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At least 883 records · Page 49

Some observations of the effects of radial distortions on performance of a transonic rotating blade row

A single rotating blade row was tested with two magnitudes of tip radial distortion and two magnitudes of hub radial distortion imposed on the inlet flow. The rotor was about 50 centimeters (20 in.) in diameter and had a design operating tip speed of approximately 420 meters per second (1380 ft/sec). Overall performance at 60, 80, and 100 percent of equivalent design speed generally showed a decrease (compared to undistorted flow) in rotor stall margin with tip radial distortion but no change, or a slight increase, in rotor stall margin with hub radial distortion. At design speed there was a decrease in rotor overall total pressure ratio and choke flow with all inlet flow distortions. Radial distributions of blade element parameters are presented for selected operating conditions at design speed.

Sandercock, D. M.↗

Integrated auxiliary propulsion for the Space Tug

This paper summarizes the results of a design study which considered several possible methods for applying the liquid-liquid cryogenic oxygen/hydrogen auxiliary propulsion concept to the Space Tug. This concept, which is based on maintaining the propellant in the liquid phase from storage to thruster inlet, is much simpler than previous oxygen/hydrogen systems which converted the propellant to vapor for distribution to the thrusters. The paper describes the selected liquid-liquid concept which is an integrated design that uses the Tug main propulsion tanks as a propellant source. The characteristics of this integrated system are compared with dedicated storable propellant systems. The integrated concept is found to have only slightly superior mission payload performance, but provides inherent vehicle versatility through the interchangeable availability of main and auxiliary propellant. Propellant interchange also was found to permit the auxiliary system to provide abort backup capability in the event of most main engine failures. This capability implies Tug program cost savings which more than offset the higher development costs of the integrated auxiliary propulsion system.

Nichols, J. F.↗

Determination of plasma parameters from soft X-ray images for coronal holes /open magnetic field configurations/ and coronal large-scale structures /extended closed-field configurations/

In connection with high-quality solar soft X-ray images the 'quiet' features of the inner corona have been separated into two sharply different components, including the strongly reduced emission areas or coronal holes (CH) and the extended regions of looplike emission features or large-scale structures (LSS). Particular central meridian passage observations of the prominent CH1 on August 21, 1973, are selected for a quantitative study. Histogram photographic density distributions for full-disk images at other central meridian passages of CH 1 are also presented, and the techniques of converting low photographic density data to deposited energy are discussed, with particular emphasis on the problems associated with the CH data.

Maxson, C. W.↗

Acoustic scattering of point sources by a moving prolate spheroid

The theories of geometrical optics and diffraction are used to investigate the scattering of sound generated by a distribution of point sources in the neighborhood of a prolate spheroid. Source positions, source frequencies, and spheroid sizes which correspond to source distributions and fuselage sizes in jet aircraft are selected. The alteration of the scattered field due to the simultaneous forward motion of the body and sources is illustrated. It is observed that the sound levels produced by rapidly moving point sources are significantly higher than those produced by the moving source and body system. The results suggest that scattering of acoustic sources should be considered in any theoretical or experimental study of aircraft flyover noise.

Padula, S. L.↗

Overview of the Magsat program

The Magsat project which is designed to provide precise measurements of the near-earth geomagnetic field is examined. Rapidly obtained global surveys are possible through satellite observations without the long-term variations obtained by conventional surface measurements. The altitude for Magsat measurements is a trade-off between the lowest possible altitude necessary for increasing the anomaly signals and their spatial resolution, and the minimum satellite lifetime necessary for obtaining adequate data distribution. A nominal perigee of 350 km was selected. The background leading to the project inception and mission objectives are discussed along with plans to study regional geology and geophysics.

Ousley, G. W.↗

Wind-tunnel measurements of the chordwise pressure distribution and profile drag of a research airplane model incorporating a 17-percent-thick supercritical wing

The Langley 8-foot transonic pressure tunnel to determine the wing chordwise pressure distribution for a 0.09-scale model of a research airplane incorporating a 17-percent-thick supercritical wing. Airfoil profile drag was determined from wake pressure measurements at the 42-percent-semispan wing station. The investigation was conducted at Mach numbers from 0.30 to 0.80 over an angle-of-attack range sufficient to include buffet onset. The Reynolds number based on the mean geometric chord varied from 2 x 10 to the 6th power at Mach number 0.30 to 3.33 x 10 to the 6th power at Mach number 0.65 and was maintained at a constant value of 3.86 x 10 to the 6th power at Mach numbers from 0.70 to 0.80. Pressure coefficients for four wing semispan stations and wing-section normal-force and pitching-moment coefficients for two semispan stations are presented in tabular form over the Mach number range from 0.30 to 0.80. Plotted chordwise pressure distributions and wake profiles are given for a selected range of section normal-force coefficients over the same Mach number range.

Ferris, J. C.↗

Spectroscopic CCD surveys for quasars at large redshift. I - A deep PFUEI survey

A survey for faint quasars has been conducted using slitless spectroscopy with the PFUEI at the 200 inch (5 m) telescope. The survey covers a total of 0.91 sq deg in 113 fields at galactic latitudes above 30 deg. Calibrated spectra in the range 4500-7200 A were obtained for more than 9000 objects. Emission-line candidates were selected on the basis of two criteria: the equivalent width must exceed 50 A, and the signal-to-noise ratio of the detection of the line versus the sky background should be larger than 7. Among 45 candidates so selected, subsequent slit spectroscopy confirmed 27 emission-line objects. Among these, 17 are emission-line galaxies with redshifts in the range 0.04-0.31, and 10 are quasars with redshifts between 0.91 and 2.66. The well-defined selection criteria for these objects, together with the distribution of rest frame equivalent widths of the emission lines, allow derivation of the area of sky covered as a function of the continuum limiting magnitude. The observed number of quasars in the redshift range 0.7-2.7 agrees well with that predicted by the luminosity function models published by Schmidt and Green in 1983. It is concluded that quasars with an absolute magnitude of M(B) = -25 suffer a redshift cutoff near or below a redshift of 3.

Schmidt, M.↗

A method for overcoming the velocity space filamentation problem in collisionless plasma model solutions

The solution of filtered Vlasov-Maxwell equations, rather than the Vlasov-Maxwell equations themselves, is shown to ameliorate the velocity space filamentation problem in collisionless plasma models. Exact field solutions and filtered velocity distribution functions are obtained without introducing errors. Proper selection of the filter width is demonstrated to inhibit development of velocity space filamentation and, it is conjectured, position space filamentation. The results of sample calculations of both filtered and nonfiltered field solutions illustrate a high degree of agreement between both solutions, with significant savings in computational time and memory requirements with the filtered solutions.

Klimas, Alexander J.↗

A user-oriented synthetic workload generator

A user oriented synthetic workload generator that simulates users' file access behavior based on real workload characterization is described. The model for this workload generator is user oriented and job specific, represents file I/O operations at the system call level, allows general distributions for the usage measures, and assumes independence in the file I/O operation stream. The workload generator consists of three parts which handle specification of distributions, creation of an initial file system, and selection and execution of file I/O operations. Experiments on SUN NFS are shown to demonstrate the usage of the workload generator.

Kao, Wei-Lun↗

National Space Science Data Center data archive and distribution service (NDADS) automated retrieval mail system user's guide

The National Space Science Data Center (NSSDC) has developed an automated data retrieval request service utilizing our Data Archive and Distribution Service (NDADS) computer system. NDADS currently has selected project data written to optical disk platters with the disks residing in a robotic 'jukebox' near-line environment. This allows for rapid and automated access to the data with no staff intervention required. There are also automated help information and user services available that can be accessed. The request system permits an average-size data request to be completed within minutes of the request being sent to NSSDC. A mail message, in the format described in this document, retrieves the data and can send it to a remote site. Also listed in this document are the data currently available.

Perry, Charleen M.↗

Operations management system advanced automation: Fault detection isolation and recovery prototyping

The purpose of this project is to address the global fault detection, isolation and recovery (FDIR) requirements for Operation's Management System (OMS) automation within the Space Station Freedom program. This shall be accomplished by developing a selected FDIR prototype for the Space Station Freedom distributed processing systems. The prototype shall be based on advanced automation methodologies in addition to traditional software methods to meet the requirements for automation. A secondary objective is to expand the scope of the prototyping to encompass multiple aspects of station-wide fault management (SWFM) as discussed in OMS requirements documentation.

Hanson, Matt↗

Power Conditioning System Modelling for Nuclear Electric Propulsion

NASA LeRC is currently developing a Fortran based model of a complete nuclear electric propulsion (NEP) vehicle that would be used for piloted and cargo missions to the Moon or Mars. The proposed vehicle design will use either a Brayton or K-Rankine power conversion cycle to drive a turbine coupled with a rotary alternator. Two thruster types are also being studied, ion and magnetoplasmadynamic (MPD). In support of this NEP model, Rocketdyne developed a power management and distribution (PMAD) subroutine that provides parametric outputs for selected alternator operating voltages and frequencies, thruster types, system power levels, and electronics coldplate temperatures. The end-to-end PMAD model described is based on the direct use of the alternator voltage and frequency for transmitting power to either ion or MPD thrusters. This low frequency transmission approach was compared with dc and high frequency ac designs, and determined to have the lowest mass, highest efficiency, highest reliability and lowest development costs. While its power quality is not as good as that provided by a high frequency system, it was considered adequate for both ion and MPD engine applications. The low frequency architecture will be used as the reference in future NEP PMAD studies.

Metcalf, Kenneth J.↗

Mass spectrometer-pyrolysis experiment for atmospheric and soil sample analysis on the surface of Mars

Results from the Viking mission will form the foundation for future in-depth investigations of atmosphere-surface interactions on Mars. The two Viking landers carried impressive instrumentation to obtain and analyze soil samples: the sites were observed by cameras, and the collector head was located on a long boom and allowed the collection of large samples at various depths. A selection of grain sizes was possible and a distribution system supplied a number of experiments with soil material. Despite stationary vehicles, a wide sampling field was reachable. The GCMS system, responsible for atmospheric as well as surface soil analysis, worked well on both landers. Atmospheric measurements resulted in the determination of the abundance of noble gases as well as of other molecular species. Isotopic composition measurements included the important ratios of C-13/C-12, N-15/N-14, and Ar-36/Ar-40. To verify these past results and to advance detailed studies of noble gas isotope ratios and minor constituents, better instrument sensitivities, higher precision, and lower background contributions are required in future Mars missions. Soil analysis during the Viking mission concentrated on organic material. Heating cycles were performed to 500 C and only water and carbon dioxide were identified. Higher pyrolysis temperatures are of primary importance to advance our understanding of the mineralogy and gas loading of surface material and atmospheric exchange.

Mauersberger, Konrad↗

Validation of the NPARC code for nozzle afterbody flows at transonic speeds

The NPARC code, a Reynolds-averaged full Navier-Stokes code, was validated for nozzle afterbody (boatail) flow fields at transonic speeds. The flow fields about three geometries were studied: an axisymmetric nozzle with attached flow; an axisymmetric nozzle with separated flow: and a two-dimensional (rectangular) nozzle with separated flow. Three turbulence models, Baldwin-Lomax, Baldwin-Barth, and Chien k-epsilon, were used to determine the effect of turbulence model selection on the flow field solution. Static pressure distributions on the nozzle surfaces and pitot pressure measurements in the exhaust plume were examined. Results from the NPARC code compared very well with experimental data for all cases. For attached flow fields, the effect of the turbulence models showed no discernable differences. The Baldwin-Barth model yielded better results than either the Chien k-epsilon or the Baldwin-Lomax model for separated flow fields.

Debonis, James R.↗

Role of Probabilistic Micromechanics Modeling in Establishing Design Allowables in Composites

One of the major challenges in designing with any new material, and particularly with advanced composite materials, is the fidelity of material design allowables. In the case of composite materials, the concern arises from the inherent nature of these materials, i.e., their heterogeneous make-up and the various factors that affect their properties in a specific design environment. Composites have various scales - micro, macro, laminate and structural, as well as numerous other fabrication related parameters. Many advanced composites in aerospace applications involve complex two- and three-dimensional fiber architectures and requires high-temperature processing. Since there are uncertainties associated with each of these, the observed behavior of composite materials shows scatter. Evaluating the effect of each of these variables on the observed scatter in composite properties solely by teSting is cost and time prohibitive. One alternative is to evaluate these effects by computational simulation. The authors have developed probabilistic composite micromechanics techniques by combining woven composite micromechanics and Fast Probability Integration (FPI) techniques to address these issues. In this paper these techniques will be described and demonstrated through selected examples. Results in the form of cumulative distribution functions (CDF) of the composite properties of a MI (melt-infiltrated) SiC/SiC (silicon carbide fiber in a silicon carbide matrix) Composite will be presented. A CDF is a relationship defined by the value of the property (the response variable) with respect to the cumulative probability of occurrence. Furthermore, input variables causing scatter are identified and ranked based upon their sensitivity magnitude. Sensitivity information is very valuable in quality control. How these results can be utilized to develop design allowables so that these materials may be used by structural analysts/designers will also be discussed.

Mital, Subodh K.↗

Identification of atypical flight patterns

Method and system for analyzing aircraft data, including multiple selected flight parameters for a selected phase of a selected flight, and for determining when the selected phase of the selected flight is atypical, when compared with corresponding data for the same phase for other similar flights. A flight signature is computed using continuous-valued and discrete-valued flight parameters for the selected flight parameters and is optionally compared with a statistical distribution of other observed flight signatures, yielding atypicality scores for the same phase for other similar flights. A cluster analysis is optionally applied to the flight signatures to define an optimal collection of clusters. A level of atypicality for a selected flight is estimated, based upon an index associated with the cluster analysis.

Statler, Irving C.↗

Hyper-X (X-43A) Flight Test Range Operations Overview

The Hyper-X program flew X-43A research vehicles to hypersonic speeds over the Pacific Ocean in March and November 2004 from the Western Aeronautical Test Range, NASA Dryden Flight Research Center. The program required multiple telemetry ground stations to provide continuous coverage of the captive carry, launch, boost, experiment, and descent phases of these missions. An overview is provided of vehicle telemetry and distributed assets that supported telemetry acquisition, best source selection, radar tracking, video tracking, flight termination systems, and voice communications. Real-time data display and processing are discussed, and postflight analysis and comparison of the acquired data are presented.

Lux, Jessica↗

Bias structure to efficiently package a magnetic bubble domain device

A single, compact bias structure to efficiently package a plurality of magnetic bubble domain device chips having different bias requirements. The vertical magnetic field distribution within the bias structure air gap is selectively controlled by a magnetically soft field adjusting assembly suitably attached within the bias structure. The size and configuration of the field adjusting assembly tailors local field variations within the air gap to correspond with the bias requirements of the bubble domain chips disposed therein.

Chen, Thomas T.↗