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At least 739 records · Page 41

What Reliability Engineers Should Know about Space Radiation Effects

Space radiation in space systems present unique failure modes and considerations for reliability engineers. Radiation effects is not a one size fits all field. Threat conditions that must be addressed for a given mission depend on the mission orbital profile, the technologies of parts used in critical functions and on application considerations, such as supply voltages, temperature, duty cycle, and redundancy. In general, the threats that must be addressed are of two types-the cumulative degradation mechanisms of total ionizing dose (TID) and displacement damage (DD). and the prompt responses of components to ionizing particles (protons and heavy ions) falling under the heading of single-event effects. Generally degradation mechanisms behave like wear-out mechanisms on any active components in a system: Total Ionizing Dose (TID) and Displacement Damage: (1) TID affects all active devices over time. Devices can fail either because of parametric shifts that prevent the device from fulfilling its application or due to device failures where the device stops functioning altogether. Since this failure mode varies from part to part and lot to lot, lot qualification testing with sufficient statistics is vital. Displacement damage failures are caused by the displacement of semiconductor atoms from their lattice positions. As with TID, failures can be either parametric or catastrophic, although parametric degradation is more common for displacement damage. Lot testing is critical not just to assure proper device fi.mctionality throughout the mission. It can also suggest remediation strategies when a device fails. This paper will look at these effects on a variety of devices in a variety of applications. This paper will look at these effects on a variety of devices in a variety of applications. (2) On the NEAR mission a functional failure was traced to a PIN diode failure caused by TID induced high leakage currents. NEAR was able to recover from the failure by reversing the current of a nearby Thermal Electric Cooler (turning the TEC into a heater). The elevated temperature caused the PIN diode to anneal and the device to recover. It was by lot qualification testing that NEAR knew the diode would recover when annealed. This paper will look at these effects on a variety of devices in a variety of applications. Single Event Effects (SEE): (1) In contrast to TID and displacement damage, Single Event Effects (SEE) resemble random failures. SEE modes can range from changes in device logic (single-event upset, or SEU). temporary disturbances (single-event transient) to catastrophic effects such as the destructive SEE modes, single-event latchup (SEL). single-event gate rupture (SEGR) and single-event burnout (SEB) (2) The consequences of nondestructive SEE modes such as SEU and SET depend critically on their application--and may range from trivial nuisance errors to catastrophic loss of mission. It is critical not just to ensure that potentially susceptible devices are well characterized for their susceptibility, but also to work with design engineers to understand the implications of each error mode. -For destructive SEE, the predominant risk mitigation strategy is to avoid susceptible parts, or if that is not possible. to avoid conditions under which the part may be susceptible. Destructive SEE mechanisms are often not well understood, and testing is slow and expensive, making rate prediction very challenging. (3) Because the consequences of radiation failure and degradation modes depend so critically on the application as well as the component technology, it is essential that radiation, component. design and system engineers work togetherpreferably starting early in the program to ensure critical applications are addressed in time to optimize the probability of mission success.

DiBari, Rebecca↗

Automatic detection of low altitude wind shear due to gust fronts in the terminal Doppler weather radar operational demonstration

A gust front is the leading edge of the cold air outflow from a thunderstorm. Wind shears and turbulence along the gust front may produce potentially hazardous conditions for an aircraft on takeoff or landing such that runway operations are significantly impacted. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has therefore determined that the detection of gust fronts in the terminal environment be an integral part of the Terminal Doppler Weather Radar (TDWR) system. Detection of these shears by the Gust Front Algorithm permits the generation of warnings that can be issued to pilots on approach and departure. In addition to the detection capability, the algorithm provides an estimate of the wind speed and direction following the gust front (termed wind shift) and the forecasted location of the gust front up to 20 minutes before it impacts terminal operations. This has shown utility as a runway management tool, alerting runway supervisors to approaching wind shifts and the possible need to change runway configurations. The formation and characteristics of gust fronts and their signatures in Doppler radar data are discussed. A brief description of the algorithm and its products for use by Air Traffic Control (ATC), along with an assessment of the algorithm's performance during the 1988 Operational Test and Evaluation, is presented.

Klingle-Wilson, Diana↗

A Method for Simulation of Rotorcraft Fly-In Noise for Human Response Studies

The low frequency content of rotorcraft noise allows it to be heard over great distances. This factor contributes to the disruption of natural quiet in national parks and wilderness areas, and can lead to annoyance in populated areas. Further, it can result in detection at greater distances compared to higher altitude fixed wing aircraft operations. Human response studies conducted in the field are made difficult since test conditions are difficult to control. Specifically, compared to fixed wing aircraft, the source noise itself may significantly vary over time even for nominally steady flight conditions, and the propagation of that noise is more variable due to low altitude meteorological conditions. However, it is possible to create the salient features of rotorcraft fly-in noise in a more controlled laboratory setting through recent advancements made in source noise synthesis, propagation modeling and reproduction. This paper concentrates on the first two of these. In particular, the rotorcraft source noise pressure time history is generated using single blade passage signatures from the main and tail rotors. These may be obtained from either acoustic source noise predictions or back-propagation of ground-based measurements. Propagation effects include atmospheric absorption, spreading loss, Doppler shift, and ground plane reflections.

Rizzi, Stephen A.↗

Hover performance tests of full scale variable geometry rotors

Full scale whirl tests were conducted to determine the effects of interblade spatial relationships and pitch variations on the hover performance and acoustic signature of a 6-blade main rotor system. The variable geometry rotor (VGR) variations from the conventional baseline were accomplished by: (1) shifting the axial position of alternate blades by one chord-length to form two tip path planes; and (2) varying the relative azimuthal spacing from the upper rotor to the lagging hover rotor in four increments from 25.2 degrees to 62.1 degrees. For each of these four configurations, the differential collective pitch between upper and lower rotors was set at + or - 1 deg, 0 deg and -1 deg. Hover performance data for all configurations were acquired at blade tip Mach numbers of 0.523 and 0.45. Acoustic data were recorded at all test conditions, but analyzed only at 0 deg differential pitch at the higher rotor speed. The VGR configurations tested demonstrated improvements in thrust at constant power as high as 6 percent. Reductions of 3 PNdb in perceived noise level and of 4 db in blade passage frequency noise level were achieved at the higher thrust levels. Consistent correlation exists between performance and acoustic improvements. For any given azimuth spacing, performance was consistently better for the differential pitch condition of + or - 1 degree, i.e. with the upper rotor pitch one degree higher than the lower rotor.

Rorke, J. B.↗

Transonic airfoil calculations including wind tunnel wall-interference effects

The results of Reynolds-averaged time-dependent inviscid and turbulent compressible Navier-Stokes computations using the implicit finite-difference approach of Steger (1978), modified by incorporating a pressure boundary condition, (PBC) to account for wall interference are compared with experimental data on a NACA 64A010 airfoil (Johnson and Bachalo, 1980) in graphs and briefly characterized. The computational approach is the same as that used by King and Johnson (1980), but a 137 x 50 mesh is used instead of a 97 x 35 mesh, and special care is taken in resolving the nose, shock, and trailing-edge regions. Imposition of PBC is shown to improve significantly the accuracy of the computations for the flowfield on the upper surface of the airfoil, shifting the shock forward to its experimentally measured position in the case of turbulent flow. The failure of the method, even with PBC, to match the experimental shock location in the case of a flow with a separation bubble is attributed to inadequacies in the algebraic turbulence model employed (Baldwin and Lomax, 1978).

King, L. S.↗

Physical aging effects on the compressive linear viscoelastic creep of IM7/K3B composite

An experimental study was undertaken to establish the viscoelastic behavior of 1M7/K3B composite in compression at elevated temperature. Creep compliance, strain recovery and the effects of physical aging on the time dependent response was measured for uniaxial loading at several isothermal conditions below the glass transition temperature (T(g)). The IM7/K3B composite is a graphite reinforced thermoplastic polyimide with a T(g) of approximately 240 C. In a composite, the two matrix dominated compliance terms associated with time dependent behavior occur in the transverse and shear directions. Linear viscoelasticity was used to characterize the creep/recovery behavior and superposition techniques were used to establish the physical aging related material constants. Creep strain was converted to compliance and measured as a function of test time and aging time. Results included creep compliance master curves, physical aging shift factors and shift rates. The description of the unique experimental techniques required for compressive testing is also given.

Veazie, David R.↗

A Physical Validation Program for the GPM Mission

The GPM mission is currently planned for start in the late 2007 - early 2008 time frame. Its main scientific goal is to help answer pressing scientific problems arising within the context of global and regional water cycling. These problems cut across a hierarchy of scales and include climate-water cycle interactions, techniques for improving weather and climate predictions, and better methods for combining observed precipitation with hydrometeorological prediction models for applications to hazardous flood-producing storms, seasonal flood draught conditions, and fresh water resource assessments. The GPM mission will expand the scope of precipitation measurement through the use of a constellation of some 9 satellites, one of which will be an advanced TRMM-like core satellite carrying a dual-frequency Ku-Ka band precipitation radar and an advanced, multifrequency passive microwave radiometer with vertical-horizontal polarization discrimination. The other constellation members will include new dedicated satellites and co-existing operational/research satellites carrying similar (but not identical) passive microwave radiometers. The goal of the constellation is to achieve approximately 3-hour sampling at any spot on the globe -- continuously. The constellation's orbit architecture will consist of a mix of sun-synchronous and non-sun-synchronous satellites with the core satellite providing measurements of cloud-precipitation microphysical processes plus calibration-quality rainrate retrievals to be used with the other retrieval information to ensure bias-free constellation coverage. A major requirement before the retrieved rainfall information generated by the GPM mission can be used effectively by prognostic models to improve weather forecasts, hydrometeorological forecasts, and climate model reanalysis simulations is a capability to quantify the error characteristics of the retrievals. A solution for this problem has been upheld in past precipitation missions because of the lack of suitable error modeling systems incorporated into the validation programs and data distribution systems. An overview of how NASA intends to overcome this problem for the GPM mission using a physically-based error modeling approach within a multi-faceted validation program is described. The solution is to first identify specific user requirements and then determine the most stringent of these requirements that embodies all essential error characterization information needed by the entire user community. In the context of NASA s scientific agenda for the GPM mission, the most stringent user requirement is found within the data assimilation community. The fundamental theory of data assimilation vis-a-vis ingesting satellite precipitation information into the pre-forecast initializations is based on quantifying the conditional bias and precision errors of individual rain retrievals, and the space-time structure of the precision error (i.e., the spatial-temporal error covariance). By generating the hardware and software capability to produce this information in a near real-time fashion, and to couple the derived quantitative error properties to the actual retrieved rainrates, all key validation users can be satisfied. The talk will describe the essential components of the hardware and software systems needed to generate such near real-time error properties, as well as the various paradigm shifts needed within the validation community to produce a validation program relevant to the precipitation user community.

Smith, Eric A.↗

A Computational Study of a New Dual Throat Fluidic Thrust Vectoring Nozzle Concept

A computational investigation of a two-dimensional nozzle was completed to assess the use of fluidic injection to manipulate flow separation and cause thrust vectoring of the primary jet thrust. The nozzle was designed with a recessed cavity to enhance the throat shifting method of fluidic thrust vectoring. Several design cycles with the structured-grid, computational fluid dynamics code PAB3D and with experiments in the NASA Langley Research Center Jet Exit Test Facility have been completed to guide the nozzle design and analyze performance. This paper presents computational results on potential design improvements for best experimental configuration tested to date. Nozzle design variables included cavity divergence angle, cavity convergence angle and upstream throat height. Pulsed fluidic injection was also investigated for its ability to decrease mass flow requirements. Internal nozzle performance (wind-off conditions) and thrust vector angles were computed for several configurations over a range of nozzle pressure ratios from 2 to 7, with the fluidic injection flow rate equal to 3 percent of the primary flow rate. Computational results indicate that increasing cavity divergence angle beyond 10 is detrimental to thrust vectoring efficiency, while increasing cavity convergence angle from 20 to 30 improves thrust vectoring efficiency at nozzle pressure ratios greater than 2, albeit at the expense of discharge coefficient. Pulsed injection was no more efficient than steady injection for the Dual Throat Nozzle concept.

Deere, Karen A.↗

Calculation of composition distribution of ultrafine ion-H2O-H2SO4 clusters using a modified binary ion nucleation theory

Thomson's ion nucleation theory was modified to include the effects of curvature dependence of the microscopic surface tension of field dependent, nonlinear, dielectric properties of the liquid; and of sulfuric acid hydrate formation in binary mixtures of water and sulfuric acid vapors. The modified theory leads to a broadening of the ion cluster spectrum, and shifts it towards larger numbers of H2O and H2SO4 molecules. Whether there is more shifting towards larger numbers of H2O or H2SO4 molecules depends on the relative humidity and relative acidity of the mixture. Usually, a broadening of the spectrum is accompanied by a lowering of the mean cluster intensity. For fixed values of relative humidity and relative acidity, a similar broadening pattern is observed when the temperature is lowered. These features of the modified theory illustrate that a trace of sulfuric acid can facilitate the formation of ultrafine, stable, prenucleation ion clusters as well as the growth of the prenucleation ion clusters towards the critical saddle point conditions, even with low values of relative humidity and relative acidity.

Singh, J. J.↗

Precision pointing compensation for DSN antennas with optical distance measuring sensors

The pointing control loops of Deep Space Network (DSN) antennas do not account for unmodeled deflections of the primary and secondary reflectors. As a result, structural distortions due to unpredictable environmental loads can result in uncompensated boresight shifts which degrade pointing accuracy. The design proposed here can provide real-time bias commands to the pointing control system to compensate for environmental effects on pointing performance. The bias commands can be computed in real time from optically measured deflections at a number of points on the primary and secondary reflectors. Computer simulations with a reduced-order finite-element model of a DSN antenna validate the concept and lead to a proposed design by which a ten-to-one reduction in pointing uncertainty can be achieved under nominal uncertainty conditions.

Scheid, R. E.↗

Changes in leg volume during microgravity simulation

Little published information exists regarding the magnitude and time course of cephalad fluid shift resulting from microgravity simulations. Six subjects were exposed to 150 min each at horizontal bed rest, 6-deg head-down tilt, and horizontal water immersion. Fluid shift was estimated by calculating leg volumes from eight serial girth measurements from groin to ankle before, during, and after exposure. Results were compared with data from the first 3 h of spacecraft. By the end of exposure, total leg volume for the six subjects decreased by 2.6 +/- 0.8 percent, 1.7 +/- 1.2 percent, and 4.0 +/- 1.6 percent for horizontal, head-down, and immersion, respectively. Changes had plateaued for horizontal and head-down and had slowed for immersion. Relatively more fluid was lost from the lower leg than the thigh for all three conditions, particularly head-down. During the first 3 h of spaceflight, total leg volume decreased by 8.6 percent, and relatively more fluid was lost from the thigh than the lower leg. The difference in volume changes in microgravity and simulated microgravity may be caused by the small transverse pressures still present in ground-based simulations and the extremely nonlinear compliance of tissue.

Thornton, William E.↗

Template Matching Approach to Signal Prediction

A new approach to signal prediction and prognostic assessment of spacecraft health resolves an inherent difficulty in fusing sensor data with simulated data. This technique builds upon previous work that demonstrated the importance of physics-based transient models to accurate prediction of signal dynamics and system performance. While models can greatly improve predictive accuracy, they are difficult to apply in general because of variations in model type, accuracy, or intended purpose. However, virtually any flight project will have at least some modeling capability at its disposal, whether a full-blown simulation, partial physics models, dynamic look-up tables, a brassboard analogue system, or simple hand-driven calculation by a team of experts. Many models can be used to develop a predict, or an estimate of the next day s or next cycle s behavior, which is typically used for planning purposes. The fidelity of a predict varies from one project to another, depending on the complexity of the simulation (i.e. linearized or full differential equations) and the level of detail in anticipated system operation, but typically any predict cannot be adapted to changing conditions or adjusted spacecraft command execution. Applying a predict blindly, without adapting the predict to current conditions, produces mixed results at best, primarily due to mismatches between assumed execution of spacecraft activities and actual times of execution. This results in the predict becoming useless during periods of complicated behavior, exactly when the predict would be most valuable. Each spacecraft operation tends to show up as a transient in the data, and if the transients are misaligned, using the predict can actually harm forecasting performance. To address this problem, the approach here expresses the predict in terms of a baseline function superposed with one or more transient functions. These transients serve as signal templates, which can be relocated in time and space against the signal background. One then has the ability to reconstruct a signal regardless of the precise timing of the transients. During operation, one applies the actual start times of spacecraft activities as they occur, and produces a reconstructed, accurate predict in real-time. This general approach is valid under two important conditions. First, the transients themselves must be time-invariant. Second, the transients must be reasonably consistent with respect to different operating points. Both of these assumptions are generally valid, but in the case of a complicated system with numerous types of overlapping transients, this approach may not be effective. Fortunately, there tend to be few transients in spacecraft telemetry of sensor quantities or low-level health and status information because these signals rarely reflect multiple different types of operation. Furthermore, if the predict is at least reasonably close to actual operation, the shift either in time, or in the operating point when the transient occurs - is likely to be small. The proposed approach considers three ways to recognize a transient. The first and most reliable is to use a different signal that identifies operating mode - often the transient will be correlated to a change in operating mode, and this change can usually be detected positively from discrete signals in spacecraft telemetry. If there is no useful mode signal, the second option is to identify the transient template by hand, and detect the onset of the transient using a curve-fitting approach. Finally, if one elects not to choose by hand, there is an option for automatic selection. This technique has been applied to sensor data from several JPL missions and industrial applications, demonstrating an improvement in accurate prediction of future behavior and early detection of system problems. This technique is applicable to practically any time-varying, quantitative sensor measurement.

Mackey, Ryan↗

Vectorcardiographic results from Skylab medical experiment M092: Lower body negative pressure

Vectorcardiograms were recorded via a modified Frank lead system from all crewmen of the three Skylab missions in conjuction with the Lower Body Negative Pressure - M092 Experiment. Data were analyzed by a specially developed computer program (VECTAN). Design of the test sequences allowed direct comparisons of supine resting, Earth based (reference) vectorcardiograms with those taken during lower body negative pressure stress and those obtained at rest in orbit, as well as combinations of these conditions. Results revealed several statistically significant space flight related changes; namely, increased testing and lower body negative pressure stressed heart rates, modestly increased PR interval and corrected QTC interval, and greatly increased P and QPS loop maximal amplitudes. In addition, orientation changes in the QRS maximum vector and the J-vector at rest in space seem quite consistent among crewmen and different from those caused by the application of lower body negative pressure. No clinical abnormalities were observed. Etiology of these findings is conjectured to be, at least in part, related to fluid mass shifts occurring in weightlessness and attendant alterations in cardiovascular dynamics and myocardial autonomic control mechanisms.

Hoffler, G. W.↗

Phase-ambiguity resolution for QPSK modulation systems. Part 2: A method to resolve offset QPSK

Part 2 presents a new method to resolve the phase-ambiguity for Offset QPSK modulation systems. When an Offset Quaternary Phase-Shift-Keyed (OQPSK) communications link is utilized, the phase ambiguity of the reference carrier must be resolved. At the transmitter, two different unique words are separately modulated onto the quadrature carriers. At the receiver, the recovered carrier may have one of four possible phases, 0, 90, 180, or 270 degrees, referenced to the nominally correct phase. The IF portion of the channel may cause a phase-sense reversal, i.e., a reversal in the direction of phase rotation for a specified bit pattern. Hence, eight possible phase relationships (the so-called eight ambiguous phase conditions) between input and output of the demodulator must be resolved. Using the In-phase (I)/Quadrature (Q) channel reversal correcting property of an OQPSK Costas loop with integrated symbol synchronization, four ambiguous phase conditions are eliminated. Thus, only four possible ambiguous phase conditions remain. The errors caused by the remaining ambiguous phase conditions can be corrected by monitoring and detecting the polarity of the two unique words. The correction of the unique word polarities results in the complete phase-ambiguity resolution for the OQPSK system.

Nguyen, Tien Manh↗

A Strategy for Advancing Earth Independent Medical Operations

Exploration medical operations to the Moon and Mars present unprecedented challenges for providing in-mission medical care. The greater distance from Earth is the primary hazard that drives the need for a medical operations paradigm shift from low earth orbit mission. Increasingly complex long duration and long distance missions will have resource constraints (ex: mass, power, volume, data), a paucity of resupply or evacuation opportunities, and disruptions in real-time communications. In order to advance a more autonomous medical approach, a multi-faceted strategy will need to optimize all aspects of human health and performance in space. This strategy will include: increasing onboard medical autonomy through the development of novel crew health and performance systems; decision support capabilities to augment astronauts’ abilities in preventing, diagnosing, and treating medical conditions; creating new procedures and training tools for skill maintenance and just-in-time training; and enabling rapid crew access to data from all on-board systems, leading to better-informed, real-time, autonomous decisions. Collectively, this approach can be referred to as “Earth Independent Medical Operations” (EIMO). The Exploration Medical Capability Element of NASA’s Human Research Program has undertaken a longitudinal planning process to consensus around EIMO. Technical interchange meetings will occur with key constituents in late 2022 and again in early 2023 to define EIMO in practical terms and identify key elements of an EIMO system, with greater conceptual articulation and dissemination planned for the second half of 2023. We will share insights into the strategy for internal and external consensus building around EIMO, with a particular focus on the approach to partner stakeholders within NASA as well as commercial agencies.

Jay Lemery↗

The Considere Condition and Rapid Stretching of Linear and Branched Polymer Melts

We analyze the onset of "necking" and subsequent filament failure during the transient uniaxial elongation of viscoelastic fluid samples in extensional rheometers. In the limit of rapid elongation (such that no molecular relaxation occurs), the external work applied is all stored elastically and the Considere criterion originally developed in solid mechanics can be used to quantitatively predict the critical Hencky strain to failure. By comparing the predictions of the Doi-Edwards model for linear homopolymer melts with those of the "Pom-Pom" model for prototypical branched melts we show that the critical strain to failure in rapid elongation of a rubbery material is intimately linked to the molecular topology of the chain, especially the degree of chain branching. The onset of necking instability is monotonically shifted to larger Hencky strains as the number of branches is increased. Numerical computations at finite Deborah numbers also show that there is an optimal range of deformation rates over which homogeneous extensions can be maintained to large strain. We also consider other rapid homogeneous stretching deformations, such as biaxial and planar stretching, and show that the degree of stabilization afforded by inclusion of material with long-chain branching is a sensitive function of the imposed mode of deformation.

McKinley, Gareth H.↗

Computational study of nonlinear plasma waves. I - Simulation model and monochromatic wave propagation. II - Sideband instability and satellite growth

A hybrid plasma simulation model is described and applied to the study of electrostatic wave propagation in a one-dimensional Maxwellian plasma with periodic boundary conditions. The model employs a cloud-in-cell scheme which can drastically reduce the fluctuations in particle simulation models and greatly ease the computational difficulties of the Vlasov equation approach. A grid in velocity space is introduced and the particles are represented by points in the x-v phase space. The model is tested first in the absence of an applied signal and then in the presence of a small-amplitude perturbation. The method is also used to study propagation of an essentially monochromatic plane wave. Results on amplitude oscillation and nonlinear frequency shift are compared with available theories.

Matsuda, Y.↗

Experimental feasibility of investigating acoustic waves in Couette flow with entropy and pressure gradients

The feasibility is discussed for an experimental program for studying the behavior of acoustic wave propagation in the presence of strong gradients of pressure, temperature, and flow. Theory suggests that gradients effects can be experimentally observed as resonant frequency shifts and mode shape changes in a waveguide. A convenient experimental geometry for such experiments is the annular region between two co-rotating cylinders. Radial temperature gradients in a spinning annulus can be generated by differentially heating the two cylinders via electromagnetic induction. Radial pressure gradients can be controlled by varying the cylinder spin rates. Present technology appears adequate to construct an apparatus to allow independent control of temperature and pressure gradients. A complicating feature of a more advanced experiment, involving flow gradients, is the requirement for independently controlled cylinder spin rates. Also, the boundary condition at annulus terminations must be such that flow gradients are minimally disturbed. The design and construction of an advanced apparatus to include flow gradients will require additional technology development.

Parrott, Tony L.↗