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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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A quick introduction to some of the important electrical properties, and to the factors that influence them and their variability are provided. The following topics are discussed: (1) production of ionization; (2) ion concentration; (3) ion composition; and (4) variability of the various sources of middle atmospheric ionization.
A Grubin-like EHD inlet analysis utilizing a non-linear viscous fluid model with a limiting shear stress is reported. The shear rheological equation requirs only a low shear stress viscosity and the limiting shear stress both functions of pressure. Values employed for these properties are taken from measurements on typical lubricants. Reductions of EHD film thickness are found to be up to 40 percent compared with the standard Grubin prediction for typical operating conditions. Slide-roll ratio, limiting shear stress dependence on pressure, and atmospheric pressure value of limiting shear stress are new variables required to determine film thickness with the first two being more important than the last. The EHD film thickness is reduced by increasing slide-roll ratio and/or decreasing the pressure dependence of the limiting shear stress.
The use of optimization methods as an effective design tool in the design of hybrid vehicle propulsion systems is demonstrated. Optimization techniques were used to select values for three design parameters (battery weight, heat engine power rating and power split between the two on-board energy sources) such that various measures of vehicle performance (acquisition cost, life cycle cost and petroleum consumption) were optimized. The apporach produced designs which were often significant improvements over hybrid designs already reported on in the literature. The principal conclusions are as follows. First, it was found that the strategy used to split the required power between the two on-board energy sources can have a significant effect on life cycle cost and petroleum consumption. Second, the optimization program should be constructed so that performance measures and design variables can be easily changed. Third, the vehicle simulation program has a significant effect on the computer run time of the overall optimization program; run time can be significantly reduced by proper design of the types of trips the vehicle takes in a one year period. Fourth, care must be taken in designing the cost and constraint expressions which are used in the optimization so that they are relatively smooth functions of the design variables. Fifth, proper handling of constraints on battery weight and heat engine rating, variables which must be large enough to meet power demands, is particularly important for the success of an optimization study. Finally, the principal conclusion is that optimization methods provide a practical tool for carrying out the design of a hybrid vehicle propulsion system.
The role of photochemistry in the budget of tropospheric ozone is studied. Measurements of O3, NO, CO, H2O vapor, and temperature obtained during the fall of 1983 during the GTE/CITE project over the eastern and central North Pacific Ocean are analyzed. The effect of altitude on the measurements is discussed. The analysis reveals a correlation between ozone and NO levels; both increase in concentration and variability with altitude. It is observed that an additional source of secondary importance associated wih CO-rich air parcels exists. A photochemical model is utilized to calculate the net rate of ozone production by photochemical reactions. A net photochemical source of ozone in the free troposphere and a net sink in the boundary layer are detected. The relation between the ozone source in the free troposphere and NO is examined. It is estimated that photochemistry provides a net ozone source to the free troposphere overlying the eastern and central North Pacific Ocean of about 5 x 10 to the 10th molecules/sq cm sec and a net sink of ozone to the boundary layer overlying this region of about 3 x 10 to the 10th molecules/sq cm sec.
The effects of compressibility on mantle convection are considered, incorporating the effects of equations of state and rheology in the dissipative heating term of the energy equation. The ways in which compression may raise the interior mantle temperature are explicitly demonstrated, and it is shown how this effect can be used to constrain some of the intrinsic parameters associated with the equation of state in the mantle. It is concluded that the coupling between variable viscosity and equation of state in dissipative heating is potentially an important mechanism in mantle convection. These findings emphasize that rheology, equation of state, and radiogenic heating are all linked to each other by nonlinear thermomechanical couplings.
This paper describes an experiment that provides data for the development of a cognitive model of pilot flight navigation. The model views navigation as a process involving the alignment of mental images with the perceptual view out of the cockpit. The data support a three stage model: (1) the perceptual encoding of the map display, (2) mental rotation of the mental image, and (3) comparison of the image to the environment. The variables that significantly influence the processes embodied in the model in decreasing importance are: speed of processing, display sequencing, map complexity, and rotation angle of the map. The model can be used as a preliminary computational tool in predicting the navigational component of pilot situational awareness.
The relationship between low frequency variations in extratropical fields of outgoing longwave radiation (OLR) and geopotential teleconnection patterns as determined by rotated principal components analysis of the NMC 500-mb heights is investigated in the Northern Hemisphere. The monthly broadband OLR is obtained from the Nimbus-6 and Nimbus-7 Wide-Field-Of-View radiometer record. Each of the main 500-mb teleconnection patterns has a characteristic signal in the OLR field for the month in which the 500-mb pattern occurs. The OLR signals mark cloud and diabatic heating events that are associated with the teleconnection patterns. A demonstration is given of correlation between extratropical monthly OLR and geopotential height. Coupled with the expected tropospheric response to radiation on monthly time scale. This demonstration stresses the importance of the radiation simulation in model studies of the low frequency variability of atmospheric circulation. The extratropical OLR does not appear to be a useful predictor for the 500-mb teleconnection patterns on a monthly time scale.
Estimates of the location and extension of the upwind ground area that affects flux observations most directly are examined to determine the reliability of airborne versus near-ground flux measurements. The theoretical issues regarding the 'footprint' are examined, and specific observations are analyzed by studying the data over a grid regarding sensible heat, latent heat, CO2, and greenness. The grid is footprint-corrected to correlate better with independently observed surface characteristics, and an optimized footprint is developed that satisfies the relationships between the observed variables. Optimized mapping of the surface flux is given which demonstrates the importance of considering local advection to correlate airborne and ground-based flux observations. The technique is particularly applicable to situations in which significant variations in the surface flux density exist.
Over the past 30 or more years, the National Research Council Space Studies Board and its various committees have published hundreds of recommendations concerning life sciences research. Several particularly noteworthy themes appear consistently: (1) Balance - the need for a well-balanced research program in terms of ground versus flight, basic versus clinical, and internal versus extramural; (2) Excellence - because of the extremely limited number of flight opportunities (as well as their associated relative costs), the need for absolute excellence in the research that is conducted, in terms of topic, protocol, and investigator, and (3) Facilities - the single most important facility for life sciences research in space, an on-board, variable force centrifuge. In this first assessment report, the Committee on Space Biology and Medicine emphasizes that these long-standing themes remain as essential today as when first articulated. On the brink of the twenty-first century, the nation is contemplating the goal of human space exploration; consequently, the themes bear repeating. Each is a critical component of what will be necessary to successfully achieve such a goal.
My purpose here is to present a simplified treatment of the growth of sea ice. By ignoring many details, it is possible to obtain several results that help to clarify the ways in which the sea ice cover will respond to climate change. Three models are discussed. The first deals with the growth of sea ice during the cold season. The second describes the cycle of growth and melting for perennial ice. The third model extends the second to account for the possibility that the ice melts away entirely in the summer. In each case, the objective is to understand what physical processes are most important, what ice properties determine the ice behavior, and to which climate variables the system is most sensitive.
One of the most important features of symbiotic stars is the coexistence of a cool spectral component that is apparently very similar to the spectrum of a cool giant, with at least one hot continuum, and emission lines from very different stages of ionization. The cool component dominates the infrared spectrum of S-type symbiotics; it tends to be veiled in this wavelength range by what appears to be excess emission in D-type symbiotics, this excess usually being attributed to circumstellar dust. The hot continuum (or continua) dominates the ultraviolet. X-rays have sometimes also been observed. Another important feature of symbiotic stars that needs to be explained is the variability. Different forms occur, some variability being periodic. This type of variability can, in a few cases, strongly suggest the presence of eclipses of a binary system. One of the most characteristic forms of variability is that characterizing the active phases. This basic form of variation is traditionally associated in the optical with the veiling of the cool spectrum and the disappearance of high-ionization emission lines, the latter progressively appearing (in classical cases, reappearing) later. Such spectral changes recall those of novae, but spectroscopic signatures of the high-ejection velocities observed for novae are not usually detected in symbiotic stars. However, the light curves of the 'symbiotic nova' subclass recall those of novae. We may also mention in this connection that radio observations (or, in a few cases, optical observations) of nebulae indicate ejection from symbiotic stars, with deviations from spherical symmetry. We shall give a historical overview of the proposed models for symbiotic stars and make a critical analysis in the light of the observations of symbiotic stars. We describe the empirical approach to models and use the observational data to diagnose the physical conditions in the symbiotics stars. Finally, we compare the results of this empirical approach with existing models and discuss unresolved problems requiring new observational and theoretical work.
Simultaneous ultraviolet and optical observations of 10 bright O stars were organized in several observing campaigns lasting 3-6 days each. The observing campaigns included 12 observatories in the Northern hemisphere obtaining high resolution spectroscopy, photometry, and polarimetry, as well as 24-hour coverage with the IUE (International Ultraviolet Explorer) observatory. Over 600 high dispersion SWP spectra were acquired with IUE at both NASA and VILSPA for the completion of this work. The massive amount of data from these observing campaigns, both from IUE and the ground-based instruments, has been reduced and analyzed. The accompanying paper describes the data acquisition, analysis, and conclusions of the study performed. The most important results of this study are the strong confirmation of the ubiquitous variability of winds of O stars, and the critical correlation between rotation of the star and the wind variability as seen in the ultraviolet and optical spectral lines.
Cloud radiative forcing (CRF) is the radiative impact of clouds on the Earth's radiation budget. This study examines the diurnal variations of CRF using the Earth Radiation Budget Experiment (ERBE) monthly hourly flux data and the flux data derived from the International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP) using the Goddard Institute for Space Studies general circulation model radiation code. The results for the months of April, July, and October 1985 and January 1986 are analyzed. We found that, in general, two data sets agreed. For longwave (LW) CRF the diurnal range over land is generally greater than that observed over oceans. For the 4-month averages the ERBE values are 15.8 W/sq m and 6.8 W/sq m for land and ocean, respectively, compared with the ISCCP calculated values of 18.4 W/sq m and 8.0 W/sq m, respectively. The land/ocean contrast is largely associated with changes in cloud amount and the temperature difference between surface and cloud top. It would be more important to note that the clear-sky flux (i.e., surface temperature) variabilities are shown to be a major contributor to the large variabilities over land. The maximum diurnal range is found to be in the summer hemisphere, and the minimum values in the winter hemisphere. It is also shown that the daytime maximum and the nighttime minimum are seen over large portions of land, whereas they occur at any local hour over most oceans. For shortwave (SW) CRF the daytime maximum values are about twice as large as monthly averages, and their highest frequency occurs at local noon, indicating that solar insolation is a primary factor for the diurnal variation of SW CRF. However, the comparison of the ERBE data with the ISCCP results demonstrated that the largest differences in the diurnal range and monthly mean of LW CRF were associated with tropical convergence zones, where clear-sky fluxes could be easily biased by persistent cloudiness and the inadequate treatment of the atmospheric water vapor.
A Lightning Imaging Sensor (LIS) is proposed for flight on the International Space Station (ISS) platform to conduct scientific research support of the Earth Science Enterprise (ESE). The LIS, identical to one being flown on the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) optically detects lightning flashes that occur within its field-of-view during both day and night conditions with storm scale resolution and a high, uniform detection efficiency. The ISS, with an orbital inclination of 51.6 deg, will extend the measurements from TRMM into the important mid-latitudinal regions of the Earth. The lightning measurements from LIS support important ESE science objectives including increased knowledge of the amount, distribution, and variability of deep convection and natural sources and sinks of key trace gases (e.g., NOx) on a global scale. A space-qualified LIS instrument built as a spare for the TRMM mission is available for integration onto the external truss of the ISS keeping the overall mission costs low. The LIS, which is divided into a sensor assembly and the electronics unit, weighs approximately 20 kg, consumes less than 25 W of power, and generates a telemetry data rate of only 6 kb/s.
The importance of quantitative knowledge of tropical rainfall, its associated latent heating and variability is summarized in the context of the global hydrologic cycle. Much of the tropics is covered by oceans. What land exists, is covered largely by rainforests that are only thinly populated. The only way to adequately measure the global tropical rainfall for climate and general circulation models is from space. To address these issues, the TRMM satellite was launched in Nov. 1997. It has been operating successfully ever since.
The effect of accelerating forces on the performance of loop heat pipes (LHP) is of interest and importance to terrestrial and space applications. They are being considered for cooling of military combat vehicles and for spinning spacecraft. In order to investigate the effect of an accelerating force on LHP operation, a miniature LHP was installed on a spin table. Variable accelerating forces were imposed on the LHP by spinning the table at different angular speeds. Several patterns of accelerating forces were applied, i.e. continuous spin at different speeds and periodic spin at different speeds and frequencies. The resulting accelerations ranged from 1.17 g's to 4.7 g's. This paper presents the first part of the experimental study, i.e. the effects of a centrifugal force on the LHP start-up. Tests were conducted by varying the heat load to the evaporator, sink temperature, magnitude and frequency of centrifugal force, and LHP orientation relative to the direction of the accelerating force. The accelerating force seems to have little effect on the loop start-up in terms of temperature overshoot and superheat at boiling incipience. Changes in these parameters seem to be stochastic with or without centrifugal accelerating forces. The LHP started successfully in all tests.
We have begun to create a comprehensive set of thermal infrared (TIR, approx. 1650-200/cm, approx. 6-50 microns) spectra of palagonitic and hydrothermally altered soils that exhibit a range of mineralogical and chemical compositions for use in analyzing MGS TES data. Palagonite, a phyllosilicate-poor hydrolytically altered tephra, has been suggested as a possible component of the martian soil/dust based on visible and near infrared (VNIR) spectral similarities with martian dusty regions. The chemistry and crystallinity of altered tephras are highly variable depending on the parent material and local environmental conditions, and are important indicators of alteration processes.
Previous studies have demonstrated that a chronic change in neuronal activation can produce a change in soma oxidative capacity, suggesting that: (i) these 2 variables are directly related in neurons and (ii) ion pumping is an important energy requiring activity of a neuron. Most of these studies, however, have focused on reduced activation levels of sensory systems. In the present study the effect of a chronic increase or decrease in motoneuronal activity on motoneuron oxidative capacity and soma size was studied. In addition, the effect of chronic axotomy was studied as an indicator of whether cytoplasmic volume may also be related to the oxidative capacity of motoneurons. A quantitative histochemical assay for succinate dehydrogenase activity was used as a measure of motoneuron oxidative capacity in experimental models in which chronic electromyography has been used to verify neuronal activity levels. Spinal transection reduced, and spinal isolation virtually eliminated lumbar motoneuron electrical activity. Functional overload of the plantaris by removal of its major synergists was used to chronically increase neural activity of the plantaris motor pool. No change in oxidative capacity or soma size resulted from either a chronic increase or decrease in neuronal activity level. These data indicate that the chronic modulation of ionic transport and neurotransmitter turnover associated with action potentials do not induce compensatory metabolic responses in the metabolic capacity of the soma of lumbar motoneurons. Soma oxidative capacity was reduced in the axotomized motoneurons, suggesting that a combination of axoplasmic transport, intracellular biosynthesis and perhaps neurotransmitter turnover represent the major energy demands on a motoneuron. While soma oxidative capacity may be closely related to neural activity in some neural systems, e.g. visual and auditory, lumbar motoneurons appear to be much less sensitive to modulations in chronic activity levels.