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At least 145 records · Page 8

Constraining the Earth System with EOS-Aura Observations

NASA's Goddard Earth Observing System (GEOS) model and data assimilation system is a flexible, modular global system that is used for applications that range from weather prediction to climate analysis. Resolving scales ranging from a few kilometers to several tens of kilometers, with scale-aware parametrization settings, the GEOS system offers NASA scientists and their partners a flexible system that is attuned to bringing in observations from all components of the Earth System. The GEOS system thus serves as a tool that enhances the value to NASA of observations from individual instruments, by bringing them into context with the full suite of "operational" observations and other research datasets. This presentation will emphasize how the GEOS system has been used to extend the value of observations from EOS-Aura, in conjunction with other NASA and non-NASA observations. One example is atmospheric ozone from the OMI and MLS instruments, that has been used extensively in GEOS systems for both weather (GEOS-FP) and the MERRA-2 reanalysis. The presentation will emphasize the value of these ozone datasets for studying long-term changes of ozone since 2004 and will discuss prospects of continuing such analyses in the post-Aura era. A new configuration of GEOS, the Composition Forecasting (CF) system has recently gone in to production: this uses a full troposphere-stratosphere chemistry mechanism (GEOS-Chem) to analyze and predict global constituent distributions, including surface air quality. While constituent observations are not yet assimilated into GEOS-CF, EOS-Aura data are used substantially to evaluate the system and plans are in place to introduce assimilation at a later stage. Examples from GEOS-CF will be shown to illustrate the value of EOS-Aura observations. Discussions will focus on the likely value of long-term analyses of EOS-Aura observations in context of understanding potential impacts on the health of humans and the biosphere, including the importance of sustaining long-term, global observing systems such as that pioneered by EOS-Aura.

Pawson, Steven↗

Interfacial thermodynamics of cryogenic fluids: The effect on non-condensable gas on fluid storage

Propellant tanks that contain cryogenic fluids (CFs) in low gravity conditions are usually pressurized with non-condensable (NC) gases for fast extraction. Unfortunately, the presence of NC gases causes CFs to exhibit higher boil-offs compared to pure CF systems. For optimal utilization of the cryogenic fuels, these higher boil-off rates must be minimized. Our goal is to quantify the effects NC gases have on the evaporation and condensation dynamics of CFs to develop strategies that mitigate the higher boil-offs. The hypothesis is that the NC gas accumulates around the CF’s liquid vapor interface in the Knudsen layer, creating a kinetic barrier for both evaporation and condensation. Testing this hypothesis with experimental methods is difficult due to the transient nature of the Knudsen layer, which is only a few nanometers thick. Furthermore, experimental capabilities are limited in low gravity conditions and extremely expensive. Accordingly, we approach this problem from a theoretical perspective. In this study, we employ molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to probe the interfacial mechanisms that affect CF’s evaporation and condensation at varying concentrations of NC gases. Specifically, we use nitrogen (N2) and oxygen (O2) as our CFs and neon (Ne) as our NC gas. Using MD simulations, we show that Ne accumulates at N2 liquid vapor interface across a wide range of Ne concentrations, thereby impeding mass transport of N2. Our simulations allow for direct computation of the molar flux as well as the mass accommodation coefficient (MAC) which can then be used as input parameters to continuum fluid dynamics (CFD) models for optimal storage tank design.

Michael Robert DeLyser↗

Global-to-local air quality forecasts using the NASA GEOS Composition Forecast System

Since 2019, the NASA Global Earth Observing System (GEOS) model has been used to generate global, near-real-time estimates and daily five-day forecasts of atmospheric composition at a horizontal resolution of 0.25 degrees (~25 km) from the surface up to the lower mesosphere. This composition forecast system (“GEOS-CF”) combines the GEOS weather forecasting model with the state-of-the-science GEOS-Chem chemistry module to deliver detailed analysis of a wide range of air pollutants, including the policy-relevant species such as ozone, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide and fine particulate matter (PM2.5). Because GEOS-CF includes atmospheric levels up through the stratosphere, this system has been leveraged to support the Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution (TEMPO) satellite mission and provide stratospheric intrusion alerts to ground-based monitoring stations. We will present recent advances to GEOS-CF which target increased computational efficiency and accuracy. These include the incorporation of simplified chemistry mechanisms to accelerate model forecasts, use of model-observation data fusion techniques to provide highly localized forecasts, and assimilation of satellite observations to produce more accurate model analyses. We further discuss our attempts to make these tools publicly available on platforms outside the NASA domain, such as Google Earth Engine and Amazon Web Services with the goal to facilitate the integration of state-of-the-science air quality information onto platforms used by stakeholders, air quality managers, and the public.

Emma Knowland↗

Near Real-time Air Quality Forecasts Using the NASA GEOS Model

NASA's Global Modeling and Assimilation Office (GMAO) produces high-resolution global forecasts for weather, aerosols, and air quality. The NASA Global Earth Observing System (GEOS) model has been expanded to provide global near-real-time 5-day forecasts of atmospheric composition at unprecedented horizontal resolution of 0.25 degrees (~25 km). This composition forecast system (GEOS-CF) combines the operational GEOS weather forecasting model with the state-of-the-science GEOS-Chem chemistry module (version 12) to provide detailed analysis of a wide range of air pollutants such as ozone, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and fine particulate matter (PM2.5). Future developments for the next GEOS-CF version will be discussed, including the assimilation system is being expanded to include chemically reactive trace gases, specifically using the capabilities of the GEOS Constituent Data Assimilation System (CoDAS).

CoDAS↗

Combining Machine Learning and Numerical Simulation for High-Resolution PM2.5 Concentration Forecast

Forecasting ambient PM2.5 concentrations with spatiotemporal coverage is key to alerting decision-makers of pollution episodes and preventing detrimental public exposure, especially in regions with limited ground air monitoring stations. The existing methods either rely on chemical transport models (CTMs) to forecast spatial distribution of PM2.5 with nontrivial uncertainty or statistical algorithms to forecast PM2.5 concentration time-series at air monitoring locations without continuous spatial coverage. In this study, we developed a PM2.5 forecast framework by combining the robust Random Forest algorithm with a publicly accessible global CTM forecast product – NASA’s Goddard Earth Observing System “Composition Forecasting” (GEOS-CF), providing spatiotemporally continuous PM2.5 concentration forecasts for the next five days at a 1-km spatial resolution. Our forecast experiment was conducted for a region in Central China including the populous and polluted Fenwei Plain. The forecast for the next two days had overall validation R2 of 0.76 and 0.64, respectively; the R2 was around 0.5 for the following three forecast days. Spatial cross-validation showed similar validation metrics. Our forecast model, with validation normalized mean bias close to zero, substantially reduced the large biases in GEOS-CF. The proposed framework requires minimal computational resources compared to running CTMs at urban scales, enabling near-real-time PM2.5 forecast in resource-restricted environments.

PM2.5↗

X-ray powder diffraction study of poly/carbon monofluoride/, CF/1.12/

Data from X-ray diffraction studies of the poly(carbon monofluoride) with empirical formula CF(1.09-1.15) are reported, and possible intercalation arrangements for the substance are discussed. The data do not conform to true hexagonal symmetry, indicating that the carbon atoms are not coplanar. Each bond angle of carbon is 118.8 deg, and the carbon-carbon distance is 1.47 A. The interlayer distance is 5.76 A. A total absence of (hkl) reflections in the X-ray pattern shows that the separate CF layers are not regularly arranged with respect to one another.

Mahajan, V. K.↗

Estimation of economic losses

If the concentration of carbon fibers (CF) is high after their dispersion due to an aircraft fire, there is a significant possibility that a number of residential, commercial, and industrial establishments might be affected by electronic equipment failure. Estimating economic losses from CF release involves characterizing an entire spectrum of buildings and electronic equipment within a given community. A number of simplified assumptions were made to reduce the data collection requirements to manageable proportions. A limited number of facility categories were identified, and assumed to be relatively homogeneous. The detailed examination of potential losses on an industry-by-industry basis is an important area for future investigation.

Source record↗

Synthesis of national risk profile

The methodology used and results obtained in computing the national risk profile for carbon fibers (CF) released after an aircraft accident (fire or explosion) are presented. The computation was performed by use of twenty-six individual conditional risk profiles, together with the extrapolation of these profiles to other U.S. airports. The risk profile was obtained using 1993 CF utilization forecasts, but numbers of facilities were taken from 1972 and 1975 census data, while losses were expressed in 1977 dollars.

Source record↗

Models of the formation of the solar nebula

Protostellar cloud collapse and solar nebula formation models indicate that the size of the nebula produced will be larger in terms of both gas centrifugal balance R(CF) and collapse time diffusion length R(V). From this, it can be deduced that low mass nebulas are produced if (R(V)/R(CF))-squared is much greater than unity, while nebulas result for values lower than approximately unity. The total angular momentum value distinguishes most current models of the solar nebula. Analytic expressions for the surface density, nebular mass flux and photospheric temperature distributions during the formation stage are presented for simple modes illustrating and general properties of growing protostellar disks.

Cassen, P.↗

Galaxy interactions and star formation: Results of a survey of global H-alpha emission in spiral galaxies in 8 clusters

Kennicutt and Kent (1983) have shown that the global H alpha emission from a spiral galaxy is an indicator of the formation rate of massive stars. Moss, Whittle and Irwin (1988) have surveyed two clusters (Abell 347 and 1367) for galaxies with H alpha emission using a high dispersion objective prism technique. The purpose of the survey is to investigate environmental effects on star formation in spiral galaxies, and in particular to ascertain whether star formation is enhanced in cluster spirals. Approximately 20 percent of CGCG galaxies were detected in emission. Two plates of excellent quality were obtained for each of the two clusters, and galaxies were only identified to have emission if this was detected on both plates of a plate pair. In this way, plate flaws and other spurious identifications of emission could be rejected, and weak emission confirmed. The results of this survey have been discussed by Moss (1987). The detected galaxies are of types SO-a and later. The frequency with which galaxies are detected in emission increases towards later morphological type as expected (cf. Kennicutt and Kent 1983). There is no evidence of any dependence of the frequency of detected emission on the absolute magnitude of the galaxy (cf. Moss and Whittle 1990), but there is a strong correlation between a disturbed morphological appearance of the galaxy and the detection of emission. Furthermore it is found that the emission is more centrally concentrated in those galaxies which show a disturbed morphology. It may be noted that the objective prism plate gives a spectrum of a 400 A region around rest wavelength H alpha, but superposed on this is the H alpha emission from the galaxy which, because the light is essentially monochromatic, results in a true two-dimensional image of the H alpha distribution. The visual appearance of the emission on the prism plates was classified according to its diffuseness on a 5 point scale (very diffuse, diffuse, intermediate, compact, and very compact). In tabular form, the relation is shown between this classification and a morphologically disturbed appearance for the galaxy.

Moss, C.↗

Proceedings of the 7th Semiannual Meeting of the Nozzle Initiative Industry Advisory Committee on Standardization of Carbon-Phenolic Test Methods and Specifications

The application of carbon fibers and fabrics (CF) for producing rocket nozzles is discussed. These materials which are essential for fabricating the carbon composites used in aerospace systems gasify when exposed to high temperatures and the mechanical properties of the composites degrade. The oxidation kinetics under isothermal (IC) and non-isothermal (NIC) conditions are examined and a comparison is made between the characteristics of IC and NIC oxidation. Several CF, chars, and carbon blacks were examined, including a microporous char, a graphitized rayon fabric, and several carbonized rayon fabrics. A summary is given of the advantages and drawbacks of isothermal and non-isothermal oxidation of carbons. The proceedings are assembled in the form of a roundtable discussion.

Hall, William B.↗

Flight experiments measuring boundary-layer disturbances in laminar flow and correlation with stability analysis

Flight test results are reported from an experiment designed to study the detailed growth of disturbances in the laminar boundary layer. A gloved wing section incorporating closely-spaced flush-mounted streamwise-located instrumentation for measuring instability frequencies and amplitude growths as well as pressure distributions was used. The growth of Tollmien-Schlichting (T-S) and crossflow instabilities is predicted by the linear e exp n method and compared to the measured boundary-layer disturbance frequencies. The predictions showed good agreement with the measured data. The results exhibited fair agreement with previous n(T-S) and n(CF) flight correlations for several of the conditions analyzed. It is inferred from the high n(T-S) values for these data that moderately swept wings at compressible speeds can withstand higher combinations of n(T-S) and n(CF) values and still remain laminar than previously thought.

Lee, Cynthia C.↗

Simulation of real-gas effects on pressure distributions for aeroassist flight experiment vehicle and comparison with prediction

Pressure distributions measured on a 60 degree half-angle elliptic cone, raked off at an angle of 73 degrees from the cone centerline and having an ellipsoid nose (ellipticity equal to 2.0 in the symmetry plane) are presented for angles of attack from -10 degrees to 10 degrees. The high normal shock density ratio aspect of a real gas was simulated by testing in Mach 6 air and CF sub 4 (density ratio equal to 5.25 and 12.0, respectively). The effects of Reynolds number, angle of attack, and normal shock density ratio on these measurements are examined, and comparisons with a three dimensional Euler code known as HALIS are made. A significant effect of density ratio on pressure distributions on the cone section of the configuration was observed; the magnitude of this effect decreased with increasing angle of attack. The effect of Reynolds number on pressure distributions was negligible for forebody pressure distributions, but a measurable effect was noted on base pressures. In general, the HALIS code accurately predicted the measured pressure distributions in air and CF sub 4.

Micol, John R.↗

Multiwavelength Blazar Studies

The present report concerns the following projects 'High energy emission from hot accretion disks from active galactic nuclei'; 'OSSE spectral timing and monitoring observations of Cygnus X- 1'; 'OSSE observations of blazars'; and 'Search for correlated time variations of bright EGRET blazars'. The most favored model for the central engine inAGNs is the supermassive black hole hypothesis (Rees 1978). The observed luminosities range from approx. 10 logical and 44-45 erg /s for objects such as Mk 421 and Seyferts to as much as approx. 10logical and 47 for powerful QSOs such as 3C 273 and 3C 279, a large fraction of the observed bolometric luminosity being, in all likelihood, beamed. As such, these objects are strong X-ray emitters (cf. Makino et al. 1987) and often undergo gamma-ray flaring detected at the EGRET range (Hartman et al. 1992) and in the case of one of two known nearby BL Lacs, Mk 421, at TeV energies as well (Punch et al. 1992, Macomb et al. 1995). Previous campaigns emphasizing radio through X-ray and even gamma-ray observations have generally found that the multiwavelength spectrum is adequately fit by a standard synchrotron self-Compton (SSC-cf. Jones et al. 1974) model of a relativistic jet (e.g. Makino et al. 1987 and Macomb et al. 1995 for the BL Lac object Mk 421) or inhomogeneous relativistic jet (Mufson et al 1990). It also was examined the gamma-gamma transperency constraints inblazars.

Kafatos, Menas↗

Characterizing and Modeling the Cost of Rework in a Library of Reusable Software Components

In this paper we characterize and model the cost of rework in a Component Factory (CF) organization. A CF is responsible for developing and packaging reusable software components. Data was collected on corrective maintenance activities for the Generalized Support Software reuse asset library located at the Flight Dynamics Division of NASA's GSFC. We then constructed a predictive model of the cost of rework using the C4.5 system for generating a logical classification model. The predictor variables for the model are measures of internal software product attributes. The model demonstrates good prediction accuracy, and can be used by managers to allocate resources for corrective maintenance activities. Furthermore, we used the model to generate proscriptive coding guidelines to improve programming, practices so that the cost of rework can be reduced in the future. The general approach we have used is applicable to other environments.

Basili, Victor R.↗

An Optical Bit-Counting Algorithm

This paper addresses the omnipresent problem of counting bits - an operation discussed since the very early stages of the establishing of computer science. The need for a quick bit-counting method acquires a special significance with the proliferation of search engines on the Internet. It arises in several other computer applications. This is especially true in information retrieval in which an array of binary vectors is used to represent a characteristic function (CF) of a set of qualified documents. The number of "I"s in the CF equals the cardinality of the set. The process of repeated evaluations of this cardinality is a pivotal point in choosing a rational strategy for deciding whether to constrain or broaden the search criteria to ensure selection of the desired items. Another need for bit-counting occurs when trying to determine the differences between given files, (images or text), in terms of the Hamming distance. An Exclusive OR operation applied to a pair of files results in a binary vector array of mismatches that must be counted.

Mack, Marilyn↗

Langmuir Probe and Mass Spectroscopic Measurements in Inductively Coupled CF4 Plasmas

Abstract Electron and ion energy distribution functions and other plasma parameters such as plasma potential (V(sub p)) , electron temperature (T(sub e)), and electron and ion number densities (n (sub e) and n(sub i)) in low pressure CF4 plasmas have been measured. The experiments were conducted in a GEC cell using an inductively coupled plasma (ICP) device powered by a 13.56 MHz radio-frequency (rf) power source. The measurements were made at 300 W of input rf power at 10, 30 and 50 mTorr gas pressures. Langmuir probe measurements suggest that n(sub e), n(sub i) and V(sub p) remain constant over 60% of the central electrode area, beyond which they decrease. Within the limits of experimental error (+/- 0.25 eV), T(sub e) remains nearly constant over the electrode area. T(sub e) and V(sub p) increase with a decrease in pressure. n(sub e) and n(sub i) are not affected as significantly as T(sub e) or V(sub p) by variation in the gas pressure. The electron energy distribution function (EEDF) measurements indicate a highly non-Maxwellian plasma. CF3+ is the most dominant ion product of the plasma, followed by CF2+ and CF+. The concentrations of CF2+ and CF+ are much larger than that is possible from direct electron impact ionization of the parent gas. The cross-section data suggest that the direct electron impact ionization of fragment neutrals and negative ion production by electron attachment may be responsible for increase of the minor ions.

Rao, M. V. V. S.↗

Neutral Gas Temperature Estimates in an Inductively Coupled CF4 Plasma by Fitting Diatomic Emission Spectra

This work examines the accuracy of plasma neutral temperature estimates by fitting the rotational band envelope of different diatomic species in emission. Experiments are performed in an inductively coupled CF4 plasma generated in a Gaseous Electronics Conference reference cell. Visible and ultraviolet emission spectra are collected at a power of 300 W (approximately 0.7 W/cc) and pressure of 30 mtorr. The emission bands of several molecules (CF, CN, C2, CO, and SiF) are fit simultaneously for rotational and vibrational temperatures and compared. Four different rotational temperatures are obtained: 1250 K for CF and CN, 1600 K for CO, 1800 K for C2, and 2300 K for SiF. The vibrational temperatures obtained vary from 1750-5950 K, with the higher vibrational temperatures generally corresponding to the lower rotational temperatures. These results suggest that the different species have achieved different degrees of equilibration between the rotational and vibrational modes and may not be equilibrated with the translational temperatures. The different temperatures are also related to the likelihood that the species are produced by ion bombardment of the surface, with etch products like SiF, CO, and C2 having higher temperatures than species expected to have formed in the gas phase.

Cruden, Brett A.↗