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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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NASA NTRS1992

MIRACAL: A mission radiation calculation program for analysis of lunar and interplanetary missions

A computational procedure and data base are developed for manned space exploration missions for which estimates are made for the energetic particle fluences encountered and the resulting dose equivalent incurred. The data base includes the following options: statistical or continuum model for ordinary solar proton events, selection of up to six large proton flare spectra, and galactic cosmic ray fluxes for elemental nuclei of charge numbers 1 through 92. The program requires an input trajectory definition information and specifications of optional parameters, which include desired spectral data and nominal shield thickness. The procedure may be implemented as an independent program or as a subroutine in trajectory codes. This code should be most useful in mission optimization and selection studies for which radiation exposure is of special importance.

Nealy, John E.↗

NASA NTRS1992

Abundance recovery error analysis using simulated AVIRIS data

Measurement noise and imperfect atmospheric correction translate directly into errors in the determination of the surficial abundance of materials from imaging spectrometer data. The effects of errors on abundance recovery were investigated previously using Monte Carlo simulation methods by Sabol et. al. The drawback of the Monte Carlo approach is that thousands of trials are needed to develop good statistics on the probable error in abundance recovery. This computational burden invariably limits the number of scenarios of interest that can practically be investigated. A more efficient approach is based on covariance analysis. The covariance analysis approach expresses errors in abundance as a function of noise in the spectral measurements and provides a closed form result eliminating the need for multiple trials. Monte Carlo simulation and covariance analysis are used to predict confidence limits for abundance recovery for a scenario which is modeled as being derived from Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS).

Stoner, William W.↗

NASA NTRS1993

A deep x-ray survey of the Pleiades cluster and the B6-A3 main sequence stars in Orion

We have obtained deep ROSAT images of three regions within the Pleiades open cluster. We have detected 317 X-ray sources in these ROSAT PSPC images, 171 of which we associate with certain probable members of the Pleiades cluster. We detect nearly all Pleiades members with spectral types later than G0 and within 25 arcminutes of our three field centers where our sensitivity is highest. This has allowed us to derive for the first time the luminosity function for the G, K, and M dwarfs of an open cluster without the need to use statistical techniques to account for the presence of upper limits in the data sample. Because of our high X-ray detection frequency down to the faint limit of the optical catalog, we suspect that some of our unidentified X-ray sources are previously unknown, very low-mass members of the Pleiades. A large fraction of the Pleiades members detected with ROSAT have published rotational velocities. Plots of L(sub x)/L(sub bol) versus spectroscopic rotational velocity show tightly correlated 'saturation' type relations for stars with (B - V)(sub O) greater than 0.60. For each of several color ranges, X-ray luminosities rise rapidly with increasing rotation rate until v sin i approximately equals 15 km/s, and then remain essentially flat for rotation rates up to at least v sin i approximately equal to 100 km/s. The dispersion in rotation among low-mass stars in the Pleiades is by far the dominant contributor to the dispersion in L(subx) at a given mass. Only about 35 percent of the B.A. and early F stars in the Pleiades are detected as X-ray sources in our survey. There is no correlation between X-ray flux and rotation for these stars. The X-ray luminosity function for the early-type Pleiades stars appears to be bimodal, with only a few exceptions. We either detect these stars at fluxes in the range found for low-mass stars or we derive X-ray limits below the level found for most Pleiades dwarfs. The X-ray spectra for the early-type Pleiades stars detected by ROSAT are indistinguishable from the spectra of the low-mass Pleiades members. We believe that the simple explanation for this behavior is that the early-type Pleiades stars are not themselves intrinsic X-ray sources and that the X-ray sources and that the X-ray emission actually arises from low-mass companions to these stars.

Caillault, Jean-Pierre↗

NASA NTRS1994

A deep imaging survey of the Pleiades with ROSAT

We have obtained deep ROSAT images of three regions within the Pleiades open cluster. We have detected 317 X-ray sources in these ROSAT Position Sensitive Proportional Counter (PSPC) images, 171 of which we associate with certain or probable members of the Pleiades cluster. We detect nearly all Pleiades members with spectral types later than G0 and within 25 arcminutes of our three field centers where our sensitivity is highest. This has allowed us to derive for the first time the luminosity function for the G, K, amd M dwarfs of an open cluster without the need to use statistical techniques to account for the presence of upper limits in the data sample. Because of our high X-ray detection frequency down to the faint limit of the optical catalog, we suspect that some of our unidentified X-ray sources are previously unknown, very low-mass members of Pleiades. A large fraction of the Pleiades members detected with ROSAT have published rotational velocities. Plots of L(sub X)/L(sub Bol) versus spectroscopic rotational velocity show tightly correlated `saturation' type relations for stars with ((B - V)(sub 0)) greater than or equal to 0.60. For each of several color ranges, X-ray luminosities rise rapidly with increasing rotation rate until c sin i approximately equal to 15 km/sec, and then remains essentially flat for rotation rates up to at least v sin i approximately equal to 100 km/sec. The dispersion in rotation among low-mass stars in the Pleiades is by far the dominant contributor to the dispersion in L(sub X) at a given mass. Only about 35% of the B, A, and early F stars in the Pleiades are detected as X-ray sources in our survey. There is no correlation between X-ray flux and rotation for these stars. The X-ray luminosity function for the early-type Pleiades stars appears to be bimodal -- with only a few exceptions, we either detect these stars at fluxes in the range found for low-mass stars or we derive X-ray limits below the level found for most Pleiades dwarfs. The X-ray spectra for the early-type Pleiades stars detected by ROSAT are indistinguishable from the spectra of the low-mass Pleiades members. We believe that the simplest explanation for this behavior is that the early-type Pleiades stars are not themselves intrinsic X-ray sources and that the X-ray emission actually arises from low-mass companions to these stars.

Stauffer, J. R.↗

NASA NTRS2000

Evaluation of the Applicability of Solar and Lamp Radiometric Calibrations of a Precision Sun Photometer Operating Between 300 and 1025 nm

Over a period of 3 year a precision Sun photometer (SPM) operating between 300 and 1025 nm was calibrated four times at three different high-mountain sites in Switzerland, Germany, and the United States by means of the Langley-plot technique. We found that for atmospheric window wavelengths the total error (2 sigma-statistical plus systematic errors) of the calibration constants V(sub 0)(lambda), the SPM voltage in the absence of any attenuating atmosphere, can be kept below 1.60% in the UV-A and blue, 0.9% in the mid-visible, and 0.6% in the near-infra red spectral region. For SPM channels within strong water-vapor or ozone absorption bands a modified Langley-plot technique was used to determine V(sub 0)(lambda) with a lower accuracy. Within the same period of time, we calibrated the SPM five times using irradiance standard lamps in the optical labs of the Physikalisch-Meteorologisches Observatorium Davos and World Radiation Center, Switzerland, and of the Remote Sensing Group of the Optical Sciences Center, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona. The lab calibration method requires knowledge of the extraterrestrial spectral irradiance. When we refer the standard lamp results to the World Radiation Center extraterrestrial solar irradiance spectrum, they agree with the Langley results within 2% at 6 or 13 SPM wavelengths. The largest disagreement (4.4%) is found for the channel centered at 610 nm. The results of these intercomparisons change significantly when the lamp results are referred to two different extraterrestrial solar irradiance spectra that have become recently available.

Schmid, Beat↗

NASA NTRS2002

Fatigue Crack and Porosity Measurement in Composite Materials by Thermographic and Ultrasonic Methods

Many nondestructive methods exist for the detection of localized material anomalies in an otherwise good composite structure. The problem arises when the material system as a whole has degraded during service or was improperly manufactured. Porosity and intra-ply microcracking are two such conditions that in unlined composite pressure vessels can be very troublesome to detect and when linked through the thickness can be critical to mission success. These leak paths may lead to loss of pressure/propellant, increased risk of explosion and possible cryo-pumping. Research sought nondestructive methods for quantifying porosity and microcracking in composite tankage. Both thermographic and resonance ultrasound methods have been utilized with artificial neural network and statistical approaches to analyze the data. Resonant ultrasound spectroscopy provides measurements, which are sensitive to fine details in the materials character, such as micro-cracking and porosity. Here, the higher frequency (shorter wavelength) components of the signal train provide more significant interaction with the defects causing the spectral characteristics to shift toward lower amplitudes at the higher frequencies. As the density of the defects increases more interactions occur and more drastic amplitude changes are observed. From a thermal perspective, the higher the defect density the lower the through thickness thermal diffusivity will be. Utilizing a point heat source, and thermographically recording the heat profile with time, diffusivity calculations can be made which in turn can be related to the relative quality of the material. Preliminary experiments to verify the measurable effect on the resonance spectrum of the ultrasonic data to detect microcracking and for porosity detection thermographically are presented. Methods involving supervised and unsupervised artificial neural networks as well as other clustering algorithms are developed for signal identification.

Walker, James L.↗

NASA NTRS2003

On the Confidence Limit of Hilbert Spectrum

Confidence limit is a routine requirement for Fourier spectral analysis. But this confidence limit is established based on ergodic theory: For stationary process, temporal average equals the ensemble average. Therefore, one can divide the data into n-sections and treat each section as independent realization. Most natural processes in general, and climate data in particular, are not stationary; therefore, there is a need for the Hilbert Spectral analysis for such processes. Here ergodic theory is no longer applicable. We propose to use various adjustable parameters in the shifting processes of the Empirical Mode Decomposition (EMD) method to obtain an ensemble of Intrinsic Mode Function 0 sets. Based on such an ensemble, we introduce a statistical measure in. a form of confidence limits for the Intrinsic Mode Functions, and consequently, the Hilbert spectra. The criterion of selecting the various adjustable parameters is based on the orthogonality test of the resulting M F sets. Length-of-day data from 1962 to 2001 will be used to illustrate this new approach. Its implication in climate data analysis will also be discussed.

Huang, Norden↗

NASA NTRS2012

Assessment of Mars Atmospheric Temperature Retrievals from the Thermal Emission Spectrometer Radiances

Motivated by the needs of Mars data assimilation. particularly quantification of measurement errors and generation of averaging kernels. we have evaluated atmospheric temperature retrievals from Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Thermal Emission Spectrometer (TES) radiances. Multiple sets of retrievals have been considered in this study; (1) retrievals available from the Planetary Data System (PDS), (2) retrievals based on variants of the retrieval algorithm used to generate the PDS retrievals, and (3) retrievals produced using the Mars 1-Dimensional Retrieval (M1R) algorithm based on the Optimal Spectral Sampling (OSS ) forward model. The retrieved temperature profiles are compared to the MGS Radio Science (RS) temperature profiles. For the samples tested, the M1R temperature profiles can be made to agree within 2 K with the RS temperature profiles, but only after tuning the prior and error statistics. Use of a global prior that does not take into account the seasonal dependence leads errors of up 6 K. In polar samples. errors relative to the RS temperature profiles are even larger. In these samples, the PDS temperature profiles also exhibit a poor fit with RS temperatures. This fit is worse than reported in previous studies, indicating that the lack of fit is due to a bias correction to TES radiances implemented after 2004. To explain the differences between the PDS and Ml R temperatures, the algorithms are compared directly, with the OSS forward model inserted into the PDS algorithm. Factors such as the filtering parameter, the use of linear versus nonlinear constrained inversion, and the choice of the forward model, are found to contribute heavily to the differences in the temperature profiles retrieved in the polar regions, resulting in uncertainties of up to 6 K. Even outside the poles, changes in the a priori statistics result in different profile shapes which all fit the radiances within the specified error. The importance of the a priori statistics prevents reliable global retrievals based a single a priori and strongly implies that a robust science analysis must instead rely on retrievals employing localized a priori information, for example from an ensemble based data assimilation system such as the Local Ensemble Transform Kalman Filter (LETKF).

Hoffman, Matthew J.↗

NASA NTRS2012

Analysis of Fine-Mode Aerosol Retrieval Capabilities by Different Passive Remote Sensing Instrument Designs

Remote sensing of aerosol optical properties is difficult, but multi-angle, multi-spectral, polarimetric instruments have the potential to retrieve sufficient information about aerosols that they can be used to improve global climate models. However, the complexity of these instruments means that it is difficult to intuitively understand the relationship between instrument design and retrieval success. We apply a Bayesian statistical technique that relates instrument characteristics to the information contained in an observation. Using realistic simulations of fine size mode dominated spherical aerosols, we investigate three instrument designs. Two of these represent instruments currently in orbit: the Multiangle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) and the POLarization and Directionality of the Earths Reflectances (POLDER). The third is the Aerosol Polarimetry Sensor (APS), which failed to reach orbit during recent launch, but represents a viable design for future instruments. The results show fundamental differences between the three, and offer suggestions for future instrument design and the optimal retrieval strategy for current instruments. Generally, our results agree with previous validation efforts of POLDER and airborne prototypes of APS, but show that the MISR aerosol optical thickness uncertainty characterization is possibly underestimated.

Knobelspiesse, Kirk↗

NASA NTRS2022

Remote Sensing of Aerosol Water Fraction, Dry Size Distribution and Soluble Fraction Using Multi-Angle, Multi-Spectral Polarimetry

A framework to infer volume water fraction, soluble fraction and dry size distributions of fine-mode aerosol from multi-angle, multi-spectral polarimetry retrievals of column-averaged ambient aerosol properties is presented. The method is applied to observations of the Research Scanning Polarimeter (RSP) obtained during two NASA aircraft campaigns, namely the Aerosol Cloud meTeorology Interactions oVer the western ATlantic Experiment (ACTIVATE) and the Cloud, Aerosol, and Monsoon Processes Philippines Experiment (CAMP2Ex). All aerosol retrievals are statistically evaluated using in situ data. Volume water fraction is inferred from the retrieved ambient real part of the refractive index, assuming a dry refractive index of 1.54 and by applying a volume mixing rule to obtain the effective ambient refractive index. The uncertainties in inferred volume water fraction resulting from this simplified model are discussed and estimated to be lower than 0.2 and decreasing with increasing volume water fraction. The daily mean retrieved volume water fractions correlate well with the in situ values with a mean absolute difference of 0.09. Polarimeter-retrieved ambient effective radius for daily data is shown to increase as a function of volume water fraction as expected. Furthermore, the effective variance of the size distributions also increases with increasing effective radius, which we show is consistent with an external mixture of soluble and insoluble aerosol. The relative variations of effective radius and variance over an observation period are then used to estimate the soluble fraction of the aerosol. Daily results of soluble fraction correlate well with in situ-observed sulfate mass fraction with a correlation coefficient of 0.79. Subsequently, inferred water and soluble fractions are used to derive dry fine-mode size distributions from their ambient counterparts. While dry effective radii obtained in situ and from RSP show similar ranges, in situ values are generally substantially smaller during the ACTIVATE deployments, which may be due to biases in RSP retrievals or in the in situ observations, or both. Both RSP and in situ observations indicate the dominance of aerosol with low hygroscopicity during the ACTIVATE and CAMP2Ex campaigns. Furthermore, RSP indicates a high degree of external mixing of particles with low and high hygroscopicity. These retrievals of fine-mode water volume fraction and soluble fraction may be used for the evaluation of water uptake in atmospheric models. Furthermore, the framework allows us to estimate the variation in the concentration of fine-mode aerosol larger than a specific dry radius limit, which can be used as a proxy for the variation in cloud condensation nucleus concentrations. This framework may be applied to multi-angle, multi-spectral satellite data expected to be available in the near future.

Amount of water in particulate matter↗

NASA NTRS1985

Flow dynamic environment data base development for the SSME

The fluid flow-induced vibration of the Space Shuttle main engine (SSME) components are being studied with a view to correlating the frequency characteristics of the pressure fluctuations in a rocket engine to its operating conditions and geometry. An overview of the data base development for SSME test firing results and the interactive computer software used to access, retrieve, and plot or print the results selectively for given thrust levels, engine numbers, etc., is presented. The various statistical methods available in the computer code for data analysis are discussed. Plots of test data, nondimensionalized using parameters such as fluid flow velocities, densities, and pressures, are presented. Results are compared with those available in the literature. Correlations between the resonant peaks observed at higher frequencies in power spectral density plots with pump geometry and operating conditions are discussed. An overview of the status of the investigation is presented and future directions are discussed.

Sundaram, C. V.↗

NASA NTRS2000

A Recommended Procedure for Estimating the Cosmic Ray Spectral Parameter of a Simple Power Law

A simple power law model consisting of a single spectral index a(f(sub i)) is believed to be an adequate description of the galactic cosmic ray (GQ proton flux at energies below 1013 eV. Two procedures for estimating a(f(sub i)), referred as (1) the method of moments, and (2) maximum likelihood, are developed and their statistical performance compared. I concluded that the maximum likelihood procedure attains the most desirable statistical properties and is hence the recommended statistic estimation procedure for estimating a1. The maximum likelihood procedure is then generalized for application to a set of real cosmic ray data and thereby makes this approach applicable to existing cosmic ray data sets. Several other important results, such as the relationship between collecting power and detector energy resolution, as well as inclusion of a non-Gaussian detector response function, are presented. These results have many practical benefits in the design phase of a cosmic ray detector because they permit instrument developers to make important trade studies in design parameters as a function of one of the science objectives, which is particularly important for space-based detectors where physical parameters, such as dimension and weight, impose practical limits to the design envelope.

Howell, Leonard W.↗

NASA NTRS2007

Gamma-Ray Burst Afterglows as Probes of Environment and Blastwave Physics II: The Distribution of p and Structure of the Circumburst Medium

We constrain blastwave parameters and the circumburst media of a subsample of BeppoSAX Gamma-Ray Bursts. For this sample we derive the values of the injected electron energy distribution index, p, and the density structure index of the circumburst medium, k, from simultaneous spectral fits to their X-ray, optical and nIR afterglow data. The spectral fits have been done in count space and include the effects of metallicity, and are compared with the previously reported optical and X-ray temporal behaviour. Assuming the fireball model, we can find a mean value of p for the sample as a whole of 2.035. A statistical analysis Of the distribution demonstrates that the p values in this sample are inconsistent with a single universal value for p at the 3sigma level or greater. This approach provides us with a measured distribution of circumburst density structures rather than considering only the cases of k = 0 (homogeneous) and k = 2 (wind-like). We find five GRBs for which k can be well constrained, and in four of these cases the circumburst medium is clearly wind-like. The fifth source has a value of 0 less than or equal to k less than or equal to 1, consistent with a homogeneous circumburst medium.

Starling, R. L. C.↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Correlated Changes in Retinal Thickness and Visuomotor Function in Asymptomatic Plaquenil Toxicity Patients

We have previously shown that a 5-minute eye-movement test can capture a number of largely independent “oculometric” parameters of human visual/visuomotor function (Liston & Stone, 2014). This test has been successfully used to characterize mild neural impairment due to traumatic brain injury, sleep and circadian disruption, and alcohol consumption (Liston et al., 2017; Stone et al, 2019; Tyson et al, 2021). Here, we extend this approach to study patients at risk of progressive posterior-segment illness to see how oculometrics relate to standard clinical ophthalmological measures. Five female patients (<20:40 BCVA, 34-60 years old) undergoing hydroxychloroquine treatment (2-7mg/kg/day for 10-23 years for rheumatologic illness) have participated thus far. Under monocular viewing conditions in randomized order, they tracked a moving spot undergoing radial step-ramp motion in one of 90 randomized directions, at one of 5 randomized speeds, starting at random times (for details, see Stone et al, 2019). We computed nine independent oculometrics (latency, initial acceleration, steady-state gain, proportion smooth, saccadic rate, saccadic amplitude, direction noise, speed responsiveness, and speed noise). Spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (Zeiss, Dublin, CA) was used to measure the average thickness of the nine Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study macular sectors from the internal limiting membrane to the retinal pigmented epithelium. We used Pearson’s correlation between retinal thickness and our oculometrics with t-statistics to test separate one-sided hypotheses across 10 retinae. Our preliminary analysis found significant changes in several different aspects of visuomotor performance. Most notably, latency increased, initial acceleration decreased, and steady-state pursuit gain decreased as retinal thickness decreased (r2 = 0.364, 0.579, and 0.692; one-tailed P = 0.032, 0.005, and 0.001, respectively). Speed responsiveness appeared to decrease, but this effect was marginal for our current sample (r2 = 0.253, P = 0.069). Lastly, direction discrimination and saccadic behavior appeared unchanged. We conclude that oculometrics may provide sensitive measures of changes in retinal thickness. More importantly, oculometrics have the potential to detect impairment before it becomes evident with standard clinical imaging tools, while also providing insight into the behavioral implications of any resulting deficits in visual/visuomotor function.

eye movements↗

NASA NTRS2022

Remote Sensing of Aerosol Water Fraction, Dry Size Distribution and Soluble Fraction Using Multi-Angle, Multi-Spectral Polarimetry

A framework to infer volume water fraction, soluble fraction and dry size distributions of fine mode aerosol from multi-angle, multi-spectral polarimetry retrievals of column-averaged ambient aerosol properties is presented. The method is applied to observations of the Research Scanning Polarimeter (RSP) obtained during two NASA aircraft campaigns, namely the Aerosol Cloud meTeorology Interactions oVer the western ATlantic Experiment (ACTIVATE) and the Cloud, Aerosol, and Monsoon Processes-Philippines Experiment (CAMP2Ex). All aerosol retrievals are statistically evaluated using in situ data. Volume water fraction is inferred from the retrieved ambient real part of the refractive index, assuming a dry refractive index of 1.54 and by applying a volume mixing rule to obtain the effective ambient refractive index. The uncertainties in inferred volume water fraction resulting from this simplified model are discussed and estimated to be lower than 0.2 and decreasing with increasing volume water fraction. The daily mean retrieved volume water fractions correlate well with the in situ values with a mean absolute difference of 0.09. Polarimeter-retrieved ambient effective radius for daily data is shown to increase as a function of volume water fraction as expected. Furthermore, the effective variance of the size distributions also increases with increasing effective radius, which we show is consistent with an external mixture of soluble and insoluble aerosol. The relative variations of effective radius and variance over an observation period are then used to estimate the soluble fraction of the aerosol. Daily results of soluble fraction correlate well with in situ observed sulfate mass fraction with a correlation coefficient of 0.79. Subsequently, inferred water and soluble fractions are used to derive dry fine-mode size distributions from their ambient counterparts. While dry effective radii obtained in situ and from RSP show similar ranges, in situ values are generally substantially smaller during the ACTIVATE deployments, which may be due to biases in RSP retrievals or in the in situ observations, or both. Both RSP and in situ observations indicate the dominance of aerosol with low hygroscopicity during the ACTIVATE and CAMP2Ex campaigns. Furthermore, RSP indicates a high degree of external mixing of particles with low and high hygroscopicity. These retrievals of fine mode water volume fraction and soluble fraction may be used for the evaluation of water uptake in atmospheric models. Furthermore, the framework allows to estimate the variation in the concentration of fine-mode aerosol larger than a specific dry radius limit, which can be used as a proxy for the variation in cloud condensation nucleus concentrations. This framework may be applied to multi-angle, multi-spectral satellite data expected to be available in the near future.

Bastiaan Van Diedenhoven↗

NASA NTRS2023

Direct Measurement of the Spectral Structure of Cosmic-Ray Electrons+Positrons in the Tev Region With Calet on the International Space Station

Detailed measurements of the spectral structure of cosmic-ray electrons and positrons from 10.6 GeV to 7.5 TeV are presented from over 7 years of observations with the CALorimetric Electron Telescope (CALET) on the International Space Station. The instrument, consisting of a charge detector, an imaging calorimeter, and a total absorption calorimeter with a total depth of 30 radiation lengths at normal incidence and a fine shower imaging capability, is optimized to measure the all-electron spectrum well into the TeV region. Because of the excellent energy resolution (a few percent above 10 GeV) and the outstanding e/p separation (10 5 ), CALET provides optimal performance for a detailed search of structures in the energy spectrum. The analysis uses data up to the end of 2022, and the statistics of observed electron candidates has increased more than 3 times since the last publication in 2018. By adopting an updated boosted decision tree analysis, a sufficient proton rejection power up to 7.5 TeV is achieved, with a residual proton contamination less than 10%. The observed energy spectrum becomes gradually harder in the lower energy region from around 30 GeV, consistently with AMS-02, but from 300 to 600 GeV it is considerably softer than the spectra measured by DAMPE and Fermi-LAT. At high energies, the spectrum presents a sharp break around 1 TeV, with a spectral index change from −3.15 to −3.91, and a broken power law fitting the data in the energy range from 30 GeV to 4.8 TeV better than a single power law with 6.9 sigma significance, which is compatible with the DAMPE results. The break is consistent with the expected effects of radiation loss during the propagation from distant sources (except the highest energy bin). We have fitted the spectrum with a model consistent with the positron flux measured by AMS-02 below 1 TeV and interpreted the electron+positron spectrum with possible contributions from pulsars and nearby sources. Above 4.8 TeV, a possible contribution from known nearby supernova remnants, including Vela, is addressed by an event-by-event analysis providing a higher proton-rejection power than a purely statistical analysis.

O. Adriani↗

DOE OSTI2020

Characterization of Extreme Wave Conditions for Wave Energy Converter Design and Project Risk Assessment

Best practices and international standards for determining n-year return period extreme wave (sea states) conditions allow wave energy converter designers and project developers the option to apply simple univariate or more complex bivariate extreme value analysis methods. The present study compares extreme sea state estimates derived from univariate and bivariate methods and investigates the performance of spectral wave models for predicting extreme sea states at buoy locations within several regional wave climates along the US East and West Coasts. Two common third-generation spectral wave models are evaluated, a WAVEWATCH III® model with a grid resolution of 4 arc-minutes (6–7 km), and a Simulating WAves Nearshore model, with a coastal resolution of 200–300 m. Both models are used to generate multi-year hindcasts, from which extreme sea state statistics used for wave conditions characterization can be derived and compared to those based on in-situ observations at National Data Buoy Center stations. Comparison of results using different univariate and bivariate methods from the same data source indicates reasonable agreement on average. Discrepancies are predominantly random. Large discrepancies are common and increase with return period. There is a systematic underbias for extreme significant wave heights derived from model hindcasts compared to those derived from buoy measurements. This underbias is dependent on model spatial resolution. However, simple linear corrections can effectively compensate for this bias. A similar approach is not possible for correcting model-derived environmental contours, but other methods, e.g., machine learning, should be explored.

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗

NASA NTRS1978

Simplified model of statistically stationary spacecraft rotation and associated induced gravity environments

A stochastic model of spacecraft motion was developed based on the assumption that the net torque vector due to crew activity and rocket thruster firings is a statistically stationary Gaussian vector process. The process had zero ensemble mean value, and the components of the torque vector were mutually stochastically independent. The linearized rigid-body equations of motion were used to derive the autospectral density functions of the components of the spacecraft rotation vector. The cross-spectral density functions of the components of the rotation vector vanish for all frequencies so that the components of rotation were mutually stochastically independent. The autospectral and cross-spectral density functions of the induced gravity environment imparted to scientific apparatus rigidly attached to the spacecraft were calculated from the rotation rate spectral density functions via linearized inertial frame to body-fixed principal axis frame transformation formulae. The induced gravity process was a Gaussian one with zero mean value. Transformation formulae were used to rotate the principal axis body-fixed frame to which the rotation rate and induced gravity vector were referred to a body-fixed frame in which the components of the induced gravity vector were stochastically independent. Rice's theory of exceedances was used to calculate expected exceedance rates of the components of the rotation and induced gravity vector processes.

Fichtl, G. H.↗