SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “Ellipsoids”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

SourceResearch connectionFrom yearThrough year

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 757 records · Page 42

All sources NASA NTRS DOE OSTI

NASA NTRS2007

Early Proterozoic (2.0 GA) Phosphorites from Pechenga Greenstone Belt and Their Origin

The period of 2500-2000 Ma is heralded by several other hallmark events, including onset and decline of the greatest positive excursion of Beta13Ccarb (Lomagundi-Jatuli Paradox), development of a significant seawater sulphate reservoir, abundant deposition of anomalously organic matter (OM)-rich sediments, the oldest known significant petroleum deposits (Shunga Event), and the appearance of first known marine phosphorites at 2000 Ma as reported here. They occur as numerous rounded, soft-deformed, clasts in fine-pebble intra-formational conglomerates, forming two separate c. 200 m-thick turbidite fans within the 1000 m-thick OM- and sulphide-rich turbiditic greywackes of the Pilgujaervi Formation in the Pechenga Greenstrone Belt, NW Russia. Carbonate-fluorapatite is the main mineral in the phosphorite clasts. OM, framboidal and micronodular pyrite as well as inclusions of quartz and chlorite are additional components. Many clasts show microlayering with a variable degree of soft-deformation, implying that they were derived from non-lithified, bedded phosphorites. Numerous samples revealed diverse microbial microstructures interpreted as cyanobacterial mats consisting of filamentous (1-3 micrometer in diameter, 20 micrometers in length), coccoidal (0.8-1.0 micrometers) and ellipsoidal or rod-shaped microfossils (0.8 micrometers in diameter, around 2 micrometers in length) which morphologically resemble modern Microcoleus and Syphonophycus, Thiocapsa, and Rhabdoderma, respectively, reported from alkaline or saline environments. No principle differences have been found between microfossils described from Cambrian and Phanerozoic and the 2000 Ma phosphorites. The sequence of the early Palaeoproterozoic events which point to a significant oxidation of the hydrosphere, now including formation of phosphorites and change in the phosphorous cycle, mimics the sequence which was repeated once again at the Neoproterozoic-Cambrian transition, implying that oxidation of the terrestrial atmosphere-hydrosphere system experienced an irregular cyclic development.

Rozanov, A. Yu.↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

MISR radiometric camera-by-camera Cloud Mask (MIRCCM_V1)

The MISR instrument consists of nine pushbroom cameras which measure radiance in four spectral bands. Global coverage is achieved in nine days. The cameras are arranged with one camera pointing toward the nadir, four cameras pointing forward and four cameras pointing aftward. It takes 7 minutes for all nine cameras to view the same surface location. The view angles relative to the surface reference ellipsoid, are 0, 26.1, 45.6, 60.0, and 70.5 degrees. The spectral band shapes are nominally gaussian, centered at 443, 555, 670, and 865 nm. The RCCM is derived from the radiance values, and is calculated independently for each camera. Therefore, the amount of apparent cloudiness will vary with view angle, with the oblique view angles generally being more cloudy than the near-nadir ones. Since the RCCM is calculated primarily from the radiance values, it does not work well over snow and ice and will usually confuse clear snow/ice with cloud. It works the best over clear-sky ocean, but other surface types are also of quite good quality. The RCCM product also contains a glint mask for each camera, and this mask is set to true whenever the scattering angles indicate that glint could be possible. This glint mask is not masked out over land; users must do this step themselves. [Location=GLOBAL] [Temporal_Coverage: Start_Date=2000-02-24; Stop_Date=] [Spatial_Coverage: Southernmost_Latitude=-90; Northernmost_Latitude=90; Westernmost_Longitude=-180; Easternmost_Longitude=180].

SUN GLINT↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

MISR Browse data (MISBR_V3)

A MISR Browse Tool is available to allow easy access to ellipsoid-derived, true-color images for each camera reduced to 2.2 km resolution. The MISR red, green and blue bands are used to create the true-color image in JPEG format. The image is intentionally clipped and gamma-stretched to make cloud, ocean and land features visible. The user may find the Browse Tool helpful before ordering data. The tool's purpose is to search and view images in the on-line user interface. However, the browse product can be ordered separately. The Browse Tool page has Orbit-to-Date and Lat/Lon-to-Path/Block conversion tools to help identify particular MISR geographic locations and data files. [Location=GLOBAL] [Temporal_Coverage: Start_Date=2000-02-24; Stop_Date=] [Spatial_Coverage: Southernmost_Latitude=-90; Northernmost_Latitude=90; Westernmost_Longitude=-180; Easternmost_Longitude=180] [Data_Resolution: Latitude_Resolution=2.2 km; Longitude_Resolution=2.2 km; Horizontal_Resolution_Range=1 km - < 10 km or approximately .01 degree - < .09 degree; Temporal_Resolution=about 15 orbits/day; Temporal_Resolution_Range=Daily - < Weekly].

EOSDIS↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

MISR Browse data (MISBR_V4)

IMAGE↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

MISR radiometric camera-by-camera Cloud Mask (MIRCCM_V3)

CLOUD MASK↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

MISR Browse data (MISBR_V5)

A MISR Browse Tool is available to allow easy access to ellipsoid-derived, true-color images for each camera reduced to 2.2 km resolution. The MISR red, green and blue bands are used to create the true-color image in JPEG format. The image is intentionally clipped and gamma-stretched to make cloud, ocean and land features visible. The user may find the Browse Tool helpful before ordering data. The tool's purpose is to search and view images in the on-line user interface. However, the browse product can be ordered separately. The Browse Tool page has Orbit-to-Date and Lat/Lon-to-Path/Block conversion tools to help identify particular MISR geographic locations and data files. [Temporal_Coverage: Start_Date=2000-02-24; Stop_Date=] [Spatial_Coverage: Southernmost_Latitude=-90; Northernmost_Latitude=90; Westernmost_Longitude=-180; Easternmost_Longitude=180] [Data_Resolution: Latitude_Resolution=2.2 km; Longitude_Resolution=2.2 km; Horizontal_Resolution_Range=1 km - < 10 km or approximately .01 degree - < .09 degree; Temporal_Resolution=about 15 orbits/day; Temporal_Resolution_Range=Daily - < Weekly].

EOSDIS↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

MISR radiometric camera-by-camera Cloud Mask (MIRCCM_V4)

The MISR instrument consists of nine pushbroom cameras which measure radiance in four spectral bands. Global coverage is achieved in nine days. The cameras are arranged with one camera pointing toward the nadir, four cameras pointing forward and four cameras pointing aftward. It takes 7 minutes for all nine cameras to view the same surface location. The view angles relative to the surface reference ellipsoid, are 0, 26.1, 45.6, 60.0, and 70.5 degrees. The spectral band shapes are nominally gaussian, centered at 443, 555, 670, and 865 nm. The RCCM is derived from the radiance values, and is calculated independently for each camera. Therefore, the amount of apparent cloudiness will vary with view angle, with the oblique view angles generally being more cloudy than the near-nadir ones. Since the RCCM is calculated primarily from the radiance values, it does not work well over snow and ice and will usually confuse clear snow/ice with cloud. It works the best over clear-sky ocean, but other surface types are also of quite good quality. The RCCM product also contains a glint mask for each camera, and this mask is set to true whenever the scattering angles indicate that glint could be possible. This glint mask is not masked out over land; users must do this step themselves. [Temporal_Coverage: Start_Date=2000-02-24; Stop_Date=] [Spatial_Coverage: Southernmost_Latitude=-90; Northernmost_Latitude=90; Westernmost_Longitude=-180; Easternmost_Longitude=180].

SUN GLINT↗

NASA NTRS1989

Aerobraking orbital transfer vehicle

An aerobraking orbital transfer vehicle which includes an aerobraking device which also serves as a heat shield in the shape of a raked-off elliptic or circular cone with a circular or elliptical base, and with an ellipsoid or other blunt shape nose. The aerobraking device is fitted with a toroid-like skirt and is integral with the support structure of the propulsion system and other systems of the space vehicle. The vehicle is intended to be transported in components to a space station in lower earth orbit where it is assembled for use as a transportation system from low earth orbit to geosynchronous earth orbit and return. Conventional guidance means are included for autonomous flight.

Scott, Carl D.↗

NASA NTRS2008

Synthetic Vision for Lunar and Planetary Landing Vehicles

The Crew Vehicle Interface (CVI) group of the Integrated Intelligent Flight Deck Technologies (IIFDT) has done extensive research in the area of Synthetic Vision (SV), and has shown that SV technology can substantially enhance flight crew situation awareness, reduce pilot workload, promote flight path control precision and improve aviation safety. SV technology is being extended to evaluate its utility for lunar and planetary exploration vehicles. SV may hold significant potential for many lunar and planetary missions since the SV presentation provides a computer-generated view of the terrain and other significant environment characteristics independent of the outside visibility conditions, window locations, or vehicle attributes. SV allows unconstrained control of the computer-generated scene lighting, terrain coloring, and virtual camera angles which may provide invaluable visual cues to pilots/astronauts and in addition, important vehicle state information may be conformally displayed on the view such as forward and down velocities, altitude, and fuel remaining to enhance trajectory control and vehicle system status. This paper discusses preliminary SV concepts for tactical and strategic displays for a lunar landing vehicle. The technical challenges and potential solutions to SV applications for the lunar landing mission are explored, including the requirements for high resolution terrain lunar maps and an accurate position and orientation of the vehicle that is essential in providing lunar Synthetic Vision System (SVS) cockpit displays. The paper also discusses the technical challenge of creating an accurate synthetic terrain portrayal using an ellipsoid lunar digital elevation model which eliminates projection errors and can be efficiently rendered in real-time.

Williams, Steven P.↗

NASA NTRS2004

Stardust Encounters Comet 81P/Wild 2

Stardust successfully encountered comet 81P/Wild 2 on 2 January 2004 at a distance of 236.4 +/- 1 km. All encounter investigations acquired valuable new and surprising findings. The time-of-flight spectrometer registered 29 spectra during flyby and measured the first negative ion mass spectra of cometary particles. The dust detectors recorded particles over a broad mass range, 10(exp -11) to 10(exp -4) g. Unexpectedly, the dust distribution along Stardust's flight path was far from uniform, but instead occurred in short 'bursts', suggesting in-flight breakup of fragments ejected from the nucleus. High-resolution, stunning images of the Wild 2 surface show a diverse and complex variety of landforms not seen from comets 1P/Halley and 19P/Borrelly or icy satellites of the outer solar system. Longer-exposure images reveal large numbers of jets projected nearly around the entire perimeter of the nucleus, many of which appear to be highly collimated. A triaxial ellipsoidal fit of the Wild 2 nucleus images yields the principal nucleus radii of 1.65 X 2.00 X2.75 km (+/- 0.05 km). The orientations and source locations on the nucleus surface of 20 highly collimated and partially overlapping jets have been traced. There is every indication that the expected samples were successfully collected from the Wild 2 coma and are poised for a return to Earth on 15 January 2006.

Stardust mission↗

NASA NTRS2008

Storm Surge Measurement with an Airborne Scanning Radar Altimeter

Over the years, hurricane track and intensity forecasts and storm surge models and the digital terrain and bathymetry data they depend on have improved significantly. Strides have also been made in knowledge of the detailed variation of the surface wind field driving the surge. The area of least improvement has been in obtaining data on the details of the temporal/spatial variation of the storm surge dome of water as it evolves and inundates the land to evaluate the performance of the numerical models. Tide gages in the vicinity of the landfall are frequently destroyed by the surge. Survey crews dispatched after the event provide no temporal information and only indirect indications of the maximum surge envelope over land. The landfall of Hurricane Bonnie on 26 August 1998, with a surge less than 2 m, provided an excellent opportunity to demonstrate the potential benefits of direct airborne measurement of the temporal/spatial evolution of storm surge. Despite a 160 m variation in aircraft altitude, an 11.5 m variation in the elevation of the mean sea surface relative to the ellipsoid over the flight track, and the tidal variation over the 5 hour data acquisition interval, a survey-quality Global Positioning System (GPS) aircraft trajectory allowed the NASA Scanning Radar Altimeter carried by a NOAA hurricane research aircraft to produce storm surge measurements that generally fell between the predictions of the NOAA SLOSH model and the North Carolina State University storm surge model.

Wright, C. W.↗

NASA NTRS2008

Microstructural Evaluation and Comparison of Solder Samples Processed Aboard the International Space Station

Samples from the In-Space Soldering Investigation (ISSI), conducted aboard the International Space Station (ISS), are being examined for post-solidification microstructural development and porosity distribution. In this preliminary study, the internal structures of two ISSI processed samples are compared. In one case 10cm of rosin-core solder was wrapped around a coupon wire and melted by conduction, whereas, in the other a comparable length of solder was melted directly onto the hot wire; in both cases the molten solder formed ellipsoidal blobs, a shape that was maintained during subsequent solidification. In the former case, there is clear evidence of porosity throughout the sample, and an accumulation of larger pores near the hot end that implies thermocapillary induced migration and eventual coalescence of the flux vapor bubbles. In the second context, when solder was fed onto the wire. a part of the flux constituting the solder core is introduced into and remains within the liquid solder ball, becoming entombed upon solidification. In both cases the consequential porosity, particularly at a solder/contact interface, is very undesirable. In addition to compromising the desired electrical and thermal conductivity, it promotes mechanical failure.

Grugel, R. N.↗

NASA NTRS2010

A Geometric Approach to Modeling Microstructurally Small Fatigue Crack Formation: Simulation and Prediction of Crack Nucleation in AA 7075-T651 - 2

The objective of this paper is to develop further a framework for computationally modeling microstructurally small fatigue crack growth in AA 7075-T651 [1]. The focus is on the nucleation event, when a crack extends from within a second-phase particle into a surrounding grain, since this has been observed to be an initiating mechanism for fatigue crack growth in this alloy. It is hypothesized that nucleation can be predicted by computing a non-local nucleation metric near the crack front. The hypothesis is tested by employing a combination of experimentation and nite element modeling in which various slip-based and energy-based nucleation metrics are tested for validity, where each metric is derived from a continuum crystal plasticity formulation. To investigate each metric, a non-local procedure is developed for the calculation of nucleation metrics in the neighborhood of a crack front. Initially, an idealized baseline model consisting of a single grain containing a semi-ellipsoidal surface particle is studied to investigate the dependence of each nucleation metric on lattice orientation, number of load cycles, and non-local regularization method. This is followed by a comparison of experimental observations and computational results for microstructural models constructed by replicating the observed microstructural geometry near second-phase particles in fatigue specimens. It is found that orientation strongly influences the direction of slip localization and, as a result, in uences the nucleation mechanism. Also, the baseline models, replication models, and past experimental observation consistently suggest that a set of particular grain orientations is most likely to nucleate fatigue cracks. It is found that a continuum crystal plasticity model and a non-local nucleation metric can be used to predict the nucleation event in AA 7075-T651. However, nucleation metric threshold values that correspond to various nucleation governing mechanisms must be calibrated.

Hochhalter, Jake D.↗

NASA NTRS2010

A Review of Discrete Element Method (DEM) Particle Shapes and Size Distributions for Lunar Soil

As part of ongoing efforts to develop models of lunar soil mechanics, this report reviews two topics that are important to discrete element method (DEM) modeling the behavior of soils (such as lunar soils): (1) methods of modeling particle shapes and (2) analytical representations of particle size distribution. The choice of particle shape complexity is driven primarily by opposing tradeoffs with total number of particles, computer memory, and total simulation computer processing time. The choice is also dependent on available DEM software capabilities. For example, PFC2D/PFC3D and EDEM support clustering of spheres; MIMES incorporates superquadric particle shapes; and BLOKS3D provides polyhedra shapes. Most commercial and custom DEM software supports some type of complex particle shape beyond the standard sphere. Convex polyhedra, clusters of spheres and single parametric particle shapes such as the ellipsoid, polyellipsoid, and superquadric, are all motivated by the desire to introduce asymmetry into the particle shape, as well as edges and corners, in order to better simulate actual granular particle shapes and behavior. An empirical particle size distribution (PSD) formula is shown to fit desert sand data from Bagnold. Particle size data of JSC-1a obtained from a fine particle analyzer at the NASA Kennedy Space Center is also fitted to a similar empirical PSD function.

Lane, John E.↗

NASA NTRS2011

Using Dark Matter Haloes to Learn about Cosmic Acceleration: A New Proposal for a Universal Mass Function

Structure formation provides a strong test of any cosmic acceleration model because a successful dark energy model must not inhibit or overpredict the development of observed large-scale structures. Traditional approaches to studies of structure formation in the presence of dark energy or a modified gravity implement a modified Press-Schechter formalism, which relates the linear overdensities to the abundance of dark matter haloes at the same time. We critically examine the universality of the Press-Schechter formalism for different cosmologies, and show that the halo abundance is best correlated with spherical linear overdensity at 94% of collapse (or observation) time. We then extend this argument to ellipsoidal collapse (which decreases the fractional time of best correlation for small haloes), and show that our results agree with deviations from modified Press-Schechter formalism seen in simulated mass functions. This provides a novel universal prescription to measure linear density evolution, based on current and future observations of cluster (or dark matter) halo mass function. In particular, even observations of cluster abundance in a single epoch will constrain the entire history of linear growth of cosmological of perturbations.

Prescod-Weinstein, Chanda↗

NASA NTRS2011

Coaxial charged particle energy analyzer

A non-dispersive electrostatic energy analyzer for electrons and other charged particles having a generally coaxial structure of a sequentially arranged sections of an electrostatic lens to focus the beam through an iris and preferably including an ellipsoidally shaped input grid for collimating a wide acceptance beam from a charged-particle source, an electrostatic high-pass filter including a planar exit grid, and an electrostatic low-pass filter. The low-pass filter is configured to reflect low-energy particles back towards a charged particle detector located within the low-pass filter. Each section comprises multiple tubular or conical electrodes arranged about the central axis. The voltages on the lens are scanned to place a selected energy band of the accepted beam at a selected energy at the iris. Voltages on the high-pass and low-pass filters remain substantially fixed during the scan.

Kelly, Michael A.↗

NASA NTRS2011

Uncertainty Analysis via Failure Domain Characterization: Polynomial Requirement Functions

This paper proposes an uncertainty analysis framework based on the characterization of the uncertain parameter space. This characterization enables the identification of worst-case uncertainty combinations and the approximation of the failure and safe domains with a high level of accuracy. Because these approximations are comprised of subsets of readily computable probability, they enable the calculation of arbitrarily tight upper and lower bounds to the failure probability. A Bernstein expansion approach is used to size hyper-rectangular subsets while a sum of squares programming approach is used to size quasi-ellipsoidal subsets. These methods are applicable to requirement functions whose functional dependency on the uncertainty is a known polynomial. Some of the most prominent features of the methodology are the substantial desensitization of the calculations from the uncertainty model assumed (i.e., the probability distribution describing the uncertainty) as well as the accommodation for changes in such a model with a practically insignificant amount of computational effort.

Crespo, Luis G.↗

NASA NTRS2004

Phytoplankton-Fluorescence-Lifetime Vertical Profiler

A battery-operated optoelectronic instrument is designed to be lowered into the ocean to measure the intensity and lifetime of fluorescence of chlorophyll A in marine phytoplankton as a function of depth from 0 to 300 m. Fluorescence lifetimes are especially useful as robust measures of photosynthetic productivity of phytoplankton and of physical and chemical mechanisms that affect photosynthesis. The knowledge of photosynthesis in phytoplankton gained by use of this and related instruments is expected to contribute to understanding of global processes that control the time-varying fluxes of carbon and associated biogenic elements in the ocean. The concentration of chlorophyll in the ocean presents a major detection challenge because in order to obtain accurate values of photosynthetic parameters, the intensity of light used to excite fluorescence must be kept very low so as not to disturb the photosynthetic system. Several innovations in fluorometric instrumentation were made in order to make it possible to reach the required low detection limit. These innovations include a highly efficient optical assembly with an integrated flow-through sample interface, and a high-gain, low-noise electronic detection subsystem. The instrument also incorporates means for self-calibration during operation, and electronic hardware and software for control, acquisition and analysis of data, and communications. The electronic circuitry is highly miniaturized and designed to minimize power demand. The instrument is housed in a package that can withstand the water pressure at the maximum depth of 300 m. A light-emitting diode excites fluorescence in the sample flow cell, which is placed at one focal point of an ellipsoidal reflector. A photomultiplier tube is placed at the other focal point. This optical arrangement enables highly efficient collection of fluorescence emitted over all polar directions. Fluorescence lifetime is measured indirectly, by use of a technique based on the same principle as the one described in "Fluorometer for Analysis of Photosynthesis in Phytoplankton" (SSC-00110), NASA Tech Briefs, Vol. 24, No. 1 (November 2000), page 79. The excitation is modulated at a frequency of 70 MHz, and the phase shift between the excitation light and the emitted fluorescence is measured by a detection method in which the 70 MHz signal is down-converted to a 400 Hz signal. The fluorescence lifetime can be computed from the known relationship among the fluorescence lifetime, phase shift, and modulation frequency

Fernandez, Salvador M.↗