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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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At least 901 records · Page 50
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1991

Weightlessness and the ontogeny of vestibular function - Evidence for persistent vestibular threshold shifts in chicks incubated in space

The effect of microgravity on the embryonic development of the vestibular function was investigated by comparing the vestibular function parameters measured in 21-old chicks incubated as embryos aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery with those of age-matched synchronous controls incubated on earth. Measurements of the electrophysiological responses in both groups of chicks indicated that the exposure of embryos to weightlessness resulted in altered sensitivity of embryonic vestibular sensors. Moreover, the effect of space flight was persistent: it was still present one month after the spacecraft landed on earth.

Jones, Timothy A.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Temporal variation in spectral detection thresholds of substrate and vegetation in AVIRIS images

The ability to map changes over large surface areas over time is one of the advantages in using remote sensing as a monitoring tool. Temporal changes in the surface may be gradual, making them difficult to detect in the short-term, and because they commonly occur at the subpixel scale, they may be difficult to detect in the long-term as well. Also, subtle changes may be real or merely an artifact of image noise. It is, therefore, necessary to understand the factors that limit the detection of surface materials in evaluating temporal data. The spectral detectability of vegetation and soil in the 1990 July and October Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) data of Jasper Ridge, CA was evaluated and compared.

Sabol, Donald E., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1995

The threshold for stellar winds in hot main-sequence stars

The profiles of ultraviolet resonance lines of C IV were surveyed in a sample of 29 cluster and association members in the spectral type range O9-B2 III-V, together with a few field stars of interest. The temperatures and gravities of the stars were taken from the model atmosphere analysis by Grigsby, Morrison, & Anderson (1992), and the luminosities were estimated on the basis of cluster and association distances from the recent literature. A parameter P(sub w) was defined in order to describe the degree and assymetry of the C IV profile. This parameter, together with total C IV equivalent width, was found to be well correlated with stellar luminosity and temperature. A few anomalous stars were noted: tau Sco, HD 66665, HD 13621, and the ON stars HD12323 and HD 201345. The results suggest a sudden onset of observable mass loss at T(effective) = 27,500 +/- 500 K, log (L/solar luminosity) = 4.4 +/- 0.12, in agreement with the previous study by Prinja (1989). At T(effective) = 28,000 K and log g = 4, our non-LTE model atmospheres show an enhancement in the ground-state population of C(+3) in their topmost layer, which could be responsible for initiation of the winds via radiation pressure on the C(+3) ions, or for the onset of visibility of C(+3) ions in the wind because of an increase in the optical depth in the C IV lines in the outermost layers.

Grigsby, James A.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Performance Thresholds for Application of MEMS Inertial Sensors in Space

We review types of inertial sensors available and current usage of inertial sensors in space and the performance requirements for these applications. We then assess the performance available from micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) devices, both in the near and far term. Opportunities for the application of these devices are identified. A key point is that although the performance available from MEMS inertial sensors is significantly lower than that achieved by existing macroscopic devices (at least in the near term), the low cost, low size, and power of the MEMS devices opens up a number of applications. In particular, we show that there are substantial benefits to using MEMS devices to provide vibration, and for some missions, attitude sensing. In addition, augmentation for global positioning system (GPS) navigation systems holds much promise.

Smit, Geoffrey N.↗
NASA NTRS1999

The Dipper Satellite: A Medium-Class Explorer Mission to the Threshold of Space

The Dipper satellite will carry out an unprecedented, systematic, and focused in-situ exploration of the Earth's lower ionosphere and thermosphere below 200 km that will produce a pivotal base of knowledge that will significantly advance our understanding of knowledge that will significantly advance our understanding of how our near-space environment works. The satellite will carry comprehensive in-situ probes to measure vector electric and magnetic fields, plasma density and temperature, ion velocities, ion and neutral composition and winds, energetic particles including suprathermal electrons, gravity waves, and lightning bursts. The satellite will include a propulsion system and tapered body that will provide over 10,000 excursions to altitudes below 200 km with over 3000 dips to altitudes below 150 km. With this instrument complement, spacecraft, and orbit, the Dipper mission will gather the necessary combined electrodynamics and neutral dynamics measurements to provide an understanding of the Earth's critical boundary region where the ionized gases of space and the neutral gases of the atmosphere are coupled, and where impinging forces and momentum are deposited from the magnetosphere above and from the troposphere, stratosphere, and mesosphere below. In exploring those physical processes in the lower ionosphere which can only be measured in-situ, the Dipper mission addresses four main science objectives. The Dipper will: 1) reveal how ion-neutral coupling creates a global system of dynamo electric fields and currents; 2) provide first-hand understanding of how magnetospheric currents close in the ionosphere and reveal the effects on the upper atmosphere of magnetospheric energy and momentum deposition; 3) discover the degree of upwards coupling and energy deposition due to thunderstorm electric fields and determine their significance; 4) determine the dynamics and composition of the Earth's lower thermosphere, including its response to gravity, tidal, and planetary waves on a range of spatial scales. A proposal to design, build, operate, and analyze data from instruments on the Dipper spacecraft within the schedule and budget constraints of NASA's MIDEX program was submitted to NASA in 1998. This presentation summarizes the main features of the mission.

Pfaff, R. F., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS2000

T Lymphocyte Activation Threshold is Increased in Reduced Gravity

There have been substantial advances in molecular and cellular biology that have provided new insight into the biochemical and genetic basis of lymphocyte recognition, activation and expression of distinct functional phenotypes. It has now become evident that for both T and B cells, stimuli delivered through their receptors can result in either clonal expansion or apoptosis. In the case of T cells, clonal expansion of helper cells is accompanied by differentiation into two major functional subsets which regulate the immune response. The pathways between the membrane and the nucleus and their molecular components are an area of very active investigation. This meeting will draw together scientists working on diverse aspects of this problem, including receptor ligand interactions, intracellular pathways that transmit receptor mediated signals and the effect of such signal transduction pathways on gene regulation. The aim of this meeting is to integrate the information from these various experimental approaches into a new synthesis and molecular explanation of T cell activation, differentiation and death.

Adams, Charley L.↗
NASA NTRS2003

New Voltage and Current Thresholds Determined for Sustained Space Plasma Arcing

It has been known for many years, based partly on NASA Glenn Research Center testing, that high-voltage solar arrays arc into the space plasma environment. Solar arrays are composed of solar cells in series with each other (a string), and the strings may be connected in parallel to produce the entire solar array power. Arcs on solar arrays can damage or destroy solar cells, and in the extreme case of sustained arcing, entire solar array strings, in a flash. In the case of sustained arcing (discovered at Glenn and applied to the design and construction of solar arrays on Space Systems/Loral (SS/Loral, Palo Alto, CA) satellites, Deep-Space 1, and Terra), an arc on one solar array string can couple to an adjacent string and continue to be powered by the solar array output until a permanent electrical short is produced. In other words, sustained arcs produced by arcs into the plasma (so-called trigger arcs) may turn into disastrous sustained arcs by involving other array strings.

Dale C. Ferguson↗
NASA NTRS1996

Absolute Inelastic Differential Electron Scattering Cross Sections for He, Xe, N2, and CO at Near Threshold Impact Energies for 90(deg) Scattering Angle

There is a great deal of need for accurate differential cross sections (DCSs) associated with electron impact excitation of various atomic and molecular species. These cross sections are needed for modeling of various plasma systems (ranging from lasers and material processing plasmas to planetary and astrophysical plasmas) and for guiding development of theoretical and computational schemes.

DCS beam scattering beam-beam scattering↗