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At least 1,135 records · Page 63

Safety Analysis of Soybean Processing for Advanced Life Support

Soybeans (cv. Hoyt) is one of the crops planned for food production within the Advanced Life Support System Integration Testbed (ALSSIT), a proposed habitat simulation for long duration lunar/Mars missions. Soybeans may be processed into a variety of food products, including soymilk, tofu, and tempeh. Due to the closed environmental system and importance of crew health maintenance, food safety is a primary concern on long duration space missions. Identification of the food safety hazards and critical control points associated with the closed ALSSIT system is essential for the development of safe food processing techniques and equipment. A Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) model was developed to reflect proposed production and processing protocols for ALSSIT soybeans. Soybean processing was placed in the type III risk category. During the processing of ALSSIT-grown soybeans, critical control points were identified to control microbiological hazards, particularly mycotoxins, and chemical hazards from antinutrients. Critical limits were suggested at each CCP. Food safety recommendations regarding the hazards and risks associated with growing, harvesting, and processing soybeans; biomass management; and use of multifunctional equipment were made in consideration of the limitations and restraints of the closed ALSSIT.

Hentges, Dawn L.↗

Scanning mirror for infrared sensors

A high resolution, long life angle-encoded scanning mirror, built for application in an infrared attitude sensor, is described. The mirror uses a Moire' fringe type optical encoder and unique torsion bar suspension together with a magnetic drive to meet stringent operational and environmental requirements at a minimum weight and with minimum power consumption. Details of the specifications, design, and construction are presented with an analysis of the mirror suspension that allows accurate prediction of performance. The emphasis is on mechanical design considerations, and brief discussions are included on the encoder and magnetic drive to provide a complete view of the mirror system and its capabilities.

Anderson, R. H.↗

Induced shock pulse testing by transient waveform control

A method of synthesizing an arbitrarily shaped transient time pulse on vibration exciters is described. The transient waveform control technique is based on recent developments in digital time series analysis, the real-time FFT processor. A brief description of the theory, error estimates and hardware/software implementation to the JPL Dynamic Environmental Testing Laboratory is presented.

Kim, B. K.↗

Results from conceptual design study of potential early commercial MHD/steam power plants

This paper presents conceptual design information for a potential early MHD power plant developed in the second phase of a joint study of such plants. Conceptual designs of plant components and equipment with performance, operational characteristics and costs are reported on. Plant economics and overall performance including full and part load operation are reviewed. Environmental aspects and the methods incorporated in plant design for emission control of sulfur and nitrogen oxides are reviewed. Results from reliability/availability analysis conducted are also included.

Hals, F.↗

NASCAP charging calculations for a synchronous orbit satellite

The use of the NASA Charging Analyzer Program (NASCAP) for the computation of spacecraft charge up in the energetic plasma environment of geosynchronous orbits is described. Spacecraft modelling, materials parameters, and NASCAP charging analyses are described. The synchronous orbit plasma environment used in the stress analysis employs a two Maxwellian energy distribution to determine the fluxes. Several NASCAP runs performed to determine the location and magnitude of environmentally induced voltage stresses are analyzed.

Sanders, N. L.↗

Energy Efficient Engine Flight Propulsion System Preliminary Analysis and Design Report

The final design and analysis of the flight propulsion system is presented. This system is the conceptual study engine defined to meet the performance, economic and environmental goals established for the Energy Efficient Engine Program. The design effort included a final definition of the engine, major components, internal subsystems, and nacelle. Various analytical representations and results from component technology programs are used to verify aerodynamic and structural design concepts and to predict performance. Specific design goals and specifications, reflecting future commercial aircraft propulsion system requirements for the mid-1980's, are detailed by NASA and used as guidelines during engine definition. Information is also included which details salient results from a separate study to define a turbofan propulsion system, known as the maximum efficiency engine, which reoptimized the advanced fuel saving technologies for improved fuel economy and direct operating costs relative to the flight propulsion system.

Bisset, J. W.↗

Salton Sea Solar Pond Power Plant Design Study and Regional Applicability

Ormat collected and organized the data base and conducted conceptual plant design, performance, and cost analysis. JPL conducted site-specific studies related to solar pond chemistry, soil biological activity, and dike design and construction. WESTEC conducted environmental investigation studies and performed an environmental assessment. SCE provided planning support for licensing and permitting and technical evaluations of the system design and cost estimate.

R. L. French↗

Space station integrated propulsion and fluid systems study

The program study was performed in two tasks: Task 1 addressed propulsion systems and Task 2 addressed all fluid systems associated with the Space Station elements, which also included propulsion and pressurant systems. Program results indicated a substantial reduction in life cycle costs through integrating the oxygen/hydrogen propulsion system with the environmental control and life support system, and through supplying nitrogen in a cryogenic gaseous supercritical or subcritical liquid state. A water sensitivity analysis showed that increasing the food water content would substantially increase the amount of water available for propulsion use and in all cases, the implementation of the BOSCH CO2 reduction process would reduce overall life cycle costs to the station and minimize risk. An investigation of fluid systems and associated requirements revealed a delicate balance between the individual propulsion and fluid systems across work packages and a strong interdependence between all other fluid systems.

Bicknell, B.↗

EnviroNET: Space environment for Strategic Defense Initiative experiments

EnviroNET is an operational system available to the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) experimenters who have access to a terminal or dial-up port. It is a tail node on Space Physics Analysis Network (SPAN) accessible directly or through the national networks via NPSS. Some of the benefits to using EnviroNET include: validated NASA environmental information and interactive space models; facilitating the payload integration process; easy access to expert assistance; and potential for time and cost savings.

Lauriente, Michael↗

The interaction of high voltage systems with the environments of the Moon and Mars

High voltage systems designed for use on the lunar and Martian surfaces or in orbit will interact with environmental components such as electrically charged dust, low pressure atmospheres, ionospheric plasmas and neutrals, and chemically reactive species. As the Space Exploration Initiative (SEI) advances from the realm of feasibility study to that of conceptual design, guidelines will be required to ensure that these effects are properly accounted for. A first step in providing such guidelines is the prioritization of interactions for each of the space or surface environments that will be encountered. For those issues that are identified as high priority, the state of environmental knowledge, emphasizing essential data, must be determined. This report describes possible means of obtaining such information, including ground tests, modeling and analysis, and flight experiments. The development of computational tools which will enable engineers to simulate and thereby quantify the interactions will be especially considered. Our analysis is drawn from various study and workshop activities undertaken within the last two years.

Hillard, G. Barry↗

Design and structural analysis of Mars Rover RTG

The Mars Rover and Sample Return mission's radioisotope thermoelectric generator (RTG) is presently subjected to a structural and mass analysis in view of a reference mission scenario, an illustrative Rover design and Martian activities agenda, and RTG power system requirements and environmental constraints. The modular heat-source stack in the Rover RTG can be held together by axial load springs. The RTGs should be mounted on the Rover with a vertical orientation, in order to avoid the buildup of windborne Martian sand on its heat-rejection surfaces.

Schock, Alfred↗

Advanced support systems development and supporting technologies for Controlled Ecological Life Support Systems (CELSS)

A methyl acetate reactor was developed to perform a subscale kinetic investigation in the design and optimization of a full-scale metabolic simulator for long term testing of life support systems. Other tasks in support of the closed ecological life support system test program included: (1) heating, ventilation and air conditioning analysis of a variable pressure growth chamber, (2) experimental design for statistical analysis of plant crops, (3) resource recovery for closed life support systems, and (4) development of data acquisition software for automating an environmental growth chamber.

Simon, William E.↗

Magnesium-Aluminum-Zirconium Oxide Amorphous Ternary Composite: A Dense and Stable Optical Coating

In the present work, the process parameter dependent optical and structural properties of MgO-Al(2)O(3)-ZrO(2) ternary mixed-composite material have been investigated. Optical properties were derived from spectrophotometric measurements. The surface morphology, grain size distributions, crystallographic phases and process dependent material composition of films have been investigated through the use of Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), X-ray diffraction analysis and Energy Dispersive X- ray (EDX) analysis. EDX analysis made evident the correlation between the optical constants and the process dependent compositions in the films. It is possible to achieve environmentally stable amorphous films with high packing density under certain optimized process conditions.

Sahoo, N. K.↗

An Integrated System for Water Budget Closure Over the Pan-Tropical Land Mass: A TRMM Validation Effort

A concerted effort was undertaken this past year to analyze the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) and Department of Energy (DOE) Reanalysis II tropical hydrologic cycle. The topics included in this progress report are: (1) analysis of the surface hydrologic cycle; (2) long term CO2 sensitivity simulations with NCAR's CCM3 and global recycling rates; (3) tropical atmospheric hydrologic cycle; (4) GCIP (Global Continental Scale International Project) WEBS (Water and Energy Budget Synthesis); (5) the impact of precipitation uncertainties on global water balance calculations.

Roads, J.↗

The Watt Count System

The Watt Count System combines aerospace and computer technology, an engineering systems design approach and the environmental control expertise of a group of engineers who worked on Apollo. First step of the system is a computerized energy consumption analysis based on plans for a new home. Company calculates heating and cooling loads and customizes the most energy efficient system for the particular structure analyzed. A quality control engineer assures that insulation and ducting are installed to specifications. Analysis and design techniques are so accurate that company is able to give homeowner a two-year guarantee that the home's energy consumption will not exceed the kilowatt hour level determined by the computer in step one. In an annual energy performance comparison, a Watt Count home used 45 percent less energy than a conventionally equipped home.

Source record↗

The Inception of OMA in the Development of Modal Testing Technology for Wind Turbines

Wind turbines are immense, flexible structures with aerodynamic forces acting on the rotating blades at harmonics of the turbine rotational frequency, which are comparable to the modal frequencies of the structure. Predicting and experimentally measuring the modal frequencies of wind turbines has been important to their successful design and operation. Performing modal tests on wind turbine structures over 100 meters tall is a substantial challenge, which has inspired innovative developments in modal test technology. For wind turbines, a further complication is that the modal frequencies are dependent on the turbine rotation speed. The history and development of a new technique for acquiring the modal parameters using output-only response data, called the Natural Excitation Technique (NExT), will be reviewed, showing historical tests and techniques. The initial attempts at output-only modal testing began in the late 1980's with the development of NExT in the 1990's. NExT was a predecessor to OMA, developed to overcome these challenges of testing immense structures excited with environmental inputs. We will trace the difficulties and successes of wind turbine modal testing from 1982 to the present. Keywords: OMA, Modal Analysis, NExT, Wind Turbines, Wind Excitation

James, George H., III↗

Standardization of the Definitions of Vertical Resolution and Uncertainty in the NDACC-archived Ozone and Temperature Lidar Measurements

The international Network for the Detection of Atmospheric Composition Change (NDACC) is a global network of high-quality, remote-sensing research stations for observing and understanding the physical and chemical state of the Earth atmosphere. As part of NDACC, over 20 ground-based lidar instruments are dedicated to the long-term monitoring of atmospheric composition and to the validation of space-borne measurements of the atmosphere from environmental satellites such as Aura and ENVISAT. One caveat of large networks such as NDACC is the difficulty to archive measurement and analysis information consistently from one research group (or instrument) to another [1][2][3]. Yet the need for consistent definitions has strengthened as datasets of various origin (e.g., satellite and ground-based) are increasingly used for intercomparisons, validation, and ingested together in global assimilation systems.In the framework of the 2010 Call for Proposals by the International Space Science Institute (ISSI) located in Bern, Switzerland, a Team of lidar experts was created to address existing issues in three critical aspects of the NDACC lidar ozone and temperature data retrievals: signal filtering and the vertical filtering of the retrieved profiles, the quantification and propagation of the uncertainties, and the consistent definition and reporting of filtering and uncertainties in the NDACC- archived products. Additional experts from the satellite and global data standards communities complement the team to help address issues specific to the latter aspect.

Detection of Atmospheric Composition Change (NDACC↗