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Improving the Performance of the OMPS Limb Profiling Instrument in Monitoring Aerosols in the Post-Pinatubo Stratosphere

The OMPS Limb Profiling (LP) instrument was launched on NOAA's Suomi NPP (SNPP) weather satellite in October 2011. The instrument measures limb-scattered radiation in the ultraviolet, visible and NIR wavelengths with high vertical resolution (~2 km) and relatively dense spatial and temporal sampling (several thousand measurements/day covering the entire sunlit globe). These measurements have very high sensitivity to stratospheric aerosols due to long path of the incoming solar photons through the aerosol layer. However, unlike the recently launched ISS/SAGE III that directly measures extinction of solar/lunar radiation by gases and particles along the line of sight (LOS) of the instrument, information content of OMPS LP measurements is complex. It consists of solar radiation singly scattered and attenuated by aerosols, air, and trace gases along the LOS of the instrument, as well as diffuse upwelling radiation from the lower atmosphere that also gets scattered and attenuated into the LOS. To unscramble this complex signal one needs to have good knowledge of aerosol size distribution (ASD) and their complex refractive index. We will describe our recent efforts in constraining the ASD parameters by analyzing in-situ balloon data from Laramie, Wyoming; aerosol microphysical model data from CARMA; and spectral information provided by OMPS LP. We will also discuss our proposed methodology to refine this information by adjusting the microphysical properties of the aerosols to make data from various occultation and scattering instruments internally consistent. This is a generalized version of the technique employed by AERONET in which solar extinction data are combined with scattered radiation measured by the almucantar technique to determine aerosol particle shape, complex refractive index and size distribution. We suggest that such closure studies are essential to develop confidence in space-based data to validate aerosol microphysical models, such as CARMA, and aerosol chemistry- transport models, such as GOCART, and for estimating radiative forcing due to stratospheric aerosols in both volcanic and quiescent time periods.

Bhartia, P. K.↗

Detrital Shocked Zircon Provides First Radiometric Age Constraint of <1472 Ma for the Santa Fe Impact Structure, New Mexico, USA

Impact structures are prone to erosion, burial and tectonic deformation. The Santa Fe impact structure in New Mexico contains shatter cones and shocked quartz, but is highly tectonized and eroded; estimates of the impact age (1200-300 Ma) and size (6-13 km) are poorly constrained. Here we report the first occurrence of shock-twinned zircon identified both in modern sediments and bedrock at the Santa Fe impact structure. Zircon {112} twin lamellae are considered diagnostic evidence of shock deformation and have been identified at several impact structures including Vredefort, Sudbury, Ries, Rock Elm, and in lunar impact breccia. A total of 6619 grains from fifteen sediment samples and two rock samples were surveyed; seven shocked grains were identified (7/6619 = 0.1%). One shocked zircon was identified in a biotite schist shatter cone. Five of seven shocked zircon grains were EBSD mapped; three were analyzed with multiple SIMS spots. EBSD mapping revealed {112} deformation twin lamellae in each of the five zircon grains. U-Pb geochronology for three of the shocked zircon grains yield crystallization ages from 1715+/-22 to 1472+/-35 Ma. LA-ICPMS U-Th-Pb analysis of detrital zircon grains from five samples yielded Paleoproterozoic (1800-1600 Ma) and Mesoproterozoic (1500-1300 Ma) ages. We reveal the first confirmed shocked zircon at the Santa Fe structure. Zircon is the third shocked mineral identified at this site, in addition to xenotime and quartz]; the {112} twin lamellae indicate that exposed bedrock may have experienced shock pressures up to ~20 GPa. The 1472+/-35 Ma age determined from a shock-twinned zircon is the first reliable maximum impact age constraint based on analysis of shocked material and extends the window for the Santa Fe impact event into the Mesoproterozoic.

Montalvo, Pedro E.↗

Cryogenic Selective Surfaces

There are many challenges involved in deep-space exploration, but several of these can be mitigated, or even solved, by the development of a coating that reflects most of the Sun’s energy, yet still provides far-infrared heat emission. Such a coating would allow non-heat-generating objects in space to reach cryogenic temperatures without using an active cooling system. This would benefit deep-space sensors that require low temperatures, such as the James Webb Telescope focal plane array. It would also allow the use of superconductors in deep space, which could lead to magnetic energy storage rings, lossless power delivery, or perhaps a large-volume magnetic shield against galactic cosmic radiation. However, perhaps the most significant enablement achieved from such a coating would be the long-term, deep space storage of cryogenic liquids, such as liquid oxygen (LOX). In our Phase I NIAC study, we realized that a combination of scattering particles and a silver backing could yield a highly effective, very broadband, reflector that could potentially reflect more than 99.9% of the Sun’s irradiant power. We developed a sophisticated model of this reflector and theoretically showed that cryogenic temperatures could be achieved in deep space at one astronomical unit (1 AU) from the Sun. We showed how this new reflector could minimize heat conduction into the cryogenic tanks by coating the tank support struts. We then modelled a strawman architecture for a mission to Mars, using a coated LOX tank, coated struts, and infrared shields, to show that with our new coating it would be possible to maintain liquid oxygen passively. As a result of this work a patent application was generated and a paper published in Optics Letters. Our Phase II NIAC study had two primary goals, to develop a rigid version of the cryogenic selective surface proposed in Phase I and to test its performance in a simulated deep space environment. During the first year of the project the work concentrated on developing rigid tiles of BaF2, leading to tiles as large as 4 inches in diameter that transmitted very little visible light. In addition, during the first year a simulated deep space environment was created using a vacuum chamber and cryocooler. Using this facility, we showed that our BaF2 tiles absorbed less than ¼% of 375 nm radiation, a significant milestone for the work. During the second year of the project, we continued to develop the BaF2 tiles and we put significant effort into the construction of a deep space environment where we could project simulated solar radiation onto a sample. In the spring of 2018, we conducted our first solar simulator test with BaF2 and saw about 3.6% absorption. This is better than the state-of-the-art, but disappointing since predictions were for much lower absorption. We, erroneously, attributed this absorption to water retention by the BaF2, and decided to change materials. We considered several oxides and settled on yttrium oxide (Y2O3) for further development, because it is broadband, lightweight, has high index, and is hydrophobic. In July 2018 we conducted our first test of a rigid tile of Y2O3 in the simulated deep space environment and saw significant absorption again. We then realized that the issue was not water, but mid-wave radiation passing through the tile and being absorbed by the temperature sensor and the varnish used to hold it in place. We wrapped the sensor in silver foil, re-ran the test, and saw much lower absorption; only 1.1%. We then re-ran the BaF2 tile and saw 1.4% absorption. These values are almost adequate to maintain LOX in deep space, but we suspect that there are still issues in our test apparatus; we suspect thermocouple wires may be absorbing radiation. Further, post-NIAC, testing will better determine the performance of our new solar reflector. In order to restrict the size of this report, we will only briefly describe topics that we have previously published, allowing us to devote more time to new material. So minimal material will be devoted to modeling the material and deep space cryogenic storage, while longer sections will cover our material development, simulated deep space testing, and new applications. The Launch Service Program (LSP) requested that we explore ways to use this new coating to maintain LOX in low Earth Orbit and that work is described. In addition, the Nuclear Thermal Propulsion (NTP) Program asked us to explore ways to reduce the heat load for liquid hydrogen, resulting in the development of a spray-on version of the coating that should significantly improve in-space multi-layer insulation performance.

Robert C. Youngquist,↗

Exploring the Relationship Between Science Funding and Science Productivity on Extended Missions

Introduction: The goal of this summer internship research project was to explore the relationship between the level of funding for science team research and science productivity for planetary spaceflight missions. The productivity and funding for the prime and extended missions were compared when possible. Determining the actual rather than anecdotal relationship between the level of science team funding and their productivity will help determine the adequacy of science team funding. Additionally, determining whether productivity increases or decreases over time (within missions, or within the years between different missions) provides insights into ongoing trends. This project was conducted using data from 11 extended missions within the Planetary Science Division. The main goals of this project were to 1) quantify the level of productivity of the science team during the extended portion of each mission, 2) compare the level of productivity between different types of missions, and 3) compare the level of productivity between the prime missions and extended missions. Methodology: The central metric enters around the “publication rate” of each mission. This rate is normalized in a variety of ways, including the number of publications per year, per Co-I, and per instruments. For the most part, this data was attainable through mission websites, team rosters, and data collected from previous projects. The publication data for this project utilized the SAO/NASA Astrophysics Data System, and it consisted of a search for any papers from the extended mission that had a co-investigator as an author. The time period for these searches also included an additional two years after the end of the extended mission to account for additional time it typically takes to finish data analysis and publish papers. Data from prime missions was collected from a previous project that measured similar metrics for the same missions. When comparing the different types of missions, three factors were used: mission size, dates of the prime and extended missions, and the type of the mission (rover, flyby, orbiter, or lander). To determine mission size, missions were compared by the number of Co-I’s on the mission, the number of instruments in the payload, and the mission class. Findings: On average, prime mission publication rates were generally higher than those of extended missions. Out of the nine missions used for this comparison, six had a higher prime mission publication rate and three had a higher extended mission publication rate. This distinction was interesting to observe, but it should be noted that the methodology for determing the number of published papers differed for the prime missions and the extended missions Discovery missions were found to be the most scientifically productive. Additionally, more recent extended missions tend to possess greater productivity. When comparing missions of different types, it was found that orbiters were much more productive than other types of missions. Future Work: There are a number of opportunities to extend and improve on this project in the future. Even though the metrics used were the same, the prime mission data could be recollected from the same sources as the extended mission data (Astrophysics Data System) to insure greater consistency. The impact level of the publications could also be accounted for, and financial data could be used to compare teams with different levels of funding. Additionally, more missions could be examined to increase the sample size of these comparisons, especially the comparison of different mission types which had an incredibly small sample size for some categories.

Cameron Maxwell Thompson↗

Enabling the Direct Detection of Earth-Sized Exoplanets with the LBTI HOSTS Project: A Progress Report

NASA has funded a project called the Hunt for Observable Signatures of Terrestrial Systems (HOSTS) to survey nearby solar type stars to determine the amount of warm zodiacal dust in their habitable zones. The goal is not only to determine the luminosity distribution function but also to know which individual stars have the least amount of zodiacal dust. It is important to have this information for future missions that directly image exoplanets as this dust is the main source of astrophysical noise for them. The HOSTS project utilizes the Large Binocular Telescope Interferometer (LBTI), which consists of two 8.4-m apertures separated by a 14.4-m baseline on Mt. Graham, Arizona. The LBTI operates in a nulling mode in the mid-infrared spectral window (8-13 micrometers), in which light from the two telescopes is coherently combined with a 180 degree phase shift between them, producing a dark fringe at the location of the target star. In doing so the starlight is greatly reduced, increasing the contrast, analogous to a coronagraph operating at shorter wavelengths. The LBTI is a unique instrument, having only three warm reflections before the starlight reaches cold mirrors, giving it the best photometric sensitivity of any interferometer operating in the mid-infrared. It also has a superb Adaptive Optics (AO) system giving it Strehl ratios greater than 98% at 10 micrometers. In 2014 into early 2015 LBTI was undergoing commissioning. The HOSTS. project team passed its Operational Readiness Review (ORR) in April 2015. The team recently published papers on the target sample, modeling of the nulled disk images, and initial results such as the detection of warm dust around eta Corvi. Recently a paper was published on the data pipeline and on-sky performance. An additional paper is in preparation on Beta Leo. We will discuss the scientific and programmatic context for the LBTI project, and we will report recent progress, new results, and plans for the science verification phase that started in February 2016, and for the survey.

Hunt for Observable Signatures of Terrestrial Syst↗

Deep-Sea Hydrothermal-Vent Sampler

An apparatus is being developed for sampling water for signs of microbial life in an ocean hydrothermal vent at a depth of as much as 6.5 km. Heretofore, evidence of microbial life in deep-sea hydrothermal vents has been elusive and difficult to validate. Because of the extreme conditions in these environments (high pressures and temperatures often in excess of 300 C), deep-sea hydrothermal- vent samplers must be robust. Because of the presumed low density of biomass of these environments, samplers must be capable of collecting water samples of significant volume. It is also essential to prevent contamination of samples by microbes entrained from surrounding waters. Prior to the development of the present apparatus, no sampling device was capable of satisfying these requirements. The apparatus (see figure) includes an intake equipped with a temperature probe, plus several other temperature probes located away from the intake. The readings from the temperature probes are utilized in conjunction with readings from flowmeters to determine the position of the intake relative to the hydrothermal plume and, thereby, to position the intake to sample directly from the plume. Because it is necessary to collect large samples of water in order to obtain sufficient microbial biomass but it is not practical to retain all the water from the samples, four filter arrays are used to concentrate the microbial biomass (which is assumed to consist of particles larger than 0.2 m) into smaller volumes. The apparatus can collect multiple samples per dive and is designed to process a total volume of 10 L of vent fluid, of which most passes through the filters, leaving a total possibly-microbe-containing sample volume of 200 mL remaining in filters. A rigid titanium nose at the intake is used for cooling the sample water before it enters a flexible inlet hose connected to a pump. As the water passes through the titanium nose, it must be cooled to a temperature that is above a mineral-precipitation temperature of 100 C but below the upper working temperature (230 C) of switching valves and tubes in the apparatus. The sample water then passes into a manifold tube, from whence the switching valves can direct the water through either a bypass tube or any one of the filter arrays, without contamination from a previous sample. Each filter array consists of series of filters having pore sizes decreasing in the direction of flow: 90-, 60-, 15-, and 7-micron prefilters and a large-surface-area 0.2-micron collection filter. All the filter taps are located between the intake and the bypass tube so that each time the bypass tube is used, the entire manifold tube is flushed as well.

Behar, Alberto E.↗

Searches for Periodic Neutrino Emission from Binary Systems with 22 and 40 Strings of IceCube

Recent observations of GeV /TeV photon emission from several X-ray binaries have sparked a renewed interest in these objects as galactic particle accelerators. In spite of the available multi-wavelength data, their acceleration mechanisms are not determined, and the nature of the accelerated particles (hadrons or leptons) is unknown. While much evidence favors leptonic emission, it is very likely that a hadronic component is also accelerated in the jets of these binary systems. The observation of neutrino emission would be clear evidence for the presence of a hadronic component in the outflow of these sources. In this paper we look for periodic neutrino emission from binary systems. Such modulation, observed in the photon flux, would be caused by the geometry of these systems. The results of two searches are presented that differ in the treatment of the spectral shape and phase of the emission. The 'generic' search allows parameters to vary freely and best fit values, in a 'model-dependent' search, predictions are used to constrain these parameters. We use the IceCube data taken from May 31, 2007 to April 5, 2008 with its 22-string configuration, and from April 5, 2008 and May 20, 2009 with its 40-string configuration. For the generic search and the 40 string sample, we find that the most significant source in the catalog of 7 binary stars is Cygnus X-3 with a 1.8% probability after trials (2.10" sigma one-sided) of being produced by statistical fluctuations of the background. The model-dependent method tested a range of system geometries - the inclination and the massive star's disk size - for LS I+61 deg 303, no significant excess was found.

Abassi, R.↗

Lunar Dust Effects on Spacesuit Systems: Insights from the Apollo Spacesuits

Systems and components of selected Apollo A7L/A7LB flight-article spacesuits that were worn on the lunar surface have been studied to determine the degree to which they suffered contamination, abrasion and wear or loss of function due to effects from lunar soil particles. Filter materials from the lithium hydroxide (LiOH) canisters from the Apollo Command Module were also studied to determine the amount and type of any lunar dust particles they may have captured from the spacecraft atmosphere. The specific spacesuit study materials include the outermost soft fabric layers on Apollo 12 and 17 integrated thermal micrometeorite garment assemblies and outermost fabrics on Apollo 17 extravehicular pressure gloves. In addition, the degree of surface wear in the sealed wrist rotation bearing from Apollo 16 extravehicular and intravehicular pressure gloves was evaluated and compared. Scanning electron microscope examination of the Apollo 12 T-164 woven TeflonO fabric confirms the presence of lunar soil particles and the ability of these particles to cause separation and fraying of the Teflon fibers. Optical imaging, chemical analysis and particle sampling applied to the outer fabric of the Apollo 17 spacesuit has identified Ti as a potentially useful chemical marker for comparing the amount of lunar soil retained on different areas of the spacesuit outer fabric. High-yield particle sampling from the Apollo 17 fabric surfaces using adhesive tape found 80% of particles on the fabric are lunar soil particles averaging 10.5 m in diameter, with the rest being intrinsic fabric materials or environmental contaminants. Analysis of the mineralogical composition of the lunar particles found that on a grain-count basis the particle population is dominated by plagioclase feldspar and various types of glassy particles derived mostly from soil agglutinates, with a subordinate amount of pyroxene. On a grain size basis, however, the pyroxene grains are generally a factor of 2 larger than glass and plagioclase, so conversion of the data to a modal (volume %) basis results in pyroxene becoming the modally dominant particle type with glass and plagioclase significantly less abundant. When comparisons are made to the modal composition of lunar soil at the Apollo 17 landing site, the results suggest that pyroxene particles have overall better retention on the spacesuit outer fabric compared to plagioclase and especially glass. Scanning electron microscopy revealed no measureable difference in the amount of wear and abrasion in the wrist rotation bearing of an Apollo 16 pressure glove worn only in the spacecraft and one worn only for extravehicular activity on the lunar surface. The results suggest either that the bearing prevented entry of lunar dust, or that dust was not sufficiently abrasive to damage the bearing, or both.

Christoffersen, Roy↗

Development of an In-line Urine Monitoring System for the International Space Station

Exposure to microgravity during space flight causes bone loss when calcium and other metabolic by-products are excreted in urine voids. Frequent and accurate measurement of urine void volume and constituents is thus essential in determining crew bone loss and the effectiveness of the countermeasures that are taken to minimize this loss. Earlier space shuttle Urine Monitoring System (UMS) technology was unable to accurately measure urine void volumes due to the cross-contamination that took place between users, as well as to fluid system instabilities. Crew urine voids are currently collected manually in a flexible plastic bag that contains a known tracer quantity. A crew member must completely mix the contents of this bag before withdrawing a representative syringe sample for later ground analysis. The existing bag system accuracy is therefore highly dependent on mixing technique. The International Space Station (ISS) UMS has been developed as an automated device that collects urine from the Waste and Hygiene Compartment (WHC) urinal funnel interface, separates the urine, measures void volume, and allows for syringe sampling. After the ISS UMS has been used by a crew member, it delivers urine to the WHC for normal processing. The UMS plumbing is then flushed with a small volume of water. The current ISS UMS design incorporates an innovative rotary separator that minimizes foaming, consequently greatly reducing cross-contamination among urine voids (less than 0.5 mL urine) while also providing accurate volume measurements (less than 2 percent error for 100 to 1,000 mL void volumes). ISS UMS performance has been validated through extensive ground tests and reduced-gravity aircraft flights. The locker-sized ISS UMS is currently undergoing a design modification that will permit it to interface with the ISS Node 3 WHC Russian toilet (ACY) hardware. The operating principles, characteristics, and results of this design modification are outlined here.

Broyan, James Lee, Jr.↗

A Transmission Electron Microscopy Study of a Refractory Metal Grain from a Calcium-Aluminum-Rich Inclusion in the Leoville CV3 Chondrite

Introduction: Calcium-aluminum-rich inclusions (CAIs) are an important component of chondritic meteorites. They can contain materials that are thermodynamically predicted and isotopically age dated to be among the first-formed solids in our solar system [1-5]. Observed in some CAIs are micron to sub-micron sized inclusions rich in Fe, Ni, and high-Z elements such as Pt, Os, Ir and W, in the form of refractory metal nuggets (RMNs), fremdlinges, and ‘nugget like objects’ (NLOs) [1,6]. Refractory siderophile elements such as Os, Ir and Ru are thermodynamically predicted to condense at temperatures well in excess of the major CAI phases such as melilite, perovskite, spinel and hibonite [2,7-9]. These refractory metal inclusions in CAIs can therefore serve as probes into the thermodynamic landscape of the early solar protoplanetary disk. Here we report on a refractory grain identified in a CAI of the Leoville CV3 chondrite. This work is part of an ongoing effort to gain insight into the thermochemistry of the early solar system through systematic analyses of the structure and chemistry of various components in CAIs [10-13]. Sample and Analytical Techniques: A fluffy type A CAI (Fig. 1A) was identified in a section of the Leoville, CV3 chondrite (Center for Meteorite Studies, Arizona State University collection, #821_C_3) using a JOEL-JXA 8530F electron microprobe at Arizona State University. Backscattered electron (BSE) imaging and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) were used to identify refractory metal grains in the CAI using a Thermo Fisher (formerly FEI) Helios NanoLab 660 G3 focused-ion-beam scanning-electron microscope (FIBSEM) located at the Kuiper Materials Imaging and Characterization Facility (KMICF) at the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona. The FIB is equipped with an EDAX EDS system. We selected one of the larger (micron-sized) refractory metal grains, designated as ‘Spud’ (Fig. 1B) for further analysis. ‘Spud’ was extracted and thinned to electron transparency (<100 nm) using the FIB-SEM located in KMICF, following methods described by [14- 15]. The FIB section was analyzed using a 200 keV Hitachi HF5000 scanning transmission electron microscope (S/TEM) located at KMICF. The HF5000 is equipped with cold-field emission gun, 3rd-order spherical aberration corrector for STEM imaging, and an Oxford Instruments X-Max N 100 TLE energydispersive spectroscopy (EDS) system with dual 100 mm2 windowless silicon-drift detectors (Ω = 2.0 sr). Selected-area electron-diffraction (SAED) patterns were acquired to aid in determination of crystallinity and phase. Results: The mineralogy, texture, and morphology of the CAI are consistent with that of a fluffy type A (FTA) CAI [16]. BSE imaging at high magnifications revealed grains with high contrast, indicative of compositions rich in elements of higher atomic number relative to surrounding material. These high-Z grains have sizes that range from ∼250 nm to 4 µm. EDS analyses confirm that the bright grains are metal-rich inclusions. A minor fraction of the grains are composed of only Fe and Ni, but the majority (∼60%) of the identified inclusions also contained various refractory siderophiles including Os, Ru, Zr, Ir and Mo. EDS analysis on the FIB-SEM of Spud shows that it contains Fe, Ni, Mo and Ru. High-angle annular dark-field (HAAFD) imaging and EDS mapping in the TEM (Fig. 2) show that Spud occurs in melilite (Ca1.9Al1.99Si1.06O7). Spud contains a subhedral to anhedral morphology and is compositionally heterogenous (polyphasic, Fig. 2). Local spatial correlation occurs among Fe, Ni, and Pt, and also among Os, Ru, and Mo. SAED patterns show that the Fe-Ni-Pt, Fe-Os-Mo-Ru and Fe-Pt regions are crystalline. Discussion: CAIs can contain various types of inclusions rich in Fe, Ni and refractory siderophiles such as Os, Ru, W and Pt [1]. RMNs are micron-sized, single phase alloy grains and can contain Os, Ir, Ru and Rh [1,7,17]. NLOs are also micron-sized inclusions, but contain two phases, a refractory metal, and an oxide [6]. Fremdlinge are the largest of such inclusions (tens of microns in size) and are complex aggregates of Fe-Ni alloy, silicates, oxides, and sulfides [1,17]. While the size of Spud matches previous descriptions of RMNs and NLOs, Spud is neither a single-phase alloy like RMNs, nor does it contain one metal phase and one oxide like NLOs. Spud does not match the above described categories of refractory metal inclusions. The presence of refractory siderophiles such as Mo, Os, Ru, and Pt suggests a high-temperature origin. Thermodynamic modelling by [7] indicates condensation temperatures of 1917 K, 1693 K, 1613 K and 1415 K for Os, Mo, Ru and Pt respectively. These models also show that following the initial condensation of a refractory metal, alloying of solutes such as Fe, Ni and W, occurs in levels proportional to their partial pressures in the surrounding gas. Such alloying occurs at temperatures above the condensation temperatures of common CAI phases such as melilite (1529 K), perovskite (1441 K), spinel (197 K) and forsterite (1354 K) [2]. The polyphasic nature of Spud could be the result of such high-temperature alloying, possibly shortly after the condensation of Mo and Ru at 1693 K and 1613 K respectively. That Spud occurs as an inclusion is consistent with it having formed prior to and at temperature above that of its host melilite in this FTA CAI, which is qualitatively consistent with such prior thermodynamic modeling. Further, the polyphasic nature of Spud is similar to refractory grains from a FTA CAI in the Northwest Africa (NWA) 8323, CV3 chondrite [11-13]. These data suggest that such refractory metal grains could have been widespread in the inner and early solar protoplanetary disk and represent some of the earliest formed solids to have condensed. Acknowledgments: Research and instrumentation supported by NASA grants #NNX12AL47G, #NNX15AJ22G and #80NSSC19K0509, and NSF grants #1531243 and #0619599. Fig 2. STEM data on ‘Spud’. HAADF Image (Top) False-color EDS Maps (Bottom) References: [1] MacPherson G. J. (2014) T. of Geochem. Vol I: Met. And Cosmochem. Processes, 139-179. [2] Lodders K. (2003) ApJ, 591, 1220-1247. [3] Ebel D. S. (2006) Met. & the Early S. Sys. II., 253- 277. [4] Amelin Y. (2002) Science, 297, 1678-1683. [5] Connelly J.N. et.al. (2012) Science, 338, 651-655. [6] Schwander D. et al. (2015) GCA, 18, 70-87. [7] Palme H. and Wlotzka F. (1976) EPSL, 33, 45-60. [8] Berg T. et al. (2009) ApJ, 702, 172-176. [9] Liffman K. et al. (2021) Icarus, 221, 89-105. [10] Zega T.J. et al. (2021) PSJ, 2, 115. [11] Ramprasad T. et al. (2020) LPSC LI, Abstract #2472. [12] Ramprasad T. et al. (2021) Microscopy & Microanalysis, S1, 2792-2794. [13] Ramprasad T. et al. (2021) 84th MetSoc, Abstract #6123. [14] Zega T.J. et al. (2007) MAPS, 42, 1373-1386. [15] Ramprasad T. et al. (2022) MAPS, in revision. [16] Grossman L. (1975), GCA, 39, 433-454. [17] El Goresy A. et al. (1978) LPSC IX, Abstract#1100

T. Ramprasad↗

Typical and Unusual Properties of Magnetic Clouds during the WIND Era

A list of 33 magnetic clouds as identified in WIND magnetic field and plasma data has been compiled. The intervals for these events are provided as part of NASA/GSFC, WIND-MFI's Website under the URL http://lepmfi.qsfc.nasa.gov/mfi/mag_cloud publ.html#table The period covered in this study is from early 1995 to November 1998 which primarily occurs in the quiet part of the solar cycle. A force free, cylindrically symmetric, magnetic field model has been applied to the field data in 1-hour averaged form for all of these events (except one small event where 10 min avg's were used) and the resulting fit-parameters examined. Each event was provided a semi-quantitatively determined quality factor (excellent, good or poor). A set of 28 good or better cases, spanning a surprisingly large range of values for its various properties, was used for further analysis. These properties are, for example, durations, attitudes, sizes, asymmetries, axial field strengths, speeds, and relative impact parameters. They will be displayed and analyzed, along with some related derived quantities, with emphasis on typical vs unusual properties and on the magnetic fields magnetic clouds' relationships to the Sun and to upstream interplanetary shocks, where possible. For example, it is remarkable how narrowly distributed the speeds of these clouds are, and the overall average speed (390 techniques km/s) is less than that normally quoted for the average solar wind speed (420 km/s) despite the fact that many of these clouds are d"drivers" of interplanetary shocks. On average, a cloud appears to be a little less symmetric when the spacecraft is able to pass close to the cloud's axis as compared to a farther out passage. The average longitude and latitude (in GSE) of the axes of the clouds are 85 degrees and 8 degrees, respectively, with standard deviations near 40 degrees. Also, the half=yearly averaged axial magnetic flux has approximately tripled. almost monotonically, from about 6 to 17 X 10(exp 29) Mx over the first 3.5 years of consideration, but with a large uncertainty on each of the half-year estimates, because of small sampling. If true,this finding implies an approximate tripling of the events' solar fluxes over this period as it goes into solar maximum.

Lepping, R. P.↗

Low cycle fatigue behavior of polycrystalline NiAl at 300 and 1000 K

The low cycle fatigue behavior of polycrystalline NiAl was determined at 300 and 1000 K - temperatures below and above the brittle- to-ductile transition temperature (BDTT). Fully reversed, plastic strain-controlled fatigue tests were conducted on two differently fabricated alloy samples: hot isostatically pressed (HIP'ed) prealloyed powder and hot extruded castings. HIP'ed powder (HP) samples were tested only at 1000 K, whereas the more ductile cast-and-extruded (C+E) NiAl samples were tested at both 1000 and 300 K. Plastic strain ranges of 0.06 to 0.2 percent were used. The C+E NiAl cyclically hardened until fracture, reaching stress levels approximately 60 percent greater than the ultimate tensile strength of the alloy. Compared on a strain basis, NiAl had a much longer fatigue life than other B2 ordered compounds in which fracture initiated at processing-related defects. These defects controlled fatigue life at 300 K, with fracture occurring rapidly once a critical stress level was reached. At 1000 K, above the BDTT, both the C+E and HP samples cyclically softened during most of the fatigue tests in air and were insensitive to processing defects. The processing method did not have a major effect on fatigue life; the lives of the HP samples were about a factor of three shorter than the C+E NiAl, but this was attributed to the lower stress response of the C+E material. The C+E NiAl underwent dynamic grain growth, whereas the HP material maintained a constant grain size during testing. In both materials, fatigue life was controlled by intergranular cavitation and creep processes, which led to fatigue crack growth that was primarily intergranular in nature. Final fracture by overload was transgranular in nature. Also, HP samples tested in vacuum had a life three times longer than their counterparts tested in air and, in contrast to those tested in air, hardened continuously over half of the sample life, thereby indicating an environmentally assisted fatigue damage mechanism. The C+E samples were tested only in air. At 1000 K, NiAl exhibited a superior fatigue life when compared to most superalloys on a plastic strain basis, but was inferior to most superalloys on a stress basis.

Lerch, Bradley A.↗

Determination of the Risk of Radiation-Associated Circulatory and Cancer Disease Mortality in a NASA Early Astronaut Cohort

Of the many possible health challenges posed during extended exploratory missions to space, the effects of space radiation on cardiovascular disease and cancer are of particular concern. There are unique challenges to estimating those radiation risks; care and appropriate and rigorous methodology should be applied when considering small cohorts such as the NASA astronaut population. The objective of this work was to determine if there was sufficient evidence for excess risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer in early NASA astronaut cohorts. NASA astronauts in selection groups 1-7 were chosen; this relatively homogeneous cohort consists of 73 white males, who unlike today's astronauts, maintained similar smoking and drinking habits to the general US population, and have published radiation doses. The participants flew in space on missions Mercury through Shuttle and received space radiation doses between 0-74.1 milligrays. Cause of death information was obtained from the Lifetime Surveillance of Astronaut Health (LSAH) program at NASA Johnson Space Center. Mortality was compared with the US male population. Trends of mortality with dose were assessed using a logistic model, fitted by maximum likelihood. Only 32 (43.84 percent) of the 73 early astronauts have died. Standard mortality ratios (SMRs) for cancer (n=7, SMR=43.4, 95 percent CI 17.8, 84.9), all circulatory disease (n=7, SMR=33.2, 95 percent CI 13.7, 65.0), and ischemic heart disease (IHD) (n=5, SMR=40.1, 95 percent CI 13.2, 89.4) were significantly lower than for the US white male population. For cerebrovascular disease, the upper confidence interval for SMR included 100, indicating it was not significantly different from the US population (n=2, SMR = 77.0, 95 percent CI 9.4, 268.2). The power of the study is low and remains below 10 percent even when risks 10 times those reported in the literature are assumed. Due to small sample size, there is currently insufficient statistical power to evaluate space radiation exposure effects on mortality in NASA astronauts. In addition to a comprehensive longitudinal study of NASA astronauts, a research strategy of low dose epidemiology data integration with cell and animal studies should be utilized for space radiation risk assessment in the astronauts.

Elgart, S. R.↗

Determination of Small Animal Long Bone Properties Using Densitometry

Assessment of bone structural property changes due to loading regimens or pharmacological treatment typically requires destructive mechanical testing and sectioning. Our group has accurately and non-destructively estimated three dimensional cross-sectional areal properties (principal moments of inertia, Imax and Imin, and principal angle, Theta) of human cadaver long bones from pixel-by-pixel analysis of three non-coplanar densitometry scans. Because the scanner beam width is on the order of typical small animal diapbyseal diameters, applying this technique to high-resolution scans of rat long bones necessitates additional processing to minimize errors induced by beam smearing, such as dependence on sample orientation and overestimation of Imax and Imin. We hypothesized that these errors are correctable by digital image processing of the raw scan data. In all cases, four scans, using only the low energy data (Hologic QDR-1000W, small animal mode), are averaged to increase image signal-to-noise ratio. Raw scans are additionally processed by interpolation, deconvolution by a filter derived from scanner beam characteristics, and masking using a variable threshold based on image dynamic range. To assess accuracy, we scanned an aluminum step phantom at 12 orientations over a range of 180 deg about the longitudinal axis, in 15 deg increments. The phantom dimensions (2.5, 3.1, 3.8 mm x 4.4 mm; Imin/Imax: 0.33-0.74) were comparable to the dimensions of a rat femur which was also scanned. Cross-sectional properties were determined at 0.25 mm increments along the length of the phantom and femur. The table shows average error (+/- SD) from theory of Imax, Imin, and Theta) over the 12 orientations, calculated from raw and fully processed phantom images, as well as standard deviations about the mean for the femur scans. Processing of phantom scans increased agreement with theory, indicating improved accuracy. Smaller standard deviations with processing indicate increased precision and repeatability. Standard deviations for the femur are consistent with those of the phantom. We conclude that in conjunction with digital image enhancement, densitometry scans are suitable for non-destructive determination of areal properties of small animal bones of comparable size to our phantom, allowing prediction of Imax and Imin within 2.5% and Theta within a fraction of a degree. This method represents a considerable extension of current methods of analyzing bone tissue distribution in small animal bones.

Breit, Gregory A.↗

Aqueous nitrite ion determination by selective reduction and gas phase nitric oxide chemiluminescence

An improved method of flow injection analysis for aqueous nitrite ion exploits the sensitivity and selectivity of the nitric oxide (NO) chemilluminescence detector. Trace analysis of nitrite ion in a small sample (5-160 microL) is accomplished by conversion of nitrite ion to NO by aqueous iodide in acid. The resulting NO is transported to the gas phase through a semipermeable membrane and subsequently detected by monitoring the photoemission of the reaction between NO and ozone (O3). Chemiluminescence detection is selective for measurement of NO, and, since the detection occurs in the gas-phase, neither sample coloration nor turbidity interfere. The detection limit for a 100-microL sample is 0.04 ppb of nitrite ion. The precision at the 10 ppb level is 2% relative standard deviation, and 60-180 samples can be analyzed per hour. Samples of human saliva and food extracts were analyzed; the results from a standard colorimetric measurement are compared with those from the new chemiluminescence method in order to further validate the latter method. A high degree of selectivity is obtained due to the three discriminating steps in the process: (1) the nitrite ion to NO conversion conditions are virtually specific for nitrite ion, (2) only volatile products of the conversion will be swept to the gas phase (avoiding turbidity or color in spectrophotometric methods), and (3) the NO chemiluminescence detector selectively detects the emission from the NO + O3 reaction. The method is free of interferences, offers detection limits of low parts per billion of nitrite ion, and allows the analysis of up to 180 microL-sized samples per hour, with little sample preparation and no chromatographic separation. Much smaller samples can be analyzed by this method than in previously reported batch analysis methods, which typically require 5 mL or more of sample and often need chromatographic separations as well.

NASA Discipline Environmental Health↗

On the Use of the Log-Normal Particle Size Distribution to Characterize Global Rain

Although most parameterizations of the drop size distributions (DSD) use the gamma function, there are several advantages to the log-normal form, particularly if we want to characterize the large scale space-time variability of the DSD and rain rate. The advantages of the distribution are twofold: the logarithm of any moment can be expressed as a linear combination of the individual parameters of the distribution; the parameters of the distribution are approximately normally distributed. Since all radar and rainfall-related parameters can be written approximately as a moment of the DSD, the first property allows us to express the logarithm of any radar/rainfall variable as a linear combination of the individual DSD parameters. Another consequence is that any power law relationship between rain rate, reflectivity factor, specific attenuation or water content can be expressed in terms of the covariance matrix of the DSD parameters. The joint-normal property of the DSD parameters has applications to the description of the space-time variation of rainfall in the sense that any radar-rainfall quantity can be specified by the covariance matrix associated with the DSD parameters at two arbitrary space-time points. As such, the parameterization provides a means by which we can use the spaceborne radar-derived DSD parameters to specify in part the covariance matrices globally. However, since satellite observations have coarse temporal sampling, the specification of the temporal covariance must be derived from ancillary measurements and models. Work is presently underway to determine whether the use of instantaneous rain rate data from the TRMM Precipitation Radar can provide good estimates of the spatial correlation in rain rate from data collected in 5(sup 0)x 5(sup 0) x 1 month space-time boxes. To characterize the temporal characteristics of the DSD parameters, disdrometer data are being used from the Wallops Flight Facility site where as many as 4 disdrometers have been used to acquire data over a 2 km path. These data should help quantify the temporal form of the covariance matrix at this site.

Meneghini, Robert↗

Wide-Field Hubble Space Telescope Observations of the Globular Cluster System in NGC 1399*

We present a comprehensive high spatial resolution imaging study of globular clusters (GCs) in NGC 1399, thecentral giant elliptical cD galaxy in the Fornax galaxy cluster, conducted with the Advanced Camera for Surveys(ACS) aboard theHubble Space Telescope(HST).Using a novel technique to construct drizzled point-spreadfunction libraries for HSTACS data, we accurately determine the fidelity of GC structural parameter measurementsfrom detailed artificial star cluster experiments and show the superior robustness of the GC half-light radius,rh,compared with other GC structural parameters, such as King core and tidal radius. The measurement ofrhfor themajor fraction of the NGC 1399 GC system reveals a trend of increasingrhversus galactocentric distance,Rgal,out to about 10 kpc and a flat relation beyond. This trend is very similar for blue and red GCs, which are found tohave a mean size ratio ofrh,redrh,blue0.820.11 at all galactocentric radii from the core regions of the galaxyout to40 kpc. This suggests that the size difference between blue and red GCs is due to internal mechanismsrelated to the evolution of their constituent stellar populations. Modeling the mass density profile of NGC 1399shows that additional external dynamical mechanisms are required to limit the GC size in the galaxy halo regionstorh2 pc. We suggest that this may be realized by an exotic GC orbit distribution function, an extended darkmatter halo, andor tidal stress induced by the increased stochasticity in the dwarf halo substructure at largergalactocentric distances. We compare our results with the GCrhdistribution functions in various galaxies and findthat the fraction of extended GCs withrh5 pc is systematically larger in late-type galaxies compared with GCsystems in early-type galaxies. This is likely due to the dynamically more violent evolution of early-type galaxies.We match our GCrhmeasurements with radial velocity data from the literature and split the resulting sample at themedianrhvalue into compact and extended GCs. We find that compact GCs show a significantly smaller line-of-sight velocity dispersion,cmp22525 km s1, than their extended counterparts,ext31721 km s1.Considering the weaker statistical correlation in the GCrhcolor and the GCrhRgalrelations, the more significantGC sizedynamics relation appears to be astrophysically more relevant and hints at the dominant influence of theGC orbit distribution function on the evolution of GC structural parameters.

Hubble↗

Full Inversion of Solar Relativistic Electron Events Measured by the Helios Spacecraft

The Parker Solar Probe and the incoming Solar Orbiter mission will provide measurements of solar energetic particle (SEP) events at close heliocentric distances from the Sun. Up to present, the largest data set of SEP events in the inner heliosphere are the observations by the two Helios spacecraft. Aims.We re-visit a sample of 15 solar relativistic electron events measured by the Helios mission with the goal of better characterizing the injection histories of solar energetic particles and their interplanetary transport conditions at heliocentric distances <1AU. Methods. The measurements provided by the E6 instrument on board Helios provide us with the electron directional distributionsin eight di erent sectors that we use to infer the detailed evolution of the electron pitch-angle distributions. The results of a Monte Carlo interplanetary transport model, combined with a full inversion procedure, were used to fit the observed directional intensities in the 300–800 keV nominal energy channel. Unlike previous studies, we have considered both the energy and angular responses of the detector. This method allowed us to infer the electron release time profile at the source and determine the electron interplanetary transport conditions. Results. We discuss the duration of the release time profiles and the values of the radial mean free path, and compare them with thevalues reported previously in the literature using earlier approaches. Five of the events show short injection histories (<30 min) at the Sun and ten events show long-lasting (>30 min) injections. The values of mean free path range from 0.02AU to 0.27AU.Conclusions. The inferred injection histories match with the radio and soft X-ray emissions found in literature.We find no dependence of the radial mean free path on the radial distance. In addition, we find no apparent relation between the strength of interplanetary scattering and the size of the solar particle release.

Pacheco, D.↗