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At least 1,585 records · Page 88
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NASA NTRS1982

The abundance of CH3D in the atmosphere of Titan, derived from 8- to 14-micron thermal emission

The 8.6-micron emission feature of Titan's infrared spectrum was analyzed using the Voyager temperature-pressure profile. Although both C3H8 and CH3D have bands at that wavelength, it is shown that CH3D dominates the observed emission on Titan. A CH3D/CH4 mixing ratio is derived using this band and the strong CH4 band at 7.7 microns. The corresponding D/H ratio is 4.2(+2 -1.5) x 10 to the -4th, neglecting deuterium fractionation with other molecules. The main uncertainty in this value comes from the continuum emission characteristics. The D/H ratio is apparently significantly enhanced on Titan with respect to published values for Saturn.

Kim, S. J.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Limits on Venus' SO2 abundance profile from interferometric observations at 3.4 mm wavelength

The role of SO2 in the chemistry of the clouds of Venus has been investigated by deducing its mixing ratio profile in the atmosphere through millimeter wavelength interferometric measurements of the planet's limb darkening. The first zero crossing of the Venus visibility function was measured to be 0.6221 + or - 0.0007 at a wavelength of 3.4 mm, using a reference radius for Venus of 6100 km. This measurement constrains the amount of limb darkening and shows that the high concentrations of SO2 found in the lower atmosphere do not persist above an altitude of 42 km. Thus, a sink for SO2 exists below the level of the lowest cloud deck.

Good, J. C.↗
NASA NTRS1983

HR 7578 - A K dwarf double-lined spectroscopic binary with peculiar abundances

The number of double-lined K and M dwarf binaries which is currently known is quite small, only a dozen or less of each type. The HR 7578 system was classified as dK5 on the Mount Wilson system and as K2 V on the MK ystem. A summary of radial-velocity measurements including the observatory and weight of each observation is given in a table. The star with the stronger lines has been called component A. The final orbital element solution with all observations appropriately weighted was computed with a differential corrections computer program described by Barker et al. (1967). The program had been modified for the double-lined case. Of particular interest are the very large eccentricity of the system and the large minimum masses for each component. These large minimum masses suggest that eclipses may be detectable despite the relatively long period and small radii of the stars.

Fekel, F. C., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Abundance of cosmic-ray elements from sulfur to nickel as a function of atmospheric depth

The measured elemental composition of cosmic rays with charge Z from 16-28 as a function of atmospheric depth was compared with a propagation calculation including energy loss. The resulting composition at the top of the atmosphere has better precision than previously possible on balloon borne experiments, and agrees well with the only satellite data available in this charge range. The extrapolation method also provides checks on assumed cross-sections for interactions of cosmic rays in air.

Crane, J. H.↗
NASA NTRS1983

The relative abundance of 3He(++) in the solar wind

Continuous measurements of solar wind 3He(++) and 4He(++) were made covering a full range of solar wind conditions. The average flux ratio derived from these data is 2310 + or - 50, in excellent agreement with the Apollo foil measurements. A probable correlation between average flux ratio and solar activity was found; however, an examination of the data during periods of 3He(++)-rich solar flares shows no detectable increase in 3He(++) in the solar wind.

Coplan, M. A.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Temperature and elemental abundances in the Abell cluster A 576 derived from X-ray observations

Results of Einstein solid state spectrometer observations of the central region of Abell 576 combined with HEAO 1 spectra of the total cluster are given. Line emission was detected due to Fe, Si, and S from a hot plasma in the central region. The temperature of the total cluster spectrum may be in conflict with the central temperature. This difference can be explained either if cooling takes place in the center, or if part of the measured emission is due to individual galaxies. If the X-ray emission comes from the intergalactic gas only, there is some difficulty in producing all the silicon observed in the galaxies of A 576.

Rothenflug, R.↗
NASA NTRS1983

A measurement of the energy spectra and relative abundance of the cosmic-ray H and He isotopes over a broad energy range

The measurements reported of these isotopes were made using two sets of detectors during the same minimum modulation period in 1977. One measurement was made with a balloon-borne telescope, the other with telescopes on the Voyager spacecraft. It is noted that together they provide the widest energy range yet available for studying these isotopes: 14-150 MeV per nucleon for H2 and 10-290 MeV per nucleon for He-3. The simultaneous helium isotope observations are used to give a mutually consistent picture of galactic propagation and solar modulation. The data define the form of the interstellar H-1 and He-4 spectra, an interstellar matter path length for both H-1 and He-4, and a total residual modulation for He-4. The H-2 observations suggest a picture that is very similar for the galactic propagation of H-1 and He-4.

Webber, W. R.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Distribution, abundance and carbon isotopic composition of gaseous hydrocarbons in Big Soda Lake, Nevada - An alkaline, meromictic lake

The study of the distribution and isotopic composition of low molecular weight hydrocarbon gases at the Big Soda Lake, Nevada, has shown that while neither ethylene nor propylene were found in the lake, ethane, propane, isobutane and n-butane concentrations all increased with water column depth. It is concluded that methane has a biogenic origin in both the sediments and the anoxic water column, and that C2-C4 alkanes have biogenic origins in the monimolimnion water and shallow sediments. The changes observed in delta C-13/CH4/ and CH4/(C2H6 + C3H8) with depth in the water column and sedimeents are probably due to bacterial processes, which may include anaerobic methane oxidation and different rates of methanogenesis, and C2-to-C4 alkane production by microorganisms.

Oremland, R. S.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Abundance of interstellar aluminum

New observations of Al II 1670 A, the only line of the dominant ionization stage of interstellar aluminum detected to date, are presented. Observations of ionized silicon are used to define an empirical curve of growth from which aluminum depletions can be derived. The depletion ranges from a factor of 10 in alpha Vir, with E(B-V) of about 0.04, to a factor of 1000 in omicron Per. The depletion is similar to that of iron, but a factor of 2-10 lower than that for silicon in the same stars. The observations of near-UV lines using the Copernicus V1 tubes with removal of a high cosmic-ray-induced fluorescent background are described.

Barker, E. S.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Abundances and spectra of superathermal H(+), He(++) and heavy ions in a fast moving plasma structure (plasmoid) in the distant geotail

An ISEE-3 Geotail Mission sensor has furnished data on a 16-min particle intensity increase in the distant magnetotail from which rest frame distribution functions have been deduced for 3-150 keV/amu H(+), He(++), and ions with a charge state greater than 3. The event was characterized by isotropic electron distributions and is identified as a tailward-moving plasmoid. These suprathermal ions are convected nearly tailward at an average speed of 1000 + or - 50 km/sec and have an energy density of 150 eV/cu cm. A crosstail expansion speed of about 80 km/sec is indicated.

Gloeckler, G.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Interstellar magnesium abundances

An improved evaluation of the Mg II 1240 A doublet oscillator strength is used in conjunction with recently published Copernicus observations to derive accurate Mg II column densities toward 74 stars. These imply an average of 40 percent of interstellar magnesium is in the gaseous phase. Magnesium depletion is examined as a function of various interstellar extinction and density parameters, and the results are briefly discussed in terms of current depletion theories.

Murray, M. J.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Grain abundance in the primordial atmosphere of the earth

For models of planetary accumulation in the presence of solar nebular gas, the initial surface temperature of the earth is controlled by the grain opacity of the atmosphere. The surface temperature in turn controls the quantity of neon dissolved and trapped within the interior of the earth. To compare accumulation theory with observation, calculations have been made of the grain opacity expected to be associated with accumulation in a gaseous nebula. There are two parameters that are in principle determined by the theory, but actually are at present uncertain: the mean eccentricity(e) of the planetesimal swarm, and the fraction (xi) of the accretional energy that is expended in the release of grains into the atmosphere by ablation of the incoming planetesimal. It is found that if e is low (0.001), rather low values of xi (0.00001) are required to match the observed neon data. In contrast higher values of xi (0.1) are required for the most probable case with e = 0.01. For the high-eccentricity case (e = 0.1), xi must be greater than 0.01. The results show that avoidance of excess trapped neon of solar composition places restrictive, but not necessarily impossible, conditions on the parameters of the accumulation theory.

Mizuno, H.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Abundancies of Ni, Cr, CO and major elements in the silicate portion of the Moon: Constraints from primary lunar magmas

The lunar volcanic glasses are samples of primary magnas derived by partial melting of the Moon mantle. The twenty-seven varieties of glass define three linear arrays having nearly constant Mg/Si ratios. The low-Ti magmas in each array approach the chondritic Ti/Al ratio. In addition, the Ca/Al ration in these low-Ti magmas trends toward the chrondritid value as one proceeds from array 1 through array 3. Using the chemistries of these primary magmas, as well as the assumption that the Moon possesses chondritic Ca/Al/Ti/Mg ratios, the silicate composition of the Moon has been estimated. The implications of these results are discussed.

Delano, J. W.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Distribution and abundance of organic thiols

The role of glutathione (GSH) in protecting against the toxicity of oxygen and oxygen by products is well established for all eukaryotes studied except Entamoeba histolytica which lacks mitochrondria, chloroplasts, and microtubules. The GSH is not universal among prokaryotes. Entamoeba histolytica does not produce GSH or key enzymes of GSH metabolism. A general method of thiol analysis based upon fluorescent labeling with monobromobimane and HPLC separation of the resulting thiol derivatives was developed to determine the occurrence of GSH and other low molecular weight thiols in bacteria. Glutathione is the major thiol in cyanobacteria and in most bacteria closely related to the purple photosynthetic bacteria, but GSH was not found in archaebacteria, green bacteria, or GRAM positive bacteria. It suggested that glutathione metabolism was incorporated into eukaryotes at the time that mitochondria and chloroplasts were acquired by endosymbiosis. In Gram positive aerobes, coenzyme A occurs at millimolar levels and CoA disulfide reductases are identified. The CoA, rather than glutathione, may function in the oxygen detoxification processes of these organisms.

Fahey, R.↗