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At least 937 records · Page 52

Electron acceleration to high energies at quasi-parallel shock waves in the solar corona

In the solar corona shock waves are generated by flares and/or coronal mass ejections. They manifest themselves in solar type 2 radio bursts appearing as emission stripes with a slow drift from high to low frequencies in dynamic radio spectra. Their nonthermal radio emission indicates that electrons are accelerated to suprathermal and/or relativistic velocities at these shocks. As well known by extraterrestrial in-situ measurements supercritical, quasi-parallel, collisionless shocks are accompanied by so-called SLAMS (short large amplitude magnetic field structures). These SLAMS can act as strong magnetic mirrors, at which charged particles can be reflected and accelerated. Thus, thermal electrons gain energy due to multiple reflections between two SLAMS and reach suprathermal and relativistic velocities. This mechanism of accelerating electrons is discussed for circumstances in the solar corona and may be responsible for the so-called 'herringbones' observed in solar type 2 radio bursts.

Mann, G.↗

Going Up

The accelerated Leadership Option (ALO) combines business management and systems engineering studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) culminating in a Master of Science degree, with a one year developmental assignment. The program accelerates the development process of exceptionally promising project leaders to positions of increased responsibility. Participants are selected because of technical expertise and proven leadership abilities.

Douglas, Freddie, III↗

Tunnel effect measuring systems and particle detectors

Methods and apparatus for measuring gravitational and inertial forces, magnetic fields, or wave or radiant energy acting on an object or fluid in space provide an electric tunneling current through a gap between an electrode and that object or fluid in space and vary that gap with any selected one of such forces, magnetic fields, or wave or radiant energy acting on that object or fluid. These methods and apparatus sense a corresponding variation in an electric property of that gap and determine the latter force, magnetic fields, or wave or radiant energy in response to that corresponding variation, and thereby sense or measure such parameters as acceleration, position, particle mass, velocity, magnetic field strength, presence or direction, or wave or radiant energy intensity, presence or direction.

Kaiser, William J.↗

Tunnel effect measuring systems and particle detectors

Methods and apparatus for measuring gravitational and inertial forces, magnetic fields, or wave or radiant energy acting on an object or fluid in space provide an electric tunneling current through a gap between an electrode and that object or fluid in space and vary that gap with any selected one of such forces, magnetic fields, or wave or radiant energy acting on that object or fluid. These methods and apparatus sense a corresponding variation in an electric property of that gap and determine the latter force, magnetic fields, or wave or radiant energy in response to that corresponding variation, and thereby sense or measure such parameters as acceleration, position, particle mass, velocity, magnetic field strength, presence or direction, or wave or radiant energy intensity, presence or direction.

Kaiser, William J.↗

Tunnel effect wave energy detection

Methods and apparatus for measuring gravitational and inertial forces, magnetic fields, or wave or radiant energy acting on an object or fluid in space provide an electric tunneling current through a gap between an electrode and that object or fluid in space and vary that gap with any selected one of such forces, magnetic fields, or wave or radiant energy acting on that object or fluid. These methods and apparatus sense a corresponding variation in an electric property of that gap and determine the latter force, magnetic fields, or wave or radiant energy in response to that corresponding variation, and thereby sense or measure such parameters as acceleration, position, particle mass, velocity, magnetic field strength, presence or direction, or wave or radiant energy intensity, presence or direction.

Kaiser, William J.↗

High-Heat-Flux Cyclic Durability of Thermal and Environmental Barrier Coatings

Advanced ceramic thermal and environmental barrier coatings will play an increasingly important role in future gas turbine engines because of their ability to protect the engine components and further raise engine temperatures. For the supersonic vehicles currently envisioned in the NASA fundamental aeronautics program, advanced gas turbine engines will be used to provide high power density thrust during the extended supersonic flight of the aircraft, while meeting stringent low emission requirements. Advanced ceramic coating systems are critical to the performance, life and durability of the hot-section components of the engine systems. In this work, the laser and burner rig based high-heat-flux testing approaches were developed to investigate the coating cyclic response and failure mechanisms under simulated supersonic long-duration cruise mission. The accelerated coating cracking and delamination mechanism under the engine high-heat-flux, and extended supersonic cruise time conditions will be addressed. A coating life prediction framework may be realized by examining the crack initiation and propagation in conjunction with environmental degradation under high-heat-flux test conditions.

Zhu, Dongming↗

Tunnel effect measuring systems and particle detectors

Methods and apparatus for measuring gravitational and inertial forces, magnetic fields, or wave or radiant energy acting on an object or fluid in space provide an electric tunneling current through a gap between an electrode and that object or fluid in space and vary that gap with any selected one of such forces, magnetic fields, or wave or radiant energy acting on that object or fluid. These methods and apparatus sense a corresponding variation in an electric property of that gap and determine the latter force, magnetic fields, or wave or radiant energy in response to that corresponding variation, and thereby sense or measure such parameters as acceleration, position, particle mass, velocity, magnetic field strength, presence or direction, or wave or radiant energy intensity, presence or direction.

Kaiser, William J.↗

Remote Sensing of Solar-Induced Chlorophyll Fluorescence (SIF) in Vegetation: 50 Years of Progress

Remote sensing of solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) is a rapidly advancing front in terrestrial vegetation science, with emerging capability in space-based methodologies and diverse application prospects. Although remote sensing of SIF – especially from space – is seen as a contemporary new specialty for terrestrial plants, it is founded upon a multi-decadal history of research, applications, and sensor developments in active and passive sensing of chlorophyll fluorescence. Current technical capabilities allow SIF to be measured across a range of biological, spatial, and temporal scales. As an optical signal, SIF may be assessed remotely using highly-resolved spectral sensors and state-of-the-art algorithms to distinguish the emission from reflected and/or scattered ambient light. Because the red to far-red SIF emission is detectable non-invasively, it may be sampled repeatedly to acquire spatio-temporally explicit information about photosynthetic light responses and steady-state behaviour in vegetation. Progress in this field is accelerating with innovative sensor developments, retrieval methods, and modelling advances. This review distills the historical and current developments spanning the last several decades. It highlights SIF heritage and complementarity within the broader field of fluorescence science, the maturation of physiological and radiative transfer modelling, SIF signal retrieval strategies, techniques for field and airborne sensing, advances in satellite-based systems, and applications of these capabilities in evaluation of photosynthesis and stress effects. Progress, challenges, and future directions are considered for this unique avenue of remote sensing.

Review↗

What Rocks and What's Not So Hot: U.S. Industry Perception of Geothermal Tax Credits

Nationwide, four U.S. federal tax credits promote the adoption of geothermal heat pumps (GHPs) and geothermal power plants and were recently updated with enactment of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).1 However, uptake of these geothermal tax credits has lagged behind other eligible technologies.2 With the support of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)'s Geother- mal Technologies Office, researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) engaged with the geothermal industry to determine: 1) how the industry will use the tax credits, 2) remaining challenges to utilizing tax credits, and 3) suggestions on solutions that could help accelerate tax credit uptake. Insights were obtained through two industry question- naires (59 responses)3 and 21 interviews with representatives from geothermal industry groups, project developers, com- ponent manufacturers, and financiers, as shown in Figures 1 and 2. This article synthesizes the industry's perception of these tax credits, i.e., Section 25D (residential GHP), Section 48 (commer- cial GHP), Section 48E (investment tax credit [ITC] for electricity), and Section 45Y (production tax credit [PTC] for electricity).

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗

Relationships Between Vestibular Measures as Potential Predictors for Spaceflight Sensorimotor Adaptation

Introduction: During space exploration missions astronauts are exposed to a series of novel sensorimotor environments, requiring sensorimotor adaptation. Until adaptation is complete, sensorimotor decrements occur, affecting critical tasks such as piloted landing or docking. Of particularly interest are locomotion tasks such as emergency vehicle egress or extra-vehicular activity. While nearly all astronauts eventually adapt sufficiently, it appears there are substantial individual differences in how quickly and effectively this adaptation occurs. These individual differences in capacity for sensorimotor adaptation are poorly understood. Broadly, we aim to identify measures that may serve as pre-flight predictors of and individual's adaptation capacity to spaceflight-induced sensorimotor changes. As a first step, since spaceflight is thought to involve a reinterpretation of graviceptor cues (e.g. otolith cues from the vestibular system) we investigate the relationships between various measures of vestibular function in humans. Methods: In a set of 15 ground-based control subjects, we quantified individual differences in vestibular function using three measures: 1) ocular vestibular evoked myogenic potential (oVEMP), 2) computerized dynamic posturography and 3) vestibular perceptual thresholds. oVEMP responses are elicited using a mechanical stimuli approach. Computerized dynamic posturography was used to quantify Sensory Organization Tests (SOTs), including SOT5M which involved performing pitching head movements while balancing on a sway-reference support surface with eyes closed. We implemented a vestibular perceptual threshold task using the tilt capabilities of the Tilt-Translation Sled (TTS) at JSC. On each trial, the subject was passively roll-tilted left ear down or right ear down in the dark and verbally provided a forced-choice response regarding which direction they felt tilted. The motion profile was a single-cycle sinusoid of angular acceleration with a duration of 5 seconds (frequency of 0.2 Hz), which was selected as it requires sensory integration of otolith and semicircular canal cues. Stimuli direction was randomized and magnitude was determined using an adaptive sampling procedure. One hundred trials were provided and each subject's responses were fit with a psychometric curve to estimate the subject's threshold. Results: Roll tilt perceptual thresholds at 0.2 Hz ranged from 0.5 degrees to 1.82 degrees across the 15 subjects (geometric mean of 1.04 degrees), consistent with previous studies. The inter-individual variability in thresholds may be able to help explain individual differences observed in sensorimotor adaptation to spaceflight. Analysis is ongoing for the oVEMPS and computerized dynamic posturography to identify relationships between the various vestibular measures. Discussion: Predicting individual differences in sensorimotor adaptation is critical both for the development of personalized countermeasures and mission planning. Here we aim to develop a basis of vestibular tests and parameters which may serve as predictors of individual differences in sensorimotor adaptability through studying the relationship between these measures.

Clark, T. K.↗

Study of an experimental technique for application to structural dynamic problems

An experimental program was conducted to determine the feasibility of using subscale plastic models to determine the response of full-scale aerospace structural components to impulsive, pyrotechnic loadings. A monocoque cylinder was impulsively loaded around the circumference of one end, causing a compressive stress wave to propagate in the axial direction. The resulting structural responses of two configurations of the cylinder (with and without a cutout) were recorded by photoelasticity, strain gages, and accelerometers. A maximum dynamic stress concentration was photoelastically determined and the accelerations calculated from strain-gage data were in good agreement with those recorded by accelerometers. It is concluded that reliable, quantitative structural response data can be obtained by the experimental techniques described in this report.

Snell, R. F.↗

Characterization of Microgravity Environment on Mir

This paper presents the microgravity analysis results using dynamic response data collected during the first phase of the Mir Structural Dynamics Experiment (MiSDE). Although MiSDE was designed and performed to verify structural dynamic models, it also provided information for determining microgravity characteristics of the structure. This study analyzed ambient responses acquired during orbital day-to-night and night-to-day transitions, crew treadmill and ergometer exercises, and intentional crew activities. Acceleration levels for one-third octave bands were calculated to characterize the microgravity environment of the station. Spectrograms were also used to analyze the time transient nature of the responses. Detailed theoretical background and analysis results will also be included in the final draft.

Kim, Hyoung↗

A Framework for Understanding and Quantifying the Loss and Acceleration of Relativistic Electrons in the Outer Radiation Belt During Geomagnetic Storms

We present detailed analysis of the global relativistic electron dynamics as measured by total radiation belt content (RBC) during coronal mass ejection (CME) and corotating interaction region (CIR)-driven geomagnetic storms. Recent work has demonstrated that the response of the outer radiation belt is consistent and repeatable during geomagnetic storms. Here we build on this work to show that radiation belt dynamics can be divided into two sequential phases, which have different solar wind dependencies and which when analyzed separately reveal that the radiation belt responds more predictably than if the overall storm response is analyzed as a whole. In terms of RBC, in every storm we analyzed, a phase dominated by loss is followed by a phase dominated by acceleration. Analysis of the RBC during each of these phases demonstrates that they both respond coherently to solar wind and magnetospheric driving. However, the response is independent of whether the storm response is associated with either a CME or CIR. Our analysis shows that during the initial phase, radiation belt loss is organized by the location of the magnetopause and the strength of Dst and ultralow frequency wave power. During the second phase, radiation belt enhancements are well organized by the amplitude of ultralow frequency waves, the auroral electroject index, and solar wind energy input. Overall, our results demonstrate that storm time dynamics of the RBC is repeatable and well characterized by solar wind and geomagnetic driving, albeit with different dependencies during the two phases of a storm.

Kyle R. Murphy↗

Permafrost and Climate Change: Carbon Cycle Feedbacks From the Warming Arctic

Rapid Arctic environmental change affects the entire Earth system as thawing permafrost ecosystems release greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. Understanding how much permafrost carbon will be released, over what time frame, and what the relative emissions of carbon dioxide and methane will be is key for understanding the impact on global climate. In addition, the response of vegetation in a warming climate has the potential to offset at least some of the accelerating feedback to the climate from permafrost carbon. Temperature, organic carbon, and ground ice are key regulators for determining the impact of permafrost ecosystems on the global carbon cycle. Together, these encompass services of permafrost relevant to global society as well as to the people living in the region and help to determine the landscape-level response of this region to a changing climate.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Effect of physical training in cool and hot environments on +Gz acceleration tolerance in women

Acceleration tolerance, plasma volume, and maximal oxygen uptake were measured in 15 healthy women before and after submaximal isotonic exercise training periods in cool and hot environments. The women were divided on the basis of age, maximal oxygen uptake, and +Gz tolerance into three groups: a group that exercised in heat (40.6 C), a group that exercised at a lower temperature (18.7 C), and a sedentary control group that functioned in the cool environment. There was no significant change in the +Gz tolerance in any group after training, and terminal heart rates were similar within each group. It is concluded that induction of moderate acclimation responses without increases in sweat rate or resting plasma volume has no influence on +Gz acceleration tolerance in women.

Brock, P. J.↗

An Accelerated Creep Testing (ACT) Program for Advanced Creep Resistant Alloys for High Temperature Fossil Energy (FE) Applications (Final Report)

The research objective of this study is to develop an accelerated creep testing (ACT) program for advanced creep resistant alloys for high temperature FE applications. This research produced a new ACT for metallic materials based on Time-Temperature-Stress Superposition (TTSSP). In TTSSP, there exists a fundamental relationship between creep resistance, time, temperature, and stress that can be manipulated to reduce test durations. In our study, the stepped isostress method was employed where step increases of load during creep testing accelerated the time-to-rupture. Well-posed constitutive models including sin-hyperbolic and Wilshire-Cano-Stewart where calibrated using the SSM data and employed to predict the conventional creep response of the material. In our best experiments, <100-hour tests on lnconel 718 at 750 deg C produced over a 64x acceleration of data when compared to conventional data from Japan's National Institute of Materials Science. The ACTs enable the rapid screening of candidate materials, where a small test matrix of short duration tests can be employed to determine the creep resistance (minimum-creep-strain-rate, stress-rupture, and creep deformation) of a material across decades.

20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS↗

Transient response of rotor-bearing systems.

The equations of motion necessary to calculate the transient response of a multimass flexible rotor supported by nonlinear, damped bearings are derived from energy principles. Rotor excitation may be the result of imbalance, internal friction, rotor acceleration, nonlinear forces due to any number of bearing or seal stations, and gyroscopic couples developed from skewed disk effects. The method of solution for transient response simulation is discussed in detail and is based on extensive evaluation of numerical methods available for transient analysis. Examples of the application of transient response for the analysis of rotor bearing systems are presented and compared to actual machine performance. Recommendations for the use and extension of the present system simulation model are discussed.

Kirk, R. G.↗

Elevated-Temperature Tribo-Corrosion Response of Eutectic High-Entropy Alloy

The combination of elevated temperature and tribo-corrosion leads to the accelerated degradation of structural components used in many extreme environments. Recently developed high-entropy alloys (HEAs) with multiple principal elements have the potential for superior degradation resistance compared with presently used structural alloys. Here, we demonstrate the microstructural stability, pitting resistance, and superior tribo-corrosion degradation resistance of the AlCoCrFeNi 2.1 eutectic HEA in comparison with duplex stainless steel 2205 in deionized water (controlled low-ionic-strength electrolyte) at 25 °C, 50 °C and 100 °C. The AlCoCrFeNi 2.1 HEA showed excellent microstructural stability and tribo-corrosion resistance at all three temperatures, an order-of-magnitude lower wear rate, and a lower coefficient of friction compared with duplex 2205 steel. The lowest wear volume loss and wear rate for both AlCoCrFeNi 2.1 and duplex steel were recorded at 50 °C, which was attributed to temperature-assisted passivation and formation of a comparatively stable tribological surface condition. These results suggest superior performance of eutectic HEAs in tribo-corrosion applications compared with currently used dual-phase steels and motivate future evaluation in ion-containing industrial water chemistries.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗