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Contoured-stiffened 63 by 337 inch 2124 aluminum alloy panels are machined in-the-flat to make integral, tapered T-capped stringers, parallel with longitudinal centerline. Aging fixture, which includes net contour formers made from lofted contour templates, has eggcrate-like structure for use in forming and checking panels.
The chemiluminescence from samples of polybutadiene, Viton, Teflon, Silicone, PL 731 Adhesive, and SP 296 Boron-Epoxy composite was measured at temperatures from 25 to 150 C. Excellent correlations were obtained between chemiluminescence and temperature. These correlations serve to validate accelerated aging tests (at elevated temperatures) designed to predict service life at lower temperatures. In most cases, smooth or linear correlations were obtained between chemiluminescence and physical properties of purified polymer gums, including the tensile strength, viscosity, and loss tangent. The latter is a complex function of certain polymer properties. Data were obtained with far greater ease by the chemiluminescence technique than by the conventional methods of study. The chemiluminescence from the Teflon (Halon) samples was discovered to arise from trace amounts of impurities, which were undetectable by conventional, destructive analysis of the sample.
Development of adhesives for applications requiring long-term service at temperatures up to 600 F is discussed. This development work utilizes polyimide (PI) and polyphenylquinoxaline (PPQ) resin technology worked out previously. The resultant adhesives are evaluated in structural joints of titanium, steel and composite adherends and in honeycomb sandwich panels. Suitable adhesives also are evaluated in weld bonded titanium alloy joints. Testing includes determination of long-term aging of stressed and unstressed specimens at temperatures from about 450 F to 600 F as well as under dynamic fatigue conditions.
The Vermilion district in Northeastern Minnesota is a classic example of a lower Precambrian greenstone-granite terrane in the Superior Province of the Canadian Shield. The present study presents new Rb-Sr isotopic data for the Ely Greenstone, the Newton Lake Formation, granitic pebbles that occur within the Ely Greenstone, a graywacke composite of the Knife Lake Group, and some Algoman granites whose data are complementary to those of Peterman et al. (1972). The isochron ages obtained are statistically indistinguishable and therefore cannot be used to resolve the timing of specific geologic events. Volcanic extrusion, granitic intrusion, and metamorphism are shown to be less contemporaneous events which probably took place within a time span of less than 50 m.y. A major conclusion is that a granitic basement probably did not underlie the Ely Greenstone.
The ages of large Martian channels have been studied by determining the relative abundances of craters superimposed on channels and adjacent terrains and by examining superposition relationships between channels and plains and mantle materials. The channels are extremely old, are spatially confined and temporally related to the ancient cratered terrain, and in many cases are related to the as yet poorly understood genetic processes of fretting and chaos formation. No evidence is found for recent channel activity.
Space age health care delivery is being delivered to both NASA astronauts and employees with primary emphasis on preventive medicine. The program relies heavily on comprehensive health physical exams, health education, screening programs and physical fitness programs. Medical data from the program is stored in a computer bank so epidemiological significance can be established and better procedures can be obtained. Besides health care delivery to the NASA population, NASA is working with HEW on a telemedicine project STARPAHC, applying space technology to provide health care delivery to remotely located populations.
The large area crop inventory experiment is being developed to predict crop production through satellite photographs. This experiment demonstrates how space age technology can contribute to solving practical problems of agriculture management.
Major, minor, and trace-element compositions, age data, and Rb/Sr systematics of Apollo 17 boulders have been compiled, and additional analyses performed on a norite breccia clast (77215) included in the Apollo 17, Station 7 boulder. The Apollo 17 boulders are found to be identical or nearly so in major, minor, and trace-element composition, suggesting that they all originated as an impact melt analogous to melt sheets found in larger terrestrial craters. The matrix dates (Ar-40/Ar-39) and Rb/Sr systematics available suggest that this impact melt formed by a single impact about 4 billion years ago. This impact excavated, shocked, brecciated, and melted norites, norite cumulates, and possibly anorthositic gabbros and dunites about 4.4 billion years old. The impact was likely a major one, possibly the Serenitatis basin-forming event.
Thermal profiles for the moon are calculated under the assumption that a pre-main-sequence T-Tauri-like solar wind excites both transverse magnetic and transverse electric induction while the moon is accreting. A substantial initial temperature rise occurs, possibly of sufficient magnitude to cause subsequent early extensive melting throughout the moon in conjunction with nominal long-lived radioactives. In these models, accretion is an unimportant direct source of thermal energy but is important because even small temperature rises from accretion cause significant changes in bulk electrical conductivity. Induction depends upon the radius of the moon, which we take to be accumulating while it is being heated electrically. The 'zero-age' profiles calculated in this paper are proposed as initial conditions for long-term thermal evolution of the moon.
Fossil track analyses of impregnated core sections from the Apollo 15 and 16 deep drill cores were used to study two types of distinct layers of about 1 mm and about several mm thick in the lunar regolith. The data supports a mixing model hypothesis for the origin of the sampled soil column dominated by large, fresh feldspar fragments. The boundary track method and the track gradient method were used to study the compaction ages of lunar breccias.
Commercial O-rings made from 13 different rubber compounds were tested for physical properties after 7 and 12 years of shelf aging. No gross changes were observed in tensile strength, elongation, or compression deflection characteristics.
It is noted that the variable Rb-Sr model ages of lunar highland rocks containing a significant amount of KREEP basalt may be best explained by some fractionation of Rb from Sr during metamorphism 3.9 billion years ago, but the uniformity of the KREEP-type trace-element pattern in different highland samples indicates that elements such as the rare earth were hardly fractionated at all during the metamorphic event. Data are presented which show that the Rb/Sr fractionation 3.9 billion years ago was due to Rb mobilization alone in most cases and that this fractionation can be accounted for by coupling of Rb to other, less volatile incompatible elements. Variations of Rb in lunar highland rocks are analyzed, a correction method is applied for the Rb/Sr fractionation, and results are evaluated separately for Apollo 16 VHA and KREEP basalts, Apollo 17 noritic breccias, Apollo 14 KREEP breccias, Apollo 15 KREEP basalts, and Apollo 15-KREEP-enriched breccias. Evidence for volatilization of alkalis from glasses of impact origin is summarized, and an apparent correlation is discussed between meteoritic component (as given by the Ir/Au ratio) and rock type (as given by the U or Rb content) for many lunar highland samples.
Double-heterojunction A2(0.3)Ga(0.7)As/Al(0.08)Ga(0.92)As lasers (oxide-striped and Al2O3 facet coated) were subjected to step-temperature aging from 60 to 100 C. The change in threshold current and spontaneous output was monitored at 22 C. The average time required for a 20% pulsed threshold current increase ranges from about 500 h, when operating at 100 C, to about 5000 h at a 70 C ambience. At 22 C, the extrapolated time is about 1 million h. The time needed for a 50% spontaneous emission reduction is of the same order of magnitude. The resulting activation energies are approximately 0.95 eV for laser degradation and approximately 1.1 eV for the spontaneous output decrease
The astronomical theory of the Quaternary ice ages is incorporated into a simple climate model for global weather; important features of the model include the albedo feedback, topography and dynamics of the ice sheets. For various parameterizations of the orbital elements, the model yields realistic assessments of the northern ice sheet. Lack of a land-sea heat capacity contrast represents one of the chief difficulties of the model.
Stratigraphic relations between lowland plains and highlands, two major types of Martian geologic-terrain units, were not directly distinguishable on Mariner-9 images. Morphologic characteristics and crater densities suggested that the lava plains beneath their eolian cover were younger than adjacent highland rocks, which form a plateau bounded in many places by highly dissected escarpments. Alternatively, the lowland plains could be the older unit and represent a broad erosional surface exhumed by southward retreat of the highlands along their frontal scarp. Viking photos across five areas of the highland-lowland boundary, however, tend to confirm the younger age of the plains-forming lava flows. A time interval of several hundred million years probably occurred between the retreat of the highland scarp and its latest embayment by lava extrusions in the lowlands.
Terrestrial ages of meteorites are based on the amount of cosmic-ray-produced radioactivity in the sample and the number of observed falls that have similar cosmic-ray exposure histories. The cosmic-ray exposures are obtained from the stable noble gas isotopes. Noble gas isotopes are measured by high-sensitivity mass spectrometry. In the present study, the noble gas contents were measured in four Allan Hill meteorites (No. 5, No. 6, No. 7, and No. 8), whose C-14, Al-26, and Mn-53 radioactivities are known. These meteorites are of particular interest because they belong to a large assemblage of distinct meteorites that lie exposed on a small (110 sq km) area of ice near the Allan Hills.
The study focuses on the time of formation of the graben. An attempt is made to determine whether the graben are restricted to geologic units of certain ages, and whether and at what time graben formation ceased. It is shown that (1) most preserved graben formed considerably later than the impacts that formed the basins; (2) graben are faults that are reactivated along older basin concentric and radial structures and lunar grid directions; (3) graben formation ceased about 3.6 + or - 0.2 b.y. ago; and (4) graben formation reflects a tensile stress fields that obtained during part of early lunar history. Other features of graben systems on the moon are also identified.
The activity of acetylcholinesterase (Ache) and butyrilcholinesterase (Bche) in the blood and the heart of 3 and 13 month old control male rats is considerably lower than in female rats. In 25 month old rats, no sex differences in the Ache and Bche were revealed in the heart. In 3 and 13 month old male and female rats, under conditions of muscular exercises, the Ache and Bche activity is lower, and in hypokinetic male rats -- higher than that in respective control animals. In all the rats, irrespective of sex, age, and motor conditions, Ache and Bche activity tended to decrease from the sinoatrial node to the heart apex.