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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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At least 1,279 records · Page 71

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NASA NTRS1988

Application of Hoffman modulation contrast microscopy coupled with three-wavelength two-beam interferometry to the in situ direct observation of the growth process of a crystal in microgravity

Direct visualization of three dimensional transfer process of both heat and mass around a growing crystal and mono-molecular growth layers on the surface is possible in situ by means of high resolution Hoffman modulation contrast microscopy coupled with three wavelength two beam Mach-Zehnder interferometry. This in situ observation is very suitable for the verification of the growth mechanism of a crystal in a solution or a melt in microgravity.

Tsukamoto, Katsuo↗

NASA NTRS1988

Microgravity and Materials Processing Facility study (MMPF): Requirements and Analyses of Commercial Operations (RACO) preliminary data release

This requirements and analyses of commercial operations (RACO) study data release reflects the current status of research activities of the Microgravity and Materials Processing Facility under Modification No. 21 to NASA/MSFC Contract NAS8-36122. Section 1 includes 65 commercial space processing projects suitable for deployment aboard the Space Station. Section 2 contains reports of the R:BASE (TM) electronic data base being used in the study, synopses of the experiments, and a summary of data on the experimental facilities. Section 3 is a discussion of video and data compression techniques used as well as a mission timeline analysis.

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NASA NTRS1988

Microgravity mechanisms and robotics program

The primary goal of this program is to produce the motion control tools necessary to enhance and enable a particular NASA mission - space laboratory-based microgravity experiments. To that end, a spectrum of technology is being developed in the disciplines of precision mechanisms and robotics.

Rohn, Douglas A.↗

NASA NTRS1988

Microgravity manipulator demonstration

A test rig is being developed that will be used to demonstrate and evaluate approaches to limiting manipulator base reactions in microgravity environments. The demonstration will include a 4-degrees-of-freedom arm, control computing facilities, and a base reaction measurement system.

Brush, Andrew S.↗

NASA NTRS1988

Noncontact temperature measurements in the microgravity fluids and transport phenomena discipline

The program of activities within the Microgravity Fluids and Transport Phenomena Discipline has been structured to enable the systematic pursuit of an increased understanding of low gravity fluid behavior/phenomena in a way which ensures that the results are appropriate to the widest range of applications. This structure is discussed and an overview of some of the activities which are underway is given. Of significance is the fact that in the majority of the current and planned activities, the measurement and, or control of the fluid temperature is a key experiment requirement. In addition, many of the experiments require that the temperature measurement be nonintrusive. A description of these requirements together with the current techniques which are being employed or under study to make these measurements is also discussed.

Salzman, Jack↗

NASA NTRS1988

Microgravity combustion discipline working group summary of requirements for noncontact temperature measurements

Current efforts of the Microgravity Combustion Working Group are summarized and the temperature measurement requirements for the combustion studies are defined. Many of the combustion systems that are studied in the low gravity environment are near-limit systems, that is, systems that are acting near the limit of flammability in terms of oxygen concentration or fuel concentration. Systems of this type are normally weak in the sense that there is a delicate balance between the heat released in the flame and the heat required to sustain the flame. Intrusive or perturbative temperature measurement probes can be inaccurate in these situations and in the limiting case extinguish the flame. Noncontact techniques then become the only way to obtain the required measurements. Noncontact measurement requirements for each of the three thermodynamic phases are described in terms of spatial and temporal resolution and temperature range.

Sacksteder, Kurt↗

NASA NTRS1988

Microgravity two-phase fluid flow pattern modeling

When gas and liquid mixtures flow in a pipe, the distribution of the two phases may take many forms. A flow pattern, or flow regime, is the characteristic spatial distribution of the phases of flow in a pipe. Because heat transfer and pressure drop are dependent on the characteristic distribution of phases, it is necessary to describe flow patterns in an appropriate manner so that a hydrodynamic or heat transfer theory applicable to that can be chosen. A theoretical two phase flow regime transition map under a microgravity environment was developed on physical concepts. These transitions use four basic flow patterns: dispersed flow, slug flow, stratified flow, and annular flow. The forces considered are body force, surface tension force, inertial force, friction, and the force from eddy turbulent fluctuation. Three dimensionless parameters were developed. Because these transition boundaries were developed based on physical concepts, they should be applicable to flow regimes occurring in various design conditions. Because the flow pattern data from KC-135 experiments are insufficient to verify these theoretical transition lines completely, an adiabatic experiment for flow regime analysis is recommended.

Lee, Doojeong↗

NASA NTRS1988

Microgravity science and applications bibliography, 1987 revision

This edition of the Microgravity Science and Applications (MSA) Bibliography is a compilation of Government reports, contractor reports, conference proceedings, and journal articles dealing with flight experiments utilizing a low gravity environment to elucidate and control various processes or with ground based activities that provide supporting research. It encompasses literature published but not cited in the 1984 Revision and literature which has been published in the past year. Subdivisions of the bibliography include six major categories: Electronic Materials; Metals, Alloys, and Composites; Fluid Dynamics and Transport; Biotechnology; Glass and Ceramics; and Combustion. Also included are publications from the European, Soviet, and Japanese MSA programs. In addition, there is a list of patents and appendices providing a compilation of an anonymously authored collection of reports and a cross reference index.

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NASA NTRS1987

Implications of otoconial changes in microgravity

Otoconia of maculas of Sprague-Dawley rats (Taconic Farms) flown aboard Spacelab-3 showed no signs of demineralization. Other findings were accumulations of miniature otoconia at the lateral border of utricular patches and a smoothing of surfaces of saccular otoconia. These features were not observed in age- and weight-matched ground controls. Subsequent study showed otoconial asymmetry to be normal in this strain. Further research in space, taking this into account, is clearly required. Findings of ground-based studies would suggest that neural structures of maculas are adaptable to microgravity but might show changes over time. Moreover, maculas have the potential for integration of the sort ascribed to brain and retina, although on a less complex scale. They may act as comparators, and asymmetry may be an important property. Coordinated studies in space and on the ground could lead to new understanding of how maculas function and adapt to new acceleratory environments; and to insights about the functioning of neural tissue in general.

Ross, Muriel D.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Autoignition of Fuel-Oxidizer Mixtures in Microgravity

Microgravity autoignition phenomena that may be influenced by chemically significant walls as well as by photochemically significant radiative fields are examined. First, the limitations of quasi-steady autoignition theory in providing information needed for the characterization of autoignition temperature fields are discussed. Time-dependent autoignition theory is then used to analyze the autoignition behavior of a reactive system where both wall catalysis and gas phase kinetic rates are significant. Space-time trajectories of temperature and species concentrations for such cases are presented

Berlad, A. L.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Jet levitation of spherical shapes for microgravity research

The objective of the study reported here was to evaluate the usefulness of aerodynamic levitation for levitating and positioning spherical samples in microgravity materials processing experiments. In particular, results of levitation tests on spheres 3-15 mm in diameter, with material densities ranging from 2.37 to 7.78 g/cc, are presented. All tests were conducted using air jets of two different sizes. An analysis of the results obtained indicates that aerodynamic positioning can be used beneficially in space laboratories.

Krispin, Friedrich↗

NASA NTRS1988

Comparison of bioseparation methods for microgravity experiments

The efficiency of the 1-g version of the continuous-flow electrophoresis (CFE) system flown on Space Shuttle missions is compared with the efficiency of a commercial CFE for separating living cells (human kidney, liver, and pituitary-gland cells and T-lymphocytes). In addition, the CFE system and a reciprocal isoelectric focusing (RIEF) system are compared with respect to protein pyrification efficiency. Correlations were made among electrophoretic mobilities (EPMs), secretory functions of cells, and input sample concentrations. A significant reduction in mean and range EPM was observed when input sample concentrations exceeded a low threshohold. This effect was not observed in microgravity experiments conducted at sample concentrations three times greater than the threshold for the controls. Comparison of CFE and RIEF methods showed that there are apparent advantages for each method depending on the product. For example, RIEF purification of urokinase removed more protein impurities, but focused the enzyme at a pH different than the enzyme's known isoelectric point.

Morrison, Dennis R.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Solidification of undercooled Ni-Sn eutectic alloy under microgravity conditions in the Space Shuttle

The Space Shuttle Columbia carried an Alloy Undercooling Experiment on its STS 61-C mission in January, 1986. The experiment was performed in an electromagnetic levitator. A sample of Ni-32.5 wt pct Sn eutectic was melted and solidified under microgravity conditions in the Space Shuttle. The specimen achieved only a fairly small undercooling, probably less than 30 K. The specimen was examined by optical and scanning electron microscopy. The surface and cross-sectional microstructures were primarily composed of normal lamellar eutectic, but showed several interesting features, including an apparent surface nucleation site, curved dendrites with nonorthogonal secondary arms, dendrite fragments with extremely fine arm spacing, submicron precipitates, and faceted crystals. The results of the space experiment are presented and compared with ground-based results obtained with the same alloy.

Piccone, T. J.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Microgravity experiments on granular materials

An account is given of planned NASA microgravity experiments which will be performed during future Space Shuttle flights, in conjunction with ground-based tests. Attention is given to the analytical and experimental issues that emerge in connection with such constitutive modeling of grannular materials. The presence of heterogeneous strain and stress fields within terrestrial specimens of such materials renders the derivation of unambiguous, objective properties, and the formulation of relevant constitutive equations, nearly impossible.

Costes, Nicholas C.↗

NASA NTRS1988

Non-contaminating method to reduce Marangoni convection in microgravity float zones

A ground-based experiment has validated the effectiveness of a noncontaminating method developed to reduce Marangoni (thermal capillary) convection in float-zone processing of corrosive materials in space microgravity. A drop of silicone oil 1.5 mm high was enclosed in a transparent box, and the small size of the drop was shown to suppress the 1-g thermal-buoyant convection. A vertical jet of air was blown tangentially over a vertical free surface, producing a viscous shear drag which opposes the Marangoni surface shear. A 66 percent reduction in Marangoni velocities was found in the lowest one-third of the drop, corresponding to the resolidification surface in a float-zone melt.

Dressler, R. F.↗

NASA NTRS1987

The lambda point experiment in microgravity

An experiment for performing high-resolution measurements of the heat capacity singularity at the lambda point of helium in microgravity conditions is described. By obtaining such measurements in space, it is expected that the intrinsic distortion of the transition would be reduced by at least two orders of magnitude, allowing the theory of cooperative phase transitions to be more effectively tested. Technology developments for the lambda point experiment include a new high-resolution thermometer, an advanced thermal control system, and a reusable flight-qualified superfluid helium dewar.

Lipa, J. A.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Life sciences, biotechnology, and microgravity

Growth hormone (GH) studies on rats flown aboard Spacelab 3 are discussed, and evidence for the direct effect of microgravity on cell function is reviewed. SL-3 rat GH cells were found to experience a secretory lesion (they contained more hormone per cell, but released less per cell relative to controls). Pituitary cell culture experiments on the STS-8 mission showed that GH cells did not subsequently release as much hormone as did control cells, indicating a secretory lesion. Changes in bone and muscle noted in SL-3 rats are related to GH cell findings.

Hymer, W. C.↗

NASA NTRS1987

A comparison of the reduction of convection by a magnetic field and a microgravity environment

The relative effectiveness of magnetic damping and the microgravity environment of space for suppressing buoyancy driven convection in semiconductor crystal melts was analyzed using flow estimates based on the convection driven by a single vertical heated plate. The results show that convection can be more than a factor of 10 weaker in space. If a strong magnetic field is applied in space, the convection can be reduced by a factor of 1000 over similarly magnetically damped convection in an earth-bound laboratory. The heated plate estimates were checked by comparing them with exact boundary layer theory for the nonmagnetic problem in the same configuration and they were found to be accurate.

Fowlis, William W.↗