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At least 145 records · Page 8

Extrapolating the Trends of Test Drop Data with Opening Shock Factor Calculations: the Case of the Orion Main and Drogue Parachutes Inflating to 1st Reefed Stage

We describe a new calculation of the opening shock factor C (sub k) characterizing the inflation performance of NASA's Orion spacecraft main and drogue parachutes opening under a reefing constraint (1st stage reefing), as currently tested in the Capsule Parachute Assembly System (CPAS) program. This calculation is based on an application of the Momentum-Impulse Theorem at low mass ratio (R (sub m) is less than 10 (sup -1)) and on an earlier analysis of the opening performance of drogues decelerating point masses and inflating along horizontal trajectories. Herein we extend the reach of the Theorem to include the effects of payload drag and gravitational impulse during near-vertical motion - both important pre-requisites for CPAS parachute analysis. The result is a family of C (sub k) versus R (sub m) curves which can be used for extrapolating beyond the drop-tested envelope. The paper proves this claim in the case of the CPAS Mains and Drogues opening while trailing either a Parachute Compartment Drop Test Vehicle or a Parachute Test Vehicle (an Orion capsule boiler plate). It is seen that in all cases the values of the opening shock factor can be extrapolated over a range in mass ratio that is at least twice that of the test drop data.

Potvin, Jean↗

Atmospheric model for correction of spacecraft data.

Description of a radiative transfer model which has been used to correct Apollo photographic imagery for degradation arising from atmospheric scattering. The model was tested using aircraft scanner data, and an extrapolation was then made to spacecraft altitudes. Using standard meteorological data for the region of interest, it is possible to determine transmittance, path radiance, and total radiance from calculations made with the multiple scattering atmospheric model. Simple algorithms are presented which allow potential users of spacecraft sensor data to correct imagery for the deleterious effects due to the scattering of radiation under clear or hazy atmospheric conditions.

Turner, R. E.↗

New considerations on scale extrapolation of wing pressure distributions affected by transonic shock-induced separations

Use of this analytical parameter, it is shown, highlights the distinction between cases which are dominated by trailing-edge separation, and those for which separation at the shock foot is dominant. Use of the analytical parameter and the distinction noted above greatly improves the correlation of separation data and the extrapolation of wind tunnel data to flight conditions.

Kahn, M. M. S.↗

Scaling laws for testing of high lift airfoils under heavy rainfall

The results of studies regarding the effect of rainfall about aircraft are briefly reviewed. It is found that performance penalties on airfoils have been identified in subscale tests. For this reason, it is of great importance that scaling laws be dveloped to aid in the extrapolation of these data to fullscale. The present investigation represents an attempt to develop scaling laws for testing subscale airfoils under heavy rain conditions. Attention is given to rain statistics, airfoil operation in heavy rain, scaling laws, thermodynamics of condensation and/or evaporation, rainfall and airfoil scaling, aspects of splash back, film thickness, rivulets, and flap slot blockage. It is concluded that the extrapolation of airfoil performance data taken at subscale under simulated heavy rain conditions to fullscale must be undertaken with caution.

Bilanin, A. J.↗

Regression Analysis of Long-Term Profile Ozone Data Set from BUV Instruments

We have produced a profile merged ozone data set (MOD) based on the SBUV/SBUV2 series of nadir-viewing satellite backscatter instruments, covering the period from November 1978 - December 2003. In 2004, data from the Nimbus 7 SBUV and NOAA 9, ll, and 16 SBUV/2 instruments were reprocessed using the Version 8 (V8) algorithm and most recent calibrations. More recently, data from the Nimbus 4 BUT instrument, which was operational from 1970 - 1977, were also reprocessed using the V8 algorithm. As part of the V8 profile calibration, the Nimbus 7 and NOAA 9 (1993-1997 only) instrument calibrations have been adjusted to match the NOAA 11 calibration, which was established based on comparisons with SSBUV shuttle flight data. Differences between NOAA 11, Nimbus 7 and NOAA 9 profile zonal means are within plus or minus 5% at all levels when averaged over the respective periods of data overlap. NOAA 16 SBUV/2 data have insufficient overlap with NOAA 11, so its calibration is based on pre-flight information. Mean differences over 4 months of overlap are within plus or minus 7%. Given the level of agreement between the data sets, we simply average the ozone values during periods of instrument overlap to produce the MOD profile data set. Initial comparisons of coincident matches of N4 BUV and Arosa Umkehr data show mean differences of 0.5 (0.5)% at 30km; 7.5 (0.5)% at 35 km; and 11 (0.7)% at 40 km, where the number in parentheses is the standard error of the mean. In this study, we use the MOD profile data set (1978-2003) to estimate the change in profile ozone due to changing stratospheric chlorine levels. We use a standard linear regression model with proxies for the seasonal cycle, solar cycle, QBO, and ozone trend. To account for the non-linearity of stratospheric chlorine levels since the late 1990s, we use a time series of Effective Chlorine, defined as the global average of Chlorine + 50 * Bromine at 1 hPa, as the trend proxy. The Effective Chlorine data are taken from the 3-D Goddard CTM. We will show the latest trend results using this statistical model. In addition, the Nimbus 4 BUV data offer an opportunity to test the physical properties of our statistical model. From ground-based comparisons we will establish an uncertainty range for the Nimbus 4 data. We then extrapolate our statistical model fit backwards in time and compare to the Nimbus 4 data. We compare the characteristics of the residual, defined as the difference between the data and statistical regression fit, during the Nimbus 4 time period and the 1978-2003 period over which the statistical model coefficients were estimated, and present these results.

Stolarski, Richard S.↗

Scale effects on supercritical airfoils

A survey of research relative to scale effects on supercritical airfoils has been conducted. The results of this survey indicated that Reynolds number scale effects have a significant impact on airfoil design and performance. Further, this impact is greater for supercritical airfoils than for conventional airfoils. It was found that low Reynolds number drag data could be extrapolated to high Reynolds number conditions provided the flow was attached and the pressure distribution shape did not change appreciably. Airfoil lift and pitching-moment data obtained at low Reynolds numbers cannot be extrapolated to full-scale values. Viscous theoretical transonic analysis methods currently under development will significantly improve the ability of the designer to account for scale effects. Boundary-layer manipulation in low Reynolds number facilities using natural transition or aft located transition strips to simulate high Reynolds number conditions was shown to be an uncertain test procedure and reliance should be made on high Reynolds number facilities if available.

Blackwell, J. A., Jr.↗

Evidence for opposed currents in active region loops

EUV and X-ray images of the sun are used as tracers of the magnetic-field structure in the solar atmosphere in order to study the existence of currents in active regions. Criteria are suggested for comparing the data with theoretical extrapolations of magnetic-field lines above the level of magnetograph observations. Analysis of the data presented in conjunction with force-free field calculations suggests the existence of currents flowing in opposite directions in nearby sets of loops in the active regions considered. Some simple qualitative implications of opposed current structures are suggested.

Levine, R. H.↗

High temperature alkali corrosion in high velocity gases

The effects of potential impurities in coal derived liquids such as Na, K, Mg, Ca and Cl on the accelerated corrosion of IN-100, U-700, IN-792 and Mar-M509 were investigated using a Mach 0.3 burner rig for times to 1000 hours in one hour cycles. These impurities were injected in combination as aqueous solutions into the combustor of the burner rig. The experimental matrix utilized was designed statistically. The extent of corrosion was determined by metal recession. The metal recession data were fitted by linear regression to a polynomial expression which allows both interpolation and extrapolation of the data. As anticipated, corrosion increased rapidly with Na and K, and a marked maximum in the temperature response was noted for many conditions. In contrast, corrosion decreased somewhat as the Ca, Mg and Cl contents increased. Extensive corrosion was observed at concentrations of Na and K as low as 0.1 PPM at long times.

Lowell, C. E.↗

Primary proton and helium spectra in the energy range 10 to the 12th to 10 to the 14th eV

Measurements of proton and helium spectra have been made in the energy range 10 to the 12th to 10 to the 14th eV. Large area thin emulsion calorimeters were used in the Japanese American Cooperative Emulsion Experiment balloon flight series. Power indices of the integral spectra for both nuclei are consistent with published data at lower energies. Absolute intensities are also consistent for helium and proton fluxes with extrapolations of previous data. No steepening of the proton spectrum is indicated.

Gregory, J. C.↗

Investigation of HZETRN 2010 as a Tool for Single Event Effect Qualification of Avionics Systems

NASA's future missions are focused on deep space for human exploration that do not provide a simple emergency return to Earth. In addition, the deep space environment contains a constant background Galactic Cosmic Ray (GCR) radiation exposure, as well as periodic Solar Particle Events (SPEs) that can produce intense amounts of radiation in a short amount of time. Given these conditions, it is important that the avionics systems for deep space human missions are not susceptible to Single Event Effects (SEE) that can occur from radiation interactions with electronic components. The typical process to minimizing SEE effects is through using heritage hardware and extensive testing programs that are very costly. Previous work by Koontz, et al. [1] utilized an analysis-based method for investigating electronic component susceptibility. In their paper, FLUKA, a Monte Carlo transport code, was used to calculate SEE and single event upset (SEU) rates. This code was then validated against in-flight data. In addition, CREME-96, a deterministic code, was also compared with FLUKA and in-flight data. However, FLUKA has a long run-time (on the order of days), and CREME-96 has not been updated in several years. This paper will investigate the use of HZETRN 2010, a deterministic transport code developed at NASA Langley Research Center, as another tool that can be used to analyze SEE and SEU rates. The benefits to using HZETRN over FLUKA and CREME-96 are that it has a very fast run time (on the order of minutes) and has been shown to be of similar accuracy as other deterministic and Monte Carlo codes when considering dose [2, 3, 4]. The 2010 version of HZETRN has updated its treatment of secondary neutrons and thus has improved its accuracy over previous versions. In this paper, the Linear Energy Transfer (LET) spectra are of interest rather than the total ionizing dose. Therefore, the LET spectra output from HZETRN 2010 will be compared with the FLUKA and in-flight data to validate HZETRN 2010 as a computational tool for SEE qualification by analysis. Furthermore, extrapolation of these data to interplanetary environments at 1 AU will be investigated to determine whether HZETRN 2010 can be used successfully and confidently for deep space mission analyses.

Rojdev, Kristina↗

Computer program for pulsed thermocouples with corrections for radiation effects

A pulsed thermocouple was used for measuring gas temperatures above the melting point of common thermocouples. This was done by allowing the thermocouple to heat until it approaches its melting point and then turning on the protective cooling gas. This method required a computer to extrapolate the thermocouple data to the higher gas temperatures. A method that includes the effect of radiation in the extrapolation is described. Computations of gas temperature are provided, along with the estimate of the final thermocouple wire temperature. Results from tests on high temperature combustor research rigs are presented.

Will, H. A.↗

Operations and Modeling Analysis

The Reliability and Maintainability Analysis Tool (RMAT) provides NASA the capability to estimate reliability and maintainability (R&M) parameters and operational support requirements for proposed space vehicles based upon relationships established from both aircraft and Shuttle R&M data. RMAT has matured both in its underlying database and in its level of sophistication in extrapolating this historical data to satisfy proposed mission requirements, maintenance concepts and policies, and type of vehicle (i.e. ranging from aircraft like to shuttle like). However, a companion analyses tool, the Logistics Cost Model (LCM) has not reached the same level of maturity as RMAT due, in large part, to nonexistent or outdated cost estimating relationships and underlying cost databases, and it's almost exclusive dependence on Shuttle operations and logistics cost input parameters. As a result, the full capability of the RMAT/LCM suite of analysis tools to take a conceptual vehicle and derive its operations and support requirements along with the resulting operating and support costs has not been realized.

Ebeling, Charles↗

Lessons Learned from Assimilating Altimeter Data into a Coupled General Circulation Model with the GMAO Augmented Ensemble Kalman Filter

Satellite altimetry measurements have provided global, evenly distributed observations of the ocean surface since 1993. However, the difficulties introduced by the presence of model biases and the requirement that data assimilation systems extrapolate the sea surface height (SSH) information to the subsurface in order to estimate the temperature, salinity and currents make it difficult to optimally exploit these measurements. This talk investigates the potential of the altimetry data assimilation once the biases are accounted for with an ad hoc bias estimation scheme. Either steady-state or state-dependent multivariate background-error covariances from an ensemble of model integrations are used to address the problem of extrapolating the information to the sub-surface. The GMAO ocean data assimilation system applied to an ensemble of coupled model instances using the GEOS-5 AGCM coupled to MOM4 is used in the investigation. To model the background error covariances, the system relies on a hybrid ensemble approach in which a small number of dynamically evolved model trajectories is augmented on the one hand with past instances of the state vector along each trajectory and, on the other, with a steady state ensemble of error estimates from a time series of short-term model forecasts. A state-dependent adaptive error-covariance localization and inflation algorithm controls how the SSH information is extrapolated to the sub-surface. A two-step predictor corrector approach is used to assimilate future information. Independent (not-assimilated) temperature and salinity observations from Argo floats are used to validate the assimilation. A two-step projection method in which the system first calculates a SSH increment and then projects this increment vertically onto the temperature, salt and current fields is found to be most effective in reconstructing the sub-surface information. The performance of the system in reconstructing the sub-surface fields is particularly impressive for temperature, but not as satisfactory for salt.

Keppenne, Christian↗

Mariner 10 interplanetary magnetic field observations - Preliminary results

The results being reported consist primarily of distributions of the hourly average field large-scale properties and fluctuation characteristics by solar rotation for the time interval 7 November 1973 to 5 April 1974, as well as the variation of the daily average field as a function of the distance from the sun between 1 and 0.46 AU. The data indicate that the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) generally increases with decreasing distance from the sun; the field magnitude distribution broadened as Mariner 10 approached Mercury; the positive sector of the IMF tended to rotate progressively toward the theoretical spiral field direction; and magnitude fluctuations increased with increasing distance from the sun, while vector field fluctuations tended to decrease. Data on radial dependence of the IMF were not consistent with theoretical models and did not coincide with extrapolations based on data gathered by Mariner 4 and 5. Comprehensive graphs and charts illustrate all the data obtained by Mariner 10.

Behannon, K. W.↗

Spectral Analyses and Radiation Exposures from Several Ground-Level Enhancement (GLE) Solar Proton Events: A Comparison of Methodologies

Several methods for analyzing the particle spectra from extremely large solar proton events, called Ground-Level Enhancements (GLEs), have been developed and utilized by the scientific community to describe the solar proton energy spectra and have been further applied to ascertain the radiation exposures to humans and radio-sensitive systems, namely electronics. In this paper 12 GLEs dating back to 1956 are discussed, and the three methods for describing the solar proton energy spectra are reviewed. The three spectral fitting methodologies are EXP [an exponential in proton rigidity (R)], WEIB [Weibull fit: an exponential in proton energy], and the Band function (BAND) [a double power law in proton rigidity]. The EXP and WEIB methods use low energy (MeV) GLE solar proton data and make extrapolations out to approx.1 GeV. On the other hand, the BAND method utilizes low- and medium-energy satellite solar proton data combined with high-energy solar proton data deduced from high-latitude neutron monitoring stations. Thus, the BAND method completely describes the entire proton energy spectrum based on actual solar proton observations out to ~10 GeV. Using the differential spectra produced from each of the 12 selected GLEs for each of the three methods, radiation exposures are presented and discussed in detail. These radiation exposures are then compared with the current 30-day and annual crew exposure limits and the radiation effects to electronics.

Atwell, William↗

Comparison of simulation results with sea-level experimental data on 10(14) - 10(16) air shower cores

Simulation predictions for the Leeds 35 sq m horizontal discharge chamber array for proton primaries with a approx. E sup 2.7 spectrum extrapolated from balloon data to 10 to the 16th power eV give power law rho (r)-spectra with constant slope approx. -2 consistent with the experimental data up to the point at which they steepen but overshooting them at higher densities, and at high shower sizes predicted cores which are significantly steeper than those observed. Further comparisons with results for heavy nuclei primaries (up to A = 56) point to the inadequacy of changes in primary composition to account for the observed density spectra and core flattening, and the shower size spectrum together, and point, therefore, to the failure of the scaling interaction model at approx. 10 to the 15th power eV primary energy.

Ash, A. G.↗

Rotor windage losses for Lundell alternators

The Lundell alternator is being investigated for power system applications. At the high speeds required, power loss due to windage can become high and result in significant heating of the alternator. This loss must be incorporated in the cooling design. The velocity profiles expected in these alternators are highly turbulent, and the Reynolds numbers are well above the levels previously reported; the available data could only be extrapolated. For this reason, a range of experimental data was generated to permit accurate calculation of the windage power loss for Lundell alternator design. Windage tests were conducted on two concentric rotor-stator configurations in ambient air, producing Reynolds numbers as high as 100,000. Using the data obtained, a method was developed to calculate the windage loss for any Lundell alternator given the geometry and cavity conditions.

Gorland, S. H.↗