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At least 937 records · Page 52
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1960

Supersonic Aerodynamic Characteristics of a Low-Drag Aircraft Configuration having an Arrow Wing of Aspect Ratio 1.86 and a Body of Fineness Ratio 20

A free-flight rocket-propelled-model investigation was conducted at Mach numbers of 1.2 to 1.9 to determine the longitudinal and lateral aero-dynamic characteristics of a low-drag aircraft configuration. The model consisted of an aspect-ratio -1.86 arrow wing with 67.5 deg. leading-edge sweep and NACA 65A004 airfoil section and a triangular vertical tail with 60 deg. sweep and NACA 65A003 section in combination with a body of fineness ratio 20. Aerodynamic data in pitch, yaw, and roll were obtained from transient motions induced by small pulse rockets firing at intervals in the pitch and yaw directions. From the results of this brief aerodynamic investigation, it is observed that very slender body shapes can provide increased volumetric capacity with little or no increase in zero-lift drag and that body fineness ratios of the order of 20 should be considered in the design of long-range supersonic aircraft. The zero-lift drag and the drag-due-to-lift parameter of the test configuration varied linearly with Mach number. The maximum lift-drag ratio was 7.0 at a Mach number of 1.25 and decreased slightly to a value of 6.6 at a Mach number of 1.81. The optimum lift coefficient, normal-force-curve slope, lateral-force-curve slope, static stability in pitch and yaw, time to damp to one-half amplitude in pitch and yaw, the sum of the rotary damping derivatives in pitch and also in yaw, and the static rolling derivatives all decreased with an increase in Mach number. Values of certain rolling derivatives were obtained by application of the least-squares method to the differential equation of rolling motion. A comparison of the experimental and calculated total rolling-moment-coefficient variation during transient oscillations of the model indicated good agreement when the damping-in-roll contribution was included with the static rolling-moment terms.

Gillespie, Warren, Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1961

Normal-Force and Hinge-Moment Characteristics at Transonic Speeds of Flap-Type Ailerons at Three Spanwise Locations on a 4-Percent-Thick Sweptback-Wing-Body Model and Pressure-Distribution Measurements on an Inboard Aileron

An investigation has been conducted at the Langley 16-foot transonic tunnel to determine the loading characteristics of flap-type ailerons located at inboard, midspan, and outboard positions on a 45 deg. sweptback-wing-body combination. Aileron normal-force and hinge-moment data have been obtained at Mach numbers from 0.80 t o 1.03, at angles of attack up to about 27 deg., and at aileron deflections between approximately -15 deg. and 15 deg. Results of the investigation indicate that the loading over the ailerons was established by the wing-flow characteristics, and the loading shapes were irregular in the transonic speed range. The spanwise location of the aileron had little effect on the values of the slope of the curves of hinge-moment coefficient against aileron deflection, but the inboard aileron had the greatest value of the slope of the curves of hinge-moment coefficient against angle of attack and the outboard aileron had the least. Hinge-moment and aileron normal-force data taken with strain-gage instrumentation are compared with data obtained with pressure measurements.

Runckel, Jack F.↗
NASA NTRS1961

Aerodynamic Characteristics over a Mach Number Range of 1.40 to 2.78 of a Rocket-Propelled Airplane Configuration having a Low 52.50 Delta Wing and an Unswept Horizontal Tail

A free-flight investigation of an airplane configuration having a low 52.5 deg. delta wing and an unswept horizontal tail has been conducted over a Mach number range of 1.40 to 2.78. At a fixed tail setting of -3.0 deg., the trim lift coefficient and angle of attack varied from about 0.12 to 0.04 and 3.8 deg. to 2.0 deg., respectively. The base drag was approximately 5 percent of the total drag at trim lift. Lift-curve slope, static longitudinal stability, and damping in pitch were obtained only at Mach numbers of 2.59 t o 2.74. Theoretical calculations of lift-curve slope and aerodynamic-center location were in good agreement with experimental results.

Kehlet, Alan B.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Topographic Evidence for Eruptive Style Changes and Magma Evolution of Small Plains-style Volcanoes on Earth and Mars

Topographic profiles and surface characteristics of small (5 - 25 km diameter) plains-style shield volcanoes on the eastern Snake River Plain (ESRP) provide a method to evaluate eruptive processes and magmatic evolution on Martian volcanic plains. The ESRP is an ideal place to observe Mars-like volcanic features where hundreds of small monogenetic basaltic shields dominate the volcanic-sedimentary depositional sequence, and numerous planetary analogues are evident: coalescent mafic shields, hydromagmatic explosive eruptions, the interaction of lava flows with surficial water and glacial ice, and abundant eolian sand and loess. Single flows cannot be correlated over great distances, and are spatially restricted. These relations are useful for planetary exploration when inferring volcanic evolutionary patterns in lava plains represented by numerous eruptive vents. High spatial resolution imagery and digital topographic data for Mars from MOC, MOLA, and THEMIS is allowing for improvements in the level of detail of stratigraphic mapping of fields of small (< 25 km in diameter) volcanoes as well as studies of the morphological characteristics of individual volcanoes. In order to compare Mars and Earth volcanic features, elevation data from U.S.G.S. 10-meter digital elevation models (DEMs) and high-precision GPS field measurements are used in this study to generate approx. 20m spacing topographic profiles from which slope and surface morphology can be extracted. Average ESRP flank and crater slopes are calculated using 100 - 200 m spacing for optimum comparison to MOLA data, and to reduce the effects of surface irregularities.

Hughes, S. S.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Deflections in Lava Flow Directions Relative to Topography in the Tharsis Region: Indicators of Post-Flow Tectonic Motion

High-resolution topographic data for Mars from the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA), and imagery from the Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) and the Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) allow for the first accurate assessment of lava flow directions relative to topographic slopes in the Tharsis region. Tharisis has long been recognized as the dominant tectonic and volcanic province on the planet, with a complex geologic history. In this study, lava flow directions on Daedalia Planum, Syria Planum, Tempe Terra, and near the Tharsis Montes are compared with MOLA topographic contours to look for deviations of flow directions from the local slope direction. The topographic deviations identified in this study are likely due to Tharsis tectonic deformation that has modified the regional topography subsequent to the emplacement of the flows, and can be used to model the mechanisms and magnitudes of relatively recent tectonism in the region. A similar approach was used to identify possible postflow tectonic subsidence on the Snake River Plain in Idaho.

Chadwick, D. J.↗
NASA NTRS2004

A Gravity Analysis of the Subsurface Structure of the Utopia Impact Basin

The large, shallow, circular depression in Utopia Planitia has been identified as a huge impact basin, based on both geological evidence and detailed analysis of MOLA topography. Its diameter (approximately 3000 km) is equivalent to that of the Hellas basin, as is its inferred age (early Noachian). However, there the similarity ends. Their appearance, both surficially and geophysically, are virtually polar opposites. Whereas Hellas is extremely deep with rough terrain and large slopes, high-precision MOLA measurements were required to unambiguously define the smooth, shallow, almost imperceptible bowl of the Utopia basin. Conversely, Utopia displays one of the largest (non-Tharsis-related) positive geoid anomalies on Mars, in contrast to a more subdued negative anomaly over Hellas. As these two features presumably formed roughly contemporaneously by similar mechanisms, it is reasonable to assume that they were originally quite similar, and that their differences are due largely to different paths of subsequent modification. The obvious source for these differences is in their elevations: Hellas is located in the southern highlands at a rim elevation of about 3km, whereas Utopia is in the lowlying northern plains, at an average elevation of 4 km. Thus Utopia has been in an especially gravitationally favorable position to be subjected to infilling, for example, by lava flows, sedimentation, or water. In fact, its floor was almost certainly the lowest point on the planet at one time, and it would have been the termination point for down-slope drainage from over two-thirds of Mars. Thus the nature of the material filling this basin has strong connections to the sedimentary and/or volcanic processes acting on Mars in the Noachian and Early Hesperian periods. In particular, it may be able to shed some light on amount and persistence of water on early Mars in general and in the Utopia basin in particular. In this study I will use the inferred early correspondence between Hellas and Utopia to investigate Utopia's subsurface structure.

Barnerdt, W. B.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Planetary Transmission Diagnostics

This report presents a methodology for detecting and diagnosing gear faults in the planetary stage of a helicopter transmission. This diagnostic technique is based on the constrained adaptive lifting algorithm. The lifting scheme, developed by Wim Sweldens of Bell Labs, is a time domain, prediction-error realization of the wavelet transform that allows for greater flexibility in the construction of wavelet bases. Classic lifting analyzes a given signal using wavelets derived from a single fundamental basis function. A number of researchers have proposed techniques for adding adaptivity to the lifting scheme, allowing the transform to choose from a set of fundamental bases the basis that best fits the signal. This characteristic is desirable for gear diagnostics as it allows the technique to tailor itself to a specific transmission by selecting a set of wavelets that best represent vibration signals obtained while the gearbox is operating under healthy-state conditions. However, constraints on certain basis characteristics are necessary to enhance the detection of local wave-form changes caused by certain types of gear damage. The proposed methodology analyzes individual tooth-mesh waveforms from a healthy-state gearbox vibration signal that was generated using the vibration separation (synchronous signal-averaging) algorithm. Each waveform is separated into analysis domains using zeros of its slope and curvature. The bases selected in each analysis domain are chosen to minimize the prediction error, and constrained to have the same-sign local slope and curvature as the original signal. The resulting set of bases is used to analyze future-state vibration signals and the lifting prediction error is inspected. The constraints allow the transform to effectively adapt to global amplitude changes, yielding small prediction errors. However, local wave-form changes associated with certain types of gear damage are poorly adapted, causing a significant change in the prediction error. The constrained adaptive lifting diagnostic algorithm is validated using data collected from the University of Maryland Transmission Test Rig and the results are discussed.

Lewicki, David G.↗
NASA NTRS2004

An Effective Initial Mass Function for Galactic Disks

We derive a semi-empirical effective galactic initial mass function (IMF), which represents the IMF averaged over the age of the galactic disk, from observational constraints. We assume that the star formation rate in a galaxy can be expressed as the product of the IMF,psi(m), which is a smooth function of mass m (in units of solar mass), and a time and space dependent rate zeta(sub *1). The mass dependence of the proposed IMF is determined by four parameters: the low-mass slope gamma, the high-mass slope -Gamma, the characteristic mass m(sub ch) at which the IMF turns over, and the upper limit on the mass, m(sub u).

Hollenbach, David↗
NASA NTRS2003

Biological Effectiveness of Accelerated Particles for the Induction of Chromosome Damage Measured in Metaphase and Interphase Human Lymphocytes

Chromosome aberrations were investigated in human lymphocytes after in vitro exposure to 1H-, 3He-, 12C-, 40Ar-, 28Si-, 56Fe-, or 197Au-ion beams, with LET ranging from approximately 0.4-1393 keV/microm in the dose range of 0.075-3 Gy. Dose-response curves for chromosome exchanges, measured at the first mitosis postirradiation using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) with whole-chromosome probes, were fitted with linear or linear-quadratic functions. The relative biological effectiveness (RBE) was estimated from the initial slope of the dose-response curve for chromosomal damage with respect to low- or high-dose-rate gamma rays. Estimates of RBEmax values for mitotic spreads, which ranged from near 0.7 to 11.1 for total exchanges, increased with LET, reaching a maximum at about 150 keV/microm, and decreased with further increase in LET. RBEs for complex aberrations are undefined due to the lack of an initial slope for gamma rays. Additionally, the effect of mitotic delay on RBE values was investigated by measuring chromosome aberrations in interphase after chemically induced premature chromosome condensation (PCC), and values were up to threefold higher than for metaphase analysis.

NASA Discipline Radiation Health↗
NASA NTRS2002

Monte Carlo transport model comparison with 1A GeV accelerated iron experiment: heavy-ion shielding evaluation of NASA space flight-crew foodstuff

Deep-space manned flight as a reality depends on a viable solution to the radiation problem. Both acute and chronic radiation health threats are known to exist, with solar particle events as an example of the former and galactic cosmic rays (GCR) of the latter. In this experiment Iron ions of 1A GeV are used to simulate GCR and to determine the secondary radiation field created as the GCR-like particles interact with a thick target. A NASA prepared food pantry locker was subjected to the iron beam and the secondary fluence recorded. A modified version of the Monte Carlo heavy ion transport code developed by Zeitlin at LBNL is compared with experimental fluence. The foodstuff is modeled as mixed nuts as defined by the 71st edition of the Chemical Rubber Company (CRC) Handbook of Physics and Chemistry. The results indicate a good agreement between the experimental data and the model. The agreement between model and experiment is determined using a linear fit to ordered pairs of data. The intercept is forced to zero. The slope fit is 0.825 and the R2 value is 0.429 over the resolved fluence region. The removal of an outlier, Z=14, gives values of 0.888 and 0.705 for slope and R2 respectively. c2002 COSPAR. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

NASA Discipline Radiation Health↗
NASA NTRS2002

Phenylephrine-induced elevations in arterial blood pressure are attenuated in heat-stressed humans

To test the hypothesis that phenylephrine-induced elevations in blood pressure are attenuated in heat-stressed humans, blood pressure was elevated via steady-state infusion of three doses of phenylephrine HCl in 10 healthy subjects in both normothermic and heat stress conditions. Whole body heating significantly increased sublingual temperature by ~0.5 degrees C, muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA), heart rate, and cardiac output and decreased total peripheral vascular resistance (TPR; all P < 0.005) but did not change mean arterial blood pressure (MAP; P > 0.05). At the highest dose of phenylephrine, the increase in MAP and TPR from predrug baselines was significantly attenuated during the heat stress [DeltaMAP 8.4 +/- 1.2 mmHg; DeltaTPR 0.96 +/- 0.85 peripheral resistance units (PRU)] compared with normothermia (DeltaMAP 15.4 +/- 1.4 mmHg, DeltaTPR 7.13 +/- 1.18 PRU; all P < 0.001). The sensitivity of baroreflex control of MSNA and heart rate, expressed as the slope of the relationship between MSNA and diastolic blood pressure, as well as the slope of the relationship between heart rate and systolic blood pressure, respectively, was similar between thermal conditions (each P > 0.05). These data suggest that phenylephrine-induced elevations in MAP are attenuated in heat-stressed humans without affecting baroreflex control of MSNA or heart rate.

Non-NASA Center↗
NASA NTRS2002

Role of skin blood flow and sweating rate in exercise thermoregulation after bed rest

Two potential mechanisms, reduced skin blood flow (SBF) and sweating rate (SR), may be responsible for elevated intestinal temperature (T(in)) during exercise after bed rest and spaceflight. Seven men underwent 13 days of 6 degrees head-down bed rest. Pre- and post-bed rest, subjects completed supine submaximal cycle ergometry (20 min at 40% and 20 min at 65% of pre-bed rest supine peak exercise capacity) in a thermoneutral room. After bed rest, T(in) was elevated at rest (+0.31 +/- 0.12 degrees C) and at the end of exercise (+0.33 +/- 0.07 degrees C). Percent increase in SBF during exercise was less after bed rest (211 +/- 53 vs. 96 +/- 31%; P < or = 0.05), SBF/T(in) threshold was greater (37.09 +/- 0.16 vs. 37.33 +/- 0.13 degrees C; P < or = 0.05), and slope of SBF/T(in) tended to be reduced (536 +/- 184 vs. 201 +/- 46%/ degrees C; P = 0.08). SR/T(in) threshold was delayed (37.06 +/- 0.11 vs. 37.34 +/- 0.06 degrees C; P < or = 0.05), but the slope of SR/T(in) (3.45 +/- 1.22 vs. 2.58 +/- 0.71 mg x min-1 x cm-2 x degrees C-1) and total sweat loss (0.42 +/- 0.06 vs. 0.44 +/- 0.08 kg) were not changed. The higher resting and exercise T(in) and delayed onset of SBF and SR suggest a centrally mediated elevation in the thermoregulatory set point during bed rest exposure.

NASA Discipline Cardiopulmonary↗
NASA NTRS2002

Baroreflex modulation of muscle sympathetic nerve activity during cold pressor test in humans

The purpose of this project was to test the hypothesis that baroreceptor modulation of muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) and heart rate is altered during the cold pressor test. Ten subjects were exposed to a cold pressor test by immersing a hand in ice water for 3 min while arterial blood pressure, heart rate, and MSNA were recorded. During the second and third minute of the cold pressor test, blood pressure was lowered and then raised by intravenous bolus infusions of sodium nitroprusside and phenylephrine HCl, respectively. The slope of the relationship between MSNA and diastolic blood pressure was more negative (P < 0.005) during the cold pressor test (-244.9 +/- 26.3 units x beat(-1) x mmHg(-1)) when compared with control conditions (-138.8 +/- 18.6 units x beat(-1) x mmHg(-1)), whereas no significant change in the slope of the relationship between heart rate and systolic blood pressure was observed. These data suggest that baroreceptors remain capable of modulating MSNA and heart rate during a cold pressor test; however, the sensitivity of baroreflex modulation of MSNA is elevated without altering the sensitivity of baroreflex control of heart rate.

NASA Discipline Cardiopulmonary↗
NASA NTRS2002

Mode shift of an inhaled aerosol bolus is correlated with flow sequencing in the human lung

We studied the effects on aerosol bolus inhalations of small changes in convective inhomogeneity induced by posture change from upright to supine in nine normal subjects. Vital capacity single-breath nitrogen washout tests were used to determine ventilatory inhomogeneity change between postures. Relative to upright, supine phase III slope was increased 33 +/- 11% (mean +/- SE, P < 0.05) and phase IV height increased 25 +/- 11% (P < 0.05), consistent with an increase in convective inhomogeneity likely due to increases in flow sequencing. Subjects also performed 0.5-microm-particle bolus inhalations to penetration volumes (V(p)) between 150 and 1,200 ml during a standardized inhalation from residual volume to 1 liter above upright functional residual capacity. Mode shift (MS) in supine posture was more mouthward than upright at all V(p), changing by 11.6 ml at V(p) = 150 ml (P < 0.05) and 38.4 ml at V(p) = 1,200 ml (P < 0.05). MS and phase III slope changes correlated positively at deeper V(p). Deposition did not change at any V(p), suggesting that deposition did not cause the MS change. We propose that the MS change results from increased sequencing in supine vs. upright posture.

NASA Discipline Cardiopulmonary↗
NASA NTRS2001

Induction and repair of HZE induced cytogenetic damage

Wistar rats were exposed to high-mass, high energy (HZE) 56Fe particles (1000 GeV/AMU) using the Alternating Gradient Synchrotron (AGS). The animals were sacrificed at 1-5 hours or after a 30-day recovery period. The frequency of micronuclei in the tracheal and the deep lung epithelial cells were evaluated. The relative effectiveness of 56Fe, for the induction of initial chromosome damage in the form of micronuclei, was compared to damage produced in the same biological system exposed to other types of high and low-LET radiation. It was demonstrated that for animals sacrificed at short times after exposure, the tracheal and lung epithelial cells, the 56Fe particles were 3.3 and 1.3 times as effective as 60Co in production of micronuclei, respectively. The effectiveness was also compared to that for exposure to inhaled radon. With this comparison, the 56Fe exposure of the tracheal epithelial cells and the lung epithelial cells were only 0.18 and 0.20 times as effective as radon in the production of the initial cytogenetic damage. It was suggested that the low relative effectiveness was related to potential for 'wasted energy' from the core of the 56Fe particles. When the animals were sacrificed after 30 days, the slopes of the dose-response relationships, which reflect the remaining level of damage, decreased by a factor of 10 for both the tracheal and lung epithelial cells. In both cases, the slope of the dose-response lines were no longer significantly different from zero, and the r2 values were very high. Lung epithelial cells, isolated from the animals sacrificed hours after exposure, were maintained in culture, and the micronuclei frequency evaluated after 4 and 6 subcultures. These cells were harvested at 24 and 36 days after the exposure. There was no dose-response detected in these cultures and no signs of genomic instability at either sample time.

Non-NASA Center↗
NASA NTRS2002

Baroreflex modulation of sympathetic nerve activity to muscle in heat-stressed humans

To identify whether whole body heating alters arterial baroreflex control of muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA), MSNA and beat-by-beat arterial blood pressure were recorded in seven healthy subjects during acute hypotensive and hypertensive stimuli in both normothermic and heat stress conditions. Whole body heating significantly increased sublingual temperature (P < 0.01), MSNA (P < 0.01), heart rate (P < 0.01), and skin blood flow (P < 0.001), whereas mean arterial blood pressure did not change significantly (P > 0.05). During both normothermic and heat stress conditions, MSNA increased and then decreased significantly when blood pressure was lowered and then raised via intravenous bolus infusions of sodium nitroprusside and phenylephrine HCl, respectively. The slope of the relationship between MSNA and diastolic blood pressure during heat stress (-128.3 +/- 13.9 U x beats(-1) x mmHg(-1)) was similar (P = 0.31) with normothermia (-140.6 +/- 21.1 U x beats(-1) x mmHg(-1)). Moreover, no significant change in the slope of the relationship between heart rate and systolic blood pressure was observed. These data suggest that arterial baroreflex modulation of MSNA and heart rate are not altered by whole body heating, with the exception of an upward shift of these baroreflex curves to accommodate changes in these variables that occur with whole body heating.

NASA Discipline Cardiopulmonary↗
NASA NTRS2001

Baroreflex modulation of muscle sympathetic nerve activity during posthandgrip muscle ischemia in humans

To identify whether muscle metaboreceptor stimulation alters baroreflex control of muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA), MSNA, beat-by-beat arterial blood pressure (Finapres), and electrocardiogram were recorded in 11 healthy subjects in the supine position. Subjects performed 2 min of isometric handgrip exercise at 40% of maximal voluntary contraction followed by 2.5 min of posthandgrip muscle ischemia. During muscle ischemia, blood pressure was lowered and then raised by intravenous bolus infusions of sodium nitroprusside and phenylephrine HCl, respectively. The slope of the relationship between MSNA and diastolic blood pressure was more negative (P < 0.001) during posthandgrip muscle ischemia (-201.9 +/- 20.4 units. beat(-1). mmHg(-1)) when compared with control conditions (-142.7 +/- 17.3 units. beat(-1). mmHg(-1)). No significant change in the slope of the relationship between heart rate and systolic blood pressure was observed. However, both curves shifted during postexercise ischemia to accommodate the elevation in blood pressure and MSNA that occurs with this condition. These data suggest that the sensitivity of baroreflex modulation of MSNA is elevated by muscle metaboreceptor stimulation, whereas the sensitivity of baroreflex of modulate heart rate is unchanged during posthandgrip muscle ischemia.

Clinical Trial↗
NASA NTRS2000

Ontogeny of vestibular compound action potentials in the domestic chicken

Compound action potentials of the vestibular nerve were measured from the surface of the scalp in 148 chickens (Gallus domesticus). Ages ranged from incubation day 18 (E18) to 22 days posthatch (P22). Responses were elicited using linear acceleration cranial pulses. Response thresholds decreased at an average rate of -0.45 dB/day. The decrease was best fit by an exponential model with half-maturity time constant of 5.1 days and asymptote of approximately -25.9 dB re:1.0 g/ms. Mean threshold approached within 3 dB of the asymptote by ages P6-P9. Similarly, response latencies decreased exponentially to within 3% of mature values at ages beyond P9. The half-maturity time constant for peripheral response peak latencies P1, N1, and P2 was comparable to thresholds and ranged from approximately 4.6 to 6.2 days, whereas central peaks (N2, P3, and N3) ranged from 2.9 to 3.4 days. Latency-intensity slopes for P1, N1, and P2 tended to decrease with age, reaching mature values within approximately 100 hours of hatching. Amplitudes increased as a function of age with average growth rates for response peaks ranging from 0.04 to 0.09 microV/day. There was no obvious asymptote to the growth of amplitudes over the ages studied. Amplitude-intensity slopes also increased modestly with age. The results show that gravity receptors are responsive to transient cranial stimuli as early as E19 in the chicken embryo. The functional response of gravity receptors continues to develop for many days after all major morphological structures are in place. Distinct maturational processes can be identified in central and peripheral neural relays. Functional improvements during maturation may result from refinements in the receptor epithelia, improvements in central and peripheral synaptic transmission, increased neural myelination, as well as changes in the mechanical coupling between the cranium and receptor organ.

NASA Discipline Developmental Biology↗