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NASA NTRS1992

Spatial Operator Algebra for multibody system dynamics

The Spatial Operator Algebra framework for the dynamics of general multibody systems is described. The use of a spatial operator-based methodology permits the formulation of the dynamical equations of motion of multibody systems in a concise and systematic way. The dynamical equations of progressively more complex grid multibody systems are developed in an evolutionary manner beginning with a serial chain system, followed by a tree topology system and finally, systems with arbitrary closed loops. Operator factorizations and identities are used to develop novel recursive algorithms for the forward dynamics of systems with closed loops. Extensions required to deal with flexible elements are also discussed.

Rodriguez, G.↗

NASA NTRS1991

The application of high spectral and spatial resolution imaging spectrometers for locating downed aircraft

The utility of high-resolution imaging spectrometer data is examined as an aid in locating downed aircraft by using a unique spectral signature while not requiring the extremely high spatial resolution needed to identify an aircraft by shape. Ground spectral measurements of several airplane wings, overflight spectral measurements of aircraft scenes, and the rationale for the chosen spectral signature are presented. It is concluded that imaging spectrometers which can detect and spatially locate a narrow-band spectral signature filling only a few pixels appear to have a utility for search and rescue aircraft or satellite systems as a aid in locating small downed aircraft. This spectral feature would have to be added to the surface coatings applied to aircraft. Proposed for use as such a spectral signature is a significant negative reflectance slope, in the 520 to 580 nm interval.

Gatlin, James A.↗

NASA NTRS1992

Effect of spatial resolution on apparent sensitivity to initial conditions of a decaying flow as it becomes turbulent

In order to check for spurious chaos and obtain superior solutions for decaying Navier-Stokes flows, an investigation is conducted of the effect of spatial resolution on numerical results. The fourth-order finite difference method results obtained with grids of 32-cubed and 64-cubed points, and those of a pseudospectral method for 128-cubed points, indicate that the sensitivity of initially neighboring solutions to small changes in initial conditions increases with improving spatial resolution.

Deissler, Robert G.↗

NASA NTRS1992

Spatial and temporal temperature distribution optimization for a geostationary antenna

The Geostationary Microwave Precipitation Radiometer antenna is considered and a thermal design analysis is performed to determine a design that would minimize on-orbit antenna temporal and spatial temperature gradients. The final design is based on an optically opaque radome which covered the antenna. The average orbital antenna temperature is found to be 9 C with maximum temporal and spatial variations of 34 C and 1 C, respectively. An independent thermal distortion analysis showed that this temporal variation would give an antenna figure error of 14 microns.

Tsuyuki, G.↗

NASA NTRS1992

Coherent summation of spatially distorted laser Doppler signals by using a two-dimensional heterodyne detector array

Phase-sensitive coherent summation of individual heterodyne detector array signals was demonstrated for the enhanced detection of spatially distorted laser Doppler returns. With the use of a 2 x 2 heterodyne detector array, the phase and amplitude of a time-varying speckle pattern was detected, and the signal-to-noise ratio of the Doppler shift estimate was shown to be improved by a factor of 2, depending on the extent of spatial coherence loss. These results are shown to agree with a first-order analysis and indicate the advantage of coherent summation for both short-range laser Doppler velocimetry and long-range atmospheric coherent lidar.

Chan, Kin P.↗

NASA NTRS1992

Spatial patterns of increases and decreases in the length of the sea ice season in the north polar region, 1979-1986

Recently it was reported that sea ice extents in the Northern Hemisphere showed a very slight but statistically significant decrease over the 8.8-year period of the Nimbus 7 scanning multichannel microwave radiometer (SMMR) data set. In this paper the same SMMR data are used to reveal spatial patterns in increasing and decreasing sea ice coverage. Specifically, the length of the ice season is mapped for each full year of the SMMR data set (1979-1986), and the trends over the 8 years in these ice season lengths are also mapped. These trends show considerable spatial coherence, with a shortening in the sea ice season apparent in much of the eastern hemisphere of the north polar ice cover, particularly in the Sea of Okhotsk, the Barents Sea, and the Kara Sea, and a lengthening of the sea ice season apparent in much of the western hemisphere of the north polar ice cover, particularly in Davis Strait, the Labrador Sea, and the Beaufort Sea.

Parkinson, Claire L.↗

NASA NTRS1993

Neurodynamics With Spatial Self-Organization

Report presents theoretical study of dynamics of neural network organizing own response in both phase space and in position space. Postulates several mathematical models of dynamics including spatial derivatives representing local interconnections among neurons. Shows how neural responses propagate via these interconnections and how spatial pattern of neural responses formed in homogeneous biological neural network.

Zak, Michail A.↗

NASA NTRS1992

Effects of spatially displaced feedback on remote manipulation tasks

Several studies have been performed to determine the effects on computer and direct manipulation task performance when viewing conditions are spatially displaced. Whether results from these studies can be directly applied to remote manipulation tasks is quenstionable. The objective of this evaluation was to determine the effects of reversed, inverted, and inverted/reversed views on remote manipulation task performance using two 3-Degree of Freedom (DOF) hand controllers and a replica position hand controller. Results showed that trials using the inverted viewing condition showed the worst performance, followed by the inverted/reversed view and the reversed view when using the 2x3 DOF. However, these differences were not significant. The inverted and inverted/reversed viewing conditions were significantly worse than the normal and reversed viewing conditions when using the Kraft Replica. A second evaluation was conducted in which additional trials were performed with each viewing condition to determine the long term effects of spatially displaced views on task performance for the hand controllers. Results of the second evaluation indicated that there was more of a difference in performance between the perturbed viewing conditions and the normal viewing condition with the Kraft Replica than with the 2x3 DOF.

Manahan, Meera K.↗

NASA NTRS1992

The spatial distribution of coronae on Venus

Coronae on Venus are large, generally circular surface features that have distinctive tectonic, volcanic, and topographic expressions. They range in diameter from less than 200 km to at least 1000 km. Data from the Magellan spacecraft have now allowed complete global mapping of the spatial distribution of coronae on the planet. Unlike impact craters, which show a random (i.e., Poisson) spatial distribution, the distribution of coronae appears to be nonrandom. We investigate the distribution here in detail, and explore its implications in terms of mantle convection and surface modification processes.

Squyres, S. W.↗

NASA NTRS1992

High-resolution observations of the spatial and velocity distribution of cometary hydrogen

We have obtained high velocity and spatial resolution long-slit H alpha spectra of comets Austin (1989c1) and Levy (1990c). Spectra of both comets clearly show the existence of a low velocity thermalized component of hydrogen gas. The amount of slow hydrogen is estimated for comet Austin. The Levy spectrum shows an unusual high-velocity spatially-confined blob of hydrogen emission of unknown origin.

Brown, Michael E.↗

NASA NTRS1992

P/Halley: Spatial distribution and scale lengths for C2, CN, NH2, and H2O

From P/Halley, long slit spectroscopic exposures on 12 dates, extending from Oct. 1985 to May 1986, spatial profiles were obtained for emissions by C2, CN, NH2, and OI ((sup 1)D). Examples of our derived spatial profiles are given. The qualitative trend of the scale lengths for the different species is nicely exemplified in this example. C2 has the longest parent scale length followed by CN and NH2. OI which tracks the parent H2O distribution is quite narrow but slightly wider than the continuum profile which has a center essentially indistinguishable from the stellar seeing disk. Comparison of C2 and CN also shows that C2 is falling off faster in the wings so that the daughter scale length of CN must be larger than that of C2.

Fink, Uwe↗

NASA NTRS1992

High spatial resolution measurements in a single stage ram accelerator

High spatial resolution experimental tube wall pressure measurements of ram accelerator gas dynamic phenomena are presented in this paper. The ram accelerator is a ramjet-in-tube device which operates in a manner similar to that of a conventional ramjet. The projectile resembles the centerbody of a ramjet and travels supersonically through a tube filled with a combustible gaseous mixture, with the tube acting as the outer cowling. Pressure data are recorded as the projectile passes by sensors mounted in the tube wall at various locations along the tube. Utilization of special highly instrumented sections of tube has allowed the recording of gas dynamic phenomena with high resolution. High spatial resolution tube wall pressure data from the three regimes of propulsion studied to date (subdetonative, transdetonative, and superdetonative) in a single stage gas mixture are presented and reveal the three-dimensional character of the flow field induced by projectile fins and the canting of the fins and the canting of the projectile body relative to the tube wall. Also presented for comparison to the experimental data are calculations made with an inviscid, three-dimensional CFD code. The knowledge gained from these experiments and simulations is useful in understanding the underlying nature of ram accelerator propulsive regimes, as well as assisting in the validation of three-dimensional CFD coded which model unsteady, chemically reactive flows.

Hinkey, J. B.↗

NASA NTRS1993

An astrophysics data program investigation of spatial structure of supernova remnants

The final report on astrophysics data program investigation of spatial structure of supernova remnants for the period 1 Aug. 1989 to 31 Jul. 1991 is presented. The goal of the project was the study of the spatial structure of supernova remnants (SNR's) as observed in the x-ray band. A number of software tools were developed for the analysis: (1) a program to fit various geometric models to high resolution x-ray data, and (2) programs for Fourier Transform analysis of clumping in SNR's. These programs were applied to high resolution imager (HRI) data on the young galactic SNR's Tycho and Kepler with some success.

Hughes, John P.↗

NASA NTRS1992

Quantitative analysis of properties and spatial relations of fuzzy image regions

Properties of objects and spatial relations between objects play an important role in rule-based approaches for high-level vision. The partial presence or absence of such properties and relationships can supply both positive and negative evidence for region labeling hypotheses. Similarly, fuzzy labeling of a region can generate new hypotheses pertaining to the properties of the region, its relation to the neighboring regions, and finally, the labels of the neighboring regions. In this paper, we present a unified methodology to characterize properties and spatial relationships of object regions in a digital image. The proposed methods can be used to arrive at more meaningful decisions about the contents of the scene.

Krishnapuram, Raghu↗

NASA NTRS1992

Incorporation of spatial information in Bayesian image reconstruction - The maximum residual likelihood criterion

We have developed a new figure of merit, a 'maximum-residual-likelihood' (MRL) statistic, for the goodness of fit for Bayesian image restoration which explicitly incorporates spatial information. The MRL constraint provides a natural means of incorporating the prior knowledge that the residuals contain no spatial structure through the autocorrelation function of the residuals. We demonstrate that this statistic follows a Chi-square distribution and that forcing this statistic to have its most probable value leads to a restored image whose residuals are consistent with the noise model. Our numerical experiments suggest that image restoration using the MRL statistic alone is numerically robust and produces results which are independent of the initial guess for the restored image. However, we caution that using the MRL statistic without an image prior can result in overresolution in low SNR portions of the image.

Pina, R. K.↗

NASA NTRS1992

Spatial and temporal variations of the fluxes of carbon dioxide and sensible and latent heat over the FIFE site

Airborne measurements of flux densities of carbon dioxide CO2, sensible heat, and latent heat (H2O) obtained over the First ISLSCP Field Experiment (FIFE) site during three intensive field campaigns in 1987 and one in 1989 are examined to characterize the spatial and temporal variations of CO2 and energy transfer processes. These data were collected by the National Research Council Twin Otter using low-level flight patterns, all flown at constant pressure altitude during relatively clear days. The spatial variations are larger in 1989 than in 1987 and a higher correlation is observed between the fluxes and the surface features. The temporal patterns are easier to characterize with the relatively homogeneous situation of 1987. Functional relationships obtained between fluxes of CO2 and latent heat, CO2 fluxes and greenness index, latent heat fluxes and greenness index, and between sensible heat fluxes and surface air temperature differences are presented for one day in 1987 and one in 1989 as an example of the kind of information that can be obtained from grid flights at constant pressure altitude.

Desjardins, R. L.↗

NASA NTRS1992

Direct numerical simulations of a spatially developing plane wake

In the present paper, direct numerical methods by which to simulate the spatially developing free shear flows in the transitional region are described and the numerical results of a spatially developing plane wake are presented. The incompressible time-dependent Navier-Stokes equations were solved using Pade finite difference approximations in the streamwise direction, a mapped pseudospectral Fourier method in the cross-stream direction, and a third-order compact Runge-Kutta scheme for time advancement. The unstable modes of the Orr-Sommerfeld equations were used to perturb the inlet of the wake. Statistical analyses were performed and some numerical results were compared with experimental measurements. When only the fundamental mode is forced, the energy spectra show amplification of the fundamental and its higher harmonics. In this case, unperturbed alternate vortices develop in the saturation region of the wake. The phase jitter around the fundamental frequency plays a critical role in generating vortices of random shape and spacing. Large- and small-scale distortions of the fundamental structure are observed. Pairing of vortices of the same sign is observed, as well as vortex coupling of vortices of the opposite sign.

Maekawa, Hiroshi↗

NASA NTRS1993

Efficient computation of spatial eigenvalues for hydrodynamic stability analysis

The simple procedure presented for spatial stability computations can substantially reduce the computational requirements of such analyses, as illustrated for the cases of both internal and external cases of compressible and incompressible flows, and both viscous and inviscid instability modes. Excellent estimates of spatial eigenvalues are obtained.

Khorrami, Mehdi R.↗