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At least 1,099 records · Page 61
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1991

An assessment of the crustal remelting hypothesis for volcanism in the Freyja Montes deformation zone

The linear mountain belts of Ishtar Terra on Venus are notable for their topographic relief and slope and for the intensity of surface deformation. The mountains surround the highland plain Lakshmi Planum, the site of two major paterae and numerous other volcanic features and deposits, and evidence is widespread for volcanism within the mountains and in terrain immediately outward of the mountain belt units. While two hypotheses for magmatism can be distinguished on the basis of the chemistry of the melts, chemical data are presently lacking for the Ishtar region. The competing hypotheses for magmatism in Western Ishtar Terra can also be tested with thermal models, given a kinematic or dynamic model for the evolution of the region. The crustal remelting hypothesis is assessed, using the kinematic scenario of Head for the evolution of Freyja Montes. In that scenario, Freyja Montes formed by a sequence of large scale underthrusts of the lithosphere of the North Polar Plains beneath Ishtar Terra, with successive blocks of underthrust crust sutured in imbricate fashion onto the thickened crust of Lakshmi Planum and the mantle portion of underthrusting lithosphere episodically detached. The numerical experiments thus show that volcanic activity associated with the formation of the Frejya Montes deformation zone can be explained by crustal melting, due either to direct contact of crustal material with the hot asthenosphere or to heat generation in a thickened crustal layer.

Namiki, Noriyuki↗
NASA NTRS1992

Modeling, design, fabrication, and testing of InP Gunn devices in the D-band (110 GHz - 170 GHz)

The development of fundamental Gunn sources for D-band frequencies requires improvements of doping profiles, processing technology, and circuit design. We have developed a technology for fabricating InP Gunn diodes using an InGaAs etch-stop layer between the InP substrate and the device layers. The epitaxial layers were grown by CBE. During device processing, the substrate is completely removed. Substrateless devices with an n(+) InGaAs cap layer are expected to have reduced contact and series resistances, and skin effect losses. This technology gives better uniformity and control of the device geometry across the processed chip. InP Gunn devices with a 1.7 micron long active region (doping : 9 x 10(exp 15) cm(exp -3)) have been mounted on copper heat sinks. Two tapered leads were then bonded to the diode and to four quartz standoffs. As a preliminary result, an output power of 13 mW at 82 GHz was obtained. Based on these RF measurements, we determine appropriate material parameters to be used in the Ensemble Monte Carlo model. Subsequently, we use this model to design and evaluate the performance of InP Gunn Devices for D-band frequencies. Using the same technology, we are currently processing Gunn devices with a 1 micron long active region for operation at higher frequencies.

Kamoua, R.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Improved Piezoelectric Loudspeakers And Transducers

Loudspeakers and related acoustic transducers of improved type feature both light weight and energy efficiency of piezoelectric transducers and mechanical coupling efficiency. Active component of transducer made from wafer of "rainbow" piezoelectric material, ceramic piezoelectric material chemically reduced on one face. Chemical treatment forms wafer into dishlike shallow section of sphere. Both faces then coated with electrically conductive surface layers serving as electrodes. Applications include high-fidelity loudspeakers, and underwater echo ranging devices.

Regan, Curtis Randall↗
NASA NTRS1999

Vibration Analysis and Control of Flexible Beam by Using Smart Damping Structures

The temperature effects on frequency, loss factor and control of a flexible beam with a constrained viscoelastic layer and shape memory alloy layer (SMA) are discussed. It is shown that the temperature in the SMA (actuation) layer is very important in the determination of frequency and loss factor of such a structure. The effects of damping layer shear modulus and damping layer height as affected by the temperature are also discussed. As temperature plays such an important role, it is, therefore, imperative to evaluate temperature effects on the control of the system as well. Results with and without active control are discussed.

Chen, Q.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Control and Identification of Turbulent Boundary Layer Separation

Effective delay of turbulent boundary layer separation could be achieved via closed-loop control. Constructing such a system requires that sensor data be processed, real-time, and fed into the controller to determine the output. Current methods for detection of turbulent boundary layer separation are lacking the capability of localized, fast and reliable identification of the boundary layer state. A method is proposed for short-time FFT processing of time series, measured by hot-film sensors, with the purpose of identifying the alternation of the balance between small and large scales as the boundary layer separates, favoring the large scales. The method has been validated by comparison to other criteria of separation detection and over a range of baseline and controlled flow conditions on a simplified high-lift system, incorporating active flow control.

Seifert, Avi↗
NASA NTRS2006

Boundary Layer Transition Results From STS-114

The tool for predicting the onset of boundary layer transition from damage to and/or repair of the thermal protection system developed in support of Shuttle Return to Flight is compared to the STS-114 flight results. The Boundary Layer Transition (BLT) Tool is part of a suite of tools that analyze the aerothermodynamic environment of the local thermal protection system to allow informed disposition of damage for making recommendations to fly as is or to repair. Using mission specific trajectory information and details of each damage site or repair, the expected time of transition onset is predicted to help determine the proper aerothermodynamic environment to use in the subsequent thermal and stress analysis of the local structure. The boundary layer transition criteria utilized for the tool was developed from ground-based measurements to account for the effect of both protuberances and cavities and has been calibrated against flight data. Computed local boundary layer edge conditions provided the means to correlate the experimental results and then to extrapolate to flight. During STS-114, the BLT Tool was utilized and was part of the decision making process to perform an extravehicular activity to remove the large gap fillers. The role of the BLT Tool during this mission, along with the supporting information that was acquired for the on-orbit analysis, is reviewed. Once the large gap fillers were removed, all remaining damage sites were cleared for reentry as is. Post-flight analysis of the transition onset time revealed excellent agreement with BLT Tool predictions.

Berry, Scott A.↗
NASA NTRS2013

What Can the Curiosity Rover Tell Us About the Climate of Mars?

What Can the Curiosity Rover Tell Us About the Climate of Mars? Assessing the habitability of Gale Crater is the goal of the Curiosity Rover, which has been gathering data since landing on the Red Planet last August. To meet that goal, Curiosity brought with it a suite of instruments to measure the biological potential of the landing site, the geology and chemistry of its surface, and local environmental conditions. Some of these instruments illuminate the nature of the planet fs atmosphere and climate system, both for present day conditions as well as for conditions that existed billions of years ago. For present day conditions, Curiosity has a standard meteorology package that measures pressure, temperature, winds and humidity, plus a sensor the measures the UV flux. These data confirm what we learned from previous missions namely that today Mars is a cold, dry, and barren desert-like planet. For past conditions, however, wetter and probably warmer conditions are indicated. Curiosities cameras reveal gravel beds that must have formed by flowing rivers, and sedimentary deposits of layered sand and mudstones possibly associated with lakes. An ancient aqueous environment is further supported by the presence of sulfate veins coursing through some of the rocks in Yellowknife Bay where Curiosity is planning its first drilling activity. I will discuss these results and their implications in this lecture.

Haberle, Robert M.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Flightweight radiantly and actively cooled panel: Thermal and structural performance

A 2- by 4-ft flightweight panel was subjected to thermal/structural tests representative of design flight conditions for a Mach 6.7 transport and to off-design conditions simulating flight maneuvers and cooling system failures. The panel utilized Rene 41 heat shields backed by a thin layer of insulation to radiate away most of the 12 Btu/ft2-sec incident heating. A solution of ethylene glycol in water circulating through tubes in an aluminum-honeycomb-sandwich panel absorbed the remainder of the incident heating (0.8 Btu/sq ft-sec). The panel successfully withstood (1) 46.7 hr of radiant heating which included 53 thermal cycles and 5000 cycles of uniaxial inplane loading of + or - 1200 lfb/in; (2) simulated 2g-maneuver heating conditions and simulated cooling system failures without excessive temperatures on the structural panel; and (3) the extensive thermal/structural tests and the aerothermal tests reported in NASA TP-1595 without significant damage to the structural panel, coolant leaks, or hot-gas ingress to the structural panel.

Shore, C. P.↗
NASA NTRS2002

ISO Guest Observer Data Analysis and LWS Instrument Team Activities

This project was granted a no-cost extension prompted by the request of the major subcontractor, the Naval Research Laboratory, which had not yet completed its tasks. As of July 2002, they had made substantial progress. They have successfully fabricated a metal mesh grid on polyimide, and also successfully fabricated a 2-layer metal mesh infrared filter using stacks of these metal mesh grids on polyimide; the actual layering was done at SAO. Both warm and cold spectroscopic tests were done on these fabricated devices. The measurements were in good agreement with the theory, and also reasonable performance in absolute terms. NRL is now working on fabricating a 3-layer metal mesh infrared filter, and a prototype is expected in the next month. Testing should occur before the end of the fiscal year. Finally, NRL has preliminarily agreed to hire a new postdoctoral person to refine the modeling of the filters based on the new measurements. The person should arrive this fall. NRL has a new Fourier Transform Spectrometer which will be delivered in the next month, and which will be used to facilitate the testing which has up to now been done in collaboration with NASA Goddard Space Flight Space Center.

Smith, Howard↗
NASA NTRS1992

Relationship of peroxyacetyl nitrate to active and total odd nitrogen at northern high latitudes: influence of reservoir species on NOx and O3

Measurements of peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN), NO, NO2, HNO3, NOy (total odd nitrogen), and O3 were made in the high-latitude troposphere over North America and Greenland (35 degrees to 82 degrees N) during the Arctic Boundary Layer Expedition (ABLE 3A) (July-August 1988) throughout 0-to 6-km altitudes. These data are analyzed to quantitatively describe the relationships between various odd nitrogen species and assess their significance to global tropospheric chemistry. In the free troposphere, PAN was as much as 25 times more abundant than NOx. PAN to NOx ratio increased with increasing altitude and latitude. PAN was found to be the single most abundant reactive nitrogen species in the free troposphere and constituted a major fraction of NOy, PAN to NOy ratios were about 0.1 in the boundary layer and increased to 0.4 in the free troposphere. A 2-D global photochemical model with C1-C3 hydrocarbon chemistry is used to compare model predictions with measured results. A sizable portion (approximately 50%) of the gaseous reactive nitrogen budget is unaccounted for, and unknown organic nitrates and pernitrates are expected to be present. Model calculations (August 1, 70 degrees N) show that a major fraction of the observed NOx (50 to 70% of median) may find its source in the available PAN reservoir. PAN and the unknown reservoir species may have the potential to control virtually the entire NOx availability of the high latitude troposphere. It is predicted that the summer NOx and O3 mixing ratios in the Arctic/sub-Arctic troposphere would be considerably lower in the absence of the ubiquitous PAN reservoir. Conversely, this PAN reservoir may be responsible for the observed temporal increase in tropospheric O3 at high latitudes.

NASA Center ARC↗
NASA NTRS1996

Evaluation of an Anthropometric Human Body Model for Simulated EVA Task Assessment

One of the more mission-critical tasks performed in space is extravehicular activity (EVA) which requires the astronaut to be external to the station or spacecraft, and subsequently at risk from the many threats posed by space. These threats include, but are not limited to: no significant atmosphere, harmful electromagnetic radiation, micrometeoroids, and space debris. To protect the astronaut from this environment, a special EVA suit is worn which is designed to maintain a sustainable atmosphere (at 1/3 atmosphere) and provide protection against the hazards of space. While the EVA suit serves these functions well, it does impose limitations on the astronaut as a consequence of the safety it provides. Since the astronaut is in a virtual vacuum, any atmospheric pressure inside the suit serves to pressurize the suit and restricts mobility of flexible joints (such as fabric). Although some of the EVA suit joints are fixed, rotary-style joints, most of the mobility is achieved by the simple flexibility of the fabric. There are multiple layers of fabric, each of which serves a special purpose in the safety of the astronaut. These multiple layers add to the restriction of motion the astronaut experiences in the space environment. Ground-based testing is implemented to evaluate the capability of EVA-suited astronauts to perform the various tasks in space. In addition to the restriction of motion imposed by the EVA suit, most EVA activity is performed in a micro-gravity (weight less) environment. To simulate weightlessness EVA-suited testing is performed in a neutral buoyancy simulator (NBS). The NBS is composed of a large container of water (pool) in which a weightless environment can be simulated. A subject is normally buoyant in the pressurized suit; however he/she can be made neutrally buoyant with the addition of weights. In addition, most objects the astronaut must interface with in the NBS sink in water and flotation must be added to render them "weightless". The implementation of NBS testing has proven to invaluable in the assessment of EVA activities performed with the Orbiter and is considered to be a key step in the construction of the International Space Station (ISS). While the NBS testing is extremely valuable, it does require considerable overhead to maintain and operate. It has been estimated that the cost of utilizing the facility is approximately $10,000 per day. Therefore it is important to maximize the utility of NBS testing for optimal results. One important aspect to consider in any human/worksite interface is the considerable wealth of anthropometric and ergonomic data available. A subset of this information specific to EVA activity is available in NASA standard 3000. The difficulty in implementing this data is that most of the anthropometric information is represented in a two-dimensional format. This poses some limitations in complete evaluation of the astronaut's capabilities in a three-dimensional environment. Advances in computer hardware and software have provided for three-dimensional design and implementation of hardware with the advance of computer aided design (CAD) software. There are a number of CAD products available and most companies and agencies have adopted CAD as a fundamental aspect of the design process. Another factor which supports the use of CAD is the implementation of computer aided manufacturing (CAM) software and hardware which provides for rapid prototyping and decreases the time to product in the design process. It is probable that most hardware to be accessed by astronauts in EVA or IVA (intravehicular activity) has been designed by a CAD system, and is therefore represented in three-dimensional space for evaluation. Because of the implementation of CAD systems and the movement towards early prototyping, a need has arisen in industry and government for tools which facilitate the evaluation of ergonomic consideration in a three-dimensional environment where the hardware has been designed by the CAD tools. One such product is Jack which was developed by the University of Pennsylvania with funding from several government agencies, including NASA. While the primary purpose of Jack is to model human figures in a ground-based (gravity) environment, it can be utilized to evaluate EVA-suited activities as well. The effects of simulated gravity must be turned off by turning off "behaviors". Although Jack provides human figures for manipulation, the primary instrument to be evaluated for EVA mobility is the work envelope provided by the EVA suit. An EVA Jack suit model has been developed by NASA-JSC and was utilized in this study. This suit model provided a more restrictive motion environment as expected for an EVA suited subject. As part of this study, the anthropometric dimensions for a 50th percentile male were compared with basic anthropometric data and were found to be representative for the population group expected in the NASA flight program. The joints for the suit were created in a manner which provided consistent performance with EVA reach envelopes published in NASA standard #3000.

Etter, Brad↗
NASA NTRS1978

Plant canopy light absorption model with application to wheat

A light absorption model (LAM) for vegetative plant canopies has been derived from the Suits reflectance model. From the LAM the absorption of light in the photosynthetically active region of the spectrum (400-700 nm) has been calculated for a Penjamo wheat crop for several situations including (a) the percent absorption of the incident radiation by a canopy of LAI 3.1 having a four-layer structure, (b) the percent absorption of light by the individual layers within a four-layer canopy and by the underlying soil, (c) the percent absorption of light by each vegetative canopy layer for variable sun angle, and (d) the cumulative solar energy absorbed by the developing wheat canopy as it progresses from a single layer through its growth stages to a three-layer canopy. This calculation is also presented as a function of the leaf area index and is shown to be in agreement with experimental data reported by Kanemasu on Plainsman V wheat.

Chance, J. E.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Transient brightenings of interconnecting loops. II - Dynamics of the brightened loops

Three different kinds of dynamic events related to interconnecting loops observed in soft X-rays aboard Skylab are discussed: (1) a newly born transequatorial loop that was either emerging from subphotospheric layers or gradually filled in with hot plasma; (2) large-scale twists of interconnecting loops which never relax, and often only form after the loop brightenings, and (3) three events where the loop that later interconnected two active regions had been visible long before one of the interconnecting regions was born. Several impacts this observation might have upon the understanding of the process of flux emergence are suggested.

Svestka, Z.↗
NASA NTRS1983

The oxidation behavior of a model molybdenum/tungsten-containing alloy in air alone and in air with trace levels of NaCl(g)

Thermogravimetric, metallographic, and X-ray studies of a model alloy, Ni-(17 a/o)Al-(10 a/o)Mo+W, oxidized in dry air at 600-1200 C and in air with 10 ppm NaCl gas at 900 C, are reported. The alloy was melted under Ar and pretreated in flowing H2 for 24 h at 1300 C. Polished 1.3 x 1.3 x 0.2-cm specimens were washed and degreased prior to oxidation in a quartz tube within a furnace for up to 120 hr. The oxidation activation energy of the alloy is determined to be about 30 kcal/mole. The specimens oxidized at 900 C and hotter exhibited oxidized and nitrided phases covered by complex NiMoO4, NiWO4, and NiAl2O4 scales and a porous, nonprotective outer layer of NiO. The oxidation behavior is found to be determined by the formation and growth of the scale, especially the (Mo,W)O2 component. Al2O3 scale layers were not formed, and further runs with pure O2 or Ar-(20 percent)O2 ruled out an explanation of this phenomenon based on aluminum nitride formation. The oxidation was accelerated by the addition of NaCl gas, a finding attributed to the reaction of NaCl with external locally protective Al2O3 scales and with the internal(Mo, W)O2 layers.

Smeggil, J. G.↗
NASA NTRS1988

A nonventing cooling system for space environment extravehicular activity, using radiation and regenerable thermal storage

This paper outlines the selection, design, and testing of a prototype nonventing regenerable astronaut cooling system for extravehicular activity space suit applications, for mission durations of four hours or greater. The selected system consists of the following key elements: a radiator assembly which serves as the exterior shell of the portable life support subsystem backpack; a layer of phase change thermal storage material, n-hexadecane paraffin, which acts as a regenerable thermal capacitor; a thermoelectric heat pump; and an automatic temperature control system. The capability for regeneration of thermal storage capacity with and without the aid of electric power is provided.

Bayes, Stephen A.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Irradiation effects in a comet's outer layers

Laboratory data and cosmic ray doses are used to understand the irradiation-induced formation and destruction of organics in the outer layers (mantle) of a comet in the Oort cloud and for determining the fate of volatiles in the mantle. This is used to estimate the change in the orthowater/parawater ratio with depth in the outer layers of a new comet and the average thickness of the refractory part of the mantle of a new comet. Because comets will have large-scale irregularities, regions of the mantle will be unstable, leading to enhanced activity on a new comet and producing 'permanently' active regions.

Johnson, R. E.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Effects of biomass burning on summertime nonmethane hydrocarbon concentrations in the Canadian wetlands

Approximately 900 whole air samples were collected and assayed for selected C2-C10 hydrocarbons and seven halocarbons during the 5-week Arctic Boundary Layer Expedition (ABLE) 3B conducted in eastern Canadian wetland areas. In more than half of the 46 vertical profiles flown, enhanced nonmethane hydrocarbon (NMHC) concentrations attributable to plumes from Canadian forest fires were observed. Urban plumes, also enhanced in many NMHCs, were separately identified by their high correlation with elevated levels of perchloroethene. Emission factors relative to ethane were determined for 21 hydrocarbons released from Canadian biomass burning. Using these data for ethane, ethyne, propane, n-butane, and carbon monoxide enhancements from the literature, global emissions of these four NMHCs were estimated. Because of its very short atmospheric lifetime and its below detection limit background mixing ratio, 1,3-butadiene is an excellent indicator of recent combustion. No statistically significant emissions of nitrous oxide, isoprene, or CFC 12 were observed in the biomass-burning plumes encountered during ABLE 3B. The presence of the short-lived biogenically emitted isoprene at altitudes as high as 3000 m implies that mixing within the planetary boundary layer (PBL) was rapid. Although background levels of the longer-lived NMHCs in this Canadian region increase during the fire season, isoprene still dominated local hydroxyl radical photochemistry within the PBL except in the immediate vicinity of active fires. The average biomass-burning emission ratios for hydrocarbons from an active fire sampled within minutes of combustion were, relative to ethane, ethene, 2.45; ethyne 0.57; propane, 0.25; propene, 0.73; propyne, 0.06; n-butane, 0.09; i-butane, 0.01; 1-butene, 0.14; cis-2-butene, 0.02; trans-2-butene, 0.03; i-butylene, 0.07; 1,3-butadiene, 0.12; n-pentane, 0.05; i-pentane, 0.03; 1-pentene, 0.06; n-hexane, 0.05; 1-hexene, 0.07; benzene, 0.37; toluene, 0.16.

Blake, D. R.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Climate Change on Mars

Today, Mars is cold and dry. With a 7 mbar mean surface pressure, its thin predominantly CO2 atmosphere is not capable of raising global mean surface temperatures significantly above its 217K effective radiating temperature, and the amount of water vapor in the atmosphere is equivalent to a global ocean only 10 microns deep. Has Mars always been in such a deep freeze? There are several lines of evidence that suggest it has not. First, there are the valley networks which are found throughout the heavily cratered terrains. These features are old (3.8 Gyr) and appear to require liquid water to form. A warm climate early in Mars' history has often been invoked to explain them, but the precise conditions required to achieve this have yet to be determined. Second, some of the features seen in orbiter images of the surface have been interpreted in terms of glacial activity associated with an active hydrological cycle some several billion years ago. This interpretation is controversial as it requires the release of enormous quantities of ground water and enough greenhouse warming to raise temperatures to the melting point. Finally, there are the layered terrains that characterize both polar regions. These terrains are geologically young (10 Myr) and are believed to have formed by the slow and steady deposition of dust and water ice from the atmosphere. The individual layers result from the modulation of the deposition rate which is driven by changes in Mars' orbital parameters. The ongoing research into each of these areas of Martian climate change will be reviewed, and similarities to the Earth's climate system will be noted.

Haberle, R. M.↗