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At least 163 records · Page 9

The Successful Development of an Automated Rendezvous and Capture (AR&C) System for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration

During the 1990's, the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) conducted pioneering research in the development of an automated rendezvous and capture/docking (AR&C) system for U.S. space vehicles. Development and demonstration of a rendezvous sensor was identified early in the AR&C Program as the critical enabling technology that allows automated proximity operations and docking. A first generation rendezvous sensor, the Video Guidance Sensor (VGS), was developed and successfully flown on STS-87 and STS-95, proving the concept of a video- based sensor. A ground demonstration of the entire system and software was successfully tested. Advances in both video and signal processing technologies and the lessons learned from the two successful flight experiments provided a baseline for the development, by the MSFC, of a new generation of video based rendezvous sensor. The Advanced Video Guidance Sensor (AGS) has greatly increased performance and additional capability for longer-range operation with a new target designed as a direct replacement for existing ISS hemispherical reflectors.

Roe, Fred D.↗

Passivating Window/First Layer AR Coating for Space Solar Cells

Chemically grown oxides, if well designed, offer excellent surface passivation of the emitter surface of space solar cells and can be used as effective passivating window/first layer AR coating. In this paper, we demonstrate the effectiveness of using a simple room temperature wet chemical technique to grow cost effective passivating layers on solar cell front surfaces after the front grid metallization step. These passivating layers can be grown both on planar and porous surfaces. Our results show that these oxide layers: (i) can effectively passivate the from the surface, (ii) can serve as an effective optical window/first layer AR coating, (iii) are chemically, thermally and UV stable, and (iv) have the potential of improving the BOL and especially the EOL efficiency of space solar cells. The potential of using this concept to simplify the III-V based space cell heterostructures while increasing their BOL and EOL efficiency is also discussed.

Faur, Mircea↗

Atomic Data and Spectral Line Intensities for Ar XII

Electron impact collision strengths; energy levels; oscillator strengths and spontaneous radiative decay rates are calculated for Ar XII. The configurations used are 2s(exp 2)2p(exp 3), 2s2p(exp4), 2p(exp 5), 2s22p23s, 2s(exp 2)2p(exp 2)3p, and 2s(exp 2)2p(exp 2)3d giving rise to 72 fine-structure levels in intermediate coupling. Collision strengths are calculated at five incident energies: 35,70, 105, 140 and 175 Ry. They are complemented by Coulomb-Born limits towards infinite collision energy for forbidden transitions and line strengths for optically allowed transitions. Excitation rate coefficients are calculated as a function of electron temperature by assuming a Maxwellian electron velocity distribution. Using the excitation rate coefficients and the radiative transition rates, statistical equilibrium equations for level populations are solved at electron densities covering the range of 10(exp 8)-101(exp 14) cm(exp -3) at an electron temperature of log T(sub e)/K = 6.4, corresponding to maximum abundance of Ar XII. Relative spectral line intensities are calculated.

Eissner, W.↗

Atomic Data and Spectral Line Intensities for Ar XII

Electron impact collision strengths, energy levels, oscillator strengths and spontaneous radiative decay rates are calculated for Ar XII. The configurations used are 2s(sup 2)p(sup 3), 2s(sup 2)p(sup 4), 2p(sup 5), 2s(sup 2)2p(sup 2)3s, 2s(sup 2)2p(sup 2)3p, and 2s(sup 2)2p(sup 2)3d giving rise to 72 fine-structure levels in intermediate coupling. Collision strengths are calculated at five incident energies: 35, 70, 105, 140 and 175 Ry. They are complemented by Coulomb-Born limits towards infinite collision energy for forbidden transitions and line strengths for optically allowed transitions. Excitation rate coefficients are calculated as a function of electron temperature by assuming a Maxwellian electron velocity distribution. Using the excitation rate coefficients and the radiative transition rates, statistical equilibrium equations for level populations are solved at electron densities covering the range of 10(exp 8)-10(exp 14)/cm(exp 3) at an electron temperature of log T(sub e)/K = 6.4, corresponding to maximum abundance of AR-XII. Relative spectral line intensities are calculated.

Eissner, W.↗

Rare Gases Inserted into Biological Building Blocks: A Theoretical Study of Glycine - Rg Compounds (Rg-Xe, Kr, Ar)

Compounds formed by insertion of rare-gas atoms (Xe, Kr, and Ar) into glycine molecule are investigated using accurate ab initio computational methods. Identification of such insertion compounds may open new frontiers in the field of rare-gas chemistry, such as possible existence of biological molecules that include chemically bound rare gas atoms. The most stable glycine-Rg configuration is found to correspond to insertion of Rg atoms into the 0-H bond of glycine. These NH2CH2COORgH compounds are metastable , but separated by sizable potential barriers from the Rg + glycine dissociation products. Preliminary calculations show that NH2CH2COOXeH compound is energetically stable with respect to another (3-body) dissociation channel (NH2CH2COO + Rg + H), while the corresponding Ar species is not stable in this respect. The compound with the inserted Kr is a borderline case, with the 3-body dissociation products being close in energy to the NH2CH2COOKrH minimum.

Chaban, Galina M.↗

Characterization of CO 4th Positive Radiation in CO2-Ar Mixtures

This paper presents measurements and simulations of CO 4th Positive spectra obtained in NASA Ames Research Center's Electric Arc Shock Tube (EAST) and CentraleSupelec's Plasma Torch. The experiments were aimed at measuring optically thin emission for the main band features of CO 4th Positive by using test gas mixtures of CO2 and Ar. By using mixtures of CO2 and Ar, the temperature of the flow (and consequently black-body curve) is increased compared to using pure CO2 (or CO2 / N2 mixtures). This temperature increase allows for emission spectroscopy of features that would nominally be black-body limited for conditions relevant to Mars entry. The CO 4th Positive system is the focus of this study as it accounts for a large percentage of the emitted radiation for Martian entry, and also due to the difficulties of obtaining experimental validation data due to the emission appearing in the Vacuum Ultraviolet (VUV) spectral range. The focus of this paper is to provide a comprehensive comparison between the EAST and plasma torch data along with various CO 4th Positive databases available in the literature. Previously reported VUV CO2 / N2 EAST data required a larger temperature than would be predicted based upon equilibrium shock relations. The need for the temperature increase implies that the EAST experiment did not fully equilibrate. Thus, it is presumed that the EAST data did not obtain an equilibrium condition. The plasma torch data, on the other hand, is very consistent with equilibrium assumptions. Thus, the equilibrium data obtained in the plasma torch is utilized to construct the CO 4th Positive emission model, which is then applied to the EAST data with a non-equilibrium interpretation.

A. M. Brandis↗

Investigating Bennu’s Volatile Accretion History Through Step-Heating N-Ne-Ar Analyses of Single Aggregate Particles

NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft delivered a sample from the carbonaceous asteroid (101955) Bennu to Earth on September 24, 2023. Since Bennu presumably accreted in the outer protoplanetary disk, beyond Jupiter’s orbit, the collected material is expected to be rich in highly volatile elements such as H, C, N, and noble gases—similar to Ivuna-type (CI) carbonaceous chondrites and material from asteroid (162173) Ryugu returned by JAXA’s Hayabusa2 spacecraft. This type of material may have contributed to the volatile inventory of Earth and the other terrestrial planets. Bulk CI chondrites record a narrow range of δ 15 N values (i.e., the permil difference from the atmospheric 15 N/ 14 N ratio), averaging between +42 and 49‰. In contrast, recent analyses at CRPG’s noble gas facility revealed that two pelletized Ryugu samples have lower δ 15 N values of +18.1 ± 0.9‰ and +19.5 ± 0.9‰. Together with the low measured N abundances, this observation suggests that Ryugu has lost a 15 N-rich, labile organic phase due to pervasive aqueous alteration. Subsequent high-resolution step-heating analyses of an additional Ryugu particle demonstrated that the δ 15 N value varies significantly during successive extraction steps (between +1.0 ± 1.0‰ and 65.8 ± 1.1‰); the variable N isotopic composition points to the presence of several isotopically distinct N-carrier phases in CI-type material. Here, we report preliminary N-Ne-Ar results obtained for individual particles from an aggregate Bennu sample using the Noblesse-HR (Nu Instruments) noble gas mass spectrometer at CRPG’s noble gas facility. In a companion abstract, we will present the noble gas (He, Ne, Ar, Kr, Xe) characteristics of other aggregate particles determined with a HELIX MC Plus. Whereas the abundance and isotopic composition of noble gases permit detection of various presolar phases and the so-called phase Q, as well as quantification of solar wind–derived and cosmogenic components, the abundance and isotopic composition of N are expected to provide further insights into the origin and evolution of N-bearing phases in carbonaceous asteroids.

E Füri↗

Nanoflare Heating During the Evolution of an AR

Nanoflares are thought to be prime candidates to heat the solar active regions. It is challenging to detect individual nanoflares with our present instrumentations. Determining the frequency and magnitude of the nanoflares are crucial to understand their contribution in coronal heating. In order to comprehend the role of nanoflares in coronal heating, researchers often combine the observed plasma emission with the coronal model. Here, by assuming nanoflare heating scenarios, we will study the evolution of an AR using the field-aligned hydrodynamic model. The frequency of heating will subsequently be determined by comparing the stimulated emission to the EUV and X-ray observation. We will continue to investigate how the heating frequency varies with the evolution of the AR. Further we will discuss the effect of observational parameters (e.g., exposure time, instrument energy range etc.) on the estimation of the nanoflare properties.

nano↗

Temporal and Spatial Evolution of Nanoflare Heating in Solar AR

Nanoflares are thought to be prime candidates to heat the solar non-flaring active regions. However, their direct individual detection with current instrumentation remains challenging. Understanding the frequency and magnitude of nanoflares is crucial for understanding their role in coronal heating. In this study, we employ a field-aligned hydrodynamic model to simulate the evolution of an active region (AR) under nanoflare heating scenarios. By comparing the simulated emission with EUV and X-ray observations, we determine the frequency of heating events and investigate how it evolves with the AR evolution. Additionally, we analyze the impact of observational parameters, such as instrument spatial resolution and energy band, on estimating nanoflare properties. Our findings contribute to advancing our understanding of the role of nanoflares in coronal heating and refining observational parameters for detecting these events.

nano flare↗