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At least 919 records · Page 51

NASA general aviation stall/spin flight testing

A comprehensive program incorporating spin tunnel, static and rotary balance wind tunnel, full scale wind tunnel, free flight radio control model, flight simulation, and full scale flight testing was undertaken. Work includes aerodynamic definition of various configurations at high angles of attack, testing of stall and spin prevention concepts, definition of spin and spin recovery characteristics, and development of test techniques and emergency spin recovery systems. Some of the more interesting results to date are presented for the first airplane in the program in the areas of tail design, wind leading edge design, mass distribution, center of gravity location, and small airframe changes, with associated pilot observations. Design philosophy of the spin recovery parachute system is discussed, in addition to test techniques.

Patton, J. M., Jr.↗

The behavior of the O/+/-H/+/ transition level at solar maximum

An examination of the transition level at which the ionospheric ions O(+) and H(+) are equal in concentration has been carried out by using the retarding potential analyzer data from the OGO 6 satellite. Between dip latitudes of 0 and 50 deg the transition level shows a much more pronounced latitude dependence during solar maximum than during solar minimum. The longitude dependence of the transition level features indicates the roles that zonal and meridional F region winds might play in the distribution of O(+) and H(+) in the low- and mid-latitude ionosphere.

Kutiev, I.↗

Pressure distributions on three different cruciform aft-tail control surfaces of a wingless missile at Mach 1.60, 2.36, and 3.70. Volume 1: Trapezoidal tail

The results of pressure distribution tests conducted in a wind tunnel are presented without analysis. The data were obtained for trapezoidal aft tail control surfaces on a wingless missile model at Mach numbers of 1.60, 2.36, and 3.70 for angles of attack from -4 to 20 deg model roll angles from 0 to 90 deg and tail deflections of 0 and -15 deg. The test Reynolds number used was 6.6 million per meter.

Lamb, M.↗

Line-profile and continuum variations of the contact binary SV Centauri

A total of five high and ten low dispersion UV spectra of the interacting contact binary SV Centauri obtained between 1979 and 1982 are analyzed. The low resolution observations cover the whole phase range, while a few selected phases were observed in high dispersion. The UV data were complemented with optical photometric and spectroscopic observations, in order to determine the tructure and absolute dimensions of the system. The profiles of prominent UV resonance and metastable lines undergo drastic changes with phase angle and time. Their overall appearance indicates relatively strong mass loss from the system, exhibiting pronounced variations of the stellar wind. The far UV continuum distribution suggests the presence of a luminous hot radiation source with maximum emission in the soft X-ray range, which is most apparently seen during the first quadrature phase, while it is weakest close to primary minimum. The case exchange and mass loss process as well as the evolutionary stage of SV Centauri are discussed.

Rahe, J.↗

Atmospheric angular momentum and the length of day - A common fluctuation with a period near 50 days

Four astronomical measures of changes in the length of day obtained in 1979 have been shown to exhibit the same, approximately 50-day fluctuation. To find whether this fluctuation was persistent, and of meteorological origin, lunar laser ranging observations and wind data deduced from sources distributed over the globe were analyzed. A high degree of correlation was found between the two sets of data. It is implied that the 50-day period fluctuations in length of day are real and related to meteorological effects. Observed changes in length of day can provide a constraint for models for atmospheric flow, and a partial check for global analyses of such motions.

Langley, R. B.↗

The resolution of P Cygni's stellar wind

The 6 cm radio emission from P Cygni's stellar wind has been resolved using the Very Large Array. The wind is apparently spherically symmetric, and the radial surface brightness distribution agrees with that predicted by the constant velocity, isothermal wind model. The wind temperature is directly determined from the observations to be within 2000 K of 18,000, which is consistent with an effective temperature of 20,000 K for P Cygni. The technique makes it possible to study the adiabatic cooling of the wind, which should be important for most early-type stars but which cannot be recognized through its effects on the radio spectrum. To avoid systematically underestimating fluxes, it is essential to fit models directly to the (u-v) data when observing stellar winds with the VLA.

White, R. L.↗

Speculation on Martian north polar wind circulation and the resultant orientations of polar sand dunes

When seen at frost cap minimum, Martian north polar erg dunes north of 80 deg N record east winds, while those south of that latitude record west winds. Many of the transverse dunes are considered to be reversing dunes, and dunes in the two fields may have reversed at least once during the lifetime of the Viking Orbiters. It is proposed that the average polar winds are strong, off-pole northwest winds in the fall, moderate west winds in winter, latitude-dependent weak-to-strong off-pole northeast winds in spring, and weak west winds in summer, as has been largely confirmed by Viking images of near polar clouds. Over millenia, the combination of reversing west and east winds could produce the biomodal distributions of dune orientations observed at the north pole.

Ward, A. W.↗

Iron charge states observed in the solar wind

Solar wind measurements from the ULECA sensor of the Max-Planck-Institut/University of Maryland experiment on ISEE-3 are reported. The low energy section of approx the ULECA sensor selects particles by their energy per charge (over the range 3.6 keV/Q to 30 keV/Q) and simultaneously measures their total energy with two low-noise solid state detectors. Solar wind Fe charge state measurements from three time periods of high speed solar wind occurring during a post-shock flow and a coronal hole-associated high speed stream are presented. Analysis of the post-shock flow solar wind indicates the charge state distributions for Fe were peaked at approx +16, indicative of an unusually high coronal temperature (3,000,000 K). In contrast, the Fe charge state distribution observed in a coronal hole-associated high speed stream peaks at approx -9, indicating a much lower coronal temperature (1,400,000 K). This constitutes the first reported measurements of iron charge states in a coronal hole-associated high speed stream.

Ipavich, F. M.↗

Aerodynamic design using numerical optimization

The procedure of using numerical optimization methods coupled with computational fluid dynamic (CFD) codes for the development of an aerodynamic design is examined. Several approaches that replace wind tunnel tests, develop pressure distributions and derive designs, or fulfill preset design criteria are presented. The method of Aerodynamic Design by Numerical Optimization (ADNO) is described and illustrated with examples.

Murman, E. M.↗

An interactive Barnes objective map analysis scheme for use with satellite and conventional data

The Barnes (1973) objective map analysis scheme is employed to develop an interactive analysis package for assessing the impact of satellite-derived data on analyses of conventional meteorological data sets. The method permits modification of the values of input parameters in the objective analysis within objectively determined, internally set limits. The effects of the manipulations are rapidly displayed, and methods are included for assimilating the spatially clustered characteristics of satellite data and the various horizontal resolutions of the data types. Data sets from the SESAME rawinsonde wind data with uniform spatial distribution, with the same data set plus satellite cloud motion data, and a data set from the atmospheric sounder radiometer on the GOES satellite were analyzed as examples. The scheme is demonstrated to recover details after two iterations through the data.

Koch, S. E.↗

Polar rain: Solar coronal electrons in the Earth's magnetosphere

Low energy electron measurements collected by ISEE 1 reveal the frequent presence of field-aligned fluxes of few hundred eV electrons in he geomagnetic tail lobes. In the northern tail lobe these electrons are most prominent when the interplanetary magnetic field is directed away from the Sun. This characteristic helps identify the electrons as polar rain electrons. By mapping the tail lobe velocity distribution function into the solar wind, previous suggestions that the polar rain is indeed of solar wind origin and is due to the access of electrons to the magnetotail lobe were confirmed. It was demonstrated that the moe energetic component of the polar rain is composed of electrons from the solar wind strahl - a field-aligned component of the solar wind which is difficult to measure but which is thought to be caused by the collisionless transit of hundred eV electrons from the inner solar corona to 1 AU.

Fairfield, D. H.↗

Research study of space plasma boundary processes

Representation of the Earth's bow shock and magnetopause and their geometrically determined macrostructure was investigated. Computer graphic depictions of the global distributions of bow shock structures and elementary animation of the dynamics of those distributions in the changing solar wind were developed. The shock-foreshock boundary and subcritical bow shocks as observed by ISEE 1 and 2 are discussed.

Greenstadt, E. W.↗

Polar rain - Solar coronal electrons in the earth's magnetosphere

Low energy electron measurements collected by ISEE 1 reveal the frequent presence of field-aligned fluxes of few hundred eV electrons in the geomagnetic tail lobes. In the northern tail lobe these electrons are most prominent when the interplanetary magnetic field is directed away from the sun. This characteristic helps identify the electrons as polar rain electrons. By mapping the tail lobe velocity distribution function into the solar wind, previous suggestions that the polar rain is indeed of solar wind origin and is due to the access of electrons to the magnetotail lobe were confirmed. It was demonstrated that the more energetic component of the polar rain is composed of electrons from the solar wind strahl - a field-aligned component of the solar wind which is difficult to measure but which is thought to be caused by the collisionless transit of hundred eV electrons from the inner solar corona to 1 AU.

Fairfield, D. H.↗

Ascent structural wind loads for the National Space Transportation System (NSTS)

An aerospace vehicle must withstand the design ascent structural load or be within any flight constraint to safely reach orbit. For the NSTS an assessment for flight readiness is made for each mission. This assessment for ascent loads and performance parameters is stated in terms of launch probability derived from samples of Jimsphere wind profiles. For the day of launch operations an allowance is made for the ascent load variability due to the wind profile variability over a 3.5-hour period. This is the current time period required to obtain a Jimsphere measurement and perform a complete load simulation prior to launch time. The load variability is derived from a sample of 3.5-hour Jimsphere wind profile pairs. It is applied as a conditional percentile value given the wind load at 3.5 hours prior to launch time. Probability models are used for these analyses. Application of the univariate, bivariate and conditional forms of the extreme value (Gumbel) probability distribution to the analysis of extreme wind speeds, wind shears and vehicle loads is described.

Smith, O. E.↗

Waves in the magnetic field and solar wind flow outside the bow shock at comet P/Halley

The existence of hydromagnetic waves in the mass-loaded solar wind upstream from the bow shock of a comet is well-established both for comet Giacobini-Zinner and for comet Halley. Whereas previous reports have been concerned either with the magnetic field observations or with plasma observations, here observations of the magnetic field with the solar wind proton and alpha particle distributions are combined. This allows the three possible modes of propagation for these waves to be separated. The magnetic component is predominantly transverse to the magnetic field and linearly polarized. The flow vector also has a substantial amount of power parallel to the magnetic field. An examination of the pressure variations shows that slow magnetosonic waves are more common than the fast mode.

Johnstone, A.↗

Analysis of ISEE-3/ICE solar wind data

Under the grant that ended November 11, 1988 work was accomplished in a number of areas, as follows: (1) Analysis of solar wind data; (2) Analysis of Giacobini/Zinner encounter data; (3) Investigation of solar wind and magnetospheric electron velocity distributions; and (4) Experimental investigation of the electronic structure of clusters. Reprints and preprints of publications resulting from this work are included in the appendices.

Coplan, Michael A.↗

Infrared photometric behavior and opposition effect of Mars

Although the instrument wasn't designed for this purpose, data from the imaging spectrometer ISM may be used for studying photometric variations of Mars reflectance, that are related to the surface materials and aerosols physical properties. ISM flew aboard the Phobos-2 spacecraft which orbited Mars from January to March, 1989. About 40,000 spectra were acquired in 128 channels ranging from 0.76 to 3.16 micro-m, with a spatial resolution of 25 km and a signal-to-noise ratio ranging up to 1000. Analysis of the results leads to the following conclusions: width variations of the opposition surge can be related to differences in porosity or grain size distribution on the various domains, with little or no effect from suspended dust. As the biggest effects are observed on dark and bright materials, intermediate behaviors on average-bright regions cannot result from a mixing process, but are more likely to come from either cementation processes or modification of the grain size distribution under the influence of wind, which under Martian conditions preferentially removes the biggest particles. Thus, a surface dust consisting in big bright and small dark grains could explain the observations.

Erard, S.↗

A semikinetic model for early stage plasmasphere refilling. II - Effects of wave-particle interactions

The paper treats the early stages of plasmasphere refilling along an initially depleted L = 4 magnetic flux tube through a semikinetic model, with special attention given to the effects of wave-particle interactions in which stochastic diffusion of ions in perpendicular velocity due to equatorially concentrated electromagnetic ion cyclotron waves plays a central role. Characteristic individual ion trajectories are examined, as well as the devolution of bulk parameters and ion distribution functions when equal 'polar wind' streams are injected at the northern and southern ionospheres. In the ion trajectories, relatively modest and realistic perpendicular electric field power levels are found to lead to decreased mirror latitudes, substantial acceleration, and equatorial entrainment of these ions. A substantial equatorial density depletion is also found, in agreement with the results of Olsen (1992).

Lin, J.↗