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At least 1,423 records · Page 79
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1983

Polarization radiation in the planetary atmosphere delimited by a heterogeneous diffusely reflecting surface

Spatial frequency characteristics (SFC) and the scattering functions were studied in the two cases of a uniform horizontal layer with absolutely black bottom, and an isolated layer. The mathematical model for these examples describes the horizontal heterogeneities in a light field with regard to radiation polarization in a three dimensional planar atmosphere, delimited by a heterogeneous surface with diffuse reflection. The perturbation method was used to obtain vector transfer equations which correspond to the linear and nonlinear systems of polarization radiation transfer. The boundary value tasks for the vector transfer equation that is a parametric set and one dimensional are satisfied by the SFC of the nonlinear system, and are expressed through the SFC of linear approximation. As a consequence of the developed theory, formulas were obtained for analytical calculation of albedo in solving the task of dissemination of polarization radiation in the planetary atmosphere with uniform Lambert bottom.

Strelkov, S. A.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Comparison of winds, waves, and turbulence as observed by airborne lidar, ground-based radars, and instrumented tower

On June 29, 1981, two ground-based Doppler radars, an airborne Doppler optical radar (lidar), an instrumented tower, and a rawinsonde were employed to collect wind data in the planetary boundary layer (PBL) in central Oklahoma. The main objectives of this experiment were related to a comparison of wind estimates and the visualization of the three-dimensional eddy structure in the convective atmospheric boundary layer. Discrepancies in the mean wind and wind profile detected by the different sensing systems were explained as being caused by a Schuler resonance of the aircraft's inertial navigation system, which caused an erroneous component of the aircraft's ground-relative velocity vector to be subtracted from the lidar-measured radial velocities. It is concluded that NASA's airborne Doppler optical radar system is capable of measuring wind fields in clear air on a smaller scale than was previously available with fixed remote sensors.

Eilts, M. D.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Remote sensing of atmospheric winds using a coherent, CW lidar and speckle-turbulence interaction

Speckle turbulence interaction has the potential for allowing single ended remote sensing of the path averaged vector crosswind in a plane perpendicular to the line of sight to a target. If a laser transmitter is used to illuminate a target, the resultant speckle field generated by the target is randomly perturbed by the atmospheric turbulence as it propagates back to the location of the transmitter-receiver. When a cross wind is present, this scintillation pattern will move with time across the receiver. A continuous wave (cw) laser transmitter of modest power level in conjunction with optical heterodyne detection was used to exploit the speckel turbulence interaction and measure the crosswind. The use of a cw transmitter at 10.6 microns and optical heterodyne detection has many advantages over direct detection and a double pulsed source in the visible or near infrared. These advantages include the availability of compact, reliable and inexpensive transmitters, better penetration of smoke, dust and fog; stable output power; low beam pointing jitter; and considerably reduced complexity in the receiver electronics.

Holmes, J. F.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Comparison of flux-vector and flux-difference splitting techniques for hypersonic flow

Some numerical aspects of flux-vector splitting (FVS) and flux-difference splitting (FDS) schemes are investigated to determine the accuracy for the shock and expansion waves in hypersonic blunt body flow fields. The analysis includes the implementation of Steger-Warming's three-component FVS (Reklis and Thomas, 1981), van Leer's (1986) FVS, and Yang's (1985) FDS to the right-hand side of a time marching scheme where the left-hand side is a variant of the incremental line Gauss-Seidel scheme. Numerous computations are performed by blending two simple flux limiters to test the various schemes on a generic aerobrake at M(infinity) = 10 and zero angle of attack. It is found that the flux limiter plays a very important role in the accuracy of shock capturing. The steady state results are compared to those of a shock-fitting scheme and advantages and disadvantages of each scheme are discussed briefly.

Wey, T. C.↗
NASA NTRS1991

The determination of time-stationary two-dimensional convection patterns with single-station radars

A critical examination of the accuracy of ionospheric vector velocity determinations, using realistic modeled flow patterns that are time-stationary but not spatially uniform, is presented. Under certain circumstances the actual and inferred flow fields are found to exhibit considerable discrepancy, sometimes not even agreeing in the sense of flow direction. It is shown that the natural curvature present in ionospheric convection on varying spatial scales can introduce significant error in the velocity estimate, particularly when the radius of curvature of the flow structure is less than or equal to the radar range to the scattering volume. It is argued that the ionospheric convection should be measured by bidirectional or multidirectional observations of a common ionospheric volume and that a synthesis of coherent and incoherent radar observations from different sites is preferable to multidirectional single-station observations using either radar alone.

Freeman, M. P.↗
NASA NTRS1996

Computational Methods for Frictional Contact With Applications to the Space Shuttle Orbiter Nose-Gear Tire

A computational procedure is presented for the solution of frictional contact problems for aircraft tires. A Space Shuttle nose-gear tire is modeled using a two-dimensional laminated anisotropic shell theory which includes the effects of variations in material and geometric parameters, transverse-shear deformation, and geometric nonlinearities. Contact conditions are incorporated into the formulation by using a perturbed Lagrangian approach with the fundamental unknowns consisting of the stress resultants, the generalized displacements, and the Lagrange multipliers associated with both contact and friction conditions. The contact-friction algorithm is based on a modified Coulomb friction law. A modified two-field, mixed-variational principle is used to obtain elemental arrays. This modification consists of augmenting the functional of that principle by two terms: the Lagrange multiplier vector associated with normal and tangential node contact-load intensities and a regularization term that is quadratic in the Lagrange multiplier vector. These capabilities and computational features are incorporated into an in-house computer code. Experimental measurements were taken to define the response of the Space Shuttle nose-gear tire to inflation-pressure loads and to inflation-pressure loads combined with normal static loads against a rigid flat plate. These experimental results describe the meridional growth of the tire cross section caused by inflation loading, the static load-deflection characteristics of the tire, the geometry of the tire footprint under static loading conditions, and the normal and tangential load-intensity distributions in the tire footprint for the various static vertical loading conditions. Numerical results were obtained for the Space Shuttle nose-gear tire subjected to inflation pressure loads and combined inflation pressure and contact loads against a rigid flat plate. The experimental measurements and the numerical results are compared.

Tanner, John A.↗
NASA NTRS1996

Computational methods for frictional contact with applications to the Space Shuttle orbiter nose-gear tire: Comparisons of experimental measurements and analytical predictions

A computational procedure is presented for the solution of frictional contact problems for aircraft tires. A Space Shuttle nose-gear tire is modeled using a two-dimensional laminated anisotropic shell theory which includes the effects of variations in material and geometric parameters, transverse-shear deformation, and geometric nonlinearities. Contact conditions are incorporated into the formulation by using a perturbed Lagrangian approach with the fundamental unknowns consisting of the stress resultants, the generalized displacements, and the Lagrange multipliers associated with both contact and friction conditions. The contact-friction algorithm is based on a modified Coulomb friction law. A modified two-field, mixed-variational principle is used to obtain elemental arrays. This modification consists of augmenting the functional of that principle by two terms: the Lagrange multiplier vector associated with normal and tangential node contact-load intensities and a regularization term that is quadratic in the Lagrange multiplier vector. These capabilities and computational features are incorporated into an in-house computer code. Experimental measurements were taken to define the response of the Space Shuttle nose-gear tire to inflation-pressure loads and to inflation-pressure loads combined with normal static loads against a rigid flat plate. These experimental results describe the meridional growth of the tire cross section caused by inflation loading, the static load-deflection characteristics of the tire, the geometry of the tire footprint under static loading conditions, and the normal and tangential load-intensity distributions in the tire footprint for the various static vertical-loading conditions. Numerical results were obtained for the Space Shuttle nose-gear tire subjected to inflation pressure loads and combined inflation pressure and contact loads against a rigid flat plate. The experimental measurements and the numerical results are compared.

Tanner, John A.↗
NASA NTRS2002

Operations Analysis of Space Shuttle System

The space science program at NASA since 1950's has gone through stages of development and implementation in rocketry and scientific advancement. It has become the nation's largest scientific institution of research and innovation for space exploration and military research, and overall a pride of the nation at an exorbitant cost. After placing man on moon, space shuttle program at NASA is an on-going project with a high success rate at an average cost of about $450m per flight. A future endeavor from both government and private sectors needs to be undertaken for commercialization of this expensive mission. In order to attract private enterprises, it needs to boost up its operations with better technology at lower cost to cope with rapid changes in scientific advancement and economic competition. Thus, a second-generation reusable launch vehicle (2GRLV) will play a major role in future operation of NASA centers. Envisioning this potential way of saving the program by reducing the cost, NASA is currently managing an innovative program called the Space Launch Initiative (SLI) to develop key technologies that will support the development of second-generation reusable launch vehicles (RLV) which will be more economical and safer and reliable than the existing space shuttle system. The selection of which technologies to fund for further development is being based on their likelihood to contribute to providing cost reduction or safety improvements. It is envisioned that in the 2006 timeframe, NASA will make a decision as to whether or not to commit to the replacement of the current space shuttle system with a new RLV. The decision to proceed with a new RLV will be partly based on the likelihood that the new system will be better than the existing space shuttle. Government and private entrepreneurs are currently considering four different types of RLV projects: commercial programs, government programs, international concepts, and X Prize competitors. NASA has already commissioned a series of X-programs to study the future RLV program. Today, NASA decision makers need analytical tools to help determine which technologies to fund the development of this technology. In the 2006 timeframe, these same decision makers will need analytical tools to evaluate and compare various RLV architectures, including the existing space shuttle so as to make the best decision for whether or not to proceed with the development of a new RLV, and if so, then which one. A study is conducted here to establish ground level knowledge from the historical data and expertise experiences of the field personnel. Such information is compiled in the form of mission statement, goals, space shuttle operations, payloads and cargo constraints, resource constraints, and bottlenecks to the enhancement vector.

Bhaba R. Sarker↗
NASA NTRS2002

Eigenvalues of Rectangular Waveguide Using FEM With Hybrid Elements

A finite element analysis using hybrid triangular-rectangular elements is developed to estimate eigenvalues of a rectangular waveguide. Use of rectangular vector-edge finite elements in the vicinity of the PEC boundary and triangular elements in the interior region more accurately models the physical nature of the electromagnetic field, and consequently quicken the convergence.

Deshpande, Manohar D.↗
NASA NTRS2018

Statistical Study of the Properties of Magnetosheath Lion Roars

Lion roars are narrowband whistler wave emissions that have been observed in several environments, such as planetary magnetosheaths, the Earth's magnetosphere, the solar wind, downstream of interplanetary shocks, and the cusp region. We present measurements of more than 30,000 such emissions observed by the Magnetospheric Multiscale spacecraft with high‐cadence (8,192 samples/s) search coil magnetometer data. A semiautomatic algorithm was used to identify the emissions, and an adaptive interval algorithm in conjunction with minimum variance analysis was used to determine their wave vector. The properties of the waves are determined in both the spacecraft and plasma rest frame. The mean wave normal angle, with respect to the background magnetic field (B(sub 0)), plasma bulk flow velocity (V(sub b)), and the coplanarity plane (V(sub b) × B(sub 0)) are 23°, 56°, and 0°, respectively. The average peak frequencies were ∼31% of the electron gyrofrequency (ω(sub ce)) observed in the spacecraft frame and ∼18% of ω(sub ce) in the plasma rest frame. In the spacecraft frame, ∼99% of the emissions had a frequency <ω(sub ce), while 98% had a peak frequency <0.72 ω(sub ce) in the plasma rest frame. None of the waves had frequencies lower than the lower hybrid frequency, ω. From the probability density function of the electron plasma β(sub e), the ratio between the electron thermal and magnetic pressure, ∼99.6% of the waves were observed with β(sub e)<4 with a large narrow peak at 0.07 and two smaller, but wider, peaks at 1.26 and 2.28, while the average value was ∼1.25.

Magnetosheath emissions↗
NASA NTRS2018

Contributions of Spherical Harmonics to Gravitational Moment

A scalar gravitational potential function expressed as a series of spherical harmonics frequently serves as the basis for a model of an astronomical body's gravitational field. The contribution of a generic spherical harmonic to gravitational gradient is expressed as a dyadic, which is then used to obtain an analytical expression in vector-dyadic form for the contribution to the moment of gravitational forces about the mass center of a small body such as a spacecraft. The expression developed for a harmonic's contribution to gravitational gradient can be applied in areas beyond the scope of the paper; for example, gravitational gradient plays an important role in the state propagation matrix and the state transition matrix that are used in spacecraft trajectory targeting and Kalman filtering. Additionally, it can be employed in numerical simulations of orbit determination based on measurements obtained with a gradiometer in low-Earth orbit. Contributions of spherical harmonics to gravitational moment may be of interest in connection with attitude control of a spacecraft in the vicinity of a body with an irregular shape, such as an asteroid. Normalized spherical harmonic coefficients up to degree and order 10 are obtained for the asteroid 216 Kleopatra and used in numerical evaluations of contributions to gravitational moment.

Roithmayr, Carlos M.↗
NASA NTRS1977

High resolution tropical cyclone wind fields determined from cloud motions

Full resolution rapid scan infrared and visible images from the VISSR sensor on board SMS-2/GEOS-1 satellite have made it possible to maximize the number of tropical cyclone upper and lower tropospheric wind vectors by a factor of 6(2) over that of the images taken at 30 minute (15 minute) intervals. These full resolution rapid scan visible images have also made it possible to derive low level winds near the center of tropical cyclones.

Rodgers, E. B.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Equivalent source modeling of the main field using Magsat data

Magsat dipole solution models were obtained with both 32 deg and 21 deg resolution based on a data set extending over 4 months. Time dependence was modeled using first time derivatives for the dipole magnetization vector components. This doubles the n total number of parameters in the solution. The solutions displayed a very slow convergence in time derivatives although at each iteration the conversion of the dipole parameters to spherical harmonic coefficients showed close agreement with the MGST (12/80) spherical harmonic model to degree 13 in the constant terms and 8 in the secular variation terms. The program error in the option to simultaneously estimate observatory anomaly biases was found and corrected. A 32 deg resolution dipole model was generated using the selected magnetic observatory data from 1960-1977 used in the GSFC (9/80) spherical harmonic model.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1994

Mapping ERS-1 wind fields over north west Atlantic using a variational objective analysis

A variational method is implemented to produce five day mean gridded ERS-1 analyzed wind fields in the north west Atlantic with the aim of providing for wind forcing of basin scale ocean models. The method consists of minimizing a cost functional, designed to measure misfits to prescribed weighted constraints which express a smoothed behavior and the proximity to input data vectors and curl. The weights are empirically determined by comparison with independent ship and buoy data over four five day periods. Root mean square differences between analyzed winds and independent data are thus further decreased: they range from 0.8 up to 1.8 m/s. Some problems present in the initial data remain; they are principally due to incomplete data coverage (instrumental problems), and possibly unresolved ambiguities. The resulting curl fields are smoothed and show coherent patterns. A comparison with the European Center for Medium range Weather Forecasting (ECMWF) analysis is encouraging.

Siefridt, L.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Physical picture for the anomalous progagation of ordinary electromagnetic waves in a plasma

It is shown that the physical mechanism for the anomalous propagation of electromagnetic waves at frequencies below the plasma frequency is due to the deflection of particle thermal motions by the wave magnetic field, leading to a density perturbation which can be large when enhanced by some resonance. In presence of an external magnetic field, cyclotron resonance provides the enhancement for ordinary waves. A waveparticle resonance gives rise to anomalous propagation if the velocity distribution is anisotropic with respect to the wave vector, which allows slow electromagnetic waves, with phase velocity less than the velocity of light.

Fried, B. D.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Mars physical parameters as determined from Mariner 9 observations of the natural satellites and Doppler tracking

Mariner 9 Doppler tracking data and television photographs of Deimos and Phobos were analyzed to determine the gravity field, mass, and spin-axis direction of Mars and the natural satellite orbits. The solutions agree with previously published results. Radio data consisted of an apoapsis state vector for each of revolutions 5-195 obtained from one-revolution fits of Doppler data. Optical data consisted of TV photographs of Phobos and Deimos taken between revolutions 25 and 221. A first-order analytical theory, extended to include dominant second-order resonance effects on the Mariner 9 orbit, was used to calculate the motion of the spacecraft, Deimos, and Phobos. The feasibility of combining radio and optical data in long-arc solutions for accurate determination of orbits and physical parameters is demonstrated. The analytical theory developed for the evolution of a highly eccentric orbit in shallow resonance is accurate to plus or minus 1 km in the apoapsis state vector of Mariner 9 over a period of 200 revolutions.

Born, G. H.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Finite-element solutions for geothermal systems

Vector potential and scalar potential are used to formulate the governing equations for a single-component and single-phase geothermal system. By assuming an initial temperature field, the fluid velocity can be determined which, in turn, is used to calculate the convective heat transfer. The energy equation is then solved by considering convected heat as a distributed source. Using the resulting temperature to compute new source terms, the final results are obtained by iterations of the procedure. Finite-element methods are proposed for modeling of realistic geothermal systems; the advantages of such methods are discussed. The developed methodology is then applied to a sample problem. Favorable agreement is obtained by comparisons with a previous study.

Chen, J. C.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Wave scattering from a periodic dielectric surface for a general angle of incidence

Electromagnetic waves scattered from a periodic dielectric and perfectly conducting surface are studied for a general angle of incidence. It is shown that the one-dimensional corrugated surface can be solved by using two scalar functions: the components of the electric and magnetic fields along the row direction of the surface, and appropriate boundary conditions to obtain simple matrix equations. Results are compared to the case where the incident angle wave vector is perpendicular to the row direction. Numerical results demonstrate that energy conservation and reciprocity are obeyed for scattering by sinusoidal surfaces for the general case, which checks the consistency of the formalism.

Chuang, S. L.↗