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At least 1,423 records · Page 79

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NASA NTRS1973

Compliance measurements.

The uses of compliance measurements in linear fracture mechanics are discussed as a technique for determining the crack-extension force vs load, specimen dimensions, and elastic constants. Some practical examples of application are given, including specimen and transducer descriptions, experimental procedure, instrumentation, calculations, measurement precautions, friction effects, and data reduction. The limitations and advantages of compliance measurements are discussed. It is pointed out that good results can be obtained by the compliance method when its measurement precision is not lower than that required for Young's modulus.

Bubsey, R. T.↗

NASA NTRS1975

A sounding rocket spectroheliometer for photometric studies at extreme ultraviolet wavelengths

Construction and mode of operation are described for a sounding rocket spectroheliometer used to establish the sensitivity of the EUV spectroheliometer on the Skylab Apollo Telescope Mount (ATM). The sounding rocket instrument was calibrated immediately before and after two flights and the calibration was transferred when the rocket and ATM instruments simultaneously measured the average intensity emitted by a quiet area of the solar disk. Descriptions are presented for the payload assembly and flight sequence, the optical system (telescope, spectrometer, and pointing reference camera), the vacuum pumping system, and the instrument electronics. Results obtained from the two flights in August and December 1973 are discussed, which included unambiguous determinations of the absolute intensity emitted by a region of the quiet solar disk over the wavelength range from 1350 to 300 A on two separate occasions and the establishment of photometric accuracy to that of laboratory calibration procedures.

Timothy, J. G.↗

NASA NTRS2004

Microshutters Arrays for the JWST Near Infrared Spectrometer

The Near Infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec) for the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is an essential instrument for measuring the number and density evolution of galaxies following the epoch of initial formation. The NIRSpec is a multi-object spectrograph, allowing simultaneous observation of more than 100 candidate high redshift galaxies. A critical element of the instrument is the programmable field selector, the Microshutter Array. The system consists of four 175 x 384 arrays of individually openable shutters, close packed on a 100 x 200 micron pitch, which allow selection of over 200 candidate objects over the 3 min x 3 min field of the NIRSpec. We will describe the development, production, and test of this critical element of the NIRSpec.

Moseley, Harvey↗

NASA NTRS1979

Making real-time sun reflectance measurements with a microprocessor-based spectroradiometer

A standard high-speed, field-portable spectroradiometric measurement system built around a programmable microprocessor has been adapted to the form of a Reflectometer/Comparator. In this configuration, the instrument makes passive measurements of the absolute reflectance of agricultural plant canopies over a spectral range of 0.4 to 2.5 micrometers. Real-time absolute measurements are made possible by an optical chopper which constantly compares the target with the sun, and makes extensive measurements of solar reflectance from a variety of these targets. The paper describes the instrumentation and measurement procedures, reviews the software programming and discusses the results.

Zweibaum, F. M.↗

NASA NTRS1993

Calibration of a calorimeter for measuring the performance of thermal control surfaces

The calibration to evaluate the heat leak in terms of the deviation from a perfect calorimeter is described. A thermal vacuum test was carried out to characterize the performance of the calorimeter. The calorimeter was equipped with a heater to control the sample disc temperature and with specific instrumentation to measure the heat leak. The radiation sink temperature of the black cavity target was varied from -192 to +31C, while the heater power was varied from 0 to 311 milliwatts. A steady state thermal model was developed to correlate the results. The calorimeter performance was characterized in terms of the heat leak as a percentage of the ideal heat flow of the calorimeter disc. Large deviations from ideal performance occur at low sink temperatures. The effect of the use of the heater is discussed. The effects of transient conditions during low Earth orbit are discussed. It is concluded that heat leak calibrations are necessary for a wide range of conditions.

Houseman, John↗

NASA NTRS1990

The SHOOT cryogenic components - Testing and applicability to other flight programs

Cryogenic components and techniques for the superfluid helium on-orbit transfer (SHOOT) flight demonstration are described. Instrumentation for measuring liquid quantity, position, flow rate, temperature, and pressure has been developed using the data obtained from the IRAS, Cosmic Background Explorer, and Spacelab 2 helium dewars. Topics discussed include valves and burst disks, fluid management devices, structural/thermal components, instrumentation, and ground support equipment and performance test apparatus.

Dipirro, Michael J.↗

NASA NTRS2019

Optical Studies of Low Reflectance Materials at Solar Reflective Wavelengths in Support of Remote Sensing Instrument Development and Calibration

We report the Bidirectional Reflection Distribution Function (BRDF) and Total Hemispheric Reflectance (THR) results of several low reflectance materials using a Table-top Goniometer (TTG) and a commercial UV-VIS-NIR spectrophotometer in support of the NASA GSFC PACE project. The newly developed TTG was utilized to perform the BRDF measurements for several black candidate samples in in-plane and out-of-plane configurations from 300 nm to 2000 nm. These measurements demonstrated the BRDF capability of the TTG to calibrate the dim calibration target with a reflectance of approximately 2 % for the OCI of the PACE project. The spectral THR of the black samples from 200 nm to 2500 nm was determined using a 10 % reflectance diffuse black standard and a monochromator-based light source equipped with a 150 mm diameter integrating sphere. The THR measurement is used to compliment and validate the BRDF measurements acquired from these samples. In this presentation, we also show examples of UV induced BRDF and THR changes on two black coatings. We will discuss validation of the BRDF scale, source stability, measurement repeatability, instrument signature, and uncertainty components.

Bidirectional Reflection Distribution Function (BR↗

DOE OSTI2024

Lightning and Radar Measures of Mixed-Phase Updraft Variability in Tracked Storms during the TRACER Field Campaign in Houston, Texas

Properties of 7488 thunderstorms are summarized for June–September 2022 during the Tracking Aerosol Convection Interactions Experiment (TRACER) field campaign Houston, Texas, using polarimetric weather radar and VHF 3D Lightning Mapping Array data. Automated tracking of storms linked each instrument’s measurements to a data-defined, time-evolving storm footprint. Within each storm, the depth and magnitude of episodic columns of radar differential reflectivity and specific differential phase quantified the prevalence of updrafts that activated mixed-phase precipitation pathways. Lightning measurements further distinguished the degree of rimed precipitation formation: the fraction of tracks with lightning varied from day to day and cells with lightning had stronger polarimetric columns. Track-level correlation of the lightning flash rate with radar polarimetric measures had substantial spread, showing that lightning provides an additional signal of mixed-phase precipitation processes that can complement future studies of thermodynamic and aerosol controls on cloud microphysics in the Houston region.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

NASA NTRS1988

Some test/analysis issues for the space station structural characterization experiment

The Space Station Structural Characterization Experiment (SSSCE) 1,2 is an early space flight experiment that uses the space station as a generic structure to study the dynamic characteristics of Large Space Structures (LSS). On-orbit modal testing will be conducted to determine natural frequencies, mode shapes and damping of dominant structural modes of the space structure assembly. This experiment will utimately support the development of system identification and analytical modeling techniques for Large Space Structures. In order to ensure the success of SSSCE (in-space validation of modeling techniques for LSS), adequate measurement and instrumentation requirements have to be established during the experiment-definition study. Among the issues affecting these requirements, spatial and modal coverages of the modal test data are of particular interest. Topics such as total number of sensors, type of measurements (translation and rotation), optimal sensor locations (measurement degrees-of-freedom), selection of target modes, effects of modal superposition and truncation, separation of global and local modes, etc., are all a fundamental importance and must be investigated.

Chou, Chaur-Ming↗

NASA NTRS2020

Causes and Effects of AIRS Optics Temperature Cycles

In addition to the expected orbital thermal cycle, geophysical conditions with high thermal and reflected upwelling infrared (IR) drive measurable changes in the AIRS instrument with a period of 24 hours. Especially hot and bright scenes are important, with about 30% of the variability driven by thermal IR and 70% by reflected IR. We show how these cycles manifest in the instrument telemetry for temperatures and gain and with careful analysis can even be detected in spectral shifts.Thermal cycles are an unavoidable feature of instruments observing upwelling radiances from Earth, because the signal inherently carries varying amounts of energy into the instrument. Temperature control of the optical bench, on-board calibrator blackbody, and Focal Plane Array (FPA) in AIRS reduce the impacts of temperature variability to extremely small levels. This combined with good on-board telemetry of the temperatures and including temperature variability in our calibration algorithm has resulted in an instrument that achieves ‘climate quality’ measurements. Careful instrument and algorithm design allows us to characterize and document the impact of temperature variability and limit the effects to negligible levels, helping the instrument meet important climate-quality criteria specified in Ohring 2005

Overoye, Kenneth↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Constraining the Hydration of X-Ray Amorphous and Clay Mineral Phases in Gale Crater, Mars

Clay minerals and salts in the Gale crater stratigraphy investigated by the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Curiosity rover preserve information about sediment sources, depositional environment, and post-depositional alteration history. The compositions of amorphous components in samples have bearing on the redox potential, pH, and chemistry of alteration fluids, and on the heterogeneity of these conditions. Interlayer clay hydration in present-day Gale crater could be an indication of high water/rock ratios of late-stage fluid alteration events, which increases the potential habitability of these post-depositional environments. The MSL Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons instrument (DAN) measures bulk hydration and here we attempt to determine the hydration states of both clay minerals and amorphous components throughout the Curiosity traverse to constrain the abundance of individual amorphous phases and determine if clay interlayer water is present today. These implications are also more broadly applicable to similar sedimentary successions outside Gale crater. In this study, we compare hydration results from DAN to mineralogical results from the MSL Chemistry and Mineralogy instrument (CheMin) for 16 different fluvio-lacustrine sample locations. These samples typically contain one or more hydrated crystalline phases, a hydrated X-ray amorphous fraction composed of multiple amorphous phases, and one or more clay mineral phases which CheMin has consistently measured as collapsed (i.e., no interlayer water). However, Gale samples are known to dehydrate during sample acquisition and handling, and because DAN measures hydration to a depth of tens of cm, we can test for the presence of clay interlayer water in situ by comparing DAN bulk hydration to CheMin mineralogy. We can also constrain the hydration of the samples’ amorphous fractions, and with geochemical data from the ChemCam and APXS instruments, this will allow us to better define the phases which compose this fraction.

S Czarnecki↗

NASA NTRS1972

Measurement of the degree of anisotropy of the cosmic radiation using the IMP space vehicle

The detector and data reduction techniques used in connection with the cosmic ray experiments designed for and flown on Explorer 34 and 41 satellites are described. A history of the program development and the present status of data processing are briefly summarized. The instrument to measure the anisotropy and energy spectra of cosmic ray electrons and protons, and X-rays of solar and galactic origin is discussed. The main characteristics of the detectors and the stability during 23 months of operation are described. The method of analysis of the angular distribution of solar cosmic ray particles in the ecliptic plane is given. It is shown that the anisotropy of low energy particles of solar origin decreases sharply to a very small value when the satellite penetrates the magnetosphere.

Palmeira, R. A. R.↗

NASA NTRS1993

Prediction of rocket plume radiative heating using backward Monte-Carlo method

A backward Monte-Carlo plume radiation code has been developed to predict rocket plume radiative heating to the rocket base region. This paper provides a description of this code and provides sample results. The code was used to predict radiative heating to various locations during test firings of 48-inch solid rocket motors at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center. Comparisons with test measurements are provided. Predictions of full scale sea level Redesigned Solid Rocket Motor (RSRM) and Advanced Solid Rocket Motor (ASRM) plume radiative heating to the Space Shuttle external tank (ET) dome center were also made. A comparison with the Development Flight Instrumentation (DFI) measurements is also provided.

Wang, K. C.↗

NASA NTRS2017

US Navy Submarine Sea Trial of the NASA Air Quality Monitor

For the past four years, the Air Quality Monitor (AQM) has been the operational instrument for measuring trace volatile organic compounds on the International Space Station (ISS). The key components of the AQM are the inlet preconcentrator, the gas chromatograph (GC), and the differential mobility spectrometer. Most importantly, the AQM operates at atmospheric pressure and uses air as the GC carrier gas, which translates into a small reliable instrument. Onboard ISS there are two AQMs, with different GC columns that detect and quantify 22 compounds. The AQM data contributes valuable information to the assessment of air quality aboard ISS for each crew increment. The U.S. Navy is looking to update its submarine air monitoring suite of instruments, and the success of the AQM on ISS has led to a jointly planned submarine sea trial of a NASA AQM. In addition to the AQM, the Navy is also interested in the Multi-Gas Monitor (MGM), which was successfully flown on ISS as a technology demonstration to measure major constituent gases (oxygen, carbon dioxide, water vapor, and ammonia). A separate paper will present the MGM sea trial results. A prototype AQM, which is virtually identical to the operational AQM, has been readied for the sea trial. Only one AQM will be deployed during the sea trial, but it is sufficient to detect the compounds of interest to the Navy for the purposes of this trial. A significant benefit of the AQM is that runs can be scripted for pre-determined intervals and no crew intervention is required. The data from the sea trial will be compared to archival samples collected prior to and during the trial period. This paper will give a brief overview of the AQM technology and protocols for the submarine trial. After a quick review of the AQM preparation, the main focus of the paper will be on the results of the submarine trial. Of particular interest will be the comparison of the contaminants found in the ISS and submarine atmospheres, as both represent closed environments. In U.K. submarine trials in the early 2000s, the submarine and ISS atmospheres were found to be remarkably similar.

Limero, Thomas↗

DOE OSTI2022

California - Auxiliary Datasets for Buoy (120), Humboldt / Derived Data

This dataset compiles results from different model-based hindcasts and instruments that measure environmental variables at the location of the associated lidar buoys. This dataset complements the lidar buoy measurements by providing longer time histories of selected environmental parameters. The data were extracted from the closest grid point to the average lidar buoy position. The data were obtained from the public domain and references to the originators/owners are provided under each instrument.

17 WIND ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2022

California - Auxiliary Datasets for Buoy (130), Morro Bay / Derived Data

17 WIND ENERGY↗

NASA NTRS1979

Mars atmospheric phenomena during major dust storms, as measured at surface

Meteorological instrumentation aboard the Viking Mars Landers measures wind, temperature, and pressure. Two global dust storms occurred during northern autumn and winter, observed both by the orbiters and by the landers. The meteorological data from the landers has been analyzed for the period just before first storm arrival to just after second storm arrival, with the objectives of defining the meteorological phenomena during the storm period, determining those associated with storm and dust arrival, and evaluating the effects on synoptic conditions and the general circulation. Times of dust arrival over the sites could be defined fairly closely from optical and pressure (solar tide) data, and dust arrival was also accompanied by changes in diurnal temperature range, temperature maxima, and temperature minima. The arrivals of the storms at Viking Lander 1 were accompanied by significant increases in wind speed and pressure. No such changes were observed at Viking Lander 2. It is possible that surface material could have been raised locally at Viking Lander 1. Throughout the period except for the time following the second dust storm the synoptic picture at Viking Lander 2 was one of eastward moving cyclonic and anticyclonic systems. These disappeared following the second storm, a phenomenon which may be related to the storm.

Ryan, J. A.↗

NASA NTRS1990

Aircraft measurements of electrified clouds at Kennedy Space Center. Part 1: 1988 flights

During the fall of 1988, a Schweizer 845 airplane equipped to measure electric field and other meteorological parameters flew over Kennedy Space Center in a program to study clouds defined in the existing launch retriction requirements. The special purpose test vehicle for atmospheric research (SPTVAR) was suitable for flights through thunderclouds and was instrumented to measure all three components of the ambient electric vector. The main goals of the project were: (1) to develop and demonstrate techniques for measuring the electric field aloft and locate regions of charge during flight; (2) to characterize the electrical conditions within and near clouds that are presently identified as a threat to space launch vehicles; and (3) to study the correlation between the electric field aloft and that at Kennedy Space Center's ground-based field mill network for a variety of electrified clouds.

Jones, J. J.↗