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NASA NTRS1968

Elliptic Capture Orbits for Missions to the Near Planets

Elliptic capture orbits around Mars and Venus have often been considered as means for reducing arrival and departure energy requirements for two-way missions. It had also generally been feared that the energy savings obtained by capturing a spacecraft into a highly elliptical orbit (rather than a near circular orbit of the same periapsis) would largely be offset by the penalties incurred in aligning the semi-major axis of the ellipse in such a way as to obtain the proper orientation of the departure hyperbola. This paper, presents the results of an analysis which takes into consideration the penalties arising from the requirement to match the orientation of the elliptical orbit with the asymptote of the departure hyperbola. The scientific aspects of elliptical orbits around the target planet are discussed, and it is shown that such orbits exhibit characteristics which may be considered advantageous or disadvantageous depending on the purpose of the mission. Alignment of ' the semi-major axis of the capture, ellipse relative to the, asymptote of the escape hyperbola was found not to be a critical requirement since the kinetic energy remains high over a substantial portion of the elliptical capture orbit. This 'means that the escape stage can operate efficiently even when ignited at some angle from the true periapsis point. Considerable freedom in choosing this angle is available at little propulsive cost. The resulting latitude in the choice of angles between arrival and escape asymptotes makes it possible to consider a wide variety of interplanetary transfers and planetary staytimes without the need for separate propulsive maneuvers to realign the capture ellipse before departure., Special consideration has also been g1ven to plane change maneuvers around the planet. These may be required for reasons of orbit dynamics or scientific experimentation and are not uniquely tied to elliptical captures. The sensitivity of the mass of the excursion module to the eccentricity of the capture orbit is discussed and mass-penalty diagrams are presented. It is shown that these penalties do not materially offset the large gains obtained through the use of the elliptical capture mode.

Casal, Federico G.↗

NASA NTRS1978

Trace elemental characteristics of aerosols emitted from municipal incinerators

As part of a continuing investigation of high temperature combustion aerosols, elemental composition of size differentiated aerosols emitted from a local municipal incinerator was studied. Aerosols were aerodynamically separated into eight diameter groups ranging from 0.43 mm to 20 mm, collected, and analyzed by charged particle induced X-ray emission technique. On line data collection and reduction codes generated aerial densities for elements from Na to U with sensitivities in the ng/cu m range for most elements. From the total weights of aerosols collected per stage, their size distribution was determined to be bimodal, with one group centered at a diameter of 0.54 mm and the other at a diameter of 5.6 mm. Measured elemental concentrations in various size ranges indicate that K and S show a strong tendency to concentrate on aerosol surfaces. A weaker trend for surface preference was also observed for Mn and Ni, but other elements show no such trend.

Singh, J. J.↗

NASA NTRS1978

VSTOL tilt nacelle aerodynamics and its relation to fan blade stresses

A scale model of a VSTOL tilt nacelle with a 0.508 m single stage fan was tested in the NASA Lewis 9x15 Low Speed Wind Tunnel to ascertain inlet aerodynamic and fan aeromechanical performance over the low speed flight envelope. Fan blade stress maxima occurred at discrete rotational speeds corresponding to integral engine order vibrations of the first flatwise bending mode. Increased fan blade stress levels coincided with internal boundary layer separation occurring but became severe only when the separation location had progressed to the entry lip region of the inlet. The inlet/fan system could operate within the low speed flight envelope without incurring fan blade stress limits although boundary layer separation did occur for certain operating conditions.

Shaw, R. J.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Low-speed aerodynamic test of an axisymmetric supersonic inlet with variable cowl slot

The experimental low-speed aerodynamic characteristics of an axisymmetric mixed-compression supersonic inlet with variable cowl slot are described. The model consisted of the NASA P-inlet centerbody and redesigned cowl with variable cowl slot powered by the JT8D single-stage fan simulator and driven by an air turbine. The model was tested in the NASA Lewis Research Center 9- by 15-foot low-speed tunnel at Mach numbers of 0, 0.1, and 0.2 over a range of flows, cowl slot openings, centerbody positions, and angles of attack. The variable cowl slot was effective in minimizing lip separation at high velocity ratios, showed good steady-state and dynamic distortion characteristics, and had good angle-of-attack tolerance.

Powell, A. G.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Low-speed aerodynamic test of an axisymmetric supersonic inlet with variable cowl slot

Powell, A. G.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Crop Characteristics Research: Growth and Reflectance Analysis

Much of the early research in remote sensing follows along developing spectral signatures of cover types. It was found, however, that a signature from an unknown cover class could not always be matched to a catalog value of known cover class. This approach was abandoned and supervised classification schemes followed. These were not efficient and required extensive training. It was obvious that data acquired at a single time could not separate cover types. A large portion of the proposed research has concentrated on modeling the temporal behavior of agricultural crops and on removing the need for any training data in remote sensing surveys; the key to which is the solution of the so-called 'signature extension' problem. A clear need to develop spectral estimaters of crop ontogenic stages and yield has existed even though various correlations have been developed. Considerable effort in developing techniques to estimate these variables was devoted to this work. The need to accurately evaluate existing canopy reflectance model(s), improve these models, use them to understand the crop signatures, and estimate leaf area index was the third objective of the proposed work. A synopsis of this research effort is discussed.

Badhwar, G. D.↗

NASA NTRS1989

Analysis of forest disturbance using TM and AVHRR data

A methodology that will be used to determine the proportions of undisturbed, successional vegetation and recently disturbed land cover within coniferous forests using remotely sensed data from the advanced very high resolution radiometer (AVHRR) is presented. The method uses thematic mapper (TM) data to determine the proportions of the three stages of forest disturbance and regrowth for each AVHRR pixel in the sample areas, and is then applied to interpret all AVHRR imagery. Preliminary results indicate that there are predictable relationships between TM spectral response and the disturbance classes. Analysis of ellipse plots from a TM classification of the disturbed forested landscape indicates that the forest classes are separable in the red (0.63-0.69 micron) and near-infrared (0.76-0.90 micron) bands, providing evidence that the proportion of disturbance classes may be determined from AVHRR data.

Spanner, Michael A.↗

NASA NTRS2001

Space Resource Requirements for Future In-Space Propellant Production Depots

In 2000 and 2001 studies were conducted at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center on the technical requirements and commercial potential for propellant production depots in low Earth orbit (LEO) to support future commercial, NASA, and other Agency missions. Results indicate that propellant production depots appear to be technically feasible given continued technology development, and there is a substantial growing market that depots could support. Systems studies showed that the most expensive part of transferring payloads to geosynchronous orbit (GEO) is the fuel. A cryogenic propellant production and storage depot stationed in LEO could lower the cost of missions to GEO and beyond. Propellant production separates water into hydrogen and oxygen through electrolysis. This process utilizes large amounts of power, therefore a depot derived from advanced space solar power technology was defined. Results indicate that in the coming decades there could be a significant demand for water-based propellants from Earth, moon, or asteroid resources if in-space transfer vehicles (upper stages) transitioned to reusable systems using water based propellants. This type of strategic planning move could create a substantial commercial market for space resources development, and ultimately lead toward significant commercial infrastructure development within the Earth-Moon system.

Smitherman, David↗

NASA NTRS1973

Identification of phenological stages and vegetative types for land use classification

The author has identified the following significant results. Multispectral reflectance signatures have been obtained from computer printouts from scene 1049-20505. Those signatures have been grouped for 13 dominant physical features in the Matanuska Susitna Valley area of Alaska. The derived signatures will be validated and tested by requesting another symbol-coded computer printout for the same area. It is expected that ERTS-1 imagery collected during late autumn and early spring will provide separations of signatures that are confounded in the 1049-20505 scene. Separating bogs and forests should be much improved when either snow covered or when grasses are brown. Photographs have been made of projections on the color additive viewer, each scene being projected with six different filter combinations. The products will be analyzed and those best suited used for producing color transparencies at a scale of 1:250,000 for overlaying on standard quadrangle maps. Color prints will be processed for use in the field. From digital MSS signatures derived to date, identification has been made of which bands are the most powerful for automated classification of dominant physical features. It has been found that separations among density ranges increase with longer wavelengths. Deriving MSS digital signatures has proven valuable to both digital and visual processing of ERTS-1 data.

Branton, C. I.↗

DOE OSTI2019

Radiomics-based prediction of microsatellite instability in colorectal cancer at initial computed tomography evaluation

Purpose: To predict microsatellite instability (MSI) status of colon cancer on preoperative CT imaging using radiomic analysis. Methods: This retrospective study involved radiomic analysis of preoperative CT imaging of patients who underwent resection of stage II–III colon cancer from 2004 to 2012. A radiologist blinded to MSI status manually segmented the tumor region on CT images. 254 Intensity-based radiomic features were extracted from the tumor region. Three prediction models were developed with (1) only clinical features, (2) only radiomic features, and (3) “combined” clinical and radiomic features. Patients were randomly separated into training (n = 139) and test (n = 59) sets. The model was constructed from training data only; the test set was reserved for validation only. Model performance was evaluated using AUC, sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV. Results: Of the total 198 patients, 134 (68%) patients had microsatellite stable tumors and 64 (32%) patients had MSI tumors. The combined model performed slightly better than the other models, predicting MSI with an AUC of 0.80 for the training set and 0.79 for the test set (specificity = 96.8% and 92.5%, respectively), whereas the model with only clinical features achieved an AUC of 0.74 and the model with only radiomic features achieved an AUC of 0.76. The model with clinical features alone had the lowest specificity (70%) compared with the model with radiomic features alone (95%) and the combined model (92.5%). Conclusions: Preoperative prediction of MSI status via radiomic analysis of preoperative CT adds specificity to clinical assessment and could contribute to personalized treatment selection.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗

DOE OSTI2012

Metabolic Imaging Biomarkers of Postradiotherapy Xerostomia

Purpose: Xerostomia is a major complication of head and neck radiotherapy (RT). Available xerostomia measures remain flawed. [{sup 18}F]fluorodeoxyglucose-labeled positron emission tomography-computed tomography (FDG-PET-CT) is routinely used for staging and response assessment of head and neck cancer. We investigated quantitative measurement of parotid gland FDG uptake as a potential biomarker for post-RT xerostomia. Methods and Materials: Ninety-eight locally advanced head and neck cancer patients receiving definitive RT underwent baseline and post-RT FDG-PET-CT on a prospective imaging trial. A separate validation cohort of 14 patients underwent identical imaging while prospectively enrolled in a second trial collecting sialometry and patient-reported outcomes. Radiation dose and pre- and post-RT standard uptake values (SUVs) for all voxels contained within parotid gland ROI were deformably registered. Results: Average whole-gland or voxel-by-voxel models incorporating parotid D{sub Met} (defined as the pretreatment parotid SUV weighted by dose) accurately predicted posttreatment changes in parotid FDG uptake (e.g., fractional parotid SUV). Fractional loss of parotid FDG uptake closely paralleled early parotid toxicity defined by posttreatment salivary output (p < 0.01) and Radiation Therapy Oncology Group/European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer xerostomia scores (p < 0.01). Conclusions: In this pilot series, loss of parotid FDG uptake was strongly associated with acute clinical post-RT parotid toxicity. D{sub Met} may potentially be used to guide function-sparing treatment planning. Prospective validation of FDG-PET-CT as a convenient, quantifiable imaging biomarker of parotid function is warranted and ongoing.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗

DOE OSTI2015

Competitive behavior of photons contributing to junction voltage jump in narrow band-gap semiconductor multi-quantum-well laser diodes at lasing threshold

The junction behavior of different narrow band-gap multi-quantum-well (MQW) laser diodes (LDs) confirmed that the jump in the junction voltage in the threshold region is a general characteristic of narrow band-gap LDs. The relative change in the 1310 nm LD is the most obvious. To analyze this sudden voltage change, the threshold region is divided into three stages by I{sub th}{sup l} and I{sub th}{sup u}, as shown in Fig. 2; I{sub th}{sup l} is the conventional threshold, and as long as the current is higher than this threshold, lasing exists and the IdV/dI-I plot drops suddenly; I{sub th}{sup u} is the steady lasing point, at which the separation of the quasi-Fermi levels of electron and holes across the active region (V{sub j}) is suddenly pinned. Based on the evolutionary model of dissipative structure theory, the rate equations of the photons in a single-mode LD were deduced in detail at I{sub th}{sup l} and I{sub th}{sup u}. The results proved that the observed behavior of stimulated emission suddenly substituting for spontaneous emission, in a manner similar to biological evolution, must lead to a sudden increase in the injection carriers in the threshold region, which then causes the sudden increase in the junction voltage in this region.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

NASA NTRS1974

Determination of the availability of appropriate aged flight rocket motors

A program to identify surplus solid rocket propellant engines which would be available for a program of functional integrity testing was conducted. The engines are classified as: (1) upper stage and apogee engines, (2) sounding rocket and launch vehicle engines, and (3) jato, sled, and tactical engines. Nearly all the engines were available because their age exceeds the warranted shelf life. The preference for testing included tests at nominal flight conditions, at design limits, and to establish margin limits. The principal failure modes of interest were case bond separation and grain bore cracking. Data concerning the identification and characteristics of each engine are tabulated. Methods for conducting the tests are described.

Martin, P. J.↗

NASA NTRS1978

Depositional and irradiational history and noble gas contents of orange-black droplets in the 74002/1 core from Shorty Crater

Isotopic concentrations of noble gases were assessed in grain size separates of 14 soils from a 67-cm section of lunar regolith taken on the rim of Shorty Crater. The orange-black droplets in this section were probably formed from pyroclastic eruptions about 3.6 billion years ago; they give little indication of surface exposure. The isotopic concentrations suggest that cosmic ray irradiation of the core occurred in two stages and that the core stratigraphy was inverted between stages. The first irradiation stage may have taken place immediately after pyroclastic deposition of the droplets and could have lasted about 20 million years.

Bogard, D. D.↗

NASA NTRS1983

Development of controlled diffusion airfoils for multistage compressor application

A series of Controlled Diffusion Airfoils has been developed for multistage compressor application. These airfoils are designed analytically to be shock free at transonic Mach number and to avoid suction surface boundary layer separation for a range of inlet conditions necessary for stable compressor operation. They have demonstrated, in cascade testing, higher critical Mach number, higher incidence range, and higher loading capability than standard series airfoils designed for equivalent aerodynamic requirements. These airfoils have been shown, in single and multistage rig testing, to provide high efficiency, high loading capability, and ease of stage matching, leading to reduced development costs and improved surge margin. The Controlled Diffusion Airfoil profile shapes tend to have thicker leading and trailing edges than their standard series counterparts, leading to improved compressor durability.

Hobbs, D. E.↗

NASA NTRS1990

Radiative magnetized thermal conduction fronts

The evolution of plane-parallel magnetized thermal conduction fronts in the interstellar medium (ISM) was studied. Separating the coronal ISM phase and interstellar clouds, these fronts have been thought to be the site of the intermediate-temperature regions whose presence was inferred from O VI absorption-line studies. The front evolution was followed numerically, starting from the initial discontinuous temperature distribution between the hot and cold medium, and ending in the final cooling stage of the hot medium. It was found that, for the typical ISM pressure of 4000 K/cu cm and the hot medium temperature of 10 to the 6th K, the transition from evaporation to condensation in a nonmagnetized front occurs when the front thickness is 15 pc. This thickness is a factor of 5 smaller than previously estimated. The O VI column densities in both evaporative and condensation stages agree with observations if the initial hot medium temperature Th exceeds 750,000 K. Condensing conduction fronts give better agreement with observed O VI line profiles because of lower gas temperatures.

Borkowski, Kazimierz J.↗

NASA NTRS2007

Experimental Results of Performance Tests on a Four-Port Wave Rotor

A series of tests has been performed on a four-port wave rotor suitable for use as a topping stage on a gas turbine engine, to measure the overall pressure ratio obtainable as a function of temperature ratio, inlet mass flow, loop flow ratio, and rotor speed. The wave rotor employed an open high pressure loop that is the high pressure inlet flow was not the air exhausted from the high pressure outlet, but was obtained from a separate heated source, although the mass flow rates of the two flows were balanced. This permitted the choice of a range of loop-flow ratios (i.e., ratio of high pressure flow to low pressure flow), as well as the possibility of examining the effect of mass flow imbalance. Imbalance could occur as a result of leakage or deliberate bleeding for cooling air. Measurements of the pressure drop in the high pressure loop were also obtained. A pressure ratio of 1.17 was obtained at a temperature ratio of 2.0, with an inlet mass flow of 0.6 lb/s. Earlier tests had given a pressure ratio of less than 1.12. The improvement was due to improved sealing between the high pressure and low pressure loops, and a modification to the movable end-wall which is provided to allow for rotor expansion.

Wilson, John↗

NASA NTRS2017

Shergottite Lead Isotope Signature in Chassigny and the Nakhlites

The nakhlites/chassignites and the shergottites represent two differing suites of basaltic martian meteorites. The shergottites have ages less than or equal to 0.6 Ga and a large range of initial Sr-/Sr-86 and epsilon (Nd-143) ratios. Conversely, the nakhlites and chassignites cluster at 1.3-1.4 Ga and have a limited range of initial Sr-87/Sr-86 and epsilon (Nd-143). More importantly, the shergottites have epsilon (W-182) less than 1, whereas the nakhlites and chassignites have epsilon (W-182) approximately 3. This latter observation precludes the extraction of both meteorite groups from a single source region. However, recent Pb isotopic analyses indicate that there may have been interaction between shergottite and nakhlite/chassignite Pb reservoirs.Pb Analyses of Chassigny: Two different studies haveinvestigated 207Pb/204Pb vs. 206Pb/204Pb in Chassigny: (i)TIMS bulk-rock analyses of successive leaches and theirresidue [3]; and (ii) SIMS analysis of individual minerals[4]. The bulk-rock analyses fall along a regression of SIMSplagioclase analyses that define an errorchron that is olderthan the Solar System (4.61±0.1 Ga); i.e., these define amixing line between Chassigny’s principal Pb isotopic components(Fig. 1). Augites and olivines in Chassingy (notshown) also fall along or near the plagioclase regression [4].This agreement indicates that the whole-rock leachateslikely measure indigenous, martian Pb, not terrestrial contamination[5]. SIMS analyses of K-spars and sulfides definea separate, sub-parallel trend having higher 207Pb/206Pbvalues ([4]; Fig. 1). The good agreement between the bulkrockanalyses and the SIMS analyses of plagioclases alsoindicates that the Pb in the K-spars and sulfides cannot be amajor component of Chassigny.The depleted reservoir sampled by Chassigny plagioclaseis not the same as the solar system initial (PAT) andrequires a multi-stage origin. Here we show a two-stagemodel (Fig. 1) with a 238U/204Pb (μ) of 0.5 for 4.5-2.4 Gaand a μ of 7 for 2.4-1.4 Ga. This is not a unique model butdoes produce a Pb composition that falls on the plagioclaseregression at 1.4 Ga, the approximate igneous age of Chassigny [1]. It should be noted that low-μ single-stage modelsare not capable of producing sufficiently radiogenic 206Pb/204Pb at 1.4 Ga.Relation to Shergottites: The Chassigny K-spars and sulfides fall along a second mixing line defined by leachesand residues of depleted and intermediate shergottites [6]. This mixing line falls above the plagioclase regression.Therefore, we also interpret the radiogenic component of this mixing line to represent indigenous martian Pb. It ispossible that the depleted and intermediate shergottites and the Chassigny plagioclases sample radiogenic Pb from thethe same source, i.e., the mixing lines may intersect at high 206Pb/204Pb.Both K-spar and sulfide are late-stage phases. At the time of their crystallization, the Chassigny system appearsto have remained open to a depleted shergottite Pb reservoir. The depleted component of the shergottite mixing linecan be generated by a single-stage evolution from PAT (4.5 to 1.4 Ga) in a reservoir having a μ ~2. A similar modelfor the most depleted shergottites is also possible: μ = 1.5 for 4.5 to 0.3 Ga.Nakhlites: Nakhlite analyses plot between the shergottite and Chassigny plagioclase regressions [3]. So again,members of the nakhlite/chassignite suite show affinities to shergottite Pb.

Jones, J. H.↗