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At least 829 records · Page 46

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NASA NTRS1974

Evaluation of coated columbium alloy heat shields for space shuttle thermal protection system application. Volume 3, phase 3: Full size TPS evaluation

The thermal protection system (TPS), designed for incorporation with space shuttle orbiter systems, consists of one primary heat shield thermally and structurally isolated from the test fixture by eight peripheral guard panels, all encompassing an area of approximately 12 sq ft. TPS components include tee-stiffened Cb 752/R-512E heat shields, bi-metallic support posts, panel retainers, and high temperature insulation blankets. The vehicle primary structure was simulated by a titanium skin, frames, and stiffeners. Test procedures, manufacturing processes, and methods of analysis are fully documented. For Vol. 1, see N72-30948; for Vol. 2, see N74-15660.

Baer, J. W.↗

NASA NTRS1973

Oscillator strengths of ultraviolet Fe I lines from hook-method measurements on a furnace

The hook method, which makes use of anomalous dispersion, was employed to measure 107 absolute oscillator strengths of Fe I on a high-temperature furnace. The absolute scale was established before and after each run by recording the anomalous dispersion near a strong resonance line with accurately known f-value. The results cover three lines with wavelengths from 1934 to 1941 A, and 104 lines lying between 2084 and 3194 A - mostly transitions originating from the a 5 D ground state. The average error of the f-values is plus or minus 20%, and the largest and smallest errors given are plus or minus 10 and plus or minus 60%. Disagreements exceeding an order of magnitude are found with previous values in the literature.

Banfield, F. P.↗

NASA NTRS1977

Temperature sounding from the absorption spectrum of CO2 at 4.3 microns

A new method is described for obtaining the temperature profile in the stratosphere and lower mesosphere from observations of the absorption spectrum of the high J lines of carbon dioxide at 4.3 microns. This concept is based upon the measurement of the integrated absorption of individual CO2 lines whose strengths depend strongly on temperature and that the absorption of these lines are obtained from measurements of the solar or stellar spectrum through an atmospheric path. The technique involves a rapidly converging iterative process in which the equivalent widths of the individual vibration-rotation lines of CO2 are used. Theoretical calculations are presented for balloon and satellite observations using a model atmosphere. Experimental results are given from spectra obtained with a balloon-borne Fourier interferometer spectrometer in which the sun was observed at low zenith angles. The experimental results are compared to rocketsonde data.

Toth, R. A.↗

NASA NTRS1979

Experimental studies of the formation/deposition of sodium sulfate in/from combustion gases

An optical polarization (ellipsometric) technique was developed for measuring rapidly growing and evaporating transparent liquid condensate films (e.g., boric oxide) on solid surfaces exposed to combustion product gases. Results for the B2O3 deposition rate from BCl3-seeded propane/air flames are shown to agree well with the results of earlier interference measurements, and also with theoretical CVD predictions. Evaporation rates (from platinum ribbons into seeded propane air flames) are estimated using the polarization technique. It appears that, compared with the interference method, the polarization technique places less stringent requirements on surface quality, which may justify the added optical components needed for such measurements. It is concluded that the complementary optical methods of polarization (ellipsometry) and interference hold considerable promise for application to the rapid measurement of condensation and evaporation rates in high temperature (e.g., combustion product) environments.

Rosner, D. E.↗

NASA NTRS1980

Time-temperature-stress capabilities of composite materials for advanced supersonic technology application, phase 1

Implementation of metal and resin matrix composites into supersonic vehicle usage is contingent upon accelerating the demonstration of service capacity and design technology. Because of the added material complexity and lack of extensive service data, laboratory replication of the flight service will provide the most rapid method of documenting the airworthiness of advanced composite systems. A program in progress to determine the time temperature stress capabilities of several high temperature composite materials includes thermal aging, environmental aging, fatigue, creep, fracture, and tensile tests as well as real time flight simulation exposure. The program has two parts. The first includes all the material property determinations and aging and simulation exposures up through 10,000 hours. The second continues these tests up to 50,000 cumulative hours. Results are presented of the 10,000 hour phase, which has now been completed.

Kerr, J. R.↗

NASA NTRS1979

Survey of MHD plant applications

Open-cycle MHD is one of the major R&D efforts in the Department of Energy's program to meet the national goal of reducing U.S. dependence on oil through increased utilization of coal. MHD offers an effective way to use coal to produce electric power at low cost in a highly efficient and environmentally acceptable manner. Open-cycle MHD plants are categorized by the MHD combustor oxidizer, its temperature and the method of preheat. The paper discusses MHD baseline plant design, open-cycle MHD plant in the Energy Conversion Alternatives Study (ECAS), early commercial MHD plants, conceptual studies of the engineering test facility, retrofit (addition of an MHD topping cycle to an existing steam plant), and other potential applications and concepts. Emphasis is placed on a survey of both completed and ongoing studies to define both commercial and pilot plant design, cost, and performance.

Lynch, J. J.↗

NASA NTRS1982

HIRS-AMTS satellite sounding system test - Theoretical and empirical vertical resolving power

The present investigation is concerned with the vertical resolving power of satellite-borne temperature sounding instruments. Information is presented on the capabilities of the High Resolution Infrared Radiation Sounder (HIRS) and a proposed sounding instrument called the Advanced Moisture and Temperature Sounder (AMTS). Two quite different methods for assessing the vertical resolving power of satellite sounders are discussed. The first is the theoretical method of Conrath (1972) which was patterned after the work of Backus and Gilbert (1968) The Backus-Gilbert-Conrath (BGC) approach includes a formalism for deriving a retrieval algorithm for optimizing the vertical resolving power. However, a retrieval algorithm constructed in the BGC optimal fashion is not necessarily optimal as far as actual temperature retrievals are concerned. Thus, an independent criterion for vertical resolving power is discussed. The criterion is based on actual retrievals of signal structure in the temperature field.

Thompson, O. E.↗

NASA NTRS1993

Wave properties near the subsolar magnetopause - Pc 1 waves in the sheath transition layer

We study the waves in the frequency range of Pc 1 in the sheath transition layer of the magnetopause from the ISEE 1 and 2 observations. The waves are enhanced in the sheath transition layer, although they are scattered into the magnetosheath when the outer edge of the sheath transition layer is not sharp. The wave frequency is proportional to, and equal to, about 44 percent of the ion gyrofrequency. The waves are left-handed polarized for southward IMF, but linearly polarized for northward IMF. The direction of maximum variation is perpendicular to both the background field and the gradients of the field and density for northward IMF; for southward IMF, the waves are more turbulent. Wave generation mechanisms may depend on IMF orientations rather than the shock geometry. To investigate the free energy generating the waves for northward IMF, a method is developed combining the measurements from the fast plasma experiment and Lepedea to obtain a high time resolution estimate of the temperature anisotropy for strongly northward IMF. The estimated ion temperature anisotropy is enhanced, up to a factor of 2, within the sheath transition layer for northward IMF.

Song, P.↗

NASA NTRS2002

Uses of Computed Tomography in the NASA Materials Science Program

Computed Tomography (CT) has proved to be of inestimable use in providing a rapid evaluation of a variety of samples from Mechanics of Granular Materials (MGM) to electronic materials (Ge-Si alloys) to space grown materials such as meteorites. The system at Kennedy Space Center (KSC), because of its convenient geographical location, is ideal for examining samples immediately after returning to Earth. It also has the advantage of the choice of fluxes, and in particular the use of a radioactive cobalt source, which is basically monochromatic. This permits a reasonable measurement of density to be made from which chemical composition can be determined. Due to the current dearth of long duration space grown materials, the CT instrument has been used to characterize materials in preparation for flight, to determine thermal expansion values, and to examine long duration space grown materials, i.e. meteorites. The work will first describe the establishment of the protocol for obtaining the optimum density readings for any material. This will include both the effects of the hardware or instrumental parameters that can be controlled, and the techniques used to process the CT data. Examples will be given of the compositional variation along single crystals of germanium-silicon alloys. Density variation with temperature has been measured in preparation for future materials science experiments; this involved the fabrication and installation of a single zone furnace incorporating a heat pipe to ensure of high temperature uniformity. At the time of writing the thermal expansion of lead has been measured from room temperature to 900 C. Three methods are available. Digital radiography enable length changes to be determined. Prior to melting the sample is small than the container and the diameter change can be measured. Most critical, however, is the density change in solid, through the melting region, and in the liquid state. These data are needed for engineering purposes to aid in the design of containment cartridges, and for enabling fluid flow calculations. A second sample, with the lead alloyed with antimony is ready for scanning. This corresponds to the planned composition of Dr. Poirier's flight experiment. Finally, three-dimensional results will be shown of the structure of a two-phase metallic meteorite of metal and sulfide, in which the iron-nickel phase has coarsened during slow cooling over hundreds of millions of years.

Engel, H. Peter↗

NASA NTRS1994

Noise Temperature Contribution of a Dichroic Plate in a Beam-Waveguide Antenna System

A 34m diameter antenna, built for NASA/JPL in 1990 at Goldstone, California, utilizes a beam-waveguide (BWG) design. It was discovered that if a dichroic plate is installed in a BWG antenna environment, high noise temperatures can result if the receiver system passband is greater than the passband for which the plate was designed. A method is presented for accurately calculating dichroic plate noise temperature for these conditions.

Dichroic Plate Beam-Waveguide Antenna↗

NASA NTRS2008

Exploiting Lunar Natural and Augmented Thermal Environments for Exploration and Research

Near the poles of the Moon, there are permanently shadowed craters whose surface temperatures never exceed 100 K. Craters within craters, commonly referred to as double-shaded craters, have areas where even colder regions exist with, in many cases, temperatures that should never exceed 50 K. The presence of water ice possibly existing in permanently shaded areas of the moon has been hypothesized, discussed, and studied since Watson et al. [1] predicted the possibility of ice on the moon. Ingersoll et al. [2] estimated that the maximum sublimation rate for ice is less than 1 cm per billion years for these types of environments. These potential ice stores have many uses for lunar exploration, potentially providing precious water and rocket fuel for any human exploration or future colonization. The temperatures within these regions offer unprecedented high-vacuum cryogenic environments, which in their natural state could support cryogenic applications such as high-temperature superconductors and associated devices that could be derived. The potential application of naturally occurring cryogenic environments in conjunction with simple methods to augment these environments to achieve even colder temperatures opens the potential use of many additional cryogenic techniques. Besides ice stores and the potential for continuous solar illumination for power production, the unique cryogenic conditions at the lunar poles provide an environment that could reduce the power, weight, and total mass that would have to be carried from the Earth to the Moon for lunar exploration and research.

Ryan, Robert E.↗

NASA NTRS2012

Regolith-Derived Heat Shield for Planetary Body Entry and Descent System with In Situ Fabrication

In this paper we will discuss a new mass-efficient and innovative way of protecting high-mass spacecraft during planetary Entry, Descent & Landing (EDL). Heat shields fabricated in situ can provide a thermal-protection system (TPS) for spacecraft that routinely enter a planetary atmosphere. By fabricating the heat shield with space resources from regolith materials available on moons and asteroids, it is possible to avoid launching the heat-shield mass from Earth. Two regolith processing and manufacturing methods will be discussed: 1) Compression and sintering of the regolith to yield low density materials; 2) Formulations of a High-temperature silicone RTV (Room Temperature Vulcanizing) compound are used to bind regolith particles together. The overall positive results of torch flame impingement tests and plasma arc jet testing on the resulting samples will also be discussed.

Hogue, Michael D.↗

NASA NTRS2015

In-Space Propulsion, Logistics Reduction, and Evaluation of Steam Reformer Kinetics: Problems and Prospects

Human space missions generate waste materials. A 70-kg crewmember creates a waste stream of 1 kg per day, and a four-person crew on a deep space habitat for a 400+ day mission would create over 1600 kg of waste. Converted into methane, the carbon could be used as a fuel for propulsion or power. The NASA Advanced Exploration Systems (AES) Logistics Reduction and Repurposing (LRR) project is investing in space resource utilization with an emphasis on repurposing logistics materials for useful purposes and has selected steam reforming among many different competitive processes as the preferred method for repurposing organic waste into methane. Already demonstrated at the relevant processing rate of 5.4 kg of waste per day, high temperature oxygenated steam consumes waste and produces carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and hydrogen which can then be converted into methane catalytically. However, the steam reforming process has not been studied in microgravity. Data are critically needed to understand the mechanisms that allow use of steam reforming in a reduced gravity environment. This paper reviews the relevant literature, identifies gravity-dependent mechanisms within the steam gasification process, and describes an innovative experiment to acquire the crucial kinetic information in a small-scale reactor specifically designed to operate within the requirements of a reduced gravity aircraft flight. The experiment will determine if the steam reformer process is mass-transport limited, and if so, what level of forced convection will be needed to obtain performance comparable to that in 1-g.

Logistics↗

NASA NTRS1992

Satellite-derived surface latent heat fluxes in a rapidly intensifying marine cyclone

The aim of this article is to estimate surface latent heat fluxes in the vicinity of a rapidly deepening cyclone before and during its period of most rapid intensification. This is done with a bulk parameterization scheme and remotely sensed input data. A method for estimating the difference in specific humidity between the surface and a 10-m height is investigated using the Special Sensor Microwave/Imager-observed integrated water vapor field and a sea surface temperature analysis. The surface latent heat flux fields generally have estimated errors below 40 percent south of 40 deg N and outside the region of high integrated water vapor values associated with frontal bands. The method of estimating surface latent heat fluxes for the case study was found to be usable in most regions of the northwest Atlantic Ocean except for those locations directly adjacent to coastlines in instances of offshore flow and in the vicinity of surface fronts.

Miller, Douglas K.↗

NASA NTRS2012

NASA Tech Briefs, March 2012

The topics include: 1) Spectral Profiler Probe for In Situ Snow Grain Size and Composition Stratigraphy; 2) Portable Fourier Transform Spectroscopy for Analysis of Surface Contamination and Quality Control; 3) In Situ Geochemical Analysis and Age Dating of Rocks Using Laser Ablation-Miniature Mass Spectrometer; 4) Physics Mining of Multi-Source Data Sets; 5) Photogrammetry Tool for Forensic Analysis; 6) Connect Global Positioning System RF Module; 7) Simple Cell Balance Circuit; 8) Miniature EVA Software Defined Radio; 9) Remotely Accessible Testbed for Software Defined Radio Development; 10) System-of-Systems Technology-Portfolio-Analysis Tool; 11) VESGEN Software for Mapping and Quantification of Vascular Regulators; 12) Constructing a Database From Multiple 2D Images for Camera Pose Estimation and Robot Localization; 13) Adaption of G-TAG Software for Validating Touch and Go Asteroid Sample Return Design Methodology; 14) 3D Visualization for Phoenix Mars Lander Science Operations; 15) RxGen General Optical Model Prescription Generator; 16) Carbon Nanotube Bonding Strength Enhancement Using Metal Wicking Process; 17) Multi-Layer Far-Infrared Component Technology; 18) Germanium Lift-Off Masks for Thin Metal Film Patterning; 19) Sealing Materials for Use in Vacuum at High Temperatures; 20) Radiation Shielding System Using a Composite of Carbon Nanotubes Loaded With Electropolymers; 21) Nano Sponges for Drug Delivery and Medicinal Applications; 22) Molecular Technique to Understand Deep Microbial Diversity; 23) Methods and Compositions Based on Culturing Microorganisms in Low Sedimental Fluid Shear Conditions; 24) Secure Peer-to-Peer Networks for Scientific Information Sharing; 25) Multiplexer/Demultiplexer Loading Tool (MDMLT); 26) High-Rate Data-Capture for an Airborne Lidar System; 27) Wavefront Sensing Analysis of Grazing Incidence Optical Systems; 28) Foam-on-Tile Damage Model; 29) Instrument Package Manipulation Through the Generation and Use of an Attenuated-Fluent Gas Fold; 30) Multicolor Detectors for Ultrasensitive Long-Wave Imaging Cameras; 31) Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) Command and Data Handling Flight Electronics Subsystem; and 32) Electro-Optic Segment-Segment Sensors for Radio and Optical Telescopes.

Source record↗

NASA NTRS2019

Review of MLI Behavior at Low Temperatures and Application to L'Ralph Thermal Modeling

In this presentation, the theory and application of multi-layer insulation (MLI) behavior, with a specific focus on lower temperature applications (<180K), is discussed. Many parameters can affect the performance of MLI (i.e. construction method, size, materials, grounding, penetrations, etc.) and these factors can make the prediction of MLI performance a challenge. Often, MLI performance is measured in terms of estar, and analysts commonly apply bias between a high and a low estar value. However, this approach can be dangerous when a mission goes through a wide range of temperatures during its lifetime (such as our mission, L'Ralph) due to temperature dependence of estar, with estar values increasing exponential as temperatures get colder. Many research papers and correlations have been published about MLI behavior, showing how estar values can rapidly rise at low temperatures. These correlations also show how the different parameters of MLI can affect and amplify this growth. Various correlations are presented as well as how L'Ralph is approaching the MLI problem. L'Ralph thermal model is built with Thermal Desktop (TD), and a discussion of how to apply the temperature dependent MLI behavior within TD is included. The presentation also includes reviews of different methods of mitigating heat leaks through MLI, touching briefly on topics such as integrated-MLI (IMLI), Dacron vs silk netting, and using multi-layered meshes to improve estar performance.

MLI↗

NASA NTRS1992

Satellite-derived surface latent heat fluxes in a rapidly intensifying marine cyclone

Surface latent heat fluxes are estimated in the vicinity of a rapidly deepening cyclone before and during its period of most rapid intensification. This was done with a bulk parameterization scheme and remotely sensed input data. A method is studied for estimating the difference in specific humidity between the surface and a ten meter height using the Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I) observed integrated water vapor field and a sea surface temperature analysis. The surface latent heat flux fields generally have estimated errors below 40 pct. south of 40 deg. N and outside the region of high integrated water vapor values associated with frontal bands. The method of estimating surface latent heat fluxes for the case study was found to be usable in most regions of the Northwest Atlantic Ocean except for those locations directly adjacent to coastlines in instances of offshore flow and in the vicinity of surface fronts.

Miller, Douglas K.↗

NASA NTRS1989

Miniature traveling wave tube and method of making

It is an object of the invention to provide a miniature traveling wave tube which will have most of the advantages of solid state circuitry but with higher efficiency and without being highly sensitive to temperature and various types of electromagnetic radiation and subatomic particles as are solid state devices. The traveling wave tube which is about 2.5 cm in length includes a slow wave circuit (SWS) comprising apertured fins with a top cover which is insulated from the fins by strips or rungs of electrically insulating, dielectric material. Another object of the invention is to construct a SWS of extremely small size by employing various grooving or etching methods and by providing insulating strips or rungs by various deposition and masking techniques.

Kosmahl, Henry G.↗