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At least 973 records · Page 54
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NASA NTRS2000

Two-Dimensional Array Beam Scanning Via Externally and Mutually Injection Locked Coupled Oscillators

Some years ago, Stephan proposed an approach to one dimensional (linear) phased array beam steering which requires only a single phase shifter. This involves the use of a linear array of voltage-controlled electronic oscillators coupled to nearest neighbors. The oscillators are mutually injection locked by controlling their coupling and tuning appropriately. Stephan's approach consists of deriving two signals from a master oscillator, one signal phase shifted with respect to the other by means of a single phase shifter. These two signals are injected into the end oscillators of the array. The result is a linear phase progression across the oscillator array. Thus, if radiating elements are connected to each oscillator and spaced uniformly along a line, they will radiate a beam at an angle to that line determined by the phase gradient which is, in turn, determined by the phase difference between the injection signals.The beam direction is therefore controlled by adjusting this phase difference. Recently, Pogorzelski and York presented a formulation which facilitates theoretical analysis of the above beam steering technique. This was subsequently applied by Pogorzelski in analysis of two dimensional beam steering using perimeter detuning of a coupled oscillator array. The formulation is based on a continuum model in which the oscillator phases are represented by a continuous function satisfying a partial differential equation of diffusion type. This equation can be solved via the Laplace transform and the resulting solution exhibits the dynamic behavior of the array as the beam is steered. Stephan's beam steering technique can be similarly generalized to two-dimensional arrays in which the beam control signals are applied to the oscillators on the perimeter of the array. In this paper the continuum model for this two-dimensional case is developed and the dynamic solution for the corresponding aperture phase function is obtained. The corresponding behavior of the resulting far-zone radiation pattern is displayed as well.

Pogorzelski, Ronald J.↗
NASA NTRS1999

On the Interpretation of Scattering Parameters

This short paper is in response to one that appeared in this journal a few years ago [2]. The article was a comment on a previous paper [1], which presented the transformation equations between the standard two-port parameters. The equations were stated to be valid for complex terminations; which are useful when S-parameters are treated. The authors in [2] made some incorrect conclusions concerning the concept of "generalized scattering parameters", and this paper seeks to clarify the somewhat confusing area of generalized scattering parameters.

Freeman, Jon C.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Origin, Bulk Chemical Composition and Physical Structure of the Galilean Satellites of Jupiter: A Post-Galileo Analysis

The origin of Jupiter and the Galilean satellite system is examined in the light of the new data that has been obtained by the NASA Galileo Project. In particular, special attention is given to a theory of satellite origin which was put forward at the start of the Galileo Mission and on the basis of which several predictions have now been proven successful. These predictions concern the chemical composition of Jupiter's atmosphere and the physical structure of the satellites. According to the proposed theory of satellite origin, each of the Galilean satellites formed by chemical condensation and gravitational accumulation of solid grains within a concentric family of orbiting gas rings. These rings were cast off equatorially by the rotating proto-Jovian cloud (PJC which contracted gravitationally to form Jupiter some 4 1/2 billion years ago. The PJC formed from the gas and grains left over from the gas ring that had been shed at Jupiter's orbit by the contracting proto-solar cloud (PSC Supersonic turbulent convection provides the means for shedding discrete gas rings. The temperatures T (sub n) of the system of gas rings shed by the PSC and PJC vary with their respective mean orbital radii R (sub n) (n = 0, 1,2,...) according as T (sub n) proportional to R (sub n) (exp -0.9). If the planet Mercury condenses at 1640 K, so accounting for the high density of that planet via a process of chemical fractionation between iron and silicates, then T (sub n) at Jupiter's orbit is 158 K. Only 35% of the water vapour condenses out. Thus fractionation between rock and ice, together with an enhancement in the abundance of solids relative to gas which takes place through gravitational sedimentation of solids onto the mean orbit of the gas ring, ensures nearly equal proportions of rock and ice in each of Ganymede and Callisto. Io and Europa condense above the H20 ice point and consist solely of hydrated rock (h-rock). The Ganymedan condensate consists of h-rock and H20 ice. For Callisto, NH3 ice makes up -5% of the condensate mass next to h-rock (approximately 50%) and H2O ice (approximately 45%). Detailed thermal and structural models for each of Europa, Ganymede and Callisto are constructed on the basis of the above initial bulk chemical compositions. For Europa (E), a predicted 2-zone model consisting of a dehydrated rock core of mass 0.912 M (sub E) and a 150 km thick frozen mantle of salty H2O yields a moment-of-inertia coefficient which matches the Galileo Orbiter gravity measurement. For Ganymede (G), a 3-zone model possessing an inner core of solid FeS and mass approximately 0.116 M (sub G), and an outer H2O ice mantle of mass approximately 0.502 M (sub G) is needed to explain the gravity data. Ganymede's native magnetic field was formed by thermoremanent magnetization of Fe3O4. A new Callisto (C) model is proposed consisting of a core of mass 0.826 M (sub C) containing a uniform mixture of h-rock (60% by mass) and H2O and NH3 ices, and capped by a mantle of pure ice. This model may have the capacity to yield a thin layer of liquid NH3 (raised dot) 2H2O at the core boundary, in line with Galileo's discovery of an induced magnetic field.

Prentice, A. J. R.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Mineralogy of the Martian Surface: Crustal Composition to Surface Processes

Over the course of this award we have: 1) Completed and published the results of a study of the effects of hyperfine particles on reflectance spectra of olivine and quartz, which included the development of scattering codes. Research has also progressed in the analysis of the effects of fine particle sizes on clay spectra. 2) Completed the analysis of the mineralogy of dark regions, showed the insitu compositions are highly correlated to the SNC meteorites, and determined that the martian mantle was depleted in aluminum prior to 2-3 GA ago; Studies of the mineralogic heterogeneity of surficial materials on Mars have also been conducted. and 3) Performed initial work on the study of the physical and chemical processes likely to form and modify duricrust. This includes assessments of erosion rates, solubility and transport of iron in soil environments, and models of pedogenic crust formation.

Mustard, John F.↗
NASA NTRS2000

A Variable Resolution Stretched Grid General Circulation Model: Regional Climate Simulation

The development of and results obtained with a variable resolution stretched-grid GCM for the regional climate simulation mode, are presented. A global variable resolution stretched- grid used in the study has enhanced horizontal resolution over the U.S. as the area of interest The stretched-grid approach is an ideal tool for representing regional to global scale interaction& It is an alternative to the widely used nested grid approach introduced over a decade ago as a pioneering step in regional climate modeling. The major results of the study are presented for the successful stretched-grid GCM simulation of the anomalous climate event of the 1988 U.S. summer drought- The straightforward (with no updates) two month simulation is performed with 60 km regional resolution- The major drought fields, patterns and characteristics such as the time averaged 500 hPa heights precipitation and the low level jet over the drought area. appear to be close to the verifying analyses for the stretched-grid simulation- In other words, the stretched-grid GCM provides an efficient down-scaling over the area of interest with enhanced horizontal resolution. It is also shown that the GCM skill is sustained throughout the simulation extended to one year. The developed and tested in a simulation mode stretched-grid GCM is a viable tool for regional and subregional climate studies and applications.

Fox-Rabinovitz, Michael S.↗
NASA NTRS1999

A Summary fo Solar Sail Technology Developments and Proposed Demonstration Missions

NASA's drive to reduce mission costs and accept the risk of incorporating innovative, high payoff technologies into it's missions while simultaneously undertaking ever more difficult missions has sparked a greatly renewed interest in solar sails. From virtually no technology or flight mission studies activity three years ago solar sails are now included in NOAA, NASA, DOD, DLR, ESA and ESTEC technology development programs and technology roadmaps. NASA programs include activities at Langley Research Center, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Marshall Space Flight Center, Goddard Space Flight Center, and the NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts; NOAA has received funding for a proposed solar sail mission; DLR is designing and fabricating a 20-m laboratory model sail, there are four demonstration missions under study at industry, NASA, DOD and Europe, two new text books on solar sailing were recently published and one new test book is planned. This paper summarizes these on-going developments in solar sails.

Garner, Charles↗
NASA NTRS1994

Comment on 'Guidance for an Aerocapture Maneuver

It is stated that the aerodynamic forces on the vehicle being aerocaptured are controlled by "altering the angle of attack" and thereby controlling the lift coefficient. Furthermore, the resulting variation of drag coefficient with angle of attack was ignored. The purpose of this Comment is to point out that an aerodynamic control method that is much more effective than the pitch modulation has been studied and utilized during entries for many years. During aerocapture, it is desirable to have a large range of lift coefficients available, while keeping the vehicle's ballistic coefficients constant. This is accomplished by modulating the vehicle's bank angle, i.e., by rolling the vehicle about its velocity vector. By this method, the angle of attack can be held constant (at the trim angle, if desired), and the C(sub D) and the ballistic coefficient remain constant. Furthermore, the vertical component of the normal force vector (essentially the lift) can be varied over its entire range, from maximum positive to maximum negative values. Reaction controls, rather than aerodynamic ones, are usually utilized to change the bank angle of the vehicle, thus requiring the use of fuel. However, the fuel expenditure that is required to change the bank angle is far less than the amount that would have to be used to continuously hold the vehicle at pitch angles that differ significantly from its trim angle of attack. Also, it has been shown that bank angle modulation to vary the lift can enlarge the entry corridor by increasing the entry angle for the undershoot boundary, where both the heating rate and deceleration reach a maximum. Finally, the crew's deceleration tolerance can be increased somewhat when the bank angle is varied, as opposed to the pitch angle. For bank modulation, the deceleration force vector can be kept at a constant angle with respect to the occupants whose tolerance to g loads is highest when the force is applied in a direction normal to the upper torso. The advantages of bank angle variation to modulate the lift vector were recognized long ago, and this method of control was used successfully on the Apollo command module during lunar return' and, more recently, for the Space Shuttle Orbiter.

Tauber, Michael E.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Antarctic Rebound and the Time-Dependence of the Earth's Shape

Great strides have been made during the past 30 years in refining models of the last global glaciation. The refinements draw upon a vastly expanded relative sea level and sedimentary core record. Furthermore, we now possess a sharpened understanding of the mechanisms that drive climate changes associated with deglaciation. Some 15 years ago, using only 5.5 years of ranging data, analyses of the drift in LAGEOS I node acceleration was used to infer that postglacial rebound was responsible for a secular change in the Earth's ellipsoidal shape (Yoder et al., .1983]. Today there exists a wealth of geodynamics satellite orbit data that constrain the secular time-dependence of the Earth's shape and low order gravity field, which includes mass redistribution from present-day glacier and great ice sheet imbalance and from postglacial rebound. We have shown that an unambiguous determination of the secular variation in the Earth's pear shaped harmonic (l = 3, m = 0) might provide information that bears on the present-day mass balance of Antarctica. This issue is revisited in light of new constraints on glacial loading during the late-Pleistocene and Holocene. An especially critical issue for the interpretation of secular odd degree zonal harmonics, l = 3 to 7, is the timing and magnitude of the deglaciation of Antarctica from Last Glacial Maximum. We explore ways in which the recovery of secular variation in both zonal and non-zonal harmonics for l = 2 through 7 can improve constraints on both rebound and present-day ice sheet balance.

Ivins, Erik R.↗
NASA NTRS1999

El Nino and the Global Ocean Observing System

Until a decade ago, an often-quoted expression in oceanography is that very few observations are recorded throughout the ocean. Now, the sentiment is no longer valid in the uppermost 10% of the tropical Pacific Ocean nor at the surface of the global ocean. One of the remarkable legacies of the 1985-1994 Tropical Oceans Global Atmosphere (TOGA) Program is an in situ marine meteorological and upper oceanographic measurement array throughout the equatorial Pacific to monitor the development and maintenance of El Nino episodes. The TOGA Observing System, which initially consisted of moored- and drifting-buoy arrays, a network of commercial ships, and coastal and island stations, now includes a constellation of satellites and data-assimilating models to simulate subsurface oceanographic conditions. The El Nino and La Nina tropical Pacific Ocean observing system represents the initial phase of an integrated global ocean observing system. Remarkable improvements have been made in ocean model simulation of subsurface currents, but some problems persist. For example, the simulation of the South Equatorial Current (SEC) remains an important challenge in the 2S-2N Pacific equatorial wave guide. During El Nino the SEC at the equator is reduced and sometimes the direction is reversed, becoming eastward. Both conditions allow warm water stored in the western Pacific to invade the eastern region, creating an El Nino episode. Assimilation of data is a tenet of faith to correct simulation errors caused by deficiencies in surface fluxes (especially wind stress) and parameterizations of subgrid-scale physical processes. In the first of two numerical experiments, the Pacific SEC was simulated with and without assimilation of subsurface temperature data. Along the equator, a very weak SEC occurred throughout the eastern Pacific, independent of assimilation of data. However, as displayed in the diagram, in the western Pacific there was no satisfactory agreement between the two simulations. To help determine reliability of the simulated SEC in the western Pacific, current measurements recorded during the 9-19 October 1994 voyage of the French research vessel L'Atalante are also shown in the diagram. With data assimilation, the simulated SEC was in much better agreement with L'Atalante observations. The simulated SEC with data assimilation was far from perfect, in part because of the sparsity of subsurface temperature observations. In the next experiment, TOPEX/POSEIDON sea surface height data in combination with subsurface temperatures will be assimilated to assess further improvement of the simulation of the SEC.

Halpern, David↗
NASA NTRS1999

Radar Interferometry Studies of the Mass Balance of Polar Ice Sheets

The objectives of this work are to determine the current state of mass balance of the Greenland and Antarctic Ice Sheets. Our approach combines different techniques, which include satellite synthetic-aperture radar interferometry (InSAR), radar and laser altimetry, radar ice sounding, and finite-element modeling. In Greenland, we found that 3.5 times more ice flows out of the northern part of the Greenland Ice Sheet than previously accounted for. The discrepancy between current and past estimates is explained by extensive basal melting of the glacier floating sections in the proximity of the grounding line where the glacier detaches from its bed and becomes afloat in the ocean. The inferred basal melt rates are very large, which means that the glaciers are very sensitive to changes in ocean conditions. Currently, it appears that the northern Greenland glaciers discharge more ice than is being accumulated in the deep interior, and hence are thinning. Studies of temporal changes in grounding line position using InSAR confirm the state of retreat of northern glaciers and suggest that thinning is concentrated at the lower elevations. Ongoing work along the coast of East Greenland reveals an even larger mass deficit for eastern Greenland glaciers, with thinning affecting the deep interior of the ice sheet. In Antarctica, we found that glaciers flowing into a large ice shelf system, such as the Ronne Ice Shelf in the Weddell Sea, exhibit an ice discharge in remarkable agreement with mass accumulation in the interior, and the glacier grounding line positions do not migrate with time. Glaciers flowing rapidly into the Amudsen Sea, unrestrained by a major ice shelf, are in contrast discharging more ice than required to maintain a state of mass balance and are thinning quite rapidly near the coast. The grounding line of Pine Island glacier (see diagram) retreated 5 km in 4 years, which corresponds to a glacier thinning rate of 3.5 m/yr. Mass imbalance is even more negative on Thwaites Glacier. This sector of West Antarctica probably initiated its collapse decades or centuries ago, once the embaying ice shelves in front of them started to melt because of enhanced basal melting from warmer ocean waters. Additional information is contained in the original.

Rignot, Eric↗
NASA NTRS1999

Modeling Studies of the Effects of Winds and Heat Flux on the Tropical Oceans

Over a decade ago, funding from this NASA grant supported the development of the Cane-Zebiak ENSO prediction model which remains in use to this day. It also supported our work developing schemes for modeling the air-sea heat flux in ocean models used for studying climate variability. We introduced a succession of simple boundary layer models that allow the fluxes to be computed internally in the model and avoid the need to specify the atmospheric thermodynamic state. These models have now reached a level of generality that allows modeling of the global, rather than just tropical, ocean, including sea ice cover. The most recent versions of these boundary layer models have been widely distributed around the world and are in use by many ocean modeling groups.

Seager, R.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Thermally Mobile Trace Elements in Carbonaceous Chondrites From Cold and Hot Deserts

Some decades ago, Anders and co-workers used RNAA to classify a number of trace elements as being volatile during nebular condensation and accretion into primitive objects based upon their strong depletion in (equilibrated) ordinary chondrites relative to C1 chondrites. Such elements, e.g. Ag, Bi, Cd, Cs, In, Se, Te, Tl, Zn and others, exhibit nearly constant, C1-normalized atomic abundances in C2 (CM2) and in C3 chondrites. They interpreted the near-constancy of these abundances according to a 2-component model in which volatiles were introduced into carbonaceous (and other) chondrites as C1 material which was diluted with differing proportions of high-temperature (i.e. volatile-free) components. In this view, mean volatile element abundances of 0.48 in C2 and 0.24-0.29 x C1 in C3 chondrites indicated that C2 and C3 chondrites are, respectively, about 1:1 and 1:2-3 mixtures of C1-like and high temperature materials. More recently, Xiao and Lipschutz found that C-normalized abundances of such volatile elements are nearly constant in most C2-6 chondrites (i.e. 25 non-Antarctic meteorites, nearly all falls, and 36 Antarctic finds) consistent with a 2-component mixing model. However, rather than being quantized, mean volatile element contents in each chondrite define a continuum from 0.92-0.14 x C1 for these 61 chondrites. A few carbonaceous chondrites, the first having been the NIPR consortium samples B-7904, Y-82162 and Y-86720, show an altered pattern: many of the volatile elements in each exhibit the usual constancy of C1-normalized atomic abundances, but modified by further depletion of Cd and other elements like Tl and Bi. These are the most mobile trace elements, i.e. those most readily vaporized and lost from primitive meteorites during week-long heating at greater than or equal to 400 C under low ambient pressures (initially 10(exp -5) atm H2), simulating metamorphic conditions in a primitive parent body. Similarities between mobile element data for B-7904, Y-82162 and Y-86720 with those for Murchison heated at 500-700 C, suggest that these Antarctic C1 - and C2-like chondrites were metamorphosed at temperatures like these in the interiors of their parent bodies. Metamorphic temperatures inferred from RNAA data and textural/mineralogic alterations are internally consistent, agreeing., with those evident in heated Murchison samples. These 3 chondrites were also heated late in their histories since all have lost cosmogenic He-3, presumably during close solar approach, and B-7904 and Y-86720 seem also to have lost substantial proportions of radiogenic He-4 and Ar-40 cf. data in. Similarities in spectral reflectance data for C-, G-, B- and F- asteroids, for these meteorites and for heated Murchison samples suggest that thermally metamorphosed interior materials in these asteroids were excavated by impacts and re-deposited on them, forming their present surfaces. Establishment of the thermal metamorphic histories of carbonaceous chondrites, then, is essential to establishing the evolution and present-day nature of C-type and related asteroids.

Lipschutz, M. E.↗
NASA NTRS1993

An Agile Beam Transmit Array Using Coupled Oscillator Phase Control

A few years ago York and colleagues suggested that injection locking of voltage controlled oscillators could be used to implement beam steering in a phased array [I]. The scheme makes use of the fact that when an oscillator is injection locked to an external signal, the phase difference between the output of the oscillator and the injection signal is governed by the difference between the injection frequency and the free running frequency of the oscillator (the frequency to which the oscillator is tuned). Thus, if voltage controlled oscillators (VCOs) are used, this phase difference is controlled by an applied voltage. Now, if a set of such oscillators are coupled to nearest neighbors, they can be made to mutually injection lock and oscillate as an ensemble. If they are all tuned to the same frequency, they will all oscillate in phase. Thus, if the outputs are connected to radiating elements forming a linear array, the antenna will radiate normal to the line of elements. Scanning is accomplished by antisymmetrically detuning the end oscillators in the array by application of a pair of appropriate voltages to their tuning ports. This results in a linear phase progression across the array which is just the phasing required to scan the beam. The scan angle is determined by the degree of detuning. We have constructed a seven element one dimensional agile beam array at S-band based on the above principle. Although, a few such arrays have been built in the past, this array possesses two unique features. First, the VCO MMICs have buffer amplifiers which isolate the output from the tuning circuit, and second, the oscillators are weakly coupled to each other at their resonant circuits rather than their outputs. This results in a convenient isolation between the oscillator array design and the radiating aperture design. An important parameter in the design is the so called coupling phase which determines the phase shift of the signals passing from one oscillator to its neighbors. Using this array, we have been able to verify the theoretical predictions concerning the effect of this phase on both the locking range and ensemble frequency of the array. However, the scan range achieved fell somewhat short of the theoretical value because of the amplitude variation of the oscillator outputs with tuning.

Pogorzelski, Ronald S.↗
NASA NTRS1998

A Fresh Look at Coupled-Oscillator Spatial Power Combining

Quasi-optical oscillators were proposed a little more than ten years ago as a means of developing the power levels needed for applications at millimeter frequencies using large numbers of individual semiconductor devices each of which produces only a modest amount of power [J.W. Mink, IEEE Trans. MTT., vol. 34, p. 273, 19861. An operating system was demonstrated soon after [Z.B. Popovic et. al, Int. J. Infrared and Millimeter Waves, v. 9, p. 647, 1988] in the form of a so-called grid oscillator. This device constituted a rectangular array of oscillating devices that are mutually coupled so that they oscillator coherently. The interconnecting lines in one direction serve as radiators so that the oscillators radiate directly, and the radiated fields add. Subsequently, coupled oscillators using resonant transmission line lengths was demonstrated by Mortazawi and Itoh [IEEE Trans. MTT., vol. 38, p. 86,1990). In recent work, coupled-oscillator power combiners have received less attention, with amplifier/combiners receiving more attention. Specific weaknesses of spatial-combining oscillators have motivated this transition. Namely, the oscillators employ low-Q resonators (resulting in low signal quality) and no clear means of modulation has been identified until recently. In this presentation, we review coupled-oscillator combiners in broad terms, indicating the features that make particular systems viable. We indicate how these features can be reconciled to functional requirements for system applications. Comparisons are drawn between two approaches to obtain mutual coupling: One employs low-Q oscillator circuits at each site, with concomitantly high propensity for the oscillators to couple. The other approach employs moderate-Q oscillators at each site with the concomitant requirement to tune the oscillators so that they share a range of frequencies over which they can couple and lock. In either case, precise frequency control and modulation can be achieved through locking to an external frequency source that ensures high quality signals. A recent development in coupled-oscillator arrays provides a means for beam-steering the radiation field of coupled oscillators through de-tuning of the edge elements in the array. This detuning introduces a progressive phase shift across the oscillator array. This 0 suggests architectures that can replace the functionality of a phased array without the cost 0 incurred by phase shifters. A comprehensive theory of the phase interactions among devices in such arrays is under development [e.g., Pogorzelski, York, and Maccarini, 1998 AP-S International Symposium, Atlanta, GA. June, 19981.

Pearson, L.W.↗
NASA NTRS2000

In Space Nuclear Power as an Enabling Technology for Deep Space Exploration

Deep Space Exploration missions, both for scientific and Human Exploration and Development (HEDS), appear to be as weight limited today as they would have been 35 years ago. Right behind the weight constraints is the nearly equally important mission limitation of cost. Launch vehicles, upper stages and in-space propulsion systems also cost about the same today with the same efficiency as they have had for many years (excluding impact of inflation). Both these dual mission constraints combine to force either very expensive, mega systems missions or very light weight, but high risk/low margin planetary spacecraft designs, such as the recent unsuccessful attempts for an extremely low cost mission to Mars during the 1998-99 opportunity (i.e., Mars Climate Orbiter and the Mars Polar Lander). When one considers spacecraft missions to the outer heliopause or even the outer planets, the enormous weight and cost constraints will impose even more daunting concerns for mission cost, risk and the ability to establish adequate mission margins for success. This paper will discuss the benefits of using a safe in-space nuclear reactor as the basis for providing both sufficient electric power and high performance space propulsion that will greatly reduce mission risk and significantly increase weight (IMLEO) and cost margins. Weight and cost margins are increased by enabling much higher payload fractions and redundant design features for a given launch vehicle (higher payload fraction of IMLEO). The paper will also discuss and summarize the recent advances in nuclear reactor technology and safety of modern reactor designs and operating practice and experience, as well as advances in reactor coupled power generation and high performance nuclear thermal and electric propulsion technologies. It will be shown that these nuclear power and propulsion technologies are major enabling capabilities for higher reliability, higher margin and lower cost deep space missions design to reliably reach the outer planets for scientific exploration.

Sackheim, Robert L.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Laser Technology in Interplanetary Exploration: The Past and the Future

Laser technology has been used in planetary exploration for many years but it has only been in the last decade that laser altimeters and ranging systems have been selected as flight instruments alongside cameras, spectrometers, magnetometers, etc. Today we have an active laser system operating at Mars and another destined for the asteroid Eros. A few years ago a laser ranging system on the Clementine mission changed much of our thinking about the moon and in a few years laser altimeters will be on their way to Mercury, and also to Europa. Along with the increased capabilities and reliability of laser systems has came the realization that precision ranging to the surface of planetary bodies from orbiting spacecraft enables more scientific problems to be addressed, including many associated with planetary rotation, librations, and tides. In addition, new Earth-based laser ranging systems working with similar systems on other planetary bodies in an asynchronous transponder mode will be able to make interplanetary ranging measurements at the few cm level and will advance our understanding of solar system dynamics and relativistic physics.

Smith, David E.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Application of an Electronic Medical Record in Space Medicine

Electronic Medical Records (EMR) have been emerging over the past decade. Today, they are replacing the paper chart in clinics throughout the nation. Approximately three years ago, the NASA-JSC Flight Medicine Clinic initiated an assessment of the EMRs available on the market. This assessment included comparing these products with the particular scope of practice at JSC. In 1998, the Logician EMR from Medicalogic was selected for the JSC Flight Medicine Clinic. This presentation reviews the process of selection and implementation of the EMR into the unique practice of aerospace medicine at JSC.

McGinnis, Patrick J.↗