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At least 793 records · Page 44

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NASA NTRS1979

An interpretation of the Voyager measurement of Jovian electron density profiles

Electron-density profiles measured for the daytime and nighttime Jovian ionosphere by the Voyager 1 radio-science experiment are analyzed. It is found that the measured profiles can be reproduced by using a model appropriate for an exospheric temperature of 1300 K with temperature varying above the homopause and with an eddy diffusion coefficient of 100,000 to 300,000 sq cm/s at the homopause. An overall rate constant of 4.3 x 10 to the -16th cu cm/s is estimated for the reaction H(+) + H2 (v-prime at least 4) yields H2(+) + H.

Atreya, S. K.↗

NASA NTRS1979

Discovery of a soft X-ray flux from AN Ursae Majoris

During November 1975, the soft X-ray detectors on the SAS 3 satellite scanned across AN Ursae Majoris, a star very similar to AM Herculis in its unusual optical properties. A soft (0.1-0.4 keV) X-ray flux averaging 2.8 x 10 to the -11th erg/sq cm-sec was detected from AN UMa, as had been anticipated by analogy with AM Her. Folding the X-ray flux measurement with the known binary period reveals an X-ray light curve with approximately 100% modulation, and thereby secures the identification of the X-ray source as AN UMa. Unlike the case in AM Her, the X-ray minimum in AN UMa occurs midway between optical linear-polarization peaks.

Hearn, D. R.↗

NASA NTRS1979

Soft X-ray emission from 2A 0311-227, an AM Herculis-type system

The low-energy detectors on board the HEAO 1 satellite have observed a variable soft X-ray source consistent with the location of 2A 0311-227. The maximum observed intensity is about 2 x 10 to the -11th erg/sq cm-sec. (0.18-0.43 keV) and the temperature must be less than 10 million K. The source is interpreted as a member of the AM Herculis class on the basis of the optical identification with a magnetic binary system.

Charles, P. A.↗

NASA NTRS1979

Chemical composition of Mars

The chemical composition of Mars is estimated from the cosmochemical model of Ganapathy and Anders (1974) with additional petrological and geophysical constraints. The model assumes that planets and chondrites underwent the same fractionation processes in the solar nebula, and constraints are imposed by the abundance of the heat-producing elements, U, Th and K, the volatile-rich component and the high density of the mantle. Global abundances of 83 elements are presented, and it is noted that the mantle is an iron-rich garnet wehrlite, nearly identical to the bulk moon composition of Morgan at al. (1978) and that the core is sulfur poor (3.5% S). The comparison of model compositions for the earth, Venus, Mars, the moon and a eucrite parent body suggests that volatile depletion correlates mainly with size rather than with radial distance from the sun.

Morgan, J. W.↗

NASA NTRS1979

Evaporation of ice in planetary atmospheres - Ice-covered rivers on Mars

The existence of ice covered rivers on Mars is considered. It is noted that the evaporation rate of water ice on the surface of a planet with an atmosphere involves an equilibrium between solar heating and radiative and evaporative cooling of the ice layer. It is determined that even with a mean Martian insolation rate above the ice of approximately 10 to the -8th g per sq cm/sec, a flowing channel of liquid water will be covered by ice which evaporates sufficiently slowly that the water below can flow for hundreds of kilometers even with modest discharges. Evaporation rates are calculated for a range of frictional velocities, atmospheric pressures, and insolations and it is suggested that some subset of observed Martian channels may have formed as ice-choked rivers. Finally, the exobiological implications of ice covered channels or lakes on Mars are discussed.

Wallace, D.↗

NASA NTRS1979

Titanium in silicon as a deep level impurity

Titanium inserted in silicon by diffusion or during Czochralski ingot growth is electrically active to a concentration level of about 4 x 10 to the 14th per cu cm. It is reported that Hall measurements after diffusion show conversion of lightly doped p-type Si to n-type due to a Ti donor level at E sub c -0.22 eV. In addition, in DLTS measurements of n(+)p structures this level shows as an electron (minority carrier) trap at E sub c -0.26 eV with an electron capture cross section of about 3 x 10 to the -15th per sq cm at 300 K. Finally, a Ti electrically active concentration of about 1.35 x 10 to the 13th per cu cm in p type Si results in a minority carrier (electron) lifetime of 50 nsec at 300 K.

Chen, J.-W.↗

NASA NTRS1979

Intensities and N2 collision-broadening coefficients measured for selected H2O absorption lines between 715 and 732 nm

Intensities and N2 collision-broadening coefficients are measured for 62 water vapor absorption lines between 715 and 732 nm potentially applicable to laser remote sensing of atmospheric water vapor. Absolute line strengths and widths were determined from spectra corrected for instrument resolution, air-path absorption and Lorentz and Doppler broadening for pure water vapor and water vapor-nitrogen mixtures in a multipass absorption cell with a base path length of 25 m (White cell). Line strengths are observed to range from 4 x 10 to the -25th to 4 x 10 to the -23rd kayser/molecule per sq cm, and collision broadening coefficients are found to be approximately equal to 0.1 kayser/atm.

Wilkerson, T. D.↗

NASA NTRS1979

Design and test of a prototype scale ejector wing

A two dimensional momentum integral analysis was used to examine the effect of changing inlet area ratio, diffuser area ratio, and the ratio of ejector length to width. A relatively wide range of these parameters was considered. It was found that for constant inlet area ratio the augmentation increases with the ejector length, and for constant length: width ratio the augmentation increases with inlet area ratio. Scale model tests were used to verify these trends and to examine th effect of aspect ratio. On the basis of these results, an ejector configuration was selected for fabrication and testing at a scale representative of an ejector wing aircraft. The test ejector was powered by a Pratt-Whitney F401 engine developing approximately 12,000 pounds of thrust. The results of preliminary tests indicate that the ejector develops a thrust augmentation ratio better than 1.65.

Mefferd, L. A.↗

NASA NTRS1979

Extreme Mean and Its Applications

Extreme value statistics obtained from normally distributed data are considered. An extreme mean is defined as the mean of p-th probability truncated normal distribution. An unbiased estimate of this extreme mean and its large sample distribution are derived. The distribution of this estimate even for very large samples is found to be nonnormal. Further, as the sample size increases, the variance of the unbiased estimate converges to the Cramer-Rao lower bound. The computer program used to obtain the density and distribution functions of the standardized unbiased estimate, and the confidence intervals of the extreme mean for any data are included for ready application. An example is included to demonstrate the usefulness of extreme mean application.

Swaroop, R.↗

NASA NTRS1980

Infrared heterodyne radiometer for airborne atmospheric transmittance measurements

An infrared heterodyne radiometer (IHR) was used to measure atmospheric transmittance at selected hydrogen fluoride (2.7 micrometer) and deuterium fluoride (3.8 micrometer) laser transitions. The IHR was installed aboard a KC-135 aircraft for an airborne atmospheric measurements program that used the sun as a backlighting source for the transmission measurements. The critical components are: a wideband indium antimonide (1nSb) photomixer, a CW HF/DF laser L0, a radiometric processor, and a 1900 K blackbody reference source. The measured heterodyne receiver sensitivity (NEP) is 1.3 x 10 to the -19th power W/Hz, which yields a calculated IHR temperature resolution accuracy of delta I sub S/-3 sub S = 0.005 for a source temperature of 1000 K and a total transmittance of 0.5. Measured atmospheric transmittance at several wavelengths and aircraft altitudes from 9.14 km (30,000 ft) to 13.72 km (45,000 ft) were obtained during the measurements program and have been compared with values predicted by the AFGL Atmospheric Line Parameter Compilation.

Wolczok, J. M.↗

NASA NTRS1980

Shuttle time and frequency transfer experiment

A proposed space shuttle experiment to demonstrate techniques for global high precision comparison of clocks and primary frequency standards is described. The experiment, using transmitted microwave and pulsed laser signals, compared a hydrogen maser clock onboard the space shuttle with a clock in a ground station in order to demonstrate time transfer with accuracies of 1 nsec or better and frequency comparison at the 10 to the -14th power accuracy level.

Allan, D. W.↗

NASA NTRS1979

Sputtering in mercury ion thrusters

Ground-based tests of Hg ion thrusters have identified sputter erosion of thruster components as one of the main life limiting phenomena. Subsequent measurements have revealed that sputtering rates can be affected by background gases at pressures as low as 10 to the -10th torr. With the recent interest in thin film technology, sputtering in the presence of reactive gases has been studied in great detail. This paper presents the results of many of those studies and applies them to the sputtering of electric thrusters. A model, which assumes that chemisorption is the dominant mechanism, is applied to the sputtering rate measurements of the screen grid of a 30-cm thruster in the presence of nitrogen. The model utilizes inputs from a variety of experimental and analytical sources. The model of environmental effects on sputtering was applied to thruster conditions of low discharge voltage and a discussion of the comparison of theory and experiment is presented.

Mantenieks, M. A.↗

NASA NTRS1979

Silicon in carbonaceous chondrite metal - Relic of high-temperature condensation

Electron microprobe analyses of an extraordinarily large metal grain from the Murchison type 2 carbonaceous chondrite gave 0.24 mole % silicon. Thermodynamic calculations show that this is a natural consequence of condensation of alloys from the solar nebular gas at a total pressure between 10 to the -5th and 10 to the -3rd atm, provided they failed to equilibrate with it after cooling to less than 1200 K

Grossman, L.↗

NASA NTRS1979

Solubility of noble gases in serpentine - Implications for meteoritic noble gas abundances

An investigation of the solubilities of the noble gases from synthesis and solubility studies of the sheet silicate mineral serpentine in carbonaceous chondrites is presented. Hydrothermal synthesis and exchange experiments were made at 340C and 1 kbar with noble gas partial pressures from 2 times 10 to the -8th power to 0.1 atm. The measured distribution coefficients for noble gases are not sufficiently high to account for the trapped noble gases in carbonaceous chondrites by exchange in solar nebula if meteoritic minerals have comparable distribution coefficients. Also, serpentine gains and loses noble gases to approach equilibrium values with the terrestrial atmosphere, indicating that this exposure may have influenced the noble gas abundances in phyllosilicate minerals of these chondrites. The dispersion of K-Ar ages of carbonaceous chondrites could be the result of phyllosilicates approaching equilibrium solubility of atmospheric Ar-40.

Zaikowski, A.↗

NASA NTRS1979

The distribution of titanium on the lunar surface

Titanium concentrations derived from the lunar-orbiting gamma-ray experiment on Apollo 15 and 16 by analyzing a spectral interval in which the titanium signal is relatively enhanced are presented. Landing site soil values provide the reference for a regression curve from which Ti concentrations in 137 regions of adequate counting statistics are calculated. Mare Tranquillitatis contains the highest, and Mare Crisium the lowest Ti concentration, and regional values in the western maria range from 1.1% to 4.1%. Highland Ti concentrations suggest a north-south symmetry which is not consistent with previously reported Fe and Th results. Comparisons with telescopic spectral reflectance studies of the maria do not show complete agreement and suggest that effects due to Fe may not have been fully removed from the reflectance data.

Metzger, A. E.↗

NASA NTRS1979

Far infrared, near infrared, and radio molecular line studies of HFE 2, HFE 3, and FJM 6

Far-infrared, near-infrared, and radio molecular-line observations of the regions of HFE 2, HFE 3, and FJM 6 are described. At positions of high molecular column density nearest to the reported positions of these sources, their infrared emission cannot be confirmed at upper bounds below those of the original detection. Near-infrared observations of the FJM 6 region (which includes the Bok globule Barnard 361) reveal a number of stellar sources, most of which are behind the molecular cloud and are reddened by it. Visual extinction through B 361 estimated by star counts yields A sub V/N(/C-13/O) = 3.7 + or - 1.6) x 10 to the -16th mag sq cm. The gas temperature and the upper bound on the dust temperature in the FJM 6 region are consistent with cosmic-ray heating of the cloud, while the values of these parameters for the clouds in the HFE 2 and HFE 3 regions do not appear consistent with either cosmic-ray or radiative heating.

Fischer, J.↗

NASA NTRS1979

Sudden grain nucleation and growth in supernova and nova ejecta

The thermal conditions leading to the rapid nucleation and growth of dust in astronomical explosions are examined. The contribution to nucleation physics lies only in the clarification of the ambient conditions where it apparently occurs. In both nova and interior shells of supernovae, dust precipitates in gas densities of the order of 10 to the -14th g/cu cm a few months after the explosion. The ambient conditions differ widely, however. Supernova condensation occurs in a thermal equilibrium, with photons, ions, electrons, and grains having equal temperatures. In novae huge disequilibria exist, with photon and electron temperatures near 50,000 K, photon energy density near 750 K, and forming refractory grains near 1800 K. In neither type of explosion can the condensed matter easily maintain chemical equilibrium with the total system. Interesting isotopic anomalies are trapped in both types of refractory condensate in the interstellar medium. The nova provides the best astronomical laboratory for observing the condensation.

Clayton, D. D.↗

NASA NTRS1979

HEAO-1 observations of AM Herculis between 0.1 and 3 keV

Results are reported for HEAO A2 scanning observations of AM Her in the energy range from 0.1 to 3 keV. A light curve of AM Her is plotted, a typical flux of 8 x 10 to the -10th erg/sq cm-sec in the 0.15-0.5-keV range at X-ray maximum is estimated, and no pronounced spectral variation with phase is detected. It is found that both a 0.025-keV blackbody spectrum and an exponential spectrum with an energy-dependent Gaunt factor provide an acceptable fit to the data. It is concluded that the spectrum of the radiation from the plasma at the surface of the strongly magnetic and relatively massive white dwarf in AM Her consists of three components: (1) a high-temperature (about 100 million to 1 billion K) component produced by electron-ion bremsstrahlung in the hot postshock plasma; (2) a blackbody component of about 100,000 to 1 million K produced by the heated surface of the white dwarf; and (3) a still softer component produced by optically thick electron cyclotron emission in the postshock region.

Tuohy, I. R.↗