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At least 1,315 records · Page 73

The Influence of the Several Very Large Solar Proton Events in Years 2000-2003 on the Neutral Middle Atmosphere

Solar proton events (SPEs) are known to have caused changes in constituents in the Earth's neutral middle atmosphere. The highly energetic protons produce ionizations, excitations, dissociations, and dissociative ionizations of the background constituents, which lead to the production of HOx (H, OH, HO2) and NOy (N, NO, NO2, NO3, N2O5, HNO3, HO2NO2, ClONO2, BrONO2). The HOx increases lead to short-lived ozone decreases in the mesosphere and upper stratosphere due to the short lifetimes of the HOx constituents. The NOy increases lead to long-lived stratospheric ozone changes because of the long lifetime of the NOy family in this region. The past four years, 2000-2003, have been replete with SPEs and huge fluxes of high energy protons occurred in July and November 2000, September and November 2001, April 2002, and October 2003. Smaller, but still substantial, proton fluxes impacted the Earth during other months from year 2000 to 2003. The Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) Two-dimensional (2D) Model was used in computing the influence of the SPEs. The impact of these extremely large SPEs was calculated to be especially large in the upper stratosphere and mesosphere. The results of the GSFC 2D Model will be shown along with comparisons to the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) Halogen Occultation Experiment (HALOE) and Solar Backscatter Ultraviolet 2 (SBUV/2) instruments.

Jackman, Charles H.↗

Calcium-stimulated autophosphorylation site of plant chimeric calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase

The existence of two molecular switches regulating plant chimeric Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase (CCaMK), namely the C-terminal visinin-like domain acting as Ca(2+)-sensitive molecular switch and calmodulin binding domain acting as Ca(2+)-stimulated autophosphorylation-sensitive molecular switch, has been described (Sathyanarayanan, P. V., Cremo, C. R., and Poovaiah, B. W. (2000) J. Biol. Chem. 275, 30417-30422). Here we report the identification of Ca(2+)-stimulated autophosphorylation site of CCaMK by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time of flight-mass spectrometry. Thr(267) was confirmed as the Ca(2+)-stimulated autophosphorylation site by post-source decay experiments and by site-directed mutagenesis. The purified T267A mutant form of CCaMK did not show Ca(2+)-stimulated autophosphorylation, autophosphorylation-dependent variable calmodulin affinity, or Ca(2+)/calmodulin stimulation of kinase activity. Sequence comparison of CCaMK from monocotyledonous plant (lily) and dicotyledonous plant (tobacco) suggests that the autophosphorylation site is conserved. This is the first identification of a phosphorylation site specifically responding to activation by second messenger system (Ca(2+) messenger system) in plants. Homology modeling of the kinase and calmodulin binding domain of CCaMK with the crystal structure of calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase 1 suggests that the Ca(2+)-stimulated autophosphorylation site is located on the surface of the kinase and far from the catalytic site. Analysis of Ca(2+)-stimulated autophosphorylation with increasing concentration of CCaMK indicates the possibility that the Ca(2+)-stimulated phosphorylation occurs by an intermolecular mechanism.

Non-NASA Center↗

Real-time three-dimensional color Doppler echocardiography for characterizing the spatial velocity distribution and quantifying the peak flow rate in the left ventricular outflow tract

Quantification of flow with pulsed-wave Doppler assumes a "flat" velocity profile in the left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT), which observation refutes. Recent development of real-time, three-dimensional (3-D) color Doppler allows one to obtain an entire cross-sectional velocity distribution of the LVOT, which is not possible using conventional 2-D echo. In an animal experiment, the cross-sectional color Doppler images of the LVOT at peak systole were derived and digitally transferred to a computer to visualize and quantify spatial velocity distributions and peak flow rates. Markedly skewed profiles, with higher velocities toward the septum, were consistently observed. Reference peak flow rates by electromagnetic flow meter correlated well with 3-D peak flow rates (r = 0.94), but with an anticipated underestimation. Real-time 3-D color Doppler echocardiography was capable of determining cross-sectional velocity distributions and peak flow rates, demonstrating the utility of this new method for better understanding and quantifying blood flow phenomena.

NASA Discipline Cardiopulmonary↗

An effect of weightlessness following exposure to vibration

Vibration of germinating wheat seedlings at the levels experienced during the launch of the NASA Biosatellite II increases the frequency of developmental arrest in seedling organs. Severe vibrations lasted approximately 30 sec in two stages. Power spectral density was greatest at frequencies around 15-16 and 19-22 Hz on the entire vehicle. Vibration forces reaching the affected parts of individual seedlings could not be measured. One or more seedling organs may be expected to be absent in 11% of selected Earth-grown wheat plants. If subjected to simulated launch vibration between 12 and 27 hr after the start of germination, the number of abnormal plants rises to 21.6%. Lateral roots are most affected by vibration at this age. Seedlings which went into orbital weightlessness aboard Biosatellite II, or were grown for several days on a horizontal clinostat after vibration, showed only 5.3% abnormalities. Simulated weightlessness on the clinostat without prior vibration did not alter the number of abnormal plants. It is suggested that growth in weightlessness following exposure to vibration permits more extensive repair of injury produced by vibration than does growth in Earth's gravity.

short duration↗

Collagen cross-link excretion during space flight and bed rest

Extended exposure to weightlessness results in bone loss. However, little information exists as to the precise nature or time course of this bone loss. Bone resorption results in the release of collagen breakdown products, including N-telopeptide and the pyridinium (PYD) cross-links, pyridinoline and deoxypyridinoline. Urinary pyridinoline and deoxypyridinoline are known to increase during bed rest. We assessed excretion of PYD cross-links and N-telopeptide before, during, and after long (28-day, 59-day, and 84-day) Skylab missions, as well as during short (14-day) and long (119-day) bed-rest studies. During space flight, the urinary cross-link excretion level was twice those observed before flight. Urinary excretion levels of the collagen breakdown products were also 40-50% higher, during short and long bed rest, than before. These results clearly show that the changes in bone metabolism associated with space flight involve increased resorption. The rate of response (i.e. within days to weeks) suggests that alterations in bone metabolism are an early effect of weightlessness. These studies are important for a better understanding of bone metabolism in space crews and in those who are bedridden.

NASA Center JSC↗

Satellite Measurements of Middle Atmospheric Impacts by Solar Proton Events in Solar Cycle 23

Solar proton events (SPEs) are known to have caused changes in constituents in the Earth's neutral polar middle atmosphere in the most recent solar maximum period (solar cycle 23). The highly energetic protons produced ionizations, excitations, dissociations, and dissociative ionizations of the background constituents in the polar cap regions (greater than 60 degrees geomagnetic latitude), which led to the production of HOx (H, OH, HO2) and NOy (N, NO, NO2, NO3, N2O5, HNO3, HO2NO2, ClONO2, BrONO2). The HOx increases led to short-lived ozone decreases in the polar mesosphere and upper stratosphere due to the short lifetimes of the HOx constituents. Polar middle mesospheric ozone decreases greater than 50% were observed and computed to last for hours to days due to the enhanced HOx. The NOy increases led to long-lived polar stratospheric ozone changes because of the long lifetime of the NOy family in this region. Upper stratospheric ozone decreases of greater than 10% were computed to last for several months past the solar events in the winter polar regions because of the enhanced NOy. Solar cycle 23 was especially replete with SPEs and huge fluxes of high energy protons occurred in July and November 2000, September and November 2001, April 2002, October 2003, and January 2005. Smaller, but still substantial, proton fluxes impacted the Earth during other months in this cycle. Observations by the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) Halogen Occultation Experiment (HALOE) and Solar Backscatter Ultraviolet 2 (SBUV/2) instruments along with GSFC 2D Model predictions will be shown in this talk.

Jackman, C.↗

Safety Aboard the International Space Station

As with any task that NASA takes on, safety is of utmost importaqce. There are pages of safety codes and procedures that must be followed before any idea can be brought to life. Unfortunately, the International Space Station s (ISS) safety regulations and procedures are based on lg standards rather than on Og. To aide in making this space age home away from home a less hazardous environment, I worked on several projects revolving around the dangers of flammable items in microgravity. The first task I was assigned was to track flames. This involves turning eight millimeter video recordings, of tests run in the five second drop tower, into avi format on the computer. The footage is then compressed and altered so that the flame can be seen more clearly. Using another program called Spotlight, line profiles were used to collect data describing the luminescence of the flame at different points. These raw data are saved as text files and run trough a macro so that a Matlab program can analyze it. By fitting the data to a curve and determining the areas of brightest luminescence, the behavior of the flame can be recorded numerically. After entering the data into a database, researchers can come back later and easily get information on flames resulting from different gas and liquid mixtures in microgravity. I also worked on phase two of the FATE project, which deals with safety aboard the ISS. This phase involves igniting projected droplets and determining how they react with secondary materials. Such simulations represent, on a small scale, the spread of onboard fires due to the effervescence of burning primary materials. I set up existing hardware to operate these experiments and ran tests with it, photographing the results. I also made CAD drawings of the apparatus and the area available on the (SF)2 rig for it to fit into. The experiment will later be performed on the KC-135, and the results gathered will be used to reanalyze current safety standards for the ISS, including the distance of required separation for flammable materials. Additional information is included in the original extended abstract.

Mintz, Shauna M.↗

Gardosian Patterns in Tribology

The following paper is a memorial retrospective on selected research of Dr. Michael N. Gardos. Dr. Gardos spent his professional career engaged in tribological research which often extended the scientific boundaries of the field. Several of the concepts he put forth into the tribology community were initially met with grave skepticism but over time his views have been largely embraced but not widely acknowledged. His approach to new research topics was often characterized by these qualities: 1) pioneering points of view, 2) the use of the model experiment, and 3) the presence of multiple research agendas for each single experiment. I have chosen to name his research approach as "Gardosian Patterns" in honor of his contributions to Tribology. Three specific examples of these patterns will be reviewed. One is the concept of atomic level tailoring of materials to control macroscopic properties. A second is the use of a model ball polishing experiment to identify high fracture toughness ceramics for use in rolling element bearings. A third Gardosian Pattern example is his pioneering work with the tribology of diamond and diamond films in which he proposed controlling friction via surface bond tailoring. In these examples, Gardos utilized conventional research tools in unconventional ways and, at times, even developed new tools which have become part of the mainstream. His remarkable career has left a positive and lasting mark on Tribology.

DellaCorte, Christopher↗

Fluorescence Visualization of Hypersonic Flow over Rapid Prototype Wind-Tunnel Models

Reentry models for use in hypersonic wind tunnel tests were fabricated using a stereolithography apparatus. These models were produced in one day or less, which is a significant time savings compared to the manufacture of ceramic or metal models. The models were tested in the NASA Langley Research Center 31-Inch Mach 10 Air Tunnel. Most of the models did not survive repeated tests in the tunnel, and several failure modes of the models were identified. Planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) of nitric oxide (NO) was used to visualize the flowfields in the wakes of these models. Pure NO was either seeded through tubes plumbed into the model or via a tube attached to the strut holding the model, which provided localized addition of NO into the model s wake through a porous metal cylinder attached to the end of the tube. Models included several 2-inch diameter Inflatable Reentry Vehicle Experiment (IRVE) models and 5-inch diameter Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) models. Various configurations were studied including different sting placements relative to the models, different model orientations and attachment angles, and different NO seeding methods. The angle of attack of the models was also varied and the location of the laser sheet was scanned to provide three-dimensional flowfield information. Virtual Diagnostics Interface technology, developed at NASA Langley, was used to visualize the data sets in post processing. The use of calibration "dotcards" was investigated to correct for camera perspective and lens distortions in the PLIF images. Lessons learned and recommendations for future experiments are discussed.

Alderfer, D. W.↗

Shaped Sonic Boom Demonstration/Experiment Airborne Data

This viewgraph presentation reviews NASA's project to demonstrate that careful design of aircraft contour the resultant sonic boom can maintain a tailored shape, propagating through a real atmosphere down to ground level. The areas in covered in this presentation are: (1) Past airborne shock measurement efforts, (2) SR-71 Sonic Boom Propagation Experiment (3) F-5E Inlet Spillage Shock Measurement (4) Flight test approach (5) GPS data (6) Shaped Sonic Boom Demonstration (SSBD) Mach calibration (7) Super Blanik L-23 sailplane (8) Near-field probing (8a)Maneuvers (8b) Control Room Displays (8c) Pressure Instrumentation (8d) Signatures.

Haering ,Edward A., Jr.↗

Johnson Space Center Flight Medicine Clinic Experience

Being a member of the Flight Medicine Clinic (FMC) Staff is a great experience. I joined the FMC staff 2 years ago when I became part of the Kelsey-Seybold team. The FMC staff consists of Flight Surgeons, Family Clinic Physician, Nursing staff, Wellness Coordinator and Support staff. We serve as the Primary Care Physicians for the astronauts and their families and provide annual physicals for the retired astronauts. We have approximately 800 patients in the FMC. As the Family Clinic Physician, I care for the astronaut spouses and children and provide annual physicals for the retired astronauts. Since we have a small patient population, we have the opportunity to spend increased personal time with our patients, which I enjoy. We have a pretty healthy patient population, who are very interested in their overall health and preventive care. In preparation for a shuttle launch, our nursing staff assists the flight surgeons with the astronaut physical exams, which occur 10 days prior to launch and again 3 days after their return. We also provide Primary Contact physicals for the families and guests, who will be in close contact with shuttle crew members. During these physicals, we provide education, emphasizing the importance of preventing the spread of communicable diseases to shuttle crew members. Being a part of the Space Medicine Program is an honor. To know that you contribute in some way to our nation s Space Program is very special. (This article was prepared by Dr. Trela Landry, M.D. for inclusion in a Kelsey-Seybold newsletter on 25 OCT 2006.)

Landry, Trela↗

Fluorescence Imaging and Streamline Visualization of Hypersonic Flow over Rapid Prototype Wind-Tunnel Models

Reentry models for use in hypersonic wind tunnel tests were fabricated using a stereolithography apparatus. These models were produced in one day or less, which is a significant time savings compared to the manufacture of ceramic or metal models. The models were tested in the NASA Langley Research Center 31-Inch Mach 10 Air Tunnel. Only a few of the models survived repeated tests in the tunnel, and several failure modes of the models were identified. Planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) of nitric oxide (NO) was used to visualize the flowfields in the wakes of these models. Pure NO was either seeded through tubes plumbed into the model or via a tube attached to the strut holding the model, which provided localized addition of NO into the model s wake through a porous metal cylinder attached to the end of the tube. Models included several 2- inch diameter Inflatable Reentry Vehicle Experiment (IRVE) models and 5-inch diameter Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) models. Various model configurations and NO seeding methods were used, including a new streamwise visualization method based on PLIF. Virtual Diagnostics Interface (ViDI) technology, developed at NASA Langley Research Center, was used to visualize the data sets in post processing. The use of calibration "dotcards" was investigated to correct for camera perspective and lens distortions in the PLIF images.

Danehy, Paul M.↗

Suborbital Platforms as a Tool for a Symbiotic Relationship Between Scientists, Engineers, and Students

Sounding rockets started in-situ space experimentation over 60 years ago with scientific experiments replacing warheads on captured V- 2 German rockets. Prior to this, and still today, suborbital platforms such as airplanes and high-altitude balloons have provided advantageous remote sensing observations advancing many areas of Earth and Space science. There is still a place for first-rate science in both stand-alone missions as well as providing complimentary measurements to the larger orbital missions. Along with the aforementioned science, the cost effectiveness and development times provided by sub-orbital platforms allows for perfect hands-on and first rate educational opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students. This talk will give examples and discuss the mutually beneficial opportunities that scientists and students obtain in development of suborbital missions. Also discussed will be how the next generation of space vehicles should help eliminate the number one obstacle to these programs - launch opportunities.

Chamberlin, Phillip C.↗

Module for Oxygenating Water without Generating Bubbles

A module that dissolves oxygen in water at concentrations approaching saturation, without generating bubbles of oxygen gas, has been developed as a prototype of improved oxygenators for water-disinfection and water-purification systems that utilize photocatalyzed redox reactions. Depending on the specific nature of a water-treatment system, it is desirable to prevent the formation of bubbles for one or more reasons: (1) Bubbles can remove some organic contaminants from the liquid phase to the gas phase, thereby introducing a gas-treatment problem that complicates the overall water-treatment problem; and/or (2) in some systems (e.g., those that must function in microgravity or in any orientation in normal Earth gravity), bubbles can interfere with the flow of the liquid phase. The present oxygenation module (see Figure 1) is a modified version of a commercial module that contains >100 hollow polypropylene fibers with a nominal pore size of 0.05 m and a total surface area of 0.5 m2. The module was originally designed for oxygenation in a bioreactor, with no water flowing around or inside the tubes. The modification, made to enable the use of the module to oxygenate flowing water, consisted mainly in the encapsulation of the fibers in a tube of Tygon polyvinyl chloride (PVC) with an inside diameter of 1 in. (approx.=25 mm). In operation, water is pumped along the insides of the hollow fibers and oxygen gas is supplied to the space outside the hollow tubes inside the PVC tube. In tests, the pressure drops of water and oxygen in the module were found to be close to zero at water-flow rates ranging up to 320 mL/min and oxygen-flow rates up to 27 mL/min. Under all test conditions, no bubbles were observed at the water outlet. In some tests, flow rates were chosen to obtain dissolved-oxygen concentrations between 25 and 31 parts per million (ppm) . approaching the saturation level of approx.=35 ppm at a temperature of 20 C and pressure of 1 atm (approx.=0.1 MPa). As one would expect, it was observed that the time needed to bring a flow of water from an initial low dissolved-oxygen concentration (e.g., 5 ppm) to a steady high dissolved-oxygen concentration at or near the saturation level depends on the rates of flow of both oxygen and water, among other things. Figure 2 shows the results of an experiment in which a greater flow of oxygen was used during the first few tens of minutes to bring the concentration up to approx.=25 ppm, then a lesser flow was used to maintain the concentration.

Gonzalez-Martin, Anuncia↗

Report on the Global Data Assembly Center (GDAC) to the 12th GHRSST Science Team Meeting

In 2010/2011 the Global Data Assembly Center (GDAC) at NASA's Physical Oceanography Distributed Active Archive Center (PO.DAAC) continued its role as the primary clearinghouse and access node for operational Group for High Resolution Sea Surface Temperature (GHRSST) datastreams, as well as its collaborative role with the NOAA Long Term Stewardship and Reanalysis Facility (LTSRF) for archiving. Here we report on our data management activities and infrastructure improvements since the last science team meeting in June 2010.These include the implementation of all GHRSST datastreams in the new PO.DAAC Data Management and Archive System (DMAS) for more reliable and timely data access. GHRSST dataset metadata are now stored in a new database that has made the maintenance and quality improvement of metadata fields more straightforward. A content management system for a revised suite of PO.DAAC web pages allows dynamic access to a subset of these metadata fields for enhanced dataset description as well as discovery through a faceted search mechanism from the perspective of the user. From the discovery and metadata standpoint the GDAC has also implemented the NASA version of the OpenSearch protocol for searching for GHRSST granules and developed a web service to generate ISO 19115-2 compliant metadata records. Furthermore, the GDAC has continued to implement a new suite of tools and services for GHRSST datastreams including a Level 2 subsetter known as Dataminer, a revised POET Level 3/4 subsetter and visualization tool, a Google Earth interface to selected daily global Level 2 and Level 4 data, and experimented with a THREDDS catalog of GHRSST data collections. Finally we will summarize the expanding user and data statistics, and other metrics that we have collected over the last year demonstrating the broad user community and applications that the GHRSST project continues to serve via the GDAC distribution mechanisms. This report also serves by extension to summarize the activities of the GHRSST Data Assembly and Systems Technical Advisory Group (DAS-TAG).

sea surface temperature (SST)↗

Z-Pinch Fusion Propulsion

Fusion-based nuclear propulsion has the potential to enable fast interplanetary transportation. Shorter trips are better for humans in the harmful radiation environment of deep space. Nuclear propulsion and power plants can enable high Ispand payload mass fractions because they require less fuel mass. Fusion energy research has characterized the Z-Pinch dense plasma focus method. (1) Lightning is form of pinched plasma electrical discharge phenomena. (2) Wire array Z-Pinch experiments are commonly studied and nuclear power plant configurations have been proposed. (3) Used in the field of Nuclear Weapons Effects (NWE) testing in the defense industry, nuclear weapon x-rays are simulated through Z-Pinch phenomena.

Miernik, Janie↗

Robotic Lunar Landers for Science and Exploration

The MSFC/APL Robotic Lunar Landing Project (RLLDP) team has developed lander concepts encompassing a range of mission types and payloads for science, exploration, and technology demonstration missions: (1) Developed experience and expertise in lander systems, (2) incorporated lessons learned from previous efforts to improve the fidelity of mission concepts, analysis tools, and test beds Mature small and medium lander designs concepts have been developed: (1) Share largely a common design architecture. (2) Flexible for a large number of mission and payload options. High risk development areas have been successfully addressed Landers could be selected for a mission with much of the concept formulation phase work already complete

Cohen, Barbara A.↗

Pilot Evaluation of Proposed Go-Around Criteria for Transport Category Aircraft

The primary objective of this study was to capture pilot feedback and decision-making with regard to proposed, hypothetical, go-around criteria that were developed based on previous research. A secondary objective of the study was to assess crew members' awareness of the aircraft state on approach. An experiment was conducted using Boeing 737-800 and Airbus A330-200 level D full-flight simulators, in which pilots flew multiple approaches which were on the borderline of the proposed go-around criteria at 300 ft. Pilots were instructed that they could either execute a go-around or land the airplane on each run, forcing a decision for the borderline cases at 300 ft. Pilots were instructed to go around if the aircraft was outside of the go-around criteria at 300 ft or if either pilot was uncomfortable with the approach. The results revealed that: 1) the most important factors which drove go-around decision-making during the experiment were airspeed and localizer deviation, 2) the objective data suggested that the 300-ft gate is viable, although many pilots were still uncomfortable with that gate height; perhaps more emphasis on checking stability at 1,000 ft and 500 ft would make more pilots comfortable with the 300-ft go-around gate, 3) allowing for momentary deviations should be considered, and 4) the acceptability of the criteria is highly dependent on given pilot's risk tolerance. Overall, the proposed criteria performed well, and most pilots would find the criteria acceptable with some minor adjustments.

go-arounds↗