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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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Outlines of device support; DECnet interoperability; installation; MultiNet services; domain name server; Telnet; FTP; SMTP; DECwindows over TCP/IP; BSD r services; remote printing; RPC services and NFS server; NFS client; netcontrol; diagnostics; programming support; and MultiNet features are presented in viewgraph format.
The Space Power Research Engine (SPRE), a free-piston Stirling engine with a linear alternator, is being tested at NASA Lewis Research Center as part of the Civilian Space Technology Initiative (CSTI) as a candidate for high capacity space power. Results are presented from recent SPRE tests designed to investigated the effects of variation in the displacer seal clearance and piston centering port area on engine performance and dynamics. The impact of these variations on PV power and efficiency are presented. Comparisons of the displacer seal clearance tests results with HFAST code predictions show good agreement for PV power, but show poor agreement for PV efficiency. Correlations are presented relating the piston midstroke position to the dynamic Delta P across the piston and the centering port area. Test results indicate that a modest improvement in PV power and efficiency may be realized with a reduction in piston centering port area.
All social surveys of residents' reactions to environmental noise in residential areas which were described in English language publications from 1943 to 1989 are identified. A total of 318 surveys are described. The surveys are indexed by country, noise source, and data of survey. The publications and reports from each survey are listed in a bibliography. Twenty-four surveys are listed which are available for secondary analysis from a data archive.
When individual pressure vessel (IPV) nickel-hydrogen (Ni/H2) cells were selected as the energy storage system for the Space Station Freedom in March of 1986, a limited database existed on life and performance characteristics of these cells in a low earth orbit (LEO) regime. Therefore, NASA LeRC initiated a Ni/H2 cell test program with the primary objectives of building a test facility, procuring cells from existing NASA contracts, and screening several cell designs by life testing in a LEO 35 percent depth of discharge (DOD) scenario. A total of 40 cells incorporating 13 designs were purchased from Yardney, Hughes, and Eagle-Picher. Thirty-two of the cells purchased were 65 A-hr nameplate capacity and eight cells were 50 A-hr. Yardney and Eagle-Picher cells were built with both the Air Force recirculating and the advanced back-to-back electrode stack configurations and incorporated 31 and 26 percent KOH. Acceptance testing of the first delivered cells began in March of 1988, with life testing following in September of that year.Performance comparisons of these cells are made here while specifically addressing life test data relative to the design differences.
Detailed information on solar radiation characteristics on Mars are necessary for effective design of future planned solar energy systems operating on the surface of Mars. A procedure and solar radiation related data are presented from which the daily variation of the global, direct beam and diffuse insolation on Mars are calculated. Given the optical depth of the Mars atmosphere, the global radiation is calculated from the normalized net flux function based on multiple wavelength and multiple scattering of the solar radiation. The direct beam was derived from the optical depth using Beer's law, and the diffuse component was obtained from the difference of the global and the direct beam radiation. The optical depths of the Mars atmosphere were derived from images taken of the Sun with a special diode on the cameras used on the two Viking Landers.
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Technological developments leading toward the use of optical communications on deep-space missions are reviewed. Developments in the characterization of atmospheric visibility and the development of advanced composite materials for use in optical communications systems are discussed. System demonstrations involving the Galileo Optical Experiment and a very lightweight optical communications package intended for the Cassini mission to Saturn are addressed. Proposed flight experiments and a deep-space optical communication long-range plan are discussed.
The Drummond et al. (1988) analysis of main-belt asteroids is presently extended, using three independent methods to derive poles, periods, phase functions, and triaxial ellipsoid shapes from lightcurve maxima and minima. This group of 26 asteroids is also reinvestigated with a view to the distributions of triaxial shapes and obliquity distributions. Poles weakly tend to avoid asteroid orbital planes; a rough-smooth dichotomization appears to be justified by the persistence of two solar phase angle-amplitude relations. Seven of the objects may be Jacobi ellipsoids if axial ratios are slightly exaggerated by a systematic effect of the analytical method employed.
Best current expressions for the vibrational relaxation times of oxygen and nitrogen in the atmosphere are used to compute total absorption. The resulting graphs of total absorption as a function of frequency for different humidities should be used in lieu of the graph published earlier by Evans et al (1972).
The Small Turboshaft Engine Research (STER) program provides a vehicle for evaluating the application of emerging technologies to Army turboshaft engine systems and to investigate related phenomena. Capitalizing on the resources at hand, in the form of both the NASA facilities and the Army personnel, the program goal of developing a physical understanding of engine system dynamics and/or system interactions is being realized. STER entries investigate concepts and components developed both in-house and out-of-house. Emphasis is placed upon evaluations which evolved from on-going basic research and advanced development programs. Army aviation program managers are also encouraged to make use of STER resources, both people and facilities. The STER personnel have established their reputations as experts in the fields of engine system experimental evaluations and engine system related phenomena. The STER facility has STER program provides the Army aviation community the opportunity to perform system level investigations, and then to offer the findings to the entire engine community for their consideration in next generation propulsion systems. In this way results of the fundamental research being conducted to meet small turboshaft engine technology challenges expeditiously find their way into that next generation of propulsion systems.
Such state-of-the-art devices as multielement linear laser diode arrays, multichannel acoustooptic modulators, optical relays, and avalanche photodiode arrays, are presently applied to the implementation of a 32-bit supercomputer's general-purpose optical central processing architecture. Shannon's theorem, Morozov's control operator method (in conjunction with combinatorial arithmetic), and DeMorgan's law have been used to design an architecture whose 100 MHz clock renders it fully competitive with emerging planar-semiconductor technology. Attention is given to the architecture's multichannel Bragg cells, thermal design and RF crosstalk considerations, and the first and second anamorphic relay legs.
Recent results obtained on skeletal adaptation, calcium metabolism, and bone browth during short-term flights and ground simulated-microgravity experiments are presented. Results demonstrate that two principal components of calcium metabolism respond within days to changes in body position and to weightlessness: the calcium endocrine system and bone characteristics. Furthermore, results of recent studies imply that bone biomechanics are more severely affected by spaceflight exposures than is the bone mass.
The space power research engine (SPRE I), a free-piston Stirling engine with a linear alternator, was tested as a candidate for high-capacity space power. A portion of the test data from the SPRE I, essentially in its baseline configuration while operating with helium at heat exchanger metal temperature ratios ranging from 1.6 to 2.4 and mean cycle pressures of 7.5 and 15.0 Mpa, are presented. HFAST computer code predictions are presented for comparison. The measured results at 7.5 and 15 MPa, from the first day, from the first day of testing, at temperature ratios from 1.6 to 2.0 agreed fairly well with the HFAST code predictions; within -8.8 percent to +11.9 percent for PV power and -2.7 to +1.07 percentage points for PV efficiency. Measured compression-space pressure amplitude was 5.1 to 11.1 percent below predictions; although these results were within the error bands, there was poorer agreement than observed for previous tests, and the transducer calibration is suspect. All of the dynamic pressure transducer calibrations will be verified before testing is resumed. Measured pressure phase angles were within -1.95 percent to +5.37 percent of the predictions, which is much closer than previously observed. The poor agreement of the measured heat flow to the heater with the code appears to be due to thermocouple degradation.
This paper presents a covariance analysis of the performance and sensitivity of the attitude determination Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) used by the On Board Computer (OBC) of the Extreme Ultra Violet Explorer (EUVE) spacecraft. The linearized dynamics and measurement equations of the error states are used in formulating the 'truth model' describing the real behavior of the systems involved. The 'design model' used by the OBC EKF is then obtained by reducing the order of the truth model. The covariance matrix of the EKF which uses the reduced order model is not the correct covariance of the EKF estimation error. A 'true covariance analysis' has to be carried out in order to evaluate the correct accuracy of the OBC generated estimates. The results of such analysis are presented which indicate both the performance and the sensitivity of the OBC EKF.
SINDA '85/FLUINT system enables analysis of mutual influences of thermal and fluid aspects of physical systems. Program enables simulation of nonuniform heating and facilitates mathematical modeling of thin-walled heat exchangers. Written in FORTRAN.
Report reviews short-term flight and ground-based experiments on effects of 1 g and 0 g on skeletal adaptation, calcium metabolism, and growth processes. Results indicate two principal components of calcium metabolism-calcium endocrine system and bone - respond within days to changes in orientation of body in gravitation and to weightlessness. Effects of spaceflight or bed rest on biomechanics of bones more severe than on total body bone mass.
The CWRU Seal/Bearing test facility is shown along with the revised force measuring system. This facility has recently been retrofitted with a high pressure, high flow oil system. The high pressure high flow water system remains in place to test seals. Also, a new high flow air system is now installed. Thus, testing to determine static and dynamic properties can now be performed using oil, water, or air on this single facility. The oil system is currently being used to determine rotordynamic properties of a NASA four pocket hydrostatic journal bearing. The revised dual system force measuring configuration is performing with excellent accuracy. That is, the dynamic force measurements are made simultaneously with two independent systems, one with piezoelectric load cells and the other with strain gage load cells. The difference is less than 2 pct. between these two sets of load cell measurements on recent tests with a static eccentricity set close to zero and an orbit radius of 0.0004 inch. The extracted stiffness, damping and inertia coefficients is given for the test conditions shown, as extracted from the two independent dynamic force measurements.
A previous report (no. 5-32279, contract NAS8-36955, DO 51) describes the measures taken to adapt the NASA Complex Burning Region Model and code so that is was applicable to the Advanced Solid Rocket Motor as envisioned at that time. The code so modified was called the CBRM-A. CBRM-A could calculate the port volume and burning area for the star, transition, and cylindrically perforated regions of the motor. Described here is a subsequent effort to add computation of port volume and burning area for the Advanced Solid Rocket Motor head dome. Sample output, input, and overview of the models are included. The software was configured in two forms - a stand alone head dome code and a code integrating the head dome solution with the CBRM-A.