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At least 883 records · Page 49

Analysis of Plume Impingement Effects from Orion Crew Service Module Dual Reaction Control System Engine Firings

Plume impingement effects on the Orion Crew Service Module (CSM) were analyzed for various dual Reaction Control System (RCS) engine firings and various configurations of the solar arrays. The study was performed using a decoupled computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and Direct Simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) approach. This approach included a single jet plume solution for the R1E RCS engine computed with the General Aerodynamic Simulation Program (GASP) CFD code. The CFD solution was used to create an inflow surface for the DSMC solution based on the Bird continuum breakdown parameter. The DSMC solution was then used to model the dual RCS plume impingement effects on the entire CSM geometry with deployed solar arrays. However, because the continuum breakdown parameter of 0.5 could not be achieved due to geometrical constraints and because high resolution in the plume shock interaction region is desired, a focused DSMC simulation modeling only the plumes and the shock interaction region was performed. This high resolution intermediate solution was then used as the inflow to the larger DSMC solution to obtain plume impingement heating, forces, and moments on the CSM and the solar arrays for a total of 21 cases that were analyzed. The results of these simulations were used to populate the Orion CSM Aerothermal Database.

Prisbell, Andrew↗

Continuous Lidar Monitoring of Polar Stratospheric Clouds at the South Pole

Polar stratospheric clouds (PSC) play a primary role in the formation of annual ozone holes over Antarctica during the austral sunrise. Meridional temperature gradients in the lower stratosphere and upper troposphere, caused by strong radiative cooling, induce a broad dynamic vortex centered near the South Pole that decouples and insulates the winter polar airmass. PSC nucleate and grow as vortex temperatures gradually fall below equilibrium saturation and frost points for ambient sulfate, nitrate, and water vapor concentrations (generally below 197 K). Cloud surfaces promote heterogeneous reactions that convert stable chlorine and bromine-based molecules into photochemically active ones. As spring nears, and the sun reappears and rises, photolysis decomposes these partitioned compounds into individual halogen atoms that react with and catalytically destroy thousands of ozone molecules before they are stochastically neutralized. Despite a generic understanding of the ozone hole paradigm, many key components of the system, such as cloud occurrence, phase, and composition; particle growth mechanisms; and denitrification of the lower stratosphere have yet to be fully resolved. Satellite-based observations have dramatically improved the ability to detect PSC and quantify seasonal polar chemical partitioning. However, coverage directly over the Antarctic plateau is limited by polar-orbiting tracks that rarely exceed 80 degrees S. In December 1999, a NASA Micropulse Lidar Network instrument (MPLNET) was first deployed to the NOAA Earth Systems Research Laboratory (ESRL) Atmospheric Research Observatory at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station for continuous cloud and aerosol profiling. MPLNET instruments are eye-safe, capable of full-time autonomous operation, and suitably rugged and compact to withstand long-term remote deployment. With only brief interruptions during the winters of 2001 and 2002, a nearly continuous data archive exists to the present.

OZONE DESTRUCTION↗

Applied Joint-Space Torque and Stiffness Control of Tendon-Driven Fingers

Existing tendon-driven fingers have applied force control through independent tension controllers on each tendon, i.e. in the tendon-space. The coupled kinematics of the tendons, however, cause such controllers to exhibit a transient coupling in their response. This problem can be resolved by alternatively framing the controllers in the joint-space of the manipulator. This work presents a joint-space torque control law that demonstrates both a decoupled and significantly faster response than an equivalent tendon-space formulation. The law also demonstrates greater speed and robustness than comparable PI controllers. In addition, a tension distribution algorithm is presented here to allocate forces from the joints to the tendons. It allocates the tensions so that they satisfy both an upper and lower bound, and it does so without requiring linear programming or open-ended iterations. The control law and tension distribution algorithm are implemented on the robotic hand of Robonaut-2.

Abdallah, Muhammad E.↗

Flight Test Results from the NF-15B Intelligent Flight Control System (IFCS) Project with Adaptation to a Simulated Stabilator Failure

Adaptive flight control systems have the potential to be more resilient to extreme changes in airplane behavior. Extreme changes could be a result of a system failure or of damage to the airplane. A direct adaptive neural-network-based flight control system was developed for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration NF-15B Intelligent Flight Control System airplane and subjected to an inflight simulation of a failed (frozen) (unmovable) stabilator. Formation flight handling qualities evaluations were performed with and without neural network adaptation. The results of these flight tests are presented. Comparison with simulation predictions and analysis of the performance of the adaptation system are discussed. The performance of the adaptation system is assessed in terms of its ability to decouple the roll and pitch response and reestablish good onboard model tracking. Flight evaluation with the simulated stabilator failure and adaptation engaged showed that there was generally improvement in the pitch response; however, a tendency for roll pilot-induced oscillation was experienced. A detailed discussion of the cause of the mixed results is presented.

Bosworth, John T.↗

The Mineralogy of Circumstellar Silicates Preserved in Cometary Dust

Interplanetary dust particles (IDPs) contain a record of the building blocks of the solar system including presolar grains, molecular cloud material, and materials formed in the early solar nebula. Cometary IDPs have remained relatively unaltered since their accretion because of the lack of parent body thermal and aqueous alteration. We are using coordinated transmission electron microscope (TEM) and ion microprobe studies to establish the origins of the various components within cometary IDPs. Of particular interest is the nature and abundance of presolar silicates in these particles because astronomical observations suggest that crystalline and amorphous silicates are the dominant grain types produced in young main sequence stars and evolved O-rich stars. Five circumstellar grains have been identified including three amorphous silicate grains and two polycrystalline aggregates. All of these grains are between 0.2 and 0.5 micrometers in size. The isotopic compositions of all five presolar silicate grains fall within the range of presolar oxides and silicates, having large (17)O-enrichments and normal (18)O/(16)O ratios (Group 1 grains from AGB and RG stars). The amorphous silicates are chemically heterogeneous and contain nanophase FeNi metal and FeS grains in a Mg-silicate matrix. Two of the amorphous silicate grains are aggregates with subgrains showing variable Mg/Si ratios in chemical maps. The polycrystalline grains show annealed textures (equilibrium grains boundaries, uniform Mg/Fe ratios), and consist of 50-100 nm enstatite and pyrrhotite grains with lesser forsterite. One of the polycrystalline aggregates contains a subgrain of diopside. The polycrystalline aggregates form by subsolidus annealing of amorphous precursors. The bulk compositions of the five grains span a wide range in Mg/Si ratios from 0.4 to 1.2 (avg. 0.86). The average Fe/Si (0.40) and S/Si (0.21) ratios show a much narrower range of values and are approximately 50% of their solar abundances. The latter observation may indicate a decoupling of the silicate and sulfide components in grains that condense in stellar outflows. The amorphous silicate grains described here were not extensively affected by irradiation, sputtering, or thermal processing and may represent relatively pristine circumstellar grains. They are strong candidates for the "dirty silicates" in astronomical observations of circumstellar dust shells. The polycrystalline grains were originally amorphous silicate grains that were likely annealed in the early solar nebula but the processing was not sufficient to erase their anomalous oxygen isotopic compositions.

Keller, L. P.↗

Transition in Gas Turbine Control System Architecture: Modular, Distributed, and Embedded

Controls systems are an increasingly important component of turbine-engine system technology. However, as engines become more capable, the control system itself becomes ever more constrained by the inherent environmental conditions of the engine; a relationship forced by the continued reliance on commercial electronics technology. A revolutionary change in the architecture of turbine-engine control systems will change this paradigm and result in fully distributed engine control systems. Initially, the revolution will begin with the physical decoupling of the control law processor from the hostile engine environment using a digital communications network and engine-mounted high temperature electronics requiring little or no thermal control. The vision for the evolution of distributed control capability from this initial implementation to fully distributed and embedded control is described in a roadmap and implementation plan. The development of this plan is the result of discussions with government and industry stakeholders

Culley, Dennis↗

Generating Vegetation Leaf Area Index Earth System Data Record from Multiple Sensors: Theory - Part 1

The generation of multi-decade long Earth System Data Records (ESDRs) of Leaf Area Index (LAI) and Fraction of Photosynthetically Active Radiation absorbed by vegetation (FPAR) from remote sensing measurements of multiple sensors is key to monitoring long-term changes in vegetation due to natural and anthropogenic influences. Challenges in developing such ESDRs include problems in remote sensing science (modeling of variability in global vegetation, scaling, atmospheric correction) and sensor hardware (differences in spatial resolution, spectral bands, calibration, and information content). In this paper, we develop a physically based approach for deriving LAI and FPAR products from the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) data that are of comparable quality to the Moderate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) LAI and FPAR products, thus realizing the objective of producing a long (multi-decadal) time series of these products. The approach is based on the radiative transfer theory of canopy spectral invariants which facilitates parameterization of the canopy spectral bidirectional reflectance factor (BRF). The methodology permits decoupling of the structural and radiometric components and obeys the energy conservation law. The approach is applicable to any optical sensor, however, it requires selection of sensor-specific values of configurable parameters, namely, the single scattering albedo and data uncertainty. According to the theory of spectral invariants, the single scattering albedo is a function of the spatial scale, and thus, accounts for the variation in BRF with sensor spatial resolution. Likewise, the single scattering albedo accounts for the variation in spectral BRF with sensor bandwidths. The second adjustable parameter is data uncertainty, which accounts for varying information content of the remote sensing measurements, i.e., Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI, low information content), vs. spectral BRF (higher information content). Implementation of this approach indicates good consistency in LAI values retrieved from NDVI (AVHRRmode) and spectral BRF (MODIS-mode). Specific details of the implementation and evaluation of the derived products are detailed in the second part of this two-paper series.

Ganguly, Sangram↗

Aerosol Observability and Predictability: From Research to Operations for Chemical Weather Forecasting. Lagrangian Displacement Ensembles for Aerosol Data Assimilation

A challenge common to many constituent data assimilation applications is the fact that one observes a much smaller fraction of the phase space that one wishes to estimate. For example, remotely sensed estimates of the column average concentrations are available, while one is faced with the problem of estimating 3D concentrations for initializing a prognostic model. This problem is exacerbated in the case of aerosols because the observable Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) is not only a column integrated quantity, but it also sums over a large number of species (dust, sea-salt, carbonaceous and sulfate aerosols. An aerosol transport model when driven by high-resolution, state-of-the-art analysis of meteorological fields and realistic emissions can produce skillful forecasts even when no aerosol data is assimilated. The main task of aerosol data assimilation is to address the bias arising from inaccurate emissions, and Lagrangian misplacement of plumes induced by errors in the driving meteorological fields. As long as one decouples the meteorological and aerosol assimilation as we do here, the classic baroclinic growth of error is no longer the main order of business. We will describe an aerosol data assimilation scheme in which the analysis update step is conducted in observation space, using an adaptive maximum-likelihood scheme for estimating background errors in AOD space. This scheme includes e explicit sequential bias estimation as in Dee and da Silva. Unlikely existing aerosol data assimilation schemes we do not obtain analysis increments of the 3D concentrations by scaling the background profiles. Instead we explore the Lagrangian characteristics of the problem for generating local displacement ensembles. These high-resolution state-dependent ensembles are then used to parameterize the background errors and generate 3D aerosol increments. The algorithm has computational complexity running at a resolution of 1/4 degree, globally. We will present the result of assimilating AOD retrievals from MODIS (on both Aqua and TERRA satellites) from AERONET for validation. The impact on the GEOS-5 Aerosol Forecasting will be fully documented.

da Silva, Arlindo↗

Chandra and RXTE Observations of 1E 1547.0-5408: Comparing the 2008 and 2009 Outbursts

We present results from observations of the magnetar 1E 1547.0-5408 (SGR J1550-5418) taken with the Chandra X-ray Observatory and the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) following the source s outbursts in 2008 October and 2009 January. During the time span of the Chandra observations, which covers days 4 through 23 and days 2 through 16 after the 2008 and 2009 events, respectively, the source spectral shape over the Chandraband remained stable, while the pulsar s spindown rate in the same span in 2008 increased by a factor of 2.2 as measured by RXTE. This suggests decoupling between the source s spin-down and radiative changes, hence between the spin-down-inferred magnetic field strength and that inferred spectrally. The lack of spectral variation during flux decay is surprising for models of magnetar outbursts. We also found a strong anti-correlation between the phase-averaged flux and the pulsed fraction in the 2008 and 2009 Chandra data, but not in the pre-2008 measurements. We discuss these results in the context of the magnetar model.

Ng, C.-Y.↗

Pointing Reference Scheme for Free-Space Optical Communications Systems

A scheme is proposed for referencing the propagation direction of the transmit laser signal in pointing a free-space optical communications terminal. This recently developed scheme enables the use of low-cost, commercial silicon-based sensors for tracking the direction of the transmit laser, regardless of the transmit wavelength. Compared with previous methods, the scheme offers some advantages of less mechanical and optical complexity and avoids expensive and exotic sensor technologies. In free-space optical communications, the transmit beam must be accurately pointed toward the receiver in order to maintain the communication link. The current approaches to achieve this function call for part of the transmit beam to be split off and projected onto an optical sensor used to infer the pointed direction. This requires that the optical sensor be sensitive to the wavelength of the transmit laser. If a different transmit wavelength is desired, for example to obtain a source capable of higher data rates, this can become quite impractical because of the unavailability or inefficiency of sensors at these wavelengths. The innovation proposed here decouples this requirement by allowing any transmit wavelength to be used with any sensor. We have applied this idea to a particular system that transmits at the standard telecommunication wavelength of 1,550 nm and uses a silicon-based sensor, sensitive from 0.5 to 1.0 micrometers, to determine the pointing direction. The scheme shown in the figure involves integrating a low-power 980-nm reference or boresight laser beam coupled to the 1,550-nm transmit beam via a wavelength-division-multiplexed fiber coupler. Both of these signals propagate through the optical fiber where they achieve an extremely high level of co-alignment before they are launched into the telescope. The telescope uses a dichroic beam splitter to reflect the 980- nm beam onto the silicon image sensor (a quad detector, charge-coupled device, or active-pixel-sensor array) while the 1,550- nm signal beam is transmitted through the optical assembly toward the remotely located receiver. Since the 980-nm reference signal originates from the same single-mode fiber-coupled source as the transmit signal, its position on the sensor is used to accurately determine the propagation direction of the transmit signal. The optics are considerably simpler in the proposed scheme due to the use of a single aperture for transmitting and receiving. Moreover, the issue of mechanical misalignment does not arise because the reference signal and transmitted laser beams are inherently co-aligned. The beam quality of the 980-nm reference signal used for tracking is required to be circularly symmetric and stable at the tracking-plane sensor array in order to minimize error in the centroiding algorithm of the pointing system. However, since the transmit signal is delivered through a fiber that supports a single mode at 1,550 nm, propagation of higher order 980-nm modes is possible. Preliminary analysis shows that the overall mode profile is dominated by the fundamental mode, giving a near symmetric profile. The instability of the mode was also measured and found to be negligible in comparison to the other error contributions in the centroid position on the sensor array.

Wright, Malcolm↗

Mesh-Based Entry Vehicle and Explosive Debris Re-Contact Probability Modeling

The risk to a crewed vehicle arising from potential re-contact with fragments from an explosive breakup of any jettisoned spacecraft segments during entry has long sought to be quantified. However, great difficulty lies in efficiently capturing the potential locations of each fragment and their collective threat to the vehicle. The method presented in this paper addresses this problem by using a stochastic approach that discretizes simulated debris pieces into volumetric cells, and then assesses strike probabilities accordingly. Combining spatial debris density and relative velocity between the debris and the entry vehicle, the strike probability can be calculated from the integral of the debris flux inside each cell over time. Using this technique it is possible to assess the risk to an entry vehicle along an entire trajectory as it separates from the jettisoned segment. By decoupling the fragment trajectories from that of the entry vehicle, multiple potential separation maneuvers can then be evaluated rapidly to provide an assessment of the best strategy to mitigate the re-contact risk.

McPherson, Mark A.↗

Gain Scheduling for the Orion Launch Abort Vehicle Controller

One of NASAs challenges for the Orion vehicle is the control system design for the Launch Abort Vehicle (LAV), which is required to abort safely at any time during the atmospheric ascent portion of ight. The focus of this paper is the gain design and scheduling process for a controller that covers the wide range of vehicle configurations and flight conditions experienced during the full envelope of potential abort trajectories from the pad to exo-atmospheric flight. Several factors are taken into account in the automation process for tuning the gains including the abort effectors, the environmental changes and the autopilot modes. Gain scheduling is accomplished using a linear quadratic regulator (LQR) approach for the decoupled, simplified linear model throughout the operational envelope in time, altitude and Mach number. The derived gains are then implemented into the full linear model for controller requirement validation. Finally, the gains are tested and evaluated in a non-linear simulation using the vehicles ight software to ensure performance requirements are met. An overview of the LAV controller design and a description of the linear plant models are presented. Examples of the most significant challenges with the automation of the gain tuning process are then discussed. In conclusion, the paper will consider the lessons learned through out the process, especially in regards to automation, and examine the usefulness of the gain scheduling tool and process developed as applicable to non-Orion vehicles.

McNamara, Sara J.↗

Exploiting Quantum Resonance to Solve Combinatorial Problems

Quantum resonance would be exploited in a proposed quantum-computing approach to the solution of combinatorial optimization problems. In quantum computing in general, one takes advantage of the fact that an algorithm cannot be decoupled from the physical effects available to implement it. Prior approaches to quantum computing have involved exploitation of only a subset of known quantum physical effects, notably including parallelism and entanglement, but not including resonance. In the proposed approach, one would utilize the combinatorial properties of tensor-product decomposability of unitary evolution of many-particle quantum systems for physically simulating solutions to NP-complete problems (a class of problems that are intractable with respect to classical methods of computation). In this approach, reinforcement and selection of a desired solution would be executed by means of quantum resonance. Classes of NP-complete problems that are important in practice and could be solved by the proposed approach include planning, scheduling, search, and optimal design.

Zak, Michail↗

Simulating Vibrations in a Complex Loaded Structure

The Dynamic Response Computation (DIRECT) computer program simulates vibrations induced in a complex structure by applied dynamic loads. Developed to enable rapid analysis of launch- and landing- induced vibrations and stresses in a space shuttle, DIRECT also can be used to analyze dynamic responses of other structures - for example, the response of a building to an earthquake, or the response of an oil-drilling platform and attached tanks to large ocean waves. For a space-shuttle simulation, the required input to DIRECT includes mathematical models of the space shuttle and its payloads, and a set of forcing functions that simulates launch and landing loads. DIRECT can accommodate multiple levels of payload attachment and substructure as well as nonlinear dynamic responses of structural interfaces. DIRECT combines the shuttle and payload models into a single structural model, to which the forcing functions are then applied. The resulting equations of motion are reduced to an optimum set and decoupled into a unique format for simulating dynamics. During the simulation, maximum vibrations, loads, and stresses are monitored and recorded for subsequent analysis to identify structural deficiencies in the shuttle and/or payloads.

Cao, Tim T.↗

On Transients in Detached Bridgman Growth

In detached Bridgman growth, a gap exists between the growing crystal and the crucible wall. According to crystal shape stability theory, only specific gap widths will be dynamically stable. Beginning with a crystal diameter that differs from stable conditions, the transient crystal growth process is analyzed. The transient shapes are calculated assuming that the growth angle is constant. Anisotropy and dynamic contact angle effects are considered. In microgravity, dynamic stability depends only on capillary effects and is decoupled from heat transfer. However, heat transfer will influence the crystal-melt interface shape. The local angles and the crystal-melt-vapor triple junction are analyzed and the applicability of the Herring formula is discussed. A potential microgravity experiment is proposed which would enhance our understanding of the detached growth dynamic stability problem.

Mazuruk, K.↗

A Parametric Finite-Element Model for Evaluating Segmented Mirrors with Discrete, Edgewise Connectivity

Since future astrophysics missions require space telescopes with apertures of at least 10 meters, there is a need for on-orbit assembly methods that decouple the size of the primary mirror from the choice of launch vehicle. One option is to connect the segments edgewise using mechanisms analogous to damped springs. To evaluate the feasibility of this approach, a parametric ANSYS model that calculates the mode shapes, natural frequencies, and disturbance response of such a mirror, as well as of the equivalent monolithic mirror, has been developed. This model constructs a mirror using rings of hexagonal segments that are either connected continuously along the edges (to form a monolith) or at discrete locations corresponding to the mechanism locations (to form a segmented mirror). As an example, this paper presents the case of a mirror whose segments are connected edgewise by mechanisms analogous to a set of four collocated single-degree-of-freedom damped springs. The results of a set of parameter studies suggest that such mechanisms can be used to create a 15-m segmented mirror that behaves similarly to a monolith, although fully predicting the segmented mirror performance would require incorporating measured mechanism properties into the model. Keywords: segmented mirror, edgewise connectivity, space telescope

Gersh-Range, Jessica A.↗

Robustness-Based Design Optimization Under Data Uncertainty

This paper proposes formulations and algorithms for design optimization under both aleatory (i.e., natural or physical variability) and epistemic uncertainty (i.e., imprecise probabilistic information), from the perspective of system robustness. The proposed formulations deal with epistemic uncertainty arising from both sparse and interval data without any assumption about the probability distributions of the random variables. A decoupled approach is proposed in this paper to un-nest the robustness-based design from the analysis of non-design epistemic variables to achieve computational efficiency. The proposed methods are illustrated for the upper stage design problem of a two-stage-to-orbit (TSTO) vehicle, where the information on the random design inputs are only available as sparse point and/or interval data. As collecting more data reduces uncertainty but increases cost, the effect of sample size on the optimality and robustness of the solution is also studied. A method is developed to determine the optimal sample size for sparse point data that leads to the solutions of the design problem that are least sensitive to variations in the input random variables.

Zaman, Kais↗

164-GHz MMIC HEMT Frequency Doubler

A monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) that includes a high-electron-mobility transistor (HEMT) has been developed as a prototype of improved frequency doublers for generating signals at frequencies greater than 100 GHz. Signal sources that operate in this frequency range are needed for a variety of applications, notably including general radiometry and, more specifically, radiometric remote sensing of the atmosphere. Heretofore, it has been common practice to use passive (diode-based) frequency multipliers to obtain frequencies greater than 100 GHz. Unfortunately, diode-based frequency multipliers are plagued by high DC power consumption and low conversion efficiency. Moreover, multiplier diodes are not easily integrated with such other multiplier-circuit components as amplifiers and oscillators. The goals of developing the present MMIC HEMT frequency doubler were (1) to utilize the HEMT as an amplifier to increase conversion efficiency (more precisely, to reduce conversion loss), thereby increasing the output power for a given DC power consumption or, equivalently, reducing the DC power consumption for a given output power; and (2) to provide for the integration of amplifier and oscillator components on the same chip. The MMIC frequency doubler (see Figure 1) contains an AlInAs/GaInAs/InP HEMT biased at pinch-off to make it function as a class-B amplifier (meaning that it conducts in half-cycle pulses). Grounded coplanar waveguides (GCPWs) are used as impedance-matching transmission lines. Air bridges are placed at discontinuities to suppress undesired slot electromagnetic modes. Another combination of GCPWs also serves both as a low-pass filter to suppress undesired oscillations at frequencies below 60 GHz and as a DC blocker. Large decoupling capacitors and epitaxial resistors are added in the drain and gate lines to suppress bias oscillations. At the output terminal, the fundamental frequency is suppressed by a quarter-wave open stub, which presents a short circuit at the fundamental frequency and an open circuit at the second harmonic. At an input power of 7 mW, the output power and conversion loss at an output frequency of 164 GHz were found to be 5 dBm (approximately equal to 3.2 mW) and 2 dB, respectively, with a 3-dB output-power bandwidth of 14 GHz. This is the best performance reported to date for an MMIC HEMT frequency doubler above 100 GHz.

Samoska, Lorene↗