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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1990

Iridium profile for 10 million years across the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary at Gubbio (Italy)

The iridium anomaly at the Cretaceous-Tertiary (KT) boundary was discovered in the pelagic limestone sequence at Gubbio on the basis of 12 samples analyzed by neutron activation analysis (NAA) and was interpreted as indicating impact of a large extraterrestrial object at exactly the time of the KT mass extinction. Continuing controversy over the shape of the Ir profile at the Gubbio KT boundary and its interpretation called for a more detailed follow-up study. Analysis of a 57-meter-thick, 10-million-year-old part of the Gubbio sequence using improved NAA techniques revealed that there is only one Ir anomaly at the KT boundary, but this anomaly shows an intricate fine structure, the origin of which cannot yet be entirely explained. The KT Ir anomaly peaks in a 1-centimeter-thick clay layer, where the average Ir concentration is 3000 parts per trillion (ppt); this peak is flanked by tails with Ir concentrations of 20 to 80 ppt that rise above a background of 12 to 13 ppt. The fine structure of the tails is probably due in part to lateral reworking, diffusion, burrowing, and perhaps Milankovitch cyclicity.

Alvarez, Walter↗
NASA NTRS1981

Voyager search for posteclipse brightening on Io

Results of Voyager observations intended to settle the question of the transient brightening of the Io disk after its emergence from the Jovian shadow are presented. Two observation sequences were obtained on each Voyager flight through the violet filters of the Narrow Angle Cameras at frame intervals of 96 sec. No posteclipse was detected in the disk-integrated brightnesses in any of the sequences to within a few percent accuracy for a time span of up to 30 min following eclipse reappearance. Analysis of several representative individual areas on the disks of Io and Europa confirms the full-disk observations and is in contrast to telescopic observations showing a brightening of 10% just after eclipse which disappears on a time scale of 20 to 15 min. A small amount of brightening lasting about 3 min is found in the south polar region, along with some posteclipse darkening in neighboring regions. Observations imply that yellow sulfur (S8), the reflectance of which changes significantly over the eclipse temperature range, can not be a major constituent of the Io surface, and that the atmospheric column density of SO2 must be significantly less than 0.2 cm-atm at local noon.

Veverka, J.↗
NASA NTRS1985

The evolution of chromospheric activity and the spin-down of solar-type stars

IUE data for 31 solar-type stars are compared with observations of T Tauri stars in order to determine whether the pattern of main sequence chromospheric decay shown by stars older than about 100 million yr extends back to ages of 100 million yr appropriate for T Tauri stars. An analysis of the time decay of stellar ultraviolet and X-ray emission establishes a relationship between emission level and axial rotation, which is expressed in terms of the Rossby parameter. It is shown that the intensity of ultraviolet chromospheric and transition region lines of solar-type stars declines with age. The activity-age relation for main sequence stars older than about 100 million yr is fitted best by an exponential law whose rate of falloff with age depends on temperature.

Simon, T.↗
NASA NTRS1998

Physics of the Inner Heliosphere 1-10 Rs: Plasma Diagnostics and Models

While the mechanisms responsible for the solar corona and the high-speed solar wind streams are still unknown, model computations offer means of predicting the properties of such mechanisms in light of the empirical constraints currently available. Modeling and data analysis efforts were aimed at understanding the plasma properties of the acceleration of the solar wind, its filamentary nature, and the conditions needed to account for a rapidly accelerating solar wind, reaching its terminal speed within 10 R(sub s). A sequence of models ranging from steady one-fluid descriptions of the solar wind to multi-fluid time-dependent models were developed. Plasma diagnostics evolved from the analysis of data acquired from Skylab to SOHO, and complemented by ground-based observations.

Habbal, Shadia R.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Image animation for theme enhancement and change detection

Animated displays are useful in enhancing subtle temporally related changes in scenes viewed by satellites capable of providing repetitive coverage. The detectability of fixed features is also improved through the help of the powerful visual integration process. To expedite the process of assembling and displaying well-registered, time-lapse sequences and to provide means for making quantitative measurements of radiances, displacements, and areas, an electronic satellite image analysis console was constructed. During the LANDSAT-1 program, this equipment was applied to the needs of a number of earth resource investigators with interests principally related to dynamic hydrology. The measurement of the areal extent of snow cover within defined drainage basins is discussed as a representative applications example.

Evans, W. E.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Flow visualization of CFD using graphics workstations

High performance graphics workstations are used to visualize the fluid flow dynamics obtained from supercomputer solutions of computational fluid dynamic programs. The visualizations can be done independently on the workstation or while the workstation is connected to the supercomputer in a distributed computing mode. In the distributed mode, the supercomputer interactively performs the computationally intensive graphics rendering tasks while the workstation performs the viewing tasks. A major advantage of the workstations is that the viewers can interactively change their viewing position while watching the dynamics of the flow fields. An overview of the computer hardware and software required to create these displays is presented. For complex scenes the workstation cannot create the displays fast enough for good motion analysis. For these cases, the animation sequences are recorded on video tape or 16 mm film a frame at a time and played back at the desired speed. The additional software and hardware required to create these video tapes or 16 mm movies are also described. Photographs illustrating current visualization techniques are discussed. Examples of the use of the workstations for flow visualization through animation are available on video tape.

Lasinski, Thomas↗
NASA NTRS1988

Capacity for patterns and sequences in Kanerva's SDM as compared to other associative memory models

The information capacity of Kanerva's Sparse Distributed Memory (SDM) and Hopfield-type neural networks is investigated. Under the approximations used here, it is shown that the total information stored in these systems is proportional to the number connections in the network. The proportionality constant is the same for the SDM and Hopfield-type models independent of the particular model, or the order of the model. The approximations are checked numerically. This same analysis can be used to show that the SDM can store sequences of spatiotemporal patterns, and the addition of time-delayed connections allows the retrieval of context dependent temporal patterns. A minor modification of the SDM can be used to store correlated patterns.

Keeler, James D.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Capacity for patterns and sequences in Kanerva's SDM as compared to other associative memory models

The information capacity of Kanerva's Sparse Distributed Memory (SDM) and Hopfield-type neural networks is investigated. Under the approximations used, it is shown that the total information stored in these systems is proportional to the number connections in the network. The proportionality constant is the same for the SDM and Hopfield-type models independent of the particular model, or the order of the model. The approximations are checked numerically. This same analysis can be used to show that the SDM can store sequences of spatiotemporal patterns, and the addition of time-delayed connections allows the retrieval of context dependent temporal patterns. A minor modification of the SDM can be used to store correlated patterns.

Keeler, James D.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Analysis of lightning flash videos from the Space Shuttle using blob and morphological techniques

Flash rates measured from the Space Shuttle range from 27.8 flashes per minute to 77 flashes per minute. The cloud is an optically thick medium which effectively scatters the energy from a lightning discharge and thereby broadens the risetime and duration of each lightning pulse. Because of the small size, spacecraft sensors with resolutions of 1 km or more are unlikely to detect the individual lightning channels. Instead, the energy from the lightning channel is scattered within the cloud, thereby broadening the apparent area. All of these measurements of lightning flash area and flash rate have involved manual manipulation and analysis of the video or film data. Only a small percentage of the Space Shuttle lightning video has been analyzed. An attempt is made to combine the use of real-time digital disk system and an automated analysis routine in order to overcome this limitation and make processing of a sequence of video frames a much less labor-intensive task.

Pitts, David E.↗
NASA NTRS2001

Pathfinder Photogrammetry Research for Ultra-Lightweight and Inflatable Space Structures

The defining characteristic of ultra-lightweight and inflatable space structures is that they are both very large and very low mass. This makes standard contacting methods of measurement (e.g. attaching accelerometers) impractical because the dynamics of the structure would be changed by the mass of the contacting instrument. Optical measurements are therefore more appropriate. Photogrammetry is a leading candidate for the optical analysis of gossamer structures because it allows for the measurement of a large number of points, is amenable to time sequences, and offers the potential for a high degree of accuracy. The purpose of this thesis is to develop the methodology and determine the effectiveness of a photogrammetry system in measuring ultra-lightweight and inflatable space structures. The results of this thesis will be considered in the design of an automated photogrammetry system for the l6m-diameter vacuum chamber at the NASA Langley Research Center.

Giersch, Louis Roy Miller↗
NASA NTRS2005

Real-Time Principal-Component Analysis

A recently written computer program implements dominant-element-based gradient descent and dynamic initial learning rate (DOGEDYN), which was described in Method of Real-Time Principal-Component Analysis (NPO-40034) NASA Tech Briefs, Vol. 29, No. 1 (January 2005), page 59. To recapitulate: DOGEDYN is a method of sequential principal-component analysis (PCA) suitable for such applications as data compression and extraction of features from sets of data. In DOGEDYN, input data are represented as a sequence of vectors acquired at sampling times. The learning algorithm in DOGEDYN involves sequential extraction of principal vectors by means of a gradient descent in which only the dominant element is used at each iteration. Each iteration includes updating of elements of a weight matrix by amounts proportional to a dynamic initial learning rate chosen to increase the rate of convergence by compensating for the energy lost through the previous extraction of principal components. In comparison with a prior method of gradient-descent-based sequential PCA, DOGEDYN involves less computation and offers a greater rate of learning convergence. The sequential DOGEDYN computations require less memory than would parallel computations for the same purpose. The DOGEDYN software can be executed on a personal computer.

Duong, Vu↗
NASA NTRS2013

The First FERMI-LAT Gamma-Ray Burst Catalog

In three years of observations since the beginning of nominal science operations in 2008 August, the Large Area Telescope (LAT) on board the Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope has observed high-energy great than (20 MeV) gamma-ray emission from 35 gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). Among these, 28 GRBs have been detected above 100 MeV and 7 GRBs above approximately 20 MeV. The first Fermi-LAT catalog of GRBs is a compilation of these detections and provides a systematic study of high-energy emission from GRBs for the first time. To generate the catalog, we examined 733 GRBs detected by the Gamma-Ray Burst Monitor (GBM) on Fermi and processed each of them using the same analysis sequence. Details of the methodology followed by the LAT collaboration for the GRB analysis are provided. We summarize the temporal and spectral properties of the LAT-detected GRBs. We also discuss characteristics of LAT-detected emission such as its delayed onset and longer duration compared with emission detected by the GBM, its power-law temporal decay at late times, and the fact that it is dominated by a power-law spectral component that appears in addition to the usual Band model.

gamma-ray burst: general↗
NASA NTRS2007

General Mission Analysis Tool (GMAT) Architectural Specification. Draft

Early in 2002, Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) began to identify requirements for the flight dynamics software needed to fly upcoming missions that use formations of spacecraft to collect data. These requirements ranged from low level modeling features to large scale interoperability requirements. In 2003 we began work on a system designed to meet these requirement; this system is GMAT. The General Mission Analysis Tool (GMAT) is a general purpose flight dynamics modeling tool built on open source principles. The GMAT code is written in C++, and uses modern C++ constructs extensively. GMAT can be run through either a fully functional Graphical User Interface (GUI) or as a command line program with minimal user feedback. The system is built and runs on Microsoft Windows, Linux, and Macintosh OS X platforms. The GMAT GUI is written using wxWidgets, a cross platform library of components that streamlines the development and extension of the user interface Flight dynamics modeling is performed in GMAT by building components that represent the players in the analysis problem that is being modeled. These components interact through the sequential execution of instructions, embodied in the GMAT Mission Sequence. A typical Mission Sequence will model the trajectories of a set of spacecraft evolving over time, calculating relevant parameters during this propagation, and maneuvering individual spacecraft to maintain a set of mission constraints as established by the mission analyst. All of the elements used in GMAT for mission analysis can be viewed in the GMAT GUI or through a custom scripting language. Analysis problems modeled in GMAT are saved as script files, and these files can be read into GMAT. When a script is read into the GMAT GUI, the corresponding user interface elements are constructed in the GMAT GUI. The GMAT system was developed from the ground up to run in a platform agnostic environment. The source code compiles on numerous different platforms, and is regularly exercised running on Windows, Linux and Macintosh computers by the development and analysis teams working on the project. The system can be run using either a graphical user interface, written using the open source wxWidgets framework, or from a text console. The GMAT source code was written using open source tools. GSFC has released the code using the NASA open source license.

Hughes, Steven P.↗
NASA NTRS1980

The primer vector in linear, relative-motion equations

Primer vector theory is used in analyzing a set of linear, relative-motion equations - the Clohessy-Wiltshire equations - to determine the criteria and necessary conditions for an optimal, N-impulse trajectory. Since the state vector for these equations is defined in terms of a linear system of ordinary differential equations, all fundamental relations defining the solution of the state and costate equations, and the necessary conditions for optimality, can be expressed in terms of elementary functions. The analysis develops the analytical criteria for improving a solution by (1) moving any dependent or independent variable in the initial and/or final orbit, and (2) adding intermediate impulses. If these criteria are violated, the theory establishes a sufficient number of analytical equations. The subsequent satisfaction of these equations will result in the optimal position vectors and times of an N-impulse trajectory. The solution is examined for the specific boundary conditions of (1) fixed-end conditions, two-impulse, and time-open transfer; (2) an orbit-to-orbit transfer; and (3) a generalized rendezvous problem. A sequence of rendezvous problems is solved to illustrate the analysis and the computational procedure.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1979

Studies in astronomical time series analysis: Modeling random processes in the time domain

Random process models phased in the time domain are used to analyze astrophysical time series data produced by random processes. A moving average (MA) model represents the data as a sequence of pulses occurring randomly in time, with random amplitudes. An autoregressive (AR) model represents the correlations in the process in terms of a linear function of past values. The best AR model is determined from sampled data and transformed to an MA for interpretation. The randomness of the pulse amplitudes is maximized by a FORTRAN algorithm which is relatively stable numerically. Results of test cases are given to study the effects of adding noise and of different distributions for the pulse amplitudes. A preliminary analysis of the optical light curve of the quasar 3C 273 is given.

Scargle, J. D.↗
NASA NTRS2008

3D Position and Velocity Vector Computations of Objects Jettisoned from the International Space Station Using Close-Range Photogrammetry Approach

Measurement of the jettisoned object departure trajectory and velocity vector in the International Space Station (ISS) reference frame is vitally important for prompt evaluation of the object s imminent orbit. We report on the first successful application of photogrammetric analysis of the ISS imagery for the prompt computation of the jettisoned object s position and velocity vectors. As post-EVA analyses examples, we present the Floating Potential Probe (FPP) and the Russian "Orlan" Space Suit jettisons, as well as the near-real-time (provided in several hours after the separation) computations of the Video Stanchion Support Assembly Flight Support Assembly (VSSA-FSA) and Early Ammonia Servicer (EAS) jettisons during the US astronauts space-walk. Standard close-range photogrammetry analysis was used during this EVA to analyze two on-board camera image sequences down-linked from the ISS. In this approach the ISS camera orientations were computed from known coordinates of several reference points on the ISS hardware. Then the position of the jettisoned object for each time-frame was computed from its image in each frame of the video-clips. In another, "quick-look" approach used in near-real time, orientation of the cameras was computed from their position (from the ISS CAD model) and operational data (pan and tilt) then location of the jettisoned object was calculated only for several frames of the two synchronized movies. Keywords: Photogrammetry, International Space Station, jettisons, image analysis.

Papanyan, Valeri↗
NASA NTRS1986

Elimination sequence optimization for SPAR

SPAR is a large-scale computer program for finite element structural analysis. The program allows user specification of the order in which the joints of a structure are to be eliminated since this order can have significant influence over solution performance, in terms of both storage requirements and computer time. An efficient elimination sequence can improve performance by over 50% for some problems. Obtaining such sequences, however, requires the expertise of an experienced user and can take hours of tedious effort to affect. Thus, an automatic elimination sequence optimizer would enhance productivity by reducing the analysts' problem definition time and by lowering computer costs. Two possible methods for automating the elimination sequence specifications were examined. Several algorithms based on the graph theory representations of sparse matrices were studied with mixed results. Significant improvement in the program performance was achieved, but sequencing by an experienced user still yields substantially better results. The initial results provide encouraging evidence that the potential benefits of such an automatic sequencer would be well worth the effort.

Hogan, Harry A.↗
NASA NTRS1980

An enhancement of NASTRAN for the seismic analysis of structures

New modules, bulk data cards and DMAP sequence were added to NASTRAN to aid in the seismic analysis of nuclear power plant structures. These allow input consisting of acceleration time histories and result in the generation of acceleration floor response spectra. The resulting system contains numerous user convenience features, as well as being reasonably efficient.

Burroughs, J. W.↗