Performance of a 19.7 meter diameter disk gap band parachute in a simulated Martian environment
Inflation, and drag characteristics of disk gap band parachute in simulated low density Mars atmosphere
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Inflation, and drag characteristics of disk gap band parachute in simulated low density Mars atmosphere
Detailed opening loads data is presented for 18 tests of Disk-Gap-Band (DGB) parachutes of varying geometry with nominal diameters ranging from 43.2 to 50.1 ft. All of the test parachutes were deployed from a mortar. Six of these tests were conducted via drop testing with drop test vehicles weighing approximately 3,000 or 8,000 lb. Twelve tests were conducted in the National Full-Scale Aerodynamics Complex 80- by 120-foot wind tunnel at the NASA Ames Research Center. The purpose of these tests was to structurally qualify the parachute for the Mars Exploration Rover mission. A key requirement of all tests was that peak parachute load had to be reached at full inflation to more closely simulate the load profile encountered during operation at Mars. Peak loads measured during the tests were in the range from 12,889 to 30,027 lb. Of the two test methods, the wind tunnel tests yielded more accurate and repeatable data. Application of an apparent mass model to the opening loads data yielded insights into the nature of these loads. Although the apparent mass model could reconstruct specific tests with reasonable accuracy, the use of this model for predictive analyses was not accurate enough to set test conditions for either the drop or wind tunnel tests. A simpler empirical model was found to be suitable for predicting opening loads for the wind tunnel tests to a satisfactory level of accuracy. However, this simple empirical model is not applicable to the drop tests.
Metal d-electron oxides having an odd number of electrons per cell should exhibit band degeneracy at the Fermi energy, making them, in band theory, formally metallic. In many cases, however, these are “false metals”, as evidenced by the observation that many ABO 3 oxide perovskites with a magnetic 3d B-atom are observed to be insulators both below and above the Néel temperature. These inconsistencies between experimental observation and expectation have historically been resolved by invoking degeneracy-breaking physics, based largely on -pure electron effects, such as strong interelectronic correlation for d-electron compounds (the Mott mechanism). Such explanations generally consider microscopic lattice or magnetic degrees of freedom (m-DOF) as largely passive spectators, not a cause of the formally metallic being an insulator. Yet, it has long been known that ABO 3 perovskites can manifest an arrangement of m-DOFs in the form of octahedral tilting, bond dimerization, Jahn-Teller distortions, and ordering of local magnetic moments. It appears reasonable that such structural and magnetic local degrees of freedom need to be allowed to compete with purely electronic strong correlation. To answer this question, we explored a range of d-electron oxide perovskites exemplified by the archetypes LaTiO 3 , LaVO 3 , SrMnO 3 , and LaMnO 3 with 1, 2, 3, or 4 d -electrons, respectively. Using a mean-field-like electronic structure method (here, density functional theory), we find that a combination of magnetic symmetry breaking with structural distortions can account for insulating band gaps in this series while at the same time correctly predicting for the control case an intrinsic paramagnetic metal in SrVO 3 as symmetry-breaking is insufficiently strong to remove the degeneracy. Finally, this indicates that calculating quantitatively local magnetic and positional symmetry-breaking motifs in unit cells that avoid averaging at the outset over the low symmetry motifs can provide consistent trends in a Mott transition without Mott U.
Models are presented for the aerodynamic coefficients of Supersonic Ringsail and Disk-Gap-Band parachutes as functions of total porosity, Lambda(sub t), Mach number, M, and total angle of attack, Alpha(sub t) (when necessary). The source aerodynamic coefficients data used for creating these models were obtained from a wind tunnel test of subscale parachutes. In this wind tunnel test, subscale parachutes of both parachute types were fabricated from two different fabrics with very different permeabilities. By varying the fabric permeability, while maintaining the parachute geometry constant, it was possible to vary Alpha(sub t). The fabric permeability test data necessary for the calculation of Alpha(sub t) were obtained from samples of the same fabrics used to fabricate the subscale parachutes. Although the models for the aerodynamic coefficients are simple polynomial functions of Alpha(sub t) and M, they are capable of producing good reproductions of the source data. The (Alpha(sub t), M) domains over which these models are applicable are clearly defined. The models are applicable to flight operations on Mars.
Understanding how the Sun, Earth, and other objects in the solar system interact with the space radiation environment is crucial for improving activities of humans on Earth and in space. Low-power, low-noise, multidirectional robust detectors for detecting ions with a wide range of mass and energies will provide a more complete understanding of space environment physics. To meet these challenges, new ion detectors based on wide band gap (WBG) semiconductors are being developed for integration on a variety of deep space platforms. NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) is applying its expertise and facilities in harsh environment instrumentation to develop supporting technologies to enable improved instruments for space science missions. New detector technologies being developed at GRC include SiC solid-state devices as practical robust, thermally stable large area detectors for LET measurements in compact, stacked charged particle telescope. The low-noise, thermally stable nature of the WBG detectors allows a small multidirectional array of charged particle telescopes to be packed in a 6U CubeSat without active cooling for operation in lunar orbit or deep space. Using a full variety of different WBG detectors, an extremely compact instrument to provide multi-directional, comprehensive (composition, velocity, and direction) in-situ measurements of heavy ions in space plasma environments can be realized.
An engineered structure is proposed that can alleviate quasi-particle recombination losses via the existence of a phononic band gap that overlaps the 2-Delta energy of phonons produced during recombination of quasi-particles. Attention is given to a 1D Kronig-Penny model for phonons normally incident to the layers of a multilayered superconducting tunnel junction as an idealized example. A device with a high density of Bragg resonances is identified as desirable; both Nb/Si and NbN/SiN superlattices have been produced, with the latter having generally superior performance.
A reefed 12.2-meter nominal-diameter (40-ft) disk-gap-band parachute was flight tested as part of the NASA Supersonic High Altitude Parachute Experiment (SHAPE) program. A three-stage rocket was used to drive the instrumented payload to an altitude of 43.6 km (143,000 ft), a Mach number of 2.58, and a dynamic pressure of 972 N/m(exp 2) (20.3 lb/ft(exp 2)) where the parachute was deployed by means of a mortar. The parachute deployed satisfactorily and reached a partially inflated condition characterized by irregular variations in parachute projected area. A full, stable reefed inflation was achieved when the system had decelerated to a Mach number of about 1.5. The steady, reefed projected area was 49 percent of the steady, unreefed area and the average drag coefficient was 0.30. Disreefing occurred at a Mach number of 0.99 and a dynamic pressure of 81 N/m(exp 2) (1.7 lb/ft(exp 2)). The parachute maintained a steady inflated shape for the remainder of the deceleration portion of the flight and throughout descent. During descent, the average effective drag coefficient was 0.57. There was little, if any, coning motion, and the amplitude of planar oscillations was generally less than 10 degrees. The film also shows a wind tunnel test of a 1.7-meter-diameter parachute inflating at Mach number 2.0.
Low-phase-noise microwave-frequency integrated oscillators provide compact solutions for various applications in signal processing, communications, and sensing. Surface acoustic waves (SAWs), featuring orders-of-magnitude shorter wavelength than electromagnetic waves at the same frequency, enable integrated microwave-frequency systems with much smaller footprint on chip. SAW devices also allow higher-quality (Q) factors than electronic components at room temperature. Here, we demonstrate a low-phase-noise gigahertz-frequency SAW oscillator on 128°Y-cut lithium niobate, where the SAW resonator occupies a footprint of 0.05 mm 2 . Leveraging phononic crystal band-gap-edge modes to balance between Q factors and insertion losses, our 1-GHz SAW oscillator features a low phase noise of -132.5 dBc/Hz at a 10-kHz offset frequency and an overlapping Hadamard deviation of 6.5 × 10 -10 at an analysis time of 64 ms. The SAW resonator-based oscillator holds high potential in developing low-noise sensors and acousto-optic integrated circuits.
Flight tests of cross, modified ringsail, and disk-gap-band parachute deployment performance from low altitudes with structural load data
This final report summarizes the results of the Laboratory Direct Research and Development (LDRD) Project Number 229740. Wide band gap semiconductors such as gallium nitride (GaN) have features highly desirable for multiple mission electronic applications. Realization of their potential requires atomic-scale understanding of electronic behavior. The principal experimental tools for electronically probing defects in GaN are chemically undifferentiating and lack a practical theoretical counterpart needed to identify and characterize specific defects. This project investigated whether a simple idea for modeling defect excited states and their associated photoluminescence (PL) energies is viable, as a path to accelerate the understanding of defect behavior and gain valuable insights into engineering new electronic materials and devices. The research implemented a non-self-consistent total-energy evaluation of a Koopmans-type estimation of an excited electronic state energy in density functional theory (DFT) calculations, and proceeded to design, implement, and assess a self-consistent method for computing excited states based upon an OCcupation-Constrained-DFT (occ-DFT). The occ-DFT was verified in test calculations of defect excited states and validated against well-characterized PL data for 3d transition metal defects in GaN. The method proved stable and robust in computing excited states and gave accurate predictions compared to experimental PL data. The combined ground state/excited-state capability proved capable of chemically differentiating defect species in GaN. In application to 3d dopants in GaN, we reinterpreted extensive experimental literature, proposed new defects as prospective candidates for use in quantum information applications, and outlined design strategies to create and exploit these potentially useful functional defects in GaN.
High altitude flight test of reefed 12.2-meter-diameter disk-gap-band parachute with deployment at 2.58 Mach number
Inflation and drag characteristics of a 64.7-foot (19.7-meter) nominal-diameter disk-gap-band parachute deployed at a Mach number of 1.59 and a dynamic pressure of 11.6 psf (555 newtons per m(exp 2)) were obtained from the second balloon-launched flight test of the Planetary Entry Parachute Program. In addition, parachute stability characteristics during the subsonic descent portion of the test are presented. After deployment, the parachute rapidly inflated to a full condition, partially collapsed, and then reinflated to a stable configuration. After reinflation, an average drag coefficient of about 0.55 based on nominal surface area was obtained. The parachute exhibited good stability characteristics during descent. The only major damage to the parachute during the test was the tearing of two canopy panels; a loss of less than 0.5 percent of nominal surface area resulted.
Wind tunnel tests of inflatable disk-gap-band and modified ringsail parachutes at low dynamic pressure
Performance test on disk gap band parachute at supersonic speeds
In this study, we used a combination of density functional theory and machine learning (ML) to accurately predict the band gaps and lattice parameters of metal oxides: TiO 2 (rutile and anatase), cubic ZnO, cubic ZnO 2 , cubic CeO 2 , and cubic ZrO 2 .
Medium/high-entropy vacancy-ordered double perovskites can push the boundary of the stability and band gap Pareto front, exhibiting emerging properties that are not present in their pure counterparts.
Flight test of disk-gap band parachute deployed at low supersonic speed and low dynamic pressure to obtain performance data on planetary entry parachute configurations
Development and flight test of inflatable disk- gap-band parachute for high altitude deployment from sounding rockets