is investigated with a model that includes detailed infrared radiation transfer between the atmosphere and the snow, penetration of sunlight into the snow, sensible heat transfer to the atmosphere, and water vapor diffusion within the surface boundary layer. IR fluxes are calculated by using pressure and temperature dependent forms for the band absorptances of CO2 and H2O in the spectral range 50 to 2000/cm.

Clow, G. D.↗

Titan's Winter Polar Vortex

Titan's atmosphere has provided an interesting study in contrasts and similarities with Earth's. While both have N$_2$ as the dominant constituent and comparable surface pressures $\sim1$ bar, Titan's next most abundant molecule is CH$_4$, not O$_2$, and the dissociative breakup of CH$_4$ and N$_2$ by sunlight and electron impact leads to a suite of hydrocarbons and nitriles, and ultimately the photochemical smog that enshrouds the moon. In addition, with a 15.95-day period, Titan is a slow rotator compared to Earth. While the mean zonal terrestrial winds are geostrophic, Titan's are mostly cyclostrophic, whipping around the moon in as little as 1 day. Despite the different dynamical regime, Titan's winter stratosphere exhibits several characteristics that should be familiar to terrestrial meteorologists. The cold winter pole near the 1 -mbar level is circumscribed by strong winds (up to 190 m/s) that act as a barrier to mixing with airmasses at lower latitudes. There is evidence of enhancement of several organic species over the winter pole, indicating subsidence. The adiabatic heating associated with this subsidence gives rise to a warm anomaly at the 0.01-mbar level, raising the stratopause two scale heights above its location at equatorial latitudes. Condensate ices have been detected in Titan's lower stratosphere within the winter polar vortex from infrared spectra. Although not always unambiguously identified, their spatial distribution exhibits a sharp gradient, decreasing precipitously across the vortex away from the winter pole. The interesting question of whether there is important heterogeneous chemistry occurring within the polar vortex, analogous to that occurring in the terrestrial polar stratospheric clouds in the ozone holes, has not been addressed. The breakup of Titan's winter polar vortex has not yet been observed. On Earth, the polar vortex is nonlinearly disrupted by interaction with large-amplitude planetary waves. Large-scale waves have not been identified in Titan's atmosphere, so the decay of its polar vortex may be more gradual than on Earth. Observations from an extended Cassini mission into late northern spring should provide critical data indicating whether the vortex goes away with a bang or just fades away.

Flasar, F.M.↗

Mars Sample Return Using Solar Sail Propulsion

Many Mars Sample Return (MSR) architecture studies have been conducted over the years. A key element of them is the Earth Return Stage (ERS) whose objective is to obtain the sample from the Mars Ascent Vehicle (MAV) and return it safely to the surface of the Earth. ERS designs predominantly use chemical propulsion [1], incurring a significant launch mass penalty due to the low specific impulse of such systems coupled with the launch mass sensitivity to returned mass. It is proposed to use solar sail propulsion for the ERS, providing a high (effective) specific impulse propulsion system in the final stage of the multi-stage system. By doing so to the launch mass of the orbiter mission can be significantly reduced and hence potentially decreasing mission cost. Further, solar sailing offers a unique set of non-Keplerian low thrust trajectories that may enable modifications to the current approach to designing the Earth Entry Vehicle by potentially reducing the Earth arrival velocity. This modification will further decrease the mass of the orbiter system. Solar sail propulsion uses sunlight to propel vehicles through space by reflecting solar photons from a large, mirror-like surface made of a lightweight, reflective material. The continuous photonic pressure provides propellantless thrust to conduct orbital maneuvering and plane changes more efficiently than conventional chemical propulsion. Because the Sun supplies the necessary propulsive energy, solar sails require no onboard propellant, thus reducing system mass. This technology is currently at TRL 7/8 as demonstrated by the 2010 flight of the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency, JAXA, IKAROS mission. [2]

Johnson, Les↗

Solar Sail Propulsion for Interplanetary Cubesats

NASA is developing two small satellite missions as part of the Advanced Exploration Systems (AES) Program, both of which will use a solar sail to enable their scientific objectives. Solar sails use sunlight to propel vehicles through space by reflecting solar photons from a large, mirror‐like sail made of a lightweight, highly reflective material. This continuous photon pressure provides propellantless thrust, allowing for very high (Delta)V maneuvers on long‐duration, deep space exploration. Since reflected light produces thrust, solar sails require no onboard propellant. Solar sail technology is rapidly maturing for space propulsion applications within NASA and around the world.

Johnson, Les↗

Association Between Cardiovascular and Intraocular Pressure Changes in a 14-Day 6 deg Head Down Tilt (HDT) Bed Rest Study: Possible Implications in Retinal Anatomy

Visual symptoms and intracranial pressure increase reported in astronauts returning from long duration missions in low Earth-orbit are thought to be related to fluid shifts within the body due to microgravity exposure. Because of this possible relation to fluid shifts, studies conducted in head-down tilt (HDT) bed rest are being monitored for potential changes in ocular health. These measures will also serve to determine whether HDT is a suitable ground-based analog to model subclinical cardiovascular and ocular changes that could shed light on the etiology of the VIIP syndrome observed in spaceflight. Sixteen healthy normotensive (12M, 4F, age range 29-54 years), non-smoker and normal weight subjects, volunteered to participate in a 14 day 6 deg head HDT study conducted at the NASA Flight Analogs Research Unit (FARU). This facility provides standard bed rest conditions (diet, wake/sleep time, time allowed in sunlight) during the time that the subjects stay at the FARU. Cardiovascular parameters were obtained in supine posture at BR-5, BR+0, and BR+3 and ocular monitoring was performed weekly. Intraocular pressure (IOP) increased from pre-bed rest BR-3) to the third day into bed rest (BR+3). Values reached a plateau towards the end of the bed rest phase (BR10) and decreased within the first three days of recovery (BR+2) returning to levels comparable to baseline at BR-3. As expected, most cardiovascular parameters were affected by 14 days of HDT bed rest. Plasma volume decreased as a result of bed rest but recovered to baseline levels by BR+3. Indications of cardiovascular deconditioning included increase in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure and heart rate, and a decrease in stroke volume and cardiac output between BR-5 and BR+3. Due to the experimental design of this study, we were not able to test the hypothesis that fluid shifts might be involved in the IOP increase during the bed rest phase, since cardiovascular measures were not available for those time points. There was no correlation between the largest change in IOP (BR-3 versus BR3) and cardiovascular measure changes between baseline (BR-5) and post bed rest (BR+2). While no clinically relevant visual changes were observed during the study, measurement of various retinal parameters was performed with optical coherence tomography (OCT). A decrease in central subfield retinal thickness was observed between BR+2 and baseline at BR-10, but no association was observed with IOP changes. This work investigates the time course of changes in IOP during 14-day HDT bed rest in an attempt to characterize HDT bed rest as a model of the VIIP syndrome and delve into its etiology.

Cromwell, Ronita↗

Ground-based Photon Path Measurements from Solar Absorption Spectra of the O2 A-band

High-resolution solar absorption spectra obtained from Table Mountain Facility (TMF, 34.38degN, 117.68degW, 2286 m elevation) have been analyzed in the region of the O2 A-band. The photon paths of direct sunlight in clear sky cases are retrieved from the O2 absorption lines and compared with ray-tracing calculations based on the solar zenith angle and surface pressure. At a given zenith angle, the ratios of retrieved to geometrically derived photon paths are highly precise (approx.0.2%), but they vary as the zenith angle changes. This is because current models of the spectral lineshape in this band do not properly account for the significant absorption that exists far from the centers of saturated lines. For example, use of a Voigt function with Lorentzian far wings results in an error in the retrieved photon path of as much as 5%, highly correlated with solar zenith angle. Adopting a super-Lorentz function reduces, but does not completely eliminate this problem. New lab measurements of the lineshape are required to make further progress.

Yang, Z.↗

Deployable Propulsion and Power Systems for Solar System Exploration

NASA is developing thin-film based, deployable propulsion, power and communication systems for small spacecraft that could provide a revolutionary new capability allowing small spacecraft exploration of the solar system. The Near Earth Asteroid (NEA) Scout reconnaissance mission will demonstrate solar sail propulsion on a 6U CubeSat interplanetary spacecraft and lay the groundwork for their future use in deep space science and exploration missions. Solar sails use sunlight to propel vehicles through space by reflecting solar photons from a large, mirror-like sail made of a lightweight, highly reflective material. This continuous photon pressure provides propellantless thrust, allowing for very high delta V maneuvers on long-duration, deep space exploration. Since reflected light produces thrust, solar sails require no onboard propellant. The Lightweight Integrated Solar Array and Transceiver (LISA-T) is a launch stowed, orbit deployed array on which thin-film photovoltaic and antenna elements are embedded. Inherently, small satellites are limited in surface area, volume, and mass allocation; driving competition between power, communications, and GN&C (guidance navigation and control) subsystems. This restricts payload capability and limits the value of these low-cost satellites. LISA-T is addressing this issue, deploying large-area arrays from a reduced volume and mass envelope - greatly enhancing power generation and communications capabilities of small spacecraft. The NEA Scout mission, funded by NASA's Advanced Exploration Systems Program and managed by NASA MSFC, will use the solar sail as its primary propulsion system, allowing it to survey and image one or more NEA's of interest for possible future human exploration. NEA Scout uses a 6U cubesat (to be provided by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory), an 86 sq m solar sail and will weigh less than 12 kilograms. NEA Scout will be launched on the first flight of the Space Launch System in 2018. Similar in concept to the NEA Scout solar sail, the LISA-T array is designed to fit into a very small volume and provide abundant power and omnidirectional communications in just about any deployment configuration. The technology is being proposed for flight validation as early as 2019 in a low earth orbit demonstration using a 3U cubesat, of which less than 1U will be devoted to the LISA-T power and propulsion system. By leveraging recent advancements in thin films, photovoltaics and miniaturized electronics, new mission-level capabilities will be enabled aboard lower-cost small spacecraft instead of their more expensive, traditional counterparts, enabling a new generation of frequent, inexpensive deep space missions.

Johnson, Les↗

Near Earth Asteroid Scout: NASA's Solar Sail Mission to a NEA

NASA is developing a solar sail propulsion system for use on the Near Earth Asteroid (NEA) Scout reconnaissance mission and laying the groundwork for their use in future deep space science and exploration missions. Solar sails use sunlight to propel vehicles through space by reflecting solar photons from a large, mirror-like sail made of a lightweight, highly reflective material. This continuous photon pressure provides propellant-less thrust, allowing for very high delta V maneuvers on long-duration, deep space exploration. Since reflected light produces thrust, solar sails require no onboard propellant. The Near Earth Asteroid (NEA) Scout mission, funded by NASA’s Advanced Exploration Systems Program and managed by NASA MSFC, will use the sail as primary propulsion allowing it to survey and image Asteroid 1991VG and, potentially, other NEA’s of interest for possible future human exploration. The NEA Scout spacecraft is housed in a 6U CubeSat-form factor and utilizes an 86 square meter solar sail for a total mass less than 14 kilograms. The mission is in partnership with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory with support from Langley Research Center and science participants from various institutions. NEA Scout will be launched on the maiden flight of the Space Launch System in 2019. The solar sail for NEA Scout will be based on the technology developed and flown by the NASA NanoSail-D and flown on The Planetary Society’s Lightsail-A. Four approximately-7-meter stainless steel booms wrapped on two spools (two overlapping booms per spool) will be motor driven and pull the sail from its stowed volume. The sail material is an aluminized polyimide approximately 2.5 microns thick. As the technology matures, solar sails will increasingly be used to enable science and exploration missions that are currently impossible or prohibitively expensive using traditional chemical and electric propulsion systems. This paper will summarize the status of the NEA Scout mission and solar sail technology in general.

Near Earth Asteroid↗

Near Earth Asteroid Scout: NASA's Solar Sail Mission to a NEA

NASA is developing a solar sail propulsion system for use on the Near Earth Asteroid (NEA) Scout reconnaissance mission and laying the groundwork for their use in future deep space science and exploration missions. Solar sails use sunlight to propel vehicles through space by reflecting solar photons from a large, mirror-like sail made of a lightweight, highly reflective material. This continuous photon pressure provides propellantless thrust, allowing for very high Delta V maneuvers on long-duration, deep space exploration. Since reflected light produces thrust, solar sails require no onboard propellant. The Near Earth Asteroid (NEA) Scout mission, funded by NASA's Advanced Exploration Systems Program and managed by NASA MSFC, will use the sail as primary propulsion allowing it to survey and image Asteroid 1991VG and, potentially, other NEA's of interest for possible future human exploration. NEA Scout uses a 6U cubesat (to be provided by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory), an 86 m(exp. 2) solar sail and will weigh less than 12 kilograms. NEA Scout will be launched on the first flight of the Space Launch System in 2018. The solar sail for NEA Scout will be based on the technology developed and flown by the NASA NanoSail-D and The Planetary Society's Lightsail-A. Four approximately 7 m stainless steel booms wrapped on two spools (two overlapping booms per spool) will be motor deployed and pull the sail from its stowed volume. The sail material is an aluminized polyimide approximately 2.5 microns thick. As the technology matures, solar sails will increasingly be used to enable science and exploration missions that are currently impossible or prohibitively expensive using traditional chemical and electric propulsion systems. This paper will summarize the status of the NEA Scout mission and solar sail technology in general.

Johnson, Les↗

Autonomous NanoTechnology Swarm (ANTS) Prospecting Asteroid Mission (PAM), Asteroid Proximity Operations

The Autonomous NanoTechnology Swarm (ANTS) is a generic mission architecture based on spatially distributed spacecraft, autonomous and redundant components, and hierarchical organization. The ANTS Prospecting Asteroid Mission (PAM) is an ANTS application which will nominally use a swarm of 1000 spacecraft. There would be 10 types of "specialists" with common spacecraft buses. There would be 10 subswarms of approximately 100 spacecraft each or approximately 10 of each specialist in each swarm. The ANTS PAM primary objective is the exploration of the asteroid belt in search of resources and material with astrobiologically relevant origins and signatures. The ANTS PAM spacecraft will nominally be released from a station in an Earth-Moon L1 libration point orbit, and they will use Solar sails for propulsion. The sail structure would be highly flexible, capable of changing morphology to change cross-section for capture of sunlight or to form effective "tip vanes" for attitude control. ANTS PAM sails would be capable of full to partial deployment, to change effective sail area and center of pressure, and thus allow attitude control. Results of analysis of a transfer trajectory from Earth to a sample target asteroid will be presented. ANTS PAM will require continuous coverage of different asteroid locations as close as one to two asteroid "diameters" from the surface of the asteroid for periods of science data collection during asteroid proximity operations. Hovering spacecraft could meet the science data collection objectives. The results of hovering analysis will be presented. There are locations for which hovering is not possible, for example on the illuminated side of the asteroid. For cases where hovering is not possible, the results of utilizing asteroid formations to orbit the asteroid and achieve the desired asteroid viewing will be presented for sample asteroids. The ability of ANTS PAM to reduce the area of the solar sail during asteroid proximity operations is critical to the maintenance of orbiting formations for a period of time. Results of analysis of potential "traffic" problems during asteroid proximity operations will be presented.

Marr, Greg↗

Thermodynamic Vent System Applied as Propellant Delivery System for Air Force

Responding to a request from the Air Force, NASA Lewis Research Center engineers designed a combination pressure control and propellant delivery system based on thermodynamic vent system (TVS) technology. The Air Force is designing a new type of orbit transfer vehicle that uses energy from sunlight to both propel and power the vehicle. Because this vehicle uses propellant at a substantially slower rate than higher-energy rockets, it needed the Lewis-developed TVS technology for long-duration storage of cryogen propellants. Lewis engineers, in conjunction with industry partners, showed how this TVS technology could also be used to deliver propellant to the thruster. The Air Force has now begun the ground test demonstration phase. After successful completion of ground testing, the Air Force plans to use this technology in a space flight as early as 1999.

Source record↗

Exploring Venus by Solar Airplane

A solar-powered airplane is proposed to explore the atmospheric environment of Venus. Venus has several advantages for a solar airplane. At the top of the cloud level, the solar intensity is comparable to or greater than terrestrial solar intensities. The Earthlike atmospheric pressure means that the power required for flight is lower for Venus than that of Mars, and the slow rotation of Venus allows an airplane to be designed for continuous sunlight, with no energy storage needed for night-time flight. These factors mean that Venus is perhaps the easiest planet in the solar system for flight of a long-duration solar airplane.

Landis, Geoffrey A.↗

Lunar Plant Experiment: Testing Plant Germination in Lunar Gravity and Ionizing Radiation

We present an open design for a first plant growth module on the Moon (LPX). The primary science goal of lunar habitat is to investigate germination and initial plant growth when subject to the combined effects of lunar gravity and lunar surface radiation. The LPX module has been designed to be a flexible base unit that can be adapted to fly to the lunar surface on a variety of landers and rovers. LPX has size and shape of a 1 Unit CubeSat (10 centimeters on a side) and a total mass of 0.3 kilograms. The base will contain a seed module holding around 50 Arabidopsis seeds and provide approximately 0.5 liters of normal air at standard pressure. By the action of a small pump, water will be released after landing to initiate germination. Images will document the germination, initial growth, phototropism, and circumnutation of the small plants while sunlight remains available. A CO2 sensor tracks the release of CO2 during germination and the subsequent uptake of CO2 by photosynthesis. Simulations indicate that the CO2 peak level will be an increase by 2250 parts per million after 2 earth-days and then decline to about 1000 parts per million after 7 earth-days. The camera and CO2 sensor interfaces are USB. The water pump initiation requires a 5-volt signal. After initiation of germination by the addition of water, the habitat must be maintained above 22 degrees Centigrade to allow for plant growth and below 27 degrees Centigrade to prevent damage to the plants. This relatively tight temperature tolerance will require thermal control systems using reflecting surfaces and insulation that must be specifically designed for each lander or rover. The plant growth unit will function to tilt angles of 20 degrees along any axis. Total image data volume required to gauge the plant growth rate and leaf area is 1 megabyte (minimum data required) to 40 megabytes (preferred data). The lid of the habitat will allow adequate sunlight for plant growth. To provide for optimum growth, light levels in the plant growth stage need to be between 75 and 150 micromoles per meter squared per second interval.

first plant growth↗

UV Shielding of Bacillus pumilus SAFR-032 Endospores by Martian Regolith Simulants

As exploration of the solar system advances with life detection missions on the horizon, the concern for planetary protection has grown considerably. When attempting to detect extraterrestrial life, the likelihood of false positives from terrestrial contamination must be minimized. The Exposing Microorganisms in the Stratosphere (E-MIST) balloon project aims to evaluate whether resilient terrestrial bacteria can survive stressors in a Mars-like environment. This is accomplished by sending Bacillus pumilus SAFR-032, an endospore-forming bacterial isolate from a spacecraft assembly facility, to the Earth's middle stratosphere (30-38 kilometers), where low temperature and pressure and high radiation and dryness conditions are similar to the surface of Mars. Previous ground and flight tests showed that the vast majority of SAFR-032 spores (99.99 percent) were inactivated by direct sunlight due to ultraviolet (UV) radiation. This observation led us to explore the role of dust shielding in changing microbial survivorship outcomes. To determine the dust particle distributions and density for potentially shielding microbes from UV radiation, samples of a Martian dust simulant were mixed with SAFR-032 spores. The dry heat sterilized simulant used was JSC MARS-1, weathered volcanic ash from Hawaii that displays many chemical and physical properties similar to the Martian soil as characterized by the Viking Lander 1, including reflectance spectrum, chemical composition, mineralogy, grain size, specific gravity, and magnetic properties. First, scanning electron microscopy was undertaken to visualize the aggregation of the spores with dust particles (i.e., shading effects), and samples of varying dust concentrations were subsequently irradiated with UVC light to test survivorship outcomes. After a relationship between dust concentration and spore survivorship was determined, a solar simulator capable of irradiating samples with a fuller UV spectrum (less than 280-400 nanometers) was used to perform a more robust middle stratosphere simulation. Taken together, we will use results from the ground-based irradiation studies to feed into experimental designs for the next E-MIST ultra-long duration polar balloon flight launched by NASA.

Stratosphere↗