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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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The possibility to detect the chromospheric flares based on the natural VLF emission intensity data on the Earth's surface is considered. Diagnostics of the change of solar x ray burst flux at 0.5 to 4A and its estimation are discussed as possible.
The feasibility of using radio interferometry to reduce the levels of RF interference (RFI) encountered in the NASA Targeted Search SETI program is discussed. It is shown that a radio interferometer will be much less sensitive to RFI than a single antenna system. However, the use of an interferometer would entail a reduction in the noise-limited sensitivity of the system as well as some additional costs due to added complexity.
A global average model of the coupled mesosphere, thermosphere, and ionosphere is used to examine the effect of trace gas variations on the overall structure of these regions. In particular, the variations caused by CO2 and CH4 doublings and halvings from present day mixing ratios are presented. The results indicate that the mesosphere and thermosphere temperatures will cool by about 10 K and 50 K, respectively, as the CO2 and CH4 mixing ratios are doubled. These regions are heated by similar amounts when the trace gas mixing ratios are halved. Compositional redistributions also occur in association with changes in the temperature profile. The results show that global change will occur in the upper atmosphere and ionosphere as well as in the lower atmosphere during the 21st century.
A high-confidence solid-liquid interfacial energy is determined for an anisotropic material. A coaxial composite having a cylindrical specimen chamber geometry provides a thermal gradient with an axial heating wire. The surface energy is derived from measurements of grain boundary groove shapes. Applying this method to pivalic acid, a surface energy of 2.84 erg/sq cm was determined with a total systematic and random error less than 10 percent. The value of interfacial energy corresponds to 24 percent of the latent heat of fusion per molecule.
Artificial auroral streaks were detected following two upward injections of energetic electrons (38 keV and 26 keV) from the Echo 4 rocket-borne electron accelerator. Newly developed image processing techniques are used to detect and describe the streaks. It is found that the potential of the payload remained below 1 kV during 45 mA injections at an altitude of 210 km. The echo streaks show little dispersion in time or space, suggesting that the portion of the beam returning to the northern hemisphere loss cone remained collimated and nearly monoenergetic. There was, however, a 70 percent loss in the return flux. The causes of this loss are discussed.
Electronic holographic moire is utilized to measure strains at temperatures up to 1000 C. A CW laser operating at 50 mW and at the wavelength of 632.8 nm is used to illuminate the objects under study. The main variables influencing the fringe patterns visibility are discussed and measurements are performed to obtain the values of these variables in the performed experiments. The coefficient of expansion of an alloy is measured at temperatures ranging from 797 C to 986 C. Excellent agreement is found between the measured values and those provided by the manufacturer.
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A time synchronization experiment between some European laboratories using the passive television method applied to the signals broadcasted by Eutelsat I-F5 telecommunication satellite was completed in 1990. The results obtained in the last period, when also range measurements from a Telespazio ground station were performed, are analyzed to evaluate the accuracy level of the time comparisons corrected for the effect of the satellite movement with position data obtained either from the European Space Agency (ESA) or from orbit determination with range data entered into GEODYN program of NASA/GSFC.
POLE (Polar Ozone Lidar Experiment) is a cooperative project between the French and Italian services. It was started with the implementation of a first depolarization backscattering lidar for measurements both of background stratospheric aerosols and Polar Stratospheric Clouds (PSCs). A complex Ozone lidar was also installed which will replace the backscattering system and extend its measurements to tropospheric and stratospheric Ozone and to stratospheric and mesospheric temperatures. This new system allows also the measurement of the backscattered and depolarized signal produced by PSCs and background aerosols. The depolarization technique seemed to be quite efficient in the detection of different types of PSCs.
A study is conducted of the tribological characteristics of Monel K-500 during rubbing in a high pressure oxygen atmosphere, upon surface treatment by ion-implanted oxygen, chromium, lead, and silver, as well as electrolyzed chromium and an electroless nickel/SiC composite. The electrolyzed chromium dramatically increased total sample wear, while other surface treatments affected sample wear only moderately. Although the ion-implant treatments reduced the average coefficient of friction at low contact pressure, higher contact pressures eliminated this improvement.
A method is developed for predicting the S-N curve of a composite laminate which is subjected to an arbitrary stress ratio, R (minimum stress/maximum stress). The method is based on the measuring of the S-N behavior of two distinct cases, tension-tension and compression-compression fatigue loadings. Using these parameters, expressions are formulated that estimate the fatigue behavior under any stress ratio loading. Experimental results from the testing of graphite/epoxy laminates, with various structures, are compared with the predictions and show good agreement.
A method for calculating the incompressible viscous flow about two-dimensional bodies, utilizing the velocity-vorticity form of the Navier-Stokes equations using a staggered-grid formulation is presented. The solution is obtained by employing an alternative-direction implicit method for the solution of the block tridiagonal matrix resulting from the finite-difference representation of the governing equations. The boundary vorticity and the conservation of mass are calculated implicitly as a part of the solution. The mass conservation is calculated to machine zero for the duration of the computation. Calculations for the flow about a circular cylinder, a 2-pct thick flat plate at 90-deg incidence, an elliptic cylinder at 45-deg incidence, and a NACA 0012, with and without a deflected flap, at - 90-deg incidence are performed and compared with the results of other numerical investigations.
Laminated composite materials tend to fail differently under tensile or compressive load. Under tension, the material accumulates cracks and fiber fractures, while under compression, the material delaminates and buckles. Tensile-compressive fatigue may cause either of these failure modes depending on the specific damage occurring in the laminate. This damage depends on the stress ratio of the fatigue loading. Analysis of the fatigue behavior of the composite laminate under tension-tension, compression-compression, and tension-compression had led to the development of a fatigue envelope presentation of the failure behavior. This envelope indicates the specific failure mode for any stress ratio and number of loading cycles. The construction of the fatigue envelope is based on the applied stress-cycles to failure (S-N) curves of both tensile-tensile and compressive-compressive fatigue. Test results are presented to verify the theoretical analysis.
An analytical technique for estimating noise generation by spur-gear pairs with backlash is developed using the results obtained by Comparin and Singh (1989). The derivation of the governing equations is outlined, and numerical results for sample problems are presented in graphs. Good agreement with published experimental data (Munro, 1962) is demonstrated.
Cross-spectral analysis of low-latitude average Nimbus 7 stratospheric and mesospheric sounder (SAMS) temperature deviations versus Nimbus 7 solar backscattered ultraviolet (SBUV) solar 205 nm flux measurements in the 1-3 mbar pressure range yields significant coherence at periods near 27 and 13 days. This supports earlier correlative evidence that the ozone response to solar ultraviolet variations is supplemented by a coupled temperature response in the upper stratosphere. Comparisons of improved one-dimensional radiative photochemical model calculations with ozone and temperature response measurements at low latitudes yields agreement only in the case of ozone at levels below 3 mbar. An additional, presumably dynamical, component of the upper stratospheric response is suggested. Cross-spectral analysis of low-latitude average SAMS temperature deviations versus higher-latitude temperature fluctuations of opposite sign in the winter hemisphere also yields significant coherency at periods near 27 and 13 days. Latitudinal temperature oscillations of this type result from interference between stationary and traveling wave components at stratospheric heights. It is therefore hypothesized that solar ultraviolet variations may force or modulate traveling waves with periods near 27 and 13 days in the upper stratosphere. The existence of such waves with higher amplitude near solar maximum than near solar minimum may help to explain observed solar cycle variations of zonally averaged winds and temperature in the upper stratosphere.
This study contrasts the impact of the ENSO SST anomalies observed during the Northern Hemisphere winters of 1982/83 and 1986/87 predictions with a GCM. The results of an analysis of the anomalous divergence and effective Rossby wave source in the tropical and subtropical Pacific during these two years indicate that the primary observed and simulated extratropical circulation features may have been forced from the subtropics other than the tropics. Relatively small magnitudes of the SST and precipitation anomalies in the subtropics make it probable that these subtropical divergence and Rossby wave source anomalies themselves were forced from the tropics.
The elaboration of an optical system which measures the displacement and velocity of large flexible space structures is reviewed. The motion-measuring system, comprised of a laser, optics, motorized mirror, two photodiodes and electronics, is designed to allow feedback for configuration control of flexible structures. A motor or scanner is employed to sweep the light sheet. The range of motion was shown to be 2 inches, and information was received at a rate of 30 Hz. The uncertainty in displacement measurement was better than +0.01 inch from a distance of 16 feet. The results are considered to be very good for two scanning light sheet systems. Higher sample rates and a more constant speed would improve the rotating mirror option, and the accuracy and range of the scanning mirror option could be upgraded as well. Both setups are shown to be viable noncontact measuring methods for the displacement and velocity of large space structures.
Solar energetic particles (SEPs) have been used as probes of magnetic cloud topologies. The rapid access of SEPs to the interiors of many clouds indicates that the cloud field lines extend back to the sun and hence are not plasmoids. The small modulation of galactic cosmic rays associated with clouds also suggests that the magnetic fields of clouds are not closed.