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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 163 records · Page 9
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1989

Platinum group elements in a 3.5 Ga nickel-iron occurrence - Possible evidence of a deep mantle origin

This paper reports the results of new field observations and the geochemical analyses for the area of the Bon Accord (BA) (the Kaapvaal craton, South Africa) Ni-Fe deposit, with particular consideration given to the trace element, platinum-group element, and isotopic (Pb, Nd, and Os) compositions. On the basis of these data, an interpretation of BA is suggested, according to which the BA deposit is a siderophile-rich heterogeneity remaining in the deep mantle after a process of incomplete core formation. The implications of such a model for the study of core-mantle segregation and the geochemistry of the lowermost mantle are discussed.

Tredoux, Marian↗
NASA NTRS1991

The High Energy Solar Physics mission (HESP): Scientific objectives and technical description

The High Energy Solar Physics mission offers the opportunity for major breakthroughs in the understanding of the fundamental energy release and particle acceleration processes at the core of the solar flare problem. The following subject areas are covered: the scientific objectives of HESP; what we can expect from the HESP observations; the high energy imaging spectrometer (HEISPEC); the HESP spacecraft; and budget and schedule.

Crannell, Carol↗
NASA NTRS1991

Star formation - Observations

Star-formation theories can be tested in light of observational evidence of star formation scenarios on the scales of galaxies, Galactic molecular clouds, and individual star-formation regions. Attention is presently given to the relative importance of atomic and molecular gas in star formation, the role of stimulated star formation, the existence of disks around stars undergoing formation, and the effect of spiral density waves. Attention is given to the processes of cloud cores and core collapse. The development of a theory of binary star formation will require the resolution of the issue as to the presence of a disk in the formation scenario, as indicated by the observation of spectral lines at higher resolutions.

Evans, Neal J., II↗
NASA NTRS1993

A CFD-based aerodynamic design procedure for hypersonic wind-tunnel nozzles

A new procedure which unifies the best of current classical design practices, computational fluid dynamics (CFD), and optimization procedures is demonstrated for designing the aerodynamic lines of hypersonic wind-tunnel nozzles. The new procedure can be used to design hypersonic wind tunnel nozzles with thick boundary layers where the classical design procedure has been shown to break down. An efficient CFD code, which solves the parabolized Navier-Stokes (PNS) equations using an explicit upwind algorithm, is coupled to a least-squares (LS) optimization procedure. A LS problem is formulated to minimize the difference between the computed flow field and the objective function, consisting of the centerline Mach number distribution and the exit Mach number and flow angle profiles. The aerodynamic lines of the nozzle are defined using a cubic spline, the slopes of which are optimized with the design procedure. The advantages of the new procedure are that it allows full use of powerful CFD codes in the design process, solves an optimization problem to determine the new contour, can be used to design new nozzles or improve sections of existing nozzles, and automatically compensates the nozzle contour for viscous effects as part of the unified design procedure. The new procedure is demonstrated by designing two Mach 15, a Mach 12, and a Mach 18 helium nozzles. The flexibility of the procedure is demonstrated by designing the two Mach 15 nozzles using different constraints, the first nozzle for a fixed length and exit diameter and the second nozzle for a fixed length and throat diameter. The computed flow field for the Mach 15 least squares parabolized Navier-Stokes (LS/PNS) designed nozzle is compared with the classically designed nozzle and demonstrates a significant improvement in the flow expansion process and uniform core region.

Korte, John J.↗
NASA NTRS1997

Phase Equilibrium Investigations of Planetary Materials

This grant provided funds to carry out experimental studies designed to illuminate the conditions of melting and chemical differentiation that has occurred in planetary interiors. Studies focused on the conditions of mare basalt generation in the moon's interior and on processes that led to core formation in the Shergottite Parent Body (Mars). Studies also examined physical processes that could lead to the segregation of metal-rich sulfide melts in an olivine-rich solid matrix. The major results of each paper are discussed below and copies of the papers are attached as Appendix I.

Grove, T. L.↗
NASA NTRS2001

Core-Formation Models and Extinct Nuclides

Zr and W isotope data are consistent with the Earth's core forming in a single event subsequent to about 113 Ma after the formation of the solar system. With continuous models of core formation the process can start early. Additional information is contained in the original extended abstract.

Jacobsen, S. B.↗
NASA NTRS1997

A survey of the chemical properties of the M17 and Cepheus A cloud cores

We present the results of a systematic survey of the chemical properties of two giant molecular cloud (GMC) cores in M17 and Cepheus A. In all, we have mapped the emission from 32 molecular transitions of 13 molecules and seven isotopic variants over a 4' x 5' region in each core. Each map includes known sites of massive star formation, as well as the more extended quiescent material. In M17 most molecules have emission peaks away from the H II region/molecular cloud interface, while two species, HC3N and CH3C2H, deviate from this structure with sharp maxima closer to this interface. In Cepheus A the core is influenced by a compact high-velocity molecular outflow and a more extended low-velocity flow. The molecular emission distributions in this source are generally quite similar, with most molecules peaking near the center of the core to the east of the compact H II region HW 2. A few molecules, SO, CH3OH, H13CN, and C18O, have more extended emission. Only two molecules, CO and HCO+, appear to trace the high- and low-velocity outflows; all other species are tracing the quiescent core. We have used the results of previous studies of the density and temperature of the dense gas in the same cloud cores to derive accurate abundances relative to CO for several positions in each core. The principal result is that the chemical composition of all the cores we have surveyed (which include OMC-1 as well as M17 and Cepheus A) show remarkable similarity, both within a given core and among the cores. This suggests that the chemical processes are similar in quiescent GMC core material. In M17 the lack of variation of molecular abundances is remarkable because the radiation field and the gas temperature are known to vary appreciably throughout the surveyed region, suggesting that the bulk of the emission arises from gas that is well shielded from radiation.

Non-NASA Center↗
NASA NTRS2003

Actinides in the Source of Cosmic Rays and the Present Interstellar Medium

The abundances of the actinide elements in the cosmic rays can provide critical constraints on the major sites of their acceleration. Using recent calculations of the r-process yields in core collapse supernovae, we have determined the actinide abundances averaged over various assumed time intervals for their supernova generation and their cosmic-ray acceleration. Using standard Galactic chemical evolution models, we have also determined the expected actinide abundances in the present interstellar medium. From these two components, we have calculated the U/Th and other actinide abundances expected in the supernova-active cores of superbubbles, as a function of their ages and mean metallicity resulting from dilution with interstellar cloud debris. Then, using observations of the fractions of Galactic supernovae that occur in superbubbles and in the rest of the interstellar medium, we calculate the expected actinide abundances in cosmic rays accelerated by Galactic supernovae. We find that the current measurements of actinide/Pt-group and preliminary estimates of the UPuCm/Th ratio in cosmic rays are all consistent with the expected values if superbubble cores have mean metallicities of around 3 times solar. Such metallicities are quite comparable to the superbubble core metallicities inferred from other cosmic-ray observations. Future, more precise measurements of these ratios with experiments such as ECCO are needed to provide a better measure of the mean source metallicity sampled by the local Galactic cosmic rays. Measurements of the cosmic- ray actinide abundances have been favorably compared with the protosolar ratio, inferred from present solar system abundances, to infer that the cosmic rays are accelerated from the general interstellar medium. We suggest, however, that such an inference is not valid because the expected actinide abundances in the present interstellar medium are very different from the protosolar values, which sampled the interstellar medium 4.5 Gyr ago and included an additional fresh ejecta component from a neighboring supernova.

Lingenfelter, R. E.↗
NASA NTRS2005

Applying Qualitative Hazard Analysis to Support Quantitative Safety Analysis for Proposed Reduced Wake Separation Conops

This paper describes a scenario-driven hazard analysis process to identify, eliminate, and control safety-related risks. Within this process, we develop selective criteria to determine the applicability of applying engineering modeling to hypothesized hazard scenarios. This provides a basis for evaluating and prioritizing the scenarios as candidates for further quantitative analysis. We have applied this methodology to proposed concepts of operations for reduced wake separation for closely spaced parallel runways. For arrivals, the process identified 43 core hazard scenarios. Of these, we classified 12 as appropriate for further quantitative modeling, 24 that should be mitigated through controls, recommendations, and / or procedures (that is, scenarios not appropriate for quantitative modeling), and 7 that have the lowest priority for further analysis.

Shortle, John F.↗
NASA NTRS2012

Materials Selection for Aerospace Systems

A systematic design-oriented, five-step approach to material selection is described: 1) establishing design requirements, 2) material screening, 3) ranking, 4) researching specific candidates and 5) applying specific cultural constraints to the selection process. At the core of this approach is the definition performance indices (i.e., particular combinations of material properties that embody the performance of a given component) in conjunction with material property charts. These material selection charts, which plot one property against another, are introduced and shown to provide a powerful graphical environment wherein one can apply and analyze quantitative selection criteria, such as those captured in performance indices, and make trade-offs between conflicting objectives. Finding a material with a high value of these indices maximizes the performance of the component. Two specific examples pertaining to aerospace (engine blades and pressure vessels) are examined, both at room temperature and elevated temperature (where time-dependent effects are important) to demonstrate the methodology. The discussion then turns to engineered/hybrid materials and how these can be effectively tailored to fill in holes in the material property space, so as to enable innovation and increases in performance as compared to monolithic materials. Finally, a brief discussion is presented on managing the data needed for materials selection, including collection, analysis, deployment, and maintenance issues.

Arnold, Steven M.↗
NASA NTRS2012

Pt, Au, Pd and Ru Partitioning Between Mineral and Silicate Melts: The Role of Metal Nanonuggets

The partition coefficients of Pt and other Pt Group Elements (PGE) between metal and silicate D(sub Metal-Silicate) and also between silicate minerals and silicate melts D(sub Metal-Silicate) are among the most challenging coefficients to obtain precisely. The PGE are highly siderophile elements (HSE) with D(sub Metal-Silicate) >10(exp 3) due to the fact that their concentrations in silicates are very low (ppb to ppt range). Therefore, the analytical difficulty is increased by the possible presence of HSE-rich-nuggets in reduced silicate melts during experiments). These tiny HSE nuggets complicate the interpretation of measured HSE concentrations. If the HSE micro-nuggets are just sample artifacts, then their contributions should be removed before calculations of the final concentration. On the other hand, if they are produced during the quench, then they should be included in the analysis. We still don't understand the mechanism of nugget formation well. Are they formed during the quench by precipitation from precursor species dissolved homogeneously in the melts, or are they precipitated in situ at high temperature due to oversaturation? As these elements are important tracers of early planetary processes such as core formation, it is important to take up this analytical and experimental challenge. In the case of the Earth for example, chondritic relative abundances of the HSE in some mantle xenoliths have led to the concept of the "late veneer" as a source of volatiles (such as water) and siderophiles in the silicate Earth. Silicate crystal/liquid fractionation is responsible for most, if not all, the HSE variation in the martian meteorite suites (SNC) and Pt is the element least affected by these fractionations. Therefore, in terms of reconstructing mantle HSE abundances for Mars, Pt becomes a very important player. In the present study, we have performed high temperature experiments under various redox conditions in order to determine the abundances of Pt, Au, Ru and Pd in minerals (olivine and diopside) and in silicate melts, but also to characterize the sizes, density and chemistry of HSE nuggets when present in the samples.

Malavergne, V.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Numerical Simulations on Origin of Galilean Moons' Magnetic Anomalies

Galileo mission detected the magnetic anomalies originated from Galilean moons. These anomalies are likely generated in the moons interiors, under the influence of a strong ambient Jovian field. Among various possible generation mechanisms of the anomalies, we focus on magneto-convection and dynamos in the interiors via numerical simulation. To mimic the electromagnetic environment of the moons, we introduce in our numerical model an external uniform magnetic field B(sub 0) with a fixed orientation but varying field strength. Our results show that a finite B(sub 0) can substantially alter the dynamo processes inside the core. When the ambient field strength B(sub 0) increases to approximately 40% of the field generated by the pure dynamo action, the convective state in the core changes significantly: the convective flow decreases by 80% in magnitude, but the differential rotation becomes stronger in much of the fluid layer, leading to a stronger field generated in the core. The field morphologies inside the core tend to align with the ambient field, while the flow patterns show the symmetry-breaking effect under the influence of B(sub 0). Furthermore, the generated field tends to be temporally more stable.

Jiao, LiQuo↗
NASA NTRS2012

Active Region Moss: Doppler Shifts from Hinode/EIS Observations

Studying the Doppler shifts and the temperature dependence of Doppler shifts in moss regions can help us understand the heating processes in the core of the active regions. In this paper we have used an active region observation recorded by the Extreme-ultraviolet Imaging Spectrometer (EIS) onboard Hinode on 12-Dec- 2007 to measure the Doppler shifts in the moss regions. We have distinguished the moss regions from the rest of the active region by defining a low density cut-off as derived by Tripathi et al. (2010). We have carried out a very careful analysis of the EIS wavelength calibration based on the method described in Young, O Dwyer and Mason (2012). For spectral lines having maximum sensitivity between log T = 5.85 and log T = 6.25 K, we find that the velocity distribution peaks at around 0 km/s with an estimated error of 4 km/s. The width of the distribution decreases with temperature. The mean of the distribution shows a blue shift which increases with increasing temperature and the distribution also shows asymmetries towards blue-shift. Comparing these results with observables predicted from different coronal heating models, we find that these results are consistent with both steady and impulsive heating scenarios. Further observational constraints are needed to distinguish between these two heating scenarios.

Tripathi, Durgesh↗
NASA NTRS2019

High-Performance Spaceflight Computing (HPSC) Middleware Overview

High Performance Spacecraft Computing (HPSC) is a joint project between the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and Air Force Research Lab (AFRL) to develop a high-performance multi-core radiation hardened flight processor. HPSC offers a new flight computing architecture to meet the needs of NASA missions through 2030 and beyond. Providing on the order of 100X the computational capacity of current flight processors for the same amount of power, the multicore architecture of the HPSC processor, or "Chiplet" provides unprecedented flexibility in a flight computing system by enabling the operating point to be set dynamically, trading among needs for computational performance, energy management and fault tolerance. The HPSC Chiplet is being developed by Boeing under contract to NASA, and is expected to provide prototypes in 2021. The HPSC Chiplet prototypes will be delivered with an evaluation board, system emulators, comprehensive system software, and a software development kit. In addition to the vendor deliverables, the AFRL is funding the development of a flexible Middleware to be developed by NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory and NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. The HPSC Middleware provides a suite of thirteen high level services to manage the compute, memory and I/O resources of this complex device.This presentation will provide an overview of the HPSC project, including a hardware overview, system software overview, Middleware overview, and mission use cases. The hardware overview will provide a look at the 8 core High Performance Processing Subsystem (HPPS), the Real Time Processing Subsystem (RTPS), the Chiplet Configuration Management Subsystem, on chip peripherals, and high speed I/O. The system software overview will introduce the boot loaders, operating systems, device drivers, and software development environment. The Middleware overview will provide insight into the high-level services that will be provided to help mission developers manage the many resources and configurations made possible with the Chiplet. Finally, the presentation will provide a brief look at the mission use cases that can be enabled with this next generation architecture.

middleware↗
NASA NTRS2019

Assembling and Testing NASA’s Space Launch System for First Flight

NASA is planning its next step toward human expansion into the solar system. The Space Launch System (SLS) (Figure 1) is a critical enabling component of that expansion. SLS payloads for its early missions include the Orion crew vehicle and components for Gateway, a lunar outpost orbiting the Moon that will facilitate research, technology and partnerships for eventual Mars missions. All major core stage hardware for test and flight completed structural manufacturing in 2018. The major components for the first flight vehicle are complete or approaching completion of internal equipment installation. The core stage forward join operation is also complete. The 10 booster segments needed for first flight have been cast and are ready to ship to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) for mating and stacking. The four RS-25 core stage engines completed processing at NASA’s Stennis Space Center (SSC) and are ready for core stage integration. The Orion Stage Adapter (OSA) joined the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS) at KSC to await the rest of SLS flight hardware. Production and preparation of hardware for the second mission is also underway. Looking ahead to a busy 2019, liquid oxygen (LOX) tank, liquid hydrogen (LH2) tank and intertank structural testing will take place. This paper will discuss the current and planned status of SLS development in context of NASA’s overall exploration plans.

Askin, Bruce R.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Microbial Characterization of Heat Melt Compaction for Treatment of Space Generated Solid Wastes

One treatment process in development for solid waste management in space has been the Trash Compaction Processing System (TCPS). Human space mission wastes typically contain large percentages of contaminated wet solid waste. The Heat Melt Compactor (HMC) is being developed to be a multi-function means of water recovery, volume reduction, and the making safe of contaminant-rich trash with the potential for waste stabilization and/or sterilization. To determine the efficacy of the HMC treatment to kill microorganisms in solid waste and remain biologically stable, testing was conducted on three tiles produced by HMC-Gen 2 at Ames Research Center. Samples were shipped to Kennedy Space Center to test for microbial viability after compaction, determine the bio-stability of the HMC disks during storage (43 days), and assess potential airborne contaminate microbial growth on surfaces at low and high humidity conditions. In addition to the products of solid waste processing technologies, there is a concern that the crew might come into contact with hardware surfaces that have been contaminated by microorganisms during waste processing. The extent of microbial surface contamination of waste processing hardware was determined by surface sample swabbing and analysis for total bacterial and yeast counts and cultivable counts of aerobic and anaerobic bacteria, spore-forming bacteria, and fungi. Results indicate that trash processing increased bacterial counts on the surfaces of the compacter. All but one biological indicator spore strip imbedded in the HMC produced tiles were negative for growth after incubation for five days indicating effective sterilization through the heat melt compaction process. Analysis of core samples as well as surface growth of tiles inoculated with Aspergillus niger fungal spores incubated at three levels of humidity indicate that HMC created tiles did not support the proliferation of bacterial and fungal growth.

Mary E Hummerick↗
NASA NTRS2023

Importance of Internal Variability for Climate Model Assessment

Benchmarking climate model simulations against observations of the climate is core to the process of building realistic climate models and developing accurate future projections. However, in many cases, models do not match historical observations, particularly on regional scales. If there is a mismatch between modeled and observed climate features, should we necessarily conclude that our models are deficient? Using several illustrative examples, we emphasize that internal variability can easily lead to marked differences between the basic features of the model and observed climate, even when decades of model and observed data are available. This can appear as an apparent failure of models to capture regional trends or changes in global teleconnections, or simulation of extreme events. Despite a large body of literature on the impact of internal variability on climate, this acknowledgment has not yet penetrated many model evaluation activities, particularly for regional climate. We emphasize that using a single or small ensemble of simulations to conclude that a climate model is in error can lead to premature conclusions on model fidelity. A large ensemble of multidecadal simulations is therefore needed to properly sample internal climate variability in order to robustly identify model deficiencies and convincingly demonstrate progress between generations of climate models.

Climate and Earth system modelling↗