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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

Preliminary Internal Performance Data for a Variable-Ejector Assembly on the XJ79-GE-1 Turbojet Engine: Afterburning Configurations - II

Internal performance of an XJ79-GE-1 variable ejector was experimentally determined with the primary nozzle in two representative after-burning positions. Jet-thrust and air-handling data were obtained in quiescent air for 4 selected ejector configurations over a wide range of secondary to primary airflow ratios and primary-nozzle pressure ratios. The experimental ejector data are presented in both graphical and tabulated form.

Bloomer, Harry E.↗

Documentation for Three Wake Vortex Model Data Sets from Simulation of Flight 587 Wake Vortex Encounter Accident Case

This document contains a general description for data sets of a wake vortex system in a turbulent environment. The turbulence and thermal stratification of the environment are representative of the conditions on November 12, 2001 near John F. Kennedy International Airport. The simulation assumes no ambient winds. The full three dimensional simulation of the wake vortex system from a Boeing 747 predicts vortex circulation levels at 80% of their initial value at the time of the proposed vortex encounter. The linked vortex oval orientation showed no twisting, and the oval elevations at the widest point were about 20 meters higher than where the vortex pair joined. Fred Proctor of NASA?s Langley Research Center presented the results from this work at the NTSB public hearing that started 29 October 2002. This document contains a description of each data set including: variables, coordinate system, data format, and sample plots. Also included are instructions on how to read the data.

Switzer, George F.↗

Evaluating Corn (Zea Mays L.) N Variability Via Remote Sensed Data

Transformations and losses of nitrogen (N) throughout the growing season can be costly. Methods in place to improve N management and facilitate split N applications during the growing season can be time consuming and logistically difficult. Remote sensing (RS) may be a method to rapidly assess temporal changes in crop N status and promote more efficient N management. This study was designed to evaluate the ability of three different RS platforms to predict N variability in corn (Zea mays L.) leaves during vegetative and early reproductive growth stages. Plots (15 x 15m) were established in the Coastal Plain (CP) and Appalachian Plateau (AP) physiographic regions each spring from 2000 to 2002 in a completely randomized design. Treatments consisted of four N rates (0, 56, 112, and 168 kg N/ha) applied as ammonium nitrate (NH4N03) replicated four time. Spectral measurements were acquired via spectroradiometer (lambda = 350 - 1050 nm), Airborne Terrestrial Applications Sensor (ATLAS) (lambda = 400 - 12,500 nm), and the IKONOS satellite (lambda = 450 - 900 nm). Spectroradiometer data were collected on a biweekly basis from V4 through R1. Due to the nature of - satellite and aircraft acquisitions, these data were acquired per availability. Chlorophyll meter (SPAD) and tissue N were collected as ancillary data along with each RS acquisition. Results showed vegetation indices derived from hand-held spectroradiometer measurements as early as V6-V8 were linearly related to yield and tissue N content. ATLAS data was correlated with tissue N at the AP site during the V6 stage (r2 = 0.66), but no significant relationships were observed at the CP site. No significant relationships were observed between plant N and IKONOS imagery. Using a combination of the greenness vegetation index (GNDVI) and the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), RS data acquired via ATLAS and the spectroradiometer could be used to evaluate tissue N variability and estimate corn yield variability under ideal growing conditions.

Sullivan, D. G.↗

Engine Icing Data - An Analytics Approach

Engine icing researchers at the NASA Glenn Research Center use the Escort data acquisition system in the Propulsion Systems Laboratory (PSL) to generate and collect a tremendous amount of data every day. Currently these researchers spend countless hours processing and formatting their data, selecting important variables, and plotting relationships between variables, all by hand, generally analyzing data in a spreadsheet-style program (such as Microsoft Excel). Though spreadsheet-style analysis is familiar and intuitive to many, processing data in spreadsheets is often unreproducible and small mistakes are easily overlooked. Spreadsheet-style analysis is also time inefficient. The same formatting, processing, and plotting procedure has to be repeated for every dataset, which leads to researchers performing the same tedious data munging process over and over instead of making discoveries within their data. This paper documents a data analysis tool written in Python hosted in a Jupyter notebook that vastly simplifies the analysis process. From the file path of any folder containing time series datasets, this tool batch loads every dataset in the folder, processes the datasets in parallel, and ingests them into a widget where users can search for and interactively plot subsets of columns in a number of ways with a click of a button, easily and intuitively comparing their data and discovering interesting dynamics. Furthermore, comparing variables across data sets and integrating video data (while extremely difficult with spreadsheet-style programs) is quite simplified in this tool. This tool has also gathered interest outside the engine icing branch, and will be used by researchers across NASA Glenn Research Center. This project exemplifies the enormous benefit of automating data processing, analysis, and visualization, and will help researchers move from raw data to insight in a much smaller time frame.

Engine Icing↗

Regional Climate Simulation and Data Assimilation with Variable-Resolution GCMs

Variable resolution GCMs using a global stretched grid (SG) with enhanced regional resolution over one or multiple areas of interest represents a viable new approach to regional climateklimate change and data assimilation studies and applications. The multiple areas of interest, at least one within each global quadrant, include the major global mountains and major global monsoonal circulations over North America, South America, India-China, and Australia. They also can include the polar domains, and the European and African regions. The SG-approach provides an efficient regional downscaling to mesoscales, and it is an ideal tool for representing consistent interactions of globaYlarge- and regionallmeso- scales while preserving the high quality of global circulation. Basically, the SG-GCM simulations are no different from those of the traditional uniform-grid GCM simulations besides using a variable-resolution grid. Several existing SG-GCMs developed by major centers and groups are briefly described. The major discussion is based on the GEOS (Goddard Earth Observing System) SG-GCM regional climate simulations.

Fox-Rabinovitz, Michael S.↗

The pulsating white dwarfs

The characteristics of variable white dwarfs are presented through an examination of observational data. The variable white dwarfs are normal, single, DA white dwarfs. The variations are caused by pulsations, but the pulsations are nonradial rather than radial pulsations. The periods are all very long. Excluding harmonics and cross frequencies, the shortest period is 114 sec and the longest period is 1186 sec. Without exception every variable is multiperiodic. The stability of the periods varies from extremely high to very low; the low stability of many of the variables perhaps being due to incomplete data. Finally, there is a strong correlation between the amplitude of the variations and their remaining properties. The higher amplitude variables have more periods in their light curves and the periods are more unstable.

Robinson, E. L.↗

Aerosol climatology using a tunable spectral variability cloud screening of AERONET data

Can cloud screening of an aerosol data set, affect the aerosol optical thickness (AOT) climatology? Aerosols, humidity and clouds are correlated. Therefore, rigorous cloud screening can systematically bias towards less cloudy conditions, underestimating the average AOT. Here, using AERONET data we show that systematic rejection of variable atmospheric optical conditions can generate such bias in the average AOT. Therefore we recommend (1) to introduce more powerful spectral variability cloud screening and (2) to change the philosophy behind present aerosol climatologies: Instead of systematically rejecting all cloud contaminations, we suggest to intentionally allow the presence of cloud contamination, estimate the statistical impact of the contamination and correct for it. The analysis, applied to 10 AERONET stations with approx. 4 years of data, shows almost no change for Rome (Italy), but up to a change in AOT of 0.12 in Beijing (PRC). Similar technique may be explored for satellite analysis, e.g. MODIS.

Kaufman, Yoram J.↗

Shuttle cryogenic supply system. Optimization study. Volume 5 B-1: Programmers manual for math models

A computer program for rapid parametric evaluation of various types of cryogenics spacecraft systems is presented. The mathematical techniques of the program provide the capability for in-depth analysis combined with rapid problem solution for the production of a large quantity of soundly based trade-study data. The program requires a large data bank capable of providing characteristics performance data for a wide variety of component assemblies used in cryogenic systems. The program data requirements are divided into: (1) the semipermanent data tables and source data for performance characteristics and (2) the variable input data which contains input parameters which may be perturbated for parametric system studies.

Source record↗

Effects of Variable Temperature on Mossbauer Data Acquisition: Laboratory-based and MER A Results

Mossbauer spectrometers on the Spirit and Opportunity rovers have played a valuable role in identifying mineralogy at both the Gusev and Meridiani landing sites. Key to the application of Mossbauer results is the issue of how accurately the peak positions, on which the mineral identifications are based, can be determined. Remote Mossbauer spectroscopy has by necessity some unusual experimental constraints that may influence the confidence with which peak positions can be fit. We present here an analysis of the effects of variable temperature and short duration run times on spectral resolution.

Rothstein, Y.↗

Atmospheric structure and variability in areas of convective storms determined from 3-h rawinsonde data

The structure and variability of the atmosphere in areas of radar-observed convection were established by using 3-h rawinsonde and surface data from NASA's second Atmospheric Variability Experiment. Convective activity was shown to exist in areas where the low and middle troposphere is moist and the air is potentially and convectively unstable and has upward motion, in combination with positive moisture advection, at either the surface or within the boundary layer. The large variability of the parameters associated with convective storms over time intervals less than 12 h was also demonstrated so as to possibly produce a change in the probability of convective activity by a factor of 8 or more in 3 h. Between 30 and 60 percent of the total changes in parameters associated with convective activity over a 12-h period were shown to take place during a 3-h period. These large changes in parameters are related to subsynoptic-scale systems that often produce convective storms.

Wilson, G. S.↗

Sea ice-atmosphere interaction: Application of multispectral satellite data in polar surface energy flux estimates

The application of multi-spectral satellite data to estimate polar surface energy fluxes is addressed. To what accuracy and over which geographic areas large scale energy budgets can be estimated are investigated based upon a combination of available remote sensing and climatological data sets. The general approach was to: (1) formulate parameterization schemes for the appropriate sea ice energy budget terms based upon the remotely sensed and/or in-situ data sets; (2) conduct sensitivity analyses using as input both natural variability (observed data in regional case studies) and theoretical variability based upon energy flux model concepts; (3) assess the applicability of these parameterization schemes to both regional and basin wide energy balance estimates using remote sensing data sets; and (4) assemble multi-spectral, multi-sensor data sets for at least two regions of the Arctic Basin and possibly one region of the Antarctic. The type of data needed for a basin-wide assessment is described and the temporal coverage of these data sets are determined by data availability and need as defined by parameterization scheme. The titles of the subjects are as follows: (1) Heat flux calculations from SSM/I and LANDSAT data in the Bering Sea; (2) Energy flux estimation using passive microwave data; (3) Fetch and stability sensitivity estimates of turbulent heat flux; and (4) Surface temperature algorithm.

Steffen, K.↗

Sensor-induced temporal variability of Landsat MSS data

Landsat-1 and Landsat-2 multispectral scanner (MSS) data were studied to determine the consistency of the calculated reflectance values over time. Data from six spectrally stable targets were collected over a 3-year period (1975-1977). Reflectance values calculated from the digital numbers were regressed against time to note any long term changes. Results indicate that, over a 1000-day period beginning 1 January 1975, MSS 2 reflectances were stable. MSS 1 reflectances over that same period decreased approximately 25-32 percent. The observed decreases are most likely due to a deterioration of the transmissive qualities of the Landsat-1 scanner's internal optical path. Although MSS temporal variation may be unique to MSS 1, time (days in orbit) should be considered as an independent variable when intersatellite calibration equations are computed. A case is made for a stable, monitored calibration system which would permit the calculation of true top-of-the-atmosphere reflectance measures.

Nelson, R. F.↗

The Quality Control Algorithms Used in the Creation of NASA Kennedy Space Center Lightning Protection System Towers Meteorological Database

An accurate database of meteorological data is essential for designing any aerospace vehicle and for preparing launch commit criteria. Meteorological instrumentation were recently placed on the three Lightning Protection System (LPS) towers at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) launch complex 39B (LC-39B), which provide a unique meteorological dataset existing at the launch complex over an extensive altitude range. Data records of temperature, dew point, relative humidity, wind speed, and wind direction are produced at 40, 78, 116, and 139 m at each tower. The Marshall Space Flight Center Natural Environments Branch (EV44) received an archive that consists of one-minute averaged measurements for the period of record of January 2011 - April 2015. However, before the received database could be used EV44 needed to remove any erroneous data from within the database through a comprehensive quality control (QC) process. The QC process applied to the LPS towers' meteorological data is similar to other QC processes developed by EV44, which were used in the creation of meteorological databases for other towers at KSC. The QC process utilized in this study has been modified specifically for use with the LPS tower database. The QC process first includes a check of each individual sensor. This check includes removing any unrealistic data and checking the temporal consistency of each variable. Next, data from all three sensors at each height are checked against each other, checked against climatology, and checked for sensors that erroneously report a constant value. Then, a vertical consistency check of each variable at each tower is completed. Last, the upwind sensor at each level is selected to minimize the influence of the towers and other structures at LC-39B on the measurements. The selection process for the upwind sensor implemented a study of tower-induced turbulence. This paper describes in detail the QC process, QC results, and the attributes of the LPS towers meteorological database.

Orcutt, John M.↗

Using UMM-Var and E2E to Improve the User Experience for Accessing NASA EOSDIS Data Sets

The UMM-Variables (Var) Metadata Model has been evolved to support an End-to-End Services (E2E) capability, which enables variable level subsetting, data transformation, and data reformatting. This talk will discuss what is new with the model, how users can get their metadata ready for the E2E capability, and include a demo of how the model is being used to drive and improve the user experience in Earthdata Search Client when accessing EOSDIS data sets.

Metadata Modeling↗

Modeling and Visualizing Uncertainty in Continuous Variables Predicted using Remotely Sensed Data

The use of remotely sensed images to map continuous biophysical variables, such as those related to terrestrial vegetation amount, sea surface temperature, and many other targets of NASA s Earth Observing System (EOS), includes variable, parametric, positional, spatial support and structural sources of uncertainty. A complete description of uncertainty will lead to a probability distribution at each location, allowing the exploration of the spatial dimension of uncertainty, that is, where the field is not well quantified. To achieve this purpose, convenient visualization tools are required. We have produced such a tool, called PDFVis, that facilitates the display of probability density functions (pdfs) on a per-grid-cell basis. The density estimate from Monte-Carlo generated realizations is interactively displayed as well as parametric and non-parametric summaries of the pdf field (such as mean, median, quartiles, standard deviation, number of modes, and locations of modes). Shaded surface renderings of pdfs along a transect can also be projected onto a plane. This tool will become more useful as richer descriptions of spatial uncertainty become available.

Dungan, Jennifer L.↗

Studies in Astronomical Time Series Analysis. VI. Bayesian Block Representations

This paper addresses the problem of detecting and characterizing local variability in time series and other forms of sequential data. The goal is to identify and characterize statistically significant variations, at the same time suppressing the inevitable corrupting observational errors. We present a simple nonparametric modeling technique and an algorithm implementing it-an improved and generalized version of Bayesian Blocks [Scargle 1998]-that finds the optimal segmentation of the data in the observation interval. The structure of the algorithm allows it to be used in either a real-time trigger mode, or a retrospective mode. Maximum likelihood or marginal posterior functions to measure model fitness are presented for events, binned counts, and measurements at arbitrary times with known error distributions. Problems addressed include those connected with data gaps, variable exposure, extension to piece- wise linear and piecewise exponential representations, multivariate time series data, analysis of variance, data on the circle, other data modes, and dispersed data. Simulations provide evidence that the detection efficiency for weak signals is close to a theoretical asymptotic limit derived by [Arias-Castro, Donoho and Huo 2003]. In the spirit of Reproducible Research [Donoho et al. (2008)] all of the code and data necessary to reproduce all of the figures in this paper are included as auxiliary material.

signal detection↗