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NASA NTRS2026

Spacecraft Radiator Protection from Ionizing Radiation, Dust, and Excessive Heat Loss

Under a Phase II SBIR project funded by NASA Johnson Space Center (Contract No. 80NSSC25C0088), Analytical Scientific Products LLC (ASP) has been developing an actively controlled louver to protect spacecraft radiators from degradation due to exposure to various types of environmental conditions. Of particular interest are ionizing radiation during spacecraft transit through the Van Allen belts, dust during spacecraft landing and surface operations on the moon, and excessive heat loss during the long lunar night especially near the poles where the local ambient temperatures can drop below -200°C. Exposure to ionizing radiation and dust can degrade the optical properties of the radiator coating that in turn reduces its ability to reject excess heat from the spacecraft into the environment. Exposure to the extremely low temperature conditions during the lunar night near the poles can freeze the radiator fluids that can compromise the integrity of the radiator. Passive louvers constructed using thick aluminum vanes are used currently to protect spacecraft radiators from some of the above effects, but they have several drawbacks: (i) their high aerial density makes it impractical to scale them to protect the much larger spacecraft radiators needed for future manned missions to the moon and beyond, (ii) the bimetallic actuators used to open and close the vanes in passive louvers rely on external temperature alone and so the louver cannot offer protection from dust and ionizing radiation when the ambient temperatures are high, and (iii) the bimetallic actuators need time scales of the order of hours to open and close. We have addressed the above limitations of passive louvers through the development of a low aerial density and rapidly actuating actively controlled louver. It is constructed from a custom alloy that offers much higher levels of protection against the ionizing radiation, dust and excessive heat loss at a fraction of weight compared to passive louvers while providing opening and closing time scales of the order of a second. Our modular design makes it easy to scale the system up or down depending on the application. We have recently constructed a 31 inch × 31 inch module of this louver and tested its functionality and effectiveness. These tests have shown that the louver can be opened and closed in less than 2 s. It reduces the transmission of ionizing radiation by 78% to 100% (depending on the radiation source), dust transmission by more than 93%, and heat loss by more than 97%. We are currently preparing to evaluate this device at the Johnson Space Center’s cryogenic vacuum chamber where it can be subjected to simulated lunar surface conditions. This paper provides a detailed discussion of the test designs as well as the data from tests that demonstrate the effectiveness in reducing the transmission of ionizing radiation, dust, and heat under laboratory conditions.

Radiator↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Spacecraft Radiator Protection from Ionizing Radiation, Dust, and Excessive Heat Loss

Radiator↗

NASA NTRS2013

NASA Brief: Q-Thruster Physics

Q-thrusters are a low-TRL form of electric propulsion that operates on the principle of pushing off of the quantum vacuum. A terrestrial analog to this is to consider how a submarine uses its propeller to push a column of water in one direction, while the sub recoils in the other to conserve momentum -the submarine does not carry a "tank" of sea water to be used as propellant. In our case, we use the tools of Magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) to show how the thruster pushes off of the quantum vacuum which can be thought of as a sea of virtual particles -principally electrons and positrons that pop into and out of existence, and where fields are stronger, there are more virtual particles. The idea of pushing off the quantum vacuum has been in the technical literature for a few decades, but to date, the obstacle has been the magnitude of the predicted thrust which has been derived analytically to be very small, and therefore not likely to be useful for human spaceflight. Our recent theoretical model development and test data suggests that we can greatly increase the magnitude of the negative pressure of the quantum vacuum and generate a specific force such that technology based on this approach can be competitive for in-space propulsion approx. 0.1N/kW), and possibly for terrestrial applications (approx. 10N/kW). As an additional validation of the approach, the theory allows calculation of physics constants from first principles: Gravitational constant, Planck constant, Bohr radius, dark energy fraction, electron mass.

White, Harold↗

NASA NTRS2018

Satellite Sensor Requirements for Monitoring Essential Biodiversity Variables of Coastal Ecosystems

The biodiversity and high productivity of coastal terrestrial and aquatic habitats are the foundation for important benefits to human societies around the world. These globally distributed habitats need frequent and broad systematic assessments, but field surveys only cover a small fraction of these areas. Satellite-based sensors can repeatedly record the visible and near-infrared reflectance spectra that contain the absorption, scattering, and fluorescence signatures of functional phytoplankton groups, colored dissolved matter, and particulate matter near the surface ocean, and of biologically structured habitats (floating and emergent vegetation, benthic habitats like coral, seagrass, and algae). These measures can be incorporated into Essential Biodiversity Variables (EBVs), including the distribution, abundance, and traits of groups of species populations, and used to evaluate habitat fragmentation. However, current and planned satellites are not designed to observe the EBVs that change rapidly with extreme tides, salinity, temperatures, storms, pollution, or physical habitat destruction over scales relevant to human activity. Making these observations requires a new generation of satellite sensors able to sample with these combined characteristics: (1) spatial resolution on the order of 30 to 100-m pixels or smaller; (2) spectral resolution on the order of 5 nm in the visible and 10 nm in the short-wave infrared spectrum (or at least two or more bands at 1,030, 1,240, 1,630, 2,125, and/or 2,260 nm) for atmospheric correction and aquatic and vegetation assessments; (3) radiometric quality with signal to noise ratios (SNR) above 800 (relative to signal levels typical of the open ocean), 14-bit digitization, absolute radiometric calibration less than 2%, relative calibration of 0.2%, polarization sensitivity less than 1%, high radiometric stability and linearity, and operations designed to minimize sunglint; and (4) temporal resolution of hours to days. We refer to these combined specifications as H4 imaging. Enabling H4 imaging is vital for the conservation and management of global biodiversity and ecosystem services, including food provisioning and water security. An agile satellite in a 3-d repeat low-Earth orbit could sample 30-km swath images of several hundred coastal habitats daily. Nine H4 satellites would provide weekly coverage of global coastal zones. Such satellite constellations are now feasible and are used in various applications.

aquatic↗

NASA NTRS2010

Measuring a Fiber-Optic Delay Line Using a Mode-Locked Laser

The figure schematically depicts a laboratory setup for determining the optical length of a fiber-optic delay line at a precision greater than that obtainable by use of optical time-domain reflectometry or of mechanical measurement of length during the delay-line-winding process. In this setup, the delay line becomes part of the resonant optical cavity that governs the frequency of oscillation of a mode-locked laser. The length can then be determined from frequency-domain measurements, as described below. The laboratory setup is basically an all-fiber ring laser in which the delay line constitutes part of the ring. Another part of the ring - the laser gain medium - is an erbium-doped fiber amplifier pumped by a diode laser at a wavelength of 980 nm. The loop also includes an optical isolator, two polarization controllers, and a polarizing beam splitter. The optical isolator enforces unidirectional lasing. The polarization beam splitter allows light in only one polarization mode to pass through the ring; light in the orthogonal polarization mode is rejected from the ring and utilized as a diagnostic output, which is fed to an optical spectrum analyzer and a photodetector. The photodetector output is fed to a radio-frequency spectrum analyzer and an oscilloscope. The fiber ring laser can generate continuous-wave radiation in non-mode-locked operation or ultrashort optical pulses in mode-locked operation. The mode-locked operation exhibited by this ring is said to be passive in the sense that no electro-optical modulator or other active optical component is used to achieve it. Passive mode locking is achieved by exploiting optical nonlinearity of passive components in such a manner as to obtain ultra-short optical pulses. In this setup, the particular nonlinear optical property exploited to achieve passive mode locking is nonlinear polarization rotation. This or any ring laser can support oscillation in multiple modes as long as sufficient gain is present to overcome losses in the ring. When mode locking is achieved, oscillation occurs in all the modes having the same phase and same polarization. The frequency interval between modes, often denoted the free spectral range (FSR), is given by c/nL, where c is the speed of light in vacuum, n is the effective index of refraction of the fiber, and L is the total length of optical path around the ring. Therefore, the length of the fiber-optic delay line, as part of the length around the ring, can be calculated from the FSRs measured with and without the delay line incorporated into the ring. For this purpose, the FSR measurements are made by use of the optical and radio-frequency spectrum analyzers. In experimentation on a 10-km-long fiber-optic delay line, it was found that this setup made it possible to measure the length to within a fractional error of about 3 10(exp -6), corresponding to a length error of 3 cm. In contrast, measurements by optical time-domain reflectometry and mechanical measurement were found to be much less precise: For optical time-domain reflectometry, the fractional error was found no less than 10(exp -4) (corresponding to a length error of 1 m) and for mechanical measurement, the fractional error was found to be about 10(exp -2) (corresponding to a length error of 100 m).

Tu, Meirong↗

NASA NTRS1999

Global Geometric Properties of Martian Impact Craters: A Preliminary Assessment Using Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA)

Impact craters on Mars have been used to provide fundamental insights into the properties of the martian crust, the role of volatiles, the relative age of the surface, and on the physics of impact cratering in the Solar System. Before the three-dimensional information provided by the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) instrument which is currently operating in Mars orbit aboard the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS), impact features were characterized morphologically using orbital images from Mariner 9 and Viking. Fresh-appearing craters were identified and measurements of their geometric properties were derived from various image-based methods. MOLA measurements can now provide a global sample of topographic cross-sections of martian impact features as small as approx. 2 km in diameter, to basin-scale features. We have previously examined MOLA cross-sections of Northern Hemisphere and North Polar Region impact features, but were unable to consider the global characteristics of these ubiquitous landforms. Here we present our preliminary assessment of the geometric properties of a globally-distributed sample of martian impact craters, most of which were sampled during the initial stages of the MGS mapping mission (i.e., the first 600 orbits). Our aim is to develop a framework for reconsidering theories concerning impact cratering in the martian environment. This first global analysis is focused upon topographically-fresh impact craters, defined here on the basis of MOLA topographic profiles that cross the central cavities of craters that can be observed in Viking-based MDIM global image mosaics. We have considered crater depths, rim heights, ejecta topologies, cross-sectional "shapes", and simple physical models for ejecta emplacement. To date (May, 1999), we have measured the geometric properties of over 1300 impact craters in the 2 to 350 km diameter size interval. A large fraction of these measured craters were sampled with cavity-center cross-sections during the first two months of MGS mapping. Many of these craters are included in Nadine Barlow's Catalogue of Martian Impact Craters, although we have treated simple craters smaller than about 7 km in greater detail than all previous investigations. Additional information is contained in the original extended abstract.

Garvin, J. B.↗

NASA NTRS2012

Filling-in of Far-Red and Near-Infrared Solar Lines by Terrestrial and Atmospheric Effects: Simulations and Space-Based Observations from SCHIAMACHY and GOSAT

Mapping of terrestrial vegetation fluorescence from space is of interest because it can potentially provide global information on the functional status of vegetation including light use efficiency and global primary productivity that can be used for global carbon cycle modeling. Space-based measurement of solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence is challenging, because its signal is small as compared with the much larger reflectance signal. Ground- and aircraft-based approaches have made use of the dark and spectrally-wide 02-A (approx 760 nm) and O2-B (approx 690 nm) atmospheric features to detect the weak fluorescence signal. More recently, Joiner et a1. and Frankenberg et a1. focused on longer-wavelength solar Fraunhofer lines that can be observed with space-based instruments such as the currently operational GOSAT. They showed that fluorescence can be detected using Fraunhofer lines away from the far-red chlorophyll-a fluorescence peak even when the surface is relatively bright. Here, we build on that work by developing methodology to correct for instrumental artifacts that produce false filling-in signals that can bias fluorescence retrievals. We also examine other potential sources of filling-in at far-red and NIR wavelengths. Another objective is to explore the possibility of making fluorescence measurements from space with lower spectral resolution instrumentation than the GOSAT interferometer. We focus on the 866 nm Ca II solar Fraunhofer line. Very few laboratory and ground-based measurements of vegetation fluorescence have been reported at wavelengths longer than 800 mn. Some results of fluorescence measurements of corn leaves acquired in the laboratory using polychromatic excitation at wavelengths shorter than 665 nm show that at 866 nm, the measured signal is of the order of 0.1-0.2 mw/sq m/nm/sr. In this work we use the following satellite observations: We use SCIAMACHY channel 5 in nadir mode that covers wavelengths between 773 and 1063 nm at a spectral resolution of 0.54 nm. GOSAT has two instrument packages: the Thermal And Near-infrared Sensor for carbon Observation-Fourier Transform Spectrometer (TANSO-FTS) and the Cloud and Aerosol Imager (CAI). We use TANSO-FTS band 1, which extends from approximately 758 to 775 mn and we use cloud fraction derived from the CAL We compare satellite-derived fluorescence with the Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), an Aqua/MODIS-derived vegetation reflectance-based index that indicates relative greenness and is used to infer photosynthetic function.

Joiner, J.↗

NASA NTRS2001

Structure and Variability of Water Vapor in the Upper Troposphere and Lower Stratosphere

Upper-tropospheric humidity (UTH) has been synoptically mapped via an algorithm that rejects small-scale undersampled variance, which is intrinsic to asymptotic measurements of water vapor, cloud, and other convective properties. Mapped distributions of UTH have been used, jointly with high-resolution Global Cloud Imagery (GCI), to study how the upper troposphere is humidified. The time-mean distribution of UTH is spatially correlated to the time-mean distribution of cold cloud fraction (eta)(sub c) (T < than 230 K). Regions of large UTH coincide with regions of large eta(sub c), which mark deep convection. They also coincide with regions of reduced vertical stability, in which the vertical gradient of theta is weakened by convective mixing. Coldest cloud cover is attended convective overshoots above the local tropopause, which is simultaneously coldest and highest. Together, these features reflect the upper-troposphere being ventilated by convection, which mixes in moist air from lower levels. Histograms of UTH and eta(sub c) have been applied to construct the joint probability density function, which quantifies the relationship between these properties. The expected value of UTH in convective regions is strongly correlated to the expected value of eta(sub c). In ensembles of asymptotic samples, the correlation between epsilon[UTH] and epsilon[eta(sub c)] exceeds 0.80. As these expectations reflect the most likely values, the strong correlation between epsilon[UTH] and epsilon[eta(sub c)] indicates that the large-scale organization of UTH is strongly shaped by convective pumping of moisture from lower levels. The same relationship holds for unsteady fields - even though, instantaneously, those fields are comprised almost entirely of small-scale convective structure. The spatial autocorrelation of UTH, constructed at high resolution from overpass data along ascending and descending tracks of the orbit, is limited to only a couple of degrees in the horizontal. This mirrors the spatial autocorrelation of eta(sub c), which likewise operates coherently on short scales. The short correlation scale of UTH, which reflects the scale of individual convective systems, is comparable to the spacing of retrievals from MLS. These scales are undersampled in the asynoptic measurements. Despite their prevalence, the mapping algorithm described above successfully recovers synoptic behavior operating coherently on large scales. It reveals eastward migration of anomalous UTH from the Indian ocean to the central Pacific, in association with the modulation of convection by the Madden-Julian oscillation. Additional information is contained in the original extended abstract.

Salby, Murry L.↗

NASA NTRS2006

Improved Oxygen-Beam Texturing of Glucose-Monitoring Optics

An improved method has been devised for using directed, hyperthermal beams of oxygen atoms and ions to impart desired textures to the tips of polymethylmethacrylate [PMMA] optical fibers to be used in monitoring the glucose content of blood. The improved method incorporates, but goes beyond, the method described in Texturing Blood-Glucose- Monitoring Optics Using Oxygen Beams (LEW-17642-1), NASA Tech Briefs, Vol. 29, No. 4 (April 2005), page 11a. The basic principle of operation of such a glucose-monitoring sensor is as follows: The textured surface of the optical fiber is coated with chemicals that interact with glucose in such a manner as to change the reflectance of the surface. Light is sent down the optical fiber and is reflected from, the textured surface. The resulting change in reflectance of the light is measured as an indication of the concentration of glucose. The required texture on the ends of the optical fibers is a landscape of microscopic cones or pillars having high aspect ratios (microscopic structures being taller than they are wide). The average distance between hills must be no more than about 5 mso that blood cells (which are wider) cannot enter the valleys between the hills, where they would interfere with optical sensing of glucose in the blood plasma. On the other hand, the plasma is required to enter the valleys, and high aspect ratio structures are needed to maximize the surface area in contact with the plasma, thereby making it possible to obtain a given level of optical glucose-measurement sensitivity with a relatively small volume of blood. There is an additional requirement that the hills be wide enough that a sufficient amount of light can propagate into them and, after reflection, can propagate out of them. The method described in the cited prior article produces a texture comprising cones and pillars that conform to the average-distance and aspect-ratio requirements. However, a significant fraction of the cones and pillars are so narrow that not enough light can propagate along them. The improved method makes it possible to form wider cones and pillars while still satisfying the average-distance and aspect-ratio requirements. In the improved method, as in the previously reported method, multiple optical fibers are first bundled together for simultaneous texturing of their distal tips. However, prior to texturing by exposure to an oxygen beam, the tips are first coated by vapor deposition of a thin, sparse layer of aluminum: The exposure to the aluminum vapor must be short enough (typically of the order of seconds) so that the aluminum nucleates into islands separated by uncoated areas. The coated tips are textured by exposure to a directed beam of hyperthermal (kinetic energy >1 eV) oxygen atoms and/or ions in a vacuum chamber, as in the previously reported method. The aluminum islands partially shield the underlying PMMA from oxidation and erosion by the beam, so that the cones or pillars remaining after texturing are wider than they would otherwise be. To some extent, the dimensions of the hills and the distances between them can be tailored through choice of the thickness of the aluminum coat and/or the oxygen-beam fluence. The figure illustrates an example of texturing of the tip of a PMMA optical fiber without and with prior aluminum coating.

Banks, Bruce A.↗

NASA NTRS2014

Low-Cost, Class D Testing of Spacecraft Photovoltaic Systems Can Reduce Risk

The end-to-end verification of a spacecraft photovoltaic power generation system requires light! Specifically, the standard practice for doing so is the Large Area Pulsed Solar Simulation (LAPSS). A LAPSS test can characterize a photovoltaic system's efficiency via its response to rapidly applied impulses of simulated sunlight. However, a Class D program on a constrained budget and schedule may not have the resources to ship an entire satellite for a LAPSS test alone. Such was the case with the Lunar Atmospheric and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) program, which was also averse to the risk of hardware damage during shipment. When the Electrical Power System (EPS) team was denied a spacecraft-level LAPSS test, the lack of an end-to-end power generation test elevated to a project-level technical risk. The team pulled together very limited resources to not only eliminate the risk, but build a process to monitor the health of the system through mission operations. We discuss a process for performing a low-cost, end-to-end test of the LADEE photovoltaic system. The approach combines system-level functional test, panel-level performance results, and periodic inspection (and repair) up until launch. Following launch, mission operations tools are utilized to assess system performance based on a scant amount of data. The process starts in manufacturing at the subcontractor. The panel manufacturer provides functional test and LAPSS data on each individual panel. We apply an initial assumption that the per-panel performance is sufficient to meet the power generation requirements. The manufacturer's data is also carried as the performance allocation for each panel during EPS system modeling and initial mission operations. During integration and test, a high-power, professional theater lamp system provides simulated sunlight to each panel on the spacecraft, thereby permitting a true end-to-end system test. A passing test results in a step response to nearly full-rated current at the appropriate solar array switch in the power system. A metal-halide bulb, infrared imagers, and onboard spacecraft measurements are utilized to minimize risk of thermal damage during test. Data is provided to support test results for both passing and marginal panels. Prior to encapsulation in the launch vehicle, each panel is inspected for damage by the panel manufacturer. Cracked cells or other damage is amended on-site. Because the photovoltaic test system is inexpensive and portable, each repaired panel can be re-verified immediately. Post-launch, the photovoltaic system is again characterized for per-panel deviations from the manufacturer's performance test. This proved especially tricky as the LADEE spacecraft performs only one current measurement on the entire array. The algorithm for Matlab tools to assess panel performance based on spacecraft attitude is discussed. While not as precise and comprehensive as LAPSS, the LADEE approach leverages minimal resources into an ongoing assessment program that can be applied through numerous stages of the mission. The project takes a true Class D approach in assessing the technical value of a spacecraft level performance test versus the programmatic risk of shipping the spacecraft to another facility. The resources required are a fraction of that for a LAPSS test, and is easy to repeat. Further, the test equipment can be handed down to future projects without building an on-site facility.

photovoltaic↗

NASA NTRS1992

Airborne lidar and radiometric observations of PBL- and low clouds

Boundary layer- and low altitude clouds over open ocean and continent areas have been studied during several field campaigns since mid-1990 using the French airborne backscatter lidar LEANDRE in conjunction with on-board IR and visible radiometers. LEANDRE is an automatic system, and a modification of the instrumental parameters, when airborne, is computer controlled through an operator keyboard. The vertical range squared lidar signals and instrument status are displayed in real time on two dedicated monitors. The lidar is used either down- or up-looking while the aircraft is flying above or below clouds. A switching of the viewing configuration takes about a minute. The lidar measurements provide a high resolution description of cloud morphology and holes in cloud layers. The flights were conducted during various meteorological conditions on single or multilayer stratocumulus and cumulus decks. Analysis on a single shot basis of cloud top (or bottom) altitude and a plot of the corresponding histogram allows one to determine a probability density function (PDF). The preliminary results show the PDFs for cloud top are not Gaussian and symmetric about the mean value. The skewness varies with atmospheric conditions. An example of results recorded over the Atlantic ocean near Biarritz is displayed, showing: (1) the range squared lidar signals as a function of time (here 100 s corresponds to about 8 km, 60 shots are averaged on horizontal); the Planetary Boundary Layer (PBL) - up to 600 m - is observed at the beginning of the leg as well as on surface returns, giving an indication of the porosity; (2) the cloud top altitude variation between 2.4 to 2.8 km during the 150 to 320 s section; and (3) the corresponding PDF. Similar results are obtained on stratocumulus over land. Single shot measurements can be used also to determine an optical porosity at a small scale as well as a fractional cloudiness at a larger scale. A comparison of cloud top altitude retrieved from lidar and narrowbeam IR radiometer is conducted to study the scale integration problem. A good agreement within less than 100 m relies on spatial uniformity and an optically thick layer. In the presence of holes, a discrepancy is observed. This is illustrated in figure 2, displaying as a function of time (1) the lidar signals; (2) the target temperature (either clouds or sea surface) retreived from a narrowbeam IR radiometer, 17 C is the sea surface temperature on that day; and (3) the visible flux, linked to cloud albedo, measured by a pyranometer. In preparation of ASTEX, down- and up-looking measurements where conducted on stratocumulus clouds over the Atlantic Ocean near Quimper in Brittany. Depending on the flight pattern orientation with respect to the wind, the top and bottom cloud morphologies are different. Preliminary results are given on cloud morphology, cloud top PDFs, optical porosity, fractional cloudiness, and comparison of lidar and radiometric measurements.

Flamant, P. H.↗

NASA NTRS2011

Separation of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes with DEP-FFF

A process using a modified dielectrophoresis device separates single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) according to their polarizability in electric fields. This depends on the size and dielectric constant of individual nanotubes and easily separates metallic from semiconducting nanotubes. Separation by length has also been demonstrated. Partial separation (enrichment) according to bandgap (which is linked to polarizability) has also been shown and can be improved to full separation of individual types of semiconducting SWNTs with better control over operational parameters and the length of SWNT starting material. This process and device can be scaled affordably to generate useful amounts of semiconducting SWNTs for electronic device development and production. In this study, a flow injection dielectrophoresis technique was used with a modified dielectrophoresis device. The length, width, and height of the modified chamber were 28, 2.5, and 0.025 cm, respectively. On the bottom of the chamber, there are two arrays of 50-m-wide, 2-m-thick gold electrodes, which are connected to an AC voltage generator and are alternately arranged so that every electrode is adjacent to two electrodes of the opposite polar. There is an additional plate electrode on the top of the chamber that is negatively biased. During the experiment, a syringe pump constantly pumps in the mobile phase, 1-percent sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate (SDBS) solution, into the chamber. The frequency and voltage are set to 1 MHz and 10 V peak-to-peak, respectively. About 150 micro-L of SWNTs in 1- percent SDBS decanted solution are injected to the mobile phase through a septum near the entrance of the chamber. The flow rate of the mobile phase is set to 0.02 cu cm/min. The injected SWNTs sample flows through the chamber before it is lead into a fluorescence flow-through cell and collected for further analysis. The flow-through cell has three windows, thus allowing the fluorometer to collect fluorescence spectrum and visible absorption spectrums simultaneously. Dielectrophoresis field-flow fractionation (DEP-FFF) generally depends on interaction of a sedimentation force and DEP force for particle separation, and SWNTs are neutrally buoyant in water. In this innovation, the third electrode was added to create a sedimentation force based on DC electrophoresis. This makes this particular device applicable to separations on any neutrally buoyant particles in solution and a more general process for a broad range of nanomaterials sorting and separations.

Schmidt, Howard K.↗

NASA NTRS1994

Raman-shifting an ArF excimer laser to generate new lines for obtaining optical diagnostic based information in flow fields

The application of tunable excimer lasers in combustion and flow diagnostics is almost routine nowadays. The properties of this laser system that enable density and temperature measurements in supersonic and hypersonic flow fields to be conducted are its high power, high repetition rate, and high spectral brightness. The limitation imposed by this system on these measurements is the paucity of lines in the wavelength region, the vacuum-ultraviolet, where species of interest, such as OH, N2, O2, H2, H2O, CO, NO, etc., are susceptible to electronic excitation to high-lying states. To circumvent this problem one normally resorts to nonlinear optical techniques such as frequency conversion via stimulated Raman scattering (SRS), more commonly known as Raman shifting or Raman mixing, to extend these nonintrusive and nonperturbing techniques to the shorter wavelengths in the VUV region and, for that matter, to longer wavelengths in the infrared region, if the need arises. The theoretical basis of SRS and its application are well documented in the literature. In essence, the Raman shift is a consequence of the inelastic scattering of the incident radiation by the sample. Most of the scattered radiation from the molecules of the sample is unchanged in frequency. However, a small fraction of the incident radiation is changed in frequency. This shift is a result of the fact that some of the incident photons on colliding with the molecules of the sample give up some of their energy and emerge with a lower energy resulting in the lower-frequency Stokes radiation. Other incident photons may increase their energy by colliding with the vibrationally excited molecules of the medium and emerge as higher-frequency antistokes radiation. The generation of the latter is the main objective of this project. The process, however, depends on several factors, including the beam quality of the pump laser, the cross-section of the gaseous medium, the gas pressure, and the ambient temperature of the gas near the focal region. Furthermore, since the Raman shifting process is polarization sensitive, it is necessary to have all of the laser energy in a single polarization. These factors were taken into consideration in the execution of the project. The implementation of the Raman shift was accomplished by focusing the 193 nm output of an ArF excimer laser (Lamda-Physik LPX 150) into a 1-meter long high pressure recirculating Raman cell filled with H2 gas. The laser system was modified in order to improve the mode quality of the pump beam to enhance the Raman shifting. To accomplish this feat, a prism beam expander and grating on the oscillator discharge provided wavelength tuning over the excimer gain profile. Furthermore, a triple-pass configuration, as opposed to unstable resonator optics, was employed in the operation of the amplifier cavity so that when the oscillator output radiation, focused by a 51-cm focal length fused silica lens through a 50 micron pinhole (serving as a spatial filter) and recollimated with a 25-cm focal length lens, was fed into the amplifier, it was injection locked, thereby providing tunable radiation with relatively low divergence. The forward scattered radiation emanating from the impingement of the modified pump beam on the Raman cell was detected using an energy meter after the latter had been separated from it using a dispersing prism.

Koker, Edmond B.↗

NASA NTRS2000

Rate Constant and RRKM Product Study for the Reaction Between CH3 and C2H3 at T = 298K

The total rate constant k1 has been determined at P = 1 Torr nominal pressure (He) and at T = 298 K for the vinyl-methyl cross-radical reaction CH3 + C2H3 yields products. The measurements were performed in a discharge flow system coupled with collision-free sampling to a mass spectrometer operated at low electron energies. Vinyl and methyl radicals were generated by the reactions of F with C2H4 and CH4, respectively. The kinetic studies were performed by monitoring the decay of C2H3 with methyl in excess, 6 < |CH3|(sub 0)/|C2H3|(sub 0) < 21. The overall rate coefficient was determined to be k1(298 K) = (1.02 +/- 0.53)x10(exp -10) cubic cm/molecule/s with the quoted uncertainty representing total errors. Numerical modeling was required to correct for secondary vinyl consumption by reactions such as C2H3 + H and C2H3 + C2H3. The present result for k1 at T = 298 K is compared to two previous studies at high pressure (100-300 Torr He) and to a very recent study at low pressure (0.9-3.7 Torr He). Comparison is also made with the rate constant for the similar reaction CH3 + C2H5 and with a value for k1 estimated by the geometric mean rule employing values for k(CH3 + CH3) and k(C2H3 + C2H3). Qualitative product studies at T = 298 K and 200 K indicated formation of C3H6, C2H2, and C2H5 as products of the combination-stabilization, disproportionation, and combination-decomposition channels, respectively, of the CH3 + C2H3 reaction. We also observed the secondary C4H8 product of the subsequent reaction of C3H5 with excess CH3; this observation provides convincing evidence for the combination-decomposition channel yielding C3H5 + H. RRKM calculations with helium as the deactivator support the present and very recent experimental observations that allylic C-H bond rupture is an important path in the combination reaction. The pressure and temperature dependencies of the branching fractions are also predicted.

Thorn, R. Peyton, Jr.↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Surface Instability of Liquid Propellants in Microgravity During Pulsed Settling Operations

Pulsing reaction control system (RCS) thrusters, vent valves, or other propulsion devices can preserve propellant resources in space, but this operation also effectively introduces a vibration to the vehicle. When the vibration is perpendicular to the liquid propellant surface, Faraday waves may be generated at the liquid-vapor interface. These Faraday instabilities can perturb or break up the liquid surface of cryogenic tanks, leading to inefficiencies in thermal management or even ullage collapse. Drawing from theory and experiments, an engineering model defining the allowable design regions for pulsed settling in microgravity was assembled and verified with computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations. A traditional settling metric, the Bond number, was also overlaid in the model to indicate which duty cycles were insufficient to overcome surface tension and aggregate propellant. Mission planners and engineers can consult the tool to rapidly evaluate the stability of a liquid-vapor interface given the pulse frequency and the excitation acceleration. Expressions developed for Faraday waves induced by a sinusoidal forcing input at standard gravity were found to provide excellent predictive capabilities for pulsed, or rectangular, waveforms in the absence of a consistent gravitational acceleration. This study extends the usage of these equations to an alternative forcing function and microgravity environments for the purpose of estimating natural frequencies, surface mode shapes, surface wave amplitudes, and the onset of droplet ejection. CFD simulations with the Loci/STREAM-VoF (Volume of Fluid) solver were initially validated against experimental results in standard gravity. Discrete points on the design map were then investigated with CFD and confirmed that the engineering model reliably indicates surface stability and most Faraday wave characteristics without requiring higher-fidelity tools. The engineering model is highly extensible and can be adapted for various propellant fill fractions, fluid properties, and tank sizes.

Faraday Waves↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Surface Instability of Liquid Propellants in Microgravity During Pulsed Settling Operations

Faraday Waves↗

NASA NTRS1997

Root-Raised Cosine Filter Implementation That Uses Canonical Signed Digits for High-Speed Digital Filter Applications

NASA Lewis Research Center's Space Communications Division has been investigating high-speed digital filters that can operate at a higher speed than those in current use for a digital modulator and demodulator (modem). Using the Canonical Signed Digits (CSD) number representation for filter coefficients is a very effective way to increase the filter's speed while reducing complexity in the digital filter hardware design. This approach is a good alternative to using an expensive parallel-processing design technique or custom, application-specific integrated circuits. Such integrated circuits may not be suitable for applications that require filter speeds faster than what application-specific integrated circuits digital signal processors can offer for a dedicated channel. When a communication channel is a dedicated, multiplication process--a costly, time-consuming process--it can be greatly simplified by a replacement of the filter coefficients with CSD numbers. A computer code written with the MATLAB software package runs the program and generates CSD-represented filter coefficients that are based on minimizing minimum mean square errors. Also, the Alta Group of Cadence's Signal Processing Workstation is used to simulate and analyze the CSD filter responses. The impulse response of the root-raised cosine filter that is used as a base model is defined. From this filter, a set of coefficients is sampled and stored in a file. For the all coefficients, the optimal CSD number for each coefficient is searched on the basis of the minimum-mean-square-errors criterion. Because the distribution of CSD numbers is not uniform, quantization errors tend to be bigger for coefficients greater than 1/2. To offset errors that occur in a region of coefficients between 1/2 to 1 and to better represent fractions with CSD numbers, an extra nonzero digit is allowed for any coefficients exceeding 1/2. This will greatly improve frequency response as well as intersymbol interference at the receiver. The frequency response of a set of collected CSD-represented filter coefficients was compared with the same filter that was conventionally implemented. Analyses show CSD-implemented filters perform as well as conventional filters. Comparison of eye diagrams and bit-error-rate curves between CSD filters and traditionally implemented filters are almost indistinguishable. However, filter complexity was reduced from almost 3.5 to 1 for CSD filters. Complete computer simulation results are available. In the near future, work will focus on building actual working digital filter hardware in a field programmable gate array (FPGA).

Kim, Heechul↗

NASA NTRS2014

Assessing the Effect of Spaceflight on the Propensity for Astronauts to Develop Disk Herniation

BACKGROUND: A previous study [1] reported that the instantaneous risk of developing a Herniated Nucleus Pulposus (HNP) was higher in astronauts who had flown at least one mission, as compared with those in the corps who had not yet flown. However, the study only analyzed time to HNP after the first mission (if any) and did not account for the possible effects of multiple missions. While many HNP's occurred well into astronauts' careers or in some cases years after retirement, the higher incidence of HNPs relatively soon after completion of space missions appears to indicate that spaceflight may lead to an increased risk of HNP. The purpose of this study was to support the Human System Risk Board assessment of back pain, evaluate the risk of injury due to dynamic loads, and update the previous dataset which contained events up to December 31, 2006. METHODS: Data was queried from the electronic medical record and provided by the Lifetime Surveillance of Astronaut Health. The data included all 330 United States astronauts from 1959 through February 2014. Cases were confirmed by Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Computerized Tomography, Myelography, operative findings, or through clinical confirmation with a neurologist or neurosurgeon. In this analysis, astronauts who had an HNP at selection into the corps or had an HNP diagnosis prior to their first flight were excluded. The statistical challenges in using the available data to separate effects of spaceflight from those associated with general astronaut training and lifestyle on propensity to develop HNPs are many. The primary outcome is reported date of first HNP (if any), which at best is only an approximation to the actual time of occurrence. To properly analyze this data with a survival analysis model, one must also know the "exposure" time - i.e. how long each astronaut has been at risk for developing an HNP. If an HNP is reported soon after a mission, is it mission caused or general? If the former, exposure time should be counted from the time of landing (assuming the risk of HNP occurring during a mission is zero). If the latter, exposure time should be counted from the time of selection; however we can't directly know which one to use. In our analysis we take both of these possibilities into account with a competing risks model, wherein two distinct stochastic processes are going on: TG = time to HNP (general) and TS = time to HNP (spaceflight). Under this type of model, whichever of these occurs first is what we observe; in other words we don't observe TG or TS, only min(TG, TS). Here, we parameterized the model in terms of separate Weibull hazard functions for each process and estimated all parameters using maximum likelihood. In addition, we allowed for a "cured fraction" - i.e. the possibility that some astronauts may never develop an HNP. RESULTS: Results will include a depiction of the competing hazard functions as well as a probability curve for the relative likelihood that an HNP reported at a given time after a mission is actually mission caused. Other factors, such as dwell time in microgravity and vehicle landing environment will be explored. An overall assessment as to whether spaceflight truly exacerbates HNP risk will be made.

Feiveson, A. H.↗