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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 1,081 records · Page 60
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2014

MMS Observatory TV Results Contamination Summary

The Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission is a constellation of 4 observatories designed to investigate the fundamental plasma physics of reconnection in the Earth's magnetosphere. The various instrument suites measure electric and magnetic fields, energetic particles, and plasma composition. Each spacecraft has undergone extensive environmental testing to prepare it for its minimum 2 year mission. In this paper, we report on the extensive thermal vacuum testing campaign. The testing was performed at the Naval Research Laboratory utilizing the "Big Blue" vacuum chamber. A total of ten thermal vacuum tests were performed, including two chamber certifications, three dry runs, and five tests of the individual MMS observatories. During the test, the observatories were enclosed in a thermal enclosure known as the "hamster cage". The enclosure allowed for a detailed thermal control of various observatory zone, but at the same time, imposed additional contamination and system performance requirements. The environment inside the enclosure and the vacuum chamber was actively monitored by several QCMs, RGA, and up to 18 ion gauges. Each spacecraft underwent a bakeout phase, which was followed by 4 thermal cycles. Unique aspects of the TV campaign included slow pump downs with a partial represses, thruster firings, Helium identification, and monitoring pressure spikes with ion gauges. Selected data from these TV tests is presented along with lessons learned.

Pressure↗
NASA NTRS2011

Earth Orbit Raise Design for the Artemis Mission

The Artemis mission is an extension of the Themis mission. The Themis mission1 consisted of five identical spacecraft in varying sized Earth orbits designed to make simultaneous measurements of the Earth's electric and magnetic environment. Themis was designed to observe geomagnetic storms resulting from solar wind's interaction with the Earth's magnetosphere. Themis was meant to answer the age old question of why the Earth's aurora can change rapidly on a global scale. The Themis spacecraft are spin stabilized with 20 meter long electric field booms as well as several shorter magnetometer booms. The goal of the Artemis2 mission extension is to deliver the field and particle measuring capabilities of two of the Themis spacecraft to the vicinity of the Moon. The Artemis mission required transferring two Earth orbiting Themis spacecraft on to two different low energy trans-lunar trajectories ultimately ending in lunar orbit. This paper describes the processes that resulted in successful orbit raise designs for both spacecraft.

spin stablized↗
NASA NTRS2013

Analytical Model for Gyro-Phase Drift Arising from Abrupt Inhomogeneity

If a magnetized-orbit-charged grain encounters any abrupt inhomogeneity in plasma conditions during a gyro-orbit, such that the resulting in-situ equilibrium charge is significantly different between these regions (q(sub1)/q(sub 2) approximately 2, where q(sub 1) is the in-situ equilibrium charge on one side of the inhomogeneity, q(sub 2) is the in-situ equilibrium charge on the other side, and q(sub1) less than q(sub 2) less than 0), then the capacitive effects of charging and discharging of the dust grain can result in a modification to the orbit-averaged grain trajectory, i.e. gyro-phase drift. The special case of q(sub 1)/q(sub 2) is notioned for the purpose of illustrating the utility of the method. An analytical expression is derived for the grain velocity, assuming a capacitor approximation to the OML charging model. For cases in which a strong electric field suddenly appears in the wake or at the space-plasma-to-crater interface from solar wind and/or ultraviolet illumination and in which a magnetic field permeates an asteroid, comet, or moon, this model could contribute to the interpretation of the distribution of fields and particles.

Plasma↗
NASA NTRS1961

Morphology of Magnetic Storms

This publication is a product of the continuing study of the properties of charged particles and fields in space being conducted by The RAND Corporation under contract No. NAS5-276 for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Magnetic storms, revealed by world-wide changes in the intensity of the earth's magnetic field, and emphasized by disturbances in electromagnetic communication channels, form detectable patterns on the surface of the earth and above it. The author draws together data from various times, places, and altitudes and, coupling these with what is known or inferred about the aurora, the ionosphere, and the relationship between them and the earth's radiation belts, creates a picture of what is believed to occur during a magnetic storm.

Vestine, E. H.↗
NASA NTRS2016

An Objective Classification of Saturn Cloud Features from Cassini ISS Images

A k -means clustering algorithm is applied to Cassini Imaging Science Subsystem continuum and methane band images of Saturn's northern hemisphere to objectively classify regional albedo features and aid in their dynamical interpretation. The procedure is based on a technique applied previously to visible- infrared images of Earth. It provides a new perspective on giant planet cloud morphology and its relationship to the dynamics and a meteorological context for the analysis of other types of simultaneous Saturn observations. The method identifies 6 clusters that exhibit distinct morphology, vertical structure, and preferred latitudes of occurrence. These correspond to areas dominated by deep convective cells; low contrast areas, some including thinner and thicker clouds possibly associated with baroclinic instability; regions with possible isolated thin cirrus clouds; darker areas due to thinner low level clouds or clearer skies due to downwelling, or due to absorbing particles; and fields of relatively shallow cumulus clouds. The spatial associations among these cloud types suggest that dynamically, there are three distinct types of latitude bands on Saturn: deep convectively disturbed latitudes in cyclonic shear regions poleward of the eastward jets; convectively suppressed regions near and surrounding the westward jets; and baro-clinically unstable latitudes near eastward jet cores and in the anti-cyclonic regions equatorward of them. These are roughly analogous to some of the features of Earth's tropics, subtropics, and midlatitudes, respectively. This classification may be more useful for dynamics purposes than the traditional belt-zone partitioning. Temporal variations of feature contrast and cluster occurrence suggest that the upper tropospheric haze in the northern hemisphere may have thickened by 2014. The results suggest that routine use of clustering may be a worthwhile complement to many different types of planetary atmospheric data analysis.

atmosphere dynamics↗
NASA NTRS2015

A Comet Engulfs Mars: MAVEN Observations of Comet Siding Spring's Influence on the Martian Magnetosphere

The nucleus of comet C/2013 A1 (Siding Spring) passed within 141,000 km of Mars on 19 October 2014. Thus, the cometary coma and the plasma it produces washed over Mars for several hours producing significant effects in the Martian magnetosphere and upper atmosphere. We present observations from Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN's (MAVEN's) particles and field's instruments that show the Martian magnetosphere was severely distorted during the comet's passage. We note four specific major effects: (1) a variable induced magnetospheric boundary, (2) a strong rotation of the magnetic field as the comet approached, (3) severely distorted and disordered ionospheric magnetic fields during the comet's closest approach, and (4) unusually strong magnetosheath turbulence lasting hours after the comet left. We argue that the comet produced effects comparable to that of a large solar storm (in terms of incident energy) and that our results are therefore important for future studies of atmospheric escape, MAVEN's primary science objective.

Nucleus↗
NASA NTRS2016

Plasma Clouds and Snowplows: Bulk Plasma Escape from Mars Observed by MAVEN

We present initial Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) observations and preliminary interpretation of bulk plasma loss from Mars. MAVEN particle and field measurements show that planetary heavy ions derived from the Martian atmosphere can escape in the form of discrete coherent structures or "clouds." The ions in these clouds are unmagnetized or weakly magnetized, have velocities well above the escape speed, and lie directly downstream from magnetic field amplifications, suggesting a "snowplow" effect. This postulated escape process, similar to that successfully used to explain the dynamics of active gas releases in the solar wind and terrestrial magnetosheath, relies on momentum transfer from the shocked solar wind protons to the planetary heavy ions, with the electrons and magnetic field acting as intermediaries. Fluxes of planetary ions on the order of 10(exp 7)/sq cm/s can escape by this process, and if it operates regularly, it could contribute 10-20% of the current ion escape from Mars.

Halekas, J. S.↗
NASA NTRS2015

Magnetospheric Multiscale Instrument Suite Operations and Data System

The four Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) spacecraft will collect a combined volume of approximately 100 gigabits per day of particle and field data. On average, only 4 gigabits of that volume can be transmitted to the ground. To maximize the scientific value of each transmitted data segment, MMS has developed the Science Operations Center (SOC) to manage science operations, instrument operations, and selection, downlink, distribution, and archiving of MMS science data sets. The SOC is managed by the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) in Boulder, Colorado and serves as the primary point of contact for community participation in the mission. MMS instrument teams conduct their operations through the SOC, and utilize the SOC's Science Data Center (SOC) for data management and distribution. The SOC provides a single mission data archive for the housekeeping and science data, calibration data, ephemerides, attitude and other ancillary data needed to support the scientific use and interpretation. All levels of data products will reside at and be publicly disseminated from the SDC. Documentation and metadata describing data products, algorithms, instrument calibrations, validation, and data quality will be provided. Arguably, the most important innovation developed by the SOC is the MMS burst data management and selection system. With nested automation and 'Scientist-in-the-Loop' (SITL) processes, these systems are designed to maximize the value of the burst data by prioritizing the data segments selected for transmission to the ground. This paper describes the MMS science operations approach, processes and data systems, including the burst system and the SITL concept.

Baker, D. N.↗
NASA NTRS2016

Electron Scale Structures and Magnetic Reconnection Signatures in the Turbulent Magnetosheath

Collisionless space plasma turbulence can generate reconnecting thin current sheets as suggested by recent results of numerical magnetohydrodynamic simulations. The Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission provides the first serious opportunity to verify whether small ion-electron-scale reconnection, generated by turbulence, resembles the reconnection events frequently observed in the magnetotail or at the magnetopause. Here we investigate field and particle observations obtained by the MMS fleet in the turbulent terrestrial magnetosheath behind quasi-parallel bow shock geometry. We observe multiple small-scale current sheets during the event and present a detailed look of one of the detected structures. The emergence of thin current sheets can lead to electron scale structures. Within these structures, we see signatures of ion demagnetization, electron jets, electron heating, and agyrotropy suggesting that MMS spacecraft observe reconnection at these scales.

Yordanova, E.↗
NASA NTRS2017

Conjunction Assessment Techniques and Operational Results from the Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission

This paper will describe the results that have been obtained to date during the MMS mission concerning conjunction assessment. MMS navigation makes use of a weak-signal GPS-based system: this allows signals to be received even when MMS is flying above the GPS orbits, producing a highly accurate determination of the four MMS orbits. This data is downlinked to the MMS Mission Operations Center (MOC) and used by the Flight Dynamics Operations Area (FDOA) for both maneuver design and conjunction assessment. The MMS fly in tetrahedron formations around apogee, in order to collect simultaneous particles and fields science data. The original plan was to fly tetrahedra between 10 and 160 km in size; however, after Phase 1a of the mission, the science team requested that smaller sizes be flown if feasible. After analysis (to be detailed in a companion paper), a new minimum size of 7 km was decided upon. Flying at this reduced scale size makes conjunction assessment between the MMS spacecraft even more important: the methods that are used by the MMS FDOA to address this problem will be described in the paper, and a summary given of the previous analyses that went into the development of these techniques. Details will also be given of operational experiences to date. Finally, two CA mitigation maneuver types that have been designed (but never yet required to actually be performed) will also be outlined.

conjunction Assessment↗
NASA NTRS2018

Imaging Plasma Density Structures in the Soft X-Rays Generated by Solar Wind Charge Exchange with Neutrals

Both heliophysics and planetary physics seek to understand the complex nature of the solar wind's interaction with solar system obstacles like Earth's magnetosphere, the ionospheres of Venus and Mars, and comets. Studies with this objective are frequently conducted with the help of single or multipoint in situ electromagnetic field and particle observations, guided by the predictions of both local and global numerical simulations, and placed in context by observations from far and extreme ultraviolet (FUV, EUV), hard X-ray, and energetic neutral atom imagers (ENA). Each proposed interaction mechanism (e.g., steady or transient magnetic reconnection, local or global magnetic reconnection, ion pick-up, or the Kelvin- Helmholtz instability) generates diagnostic plasma density structures. The significance of each mechanism to the overall interaction (as measured in terms of atmospheric/ionospheric loss at comets, Venus, and Mars or global magnetospheric/ionospheric convection at Earth) remains to be determined but can be evaluated on the basis of how often the density signatures that it generates are observed as a function of solar wind conditions. This paper reviews efforts to image the diagnostic plasma density structures in the soft (low energy, 0.1-2.0 keV) X-rays produced when high charge state solar wind ions exchange electrons with the exospheric neutrals surrounding solar system obstacles.

Sibeck, David G.↗
NASA NTRS2018

Environmental Requirements and Verification for NASA’s Planned Europa Clipper

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and its partner are planning a mission to explore an icy moon of Jupiter, Europa. The objective of the planned Europa Clipper mission is to gain insight into the key ingredients for this potentially habitable world. This mission will conduct investigations using a suite of instruments that includes a set of five remote sensing instruments, four in-situ fields and particles instruments, and a two-channel ice-penetrating radar. Among its science objectives are to produce high-resolution images of Europa's surface, determine its composition, look for signs of recent or ongoing activity, measure the thickness of the ice shell, search for subsurface lakes, and determine the depth and salinity of Europa's ocean. Europa Clipper is expected to encounter a very challenging environment, particularly in radiation. This paper provides a comprehensive description of the challenging environments and the environmental requirements that are levied onto the Europa Clipper system design. The mitigations activities being conducted or planned to ensure compliance with the severe environments will be described. Also discussed will be how the environmental requirements are verified and at which level of integration to ensure mission success.

Man, Kin F.↗
NASA NTRS2017

MAVEN observations of tail current sheet flapping at Mars

The Martian magnetotail is a complex regime through which atmospheric particles are lost to space. Our current understanding of Mars' tail continues to develop with the comprehensive particle and field data collected by Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN). In this work, we identify periods when MAVEN encounters multiple current sheet crossings through a single tail traversal in order to understand tail dynamics. We apply an analysis technique that has been developed and validated by using multipoint measurements in order to separate the spatial and temporal properties associated with current sheet flapping. Events are classified into periods of steady flapping, due to a global motion of the current sheet, and kink‐like flapping, resulting from localized wave propagation along the tail current sheet. Out of 106 periods during which multiple current sheet crossings were observed, 20 were due to steady flapping and 10 from kink‐like flapping. A majority of the kink‐like events resulted from waves propagating in the opposite direction of the solar wind convection electric field, regardless of their location in the tail, unlike at Earth and Venus. This finding suggests that possible magnetosphere energy sources, whereby plasma is accelerated and removed from the Martian environment, are not located in the central magnetotail; rather, these waves may be driven by a source located at the tail flank based on the direction of the solar wind electric field. Therefore, by identifying potential sources of impulsive energy release in the tail, we may better understand mechanisms that drive atmospheric loss at Mars.

Gina A. DiBraccio↗
NASA NTRS2020

Environmental Verification of NASA’s Europa Clipper Mission

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and its partner are planning a mission to explore an icy moon of Jupiter, Europa. The objective of the planned Europa Clipper mission is to gain insight into the key ingredients for this potentially habitable world. This mission will conduct investigations using a suite of remote sensing and in-situ fields and particles instruments, and a two-channel ice-penetrating radar. Among its science objectives are to produce high-resolution images of Europa's surface, determine its composition, look for signs of recent or ongoing activity, measure the thickness of the ice shell, search for subsurface lakes, and determine the depth and salinity of Europa's ocean. Europa Clipper is expected to encounter very challenging environments. These environments include radiation, dynamics, thermal, and electromagnetics, which have been translated into a set of environmental requirements that are levied onto the Europa Clipper flight system design. This paper describes how the environmental requirements are specified and verified for each flight component and at which level of integration. A couple of examples will be provided to illustrate the process by which a comprehensive set of verification activities is specified and performed for individual subsystems and instruments to ensure mission success.

Man, Kin Fung↗
NASA NTRS2020

Compact Instrumentation for Experiments on the Lunar Surface

Increased opportunities to fly payloads on orbital, lander, and/or rover platforms will greatly facilitate the meeting of high priority goals for lunar exploration and lunar science, especially those requiring distributed measurements on multiple platforms to be fully realized. Compact, robust versions of instruments, designed to be integrated with a variety of platforms, or utilized in astronaut-deployed or handheld devices are already under development. These include cameras, spectrometers, particle analyzers, field instruments, and seismometers,

Clark, Pamela E.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Utilizing Radiocarbon and Thermo-optical Measurements to Quantify Source Contributions for Aircraft Engine Particulate Emissions

Recent technological advancements in aircraft engine technology and fuel sources have promising potential for reducing particulate emissions from aircraft engines. During the 2022 Boeing ecoDemonstrator ground-based field campaign, particle and trace gas emissions were sampled for four different fuels, including 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), petroleum-based Jet A fuel, petroleum-based Jet A low sulfur fuel, and a SAF blend. Particulate emissions were collected on quartz microfiber filters and analysed for their radiocarbon content and their elemental carbon (EC) and organic carbon (OC) concentrations. In addition, the radiocarbon content of Jet A fuel, SAF, and aircraft engine oil was also measured. We used the radiocarbon content of the particulate emissions samples and source end members to quantify the relative contribution from engine oil and fuel to carbonaceous aerosol emissions. The results from this study can be used to understand how the implementation of technological advancements in aircraft engine technology and fuel sources will likely impact future aircraft particulate emissions.

Liz Wiggins↗
DOE OSTI2022

Recent Results from the MINER$\nu$A experiment

In the era of the fastest-growing technology in the field of particle accelerators anddetectors, the scope of neutrino physics is expanding very rapidly. The neutrino oscilla-tion parameters are being measured with a higher degree of precision. The precision ofthese oscillation parameters directly depend on the neutrino-nucleus cross section mea-surements done by various experiments with multiple nuclear targets. One of these fewexperiments is the MINERνA, a dedicated neutrino-nucleus interaction experiment atFermilab which took data from 2009 to 2019 for both neutrino and antineutrino scatter-ing in the low-energy and medium energy peaking around 3 GeV and 6 GeV, respectively.This article will cover some recent inclusive measurements from the MINERνA experi-ment. These results will provide a strong basis for future experiments like DUNE andhelp in improving the measurement of neutrino oscillation parameters.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2025

A search for Heavy Neutral Leptons with masses up to 150 MeV and studies on scintillation light detection in SBND

Introduction Neutrino physics is one of today’s most promising fields in particle physics. The discovery of neutrino oscillations is an evidence of their mass not being null. However, the Standard Model of elementary particles (SM) does not contain a mechanism that generates them, so we have to search beyond the SM to find answers. Other unknowns remain open, such as the amount of CP symmetry violated in the lepton sector that could help explain the differences between matter and antimatter that formed the present universe. Nor is it understood why these particles are so light, more than six orders of magnitude below the next fermion, the electron. A possible explanation is the existence of heavier neutrino mass states usually referred as heavy neutral leptons (HNLs). One of the most advanced technologies for detecting neutrino interactions is the liquid argon time projection chamber (LArTPC). LArTPC detectors form a 3D image of the ionized electrons in the interaction, producing a detailed description of each neutrino event. Argon is also a prolific scintillator (40k photons/MeV) with light signals indicating the interaction time. The Short-Baseline Near Detector (SBND), a 112-active mass LArTPC at Fermilab, will measure millions of neutrino interactions from the Booster Neutrino Beam (BNB). As the near (L=110 m) detector of the Short-Baseline neutrino program, SBND will search for a fourth light neutrino (∼ eV) in the coming years. This hypothesis could explain the anomalous data observed in the LSND and MiniBooNE experiments.

Álvarez Garrote, Rodrigo [Madrid U.] (ORCID:000000↗