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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 937 records · Page 52
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1989

Reaction dynamics of H + O2 at 1.6 eV collision energy

The hot hydrogen atom reaction, H + O2 yields OH + O, has been studied at a center of mass collision energy of 1.6 eV. H atoms were generated by 266 nm photolysis of HI in a mixture of HI and O2 at 293 K. The OH product was probed by laser induced fluorescence and the nascent OH vibrational, rotational, and fine structure distributions were determined. The OH(v=0)/OH(v=1) vibrational branching ratio was measured to be 1.72 + or - 0.09. The data suggest that the H + O2 reaction at this collision energy proceeds via two competing mechanisms: reaction involving a long-lived complex and direct reaction.

Bronikowski, Michael J.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Terrestrial geophysics in the SeaRISE project

Some areas of research in the SeaRISE project are briefly discussed. They are as follows: (1) Radar Sounding serves multiple purposes. The most general and obvious is mapping ice thickness and the surface and bedrock topography of the ice sheet. (2) The purpose of Seismic Shooting, in addition to water depth measurements on floating ice, is to provide information about the internal physical characteristics of the ice sheet, the rock beneath it, and the interface between the two. (3) Passive Seismic monitoring of microearthquakes can be used to study brittle fracture within the ice or the rock beneath it. Common parameters available from these studies are fault location, orientation, and displacement, as well as the size of the rupture area, stress drop, and energy released. (4) There is a large contrast in Electrical Resistivity between ice or permafrost on the one hand and liquid water or wet rock on the other hand. Thus, electrical resistivity profiles have the ability of revealing the depth to the melting point, whether it is found at the base of the ice or in the subglacial rock. (5) Gravity anomalies, especially combined with seismic measurements, are an effective tool for determining deeper crustal structure. Anomalies averaged over extensive areas are useful also for their potential to reveal isostatic imbalance, which is a measure of average glacial change over the last several hundred years.

Bentley, C. R.↗
NASA NTRS1991

An experimental investigation of a supersonic vortical flow

Although much research has been done on subsonic vortical flow, the current understanding of these flows remains limited. The effect is characterized of adding swirl to a supersonic jet. The motive is to study the enhancement of supersonic mixing in order to provide more efficient fuel injectors for supersonic combustion (scramjet) engines. The vortical flow was created by tangential injection into a swirl chamber ahead of a converging and/or diverging nozzle. The amount of swirl was varied by changing the number of tangential injection holes and with the removal of the end piece, the jet could be run without swirl. Shadowgraphy, conventional schlieren, and focusing schlieren were used to obtain a qualitative understanding of the jet flow structure. It was determined that an increase in swirl produced an increase in the shear layer growth. Pressure and temperature probes were used to obtain more flow data. The probe data compared favorably with the theoretical calculations, except in the viscous core where viscous effects were not considered negligible. These results verified that a supersonic vortical flow was being created with a maximum helix angle of 33 degs.

Levey, Brian S.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Radiative transfer in the dynamic atmospheres of long period variable stars

An iterative procedure is presented for determining the thermal structure and dynamics of Mira-type stellar atmospheres, where the non-LTE radiative transfer code PANDORA is used in conjunction with the Bowen hydrodynamics code of Iowa State University. Preliminary results are reported for an atmospheric model of a pulsating AGB star of 1 solar mass, 240 solar radii, Teff = 3000 K, and a period of 320 days. At the present time, H, H(-), Mg I, and Mg II radiative transfer calculations have been completed and synthetic spectra are shown for H-alpha. The radiative transfer calculations demonstrate that cooling in the innermost shock of the original Bowen model is underestimated due to the omission of various hydrogen transitions. These initial results suggest that the main shock of the Bowen models are too hot and/or too deep.

Luttermoser, Donald G.↗
NASA NTRS1992

An ATPase From Halobacterium Saccharovorum

Report describes purification and determination of subunit structure of membrane-bound adenosinetriphosphatase (ATPase) from archaebacterium Halobacterium saccharovorum.

Hochstein, L. I.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Microwave Remote Sensing Of Meteorological Quantities

Report discusses remote sensing of fluxes of heat and moisture occurring in exchange of energy, via turbulence and radiation, between ocean and atmosphere by microwave radiometers in orbit around Earth. Discusses satellite-borne microwave sensors and need to design sensors for optimal synergism with respect to determination of vertical structures of fluxes of moisture and heat at shorter time scales.

Liu, Wing-Yuen T.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Martian seismicity through time from surface faulting

An objective of future Mars missions involves emplacing a seismic network on Mars to determine the internal structure of the planet. An argument based on the relative geologic histories of the terrestrial planets suggests that Mars should be seismically more active than the Moon, but less active than the Earth. The seismicity is estimated which is expected on Mars through time from slip on faults visible on the planets surface. These estimates of martian seismicity must be considered a lower limit as only structures produced by shear faulting visible at the surface today are included (i.e., no provision is made for buried structures or non-shear structures); in addition, the estimate does not include seismic events that do not produce surface displacement (e.g., activity associated with hidden faults, deep lithospheric processes or volcanism) or events produced by tidal triggering or meteorite impacts. Calibration of these estimates suggests that Mars may be many times more seismically active than the Moon.

Golombek, M. P.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Electrical impedance imaging in two-phase, gas-liquid flows: 1. Initial investigation

The determination of interfacial area density in two-phase, gas-liquid flows is one of the major elements impeding significant development of predictive tools based on the two-fluid model. Currently, these models require coupling of liquid and vapor at interfaces using constitutive equations which do not exist in any but the most rudimentary form. Work described herein represents the first step towards the development of Electrical Impedance Computed Tomography (EICT) for nonintrusive determination of interfacial structure and evolution in such flows.

Lin, J. T.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Skeletal responses to spaceflight

The role of gravity in the determination of bone structure is elucidated by observations in adult humans and juvenile animals during spaceflight. The primary response of bone tissue to microgravity is at the interface of the mineral and matrix in the process of biomineralization. This response is manifested by demineralization or retarded growth in some regions of the skeleton and hypermineralization in others. The most pronounced effects are seen in the heelbone and skull, the most distally located bones relative to the heart. Ground based flight simulation models that focus on changes in bone structure at the molecular, organ, and whole body levels are described and compared to flight results. On Earth, the morphologic and compositional changes in the unloaded bones are very similar to changes during flight; however, the ground based changes appear to be more transient. In addition, a redistribution of bone mineral in gravity-dependent bones occurs both in space and during head down positioning on Earth. Longitudinal data provided considerable information on the influence of endocrine and muscular changes on bone structure after unloading.

Morey-Holton, Emily↗
NASA NTRS1992

Organic crystal growth experiment facility (13-IML-1)

The interesting nature of metal-like organic compounds composed of charge transfer complexes has been recently realized. Crystals of these complexes can usually be grown by the solution crystallization method. It is difficult to grow such organic crystals on Earth, especially from the chemical reactions through diffusion controlled process in the solutions, because of gravitational disturbances, or sedimentation. The International Microgravity Lab. (IML-1) Organic Crystal Growth with G-Gitter Preventive Measure (OCGP) experiment is expected to grow a single crystal large enough to allow its intrinsic physical properties to be measured and its detailed crystal structure to be determined. This experiment also attempts to assess the experimental conditions including the microgravity environment for further study of the fundamental process of solution crystallization, nucleation, and growth from supersaturated phases including chemical reactions. Microgravity disturbances, G-jitter, may be an important environmental factor in the experimental method to assess. The vibration damping effects on organic crystal growth can be carefully studied.

Kanbayashi, Akio↗
NASA NTRS1992

Conceptual design and structural analysis of the spectroscopy of the atmosphere using far infrared emission (SAFIRE) instrument

The conceptual design and structural analysis for the Spectroscopy of the Atmosphere using Far Infrared Emission (SAFIRE) Instrument are provided. SAFIRE, which is an international effort, is proposed for the Earth Observing Systems (EOS) program for atmospheric ozone studies. A concept was developed which meets mission requirements and is the product of numerous parametric studies and design/analysis iterations. Stiffness, thermal stability, and weight constraints led to a graphite/epoxy composite design for the optical bench and supporting struts. The structural configuration was determined by considering various mounting arrangements of the optical, cryo, and electronic components. Quasi-static, thermal, modal, and dynamic response analyses were performed, and the results are presented for the selected configuration.

Moses, Robert W.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Report of the Ionosphere-Thermosphere-Mesosphere Panel

The scientific objectives and mission concept that emerged from the discussions of this panel are presented. The overall scientific theme of this report is the investigation of the ionosphere, thermosphere, and mesosphere (near Earth space environment) as a global, dynamic, and coupled system. Among the specific goals of this area of research are: (1) understanding the consequences of transition between turbulent and laminar flow and collisional and collisionless media; (2) understanding the thermospheric/mesospheric coupling due to gravity wave, tidal, and trace constituent transport processes; (3) understanding the electrodynamical coupling between the thermosphere/ionosphere and magnetosphere; (4) understanding the coupling processes between small scale plasma structures; and (5) determining the real-time evolution of the global ionosphere electric field in response to solar wind and magnetosphere coupling.

Szuszczewicz, Edward P.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Laboratory studies in ultraviolet solar physics

The research activity comprised the measurement of basic atomic processes and parameters which relate directly to the interpretation of solar ultraviolet observations and to the development of comprehensive models of the component structures of the solar atmosphere. The research was specifically directed towards providing the relevant atomic data needed to perform and to improve solar diagnostic techniques which probe active and quiet portions of the solar chromosphere, the transition zone, the inner corona, and the solar wind acceleration regions of the extended corona. The accuracy with which the physical conditions in these structures can be determined depends directly on the accuracy and completeness of the atomic and molecular data. These laboratory data are used to support the analysis programs of past and current solar observations (e.g., the Orbiting solar Observatories, the Solar Maximum Mission, the Skylab Apollo Telescope Mount, and the Naval Research Laboratory's rocket-borne High Resolution Telescope and Spectrograph). In addition, we attempted to anticipate the needs of future space-borne solar studies such as from the joint ESA/NASA Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) spacecraft. Our laboratory activities stressed two categories of study: (1) the measurement of absolute rate coefficients for dielectronic recombination and electron impact excitation; and (2) the measurement of atomic transition probabilities for solar density diagnostics. A brief summary of the research activity is provided.

Parkinson, W. H.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Wing tip vortex calculations with an unstructured adaptive-grid Euler solver

A solution-adaptive grid method has been developed for computing tip-vortex flowfields around rectangular wings. This method uses subdivision in order to locally refine the grid in regions with high vorticity. Two different flow solvers are used. Each solves the three-dimensional Euler equations on unstructured grids. Computed results are compared to experimentally measured surface pressures and vortex velocities on a NACA 0015 rectangular wing. Predicted results for surface pressures and integrated lift agree well with the experimental data. The predicted size of the rotational vortex core is larger than the experimentally-measured value and the peak velocities are less. This discrepancy appears to be caused by deficiencies in the inviscid Euler-equation model. This model cannot capture the complex viscous effects at the tip that determine the detailed structure of the resulting vortex. In spite of this limitation, the present Euler unstructured adaptive-grid method demonstrates the ability to convert vortical flows with low numerical diffusion. Applications for modeling helicopter rotor wake systems are discussed.

Strawn, Roger C.↗
NASA NTRS1991

The temperature dependence of collision-induced absorption by oxygen near 6 microns

Coefficients for oxygen absorption in the infrared induced by collisions with O2 and N2 are reported over the range 1400-1800/cm and 225-356 K. These coefficients are used to calculate the absorption for O2 in air as a function of temperature and wavenumber, and comparisons are made with previous determinations. In addition, structured absorption features superimposed on the broad collision-induced absorption band, which were observed at all temperatures studied, are interpreted in terms of the presence of (O2)2 and O2-N2 van der Waals molecules.

Orlando, John J.↗
NASA NTRS1991

A comparison of single-stage and two-stage airbreathing launch vehicles at high staging Mach numbers

A predominantly airbreathing SSTO vehicle is compared with three different two stages to orbit (TSTO) configurations which stage at Mach numbers 10, 12, and 14. The technologies utilized on each of the vehicles are consistent with a successful NASP technology development program in the areas of structures, propulsion systems, and subsystems. To determine the effect of subsystem and structural technologies on the relative weights of the SSTO and TSTO configurations, weight sensitivity trades are presented.

Stanley, Douglas O.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Comparison of the Brueckner and coupled-cluster approaches to electron correlation

The coupled-cluster and Brueckner electron correlation methods are used to determine the equilibrium structures, dipole moments, harmonic vibrational frequencies, and IR intensities of NH3, FON, Be3, BeC2, and BeO2. The singles and doubles coupled-cluster and Brueckner doubles methods are employed, and the corresponding methods that include a perturbational estimate of connected triple excitations are also investigated. The T sub 1 diagnostic is found to provide a good indication of the magnitude of the difference between the results obtained with the coupled-cluster and Brueckner methods. For NH3, the T sub 1 diagnostic is small and so the differences between results obtained from coupled-cluster and Brueckner theories are quite small. It is found for all of the molecules under consideration that inclusion of the contribution from connected triple excitations is more important than the differences between the Brueckner and coupled-cluster correlation methods.

Lee, Timothy J.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Evaluation of reflection and transmission coefficients for multi-layered chiral structures

The paper examines a structure consisting of an arbitrary number of layers of different chiral materials, backed by either a perfect conductor or a penetrable half-space. A plane electromagnetic wave of arbitrary polarization is obliquely incident on the structure. The reflection and transmission coefficients of the structure can be determined by a chain-matrix algorithm.

Tamirisa, P.↗