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NASA NTRS1998

Chemical composition measurements of the atmosphere of Jupiter with the Galileo Probe mass spectrometer

The Galileo Probe entered the atmosphere of Jupiter on December 7, 1995. Measurements of the chemical and isotopic composition of the Jovian atmosphere were obtained by the mass spectrometer during the descent over the 0.5 to 21 bar pressure region over a time period of approximately 1 hour. The sampling was either of atmospheric gases directly introduced into the ion source of the mass spectrometer through capillary leaks or of gas, which had been chemically processed to enhance the sensitivity of the measurement to trace species or noble gases. The analysis of this data set continues to be refined based on supporting laboratory studies on an engineering unit. The mixing ratios of the major constituents of the atmosphere hydrogen and helium have been determined as well as mixing ratios or upper limits for several less abundant species including: methane, water, ammonia, ethane, ethylene, propane, hydrogen sulfide, neon, argon, krypton, and xenon. Analysis also suggests the presence of trace levels of other 3 and 4 carbon hydrocarbons, or carbon and nitrogen containing species, phosphine, hydrogen chloride, and of benzene. The data set also allows upper limits to be set for many species of interest which were not detected. Isotope ratios were measured for 3He/4He, D/H, 13C/12C, 20Ne/22Ne, 38Ar/36Ar and for isotopes of both Kr and Xe.

unmanned↗

NASA NTRS2004

Chondrites and the Protoplanetary Disk, Part 1

The papers discussed the following: The Formation Process of Adhering and Consorting Compound Chondrules Inferred Their Petrology and Major-Element Composition. The Prospect of High-Precision Pb Isotopic Dating of Meteorites. Evolution of UV-Irradiated Protoplanetary Disks. A Model for the Formation of E Chondrites. Oxygen Isotopic Diffusion and Exchange Experiments on Olivine and Chondrule Melts: Preliminary Results. Shock Heating: Origin of Shock Waves in the Protoplanetary Disk. Thermal Structures of Protoplanetary Disks. Meteoritical Astrophysics: A New Subdiscipline. Origin and Thermal History of FeNi-Metal in Primitive Chondrites. The Collisions of Chondrules Behind Shock Waves. Primary Signatures of the Nebular Dust Preserved in Accretionary Rims and Matrices of CV Chondrites. History of Thermally Processed Solids in the Protoplanetary Disk: Reconciling Theoretical Models and Meteoritical. Evidence Evaporation and Condensation During CAI and Chondrule Formation. Shock Heating: Effects on Chondritic Material. Rhounite-bearing Inclusions E201 and E202 from Efremovka: Constraints from Trace. Element Measurements Element Mapping in Anhydrous IDPs: Identification of the Host Phases of Major/Minor Elements as a Test of Nebula Condensation Models. Theoretical Studies of Disk Evolution Around Solar Mass Stars. Chemical Effects of High-Temperature Processing of Silicates. I-Xe and the Chronology of the Early Solar System. The Effects of X-Rays on the Gas and Dust in Young Stellar Objects. Origin of Short-lived Radionuclides in the Early Solar System. On Early Solar System Chronology: Implications of an Initially Heterogeneous Distribution of Short-lived Radionuclides. The Origin of Short-lived Radionuclides and Early Solar System Irradiation. Disequilibrium Melting and Oxygen Isotope Exchange of CAIs and Chondrules in the Solar Nebula. Mineralogy and Chemistry of Fine-grained Matrices, Rims, and Dark Inclusions in the CR Carbonaceous Chondrites Acfer/El Djouf 001 and the Ungrouped Carbonaceous Chondrites Acfer 094 and Adelaide. Oxygen Isotopes of Aluminum-rich Chondrules from Unequilibrated Enstatite Chondrites.

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NASA NTRS2004

Chondrites and the Protoplanetary Disk, Part 3

Contents include the following: Ca-, Al-Rich Inclusions and Ameoboid Olivine Aggregates: What We Know and Don t Know About Their Origin. Aluminium-26 and Oxygen Isotopic Distributions of Ca-Al-rich Inclusions from Acfer 214 CH Chondrite. The Trapping Efficiency of Helium in Fullerene and Its Implicatiion to the Planetary Science. Constraints on the Origin of Chondritic Components from Oxygen Isotopic Compositions. Role of Planetary Impacts in Thermal Processing of Chondrite Materials. Formation of the Melilite Mantle of the Type B1 CAIs: Flash Heating or Transport? The Iodine-Xenon System in Outer and Inner Portions of Chondrules from the Unnamed Antarctic LL3 Chondrite. Nucleosynthesis of Short-lived Radioactivities in Massive Stars. The Two-Fluid Analysis of the Kelvin-Helmholtz Instability in the Dust Layer of a Protoplanetary Disk: A Possible Path to the Planetesimal Formation Through the Gravitational Instability. Shock-Wave Heating Model for Chonodrule Formation: Heating Rate and Cooling Rate Constraints. Glycine Amide Hydrolysis with Water and OH Radical: A Comparative DFT Study. Micron-sized Sample Preparation for AFM and SEM. AFM, FE-SEM and Optical Imaging of a Shocked L/LL Chondrite: Implications for Martensite Formation and Wave Propagation. Infrared Spectroscopy of Chondrites and Their Components: A Link Between Meteoritics and Astronomy? Mid-Infrared Spectroscopy of CAI and Their Mineral Components. The Origin of Iron Isotope Fractionation in Chondrules, CAIs and Matrix from Allende (CV3) and Chainpur (LL3) Chondrites. Protoplanetary Disk Evolution: Early Results from Spitzer. Kinetics of Evaporation-Condensation in a Melt-Solid System and Its Role on the Chemical Composition and Evolution of Chondrules. Oxygen Isotope Exchange Recorded Within Anorthite Single Crystal in Vigarano CAI: Evidence for Remelting by High Temperature Process in the Solar Nebula. Chondrule Forming Shock Waves in Solar Nebula by X-Ray Flares. Organic Globules with Anormalous Nitrogen Isotopic Compositions in the Tagish Lake Meteorite: Products of Primitive Organic Reactions. Yet Another Chondrule Formation Scenario. CAIs are Not Supernova Condensates. Microcrystals and Amorphous Material in Comets and Primitive Meteorites: Keys to Understanding Processes in the Early Solar System. A Nearby Supernova Injected Short-lived Radionuclides into Our Protoplanetary Disk. REE+Y Systematics in CC and UOC Chondrules. Meteoritic Constraints on Temperatures, Pressures, Cooling Rates, Chemical Compositions, and Modes of Condensation in the Solar Nebula. The I-Xe Record of Long Equilibration in Chondrules from the Unnamed Antarctic Meteorite L3/LL3. Early Stellar Evolution.

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NASA NTRS2004

Chondrites and the Protoplanetary Disk, Part 2

Contents include the following: On the Dynamical Evolution of a Nebula and Its Effect on Dust Coagulation and the Formation of Centimeter-sized Particles. The Mineralogy and Grain Properties of the Disk Surfaces in Three Herbig Ae/Be Stars. Astrophysical Observations of Disk Evolution Around Solar Mass Stars. The Systematic Petrology of Chondrites: A Consistent Approach to Assist Classification and Interpretation. Understanding Our Origins: Formation of Sun-like Stars in H II Region Environments. Chondrule Crystallization Experiments. Formation of SiO2-rich Chondrules by Fractional Condensation. Refractory Forsterites from Murchison (CM2) and Yamato 81020 (CO3.0) Chondrites: Cathodoluminescence, Chemical Compositions and Oxygen Isotopes. Apparent I-Xe Cooling Rates of Chondrules Compared with Silicates from the Colomera Iron Meteorite. Chondrule Formation in Planetesimal Bow Shocks: Physical Processes in the Near Vicinity of the Planetesimal. Genetic Relationships Between Chondrules, Rims and Matrix. Chondrite Fractionation was Cosmochemical; Chondrule Fractionation was Geochemical. Chondrule Formation and Accretion of Chondrite Parent Bodies: Environmental Constraints. Amoeboid Olivine Aggregates from the Semarkona LL3.0 Chondrite. The Evolution of Solids in Proto-Planetary Disks. New Nickel Vapor Pressure Measurements: Possible Implications for Nebular Condensates. Chemical, Mineralogical and Isotopic Properties of Chondrules: Clues to Their Origin. Maximal Size of Chondrules in Shock-Wave Heating Model: Stripping of Liquid Surface in Hypersonic Rarefied Gas Flow. The Nature and Origin of Interplanetary Dust: High Temperature Components. Refractory Relic Components in Chondrules from Ordinary Chondrites. Constraints on the Origin of Chondrules and CAIs from Short-lived and Long-lived Radionuclides. The Genetic Relationship Between Refractory Inclusions and Chondrules. Contemporaneous Chondrule Formation Between Ordinary and Carbonaceous Chondrites. Chondrules and Isolated Grains in the Fountain Hills Bencubbinite. Implications of Chondrule Formation in a Gas of Solar Composition. Implications of Meteoritic Cl-36 Abundance for the Origin of Short-lived Radionuclides in the Early Solar System. Size Sorting and the Chondrule Size Spectrum. Comparative Study of Refractory Inclusions from Different Groups of Chondrites. In Situ Investigation of Mg Isotope Distributions in an Allende CAI by Combined LA-ICPMS and SIMS Analyses Photochemical Speciation of Oxygen Isotopes in the Solar Nebula.

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NASA NTRS2005

Lunar and Planetary Science XXXVI, Part 5

Topics discussed include: Automation Recognition oF Crater-Like Structures in Terrestrial and Plantary Images; Condensation from Cluster-IDP Enriched Vapor Inside the Snow Line: Implications for Mercury, Asteroids, and Enstatite Chondrites; Tomographic Location of Potential Melt-Bearing Phenocrysts in Lunar Glass Spherules; Source and Evolution of Vapor Due to Impacts into Layered Carbonates and Silicates; Noble Gases and I-Xe Ages of the Zag Meteorite; The MArs Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) for the 209 Mars Science Laboratory; The Sedimentary Rocks of Meridiani Planum, in Context; Three-System Isotopic of Lunar Norite 78238: Rb-Sr Results; Constraints on the Role of Curium-247 as a Source of Fission Xenon in the Early Solar System; New Features in the ADS Abstract Service; Cassini RADAR's First Look at Titan; Volcanism and Volatile Recycling on Venus from Lithospheric Delamination; The Fate of Water in the Martian Magma Ocean and the Formation of an Early Atmosphere; Mars Odyssey Neutron Spectrometer Water-Equivalent Hydrogen: Comparison with Glacial; Landforms on Tharsis; Using Models of Permanent Shadow to Constrain Lunar Polar Water Ice Abundances; Martian Radiative Transfer Modeling Using the Optimal Spectral Sampling Method; Petrological and Geochemical Consideration on the Tuserkanite Meteorite; and Mineralogy of Asteroids from Observations with the Spitzer Space Telescope.

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NASA NTRS2005

Lunar and Planetary Science XXXVI, Part 20

The topics include: 1) Virtual Reality Technology as a Tool to Enhance Collaboration Between Space Exploration and Public Outreach: The Case Using the Mars Exploration Rover Images; 2) Atmospheric Electron-induced X-Ray Spectrometer (AEXS) Instrument Development; 3) Impact of Low Thermal Conductivity Layers on the Bulk Conductivity of a Martian Crustal Column; 4) Impacting Classroom Teachers Through Long-Term Professional Development; 5) Oxygen, Ca, and Ti Isotopic Compositions of Hibonite-bearing Inclusions; 6) Phenomenological Excitation Functions of Xe Isotopes with Protons on Nuclei of Cs, La and Ce; 7) Double-Diffusive Convection and Other Modes of Salinity-modulated Heat and Material Transport in Europa s Ocean; 8) Slope Morphologies of the Hellas Mensae Constructs, Eastern Hellas Planitia, Mars; 9) Development of Polygonal Thermal Contraction Patterns in a South Polar Trough, Mars 3 Years of Observations; 10) Martian Relevance of Dehydration and Rehydration in the Mg-Sulfate System; 11) Formation of Martian Volcanic Provinces by Lower Mantle Flushing? 12) Can Glasses Help Us to Unravel the Origin of Barred Olivine Chondrules? 13) Loki Patera: A Magma Sea Story; 14) Compositions of Partly Altered Olivine and Replacement Serpentine in the CM2 Chondrite QUE93005; 15) Model of Light Scattering by Lunar Regolith at Moderate Phase Angles: New Results; 16) Radiation Resistance of a Silicone Polymer Grease Based Regolith Collector for the HERA Near-Earth Asteroid Sample Return Mission; 17) Analysis of the Tectonic Lineaments in the Ganiki Planitia (V14) Quadrangle, Venus; 18) Nanometer-sized Diamonds from AGB Stars; 19) Quantifying Exact Motions Along Lineaments on Europa; 20) Geometry of Thrust Faults Beneath Amenthes Rupes, Mars; 21) Mapping of the Physical Characteristics and Mineral Composition of a Superficial Layer of the Moon or Mars and Ultra-Violet Polarimetry from the Orbital Station; 22) Negative Searches for Evidence of Aqueous Alteration on Asteroid Surfaces; 23) What Processes Have Shaped Basalt Boulders on Earth and Mars? Studies of Feature Persistence Using Facet Mapping and Fractal Analysis; 24) The Popigai Fluidizites: Dense Water Inclusions in Lechatelierite; Evidence for Shock-generated Carbonate and Hydrous Silicate Melts; 25) Missing Xenon Problem and Climate of the Early Earth; and 26) More on Magnetic Spectra from Correlated Crustal Sources on Mars

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NASA NTRS2003

Bound on Lorentz and CPT Violating Boost Effects for the Neutron

A search for a sidereal annual variation in the frequency difference between co-located Xe-129 and He-3 Zeeman masers sets a limit of approximately 10(exp -27) GeV on the coupling of the neutron to the time component of a possible background Lorentz and CPT violating tensor field.

Walsworth, Ronald↗

NASA NTRS2006

Room-temperature Broadening and Pressure-shift Coefficients in the nu(exp 2) Band of CH3D-O2: Measurements and Semi-classical Calculations

We report measured Lorentz O2-broadening and O2-induced pressure-shift coefficients of CH3D in the nu(exp 2) fundamental band. Using a multispectrum fitting technique we have analyzed 11 laboratory absorption spectra recorded at 0.011 cm(exp 1) resolution using the McMath-Pierce Fourier transform spectrometer, Kitt Peak, Arizona. Two absorption cells with path lengths of 10.2 and 25 cm were used to record the spectra. The total sample pressures ranged from 0.98 to 339.85 Torr with CH3D volume mixing ratios of 0.012 in oxygen. We report measurements for O2 pressure-broadening coefficients of 320 nu(exp 2) transitions with quantum numbers as high as J0(sup w) = 17 and K = 14, where K(sup w) = K' is equivalent to K (for a parallel band). The measured O2-broadening coefficients range from 0.0153 to 0.0645 cm(exp -1) atm(exp -1) at 296 K. All the measured pressure-shifts are negative. The reported O2-induced pressure-shift coefficients vary from about -0.0017 to -0.0068 cm(exp -1) atm(exp -1). We have examined the dependence of the measured broadening and shift parameters on the J(sup W), and K quantum numbers and also developed empirical expressions to describe the broadening coefficients in terms of m (m = -J(sup W), J(sup W), and J(sup w) + 1 in the QP-, QQ-, and QR-branch, respectively) and K. On average, the empirical expressions reproduce the measured broadening coefficients to within 4.4%. The O2-broadening and pressure shift coefficients were calculated on the basis of a semiclassical model of interacting linear molecules performed by considering in addition to the electrostatic contributions the atom-atom Lennard-Jones potential. The theoretical results of the broadening coefficients are generally larger than the experimental data. Using for the trajectory model an isotropic Lennard-Jones potential derived from molecular parameters instead of the spherical average of the atom-atom model, a better agreement is obtained with these data, especially for |m| <= 12 values (11.3% for the first calculation and 8.1% for the second calculation). The O2-pressure shifts whose vibrational contribution are either derived from parameters fitted in the QQ-branch of selfinduced shifts of CH3D or those obtained from pressure shifts induced by Xe in the nu(sup 3) band of CH3D are in reasonable agreement with the scattered experimental data (17.0% for the first calculation and 18.7% for the second calculation).

Predoi-Cross, Adriana↗

NASA NTRS2008

Recent Improvements to the Calibration Models for RXTE/PCA

We are updating the calibration of the PCA to correct for slow variations, primarily in energy to channel relationship. We have also improved the physical model in the vicinity of the Xe K-edge, which should increase the reliability of continuum fits above 20 keV. The improvements to the matrix are especially important to simultaneous observations, where the PCA is often used to constrain the continuum while other higher resolution spectrometers are used to study the shape of lines and edges associated with Iron.

Jahoda, K.↗

NASA NTRS2008

Extraction of Thermal Performance Values from Samples in the Lunar Dust Adhesion Bell Jar

A simulation chamber has been developed to test the performance of thermal control surfaces under dusty lunar conditions. The lunar dust adhesion bell jar (LDAB) is a diffusion pumped vacuum chamber (10(exp -8) Torr) built to test material samples less than about 7 cm in diameter. The LDAB has the following lunar dust simulant processing capabilities: heating and cooling while stirring in order to degas and remove adsorbed water; RF air-plasma for activating the dust and for organic contaminant removal; RF H/He-plasma to simulate solar wind; dust sieving system for controlling particle sizes; and a controlled means of introducing the activated dust to the samples under study. The LDAB is also fitted with an in situ Xe arc lamp solar simulator, and a cold box that can reach 30 K. Samples of thermal control surfaces (2.5 cm diameter) are introduced into the chamber for calorimetric evaluation using thermocouple instrumentation. The object of this paper is to present a thermal model of the samples under test conditions and to outline the procedure to extract the absorptance, emittance, and thermal efficiency from the pristine and sub-monolayer dust covered samples.

Gaier, James R.↗

NASA NTRS2008

The Advanced Pair Telescope (APT) Mission Concept

We present a mission concept for the Advanced Pair Telescope (APT), a high-energy gamma-ray instrument with an order of magnitude improvement in sensitivity, 6 sr field of view, and angular resolution a factor of 3-10 times that of GLAST. With its very wide instantaneous field-of-view and large effective area, this instrument would be capable of detecting GRBs at very large redshifts, would enable a very high resolution study of SNRs and PWN, and could provide hour-scale temporal resolution of transients from many AGN and galactic sources. The APT instrument will consist of a Xe time-projection-chamber tracker that bridges the energy regime between Compton scattering and pair production and will provide an unprecedented improvement in angular resolution; a thick scintillating-fiber trackerlcalorimeter that will provide sensitivity and energy resolution to higher energies and will possess a factor of 10 improvement in geometric factor over GLAST; and an anticoincidence detector using scintillator-tiles to reject charged particles. After the anticipated 10-years of GLAST operation , the APT instrument would provide continued coverage of the critial high-energy gamma-ray band (between 30 MeV to 100 GeV), providing an essential component of broad-band multiwavelength studies of the high-energy universe.

Hunter, Stanley↗

NASA NTRS2008

Extraction of Thermal Performance Values from Samples in the Lunar Dust Adhesion Bell Jar

A simulation chamber has been developed to test the performance of thermal control surfaces under dusty lunar conditions. The lunar dust adhesion bell jar (LDAB) is a diffusion pumped vacuum chamber (10-8 Torr) built to test material samples less than about 7 cm in diameter. The LDAB has the following lunar dust stimulant processing capabilities: heating and cooling while stirring in order to degas and remove absorbed water; RF air-plasma for activating the dust and for organic contaminant removal; RF H/He-plasma to simulate solar wind; dust sieving system for controlling particle sizes; and a controlled means of introducing the activated dust to the samples under study. The LDAB is also fitted with an in situ Xe arc lamp solar simulator, and a cold box that can reach 30 K. Samples of thermal control surfaces (2.5 cm diameter) are introduced into the chamber for calorimetric evaluation using thermocouple instrumentation. The object of this paper is to present a thermal model of the samples under test conditions, and to outline the procedure to extract the absorptance, emittance, and thermal efficiency from the pristine and sub-monolayer dust covered samples

Gaier, James R.↗

NASA NTRS2009

Open-Access, Low-Magnetic-Field MRI System for Lung Research

An open-access magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system is being developed for use in research on orientational/gravitational effects on lung physiology and function. The open-access geometry enables study of human subjects in diverse orientations. This system operates at a magnetic flux density, considerably smaller than the flux densities of typical other MRI systems, that can be generated by resistive electromagnet coils (instead of the more-expensive superconducting coils of the other systems). The human subject inhales air containing He-3 or Xe-129 atoms, the nuclear spins of which have been polarized by use of a laser beam to obtain a magnetic resonance that enables high-resolution gas space imaging at the low applied magnetic field. The system includes a bi-planar, constant-current, four-coil electromagnet assembly and associated electronic circuitry to apply a static magnetic field of 6.5 mT throughout the lung volume; planar coils and associated circuitry to apply a pulsed magnetic-field-gradient for each spatial dimension; a single, detachable radio-frequency coil and associated circuitry for inducing and detecting MRI signals; a table for supporting a horizontal subject; and electromagnetic shielding surrounding the electromagnet coils.

Mair, Ross W.↗

NASA NTRS2009

Performance Characteristics of the NEXT Long-Duration Test After 16,550 h and 337 kg of Xenon Processed

The NASA s Evolutionary Xenon Thruster (NEXT) program is developing the next-generation ion propulsion system with significant enhancements beyond the state-of-the-art in ion propulsion to provide future NASA science missions with enhanced mission capabilities at a low total development cost. As part of a comprehensive thruster service life assessment utilizing both testing and analyses, a Long-Duration Test (LDT) was initiated to verify the NEXT propellant throughput capability to a qualification-level of 450 kg, 1.5 times the anticipated throughput requirement of 300 kg from mission analyses conducted utilizing the NEXT propulsion system. The LDT is being conducted with a modified, flight-representative NEXT engineering model ion thruster, designated EM3. As of June 25, 2008, the thruster has accumulated 16,550 h of operation: the first 13,042 h at the thruster full-input-power of 6.9 kW with 3.52 A beam current and 1800 V beam power supply voltage. Operation since 13,042 h, i.e., the most recent 3,508 h, has been at an input power of 4.7 kW with 3.52 A beam current and 1180 V beam power supply voltage. The thruster has processed 337 kg of xenon (Xe) surpassing the NSTAR propellant throughput demonstrated during the extended life testing of the Deep Space 1 flight spare ion thruster. The NEXT LDT has demonstrated a total impulse of 13.3 106 N s; the highest total impulse ever demonstrated by an ion thruster. Thruster performance tests are conducted periodically over the entire NEXT throttle table with input power ranging 0.5 to 6.9 kW. Thruster performance parameters including thrust, input power, specific impulse, and thruster efficiency have been nominal with little variation to date. This paper presents the performance of the NEXT LDT to date with emphasis on performance variations following throttling of the thruster to the new operating condition and comparison of performance to the NSTAR extended life test.

Soulas, George C.↗

NASA NTRS2008

Ion Beam Propulsion Study

The Ion Beam Propulsion Study was a joint high-level study between the Applied Physics Laboratory operated by NASA and ASRC Aerospace at Kennedy Space Center, Florida, and Berkeley Scientific, Berkeley, California. The results were promising and suggested that work should continue if future funding becomes available. The application of ion thrusters for spacecraft propulsion is limited to quite modest ion sources with similarly modest ion beam parameters because of the mass penalty associated with the ion source and its power supply system. Also, the ion source technology has not been able to provide very high-power ion beams. Small ion beam propulsion systems were used with considerable success. Ion propulsion systems brought into practice use an onboard ion source to form an energetic ion beam, typically Xe+ ions, as the propellant. Such systems were used for steering and correction of telecommunication satellites and as the main thruster for the Deep Space 1 demonstration mission. In recent years, "giant" ion sources were developed for the controlled-fusion research effort worldwide, with beam parameters many orders of magnitude greater than the tiny ones of conventional space thruster application. The advent of such huge ion beam sources and the need for advanced propulsion systems for exploration of the solar system suggest a fresh look at ion beam propulsion, now with the giant fusion sources in mind.

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NASA NTRS2006

Evaluation of High-Power Solar Electric Propulsion using Advanced Ion, Hall, MPD, and PIT Thrusters for Lunar and Mars Cargo Missions

This paper presents the results of mission analyses that expose the advantages and disadvantages of high-power (MWe-class) Solar Electric Propulsion (SEP) for Lunar and Mars Cargo missions that would support human exploration of the Moon and Mars. In these analyses, we consider SEP systems using advanced Ion thrusters (the Xenon [Xe] propellant Herakles), Hall thrusters (the Bismuth [Bi] propellant Very High Isp Thruster with Anode Layer [VHITAL], magnetoplasmadynamic (MPD) thrusters (the Lithium [Li] propellant Advanced Lithium-Fed, Applied-field Lorentz Force Accelerator (ALFA2), and pulsed inductive thruster (PIT) (the Ammonia [NH3] propellant Nuclear-PIT [NuPIT]). The analyses include comparison of the advanced-technology propulsion systems (VHITAL, ALFA2, and NuPIT) relative to state-of-theart Ion (Herakles) propulsion systems and quantify the unique benefits of the various technology options such as high power-per-thruster (and/or high power-per-thruster packaging volume), high specific impulse (Isp), high-efficiency, and tankage mass (e.g., low tankage mass due to the high density of bismuth propellant). This work is based on similar analyses for Nuclear Electric Propulsion (NEP) systems.

Lunar cargo↗

NASA NTRS2003

Ar-39-Ar-40 Age Dating Of Two Angrites and Two Brachinites

Angrites are a rare group (approximately 7 known) of igneous meteorites with basalt-like composition, which probably derive from a relatively small parent body that differs from those of other igneous meteorites. Angrites show evidence for extinct Mn-53, Sm-146, and Pu-244, and precise U-Pb, and Pb-Pb ages of 4.558 Gyr for two angrites define the time of early parent body differentiation. The Sm-147-Nd-143 ages of two angrites range between 4.53 +/- 0.04 and 4.56 +/- 0.04 Gyr, but no Ar-39-Ar-40 or Rb-Sr ages have been reported. Most angrites show no evidence for either shock brecciation or metamorphism. Brachinites are another very rare group' of differentiated meteorites consisting primarily of olivine, with minor augite, chromite, Fe-sulfides, and sometimes plagioclase and opx. Presence of excess Xe-129 and excess Cr53 from decay of Mn-53 in some brachinites indicate that they also formed very early. Brachinite petrogenesis is poorly defined. They may be igneous cumulates or metamorphic products of chondritic-like starting material. If after their formation, angrites and brachinites cooled quickly with minimal subsequent heating, then one might expect them to show uniquely old K-Ar ages, at least in comparison to other differentiated meteorites such as eucrites and mesosiderites. Most angrites and brachinites contain very little, if any K-feldspar, which has deterred measurements of their Ar-Ar ages. We made Ar-39-Ar-40 analyses on two angrites, LEW86010 (metamorphosed) and D'Orbigny, and on two brachinites, EET99402 and Brachina. All are finds. Any feldspar in angrites is highly calcic, with expected K concentrations of <100 ppm. We selected LEW86010 and D'Orbigny because they have been the objects of several other studies and because chemical analyses suggested [K] was approximately 70 ppm in both meteorites. Brachina contains approximately 9.9% plagioclase of higher K-content than angrites, and EET99402 is estimated to contain approximately 5% K-poor plagioclase. Other brachinites contain little to no feldspar. We have successfully measured Ar-Ar ages on a few meteorites and lunar anorthosites with [K] <100 ppm.

Garrison, Daniel↗

NASA NTRS2010

Extraction of Thermal Performance Values from Samples in the Lunar Dust Adhesion Bell Jar

Gaier, James R.↗