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At least 757 records · Page 42

Free-spinning-tunnel Tests of a 1/26th Scale Model of the Douglas XTB2D-1 Airplane

A spin-tunnel investigation of a 1/26 scale model of the Douglas XTB2D-1 airplane has been conducted in the Langley 20-foot free-spinning tunnel. The effects of control settings and movements upon the erect- and inverted-spin and recovery characteristics of the model were determined for various loading conditions. Tests were also performed to determine the effects of various tail modifications. The investigation included emergency spin-recovery parachute tests as well as crew-escape and rudder- and elevator-force tests. All tests were performed at an equivalent spin altitute of 20,000 feet. The recovery characteristics of the model in the original design were found to be unsatisfactory. Installation of a large ventral fin, installation of tip fins on the horizontal tail, or installation of a small ventral fin in combination with antispan fillets and a spanwise extension of the horizontal-tail surfaces satisfactorily improved the recovery characteristics of the model.

Stone, Ralph W↗

Upward Mobility Program Handbook

This handbook contains the policy and program objectives of the NASA Upward Mobility Program. In addition it gives guidance regarding program planning, implementation, and evaluation and also describes the roles and responsibilities of key personnel responsible for the successful implementation of the program. The Federal Personnel Manual Chapter 720 explains the Federal Government's policy on upward mobility and is available from the installation personnel office upon request. This handbook is applicable to all NASA installations. Unless specifically limited, all responsibilities set forth in this plan for the Installation Personnel Director may be administered wholly or in part by the Personnel Director's designee. This handbook will be revised by page changes.

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System for Anomaly and Failure Detection (SAFD) system development

The System for Anomaly and Failure Detection (SAFD) algorithm was developed as an improvement over the current redline system used in the Space Shuttle Main Engine Controller (SSMEC). Simulation tests and execution against previous hot fire tests demonstrated that the SAFD algorithm can detect engine failures as much as tens of seconds before the redline system recognized the failure. Although the current algorithm only operates during steady state conditions (engine not throttling), work is underway to expand the algorithm to work during transient conditions. This task assignment originally specified developing a platform for executing the algorithm during hot fire tests at Technology Test Bed (TTB) and installing the SAFD algorithm on that platform. Two units were built and installed in the Hardware Simulation Lab and at the TTB in December 1991. Since that time, the task primarily entailed improvement and maintenance of the systems, additional testing to prove the feasibility of the algorithm, and support of hot fire testing. This document addresses the work done since the last report of June 1992. The work on the System for Anomaly and Failure Detection during this period included improving the platform and the algorithm, testing the algorithm against previous test data and in the Hardware Simulation Lab, installing other algorithms on the system, providing support for operations at the Technology Test Bed, and providing routine maintenance.

Oreilly, D.↗

Temperature measurement using infrared imaging systems during turbine engine altitude testing

This report details the use of infrared imaging for temperature measurement and thermal pattern determination during simulated altitude engine testing in the NASA Lewis Propulsion Systems Laboratory. Three identical argon-cooled imaging systems were installed in the facility exhaust collector behind sapphire windows to look at engine internal surfaces. The report describes the components of each system, presents the specifics of the complicated installation, and explains the operation of the systems during engine testing. During the program, several problems emerged, such as argon contamination system, component overheating, cracked sapphire windows, and other unexplained effects. This report includes a summary of the difficulties as well as the solutions developed. The systems performed well, considering they were in an unusually harsh exhaust environment. Both video and digital data were recorded, and the information provided valuable material for the engineers and designers to quickly make any necessary design changes to the engine hardware cooling system. The knowledge and experience gained during this program greatly simplified the installation and use of the systems during later test programs in the facility. The infrared imaging systems have significantly enhanced the measurement capabilities of the facility, and have become an outstanding and versatile testing resource in the Propulsion Systems Laboratory.

Burns, Maureen E.↗

Photovoltaic power without batteries for continuous cathodic protection

The COASTSYSTA designed, installed, and started up on 20 Jan. 1990, a state-of-the-art stand alone photovoltaic powered impressed current cathodic protection system (PVCPSYS) not requiring any auxiliary/battery backup power for steel and iron submerged structures. The PVCPSYS installed on 775' of steel sheet piling of a Navy bulkhead is continuing to provide complete, continuous corrosion protection. This has been well documented by COASTSYSTA and verified on-site by the U.S. Army Civil Engineering Research Laboratory, Champaign, Illinois and the Navy Energy Program Office-Photovoltaic Programs, China Lake, California. The Department of Defense (DoD) Photovoltaic Review Committee and Sandia National Laboratories consider this successful and cost effective system a major advance in the application of photovoltaic power. The PVCPSYS uses only renewable energy and is environmentally clean. A patent is pending on the new technology. Other possible PVCPSYS applications are mothballed ships, docks, dams, locks, bridges, marinas, offshore structures, and pipelines. The initial cost savings by installing a PVCPSYS vs. a conventional CP system was in excess of $46,000.00.

Muehl, W. W., Sr.↗

Measurement of the Coolant Channel Temperatures and Pressures of a Cooled Radial-Inflow Turbine

Instrumentation has been installed on the surface of a cooled radial-inflow turbine. Thermocouples and miniature integrated sensor pressure transducers were installed to measure steady state coolant temperatures, blade wall temperatures, and coolant pressures. These measurements will eventually be used to determine the heat transfer characteristics of the rotor. This paper will describe the procedures used to install and calibrate the instrumentation and the testing methods followed. A limited amount of data will compare the measured values to the predicted values.

Dicicco, L. Danielle↗

An instrumented fastener for shear force measurements in joints

Results are presented of a preliminary investigation of instrumented fasteners for use as sensors to measure the shear loads transmitted by individual fasteners installed in double splice joints. Calibration and load verification tests were conducted for instrumented fasteners installed at three fastener torque levels. Calibration test results show that the shear strains obtained from the instrumented fasteners vary linearly with the applied load and that the instrumented fasteners can be effectively used to measure shear loads transmitted by individual fasteners installed in double splice joints. The load distribution between individual fasteners is found to be dependent on the location of the fastener in the joint and the fastener torque level.

Sawyer, James W.↗

Software reuse environment user's guide

This document describes the services provided by the prototype Software Reuse Environment, which was developed by CTA for NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 520. This is one of three guides delivered by CTA as part of the environment. The other two guides are: Software Generation and Installation Guide; and SEMANTX--Defining the Schema. The Software Generation and Installation Guide describes the software source modules that make up the Reuse Environment, with instructions on how to generate and install an executable system from the source code. SEMANTX--Defining the Schema describes how a reuse database is created. Actually this guide is more general than the reuse database, as it describes how to generate a SEMANTX database. SEMANTX is an off-the-shelf tool that we have used to implement the reuse database. It is a product of Semantyk Systems, Inc. The Software Reuse Environment is built upon SEMANTX as well as on the IDE Structured Analysis Integrated Environment. (IDE is Interactive Development Environments, Inc.) SEMANTX itself is built on top of the Unify Database Management System. To use the Software Reuse Environment you should have the User's Manuals for SEMANTX, for Unify, and for the IDE software. CTA has provided all of these with the environment.

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STS-61 Space Shuttle mission report

The STS-61 Space Shuttle Program Mission Report summarizes the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) servicing mission as well as the Orbiter, External Tank (ET), Solid Rocket Booster (SRB), Redesigned Solid Rocket Motor (RSRM), and the Space Shuttle main engine (SSME) systems performance during the fifty-ninth flight of the Space Shuttle Program and fifth flight of the Orbiter vehicle Endeavour (OV-105). In addition to the Orbiter, the flight vehicle consisted of an ET designated as ET-60; three SSME's which were designated as serial numbers 2019, 2033, and 2017 in positions 1, 2, and 3, respectively; and two SRB's which were designated BI-063. The RSRM's that were installed in each SRB were designated as 360L023A (lightweight) for the left SRB, and 360L023B (lightweight) for the right SRB. This STS-61 Space Shuttle Program Mission Report fulfills the Space Shuttle Program requirement as documented in NSTS 07700, Volume 8, Appendix E. That document requires that each major organizational element supporting the Program report the results of its hardware evaluation and mission performance plus identify all related in-flight anomalies. The primary objective of the STS-61 mission was to perform the first on-orbit servicing of the Hubble Space Telescope. The servicing tasks included the installation of new solar arrays, replacement of the Wide Field/Planetary Camera I (WF/PC I) with WF/PC II, replacement of the High Speed Photometer (HSP) with the Corrective Optics Space Telescope Axial Replacement (COSTAR), replacement of rate sensing units (RSU's) and electronic control units (ECU's), installation of new magnetic sensing systems and fuse plugs, and the repair of the Goddard High Resolution Spectrometer (GHRS). Secondary objectives were to perform the requirements of the IMAX Cargo Bay Camera (ICBC), the IMAX Camera, and the Air Force Maui Optical Site (AMOS) Calibration Test.

Fricke, Robert W., Jr.↗

Metrology: Measurement Assurance Program Guidelines

The 5300.4 series of NASA Handbooks for Reliability and Quality Assurance Programs have provisions for the establishment and utilization of a documented metrology system to control measurement processes and to provide objective evidence of quality conformance. The intent of these provisions is to assure consistency and conformance to specifications and tolerances of equipment, systems, materials, and processes procured and/or used by NASA, its international partners, contractors, subcontractors, and suppliers. This Measurement Assurance Program (MAP) guideline has the specific objectives to: (1) ensure the quality of measurements made within NASA programs; (2) establish realistic measurement process uncertainties; (3) maintain continuous control over the measurement processes; and (4) ensure measurement compatibility among NASA facilities. The publication addresses MAP methods as applied within and among NASA installations and serves as a guide to: control measurement processes at the local level (one facility); conduct measurement assurance programs in which a number of field installations are joint participants; and conduct measurement integrity (round robin) experiments in which a number of field installations participate to assess the overall quality of particular measurement processes at a point in time.

Eicke, W. G.↗

Spin-Tunnel Investigation of a 1/28-Scale Model of the NASA F-18 High Alpha Research Vehicle (HARV) with and without Vertical Tails

An investigation was conducted in the NASA Langley 20-Foot Vertical Spin Tunnel to determine the developed spin and spin-recovery characteristics of a 1/28-scale, free-spinning model of the NASA F-18 HARV (High Alpha Research Vehicle) airplane that can configured with and without the vertical tails installed. The purpose of the test was to determine what effects, if any, the absence of vertical tails (and rudders) had on the spin and spin-recovery capabilities of the HARV. The model was ballasted to dynamically represent the full-scale airplane at an altitude of 25,000 feet. Erect and inverted spin tests with symmetric mass loadings were conducted with the free-spinning model. The model results indicate that the basic airplane with vertical tails installed (with unaugmented control system) will exhibit fast, flat erect and inverted spins from which acceptable recoveries can be made. Removing the vertical tails had little effect on the erect spin mode, but did degrade recoveries from erect spins. In contrast, inverted spins without the vertical tails were significantly more severe than those with the tails installed.

Fremaux, C. Michael↗

Recommended Strain Gage Application Procedures for Various Langley Research Center Balances and Test Articles

The NASA Langley Research Center uses more than 10000 strain gages per year in supporting its various research programs. The character of the testing at LaRC is such that the types of strain gage installations, the materials they are applied to, and the test environments encountered, require many varied approaches for installing strain gages. These installations must be accomplished in the most technically discerning and appropriate manner. This technical memorandum is offered as an assisting guide in helping the strain gage user to determine the appropriate approach for a given strain gage application requirement. Specifically, this document offers detailed recommendations for strain gaging the following: LaRC-Designed balances, LARC custom transducers, certain composite materials and alloys, high-temperature test articles, and selected non-typical or unique materials or test conditions.

Moore, Thomas C., Sr.↗

Field Micrometeorological Measurements, Process-Level Studies and Modeling of Methane and Carbon Dioxide Fluxes in a Boreal Wetland Ecosystem

The main instrumentation platform consisted of eddy correlation sensors mounted on a scaffold tower at a height of 4.2 m above the peat surface. The sensors were attached to a boom assembly which could be rotated into the prevailing winds. The boom assembly was mounted on a movable sled which, when extended, allowed sensors to be up to 2 m away from the scaffolding structure to minimize flow distortion. When retracted, the sensors could easily be installed, serviced or rotated. An electronic level with linear actuators allowed the sensors to be remotely levelled once the sled was extended. Two instrument arrays were installed. A primary (fast-response) array consisted of a three-dimensional sonic anemometer, a methane sensor (tunable diode laser spectrometer), a carbon dioxide/water vapor sensor, a fine wire thermocouple and a backup one-dimensional sonic anemometer. The secondary array consisted of a one-dimensional sonic anemometer, a fine wire thermocouple and a Krypton hygrometer. Descriptions of these sensors may be found in other reports (e.g., Verma; Suyker and Verma). Slow-response sensors provided supporting measurements including mean air temperature and humidity, mean horizontal windspeed and direction, incoming and reflected solar radiation, net radiation, incoming and reflected photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), soil heat flux, peat temperature, water-table elevation and precipitation. A data acquisition system (consisting of an IBM compatible microcomputer, amplifiers and a 16 bit analog-to-digital converter), housed in a small trailer, was used to record the fast response signals. These signals were low-pass filtered (using 8-pole Butterworth active filters with a 12.5 Hz cutoff frequency) and sampled at 25 Hz. Slow-response signals were sampled every 5 s using a network of CR21X (Campbell Scientific, Inc., Logan Utah) data loggers installed in the fen. All signals were averaged over 30-minute periods (runs).

Verma, S. B.↗

Residual Stress Measurements After Proof and Flight: ETP-0403

The intent of this testing was to evaluate the residual stresses that occur in and around the attachment details of a case stiffener segment that has been subjected to flight/recovery followed by proof loading. Not measured in this test were stresses relieved at joint disassembly due to out-of-round and interference effects, and those released by cutting the specimens out of the case segment. The test article was lightweight case stiffener segment 1U50715, S/N L023 which was flown in the forward stiffener position on flight SRM 14A and in the aft position on flight SRM24A. Both of these flights were flown with the 3 stiffener ring configuration. Stiffener L023 had a stiffener ring installed only on the aft stub in its first flight, and it had both rings installed on its second flight. No significant post flight damage was found on either flight. Finally, the segment was used on the DM-8 static test motor in the forward position. No stiffener rings were installed. It had only one proof pressurization prior to assignment to its first use, and it was cleaned and proof tested after each flight. Thus, the segment had seen 3 proof tests, two flight pressurizations, and two low intensity water impacts prior to manufacturing for use on DM-8. On DM-8 it received one static firing pressurization in the horizontal configuration. Residual stresses at the surface and in depth were evaluated by both the x-ray diffraction and neutron beam diffraction methods. The x-ray diffraction evaluations were conducted by Technology for Energy Corporation (TEC) at their facilities in Knoxville, TN. The neutron beam evaluations were done by Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL) at the Chalk River Nuclear Laboratories in Ontario. The results showed general agreement with relatively high compressive residual stresses on the surface and moderate to low subsurface tensile residual stresses.

Webster, Ronald L..↗

Experimental flight test vibration measurements and nondestructive inspection on a USCG HC-130H aircraft

This paper presents results of experimental flight test vibration measurements and structural inspections performed by the Federal Aviation Administration's Airworthiness Assurance NDI Validation Center (AANC) at Sandia National Laboratories and the US Coast Guard Aircraft Repair and Supply Center (ARSC). Structural and aerodynamic changes induced by mounting a Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR) system on a USCG HC-130H aircraft are described. The FLIR adversely affected the air flow characteristics and structural vibration on the external skin of the aircraft's right main wheel well fairing. Upon initial discovery of skin cracking and visual observation of skin vibration in flight by the FLIR, a baseline flight without the FLIR was conducted and compared to other measurements with the FLIR installed. Nondestructive inspection procedures were developed to detect cracks in the skin and supporting structural elements and document the initial structural condition of the aircraft. Inspection results and flight test vibration data revealed that the FLIR created higher than expected flight loading and was the possible source of the skin cracking. The Coast Guard performed significant structural repair and enhancement on this aircraft, and additional in-flight vibration measurements were collected on the strengthened area both with and without the FLIR installed. After three months of further operational FLIR usage, the new aircraft skin with the enhanced structural modification was reinspected and found to be free of flaws. Additional US Coast Guard HC-130H aircraft are now being similarly modified to accommodate this FLIR system. Measurements of in- flight vibration levels with and without the FLIR installed, and both before and after the structural enhancement and repair were conducted on the skin and supporting structure in the aircraft's right main wheel fairing. Inspection results and techniques developed to verify the aircraft's structural integrity are discussed.

US COAST GUARD↗

Some Acoustic Results from the Pratt and Whitney Advanced Ducted Propulsor: Fan 1

Noise measurements were obtained for the Advanced Ducted Propulsor (ADP) - Fan 1, with and without nacelle acoustic treatment. The fan was tested with no acoustic treatment (hard wall) and with acoustic treatment installed in three configurations in the nacelle (mid, mid plus aft, fully treated). The hard wall results showed that the radiated noise from the fan came primarily from the aft end of the nacelle. At takeoff and higher speeds, the noise measured at the inlet angles was also found to be dominated by noise from the aft end. Significant amounts of attenuation were observed with acoustic treatment installed and comparison with predictions showed the treatment gave more attenuation than predicted. Effective Perceived Noise Levels were determined for a large hypothetical 4 engine airplane. These levels showed that the installed acoustic treatment provided as much as 5 EPNdB of noise reduction. A traverse with a probe having three microphones, one above the other, showed azimuthal variations in the noise that need to be further investigated.

Dittmar, James H.↗

STS-103 Flight Day 5 Highlights and Crew Activities Report

Highlights of the fifth day of the STS-103 mission on board the space shuttle Discovery are shown in this videotape. The mission was led by Commander Curtis L. Brown, with Pilot Scott J Kelly, and Mission Specialists Steven L. Smith, Jean-Francois Clervoy, John M. Grunsfeld, Michael Foale, and Claude Nicollier. The main purpose of the mission was to service the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). The primary objective of the mission was to replace all six of the gyroscopes that make up the three Rate Sensor Units. In addition the Astronauts installed a new computer. During the 5th day Michael Foale and Claude Nicollier performed the servicing of the HST in an 8 hour 10 minute Extravehicular Activity (EVA). The servicing included the removal of the old computer and the installation of a new, faster computer with more memory. They also installed a new outer thermal layer to protect the computer. After this was finished the astronauts replaced one of the Fine Guidance Sensors (FGS), an optical sensor which allows NASA to point the telescope in the desired direction. The video includes actual live views of the HST in the shuttle's service bay, and footage of the repair and servicing EVA.

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STS-101: Crew Activity Report CAR/Flight Day 04 Highlights

On this fourth day of the STS-101 Atlantis mission, the flight crew, Commander James D. Halsell Jr., Pilot Scott J. Horowitz, and Mission Specialists Mary Ellen Weber, Jeffrey N. Williams, James S. Voss, Susan J. Helms, and Yuri Vladimirovich Usachev are seen performing final preparations for the scheduled space walk. Horowitz, Williams and Voss are seen in the mid-deck before the space walk. Horowitz and Weber are also seen in the flight deck, powering-up the robot-arm. During the space walk Voss is seen checking the American Cargo Crane-Orbital Replacement Unit Transfer Device. Voss and Williams are shown securing the American-built crane that was installed on the station last year. They are seen as they install the final parts (boom extension) of a Russian-built crane on the station. Voss and Williams are also shown as they replace a faulty antenna for one of the station's communications systems on the Unity Module, and install several handrails and a camera cable on the station's exterior.

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