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At least 757 records · Page 42

All sources NASA NTRS DOE OSTI

NASA NTRS2002

Method and Apparatus for Evaluating the Visual Quality of Processed Digital Video Sequences

A Digital Video Quality (DVQ) apparatus and method that incorporate a model of human visual sensitivity to predict the visibility of artifacts. The DVQ method and apparatus are used for the evaluation of the visual quality of processed digital video sequences and for adaptively controlling the bit rate of the processed digital video sequences without compromising the visual quality. The DVQ apparatus minimizes the required amount of memory and computation. The input to the DVQ apparatus is a pair of color image sequences: an original (R) non-compressed sequence, and a processed (T) sequence. Both sequences (R) and (T) are sampled, cropped, and subjected to color transformations. The sequences are then subjected to blocking and discrete cosine transformation, and the results are transformed to local contrast. The next step is a time filtering operation which implements the human sensitivity to different time frequencies. The results are converted to threshold units by dividing each discrete cosine transform coefficient by its respective visual threshold. At the next stage the two sequences are subtracted to produce an error sequence. The error sequence is subjected to a contrast masking operation, which also depends upon the reference sequence (R). The masked errors can be pooled in various ways to illustrate the perceptual error over various dimensions, and the pooled error can be converted to a visual quality measure.

Watson, Andrew B.↗

NASA NTRS2003

Low Temperature SQUID for NDE Applications

We have developed a low temperature SuperConducting Quantum Interference Device - SQUID measurement system for detection of defects deep under the surface of aluminum structures using eddy current techniques. The system uses a two dimensional planar inducer with two different excitation frequencies to induce a current in the sample. We have developed a data analysis software program that enabled us to distinguish between round defects (holes), straight defects (slots) and slots close to holes simulating cracks starting from rivets in aluminum structures. We were able to detect defects that are 8mm below the surface. We have also measured the change in phase of the detected signal as a function of depth of the defect. This relationship can be used to determine the depth of hidden flaws. Using this analysis software with the high temperature SQUID system at NASA Langley we were able to detect slots close to holes in layered aluminum sample.

Wincheski, Buzz↗

NASA NTRS1998

TACT: A Set of MSC/PATRAN- and MSC/NASTRAN- based Modal Correlation Tools

This paper describes the functionality and demonstrates the utility of the Test Analysis Correlation Tools (TACT), a suite of MSC/PATRAN Command Language (PCL) tools which automate the process of correlating finite element models to modal survey test data. The initial release of TACT provides a basic yet complete set of tools for performing correlation totally inside the PATRAN/NASTRAN environment. Features include a step-by-step menu structure, pre-test accelerometer set evaluation and selection, analysis and test result export/import in Universal File Format, calculation of frequency percent difference and cross-orthogonality correlation results using NASTRAN, creation and manipulation of mode pairs, and five different ways of viewing synchronized animations of analysis and test modal results. For the PATRAN-based analyst, TACT eliminates the repetitive, time-consuming and error-prone steps associated with transferring finite element data to a third-party modal correlation package, which allows the analyst to spend more time on the more challenging task of model updating. The usefulness of this software is presented using a case history, the correlation for a NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) low aspect ratio research wind tunnel model. To demonstrate the improvements that TACT offers the MSC/PATRAN- and MSC/DIASTRAN- based structural analysis community, a comparison of the modal correlation process using TACT within PATRAN versus external third-party modal correlation packages is presented.

Marlowe, Jill M.↗

NASA NTRS2004

Numerical Investigations of High Pressure Acoustic Waves in Resonators

This presentation presents work on numerical investigations of nonlinear acoustic phenomena in resonators that can generate high-pressure waves using acoustic forcing of the flow. Time-accurate simulations of the flow in a closed cone resonator were performed at different oscillation frequencies and amplitudes, and the numerical results for the resonance frequency and fluid pressure increase match the GRC experimental data well. Work on cone resonator assembly simulations has started and will involve calculations of the flow through the resonator assembly with and without acoustic excitation. A new technique for direct calculation of resonance frequency of complex shaped resonators is also being investigated. Script-driven command procedures will also be developed for optimization of the resonator shape for maximum pressure increase.

Athavale, Mahesh↗

NASA NTRS2002

Cyclic Oxidation Modeling Program Rewritten for MS Windows

Turbine superalloy components are subject to high-temperature oxidation during operation. Protection is often conferred by coatings designed to form slow-growing, adherent oxide scales. Degradation by oxidation is exacerbated by the thermal cycling encountered during normal aircraft operations. Cooling has been identified as the major contributor to stresses in the oxidation scales, and it may often cause some oxide scale spallation with a proportional loss of protective behavior. Overall oxidation resistance is, thus, studied by the weight change behavior of alloy coupons during high-temperature cyclic oxidation in furnace or burner rig tests. The various characteristics of this behavior are crucial in understanding the performance of alloys at high temperatures. This new modeling effort helps in the understanding of the major factors involved in the cyclic oxidation process. Weight change behavior in cyclic oxidation is typified by an initial parabolic weight gain response curve that eventually exhibits a maximum, then transitions into a linear rate of weight loss due to spalling. The overall shape and magnitude of the curve are determined by the parabolic growth rate, kp, the cycle duration, the type of oxide scale, and the regular, repetitive spalling process. This entire process was modeled by a computer program called the Cyclic Oxidation Spalling Program (COSP) previously developed at the NASA Glenn Research Center. Thus, by supplying appropriate oxidation input parameters, one can determine the best fit to the actual data. These parameters describe real behavior and can be used to compare alloys and project cyclic oxidation behavior for longer times or under different cycle frequencies.

Smialek, James L.↗

NASA NTRS2003

Sound Sources Identified in High-Speed Jets by Correlating Flow Density Fluctuations With Far-Field Noise

Noise sources in high-speed jets were identified by directly correlating flow density fluctuation (cause) to far-field sound pressure fluctuation (effect). The experimental study was performed in a nozzle facility at the NASA Glenn Research Center in support of NASA s initiative to reduce the noise emitted by commercial airplanes. Previous efforts to use this correlation method have failed because the tools for measuring jet turbulence were intrusive. In the present experiment, a molecular Rayleigh-scattering technique was used that depended on laser light scattering by gas molecules in air. The technique allowed accurate measurement of air density fluctuations from different points in the plume. The study was conducted in shock-free, unheated jets of Mach numbers 0.95, 1.4, and 1.8. The turbulent motion, as evident from density fluctuation spectra was remarkably similar in all three jets, whereas the noise sources were significantly different. The correlation study was conducted by keeping a microphone at a fixed location (at the peak noise emission angle of 30 to the jet axis and 50 nozzle diameters away) while moving the laser probe volume from point to point in the flow. The following figure shows maps of the nondimensional coherence value measured at different Strouhal frequencies ([frequency diameter]/jet speed) in the supersonic Mach 1.8 and subsonic Mach 0.95 jets. The higher the coherence, the stronger the source was.

Panda, Jayanta↗

NASA NTRS2006

Use of Photoelastic Modulators for High-accuracy Spectropolarimetric Imaging of Aerosols

Passive multiangular, multispectral, and polarimetric sensing approaches each have unique strengths for the measurement of tropospheric aerosol column abundances and microphysical properties. Current spaceborne multispectral and multiangular aerosols sensors operate at approximately 1 km resolution. Under NASA's Instrument Incubator Program, we are developing an electro-optic imaging approach that will enable adding high-accuracy polarimetry to such observations. To achieve a degree of linear polarization (DOLP) uncertainty of 0.5%, our approach temporally modulates the linear-polarization component of incoming light at a rapid rate, enabling each detector within a focal-plane array, combined with polarization analyzers, to measure the relative proportions of the linear Stokes components Q or U to the total intensity. Our system uses tandem photoelastic modulators (PEMs) within a high-reflectance, low diattenuation camera design. The two PEMs vibrate at slightly different resonant frequencies, leading to modulation of the polarized light at a heterodyne frequency of ~25 Hz. High-speed (1 kHz) readout of the detector arrays samples the output waveforms from which Q/I and U/I are derived. We report on experimental and theoretical analyses of PEM and optical system performance, along with plans for developing ruggedized PEMs capable of withstanding launch and on-orbit stresses.

photoelastics↗

NASA NTRS2009

Series-Coupled Pairs of Silica Microresonators

Series-coupled pairs of whispering-gallery-mode optical microresonators have been demonstrated as prototypes of stable, narrow-band-pass photonic filters. Characteristics that are generally considered desirable in a photonic or other narrow-band-pass filter include response as nearly flat as possible across the pass band, sharp roll-off, and high rejection of signals outside the pass band. A single microresonator exhibits a Lorentzian filter function: its peak response cannot be made flatter and its roll-off cannot be made sharper. However, as a matter of basic principle applicable to resonators in general, it is possible to (1) use multiple resonators, operating in series or parallel, to obtain a roll-off sharper, and out-of-band rejection greater, relative to those of a Lorentzian filter function and (2) to make the peak response (the response within the pass band) flatter by tuning the resonators to slightly different resonance frequencies that span the pass band. The first of the two microresonators in each series-coupled pair was a microtorus made of germania-doped silica (containing about 19 mole percent germania), which is a material used for the cores of some optical fibers. The reasons for choosing this material is that exposing it to ultraviolet light causes it to undergo a chemical change that changes its index of refraction and thereby changes the resonance frequency. Hence, this material affords the means to effect the desired slight relative detuning of the two resonators. The second microresonator in each pair was a microsphere of pure silica. The advantage of making one of the resonators a torus instead of a sphere is that its spectrum of whispering-gallery-mode resonances is sparser, as needed to obtain a frequency separation of at least 100 GHz between resonances of the filter as a whole.

Savchenkov, Anatoliy↗

NASA NTRS2007

Scanning Terahertz Heterodyne Imaging Systems

Scanning terahertz heterodyne imaging systems are now at an early stage of development. In a basic scanning terahertz heterodyne imaging system, (see Figure 1) two far-infrared lasers generate beams denoted the local-oscillator (LO) and signal that differ in frequency by an amount, denoted the intermediate frequency (IF), chosen to suit the application. The LO beam is sent directly to a mixer as one of two inputs. The signal beam is focused to a spot on or in the specimen. After transmission through or reflection from the specimen, the beams are focused to a spot on a terahertz mixer, which extracts the IF outputs. The specimen is mounted on a translation stage, by means of which the focal spot is scanned across the specimen to build up an image.

Siegel, Peter↗

NASA NTRS2010

An Accident Precursor Analysis Process Tailored for NASA Space Systems

Accident Precursor Analysis (APA) serves as the bridge between existing risk modeling activities, which are often based on historical or generic failure statistics, and system anomalies, which provide crucial information about the failure mechanisms that are actually operative in the system and which may differ in frequency or type from those in the various models. These discrepancies between the models (perceived risk) and the system (actual risk) provide the leading indication of an underappreciated risk. This paper presents an APA process developed specifically for NASA Earth-to-Orbit space systems. The purpose of the process is to identify and characterize potential sources of system risk as evidenced by anomalous events which, although not necessarily presenting an immediate safety impact, may indicate that an unknown or insufficiently understood risk-significant condition exists in the system. Such anomalous events are considered accident precursors because they signal the potential for severe consequences that may occur in the future, due to causes that are discernible from their occurrence today. Their early identification allows them to be integrated into the overall system risk model used to intbrm decisions relating to safety.

Groen, Frank↗

NASA NTRS2011

Development of a Novel Wireless Electric Power Transfer System for Space Applications

This paper will introduce a new implementation for wireless electric power transfer systems: space applications. Due to the risks that constitute the use of electrical connector for some space missions/applications, a simple wireless power system design approach will be evaluated as an alternative for the use of electrical connectors. This approach takes into consideration the overall system performance by designing the magnetic resonance elements and by verifying the overall system electrical behavior. System characterization is accomplished by executing circuit and analytical simulations using Matlab(TradeMark) and LTSpiceIV(TradeMark) software packages. The design methodology was validated by two different experiments: frequency consideration (design of three magnetic elements) and a small scale proof-ofconcept prototype. Experiment results shows successful wireless power transfer for all the cases studied. The proof-of-concept prototype provided approx.4 W of wireless power to the load (light bulb) at a separation of 3 cm from the source. In addition. a resonant circuit was designed and installed to the battery terminals of a handheld radio without batteries, making it tum on at a separation of approx.5 cm or less from the source. It was also demonstrated by prototype experimentation that multiple loads can be powered wirelessly at the same time with a single electric power source.

VazquezRamos, Gabriel↗

NASA NTRS2011

Calculating the Velocity in the Moss

The velocity of the warm (1 MK) plasma in the footpoint of the hot coronal loops (commonly called moss) could help discriminate between different heating frequencies in the active region core. Strong velocities would indicated low-frequency heating, while velocities close to zero would indicate high-frequency heating. Previous results have found disparaging observations, with both strong velocities and velocities close to zero reported. Previous results are based on observations from Hinode/EIS. The wavelength arrays for EIS spectra are typically calculated by assuming quiet Sun velocities are zero. In this poster, we determine the velocity in the moss using observations with SoHO/SUMER. We rely on neutral or singly ionized spectral lines to determine accurately the wavelength array associated with the spectra. SUMER scanned the active region twice, so we also report the stability of the velocity.

Womebarger, Amy R.↗

NASA NTRS2013

On-Orbit Lunar Modulation Transfer Function Measurements for the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer

Spatial quality of an imaging sensor can be estimated by evaluating its modulation transfer function (MTF) from many different sources such as a sharp edge, a pulse target, or bar patterns with different spatial frequencies. These well-defined targets are frequently used for prelaunch laboratory tests, providing very reliable and accurate MTF measurements. A laboratory-quality edge input source was included in the spatial-mode operation of the Spectroradiometric Calibration Assembly (SRCA), which is one of the onboard calibrators of the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). Since not all imaging satellites have such an instrument, SRCA MTF estimations can be used as a reference for an on-orbit lunar MTF algorithm and results. In this paper, the prelaunch spatial quality characterization process from the Integrated Alignment Collimator and SRCA is briefly discussed. Based on prelaunch MTF calibration using the SRCA, a lunar MTF algorithm is developed and applied to the lifetime on-orbit Terra and Aqua MODIS lunar collections. In each lunar collection, multiple scan-directionMoon-to-background transition profiles are aligned by the subpixel edge locations from a parametric Fermi function fit. Corresponding accumulated edge profiles are filtered and interpolated to obtain the edge spread function (ESF). The MTF is calculated by applying a Fourier transformation on the line spread function through a simple differentiation of the ESF. The lifetime lunar MTF results are analyzed and filtered by a relationship with the Sun-Earth-MODIS angle. Finally, the filtered lunarMTF values are compared to the SRCA MTF results. This comparison provides the level of accuracy for on-orbit MTF estimations validated through prelaunch SRCA measurements. The lunar MTF values had larger uncertainty than the SRCA MTF results; however, the ratio mean of lunarMTF fit and SRCA MTF values is within 2% in the 250- and 500-m bands. Based on the MTF measurement uncertainty range, the suggested lunar MTF algorithm can be applied to any on-orbit imaging sensor with lunar calibration capability.

Choi, Taeyong↗

NASA NTRS2014

Simulation Tools Prevent Signal Interference on Spacecraft

NASA engineers use simulation software to detect and prevent interference between different radio frequency (RF) systems on a rocket and satellite before launch. To speed up the process, Kennedy Space Center awarded SBIR funding to Champaign, Illinois-based Delcross Technologies LLC, which added a drag-and-drop feature to its commercial simulation software, resulting in less time spent preparing for the analysis.

Source record↗

NASA NTRS2017

STURM: Resuspension Mesocosms with Realistic Bottom Shear Stress and Water Column Turbulence for Benthic-Pelagic Coupling Studies: Design and Applications

Shear TUrbulence Resuspension Mesocosm (STURM) tanks, with high instantaneous bottom shear stress and realistic water column mixing in a single system, allow realistic benthic-pelagic coupling studies with sediment resuspension. The 1 m3 tanks can be programmed to produce tidal or episodic sediment resuspension for extended time periods (e.g. 4 weeks), over muddy sediments with a variety of benthic organisms. A resuspension paddle produces uniform bottom shear stress across the sediment surface while gently mixing a 1 m deep overlying water column. The STURM tanks can be programmed to different magnitudes, frequencies, and durations of bottom shear stress (and thus resuspension) with proportional water column turbulence levels over a wide range of mixing settings for benthic-pelagic coupling experiments. Over ten STURM calibration settings, RMS turbulent velocity ranged from 0.26 to 4.52 cm s−1, energy dissipation rate from 0.0016 to 2.65 cm2 s−3, the average bottom shear stress from 0.0035 to 0.19 Pa, and the instantaneous maximum bottom shear stress from 0.07 to 1.7 Pa. We have performed four 4-week benthic-pelagic coupling ecosystem experiments with tidal resuspension and stepwise erosion experiments (both with and without infaunal bivalves), carried out experiments on oyster biodeposit resuspension, mimicked storms overlain on tidal resuspension, and studied the effects of varying frequency and duration of resuspension on sedimentary contaminant release. The large size of the tanks allows water quality and particle measurements using standard oceanographic instrumentation. The realistic scale and complexity of the contained ecosystems has revealed indirect feedbacks and responses that are not observable in smaller, less complex experimental systems.

Porter, Elka T.↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Assessing Potential Geophysical and Environmental Impacts from Frequent Rocket Launch Missions at Kennedy Space Center

Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida has been utilized for space missions over many years with a gradually increasing number of rocket launches. There have been multiple studies where air-coupled acoustic waves and infrasound originating from launched rockets were used for operational purposes, such as locating booster trajectories as a function of changing atmospheric conditions. However, no study has utilized the acoustoelastic waves as a signal source for subsurface seismic investigations. We conducted a dispersion analysis using the seismic energy recorded from the Artemis I rocket launch at KSC in November 2022, and from these results we generated depth-sensitivity kernels at different wave frequencies. The kernels were compared with sedimentary core data to verify boundaries of carbonate layers above the Floridan Aquifer System. Accumulative information of bedrock-sediment boundary across the sedimentary platform could especially provide geo-structural evidence that manifests the configuration of coastal features. Continuous dispersion analysis of seismic recordings from consecutive rocket launches also has potential to identify non-stationary environmental effects, such as reorientation of sedimentary structures and fluctuation of the saltwater/groundwater lens from gravitational tides, which may affect erosional susceptibility of coastal features.

Han Byul Woo↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Assessing Potential Geophysical and Environmental Impacts from Frequent Rocket Launch Missions at Kennedy Space Center

Rocket Launch Seismicity↗

DOE OSTI2020

Impact of Wide-Area Oscillation Damping Control using Measurement-Driven Approach on System Separation - Saudi Grid Case Study

In any interconnected power grid, low-frequency oscillations is a major problem that can limit the power transfer capability and deteriorate power system security due to potential low-damped or even undamped oscillations. Synchronized measurements provided by PMUs enable the design and development of wide-area oscillation damping controllers (WADC) based on measurement-driven model to overcome the limitations of traditional controllers. This work focuses on the impact of a W ADC based on a measurement-driven approach on system separation for the Saudi Electricity Company (SEC) grid. A grid model is provided by SEC for this study. Modal analysis is performed to identify the oscillation mode of interest for which the controller is designed. Damping the dominant oscillation mode helps slightly to improve transient stability of the system. Considering bus frequency at different locations in SEC's system as the candidate observation signals, the optimal observation signal is chosen for the W ADC by using the FFT method. The system transfer function model is constructed by utilizing probing measurements. Then, the W ADC parameters are calculated based on the identified model. The performance of the designed W ADC is tested under different contingencies.

Altarjami, Ibrahim↗