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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.

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At least 757 records · Page 42
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1987

Nonlinear dynamics, fractals, cardiac physiology and sudden death

The authors propose a diametrically opposite viewpoint to the generally accepted tendency of equating healthy function with order and disease with chaos. With regard to the question of sudden cardiac death and chaos, it is suggested that certain features of dynamical chaos related to fractal structure and fractal dynamics may be important organizing principles in normal physiology and that certain pathologies, including ventricular fibrillation, represent a class of 'pathological periodicities'. Some laboratory work bearing on the relation of nonlinear analysis to physiological and pathophysiological data is briefly reviewed, with tentative theories and models described in reference to the mechanism of ventricular fibrillation.

Goldberger, Ary L.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Human workload in aviation

The application of human-factors analysis techniques to the evaluation of aircraft-crew workloads is discussed in an introductory overview. Consideration is given to the importance of workload for safety, crew size, automation, and certification; the definition and measurement of workload, physical vs mental workloads, subjective ratings, secondary tasks, biocybernetic measures, and attention and workload. Recent studies of pilot and ATC workloads are reviewed, and typical data are presented in graphs. Future trends are discussed, and it is predicted that increased cockpit automation will eventually require new methods to maintain operator attention rather than reduce workload.

Kantowitz, Barry H.↗
NASA NTRS1989

The HEAO 3 background - Spectrum observed by a large germanium spectrometer in low earth orbit

Gamma-ray background spectra, obtained in the energy range from 45 keV to 10 MeV with the cooled high-resolution Ge spectrometer on the HEAO-3 satellite over a 50-day period in 1979-1980 are reported and analyzed. The instrument design and performance characteristics are reviewed; the data-analysis procedures are outlined; about 130 background lines are listed in a table with energies, count rates, and tentative identifications; and the spectra are presented graphically and discussed in detail.

Wheaton, W. A.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Boeing flight deck design philosophy

Information relative to Boeing flight deck design philosophy is given in viewgraph form. Flight deck design rules, design considerations, functions allocated to the crew, redundancy and automation concerns, and examples of accident data that were reviewed are listed.

Stoll, Harty↗
NASA NTRS1991

Development of the Burst and Transient Source Experiment (BATSE)

The Burst and Transient Source Experiment (BATSE), one of four instruments on the Gamma Ray Observatory, consists of eight identical detector modules mounted on the corners of the spacecraft. Developed at MSFC, BATSE is the most sensitive gamma ray burst detector flown to date. Details of the assembly and test phase of the flight hardware development are presented. Results and descriptions of calibrations performed at MSFC, TRW, and KSC are documented extensively. With the presentation of each calibration results, the reader is provided with the means to access raw calibration data for further review or analysis.

Horack, J. M.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Theory and observation of energetic ions in the lobes of the geomagnetic tail

The Owen et al. (1990) model, which attempts to explain the nature of the pitch angle distributions of energetic ions within the lobes of the distant geomagnetic tail is briefly reviewed. Energetic ion data from the ISEE-3 spacecraft obtained during early 1983, when the spacecraft made several traversals of the distant geomagnetic tail are then presented. The data demonstrate that during quiet periods in which the spacecraft is continuously located in the tail lobes, the pitch angle distribution is observed to be highly anisotropic, being peaked closely perpendicular to the magnetic field direction, but with a small net flow in the antisunward direction, in agreement with the model results. Further predictions of the model, concerning the variation of the lobe energetic ion distributions with position in the lobes, are compared to observations made as the spacecraft performed a traversal of the lobe. Finally, since the model indicates that a more isotropic distribution should exist in the tail lobe during solar particle events, data is presented from such a period for further comparison. In all the above cases, good agreement is demonstrated between the data and the expections of the model.

Owen, C. J.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Life testing of secondary silver-zinc cells for the orbiting maneuvering vehicle

Over the past 5 years, extensive testing has been performed at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) on a variety of secondary (rechargeable) silver-zinc (Ag-Zn) cells for the Orbital Maneuvering Vehicle (OMV). The first tests performed were to determine the feasibility of using such a cell in a long-life (18-month), low-Earth-orbit (LEO) application. Results from these tests were promising, so testing continued with a 250-Ah cell that was specifically designed for this type of application. Once again, results from the tests were promising. Following a review of the data from these previous tests, slight modifications to the 250-Ah design were necessary to alleviate problem areas. Currently, MSFC is testing a 350-Ah design that has incorporated these changes and is the baseline design for the OMV. This test began in mid-November, 1989, and will be complete in the spring of 1991, barring any substantial offline time. A report is presented on the preliminary results from the first few months of this test and they are compared to results obtained in previous tests done at MFSC.

Brewer, Jeffrey C.↗
NASA NTRS1991

The X-ray Timing Explorer

The capabilities and projected mission objectives of the X-ray Timing Explorer (XTE) are set forth with attention given to the components of the space explorer. The XTE instrument complement is reviewed and specific data and graphic descriptions are presented regarding the large-area proportional counter array, the all-sky monitor, and the high-energy crystal scintillation experiment. The XTE provides low-background continuous 2-200 keV response with large apertures, rapid maneuverability, and detailed energy-resolved studies of phenomena close to neutron stars. The synergism of the mission capabilities is shown to permit a powerful mechanism for timing and broad-band spectral studies after deployment by the NASA Explorer Platform in approximately 1995.

Bradt, H. V.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Polymer matrix composites on LDEF experiments M0003-9 and M0003-10

Over 250 polymer matrix composites were exposed to the natural space environment on Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) experiments M0003-9 and 10. The experiments included a wide variety of epoxy, thermoplastic, polyimide, and bismalimide matrix composites reinforced with graphite, glass, or organic fibers. A review of the significant observations and test results obtained to date is presented. Estimated recession depths from atomic oxygen exposure are reported and the resulting surface morphologies are discussed. The effects of the LDEF exposure on the flexural strength and modulus, short beam shear strength, and coefficient of thermal expansion of several classes of bare and coated composites are reviewed. Lap shear data are presented for composite-to-composite and composite-to-aluminum alloy samples that were prepared using different bonding techniques and subsequently flown on LDEF.

Steckel, Gary L.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Oxidation processes in magneto-optic and related materials

The surface oxidation processes of thin films of magneto-optic materials, such as the rare-earth transition metal alloys have been studied, starting in ultrahigh vacuum environments, using surface analysis techniques, as a way of modeling the oxidation processes which occur at the base of a defect in an overcoated material, at the instant of exposure to ambient environments. Materials examined have included FeTbCo alloys, as well as those same materials with low percentages of added elements, such a Ta, and their reactivities to both O2 and H2O compared with materials such as thin Fe films coated with ultrathin adlayers of Ti. The surface oxidation pathways for these materials is reviewed, and XPS data presented which indicates the type of oxides formed, and a critical region of Ta concentration which provides optimum protection.

Lee, Paul A.↗
NASA NTRS1991

The missing mass in clusters of galaxies and elliptical galaxies

We review the available data for the existence of dark matter in clusters of galaxies and elliptical galaxies. While the amount of dark matter in clusters is not well determined, both the X-ray and optical data show that more than 50 percent of the total mass must be dark. There is in general fair agreement in the binding mass estimates between the X-ray and optical techniques, but there is not detailed agreement on the form of the potential or the distribution of dark matter. The X-ray spectral and spatial observations of elliptical galaxies demonstrate that dark matter is also required in these objects and that it must be considerably more extended than the stellar distribution.

Mushotzky, Richard F.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Testing primates with joystick-based automated apparatus - Lessons from the Language Research Center's Computerized Test System

Nonhuman primates provide useful models for studying a variety of medical, biological, and behavioral topics. Four years of joystick-based automated testing of monkeys using the Language Research Center's Computerized Test System (LRC-CTS) are examined to derive hints and principles for comparable testing with other species - including humans. The results of multiple parametric studies are reviewed, and reliability data are presented to reveal the surprises and pitfalls associated with video-task testing of performance.

Washburn, David A.↗
NASA NTRS1992

On the use of the hole-drilling technique for residual stress measurements in thin plates

The strain gage blind hole-drilling technique may be used to determine residual stresses at and below the surface of components. In this paper, the hole-drilling analysis methodology for thick plates is reviewed, and experimental data are used to evaluate the methodology and to assess its applicability to thin plates. Data on the effects of gage pattern, surface preparation, hole spacing, hole eccentricity, and stress level are also presented.

Hampton, R. W.↗
NASA NTRS1993

STS-55 pad abort: Engine 2011 oxidizer preburner augmented spark igniter check valve leak

The STS-55 initial launch attempt of Columbia (OV102) was terminated on KSC launch pad A March 22, 1993 at 9:51 AM E.S.T. due to violation of an ME-3 (Engine 2011) Launch Commit Criteria (LCC) limit exceedance. The event description and timeline are summarized. Propellant loading was initiated on 22 March, 1993 at 1:15 AM EST. All SSME chill parameters and launch commit criteria (LCC) were nominal. At engine start plus 1.44 seconds, a Failure Identification (FID) was posted against Engine 2011 for exceeding the 50 psia Oxidizer Preburner (OPB) purge pressure redline. The engine was shut down at 1.50 seconds followed by Engines 2034 and 2030. All shut down sequences were nominal and the mission was safely aborted. The OPB purge pressure redline violation and the abort profile/overlay for all three engines are depicted. SSME Avionics hardware and software performed nominally during the incident. A review of vehicle data table (VDT) data and controller software logic revealed no failure indications other than the single FID 013-414, OPB purge pressure redline exceeded. Software logic was executed according to requirements and there was no anomalous controller software operation. Immediately following the abort, a Rocketdyne/NASA failure investigation team was assembled. The team successfully isolated the failure cause to the oxidizer preburner augmented spark igniter purge check valve not being fully closed due to contamination. The source of the contaminant was traced to a cut segment from a rubber O-ring which was used in a fine clean tool during valve production prior to 1992. The valve was apparently contaminated during its fabrication in 1985. The valve had performed acceptably on four previous flights of the engine, and SSME flight history shows 780 combined check valve flights without failure. The failure of an Engine 3 (SSME No. 2011) check valve to close was sensed by onboard engine instruments even though all other engine operations were normal. This resulted in an engine shutdown and safe sequential shutdown of all three engines prior to ignition of the solid boosters.

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NASA NTRS1993

Electromagnetic propulsion for spacecraft

Three electromagnetic propulsion technologies, solid propellant pulsed plasma thrusters (PPT), magnetoplasmadynamic (MPD) thrusters, and pulsed inductive thrusters (PIT), were developed for application to auxiliary and primary spacecraft propulsion. Both the PPT and MPD thrusters were flown in space, though only PPT's were used on operational satellites. The performance of operational PPT's is quite poor, providing only approximately 8 percent efficiency at approximately 1000 s specific impulse. However, laboratory PPT's yielding 34 percent efficiency at 2000 s specific impulse were extensively tested, and peak performance levels of 53 percent efficiency at 5170 s specific impulse were demonstrated. MPD thrusters were flown as experiments on the Japanese MS-T4 spacecraft and the Space Shuttle and were qualified for a flight in 1994. The flight MPD thrusters were pulsed, with a peak performance of 22 percent efficiency at 2500 s specific impulse using ammonia propellant. Laboratory MPD thrusters were demonstrated with up to 70 percent efficiency and 700 s specific impulse using lithium propellant. While the PIT thruster has never been flown, recent performance measurements using ammonia and hydrazine propellants are extremely encouraging, reaching 50 percent efficiency for specific impulses between 4000 to 8000 s. The fundamental operating principles, performance measurements, and system level design for the three types of electromagnetic thrusters are reviewed, and available data on flight tests are discussed for the PPT and MPD thrusters.

Myers, Roger M.↗
NASA NTRS1992

How to handle 6GBytes a night and not get swamped

The Macho Project has undertaken a 5 year effort to search for dark matter in the halo of the Galaxy by scanning the Magellanic Clouds for micro-lensing events. Each evening's raw image data will be reduced in real-time into the observed stars' photometric measurements. The actual search for micro-lensing events will be a post-processing operation. The theoretical prediction of the rate of such events necessitates the collection of a large number of repeated exposures. The project designed camera subsystem delivers 64 Mbytes per exposure with exposures typically occurring every 500 seconds. An ideal evening's observing will provide 6 Gbytes of raw image data and 40 Mbytes of reduced photometric measurements. Recognizing the difficulty of digging out from a snowballing cascade of raw data, the project requires the real-time reduction of each evening's data. The software team's implementation strategy centered on this non-negotiable mandate. Accepting the reality that 2 full time people needed to implement the core real-time control and data management system within 6 months, off-the-shelf vendor components were explored to provide quick solutions to the classic needs for file management, data management, and process control. Where vendor solutions were lacking, state-of-the-art models were used for hand tailored subsystems. In particular, petri nets manage process control, memory mapped bulletin boards provide interprocess communication between the multi-tasked processes, and C++ class libraries provide memory mapped, disk resident databases. The differences between the implementation strategy and the final implementation reality are presented. The necessity of validating vendor product claims are explored. Both the successful and hindsight decisions enabling the collection and processing of the nightly data barrage are reviewed.

Allsman, R.↗
NASA NTRS1993

STS-51 pad abort. OV103-engine 2033 (ME-2) fuel flowmeter sensor open circuit

The STS-51 initial launch attempt of Discovery (OV-103) was terminated on KSC launch pad 39B on 12 Aug. 1993 at 9:12 AM E.S.T. due to a sensor redundancy failure in the liquid hydrogen system of ME-2 (Engine 2033). The event description and time line are summarized. Propellant loading was initiated on 12 Aug. 1993 at 12:00 AM EST. All space shuttle main engine (SSME) chill parameters and Launch Commit Criteria (LCC) were nominal. At engine start plus 1.34 seconds a Failure Identification (FID) was posted against Engine 2033 for exceeding the 1800 spin intra-channel (A1-A2) Fuel Flowrate sensor channel qualification limit. The engine was shut down at 1.50 seconds followed by Engines 2032 and 2030. All shut down sequences were nominal and the mission was safely aborted. SSME Avionics hardware and software performed nominally during the incident. A review of vehicle data table (VDT) data and controller software logic revealed no failure indications other than the single FID 111-101, Fuel Flowrate Intra-Channel Test Channel A disqualification. Software logic was executed according to requirements and there was no anomalous controller software operation. Immediately following the abort, a Rocketdyne/NASA failure investigation team was assembled. The team successfully isolated the failure cause to an open circuit in a Fuel Flowrate Sensor. This type of failure has occurred eight previous times in ground testing. The sensor had performed acceptably on three previous flights of the engine and SSME flight history shows 684 combined fuel flow rate sensor channel flights without failure. The disqualification of an Engine 2 (SSME No. 2033) Fuel Flowrate sensor channel was a result of an instrumentation failure and not engine performance. All other engine operations were nominal. This disqualification resulted in an engine shutdown and safe sequential shutdown of all three engines prior to ignition of the solid boosters.

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