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At least 793 records · Page 44
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2014

Micrometeoroid Impacts on the Hubble Sace Telescope Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2: Ion Beam Analysis of Subtle Impactor Traces

Recognition of origin for particles responsible for impact damage on spacecraft such as the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) relies upon postflight analysis of returned materials. A unique opportunity arose in 2009 with collection of the Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2) from HST by shuttle mission STS-125. A preliminary optical survey confirmed that there were hundreds of impact features on the radiator surface. Following extensive discussion between NASA, ESA, NHM and IBC, a collaborative research program was initiated, employing scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and ion beam analysis (IBA) to determine the nature of the impacting grains. Even though some WFPC2 impact features are large, and easily seen without the use of a microscope, impactor remnants may be hard to find.

Grime, G. W.↗
NASA NTRS1997

Dynamic Electrothermal Model of a Sputtered Thermopile Thermal Radiation Detector for Earth Radiation Budget Applications

The Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) is a program sponsored by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) aimed at evaluating the global energy balance. Current scanning radiometers used for CERES consist of thin-film thermistor bolometers viewing the Earth through a Cassegrain telescope. The Thermal Radiation Group, a laboratory in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, is currently studying a new sensor concept to replace the current bolometer: a thermopile thermal radiation detector. This next-generation detector would consist of a thermal sensor array made of thermocouple junction pairs, or thermopiles. The objective of the current research is to perform a thermal analysis of the thermopile. Numerical thermal models are particularly suited to solve problems for which temperature is the dominant mechanism of the operation of the device (through the thermoelectric effect), as well as for complex geometries composed of numerous different materials. Feasibility and design specifications are studied by developing a dynamic electrothermal model of the thermopile using the finite element method. A commercial finite element-modeling package, ALGOR, is used.

Weckmann, Stephanie↗
NASA NTRS1983

Fused silica mirror evaluation for the Shuttle Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF)

The SIRTF optics are intended for operation at 20 K (or less); it will be extremely inconvenient, expensive, and time consuming if it becomes necessary to accomplish all of the optical element testing, assembly, and alignment at comparable temperatures. The thermal strain behavior, including potential anisotropies and inhomogeneities, of a mirror substrate between room temperature and 20 K thus becomes a major factor in the selection of the substrate material, structural configuration, and joining methods for lightweight structures. With support from Space Projects, NASA Ames Research Center, an optical figure evaluation of a 0.65-meter, lightweight, fused silica mirror at a low-temperature goal of 20 K is being conducted. The design details of a thermal shroud, provisions for extracting heat from the low-conductivity mirror, and wavefront error sources other than the mirror surface are discussed and preliminary test results presented.

Barnes, W. P., Jr.↗
DOE OSTI2022

Validation of standardized data formats and tools for ground-level particle-based gamma-ray observatories

Context. Ground-based γ-ray astronomy is still a rather young field of research, with strong historical connections to particle physics. This is why most observations are conducted by experiments with proprietary data and analysis software, as is usual in the particle physics field. However, in recent years, this paradigm has been slowly shifting toward the development and use of open-source data formats and tools, driven by upcoming observatories such as the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA). In this context, a community-driven, shared data format (the gamma-astro-data-format, or GADF) and analysis tools such as Gammapy and ctools have been developed. So far, these efforts have been led by the Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescope community, leaving out other types of ground-based γ-ray instruments. Aims. We aim to show that the data from ground particle arrays, such as the High-Altitude Water Cherenkov (HAWC) observatory, are also compatible with the GADF and can thus be fully analyzed using the related tools, in this case, Gammapy. Methods. We reproduced several published HAWC results using Gammapy and data products compliant with GADF standard. We also illustrate the capabilities of the shared format and tools by producing a joint fit of the Crab spectrum including data from six different γ-ray experiments. Results. We find excellent agreement with the reference results, a powerful confirmation of both the published results and the tools involved. Conclusions. The data from particle detector arrays such as the HAWC observatory can be adapted to the GADF and thus analyzed with Gammapy. A common data format and shared analysis tools allow multi-instrument joint analysis and effective data sharing. To emphasize this, a sample of Crab nebula event lists is made public with this paper. Because of the complementary nature of pointing and wide-field instruments, this synergy will be distinctly beneficial for the joint scientific exploitation of future observatories such as the Southern Wide-field Gamma-ray Observatory and CTA.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS1989

InSb DRO array characteristics

Researchers tested 58 x 62 low-doped InSb diode arrays bonded to MOSFET readouts for their performance potential in a low background space environment. Of primary concern were the quantum efficiency, dark current and read noise. The quantum efficiency (45 percent at 3.3 microns) and dark current (less than 2.4e(-)/s) were found to be adequate for the Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF) experiments, while the read noise (200 e(-) RMS) was found to be wanting. More subtle concerns, such as image quality, linearity/calibratibility and flat fielding were also investigated. In these respects the arrays appear to be well suited for the high sensitivity, photometric accuracy, and image clarity demanded by the SIRTF experiments.

Forrest, W. J.↗
NASA NTRS1992

An application of artificial intelligence to automatic telescopes

Automatic Photoelectric Telescopes (APT's) allow an astronomer to be removed form the telescope site in both time and space. APT's 'execute' an observation program (a set of observation requests) expressed in an ASCII-based language (ATIS) and collect observation results expressed in this same language. The observation program is currently constructed by a Principal Astronomer from the requests of multiple users; the execution is currently controlled by a simple heuristic dispatch scheduler. Research aimed at improving the use of APT's is being carried out by the Entropy Reduction Engine (ERE) project at NASA Ames. The overall goal of the ERE project is the study and construction of systems that integrate planning, scheduling, and control. This paper discusses the application of some ERE technical results to the improvement of both the scheduling and the operation of APT's.

Swanson, Keith↗
NASA NTRS2000

Lidar Remote Sensing for Industry and Environment Monitoring

Contents include the following: 1. Keynote paper: Overview of lidar technology for industrial and environmental monitoring in Japan. 2. lidar technology I: NASA's future active remote sensing mission for earth science. Geometrical detector consideration s in laser sensing application (invited paper). 3. Lidar technology II: High-power femtosecond light strings as novel atmospheric probes (invited paper). Design of a compact high-sensitivity aerosol profiling lidar. 4. Lasers for lidars: High-energy 2 microns laser for multiple lidar applications. New submount requirement of conductively cooled laser diodes for lidar applications. 5. Tropospheric aerosols and clouds I: Lidar monitoring of clouds and aerosols at the facility for atmospheric remote sensing (invited paper). Measurement of asian dust by using multiwavelength lidar. Global monitoring of clouds and aerosols using a network of micropulse lidar systems. 6. Troposphere aerosols and clouds II: Scanning lidar measurements of marine aerosol fields at a coastal site in Hawaii. 7. Tropospheric aerosols and clouds III: Formation of ice cloud from asian dust particles in the upper troposphere. Atmospheric boundary layer observation by ground-based lidar at KMITL, Thailand (13 deg N, 100 deg. E). 8. Boundary layer, urban pollution: Studies of the spatial correlation between urban aerosols and local traffic congestion using a slant angle scanning on the research vessel Mirai. 9. Middle atmosphere: Lidar-observed arctic PSC's over Svalbard (invited paper). Sodium temperature lidar measurements of the mesopause region over Syowa Station. 10. Differential absorption lidar (dIAL) and DOAS: Airborne UV DIAL measurements of ozone and aerosols (invited paper). Measurement of water vapor, surface ozone, and ethylene using differential absorption lidar. 12. Space lidar I: Lightweight lidar telescopes for space applications (invited paper). Coherent lidar development for Doppler wind measurement from the International Space Station. 13. Space lidar II: Using coherent Doppler lidar to estimate river discharge. 14. Poster session: Lidar technology, optics for lidar. Laser for lidar. Middle atmosphere observations. Tropospheric observations (aerosols, clouds). Boundary layer, urban pollution. Differential absorption lidar. Doppler lidar. and Space lidar.

Singh, Upendra N.↗
NASA NTRS2009

Space Studies Board Annual Report, 2009

The year 2009 was one of transition for the nation, for NASA, and for the Space Studies Board (SSB). The nation pulled back from 2008's economic precipice, but did not return to the path of economic growth that it had been on. The United States inaugurated a new president who set out to build his administration. By mid-year President Obama had announced the appointment of Charlie Bolden as NASA administrator, and Lori Garver as deputy administrator. The president and Charlie Bolden jointly appointed an independent commission, the now well-known Augustine Commission, to provide guidance on the future of NASA's human spaceflight program. Many had known for quite a while that NASA's human spaceflight program faced a profound change at the time of the retirement of the space shuttle. This year was also a year of transition for the SSB. In 2009, Marcia Smith stepped down as staff director for both SSB and ASEB, and Dick Rowberg had a very good turn at the plate as a pinch-hitter. We are deeply indebted to both of them. We are pleased that, after a successful run as study director for Astro2010, Michael Moloney is now director of SSB and ASEB. The profound work begun in 2009 on the decadal surveys will only see the light of day later as they are released and the scientific work begins. The SSB will have much to report for 2010.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration(NASA↗
NASA NTRS2008

Design and Development of an In-Space Deployable Sun Shield for the Atlas Centaur

The Centaur, by virtue of its use of high specific-impulse (Isp) LO2/LH2 propellants, has initial mass-to-orbit launch requirements less than half of those upper stages using storable propellants. That is, for Earth escape or GSO missions the Centaur is half the launch weight of a storable propellant upper stage. A drawback to the use of Liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen, at 90 K and 20 K respectively, over storable propellants is the necessity of efficient cryogen storage techniques that minimize boil-off from thermal radiation in space. Thermal blankets have been used successfully to shield both the Atlas Centaur and Titan Centaur. These blankets are protected from atmospheric air loads during launch by virtue of the fact that the Centaur is enclosed within the payload fairing. The smaller Atlas V vehicle, the Atlas 400, has the Centaur exposed to the atmosphere during launch, and therefore, to date has not flown with thermal blankets shielding the Centaur. A design and development effort is underway to fly a thermal shield on the Atlas V 400 vehicle that is not put in place until after the payload fairing jettisons. This can be accomplished by the use of an inflatable and deployable thermal blanket referred to as the Centaur Sun Shield (CSS). The CSS design is also scalable for use on a Delta upper stage, and the technology potentially could be used for telescope shades, re-entry shields, solar sails and propellant depots. A Phase I effort took place during 2007 in a partnership between ULA and ILC Dover which resulted in a deployable proof-of-concept Sun Shield being demonstrated at a test facility in Denver. A Phase H effort is underway during 2008 with a partnership between ULA, ILC, NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) and NASA Kennedy Space Center (KSC) to define requirements, determine materials and fabrication techniques, and to test components in a vacuum chamber at cold temperatures. This paper describes the Sun Shield development work to date, and the future plans leading up to a flight test in the 2011 time frame.

Dew, Michael↗
NASA NTRS2016

The TESS Science Processing Operations Center

The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) will conduct a search for Earth's closest cousins starting in early 2018 and is expected to discover approximately 1,000 small planets with R(sub p) less than 4 (solar radius) and measure the masses of at least 50 of these small worlds. The Science Processing Operations Center (SPOC) is being developed at NASA Ames Research Center based on the Kepler science pipeline and will generate calibrated pixels and light curves on the NASA Advanced Supercomputing Division's Pleiades supercomputer. The SPOC will also search for periodic transit events and generate validation products for the transit-like features in the light curves. All TESS SPOC data products will be archived to the Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes (MAST).

Jenkins, Jon M.↗
NASA NTRS2015

Ultra-Compact Ka-Band Parabolic Deployable Antenna for RADAR and Interplanetary CubeSats

Over the past several years, technology and launch opportunities for CubeSats have exploded, enabling a wide variety of missions. However, as instruments become more complex and CubeSats travel deeper into space, data communication rates become an issue. To solve this challenge, JPL has initiated a research and technology development effort to design a 0.5 meter Ka-band parabolic deployable antenna (KaPDA) which would stow in 1.5U (10 x 10 x 15 cu cm) and provide 42dB of gain (50% efficiency). A folding rib architecture and dual reflector Cassegrainian design was selected as it best balances RF gain and stowed size. The design implements an innovative telescoping waveguide and gas powered deployment. RF simulations show that after losses, the antenna would have over 42 dB gain, supported by preliminary test results. KaPDA would create opportunities for a host of new CubeSat missions by allowing high data rate communication which would enable using high fidelity instruments or venturing further into deep space, including potential interplanetary missions. Additionally KaPDA would provide a solution for other small antenna needs and the opportunity to obtain Earth science data. This paper discusses the design challenges encountered, the architecture of the solution, and the antennas expected performance capabilities.

Sauder, Jonathan↗
NASA NTRS1998

A 2 THz Heterodyne Array Receiver for SOFIA: Summary of Research

We proposed to perform a comprehensive design study of a 16-element heterodyne array receiver for SOFIA. The array was designed to utilize hot-electron bolometers in an efficient, low-cost waveguide mount to achieve low noise performance between approximately 1500 and 2400 GHz. Due to the prevailing physical conditions in the interstellar medium, this frequency range is one of the richest in the Far-Infra Red (FIR) portion of the spectrum. An array designed for this wavelength range will make excellent use of the telescope and the available atmospheric transmission, and will provide a new perspective on stellar, chemical, and galactic evolution in the present as well as past epochs. A few of the most important molecular and atomic species which the instrument will sample are CII, OI, CO, OH, NII, and CH. The system used the most sensitive detectors available in an efficient optical system. The local oscillator was a compact CO2 pumped far-infrared laser currently under development for SOFIA. The backend spectrometer was an array acousto-optic spectrometer (aAOS). The spectrometer utilizes proven hardware and technologies to provide broadband performance (> 1 GHz per AOS channel) and high spectral resolution (1 MHz) with the maximum sensitivity and minimum complexity and cost. The proposed instrument would be the fastest and most sensitive heterodyne receiver ever to operate in the 1.5 - 2.4 THz band. One of the key technologies developed for the proposed instrument is the laser micromachining of waveguide structures. These structures provide both the optical link between the instrument and the telescope (via an array of efficient feedhorns) and the impedance transformation between the detectors and free space. With the assistance of funds provided from this grant, we were able to fabricate and test the world's first laser micromachined feedhorns. The quality of the waveguide structure is far better than that obtainable using any other fabrication technique. The beam parameters are an excellent match to what is expected from theory. The success of this experiment demonstrates the viability of using laser micromachined components in the development of high performance, large format array receivers. We have continued our development efforts and will propose to build a 2nd generation instrument based on the same design concepts.

Walker, Christopher K.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Planetary astronomy

Lunar-based astronomy offers major prospects for solar system research in the coming century. In addition to active advocacy of both ground-based and Lunar-based astronomy, a workshop on the value of asteroids as a resource for man is being organized. The following subject areas are also covered: (1) astrophysics from the Moon (composition and structure of planetary atmospheres); (2) a decade of cost-reduction in Very Large Telescopes (the SST as prototype of special-purpose telescopes); and (3) a plan for development of lunar astronomy.

Smith, Harlan J.↗
NASA NTRS2012

NASA Tech Briefs, April 2012

Topics include: Computational Ghost Imaging for Remote Sensing; Digital Architecture for a Trace Gas Sensor Platform; Dispersed Fringe Sensing Analysis - DFSA; Indium Tin Oxide Resistor-Based Nitric Oxide Microsensors; Gas Composition Sensing Using Carbon Nanotube Arrays; Sensor for Boundary Shear Stress in Fluid Flow; Model-Based Method for Sensor Validation; Qualification of Engineering Camera for Long-Duration Deep Space Missions; Remotely Powered Reconfigurable Receiver for Extreme Environment Sensing Platforms; Bump Bonding Using Metal-Coated Carbon Nanotubes; In Situ Mosaic Brightness Correction; Simplex GPS and InSAR Inversion Software; Virtual Machine Language 2.1; Multi-Scale Three-Dimensional Variational Data Assimilation System for Coastal Ocean Prediction; Pandora Operation and Analysis Software; Fabrication of a Cryogenic Bias Filter for Ultrasensitive Focal Plane; Processing of Nanosensors Using a Sacrificial Template Approach; High-Temperature Shape Memory Polymers; Modular Flooring System; Non-Toxic, Low-Freezing, Drop-In Replacement Heat Transfer Fluids; Materials That Enhance Efficiency and Radiation Resistance of Solar Cells; Low-Cost, Rugged High-Vacuum System; Static Gas-Charging Plug; Floating Oil-Spill Containment Device; Stemless Ball Valve; Improving Balance Function Using Low Levels of Electrical Stimulation of the Balance Organs; Oxygen-Methane Thruster; Lunar Navigation Determination System - LaNDS; Launch Method for Kites in Low-Wind or No-Wind Conditions; Supercritical CO2 Cleaning System for Planetary Protection and Contamination Control Applications; Design and Performance of a Wideband Radio Telescope; Finite Element Models for Electron Beam Freeform Fabrication Process Autonomous Information Unit for Fine-Grain Data Access Control and Information Protection in a Net-Centric System; Vehicle Detection for RCTA/ANS (Autonomous Navigation System); Image Mapping and Visual Attention on the Sensory Ego-Sphere; HyDE Framework for Stochastic and Hybrid Model-Based Diagnosis; and IMAGESEER - IMAGEs for Education and Research.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1988

CCD scanning for comets and asteroids

Some populations of objects in the solar system are still poorly known, and the long-range goal of this program is to improve that situation. For instance, the statistics of Trojan asteroids are uncertain, while previous serveying indicates there is an appreciable systematic difference between the L-4 and L-5 regions, which is hard to explain. Researchers are developing for this goal a new technique of sky surveillance, namely scanning with a charge coupled device (CCD). With its quantum efficiency and wavelength range greater than that of photographic plates, the CCD should be especially valuable for fast-moving objects such as near-Earth asteroids. A 320 x 512 pixel CCD has been in operation since 1983 on a telescope that is dedicated during the dark half of each month to sky surveillance, that is the Spacewatch Telescope which is the 91-cm Newtonian reflector of the Steward Observatory on Kitt Peak. The system was found to be of special value for astrometry. The telescope drive is turned off at a selected distance west of the object and the scan is continued such that the number of astrometric standards is optimized. Because the drive is off, the effects of refraction practically vanish.

Gehrels, Tom↗
NASA NTRS1997

The Encounter of P/Shoemaker-Levy 9 with the Jovian Plasma and Extended Sodium Cloud

The encounter of comet P/Shoemaker-Levy 9 with Jupiter during July, 1994, provided an unprecedented opportunity to observe any potential perturbations in the Jovian plasma torus and extended sodium cloud as the comet entered the planet's atmosphere. Though the most obvious affect of the encounter was the distinctive response of the visible disk to the impact of the cometary fragments, the potential disruptions to the extended Jovian atmosphere and the restoration of the system to equilibrium also provided a test for the current interpretation of the Jovian plasma torus and sodium magneto-nebula. The observations that were performed for this grant were made by a complementary group of researchers and could not have been made if the individuals worked singly. In a sense, the exciting opportunity provided by this astronomical event also provided a mechanism to test the potential of pooling limited resources from several sources to construct a state-of-the-art spectrally resolving instrument, to acquire the necessary time and resources from institutions that maintain world-class optical telescopes, to perform the observations with the assistance of students, and to analyze the data sets.

Niciejewski, R. J.↗
NASA NTRS2002

Superconducting Bolometer Array Architectures

The next generation of far-infrared and submillimeter instruments require large arrays of detectors containing thousands of elements. These arrays will necessarily be multiplexed, and superconducting bolometer arrays are the most promising present prospect for these detectors. We discuss our current research into superconducting bolometer array technologies, which has recently resulted in the first multiplexed detections of submillimeter light and the first multiplexed astronomical observations. Prototype arrays containing 512 pixels are in production using the Pop-Up Detector (PUD) architecture, which can be extended easily to 1000 pixel arrays. Planar arrays of close-packed bolometers are being developed for the GBT (Green Bank Telescope) and for future space missions. For certain applications, such as a slewed far-infrared sky survey, feedhorncoupling of a large sparsely-filled array of bolometers is desirable, and is being developed using photolithographic feedhorn arrays. Individual detectors have achieved a Noise Equivalent Power (NEP) of -10(exp 17) W/square root of Hz at 300mK, but several orders of magnitude improvement are required and can be reached with existing technology. The testing of such ultralow-background detectors will prove difficult, as this requires optical loading of below IfW. Antenna-coupled bolometer designs have advantages for large format array designs at low powers due to their mode selectivity.

Benford, Dominic↗
NASA NTRS2021

CME Magnetic Structure and IMF Preconditioning Affecting SEP Transport

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs) and solar energetic particles (SEPs) are two manifestations of the various solar phenomena that are known to cause severe space weather effects throughout the heliosphere. The evolution of CMEs after eruption, especially in terms of their magnetic structure, and the configuration of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) that influences the transport of SEPs are currently areas of active research. These two aspects are not necessarily independent of each other, especially during solar maximum when multiple eruptive events can occur close in time. Accordingly, we present in this work theanalysis of a CME that erupted from the Sun on 2012 May 11 (SOL2012-05-11) and an SEP event following an eruption that took place on 2012 May 17 (SOL2012-05-17),∼20◦in both latitude and longitude away from the May 11 CME source region. After observing in detailthe eruption and early evolution of the May 11 CME using remote-sensing data from three viewpoints, we evaluate its propagation through interplanetary space using several models.Then, we analyse in-situ measurements from five predicted impact locations (Venus, Earth, the Spitzer Space Telescope, the Mars Science Laboratory en route to Mars, and Mars) in the inner heliosphere in order to search for CME signatures. We find that all five in-situlocations detect signatures of an impulsive SEP event, which we trace back to the May 17 eruption. These findings suggest that the May 11 CME, which was crossing the various locations around the time of the May 17 eruption, provided a direct magnetic connectivityfor the efficient transport of SEPs with an impulsive profile. We discuss the space weather implications of CME evolution, regarding in particular its magnetic structure, and CME-driven IMF preconditioning that facilitates SEP transport from a later event. Finally, this work remarks the importance of the availability of data from multiple spacecraft, even those that do not include space weather research as their primary objective.

Erika Palmerio↗