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During last year's AIRSAR Pacific Rim Deployment, data were collected over Angkor in Cambodia. The temples of Angkor date the city to the 9th-13th century AD, but little is known of its prehistoric habitation.
A conductance measurement circuit to measure conductance of a solution under test with an output voltage proportional to conductance over a 5-decade range, i.e., 0.01 uS to 1000 uS or from 0.1 uS to 10,000 uS. An increase in conductance indicates growth, or multiplication, of the bacteria in the test solution. Two circuits are used each for an alternate half-cycle time periods of an alternate squarewave in order to cause alternate and opposite currents to be applied to the test solution. The output of one of the two circuits may be scaled for a different range optimum switching frequency dependent upon the solution conductance and to enable uninterrupted measurement over the complete 5-decade range. This circuitry provides two overlapping ranges of conductance which can be read simultaneously without discontinuity thereby eliminating range switching within the basic circuitry. A VCO is used to automatically change the operating frequency according to the particular value of the conductance being measured, and comparators indicate which range is valid and also facilitate computer-controlled data acquisition. A multiplexer may be used to monitor any number of solutions under test continuously.
An acquisition, tracking, and pointing (ATP) system is proposed for aiming an optical-communications downlink laser beam from deep space. In providing for a direction reference, the concept exploits the mature technology of star trackers to eliminate the need for a costly and potentially hazardous laser beacon. The system would include one optical and two inertial sensors, each contributing primarily to a different portion of the frequency spectrum of the pointing signal: a star tracker (<10 Hz), a gyroscope (<50 Hz), and a precise fluid-rotor inertial angular-displacement sensor (sometimes called, simply, "angle sensor") for the frequency range >50 Hz. The outputs of these sensors would be combined in an iterative averaging process to obtain high-bandwidth, high-accuracy pointing knowledge. The accuracy of pointing knowledge obtainable by use of the system was estimated on the basis of an 8-cm-diameter telescope and known parameters of commercially available star trackers and inertial sensors: The single-axis pointing-knowledge error was found to be characterized by a standard deviation of 150 nanoradians - below the maximum value (between 200 and 300 nanoradians) likely to be tolerable in deep-space optical communications.
LISA Pathfinder (LPF) is an ESA-launched demonstration mission of key technologies required for the joint NASA-ESA gravitational wave observatory in space, LISA. As part of the LPF interferometry investigations, analytic models of noise sources and corresponding noise subtraction techniques have been developed to correct for effects like the coupling of test mass jitter into displacement readout, and fluctuations of the laser frequency or optical pathlength difference. Ground testing of pre-flight hardware of the Optical Metrology subsystem is currently ongoing at the Albert Einstein Institute Hannover. In collaboration with NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, the LPF mission data analysis tool LTPDA is being used to analyze the data product of these tests. Furthermore, the noise subtraction techniques and in-flight experiment runs for noise characterization are being defined as part of the mission experiment master plan. We will present the data analysis outcome of preflight hardware ground tests and possible noise subtraction strategies for in-flight instrument operations.
The paper experimentally studies the effects of periodic unsteady wake flow and different Reynolds numbers on boundary layer development, separation and re-attachment along the suction surface of a low pressure turbine blade. The experimental investigations were performed on a large scale, subsonic unsteady turbine cascade research facility at Turbomachinery Performance and Flow Research Laboratory (TPFL) of Texas A&M University. The experiments were carried out at Reynolds numbers of 110,000 and 150,000 (based on suction surface length and exit velocity). One steady and two different unsteady inlet flow conditions with the corresponding passing frequencies, wake velocities, and turbulence intensities were investigated. The reduced frequencies chosen cover the operating range of LP turbines. In addition to the unsteady boundary layer measurements, surface pressure measurements were performed. The inception, onset, and the extent of the separation bubble information collected from the pressure measurements were compared with the hot wire measurements. The results presented in ensemble-averaged, and the contour plot forms help to understand the physics of the separation phenomenon under periodic unsteady wake flow and different Reynolds number. It was found that the suction surface displayed a strong separation bubble for these three different reduced frequencies. For each condition, the locations defining the separation bubble were determined carefully analyzing and examining the pressure and mean velocity profile data. The location of the boundary layer separation was dependent of the Reynolds number. It is observed that starting point of the separation bubble and the re-attachment point move further downstream by increasing Reynolds number from 110,000 to 150,000. Also, the size of the separation bubble is smaller when compared to that for Re=110,000.
The paper experimentally studies the effects of periodic unsteady wake flow and different Reynolds numbers on boundary layer development, separation and re-attachment along the suction surface of a low pressure turbine blade. The experimental investigations were performed on a large scale, subsonic unsteady turbine cascade research facility at Turbomachinery Performance and Flow Research Laboratory (TPFL) of Texas A&M University. The experiments were carried out at Reynolds numbers of 110,000 and 150,000 (based on suction surface length and exit velocity). One steady and two different unsteady inlet flow conditions with the corresponding passing frequencies, wake velocities, and turbulence intensities were investigated. The reduced frequencies chosen cover the operating range of LP turbines. In addition to the unsteady boundary layer measurements, surface pressure measurements were performed. The inception, onset, and the extent of the separation bubble information collected from the pressure measurements were compared with the hot wire measurements. The results presented in ensemble-averaged, and the contour plot forms help to understand the physics of the separation phenomenon under periodic unsteady wake flow and different Reynolds number. It was found that the suction surface displayed a strong separation bubble for these three different reduced frequencies. For each condition, the locations defining the separation bubble were determined carefully analyzing and examining the pressure and mean velocity profile data. The location of the boundary layer separation was dependent of the Reynolds number. It is observed that starting point of the separation bubble and the re-attachment point move further downstream by increasing Reynolds number from 110,000 to 150,000. Also, the size of the separation bubble is smaller when compared to that for Re=110,000.
NASA Ames Research Center and the George Washington University have developed an electric propulsion subsystem that can be integrated into the PhoneSat bus. Experimental tests have shown a reliable performance by firing three different thrusters at various frequencies in vacuum conditions. The three thrusters were controlled by a SmartPhone that was running the PhoneSat software. The subsystem is fully operational and it requires low average power to function (about 0.1 W). The interface consists of a microcontroller that sends a trigger pulses to the PPU (Plasma Processing Unit), which is responsible for the thruster operation. Frequencies ranging from 1 to 50Hz have been tested, showing a strong flexibility. A SmartPhone acts as the main user interface for the selection of commands that control the entire system. The micro cathode arc thruster MicroCAT provides a high 1(sub sp) of 3000s that allows a 4kg satellite to obtain a (delta)V of 300m/s. The system mass is only 200g with a total of volume of 200(cu cm). The propellant is based on a solid cylinder made of Titanium, which is the cathode at the same time. This simplicity in the design avoids miniaturization and manufacturing problems. The characteristics of this thruster allow an array of MicroCATs to perform attitude control and orbital correcton maneuvers that will open the door for the implementation of an extensive collection of new mission concepts and space applications for CubeSats. NASA Ames is currently working on the integration of the system to fit the thrusters and PPU inside a 1.5U CubeSat together with the PhoneSat bus into a 1.5U CubeSat. This satellite is intended to be deployed from the ISS in 2015 and test the functionality of the thrusters by spinning the satellite around its long axis and measure the rotational speed with the phone byros. This test flight will raise the TRL of the propulsion system from 5 to 7 and will be a first test for further CubeSats with propulsion systems, a key subsystem for long duration or interplanetary CubeSat missions.
NASA Ames Research Center and the George Washington University are developing an electric propulsion subsystem that will be integrated into the PhoneSat bus. Experimental tests have shown a reliable performance by firing three different thrusters at various frequencies in vacuum conditions. The interface consists of a microcontroller that sends a trigger pulse to the Pulsed Plasma Unit that is responsible for the thruster operation. A Smartphone is utilized as the main user interface for the selection of commands that control the entire system. The propellant, which is the cathode itself, is a solid cylinder made of Titanium. This simplicity in the design avoids miniaturization and manufacturing problems. The characteristics of this thruster allow an array of μCATs to perform attitude control and orbital correction maneuvers that will open the door for the implementation of an extensive collection of new mission concepts and space applications for CubeSats. NASA Ames is currently working on the integration of the system to fit the thrusters and the PPU inside a 1.5U CubeSat together with the PhoneSat bus. This satellite is intended to be deployed from the ISS in 2015 and test the functionality of the thrusters by spinning the satellite around its long axis and measure the rotational speed with the phone gyros. This test flight will raise the TRL of the propulsion system from 5 to 7 and will be a first test for further CubeSats with propulsion systems, a key subsystem for long duration or interplanetary small satellite missions.
This report discusses the development of Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems (CCSDS) Design Control Table (DCT) to support spacecraft dynamic events. The Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems (CCSDS) Design Control Table (DCT) is a versatile link calculation tool to analyze different kinds of radio frequency links. It started out as an Excel-based program, and is now being evolved into a Mathematica-based link analysis tool. The Mathematica platform offers a rich set of advanced analysis capabilities, and can be easily extended to a web-based architecture. Last year the CCSDS DCT's for the uplink, downlink, two-way, and ranging models were developed as well as the corresponding input and output interfaces. Another significant accomplishment is the integration of the NAIF SPICE library into the Mathematica computation platform.
The Solar Dynamics Observatory Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (SDOHMI) filtergrams, taken at six wavelengths around the Fe I 6173.3 Å line, contain information about the line-of-sight velocity over a range of heights in the solar atmosphere. Multiheight velocity inferences from these observations can be exploited to study wave motions and energy transport in the atmosphere. Using realistic convection-simulation datasets provided by the STAGGER and MURaM codes, we generate synthetic filtergrams and explore several methods for estimating Dopplergrams.We investigate at which height each synthetic Dopplergram correlates most strongly with the vertical velocity in the model atmospheres. On the basis of the investigation, we propose two Dopplergrams other than the standard HMI-algorithm Dopplergram produced from HMI filtergrams: a line-center Dopplergram and an average-wing Dopplergram. These two Dopplergrams correlate most strongly with vertical velocities at the heights of 30 40 km above (line center) and 30 40 km below (average wing) the effective height of the HMI-algorithm Dopplergram. Therefore, we can obtain velocity information from two layers separated by about a half of a scale height in the atmosphere, at best. The phase shifts between these multi-height Dopplergrams from observational data as well as those from the simulated data are also consistent with the height-difference estimates in the frequency range above the photospheric acoustic-cutoff frequency.
The aim of this study is to investigate the feasibility of assimilating low frequency microwave observations from different satellite Microwave radiometers such as the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit-A (AMSU-A). These observations are relevant to the description of air temperature, humidity, and surface parameters such as ocean surface temperature. Their assimilation into Goddard Earth Observing System (GEOS) modeling and assimilation system helps better constrain models in regions where very few observations are assimilated. In recent years, Channels 1–4 and 15 have not been assimilated in GEOS because of their large sensitivities to uncertain surface parameters such as emissivity and skin temperature. Here, the impact of using different channels will be discussed. Also we investigate the validity of the emissivity model in these channels over ocean and sea ice.Radiative transfer calculations necessary for the assimilation of satellite radiances are performed using the Community Radiative Transfer Model (CRTM). The CRTM performs forward radiative transfer calculations of brightness temperature from atmospheric profiles (temperature, moisture, and ozone) and surface characteristics. Additionally, the CRTM calculates the Jacobians of brightness temperature with respect to the input . The Jacobians are for the inversion of these radiances within the Gridpoint Statistical Interpolation (GSI) analysis system. Here, For direct assimilation of the radiance observations, the interface between GSI and CRTM, is slightly modified. Finally, we validate the assimilation results, and discuss the impact of each channels in detail.
The aim of this study is to investigate the feasibility of assimilating low-frequency microwave observations from different satellite Microwave radiometers such as the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit-A (AMSU-A), Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Microwave Imager (GMI), and Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer 2 (AMSR2). These observations are relevant to the description of air temperature, humidity, and surface parameters such as ocean surface temperature. Their assimilation into Goddard Earth Observing System (GEOS) modeling and assimilation system helps better constrain models in regions where very few observations are assimilated. In recent years, surface sensitive channels have not been assimilated in GEOS because of their large sensitivities to uncertain surface parameters such as emissivity and skin temperature.
The motion of individual linear instability waves in shear flows is well described by existing theoretical and numerical methods. However, naturally occuring sources produce coherent wave motions with broadband spanwise wavenumber and frequency spectra, and the different spectral components interact both linearly and nonlinearily. This paper describes a series of calculations for the parameters of three different experiments using locally parallel linear stability theory (LST), the Parabolized Stability Equations (PSE), and Direct Numerical Simulation (DNS). The calculations illustrate the strengths and weaknesses of the different methods, the extent to which the methods agree or disagree, and, finally the extent to which agreement with the measurements can be attained, given that the experiments also have their own difficulties.
A spacecraft-to-spacecraft optical time-transfer simulation has been developed as a tool for informing NASA’s Surface Deformation and Change (SDC) mission architecture. The SDC mission will combine radar images from multiple spacecraft to improve understanding of the Earth’s sea-level and landscape changes. Spacecraft must be precisely synchronized in order to create sharp radar images. Simulation of multiple spacecraft time-synchronizing via laser communication can inform technology choices of a mission by providing a picosecond-precision level estimate of clock error. This timing and ranging simulation has been combined with a radar system performance analysis pipeline. The simulated timing errors are used to predict performance of bistatic SAR systems in the presence of oscillator noise and time synchronization in accuracy. This analysis includes both analytic approximation equations from existing literature, and a numerical radar simulation to extract key system performance parameters like phase error and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR)degradation. Precision time-transfer techniques facilitate the accurate synchronization of clocks between any combination of terminals. Most time-transfer technology for comparing two clocks at different terminals use radio frequencies (RF) to measure the time delay between the sending and receiving of signals. Laser technology offers the capability to transmit high data rates with systems that are of smaller size and lower power than comparable RF systems. The clocks on independent spacecraft will have some phase and frequency errors between them that result in clock drift. The two clock models that are included in this bi-directional MATLAB simulation are a cesium-based Chip-Scale Atomic Clock (CSAC) and a rubidium-based Miniature Atomic Clock (MAC). The CSAC has flown as hardware for small satellite missions such as the University of Florida’s CHOMPTT mission. A study of example orbits, including that of NASA NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar Mission (NISAR) mission, and lasing rates demonstrate the impact of flight configuration parameters on the synchronization error between two spacecraft. The MATLAB timing simulation uses a Runge-Kutta 4th-order method to propagate spacecraft orbits and computes the light-travel time estimate between them. The simulation outputs the estimated range and estimated clock error based on a user-defined spacecraft cluster configuration. The radar simulation and analytic approximations are applied to evaluate a potential future NASA bistatic SAR constellation architecture. In the proposed architecture, satellites follow each other in the same orbit at 800 km altitude, with a 210 km baseline. We also baseline the CSAC as an ultra stable oscillator, and use NASA’s NISAR for baseline radar system parameters to compute a clock-system introduced phase error of 5.6 degrees without synchronization by frequent time transfer. We build on this base case with a sensitivity analysis of radar performance over a proposed range of constellation and radar system parameters. With this analysis pipeline, we comment on which radar parameters should or should not be changed to minimize synchronization requirements. This analysis technique could be extended or modified to evaluate the timing requirements of other geometries for other future multistatic SAR missions, or other interferometric satellite missions.
A two-phase CFD model for tank pressurization and following sloshing in a cryogenic storage tank partially filled with liquid hydrogen is presented using the Volume-Of-Fluid approach for representing the phase boundary and the associated interfacial heat, mass and momentum transfer between the liquid and the vapor regions. The CFD model was validated against pressurization and sloshing data for a 62 cubic foot tank provided by Moran et al. Cases with different sloshing amplitudes and frequencies are studied. The results of modeling tank pressurization are presented first followed by the results of sloshing cases. Predicted tank pressures are compared with the experimental data.
A two-phase CFD model for tank pressurization and following sloshing in a cryogenic storage tank partially filled with liquid hydrogen is presented using the Volume-Of-Fluid approach for representing the phase boundary and the associated interfacial heat, mass and momentum transfer between the liquid and the vapor regions. The CFD model was validated against pressurization and sloshing data for a 62 cubic foot tank provided by Moran et al. Cases with different sloshing amplitudes and frequencies are studied. The results of modeling tank pressurization are presented first followed by the results of sloshing cases. Predicted tank pressures are compared with the experimental data.
INTRODUCTION: Caffeine is the most widely used performance-enhancing drug on Earth and astronaut crews have access to liquid coffee. While caffeine is a potent countermeasure to improve alertness and performance, it can also interfere with sleep. This can lead to performance deficits on the following day, driving a cycle of caffeine use to counter the effects of caffeine-induced sleep disruption. Caffeine availability may be limited during future Artemis and/or Mars missions. Accordingly, it is important that we 1) determine the prevalence of caffeine use among astronauts, 2) characterize the impact of caffeine on performance, and 3) characterize the impact of caffeine on sleep. Our aim in this study is to describe the use of caffeine aboard the ISS and begin to examine the relationship between caffeine use and sleep and performance outcomes. METHODS: Daily caffeine consumption was determined from food and beverage intake tracking for 25 astronauts on 6 month International Space Station (ISS) missions. Data were recorded using the ISS Food Intake Tracker iPad App or other detailed recording technique. On average, crew recorded dietary intake on 179.7±68.6 (mean±SD) days inflight. RESULTS: Astronauts consumed 97±92 mg caffeine per day. All astronauts (25/25) in this study consumed caffeine at some point during flight, though the frequency, amounts, and regularity differed across crewmembers. Approximately a quarter of crewmembers were regular caffeine consumers (6/25), i.e., they ingested at least 90 mg caffeine (equivalent to one cup of coffee) on 90% of inflight days.
A general framework for calculating lunar and solar torques on the oceanic tides is developed in terms of harmonic constituents. Axial torques and their associated angular momentum and earth-rotation variations are deduced from recent satellite-altimeter and satellite-tracking tide solutions. Torques on the prograde components of the tide produce the familiar secular braking of the rotation rate. The estimated secular acceleration is approximately -1300 sec/century(sup 2) (less 4% after including atmospheric tides); the implied rate of change in the length of day is 2.28 milliseconds/century. Torques on the retrograde components of the tide produce periodic rotation variations at twice the tidal frequency. Interaction torques, e.g. solar torques on lunar tides, generate a large suite of rotation-rate variations at sums and differences of the original tidal frequencies. These are estimated for periods from 18.6 years to quarter-diurnal. At subdaily periods the angular momentum variations are 5 to 6 orders of magnitude smaller than the variations caused by ocean tidal currents.