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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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The significance of recent experimental observations on the annealing defects in n-type silicon has been examined. The observed anomalous annealing temperatures of A and E centers and their impurity concentration dependence are explained by an interference between the two centers.
The photodissociation of molecular species such as oxygen, nitrogen, and water vapor in the upper atmosphere leads to the formation of a reservoir of chemical energy consisting of highly reactive atomic gases. The reactions of these with each other, and with the rest of the atmosphere, give a complex neutral chemistry involving many species and reactions. Local equilibrium can rarely be assumed for these reactions; transport by the horizontal and vertical mean flow, by eddy diffusion, and by molecular diffusion has quite different effects on the various constituents, depending on the time constants. The entire subject of the neutral chemistry in the D and E regions (between 50 and 160 km altitude) is reviewed, and related to existing experimental results. Needs for further research on the subject are indicated.
A comparison of ion-molecule reaction rates implied by E- and F-region chemistry and measured in the laboratory shows on the whole good agreement except that the ionospheric analysis demands stronger temperature dependences. In the daytime D region, it is claimed that the reconciliation of positive ion densities with production rates and laboratory rate constants would best be achieved if (1) ionization of O2(1 delta g) and hydration of O4(+) in competition with the reduction of O4(+) to O2(+) by O were the dominant source of hydrates between 85 and 77 km, (2) ionization of NO by solar Lyman alpha followed by hydration was the dominant source of hydrates below 77 km, and (3) for some reason, Lyman alpha did not ionize NO effectively at pressures below those prevailing at 75 km.
The Atmosphere Explorer Missions C, D, & E Spacecraft/Experiment Interface Definition Study is discussed. The objectives of the study included an analysis of the accommodation requirements of the experiments for the three missions, an assessment of the overall effect of these requirements on the spacecraft system design and performance, and the detailed definition of all experiment/spacecraft electrical, mechanical, and environmental interfaces. In addition, the study included the identification and definition of system characteristics required to ensure compatibility with the consolidated STADAN and MSFN communications networks.
The familiarization course for the Apollo 17 ALSEP (ARRAY E) is presented. The subjects discussed are: (1) power and data subsystems, (2) lunar surface gravimeter, (3) lunar mass spectrometer, (4) lunar seismic profiling experiment, and (5) heat flow experiment.
Fluxgate magnetometer data obtained by OGO-5 near perigee were used to establish the existence of large field depressions in the magnetosphere under conditions of varying degree of disturbance at distances ranging from 2.3 to 3.6 R sub E at all local times. The results also provide the average delta B at these distances when Dst, as being derived at present, is zero.
Reduced and analyzed data from the plasma wave detector on OGO E spacecraft are reported. The bibliography lists 74 publications in scientific books and journals which highlight the analysis program.
Solar radiation in the extreme ultraviolet, lambda less than 1216 A, and X-ray regions of the spectrum is deposited between 60 and 200 km producing free electrons and ions. Below 60 km cosmic radiation creates ion pairs. Energetic electron precipitation, as during auroral events, creates additional ionization as do protons originating from solar flares, which also enhance solar X-ray and extreme ultraviolet emission. At night scattered solar Lyman alpha (1216 A) and Lyman beta (1026 A) as well as He I (584 A) and He II (304 A) are present. These and other lesser known sources, for example cosmic X-ray and extreme ultraviolet radiation, contribute to the formation of the nocturnal D and E regions.
Examination of the perturbed continuity equation when the perturbations are the result of an internal atmospheric gravity wave in the E region. The transient response of the ionization is interpreted as the gradient instability and the values of the vertical and horizontal wave numbers that will induce it are plotted for various heights. Only in the presence of westward directed electric fields, which are believed to occur only at night, will the gravity waves induce the gradient instability. Approximate analytic expressions are obtained for the permitted wave numbers as well as for the instability growth times. In the course of this analysis it is shown that in the D region all irregularities, even those that are field-aligned, will tend to move with the ion velocity.
At night, internal atmospheric gravity waves are able to induce drift instabilities in the ionospheric plasma. Nighttime constant height type sporadic-E(Esc) may then be explained as an effect due to the combined effect of ionization movement due to the wind shear mechanism and due to the cross-field gradient drifts. This combined concept provides a qualitative explanation of the rocket observed nighttime electron density profiles, of the speeds of the Esc irregularities and of the variations of Esc with latitude and electric field strength.-
This paper briefly describes the cylindrical electrostatic probes to be used on the new Atmosphere Explorer-C, -D, and -E, and outlines the methods to be employed to analyze the experimental data in terms of electron temperature and ion and electron concentration. Two independent cylindrical sensors and partially redundant electronic systems permit greater reliability in measurements. Measurements are made at 1-sec and 2-sec intervals along the orbit. The sensors themselves have been modified from previous applications to cope with the lower electron temperature expected in these low-altitude orbits and to counter possible surface contamination caused by the hydrazine engines used for orbit adjustments.
A search of the 3- to 30-keV data from the NRL proportional counter detector on the Orbiting Geophysical Observatory-5 (OGO-5) satellite has yielded several events which may be nearly completely nonthermal in the e greater than 3 and less than 10 keV range. In each case an impulsive hard X-ray burst accompained by an impulsive microwave burst was associated with a low energy X-ray burst whose profile was a simple rise and fall. The lack of a two component nature in the low energy range argues that the low energy X-ray flux is due to a single physical mechanism, in this case nonthermal bremsstrahlung from accelerated electrons. However, the spectra and time profiles are quite consistent with a thermal interpretation. Polarization measurements are probably necessary to resolve the physical origin of such bursts.
An explanation was developed for the formation, near midnight at midlatitudes, of a broad electron density layer extending approximately from 120 to 180 km and usually referred to as the intermediate E layer. The responsible mechanism is believed to be the converging vertical ion drifts resulting from winds of the solar semidiurnal tide. Numerical solutions of the continuity equation appropriate to the intermediate layer is described for particular models of ion drift, diffusion coefficents, and ionization production. Analysis of rocket observations of the layer show that the ionization rate is highly correlated with the planetary geomagnetic index, K sub p. Particle flux measurements support the idea that energetic electrons are the principal source of this ionization. A semiconductor spectrometer experiment for investigation of the particle flux, spectrum, and angular properties was designed and successfully flown on a Nike Apache rocket. A detailed description of the theory, design, and calibration of the experiment and some preliminary results presented.
Auroral zone E region neutral winds have been derived from simultaneous measurements of ion drift velocities at different altitudes by the incoherent scatter radar facility at Chatanika, Alaska. The wind derived for quiet and moderately disturbed days shows a consistent pattern during the daytime and appears to be that expected from a day-night pressure asymmetry. In the nighttime, however, the winds are much more variable, apparently responding to the momentum transfer and heating effects of ion drag when sizable electric fields and electron densities are present.
Auroral zone E-region neutral winds have been derived from simultaneous measurements of ion drift velocities in different altitudes by the incoherent radar facility at Chatanika, Alaska, on a quiet day before and during the great magnetospheric storm of Aug. 3-9, 1972. The neutral wind expected for a day-night pressure asymmetry appears to be strongly opposed by ion drag and local pressure gradients in the auroral oval.
Background conditions for detecting (gamma e)-diffusion are discussed with reference to the utilization of a hodoscope system consisting of wide area flat Geiger counters connected for coincidence and of a controllable spark chamber. When calculating the background, any organic compounds synthesized from C, O2 and H2 with radioactive admixtures is presumed to be the preferrable material for the construction of the detector. The number of background events simulating the effect sought is estimated by analyzing the spectrum of the organic glass gamma radiation caused by disintegration and fission of long lived isotopes and by nuclear reactions with the participation of alpha particles and neutrons.
Cosmic ray spectra and solar electron data in the 10 to 200 MeV range, as measured by experiment E-09 on OGO-5, are reported.
Electron temperatures and electron densities measured on four rocket flights have been used to deduce electron heating rates in the E and lower F regions. Above 150 km, heating rates at midday are found to be in good agreement with calculated values. Anomalies are found in the heating rates at sunrise which are attributed to a source, such as joule heating, which does not produce ionization.