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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 NTRS2005

Ion Neutral Mass Spectrometer Measurements from Titan

Introduction: The Ion Neutral Mass Spectrometer (INMS) aboard the Cassini orbiter has obtained the first in situ composition measurements of the neutral densities of molecular nitrogen, methane, argon, and a host of stable carbon-nitrile compounds in its first flyby of Titan. The bulk composition and thermal structure of the moon s upper atmosphere do not appear to be changed since the Voyager flyby in 1979. However, the more sensitive techniques provided by modern in-situ mass spectrometry also give evidence for large-spatial-scale large-amplitude atmospheric waves in the upper atmosphere and for a plethora of stable carbon-nitrile compounds above 1174 km. Furthermore, they allow the first direct measurements of isotopes of nitrogen, carbon, and argon, which provide interesting clues about the evolution of the atmosphere. The atmosphere was first accreted as ammonia and ammonia ices from the Saturn sub-nebula. Subsequent photochemistry likely converted the atmosphere into molecular nitrogen. The early atmosphere was 1.5 to 5 times more substantial and was lost via escape over the intervening 4.5 billion years due to the reduced gravity associated with the relatively small mass of Titan. Carbon in the form of methane has continued to outgas over time from the interior with much of it being deposited in the form of complex hydrocarbons on the surface and some of it also being lost to space.

Waite, J. H., Jr.↗
DOE OSTI2021

A differential emissivity imaging technique for measuring hydrometeor mass and type

Abstract. The Differential Emissivity Imaging Disdrometer (DEID) is a new evaporation-based optical and thermal instrument designed to measure the mass, size, density and type of individual hydrometeors as well as their bulk properties. Hydrometeor spatial dimensions are measured on a heated metal plate using an infrared camera by exploiting the much higher thermal emissivity of water compared with metal. As a melted hydrometeor evaporates, its mass can be directly related to the loss of heat from the hotplate assuming energy conservation across the hydrometeor. The heat loss required to evaporate a hydrometeor is found to be independent of environmental conditions including ambient wind velocity, moisture level and temperature. The difference in heat loss for snow vs. rain for a given mass offers a method for discriminating precipitation phase. The DEID measures hydrometeors at sampling frequencies of up to 1 Hz with masses and effective diameters greater than 1 µg and 200 µm, respectively, determined by the size of the hotplate and the thermal camera specifications. Measurable snow water equivalent (SWE) precipitation rates range from 0.001 to 200 mm h−1, as validated against a standard weighing bucket. Preliminary field experiment measurements of snow and rain from the winters of 2019 and 2020 provided continuous automated measurements of precipitation rate, snow density and visibility. Measured hydrometeor size distributions agree well with canonical results described in the literature.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
NASA NTRS1972

A global empirical model of thermospheric composition based on OGO-6 mass spectrometer measurements

The analysis of composition measurements made with the neutral mass spectrometer aboard the OGO-6 satellite leads to the following conclusions. The measured atomic oxygen densities are generally in good agreement with those deduced from drag. The molecular nitrogen densities in the annual and semiannual variations depart significantly from those predicted by drag models and suggest similar departures for exospheric temperatures. The helium densities generally tend to vary in an inverse manner to the nitrogen densities. These composition changes are consistent with dynamical processes associated with the global circulation in the thermosphere.

Hedin, A. E.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Time variation of urban mass loading measured by small filters compared to high-volume samplers

The paper shows how the use of an instrument with 12 small-diameter (47-mm) membrane filters (samples taken for 12 2-hr periods), in conjunction with wind direction measurements, is a suitable technique for observing mass loading levels on a time-resolved basis. In contrast, standard high-volume instruments are unable to demonstrate specialized events because of the long collection period involved. A comparison is presented for a typical day where the mass loading changed during the observed period but could not be observed with a single high-volume sample measurement. Time-averaged mass loading for 2-hr periods is demonstrated to be a useful tool in developing trend analysis for diurnal effects.

Crumbly, K. H.↗
DOE OSTI2021

Measuring the Mass of the Large Magellanic Cloud with Stellar Streams Observed by S $^{5}$

Stellar streams are excellent probes of the underlying gravitational potential in which they evolve. In this work, we fit dynamical models to five streams in the Southern Galactic hemisphere, combining observations from the Southern Stellar Stream Spectroscopic Survey (S $^{5}$), Gaia EDR3, and the Dark Energy Survey, to measure the mass of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). With an ensemble of streams, we find a mass of the LMC ranging from ∼14–19 × 10$^{10}$ M $_{⊙}$, probed over a range of closest approach times and distances. With the most constraining stream (Orphan–Chenab), we measure an LMC mass of , probed at a closest approach time of 310 Myr and a closest approach distance of 25.4 kpc. This mass is compatible with previous measurements, showing that a consistent picture is emerging of the LMC’s influence on structures in the Milky Way. Using this sample of streams, we find that the LMC’s effect depends on the relative orientation of the stream and LMC at their point of closest approach. To better understand this, we present a simple model based on the impulse approximation and we show that the LMC’s effect depends both on the magnitude of the velocity kick imparted to the stream and the direction of this kick.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS1984

Measurement of mass distribution of chemical species in aerosol particles

Aerosols may be generated through the nebulizing of solutions and the evaporation of their solvent, leaving the dry solute particles. Attention is presently given to a method for the direct determination of the masses of chemical species in individual aerosol particles on a continuous, real-time basis, using mass spectrometry. After the aerosol particles are introduced into the ion source of a quadrupole mass spectrometer, the particles impinge on a hot rhenium filament in the mass spectrometer's ion source. The resulting vapor plume is ionized by electron bombardment, and a pulse of ions is generated by each particle. The intensities of different masses in the ion pulses can then be measured by the mass spectrometer.

Sinha, M. P.↗
NASA NTRS2008

Optical Measurement of Mass Flow of a Two-Phase Fluid

An optoelectronic system utilizes wavelength-dependent scattering of light for measuring the density and mass flow of a two-phase fluid in a pipe. The apparatus was invented for original use in measuring the mass flow of a two-phase cryogenic fluid (e.g., liquid hydrogen containing bubbles of hydrogen gas), but underlying principles of operation can readily be adapted to non-cryogenic two-phase fluids. The system (see figure) includes a laser module, which contains two or more laser diodes, each operating at a different wavelength. The laser module also contains beam splitters that combine the beams at the various wavelengths so as to produce two output beams, each containing all of the wavelengths. One of the multiwavelength output beams is sent, via a multimode fiberoptic cable, to a transmitting optical coupler. The other multiwavelength output beam is sent, via another multimode fiber-optic cable, to a reference detector module, wherein fiber-optic splitters split the light into several multiwavelength beams, each going to a photodiode having a spectral response that is known and that differs from the spectral responses of the other photodiodes. The outputs of these photodiodes are digitized and fed to a processor, which executes an algorithm that utilizes the known spectral responses to convert the photodiode outputs to obtain reference laser-power levels for the various wavelengths. The transmitting optical coupler is mounted in (and sealed to) a hole in the pipe and is oriented at a slant with respect to the axis of the pipe. The transmitting optical coupler contains a collimating lens and a cylindrical lens that form the light emerging from the end of the fiber-optic cable into a fan-shaped beam in a meridional plane of the pipe. Receiving optical couplers similar to the transmitting optical couplers are mounted in the same meridional plane at various longitudinal positions on the opposite side of the pipe, approximately facing the transmitting optical coupler along the same slant. Light collected by each receiving optical coupler is sent, via a multimode fiber-optic cable, to a detector module similar to the reference detector module. The outputs of the photodiodes in each detector module are digitized and processed, similarly to those of the reference detector module, to obtain indications of the amounts of light of each wavelength scattered to the corresponding receiving position. The value for each wavelength at each position is also normalized to the reference laser-power level for that wavelength. From these normalized values, the density and the mass flow rate of the fluid are estimated.

Wiley, John↗
NASA NTRS1976

Satellite measurement of mass of Sahara dust in the atmosphere

Landsat 1 measurements of nadir radiance are used to obtain the mass of particulates in a vertical column of dust from the Sahara Desert. A radiative transfer model, constructed with knowledge of a few values of optical parameters measured from a ship, is developed to account for the measured radiance values. Measurement and model accuracies are discussed. It is found that the mass of particulates with smaller than a 10 micron radius in a vertical column is 1.6 g/sq m.

Fraser, R. S.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Mass spectrometry measurements of the lower atmosphere of Venus

Mass spectrometer experiments installed on the descent vehicles of the Venera-11 and the Venera-12 are described. Data on the chemical composition of the lower atmosphere of Venus is discussed with emphasis on the isotope state of the basic components (carbon, oxygen, nitrogen) and of the inert gases.

Istomin, V. G.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Simultaneous electrical resistivity and mass uptake measurements in bromine intercalated fibers

Changes in mass and electrical resistivity of several types of pitch-based and vapor-grown graphite fibers were monitored during reaction with bromine. The observed threshold pressure dependent reaction suggested that the fibers were intercalated. In the fully brominated compound, the mass was increased by 44 percent and the resistivity was improved by a factor of 17. In the residue compound, the mass was increased by 22 percent and the resistivity was improved by a factor of 5. Fibers possessing different degrees of graphitization had surprisingly similar changes in both mass and resistivity.

Jaworske, D. A.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Mass Spectrometric Measurement of Martian Krypton and Xenon Isotopic Abundance

The Viking gas chromatograph mass spectrometer experiment provided significant data on the atmospheric composition at the surface of Mars, including measurements of several isotope ratios. However, the limited dynamic range of this mass spectrometer resulted in marginal measurements for the important Kr and Xe isotopic abundance. The Xe-129 to Xe-132 ratio was measured with an uncertainty of 70%, but none of the other isotope ratios for these species were obtained. Accurate measurement of the Xe and Kr isotopic abundance in this atmosphere provides an important data point in testing theories of planetary formation and atmospheric evolution. The measurement is also essential for a stringent test for the Martian origin of the SNC meteorites, since the Kr and Xe fractionation pattern seen in gas trapped in glassy nodules of an SNC (EETA 79001) is unlike any other known solar system resevoir. Current flight mass spectrometer designs combined with the new technology of a high-performance vacuum pumping system show promise for a substantial increase in gas throughput and the dynamic range required to accurately measure these trace species. Various aspects of this new technology are discussed.

Mahaffy, P.↗
DOE OSTI2022

HSC-XXL: Baryon budget of the 136 XXL groups and clusters

Abstract We present our determination of the baryon budget for an X-ray-selected XXL sample of 136 galaxy groups and clusters spanning nearly two orders of magnitude in mass (M500 ∼ 1013–1015 M⊙) and the redshift range 0 ≲ z ≲ 1. Our joint analysis is based on the combination of Hyper Suprime-Cam Subaru Strategic Program (HSC-SSP) weak-lensing mass measurements, XXL X-ray gas mass measurements, and HSC and Sloan Digital Sky Survey multiband photometry. We carry out a Bayesian analysis of multivariate mass-scaling relations of gas mass, galaxy stellar mass, stellar mass of brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs), and soft-band X-ray luminosity, by taking into account the intrinsic covariance between cluster properties, selection effect, weak-lensing mass calibration, and observational error covariance matrix. The mass-dependent slope of the gas mass–total mass (M500) relation is found to be $1.29_{-0.10}^{+0.16}$, which is steeper than the self-similar prediction of unity, whereas the slope of the stellar mass–total mass relation is shallower than unity; $0.85_{-0.09}^{+0.12}$. The BCG stellar mass weakly depends on cluster mass with a slope of $0.49_{-0.10}^{+0.11}$. The baryon, gas mass, and stellar mass fractions as a function of M500 agree with the results from numerical simulations and previous observations. We successfully constrain the full intrinsic covariance of the baryonic contents. The BCG stellar mass shows the larger intrinsic scatter at a given halo total mass, followed in order by stellar mass and gas mass. We find a significant positive intrinsic correlation coefficient between total (and satellite) stellar mass and BCG stellar mass and no evidence for intrinsic correlation between gas mass and stellar mass. All the baryonic components show no redshift evolution.

Akino, Daichi↗
NASA NTRS1977

Mass spectrometric measurement of thermospheric wind

The open source neutral mass spectrometer (OSS) on the Atmosphere Explorer C satellite was periodically operated in an experimental 'fly-through' mode. When the satellite is spinning, the signal from this mode displays a sharp maximum that occurs when the instrument source faces directly into the oncoming gas. Thus the location of this maximum is sensitive to neutral wind components in the spin plane. Twenty-two spinning fly-through orbits were analyzed to determine vertical wind magnitudes in the altitude range 160-250 km. Large (up to 65 m/s) magnitudes were detected in the early morning sector of the auroral zone.

Knutson, J. R.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Neutral mass spectrometer measurements in the shuttle bay environment

A neutral mass spectrometer, flown as part of the Induced Environment Contamination Monitor (IECM), is briefly described. Results from STS-2, -3, -4, and Spacelab 1 are qualitatively summarized. The gases observed were, for the most part, those with molecular weights below 45 amu with sources attributable to instrument background, shuttle-induced environment, and the ambient atmosphere. The most abundant gases were H2O, N2, and He. Heavier gases consisted primarily of fluorocarbons.

Miller, E.↗