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At least 73 records · Page 4

Thermal regimes in cratered terrain with emphasis on the role of impact melt

The distribution of bombardment energy in the moon's crust and the types of phase transformation resulting from this energy input are investigated. It is seen that the major significance of impact melts in the period of intense cratering is that they transfer most of the high-temperature heat following cratering and thus take part in many of the phase transformations on planetary surfaces. Energy partitioning studies suggest that of the projectiles' total kinetic energy, 23 to 35% is converted into heat by passage of the shock fronts, 43 to 53% transports ejecta and then is dissipated at modest temperature increases over a broad area, 8 to 24% is consumed comminuting country rock, and less than 1% becomes seismic and radiant energy. Subsequent to its formation, the melt is violently mixed with much colder debris to form the sheets of impact melt and the breccias.

Simonds, C. H.↗

Radar glory from buried craters on icy moons

Three ice-covered moons of Jupiter, in comparison with rocky planets and earth's moon, produce radar echoes of astounding strengths and bizarre polarizations. Scattering from buried craters can explain these and other anomalous properties of the echoes. The role of such craters is analogous to that of the water droplets that create the apparition known as 'the glory', the optically bright region surrounding an observer's shadow on a cloud. Both situations involve the electromagnetic phenomenon of total internal reflection at a dielectric interface, operating in a geometry that strongly favors exact backscattering. Dim surface craters are transformed into bright glory holes by being buried under somewhat denser material, thereby increasing the intensity of their echoes by factors of hundreds. The dielectric interface thus formed at the crater walls nicely accounts for the unusual polarizations of the echoes.

Eshleman, Von R.↗

Contact stress analysis of spiral bevel gears using nonlinear finite element static analysis

A procedure is presented for performing three-dimensional stress analysis of spiral bevel gears in mesh using the finite element method. The procedure involves generating a finite element model by solving equations that identify tooth surface coordinates. Coordinate transformations are used to orientate the gear and pinion for gear meshing. Contact boundary conditions are simulated with gap elements. A solution technique for correct orientation of the gap elements is given. Example models and results are presented.

Bibel, G. D.↗

Contact stress analysis of spiral bevel gears using nonlinear finite element static analysis

A procedure is presented for performing three-dimensional stress analysis of spiral bevel gears in mesh using the finite element method. The procedure involves generating a finite element model by solving equations that identify tooth surface coordinates. Coordinate transformations are used to orientate the gear and pinion for gear meshing. Contact boundary conditions are simulated with gap elements. A solution technique for correct orientation of the gap elements is given. Example models and results are presented.

Bibel, G. D.↗

Vegetation species composition and canopy architecture information expressed in leaf water absorption measured in the 1000 nm and 2200 spectral region by an imaging spectrometer

Plant species composition and plant architectural attributes are critical parameters required for the measuring, monitoring, and modeling of terrestrial ecosystems. Remote sensing is commonly cited as an important tool for deriving vegetation properties at an appropriate scale for ecosystem studies, ranging from local to regional and even synoptic scales. Classical approaches rely on vegetation indices such as the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) to estimate biophysical parameters such as leaf area index or intercepted photosynthetically active radiation (IPAR). Another approach is to apply a variety of classification schemes to map vegetation and thus extrapolate fine-scale information about specific sites to larger areas of similar composition. Imaging spectrometry provides additional information that is not obtainable through broad-band sensors and that may provide improved inputs both to direct biophysical estimates as well as classification schemes. Some of this capability has been demonstrated through improved discrimination of vegetation, estimates of canopy biochemistry, and liquid water estimates from vegetation. We investigate further the potential of leaf water absorption estimated from Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) data as a means for discriminating vegetation types and deriving canopy architectural information. We expand our analysis to incorporate liquid water estimates from two spectral regions, the 1000-nm region and the 2200-nm region. The study was conducted in the vicinity of Jasper Ridge, California, which is located on the San Francisco peninsula to the west of the Stanford University campus. AVIRIS data were acquired over Jasper Ridge, CA, on June 2, 1992, at 19:31 UTC. Spectra from three sites in this image were analyzed. These data are from an area of healthy grass, oak woodland, and redwood forest, respectively. For these analyses, the AVIRIS-measured upwelling radiance spectra for the entire Jasper Ridge scene were transformed to apparent surface reflectance using a radiative transfer code-based inversion algorithm.

Green, Robert O.↗

NASA's Earth Observing System: The Transition from Climate Monitoring to Climate Change Prediction

Earth's 4.5 billion year history is a study in change. Natural geological forces have been rearranging the surface features and climatic conditions of our planet since its beginning. There is scientific evidence that some of these natural changes have not only led to mass extinctions of species (e.g., dinosaurs), but have also severely impacted human civilizations. For instance, there is evidence that a relatively sudden climate change caused a 300-year drought that contributed to the downfall of Akkadia, one of the most powerful empires in the Middle-East region around 2200 BC. More recently, the "little ice age" from 1200-1400 AD forced the Vikings to abandon Greenland when temperatures there dropped by about 1.5 C, rendering it too difficult to grow enough crops to sustain the population. Today, there is compelling scientific evidence that human activities have attained the magnitude of a geological force and are speeding up the rate of global change. For example, carbon dioxide levels have risen 30 percent since the industrial revolution and about 40 percent of the world's land surface has been transformed by humans. We don't understand the cause-and-effect relationships among Earth's land, ocean, and atmosphere well enough to predict what, if any, impacts these rapid changes will have on future climate conditions. We need to make many measurements all over the world, over a long period of time, in order to assemble the information needed to construct accurate computer models that will enable us to forecast climate change. In 1988, the Earth System Sciences Committee, sponsored by NASA, issued a report calling for an integrated, long-term strategy for measuring the vital signs of Earth's climate system. The report urged that the measurements must all be intimately coupled with focused process studies, they must facilitate development of Earth system models, and they must be stored in an information system that ensures open access to consistent, long-term data. This committee emphasized that the only feasible way to collect these consistent, long-term data is through the use of space-based Earth "remote sensors" (instruments that can measure from a distance things like temperature).

King, Michael D.↗

Morphological Evolution and Weak Interface Development within CVD-Zirconia Coating Deposited on Hi-Nicalon Fiber

The phase contents and morphology of a ZrO2 fiber coating deposited at 1050 C on Hi-Nicalon(Tm) by chemical vapor deposition were examined as a function of deposition time from 5 to 120 min. The morphological evolution in the ZrO2 coating was correlated to the development of delamination within the ZrO2 coating. The delamination appears to occur as a result of: (1) continuous formation of tetragonal ZrO2 nuclei on the deposition surface; (2) martensitic transformation of the tetragonal phase to a monoclinic phase upon reaching a critical grain size; and (3) development of significant compressive hoop stresses due to the volume dilation associated with the transformation. Our observations suggest that it will be of critical importance to further understand and eventually control the nucleation and grain growth behavior of CVD ZrO2 and its phase transformation behavior for its potential applications for composites.

Li, Hao↗

Modified Displacement Transfer Functions for Deformed Shape Predictions of Slender Curved Structures with Varying Curvatives

To eliminate the need to use finite-element modeling for structure shape predictions, a new method was invented. This method is to use the Displacement Transfer Functions to transform the measured surface strains into deflections for mapping out overall structural deformed shapes. The Displacement Transfer Functions are expressed in terms of rectilinearly distributed surface strains, and contain no material properties. This report is to apply the patented method to the shape predictions of non-symmetrically loaded slender curved structures with different curvatures up to a full circle. Because the measured surface strains are not available, finite-element analysis had to be used to analytically generate the surface strains. Previously formulated straight-beam Displacement Transfer Functions were modified by introducing the curvature-effect correction terms. Through single-point or dual-point collocations with finite-elementgenerated deflection curves, functional forms of the curvature-effect correction terms were empirically established. The resulting modified Displacement Transfer Functions can then provide quite accurate shape predictions. Also, the uniform straight-beam Displacement Transfer Function was applied to the shape predictions of a section-cut of a generic capsule (GC) outer curved sandwich wall. The resulting GC shape predictions are quite accurate in partial regions where the radius of curvature does not change sharply.

displacement transfer functions↗

Contact Stress Analysis of Spiral Bevel Gears Using Finite Element Analysis

A procedure is presented for performing three-dimensional stress analysis of spiral bevel gears in mesh using the finite element method. The procedure involves generating a finite element model by solving equations that identify tooth surface coordinates. Coordinate transformations are used to orientate the gear and pinion for gear meshing. Contact boundary conditions are simulated with gap elements. A solution technique for correct orientation of the gap elements is given. Example models and results are presented.

Bibel, G. D.↗

Characterization of the surfaces of platinum/tin oxide based catalysts by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR)

A Pt/SnO2 catalyst has been developed at NASA Langley that is effective for the oxidation of CO at room temperature (1). A mechanism has been proposed to explain the effectiveness of this catalyst (2), but most of the species involved in this mechanism have not been observed under actual catalytic conditions. A number of these species are potentially detectable by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), e.g., HOSnO sub x, HO sub y PtO sub z, Pt-CO, and SnHCO3. Therefore a preliminary investigation was conducted to determine what might be learned about this particular catalyst by transmission FTIR. The main advantage of FTIR for this work is that the catalyst can be examined under conditions similar to the actual catalytic conditions. This can be of critical importance since some surface species may exist only when the reaction gases are present. Another advantage of the infrared approach is that since vibrations are probed, subtle chemical details may be obtained. The main disadvantage of this approach is that FTIR is not nearly as sensitive as the Ultra High Vacuum (UHV) surface analytical techniques such as Auger, Electron Spectroscopy for Chemical Analysis (ESCA), Electron Energy Loss Spectroscopy (EELS), etc. Another problem is that the assignment of the observed infrared bands may be difficult.

Keiser, Joseph T.↗

High-Voltage Isolation Transformer

Arcing and field-included surface erosion reduced by electrostatic shields around windings and ferromagnetic core of 80-kilovolt isolation transformer. Fabricated from high-resistivity polyurethane-based material brushed on critical surfaces, shields maintained at approximately half potential difference of windings.

Clatterbuck, C. H.↗

NASA Lunar Surface Innovation Initiative: Ensuring a Cohesive, Executable Strategy for Technology Development

Establishing a sustainable human presence on the Moon allows NASA to develop and test new approaches, technologies, and systems that will enable us to function in other, more challenging environments. The Lunar Surface Innovation Initiative (LSII) was established in 2019 and has evolved into a key agency asset to spur technology development and provide risk reduction for lunar surface system development and flight demonstrations. LSII coordinates activities implemented through a combination of in-house activities, competitive programs, and public-private partnerships to create transformative technologies needed for lunar surface exploration. This paper will outline the LSII model used to develop a technology pipeline that will retire the primary technology hurdles in six capability areas. In-situ resource utilization technologies for collecting, processing, storing, and using material found or manufactured on the Moon. Surface power technologies that provide the capability for sustainable, continuous power throughout the day and night for lunar missions. Dust mitigation strategies that diminish lunar dust hazards on lunar surface systems such as cameras, solar panels, space suits, habitats, and instrumentation. Extreme environments technologies that enable systems to operate throughout the full range of lunar surface conditions, including lunar noon (up to 150 at the equator), night (down to - 180 at the equator), multiple day/night cycles, and in permanently shadowed regions (down to -250). Extreme access technologies that enable humans or robotic systems to access, navigate, and explore previously inaccessible lunar surface or subsurface areas. Excavation and construction technologies that will allow affordable, autonomous manufacturing or construction. We outline key results, including milestones and achievements related to the capability areas and outcomes from partnerships with the commercial sector. A key tenet of the LSII is the Lunar Surface Innovation Consortium (LSIC), a collaboration across industry, academia, and government to successfully develop the transformative capabilities for lunar surface exploration. LSIC provides a forum for NASA to communicate technological requirements, needs, and opportunities and for the community to share existing capabilities and identify critical gaps with NASA. By working side by side with commercial enterprises and our international partners, NASA is able to combine the knowledge and expertise needed to explore the lunar surface and make technical advances that will feed technological and economic growth. Since its inception, LSII has engaged over 600 organizations across the United States and 46 countries to shape the technologies and systems needed to explore the lunar surface and stimulate a lunar surface economy.

lunar, lunar surface, technology development, ISRU↗

NASA Lunar Surface Innovation Initiative: Ensuring a Cohesive, Executable Strategy for Technology

Establishing a sustainable human presence on the Moon allows NASA to develop and test new approaches, technologies, and systems that will enable us to function in other, more challenging environments. The Lunar Surface Innovation Initiative (LSII) was established in 2019 and has evolved into a key agency asset to spur technology development and provide risk reduction for lunar surface system development and flight demonstrations. LSII coordinates activities implemented through a combination of in-house activities, competitive programs, and public-private partnerships to create transformative technologies needed for lunar surface exploration. This paper will outline the LSII model used to develop a technology pipeline that will retire the primary technology hurdles in six capability areas. In-situ resource utilization technologies for collecting, processing, storing, and using material found or manufactured on the Moon. Surface power technologies that provide the capability for sustainable, continuous power throughout the day and night for lunar missions. Dust mitigation strategies that diminish lunar dust hazards on lunar surface systems such as cameras, solar panels, space suits, habitats, and instrumentation. Extreme environments technologies that enable systems to operate throughout the full range of lunar surface conditions, including lunar noon (up to 150 at the equator), night (down to - 180 at the equator), multiple day/night cycles, and in permanently shadowed regions (down to -250). Extreme access technologies that enable humans or robotic systems to access, navigate, and explore previously inaccessible lunar surface or subsurface areas. Excavation and construction technologies that will allow affordable, autonomous manufacturing or construction. We outline key results, including milestones and achievements related to the capability areas and outcomes from partnerships with the commercial sector. A key tenet of the LSII is the Lunar Surface Innovation Consortium (LSIC), a collaboration across industry, academia, and government to successfully develop the transformative capabilities for lunar surface exploration. LSIC provides a forum for NASA to communicate technological requirements, needs, and opportunities and for the community to share existing capabilities and identify critical gaps with NASA. By working side by side with commercial enterprises and our international partners, NASA is able to combine the knowledge and expertise needed to explore the lunar surface and make technical advances that will feed technological and economic growth. Since its inception, LSII has engaged over 600 organizations across the United States and 46 countries to shape the technologies and systems needed to explore the lunar surface and stimulate a lunar surface economy.

Lunar↗

Characterization of the surfaces of platinum/tin oxide based catalysts by Fourier transform spectroscopy (FTIR)

The Laser Atmospheric Wind Sounder (LAWS) Program has as one of its goals the development of a satellite based carbon dioxide laser for making wind velocity measurements. The specifications for this laser include the requirement that the laser operate at a repetition rate of 10 Hertz continuously for three years. Earth-based carbon dioxide lasers can operate for only a short time on a single charge of gas because the lasing action causes the CO2 to break down into CO and O2. Therefore, earth-based CO2 lasers are generally operated in a flow through mode in which the spent gas is continually exhausted and fresh gas is continually added. For a satellite based system, however, a recirculation system is desired because it is not practical to send up extra tanks of CO2. A catalyst which could enable a recirculating CO2 laser to function continuously for three years needs to be developed. In the development of a catalyst system there are many variables. Obviously, not all possible formulations can be tested for three years, therefore, an accurate model which is based on the reaction mechanism is needed. The construction of a multistep reaction mechanism is similar to the construction of a jigsaw puzzle. Different techniques each supply a piece of the puzzle and the researcher must put the pieces together. Transmission infrared spectroscopy was shown to be very useful in supplying some of the information needed to elucidate reaction mechanisms. The purpose was to see what kind of information might be obtained about the NASA catalyst using infrared absorption spectroscopy. Approximately 200 infrared spectra of the prototype Pt/tin oxide catalyst and its precursor components are observed under a variety of different conditions. The most significant observations are summarized.

Keiser, Joseph T.↗

Assimilation of Satellite Sea Surface Temperature and Salinity Using the Local Ensemble Transform Kalman Filter Applied to the NASA GEOS Earth System Model

The NASA GEOS-S2S-2 system (Molod et al., 2020) uses the SST relaxation with the Level-4 SST products while the latest GEOS GEOS-S2S-3 system directly assimilates the Level-4 SST in the data assimilation step, yet no study has been conducted to understand the impact of this switch on the GEOS coupled analysis and short-range forecast. In addition, the GEOS-S2S-2/3 systems use the ocean model MOM5. Recently, the ocean model MOM6 is added to the GEOS ESM. This poster presents results of the first coupling of the ensemble data assimilation system to the GEOS MOM6.

Cheng Da↗

The 3-D unstructured mesh generation using local transformations

The topics are presented in viewgraph form and include the following: 3D combinatorial edge swapping; 3D incremental triangulation via local transformations; a new approach to multigrid for unstructured meshes; surface mesh generation using local transforms; volume triangulations; viscous mesh generation; and future directions.

Timothy J Barth↗

Development of Aeroservoelastic Analytical Models and Gust Load Alleviation Control Laws of a SensorCraft Wind-Tunnel Model Using Measured Data

Aeroservoelastic (ASE) analytical models of a SensorCraft wind-tunnel model are generated using measured data. The data was acquired during the ASE wind-tunnel test of the HiLDA (High Lift-to-Drag Active) Wing model, tested in the NASA Langley Transonic Dynamics Tunnel (TDT) in late 2004. Two time-domain system identification techniques are applied to the development of the ASE analytical models: impulse response (IR) method and the Generalized Predictive Control (GPC) method. Using measured control surface inputs (frequency sweeps) and associated sensor responses, the IR method is used to extract corresponding input/output impulse response pairs. These impulse responses are then transformed into state-space models for use in ASE analyses. Similarly, the GPC method transforms measured random control surface inputs and associated sensor responses into an AutoRegressive with eXogenous input (ARX) model. The ARX model is then used to develop the gust load alleviation (GLA) control law. For the IR method, comparison of measured with simulated responses are presented to investigate the accuracy of the ASE analytical models developed. For the GPC method, comparison of simulated open-loop and closed-loop (GLA) time histories are presented.

Silva, Walter A.↗

Development of Aeroservoelastic Analytical Models and Gust Load Alleviation Control Laws of a SensorCraft Wind-Tunnel Model Using Measured Data

Aeroservoelastic (ASE) analytical models of a SensorCraft wind-tunnel model are generated using measured data. The data was acquired during the ASE wind-tunnel test of the HiLDA (High Lift-to-Drag Active) Wing model, tested in the NASA Langley Transonic Dynamics Tunnel (TDT) in late 2004. Two time-domain system identification techniques are applied to the development of the ASE analytical models: impulse response (IR) method and the Generalized Predictive Control (GPC) method. Using measured control surface inputs (frequency sweeps) and associated sensor responses, the IR method is used to extract corresponding input/output impulse response pairs. These impulse responses are then transformed into state-space models for use in ASE analyses. Similarly, the GPC method transforms measured random control surface inputs and associated sensor responses into an AutoRegressive with eXogenous input (ARX) model. The ARX model is then used to develop the gust load alleviation (GLA) control law. For the IR method, comparison of measured with simulated responses are presented to investigate the accuracy of the ASE analytical models developed. For the GPC method, comparison of simulated open-loop and closed-loop (GLA) time histories are presented.

Walter A. Silva↗