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NASA NTRS2012

Finite Element Analysis of Three Methods for Microwave Heating of Planetary Surfaces

In-Situ Resource Utilization will be Ground Breaking technology for sustained exploration of space. Volatiles are present in planetary regolith, but water by far has the most potential for effective utilization. The presence of water at the lunar poles and Mars opens the possibility of using the hydrogen for propellant on missions beyond Earth orbit. Likewise, the oxygen could be used for in-space propulsion for lunar ascent/descent and for space tugs from low lunar orbit to low Earth orbit. Water is also an effective radiation shielding material as well as a valuable expendable (water and oxygen) required for habitation in space. Because of the strong function of water vapor pressure with temperature, heating regolith effectively liberates water vapor by sublimation. Microwave energy will penetrate soil and heat from within, much more efficiently than heating from the surface with radiant heat. This is especially true under vacuum conditions since the heat transfer rate is very low. The depth of microwave penetration is a strong function of the microwave frequency and to a lesser extent on regolith dielectric properties. New methods for delivery of microwaves into lunar and planetary surfaces is being prototyped with laboratory experiments and modeled with COMSOL MultiPhysics. Recent results are discussed.

Ethridge, Edwin↗
NASA NTRS2012

Nonlinear Electrostatic Properties of Lunar Dust

A laboratory experiment was designed to study the induction charging and charge decay characteristics of small dielectric particles, or glass beads. Initially, the goal of the experiment was further understanding of induction charging of lunar dust particles. However, the mechanism of charging became a point of greater interest as the project continued. Within an environmentally-controlled acrylic glove box was placed a large parallel plate capacitor at high-voltage (HV) power supply with reversible polarity. Spherical 1-mm and 0.5-mm glass beads, singly, were placed between the plates, and their behaviors recorded on video and quantified. Nearly a hundred trials at various humidities were performed. The analysis of the results indicated a non-linear relationship between humidity and particle charge exchange time (CET), for both sizes of beads. Further, a difference in CET for top-resting beads and bottom-resting beads hinted at a different charging mechanism than that of simple induction. Results from the I-mm bead trials were presented at several space science and physics conferences in 2008 and 2009, and were published as a Master's thesis in August 2009. Tangential work stemming from this project resulted in presentations at other international conferences in 2010, and selection to attend workshop on granular matter flow 2011.

Irwin, Stacy A.↗
NASA NTRS2012

Craters Without Ejecta

A significant portion of the Solar System's population of minor bodies may be quite porous. A unique aspect of crater formation in porous bodies is that large craters may form without the ejecta deposits that are associated with craters on less porous bodies. In this paper. laboratory experiments and scaling theories are used to identify the conditions under which ejecta deposits are suppressed. The results are consistent with the interpretation that large craters on asteroid Mathilde (porosity approx. 50%) and Saturn's moon Hyperion (porosity >40%) apparently formed without producing Significant ejecta deposits. while smaller bodies do have notable regoliths.

Housen, Kevin R.↗
NASA NTRS2012

Techniques for Solution- Assisted Optical Contacting

A document discusses a solution-assisted contacting technique for optical contacting. An optic of surface flatness Lambda/20 was successfully contacted with one of moderate surface quality, or Lambda/4. Optics used were both ultra-low expansion (ULE) glass (Lambda/4 and Lambda/20) and fused silica (Lambda/20). A stainless steel template of the intended interferometer layout was designed and constructed with three contact points per optic. The contact points were all on a common side of the template. The entire contacting jig was tilted at about 30 . Thus, when the isopropanol was applied, each optic slid due to gravity, resting on the contact points. All of the contacting was performed in a relatively dusty laboratory. A number of successful contacts were achieved where up to two or three visible pieces of dust could be seen. These were clearly visible due to refraction patterns between the optic and bench. On a number of optics, the final step of dropping isopropyl between the surfaces was repeated until a successful contact was achieved. The new procedures realized in this work represent a simplification for optical contacting in the laboratory. They will both save time and money spent during the contacting process, and research and development phases. The techniques outlined are suitable for laboratory experiments, research, and initial development stages.

DeVine, Glenn↗
NASA NTRS2011

Numerically Exact Computer Simulations of Light Scattering by Densely Packed, Random Particulate Media

Direct computer simulations of electromagnetic scattering by discrete random media have become an active area of research. In this progress review, we summarize and analyze our main results obtained by means of numerically exact computer solutions of the macroscopic Maxwell equations. We consider finite scattering volumes with size parameters in the range, composed of varying numbers of randomly distributed particles with different refractive indices. The main objective of our analysis is to examine whether all backscattering effects predicted by the low-density theory of coherent backscattering (CB) also take place in the case of densely packed media. Based on our extensive numerical data we arrive at the following conclusions: (i) all backscattering effects predicted by the asymptotic theory of CB can also take place in the case of densely packed media; (ii) in the case of very large particle packing density, scattering characteristics of discrete random media can exhibit behavior not predicted by the low-density theories of CB and radiative transfer; (iii) increasing the absorptivity of the constituent particles can either enhance or suppress typical manifestations of CB depending on the particle packing density and the real part of the refractive index. Our numerical data strongly suggest that spectacular backscattering effects identified in laboratory experiments and observed for a class of high-albedo Solar System objects are caused by CB.

Dlugach, Janna M.↗
NASA NTRS2012

Wear of Steel and Ti6Al4V Rollers in Vacuum

This investigation was prompted by results of a qualification test of a mechanism to be used for the James Webb Space Telescope. Post-test inspections of the qualification test article revealed some loose wear debris and wear of the steel rollers and the mating Ti6Al4V surfaces. An engineering assessment of the design and observations from the tested qualification unit suggested that roller misalignment was a controlling factor. The wear phenomena were investigated using dedicated laboratory experiments. Tests were done using a vacuum roller rig for a range of roller misalignment angles. The wear in these tests was mainly adhesive wear. The measured wear rates were highly correlated to the misalignment angle. For all tests with some roller misalignment, the steel rollers lost mass while the titanium rollers gained mass indicating strong adhesion of the steel with the titanium alloy. Inspection of the rollers revealed that the adhesive wear was a two-way process as titanium alloy was found on the steel rollers and vice versa. The qualification test unit made use of 440F steel rollers in the annealed condition. Both annealed 440F steel rollers and hardened 440C rollers were tested in the vacuum roller rig to investigate possibility to reduce wear rates and the risk of loose debris formation. The 440F and 440C rollers had differing wear behaviors with significantly lesser wear rates for the 440C. For the test condition of zero roller misalignment, the adhesive wear rates were very low, but still some loose debris was formed

Krantz, Timothy L.↗
NASA NTRS2007

Hybrid Theory of Electron-Hydrogenic Systems Elastic Scattering

Accurate electron-hydrogen and electron-hydrogenic cross sections are required to interpret fusion experiments, laboratory plasma physics and properties of the solar and astrophysical plasmas. We have developed a method in which the short-range and long-range correlations can be included at the same time in the scattering equations. The phase shifts have rigorous lower bounds and the scattering lengths have rigorous upper bounds. The phase shifts in the resonance region can be used to calculate very accurately the resonance parameters.

Bhatia, A. K.↗
NASA NTRS2012

Accurate ab initio Quartic Force Fields of Cyclic and Bent HC2N Isomers

Highly correlated ab initio quartic force field (QFFs) are used to calculate the equilibrium structures and predict the spectroscopic parameters of three HC2N isomers. Specifically, the ground state quasilinear triplet and the lowest cyclic and bent singlet isomers are included in the present study. Extensive treatment of correlation effects were included using the singles and doubles coupled-cluster method that includes a perturbational estimate of the effects of connected triple excitations, denoted CCSD(T). Dunning s correlation-consistent basis sets cc-pVXZ, X=3,4,5, were used, and a three-point formula for extrapolation to the one-particle basis set limit was used. Core-correlation and scalar relativistic corrections were also included to yield highly accurate QFFs. The QFFs were used together with second-order perturbation theory (with proper treatment of Fermi resonances) and variational methods to solve the nuclear Schr dinger equation. The quasilinear nature of the triplet isomer is problematic, and it is concluded that a QFF is not adequate to describe properly all of the fundamental vibrational frequencies and spectroscopic constants (though some constants not dependent on the bending motion are well reproduced by perturbation theory). On the other hand, this procedure (a QFF together with either perturbation theory or variational methods) leads to highly accurate fundamental vibrational frequencies and spectroscopic constants for the cyclic and bent singlet isomers of HC2N. All three isomers possess significant dipole moments, 3.05D, 3.06D, and 1.71D, for the quasilinear triplet, the cyclic singlet, and the bent singlet isomers, respectively. It is concluded that the spectroscopic constants determined for the cyclic and bent singlet isomers are the most accurate available, and it is hoped that these will be useful in the interpretation of high-resolution astronomical observations or laboratory experiments.

Inostroza, Natalia↗
NASA NTRS2012

Organic Synthesis via Irradiation and Warming of Ice Grains in the Solar Nebula

Complex organic compounds, including many important to life on Earth, are commonly found in meteoritic and cometary samples, though their origins remain a mystery. We examined whether such molecules could be produced within the solar nebula by tracking the dynamical evolution of ice grains in the nebula and recording the environments they were exposed to. We found that icy grains originating in the outer disk, where temperatures were less than 30 K, experienced UV irradiation exposures and thermal warming similar to that which has been shown to produce complex organics in laboratory experiments. These results imply that organic compounds are natural byproducts of protoplanetary disk evolution and should be important ingredients in the formation of all planetary systems, including our own.

Ciesla, Fred J.↗
NASA NTRS2012

Nucleobases and Prebiotic Molecules in Organic Residues Produced from the Ultraviolet Photo-Irradiation of Pyrimidine in NH3 and H2O+NH3 Ices

Although not yet identified in the interstellar medium (ISM), N-heterocycles including nucleobases the information subunits of DNA and RNA are present in carbonaceous chondrites, which indicates that molecules of biological interest can be formed in non-terrestrial environments via abiotic pathways. Recent laboratory experiments and ab-initio calculations have already shown that the irradiation of pyrimidine in pure H2O ices leads to the formation of a suite of oxidized pyrimidine derivatives, including the nucleobase uracil. In the present work, NH3:pyrimidine and H2O:NH3:pyrimidine ice mixtures with different relative proportions were irradiated with UV photons under astrophysically relevant conditions. Liquid- and gas-chromatography analysis of the resulting organic residues has led to the detection of the nucleobases uracil and cytosine, as well as other species of prebiotic interest such as urea and small amino acids. The presence of these molecules in organic residues formed under abiotic conditions supports scenarios in which extraterrestrial organics that formed in space and were subsequently delivered to telluric planets via comets and meteorites could have contributed to the inventory of molecules that triggered the first biological reactions on their surfaces.

Nuevo, Michel↗
NASA NTRS2012

Photochemistry of Pyrimidine in Astrophysical Ices: Formation of Nucleobases and Other Prebiotic Species

Nucleobases are N-heterocycles that are the informational subunits of DNA and RNA. They are divided into two molecular groups: pyrimidine bases (uracil, cytosine, and thymine) and purine bases (adenine and guanine). Nucleobases have been detected in meteorites, and their extraterrestrial origin confirmed by isotopic measurements. Although no N-heterocycles have ever been observed in the ISM, the positions of the 6.2- m interstellar emission features suggest a population of such molecules is likely to be present. However, laboratory experiments have shown that the ultraviolet (UV) irradiation of pyrimidine in ices of astrophysical relevance such as H2O, NH3, CH3OH, CH4, CO, or combinations of these at low temperature (less than or equal to 20 K) leads to the formation of several pyrimidine derivatives including the nucleobases uracil and cytosine, as well as precursors such as 4(3H)-pyrimidone and 4-aminopyrimidine. Quantum calculations on the formation of 4(3H)-pyrimidone and uracil from the irradiation of pyrimidine in pure H2O ices are in agreement with their experimental formation pathways.10 In those residues, other species of prebiotic interest such as urea as well as the amino acids glycine and alanine could also be identified. However, only very small amounts of pyrimidine derivatives containing CH3 groups could be detected, suggesting that the addition of methyl groups to pyrimidine is not an efficient process. For this reason, the nucleobase thymine was not observed in any of the samples. In this work, we study the formation of nucleobases and other photo-products of prebiotic interest from the UV irradiation of pyrimidine in ices containing H2O, NH3, CH3OH, and CO, mixed in astrophysical proportions.

Nuevo, Michel↗
NASA NTRS2013

Olivine Weathering aud Sulfate Formation Under Cryogenic Conditions

High resolution photography and spectroscopy of the martian surface (MOC, HiRISE) from orbit has revolutionized our view of Mars with one of the most important discoveries being wide‐spread layered sedimentary deposits associated with sulfate minerals across the low to mid latitude regions of Mars. The mechanism for sulfate formation on Mars has been frequently attributed to playa‐like evaporative environments under prolonged warm conditions. An alternate view of the ancient martian climate contends that prolonged warm temperatures were never present and that the atmosphere and climate has been similar to modern conditions throughout most of its history. This view has had a difficult time explaining the sedimentary history of Mars and in particular the presence of sulfate minerals which seemingly need more water. We suggest here that mixtures of atmospheric aerosols, ice, and dust have the potential for creating small films of cryo‐concentrated acidic solutions that may represent an important unexamined environment for understanding weathering processes on Mars. This study seeks to test whether sulfate formation may be possible at temperatures well below 0degC in water limited environments removing the need for prolonged warm periods to form sulfates on early Mars. To test this idea we performed laboratory experiments to simulate weathering of mafic minerals under Mars‐like conditions. The weathering rates measured in this study suggest that fine grained olivine on Mars would weather into sulfate minerals in short time periods if they are exposed to H2SO4 aerosols at temperatures at or above ‐40degC. In this system, the strength of the acidic solution is maximized through eutectic freezing in an environment where the silicate minerals are extremely fine grained and have high surface areas. This provides an ideal environment despite the very low temperatures. On Mars the presence of large deposits of mixed ice and dust is undisputed. The presence of substantial sulfur‐rich volcanism, and sulfur‐rich surface deposits also makes it very likely that sulfate aerosols have also been an important component of the martian atmosphere. Thus mixtures of ice, dust, and sulfate aerosols are likely to have been common on the martian surface. Given the fact that it is not difficult to achieve surface temperatures above ‐40degC on Mars throughout its history, it seems likely that sulfate formation on Mars is controlled by the availability of sulfate aerosols and not by the martian climate. The current polar regions of Mars and Earth provide interesting analogs. Large regions of sulfaterich material have been detected on and around the modern north polar region of Mars. The prevalence of ice‐dust mixtures in this region and the existence of sulfates within the ice cap itself are strong evidence for the origin of the sulfates from inside the ice deposits. In addition sulfates have been found in ice deposits in Greenland and Mount Fuji on Earth that have been attributed to forming within the ice deposit. These sulfates can form either through interaction with dust particles in the atmosphere or through weathering inside the ice itself.

Niles, Paul B.↗
NASA NTRS2013

Carbonate Mineral Formation on Mars: Clues from Stable Isotope Variation Seen in Cryogenic Laboratory Studies of Carbonate Salts

The geologic history of water on the planet Mars is intimately connected to the formation of carbonate minerals through atmospheric CO2 and its control of the climate history of Mars. Carbonate mineral formation under modern martian atmospheric conditions could be a critical factor in controlling the martian climate in a means similar to the rock weathering cycle on Earth. The combination of evidence for liquid water on the martian surface and cold surface conditions suggest fluid freezing could be very common on the surface of Mars. Cryogenic calcite forms readily when a rise in pH occurs as a result of carbon dioxide degassing quickly from freezing Ca-bicarbonate-rich water solutions. This is a process that has been observed in some terrestrial settings such as arctic permafrost cave deposits, lakebeds of the Dry Valleys of Antarctica, and in aufeis (river icings) from rivers of N.E. Alaska. We report here the results of a series of laboratory experiments that were conducted to simulate potential cryogenic carbonate formation on the planet Mars. These results indicate that carbonates grown under martian conditions (controlled atmospheric pressure and temperature) show enrichments from starting bicarbonate fluids in both carbon and oxygen isotopes beyond equilibrium values with average delta13C(DIC-CARB) values of ~20.5%0 which exceed the expected equilibrium fractionation factor of [10(sup 3) ln alpha = ~13%0] at 0 degC. Oxygen isotopes showed a smaller enrichment with delta18O(H2O-CARB) values of ~35.5%0, slightly exceeding the equilibrium fractionation factor of [10(sup 3) ln alpha = ~34%0 ] at 0degC. Large kinetic carbon isotope effects during carbonate precipitation could substantially affect the carbon isotope evolution of CO2 on Mars allowing for more efficient removal of 13C from the Noachian atmosphere enriched by atmospheric loss. This mechanism would be consistent with the observations of large carbon isotope variations in martian materials despite the relative paucity of carbonate minerals in the martian crust.

Socki, Richard↗
NASA NTRS2014

Martian Cryogenic Carbonate Formation: Stable Isotope Variations Observed in Laboratory Studies

The history of water on Mars is tied to the formation of carbonates through atmospheric CO2 and its control of the climate history of the planet. Carbonate mineral formation under modern martian atmospheric conditions could be a critical factor in controlling the martian climate in a means similar to the rock weathering cycle on Earth. The combination of evidence for liquid water on the martian surface and cold surface conditions suggest fluid freezing could be very common on the surface of Mars. Cryogenic calcite forms easily from freezing solutions when carbon dioxide degasses quickly from Ca-bicarbonate-rich water, a process that has been observed in some terrestrial settings such as arctic permafrost cave deposits, lake beds of the Dry Valleys of Antarctica, and in aufeis (river icings) from rivers of N.E. Alaska. A series of laboratory experiments were conducted that simulated cryogenic carbonate formation on Mars in order to understand their isotopic systematics. The results indicate that carbonates grown under martian conditions show variable enrichments from starting bicarbonate fluids in both carbon and oxygen isotopes beyond equilibrium values.

Socki, Richard A.↗
NASA NTRS2014

Organism/Organic Exposure to Orbital Stresses (OOREOS) Satellite: Radiation Exposure in LEO and Supporting Laboratory Studies

We will present the results from the exposure of the metalloporphyrin iron tetraphenylporphyrin chloride (FeTPPCI), anthraufin (C(sub 14)H(sub 8)(O sub 4) (Anth) and Isoviolanthrene (C(sub 34H sub 18) (IVA) to the outher space environment, measured in situ aboard the Organism/Organic Exposure to Orbital Stresses nanosatellite. The compounds were exposed for a period of 17 months (3700 hours of direct solar exposure) including broad-spectrum solar radiation (approx. 122 nm to the near infrared). The organic films are enclosed in hermetically sealed sample cells that contain one of four astrobiologically relevant microenvironments. Transmission spectra (200-1000 nm) were recorded for each film, at first daily and subsequently every 15 days, along with a solar spectrum and the dark response of the detector array. In addition to analysis via UV-Vis spectroscopy, the laboratory controls were also monitored via infrared and far-UV spectroscopy. The results presented will include the finding that the FeTPPCI and IVA organic films in contact with a humid headspace gas (0.8-2.3%) exhibit faster degradation times, upon irradiation, in comparison with identical films under dry headspaces gases, whereas the Anth thin film exhibited a higher degree of photostability. In the companion laboratory experiments, simulated solar exposure of FeTPI films in contact with either Ar or CO(sub -2):O(sub -2):Ar (10:0.01:1000) headspace gas results in growth of a band in the films infrared spectra at 1961 cm(sup 1). Our assignment of this new spectral feature and the corresponding rational will be presented. The relevance of O/OREOS findings to planetary science, biomarker research, and the photostability of organic materials in astrobiologically relevant environments will also be discussed.

Radiation Exposure↗
NASA NTRS2014

Sulfate Formation From Acid-Weathered Phylosilicates: Implications for the Aqueous History of Mars

Most phyllosilicates on Mars are thought to have formed during the planet's earliest Noachian era, then Mars underwent a global change making the planet's surface more acidic [e.g. 1]. Prevailing acidic conditions may have affected the already existing phyllosilicates, resulting in the formation of sulfates. Both sulfates and phyllosilicates have been identified on Mars in a variety of geologic settings [2] but only in a handful of sites are these minerals found in close spatial proximity to each other, including Mawrth Vallis [3,4] and Gale Crater [5]. While sulfate formation from the acidic weathering of basalts is well documented in the literature [6,7], few experimental studies investigate sulfate formation from acid-weathered phyllosilicates [8-10]. The purpose of this study is to characterize the al-teration products of acid-weathered phyllosilicates in laboratory experiments. We focus on three commonly identified phyllosilicates on Mars: nontronite (Fe-smectite), saponite (Mg-smectite), and montmorillonite (Al-smectite) [1, and references therein]. This information will help constrain the formation processes of sulfates observed in close association with phyllosilicates on Mars and provide a better understanding of the aqueous history of such regions as well as the planet as a whole.

Craig, P. I.↗
NASA NTRS2013

The Photochemistry of Pyrimidine in Pure H2O Ice Subjected to Different Radiation Environments and the Formation of Uracil

Nucleobases are N-heterocycles which are the informational subunits of DNA and RNA. They include pyrimidine bases (uracil, cytosine, and thymine) and purine bases (adenine and guanine). Nucleobases have been detected in several meteorites, although no Nheterocycles have been observed in space to data. Laboratory experiments showed that the ultraviolet (UV) irradiation of pyrimidine in pure H2O ice at low temperature (<=20 K) leads to the formation of pyrimidine derivatives including the nucleobase uracil and its precursor 4(3H)-pyrimidone. These results were confirmed by quantum chemical calculations. When pyrimidine is mixed with combinations of H2O, NH3, CH3OH, and CH4 ices under similar conditions, uracil and cytosine are formed. In the present work we study the formation of 4(3H)-pyrimidone and uracil from the irradiation of pyrimidine in H2O ice with high-energy UV photons (Lyman , He I, and He II lines) provided by a synchrotron source. The photo-destruction of pyrimidine in these H2O ices as well as the formation yields for 4(3H)-pyrimidone and uracil are compared with our previous results in order to study the photo-stability of pyrimidine and the production efficiency of uracil as a function of the photon energy.

Radiation↗
NASA NTRS2014

A Super-Resolution Algorithm for Enhancement of FLASH LIDAR Data: Flight Test Results

This paper describes the results of a 3D super-resolution algorithm applied to the range data obtained from a recent Flash Lidar helicopter flight test. The flight test was conducted by the NASA's Autonomous Landing and Hazard Avoidance Technology (ALHAT) project over a simulated lunar terrain facility at NASA Kennedy Space Center. ALHAT is developing the technology for safe autonomous landing on the surface of celestial bodies: Moon, Mars, asteroids. One of the test objectives was to verify the ability of 3D super-resolution technique to generate high resolution digital elevation models (DEMs) and to determine time resolved relative positions and orientations of the vehicle. 3D super-resolution algorithm was developed earlier and tested in computational modeling, and laboratory experiments, and in a few dynamic experiments using a moving truck. Prior to the helicopter flight test campaign, a 100mX100m hazard field was constructed having most of the relevant extraterrestrial hazard: slopes, rocks, and craters with different sizes. Data were collected during the flight and then processed by the super-resolution code. The detailed DEM of the hazard field was constructed using independent measurement to be used for comparison. ALHAT navigation system data were used to verify abilities of super-resolution method to provide accurate relative navigation information. Namely, the 6 degree of freedom state vector of the instrument as a function of time was restored from super-resolution data. The results of comparisons show that the super-resolution method can construct high quality DEMs and allows for identifying hazards like rocks and craters within the accordance of ALHAT requirements.

Bulyshev, Alexander↗