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NASA NTRS1993

Research and technology highlights, 1992

The mission of the NASA Langley Research Center is to increase the knowledge and capability of the United States in a full range of aeronautics disciplines and in selected space disciplines. This mission will be accomplished by performing innovative research relevant to national needs and Agency goals, transferring technology to users in a timely manner, and providing development support to other United States Government agencies, industry, and other NASA centers. Highlights of the major accomplishments and applications that have been made by Langley researchers and by our university and industry colleagues during the past year are presented. The highlights illustrate both the broad range of research and technology (R&T) activities supported by NASA Langley Research Center and the contributions of this work toward maintaining United States leadership in aeronautics and space research. Some of the Center's most important research and testing facilities are also described.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1993

Trajectory optimization for the national aerospace plane

During the past six months the research objectives outlined in the last semi-annual report were accomplished. Specifically, these are: three-dimensional (3-D) fuel-optimal ascent trajectory of the aerospace plane and the effects of thrust vectoring control (TVC) on the fuel consumption and trajectory shaping were investigated; the maximum abort landing area (footprint) was studied; preliminary assessment of simultaneous design of the ascent trajectory and the vehicle configuration for the aerospace plane was also conducted. The work accomplished in the reporting period is summarized.

Lu, Ping↗
NASA NTRS1993

A capaciflector-based robotic system

This report presents preliminary results obtained from a research grant entitled 'Capaciflector-based Control and Imaging,' with Grant Number NAG 5-780, for the period between February 1, 1993 and August 1, 1993. This report deals with the development of a robotic system which is used to evaluate the feasibility of servicing and repairing the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) using robots. In particular, the task of opening the HST's toolbox is considered in this report. First the main components of the robotic system will be introduced. Then each component will be described in detail from low-level to high-level. Finally tasks that have been accomplished during the reporting period for the development of the robotic system will be presented. Listings of source codes for the accomplished tasks are given at the end of the report.

Nguyen, Charles C.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Atomic research

Work performed by the University of Alabama in Huntsville's (UAH) Center for Applied Optics (CAO) entitled Atomic Research is documented. Atomic oxygen (AO) effects on materials have long been a critical concern in designing spacecraft to withstand exposure to the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) environment. The objective of this research effort was to provide technical expertise in the design of instrumentation and experimental techniques for analyzing materials exposed to atomic oxygen in accelerated testing at NASA/MSFC. Such testing was required to answer fundamental questions concerning Space Station Freedom (SSF) candidate materials and materials exposed to atomic oxygen aboard the Long-Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF). The primary UAH task was to provide technical design, review, and analysis to MSFC in the development of a state-of-the-art 5eV atomic oxygen beam facility required to simulate the RAM-induced low earth orbit (LEO) AO environment. This development was to be accomplished primarily at NASA/MSFC. In support of this task, contamination effects and ultraviolet (UV) simulation testing was also to be carried out using NASA/MSFC facilities. Any materials analysis of LDEF samples was to be accomplished at UAH.

Hadaway, James B.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Magellan: Principal Venus science findings

This is a brief summary of the science findings of the Magellan mission, principally based on data from the radar system. Future plans for Magellan include acquisition of high resolution gravity data from a nearly circular orbit and atmospheric drag and occultation experiments. The Magellan science results represent the combined effort of more than 100 Magellan investigators and their students and colleagues. More extensive discussions can be found in the August and October, 1992 issues of the Journal of Geophysical Research, Planets. The Magellan mission's scientific objectives were to provide a global characterization of landforms and tectonic features; to distinguish and understand impact processes; to define and explain erosion, deposition, and chemical processes; and to model the interior density distribution. All but the last objective, which requires new global gravity data, have been accomplished, or we have acquired the data that are required to accomplish them.

Saunders, R. Stephen↗
NASA NTRS1993

Cognitive engineering models in space systems

NASA space systems, including mission operations on the ground and in space, are complex, dynamic, predominantly automated systems in which the human operator is a supervisory controller. Models of cognitive functions in complex systems are needed to describe human performance and form the theoretical basis of operator workstation design, including displays, controls, and decision aids. Currently, there several candidate modeling methodologies. They include the Rasmussen abstraction/aggregation hierarchy and decision ladder, the goal-means network, the problem behavior graph, and the operator function model. The research conducted under the sponsorship of this grant focuses on the extension of the theoretical structure of the operator function model and its application to NASA Johnson mission operations and space station applications. The initial portion of this research consists of two parts. The first is a series of technical exchanges between NASA Johnson and Georgia Tech researchers. The purpose is to identify candidate applications for the current operator function model; prospects include mission operations and the Data Management System Testbed. The second portion will address extensions of the operator function model to tailor it to the specific needs of Johnson applications. At this point, we have accomplished two things. During a series of conversations with JSC researchers, we have defined the technical goal of the research supported by this grant to be the structural definition of the operator function model and its computer implementation, OFMspert. Both the OFM and OFMspert have matured to the point that they require infrastructure to facilitate use by researchers not involved in the evolution of the tools. The second accomplishment this year was the identification of the Payload Deployment and Retrieval System (PDRS) as a candidate system for the case study. In conjunction with government and contractor personnel in the Human-Computer Interaction Lab, the PDRS was identified as the most accessible system for the demonstration. Pursuant to this a PDRS simulation was obtained from the HCIL and an initial knowledge engineering effort was conducted to understand the operator's tasks in the PDRS application. The preliminary results of the knowledge engineering effort and an initial formulation of an operator function model (OFM) are contained in the appendices.

Mitchell, Christine M.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Mechanical Systems Technology Branch research summary, 1985 - 1992

A collection of significant accomplishments from the research of the Mechanical Systems Technology Branch at the NASA Lewis Research Center completed during the years 1985-1992 is included. The publication highlights and accomplishments made in bearing and gearing technology through in-house research, university grants, and industry contracted projects. The publication also includes a complete listing of branch publications for these years.

Krantz, Timothy L.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Detailed analysis of low energy plasma data under the Voyager Uranus data analysis program

Research effort included the PLS data analysis program where modifications to the data fitting procedure and elimination of possible noise and electron contamination were made. The analysis code corrections were used in checking the Neptune data gathered during the Voyager 2 encounter and for analyzing selected plasma spectra from the warm Io torus. A major task accomplished was the summary of Uranus-related research in the U.S. National Report to the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics for the 1987 - 1990 quadrennium. A limited amount of work was accomplished on assessing the Pedersen conductivity of the ionosphere and comparing it with inferred values from shielding by the Uranian ring current. Under this grant there has been a great deal of effort expended on identifying and classifying plasma waves and oscillations in the magnetosheath and solar wind downstream from Uranus. Large amplitude oscillations in plasma parameters are found in the magnetosheath, with density changes of up to a factor of ten occurring on times scales of minutes. New algorithms developed for analyzing the inbound bow shock crossing of Neptune will probably be applied to a more detailed analysis of the Uranus shock in the near future.

Mcnutt, Ralph L., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Data management for support of the Oregon Transect Ecosystem Research (OTTER) project

Management of data collected during projects that involve large numbers of scientists is an often overlooked aspect of the experimental plan. Ecosystem science projects like the Oregon Transect Ecosystem Research (OTTER) Project that involve many investigators from many institutions and that run for multiple years, collect and archive large amounts of data. These data range in size from a few kilobytes of information for such measurements as canopy chemistry and meteorological variables, to hundreds of megabytes of information for such items as views from multi-band spectrometers flown on aircraft and scenes from imaging radiometers aboard satellites. Organizing and storing data from the OTTER Project, certifying those data, correcting errors in data sets, validating the data, and distributing those data to other OTTER investigators is a major undertaking. Using the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Pilot Land Data System (PLDS), a Support mechanism was established for the OTTER Project which accomplished all of the above. At the onset of the interaction between PLDS and OTTER, it was not certain that PLDS could accomplish these tasks in a manner that would aid researchers in the OTTER Project. This paper documents the data types that were collected under the auspices of the OTTER Project and the procedures implemented to store, catalog, validate, and certify those data. The issues of the compliance of investigators with data-management requirements, data use and certification, and the ease of retrieving data are discussed. We advance the hypothesis that formal data management is necessary in ecological investigations involving multiple investigators using many data gathering instruments and experimental procedures. The issues and experience gained in this exercise give an indication of the needs for data management systems that must be addressed in the coming decades when other large data-gathering endeavors are undertaken by the ecological science community.

Skiles, J. W.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Prediction and control of vortex-dominated and vortex-wake flows

This progress report documents the accomplishments achieved in the period from December 1, 1992 until November 30, 1993. These accomplishments include publications, national and international presentations, NASA presentations, and the research group supported under this grant. Topics covered by documents incorporated into this progress report include: active control of asymmetric conical flow using spinning and rotary oscillation; supersonic vortex breakdown over a delta wing in transonic flow; shock-vortex interaction over a 65-degree delta wing in transonic flow; three dimensional supersonic vortex breakdown; numerical simulation and physical aspects of supersonic vortex breakdown; and prediction of asymmetric vortical flows around slender bodies using Navier-Stokes equations.

Kandil, Osama↗
NASA NTRS1993

Nonlinear aerodynamics and the design of wing tips

This contract began in April 1990 with studies on the effect of wingtip shape on induced drag. That work considered problems of determining induced drag from computational aerodynamic methods and examined effects of wake roll up on the induced drag of elliptical and crescent wings. The research contract was continued in April 1991 and again in April 1992 with scope augmented to include considerations other than induced drag. The idea was to develop methods for comparing wing tip shapes on the basis of their effects on total drag, structural weight, and high lift performance. To accomplish this, work was done to improve methods for multidisciplinary analysis and optimization of wings. This report describes results of research conducted from April 1992 through March 1993. The general objective was to improve an existing wing optimization method and apply the method to specific problems of interest. The method, while a valuable tool for wing tip design studies, can be applied to more general problems, and has been applied to some of these other problems during its development. Specific goals that were accomplished are listed below and are explained in more detail in attached reports: analysis methods were improved in the area of structural modeling; small improvements to the high lift model were made, and ideas were collected on how clean wing c(sub l(sub max)) should vary with sweep - these ideas should provide a guide for future examination of high lift with experiment or CFD; and a calculation for drag due to the loss of leading edge suction was added to the wing analysis.

Kroo, Ilan↗
NASA NTRS1993

Chemical characterization of some aerobic liquids in CELSS

Untreated aqueous soybean and wheat leachate and aerobically treated wheat leachate prepared from crop residues that are produced as a component of the Controlled Ecological Life Support System program designed to support long duration space missions were compared, and a general chemical characterization was accomplished. Solid phase extraction and high performance liquid chromatography were used to accomplish comparisons based on chromatographic and ultraviolet absorption properties of the components that are present. Specific compounds were not identified; however, general composition related to the initial presence of phenol-like compounds and their disappearance during aerobic treatment was explored.

Madsen, Brooks C.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Observational and modeling studies of heat, moisture, precipitation and global-scale circulation patterns

This research grant was a revised version of an original proposal. The period of the grant was for three years with a six-month no-cost extension; thus, it was from 20 July 1990 to 19 January 1994. The objectives of the grant were to identify periods and locations of active convection centers, primarily over the Southern Hemisphere tropical Indian and Pacific Oceans; determine reasons for any periodic behavior found in the first objective; identify cases where subtropical jets over the South Pacific persisted for several days and examine the influences of tropical versus extra-tropical mechanisms in maintaining them; obtain estimates of precipitation by Q(sub 1) and Q(sub 2) budgets, including the importance of terms in each of the respective budgets, and compare these estimates to those obtained by other methods; and diagnose the distributions of moisture and precipitable water over the North Atlantic Ocean using routine analyses and satellite microwave data. To accomplish these objectives, we used grant funds to purchase several data sets, including the Global Precipitation Climate Project (GPCP) observations of station precipitation, ECMWF WCRP/TOGA archive two analyses for January 1985 - December 1990, ECMWF WMO analyses for January 1980 - December 1987, and OLR data for July 1974 - December 1991. We already had some SSM/I data and GLA analyses from a previous grant. In addition, to improve our computing power, we also used grant funds to purchase an IBM PS/2 with accessories, a NEC laser jet printer, and a microcomputer system for word processing. This report is organized as follows. Our research team is listed first. Section two contains a summary of our significant accomplishments; however, a detailed discussion of research results is not included since this information can be found in the accompanying reprints and preprints. Section three offers some concluding remarks, and a complete bibliographic summary is given in Section four.

Vincent, Dayton G.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Advanced Information Processing System (AIPS)

Advanced Information Processing System (AIPS) is a computer systems philosophy, a set of validated hardware building blocks, and a set of validated services as embodied in system software. The goal of AIPS is to provide the knowledgebase which will allow achievement of validated fault-tolerant distributed computer system architectures, suitable for a broad range of applications, having failure probability requirements of 10E-9 at 10 hours. A background and description is given followed by program accomplishments, the current focus, applications, technology transfer, FY92 accomplishments, and funding.

Pitts, Felix L.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Cyclic axial-torsional deformation behavior of a cobalt-base superalloy

Multiaxial loading, especially at elevated temperature, can cause the inelastic response of a material to differ significantly from that predicted by simple flow rules, i.e., von Mises or Tresca. To quantify some of these differences, the cyclic high-temperature, deformation behavior of a wrought cobalt-based superalloy, Haynes 188, is investigated under combined axial and torsional loads. Haynes 188 is currently used in many aerospace gas turbine and rocket engine applications, e.g., the combustor liner for the T800 turboshaft engine for the RAH-66 Comanche helicopter and the liquid oxygen posts in the main injector of the space shuttle main engine. The deformation behavior of this material is assessed through the examination of hysteresis loops generated from a biaxial fatigue test program. A high-temperature axial, torsional, and combined axial-torsional fatigue data base has been generated on Haynes 188 at 760 C. Cyclic loading tests have been conducted on uniform gauge section tubular specimens in a servohydraulic axial-torsional test rig. Test control and data acquisition were accomplished with a minicomputer. In this paper, the cyclic hardening characteristics and typical hysteresis loops in the axial stress versus axial strain, shear stress versus engineering shear strain, axial strain versus engineering shear strain, and axial stress versus shear stress spaces are presented for cyclic, in-phase and out-of-phase, axial torsional tests. For in-phase tests three different values of the proportionality constant, lambda (ratio of engineering shear strain amplitude to axial strain amplitude), are examined, viz., 0.86, 1.73, and 3.46. In the out-of-phase tests, three different values of the phase angle, phi (between the axial and engineering shear strain waveforms), are studied, viz., 30, 60, and 90 deg with lambda = 1.73. The cyclic hardening behaviors of all the tests conducted on Haynes 188 at 760 C are evaluated using the von Mises equivalent stress-strain and the maximum shear stress-maximum engineering shear strain (Tresca) curves. Comparisons are also made between the hardening behaviors of cyclic axial, torsional, and combined in-phase and out-of-phase axial-torsional fatigue tests. These comparisons are accomplished through simple Ramberg-Osgood type stress-strain functions for cyclic, axial stress-strain and shear stress-engineering shear strain curves.

Bonacuse, Peter J.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Four advances in carbon-carbon materials technology

Carbon-carbon composites are a specialty class of materials having many unique properties making these composites attractive for a variety of demanding engineering applications. Chief among these properties are exceptional retention of mechanical properties at temperatures as high as 4000 F, excellent creep resistance, and low density (1.6 to 1.8 g/cu cm). Although carbon-carbon composites are currently in service in a variety of applications, much development work remains to be accomplished before these materials can be considered to be fully mature, realizing their full potential. Four recent technology advances holding particular promise for overcoming current barriers to the wide-spread commercialization of carbon-carbon composites are described. These advances are: markedly improved interlaminar strengths (more than doubled) of two dimensional composites achieved by whiskerization of the fabric reinforcing plies, simultaneously improved oxidation resistance and mechanical properties achieved by the incorporation of matrix-phase oxidation inhibitors based on carborane chemistry, improved oxidation resistance achieved by compositionally graded oxidation protective coatings, and markedly reduced processing times (hours as opposed to weeks or months) accomplished through a novel process of carbon infiltration and coatings deposition based on the use of liquid-phase precursor materials.

Maahs, Howard G.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Controls design with crossfeeds for hovering rotorcraft using quantitative feedback theory

This work is extending the research accomplished on project NCC2-751. A newly implemented helicopter model has been used to simulate 25 flight configurations near hover for the UH-60 RASCAL aircraft. A new engine model has been installed in the FORECAST simulation (alias UMGENHEL) for the better prediction of the yaw and heave responses. By applying the decoupling metric from project NCC 751 it was determined that the aileron to pitch and the elevator to yaw responses do not indicate the need for crossfeeds since both of them have a decoupling metric value over 20 dB (less than 10 percent coupling). In the case of the aileron to heave and the elevator to heave responses, the large size and the overlapping of the templates indicate that a low-order dynamic crossfeed cannot be found. The low-order dynamic crossfeed selection is proceeding, however, for the remaining eight crossfeeds. Note that most of them have successfully decoupled the system by 20 dB or more, except for the rudder to heave crossfeed (18.2 dB). It is probable that the engine model needs more accuracy to further improve the heave to yaw crossfeed decoupling metric value. To see how the new low-order dynamic crossfeeds perform, a simulation was accomplished using MATLAB SIMULINK.

Biezad, Daniel J.↗