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At least 1,261 records · Page 70

Identification of rotating assembly inertial and bearing parameters.

The problem of estimating the state of a turbopump rotating assembly and identifying unknown products of inertia and unknown bearing parameters is considered. A linearized, extended Kalman filtering approach has been used and found to be successful for both state estimation and parameter identification in an inherently nonlinear problem. The input data were simulated Bently test data obtained from a verified 12-dimensional state-space model and were compared with real Bently test data obtained from NASA. The results prove the feasibility of using this model and this type of test data to obtain the hidden parameters of a typical turbopump rotating assembly.

Alspach, D. L.↗

Evaluate ERTS imagery for mapping and detection of changes of snowcover on land and on glaciers

The author has identified the following significant results. The area of snowcover on 10 individual drainage basins in the North Cascades, Washington, has been determined by use of a semi-automatic radiance threshold technique. The result is a unique record of the changing water storage as snow in these important hydrologic units, the runoff of which is utilized for hydroelectric power, dilution of wastes and heat, support of salmon migration, and irrigation. These data allow a new type of hydrologic modelling to proceed which should permit more accurate forecasts of streamflow. A new technique has been developed for measuring snow-covered area or snowline altitude semi-automatically. This variable contour overlay method permits the snowcover to be matched efficiently to the best fit contour of altitude. The motion of the Yentna Glacier during the concluding phase of its surge was successfully measured by a flicker technique using images of two dates. It appears that displacements as small as 100 to 200 m can be measured. Motion of the Tweedsmuir Glacier in Alaska was measured using ERTS-1 images enlarged to 1:50,000. Changes detected included a shock wave moving down the glacier, the margin expanding, the moraine pattern deforming, and the marginal valley deepening.

Meier, M. F.↗

Lunar soil properties and soil mechanics

The long-range objectives were to develop methods of experimentation and analysis for the determination of the physical properties and engineering behavior of lunar surface materials under in situ environmental conditions. Data for this purpose were obtained from on-site manned investigations, orbiting and softlanded spacecraft, and terrestrial simulation studies. Knowledge of lunar surface material properties are reported for the development of models for several types of lunar studies and for the investigation of lunar processes. The results have direct engineering application for manned missions to the moon.

Mitchell, J. K.↗

Aeroelastic-stability characteristics of a V/STOL tilt-rotor aircraft with hingeless blades - Correlation of analysis and test

The potential aeroelastic problems of a tilt rotor aircraft are described. The type of mathematical model required to predict such behavior is discussed and results of a design study on a specific configuration are presented. The sensitivity of the results to variation of the structural parameters is evaluated. The methodology used for analytical studies is shown to predict accurately the behavior of a full-scale rotor-pylon-wing system tested in the NASA-Ames 40- by 80-foot wind tunnel. It is concluded that there is no impediment from an aeroelastic viewpoint in designing and flying a tilt-rotor aircraft using a soft-in-plane hingeless rotor.

Alexander, H. R.↗

Viscous effects in rapidly rotating stars with application to white-dwarf models. III - Further numerical results

Improved viscous evolutionary sequences of differentially rotating, axisymmetric, nonmagnetic, zero-temperature white-dwarf models are constructed using the relativistically corrected degenerate electron viscosity. The results support the earlier conclusion that angular momentum transport due to viscosity does not lead to overall uniform rotation in many interesting cases. Qualitatively different behaviors are obtained, depending on how the total mass M and angular momentum J compare with the M and J values for which uniformly rotating models exist. Evolutions roughly determine the region in M and J for which models with a particular initial angular momentum distribution can reach carbon-ignition densities in 10 b.y. Such models may represent Type I supernova precursors.

Durisen, R. H.↗

Transonic aerodynamic characteristics of a wing/body combination incorporating jet flaps

A 0.25-scale semispan wing/body model with two types of jet flaps was tested in the Ames 11- by 11-Foot Transonic Wind Tunnel. The objective of that testing was to measure the static aerodynamic forces and moments and wing pressure distributions on six configurations differentiated by wing camber, jet flap type, and jet flap angle. Maximum thrust coefficients were limited to 0.12. Angle of attack was varied from -4 deg to 15 deg for Mach numbers between 0.6 and 0.95 at a constant unit Reynolds number of 18.0 million/m (5.5 million/ft). More refined designs and considerably more testing will be required to establish the practicability of the total-exhausting jet flap concept.

Holmberg, J. L.↗

H2 in expanding circumstellar shells

Hydrogen molecules are formed in the thin dense shell of interstellar gas swept up by the expanding interstellar bubble around an early-type star with a strong stellar wind. The formation of molecules on grains is not in equilibrium with photodestruction. Theoretical calculations of the column densities of H2 in rotational levels j = 0-6 agree reasonably well with Copernicus ultraviolet observations of some early-type stars. The model explains why no H2 features with column densities in the range from 10 to the 15th to 10 to the 18th power per sq cm have been observed.

Hollenbach, D.↗

Investigation of mesoscale cloud features viewed by LANDSAT

The author has identified the following significant results. Some 50 LANDSAT images displaying mesoscale cloud features were analyzed. This analysis was based on the Rayleigh-Kuettner model describing the formation of that type of mesoscale cloud feature. This model lends itself to computation of the average wind speed in northerly flow from the dimensions of the cloud band configurations measured from a LANDSAT image. In nearly every case, necessary conditions of a curved wind profile and orientation of the cloud streets within 20 degrees of the direction of the mean wind in the convective layer were met. Verification of the results by direct observation was hampered, however, by the incompatibility of the resolution of conventional rawinsonde observations with the scale of the banded cloud patterns measured from LANDSAT data. Comparison seems to be somewhat better in northerly flows than in southerly flows, with the largest discrepancies in wind speed being within 8m/sec, or a factor of two.

Sherr, P. E.↗

Exploratory investigation of aeroacoustic optimization of the variable impedance edge concept applied to upper surface blown configurations

The feasibility of using porous surfaces on lift augmentation flaps to reduce the noise at the source, without adversely affecting aerodynamic performance was investigated. Numerous flap configurations were tested on a USB (upper surface blowing) type powered lift model (approximately 1/5 full scale). Significant reductions of far field noise and aeroacoustic pressures were found, and many configurations exhibited aerodynamic characteristics comparable to unmodified configurations of the nozzle/flap system.

Hayden, R. E.↗

Variations in electron density in the middle latitude D-region above Urbana, Illinois

Electron density measurements made with the partial reflections technique above Urbana, Illinois (44 deg 10 min N, 88 deg 10 min W) were analyzed for day-to-day variations, seasonal variations, magnetic storm aftereffects, and stratosphere-ionosphere coupling effects. As well as showing a winter anomaly, the electron densities near 76 km were significantly lower in fall than in spring. Magnetic storm aftereffects of the type predicted by models of energetic electron precipitation at middle latitudes were observed. No strong correlations were found between stratospheric and D-region time series, or between the occurrence of stratospheric warmings and D-region changes. It is likely that most of the electron density variation was due to variations in the transport of minor neutral constituents. The spring-fall differences were also probably caused by differences in minor constituent concentrations rather than the effect of temperature changes on the recombination coefficient.

Wratt, D. S.↗

Sharing the 620-790 MHz band allocated to terrestrial television with an audio-bandwidth social service satellite system

A study was carried out to identify the optimum uplink and downlink frequencies for audio-bandwidth channels for use by a satellite system distributing social services. The study considered functional-user-need models for five types of social services and identified a general baseline system that is appropriate for most of them. Technical aspects and costs of this system and of the frequency bands that it might use were reviewed, leading to the identification of the 620-790 MHz band as a perferred candidate for both uplink and downlink transmissions for nonmobile applications. The study also led to some ideas as to how to configure the satellite system.

Smith, E. K.↗

Jupiter's magnetosphere

A selective review of studies of Jupiter's magnetosphere is presented which emphasizes theoretical questions concerning the hydromagnetic structure of the middle and outer magnetosphere. A brief overview of the Pioneer magnetospheric experiments is given, the Pioneer observations of the middle and outer magnetosphere are examined, and the characteristic signature of the middle magnetosphere is discussed. Evidence that Jupiter is a source of cosmic-ray electrons is evaluated, and three types of theoretical model of the Jovian magnetosphere are considered: earthlike convection models, quasi-steady disk models, and radial outflow models. The extent to which Jupiter and Io can supply the outer magnetosphere with plasma is also investigated along with corotation of the magnetosphere, the extent of the plasmapause, and limitations of the various models. Future theoretical and experimental studies are suggested, and some general principles for unified models of Jupiter's magnetosphere are outlined.

Kennel, C. F.↗

Wing shape optimization for maximum cross-country speed, with mathematical programming

A computer program was developed to calculate numerically the speed and circling polars of an aircraft when the lift and drag characteristics of the wing airfoils are known. The planform of the wing is described by variables which are optimized so that the cross-country speed of the glider is maximum for the particular type of thermal model. Two thermal models are compared and shown that with a greater wing area than now normally used the performance can be increased.

Helwig, G.↗

Intrinsic luminosities of the Jovian planets

Available data and theories on the size and nature of interior power sources in the four Jovian planets are reviewed. These four planets are Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. Various models, ranging from simple cooling to gravitational layering to radioactivity, are discussed. The evidence and interpretations presented in the discussion seem to indicate that (1) all four Jovian planets were once more luminous and are presently cooling to a state of equilibrium with sunlight; and (2) the thermal evolution of the Jovian planets is predominantly controlled by their photospheres and does not depend on interior conductivity. Both conclusions are consistent with either the simple adiabatic cooling model or with more complicated gravitational unmixing models of the type discussed by Stevenson and Salpeter (1977).

Hubbard, W. B.↗

Shuttle/Payload Contamination Evaluation /SPACE/ - A systems level contamination model

The Shuttle/Payload Contamination Evaluation (SPACE) computer program was designed to three dimensionally synthesize the dynamics of the induced on-orbit molecular contaminant environment of the Shuttle Orbiter and a number of Spacelab payload carrier configurations. SPACE has the capability to accept any instrument or spacecraft configuration for contamination evaluation through manipulation of program input data. It represents a significant advancement over previous analytical or modeling techniques in that it is the first integrated systems level model of its type to collectively consider geometry (emphasizing surface shadowing), any arbitrary contaminant source(s) and the contaminant transport mechanisms of: (1) direct source-to-surface; (2) return flux due to molecular collisions with the ambient atmosphere and other contaminant molecules; and (3) reflection/reemission from structural surfaces.

Jarossy, F. J.↗

Use of thermal-inertia properties for material identification

It is noted that a knowledge of the thermal inertia of the earth's surface can be used in geologic mapping as a complement to surface reflectance data as provided by Landsat. Thermal inertia, which is a body property, cannot be determined directly but can be inferred from radiation temperature measurements made at various times in the diurnal heating cycle, combined with a model of the surface heating processes. A model of this type is developed and applied along with temperature measurements made in the field and by satellite to determine thermal properties of surface materials. An example from a test site in western Nevada is used to demonstrate the utility of this technique.

Schieldge, J. P.↗

Amino acids of the Murchison meteorite. I - Six carbon acyclic primary alpha-amino alkanoic acids

Six of the seven chain isomers of six-carbon acyclic primary alpha-amino alkanoic acids (leucine isomers) have been either identified or confirmed in hot-water extracts of the Murchison meteorite using combined gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and ion exchange chromatography. 2-Amino-2-ethylbutyric acid, 2-amino-2,3-dimethylbutyric acid, pseudoleucine, and 2-methylnorvaline were positively identified by GC-MS. These amino acids have not been previously reported to occur in natural materials and may be uniquely meteoritic in origin. The presence of leucine and isoleucine (including the diastereoisomer, alloisoleucine) was confirmed. Peaks corresponding to norleucine were seen by ion-exchange and gas chromatography but characteristic mass spectra were not obtained. The alpha-branched chain isomers in this series are quantitatively the most significant. These results are compared with literature data on amino acid synthesis by electrical discharge and Fischer-Tropsch-type catalysis. Neither model system produces an amino acid suite that is completely comparable to that found in the Murchison meteorite.

Cronin, J. R.↗

A finite element approach for shells of revolution with a local deviation

A finite element model that is suitable for the static analysis of shells of revolution with arbitrary local deviations is presented. The model employs three types of elements: rotational, general, and transitional shell elements. The rotational shell elements are used in the region where the shell is axisymmetric. The general shell element are used in the local region of the deviation. The transitional shell elements connect these two distinctively different types of elements and make it possible to combine them in a single analysis. The form of the global stiffness matrix resulting when different forms of nodal degrees of freedom are combined is illustrated. The coupling of harmonic degrees of freedom due to the locally nonaxisymmetric geometry was studied. The use of a substructuring technique and separate partial harmonic analysis is recommended.

Han, K. J.↗