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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 19 records

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NASA NTRS1991

Measurements of Pressure Distributions and Force Coefficients in a Squeeze Film Damper. Part 1: Fully Open Ended Configuration

Measurements of pressure distributions and force coefficients were carried out in two types of squeeze film dampers, executing a circular centered orbit, an open-ended configuration, and a partially sealed one, in order to investigate the effect of fluid inertia and cavitation on pressure distributions and force coefficients. Dynamic pressure measurements were carried out for two orbit radii, epsilon 0.5 and 0.8. It was found that the partially sealed configuration was less influenced by fluid inertia than the open ended configuration.

Jung, S. Y.↗

NASA NTRS1975

Pulsar extinction

Radio emission from pulsars, attributed to an instability associated with the creation of electron-positron pairs from gamma rays was investigated. The condition for pair creation therefore lead to an extinction condition. The relevant physical processes were analyzed in the context of a mathematical model, according to which radiation originated at the polar caps and magnetic field lines changed from a closed configuration to an open configuration at the force balance or corotation radius.

Sturrock, P. A.↗

NASA NTRS2011

Blended Wing Body Concept Development with Open Rotor Engine Intergration

The purpose of this study is to perform a systems analysis of a Blended Wing Body (BWB) open rotor concept at the conceptual design level. This concept will be utilized to estimate overall noise and fuel burn performance, leveraging recent test data. This study will also investigate the challenge of propulsion airframe installation of an open rotor engine on a BWB configuration. Open rotor engines have unique problems relative to turbofans. The rotors are open, exposed to flow conditions outside of the engine. The flow field that the rotors are immersed in may be higher than the free stream flow and it may not be uniform, both of these characteristics could increase noise and decrease performance. The rotors sometimes cause changes in the flow conditions imposed on aircraft surfaces. At high power conditions such as takeoff and climb out, the stream tube of air that goes through the rotors contracts rapidly causing the boundary layer on the body upper surface to go through an adverse pressure gradient which could result with separated airflow. The BWB / Open Rotor configuration must be designed to mitigate these problems.

Pitera, David M.↗

NASA NTRS1994

Asymptotic forms for the energy of force-free magnetic field ion figurations of translational symmetry

It is known from computer calculations that if a force-free magnetic field configuration is stressed progressively by footpoint displacements, the configuration expands and approaches the open configuration with the same surface flux distribution and the energy of the field increases progressively. For configurations of translationalsymmetry, it has been found empirically that the energy tends asymptotically to a certain functional form. It is here shown that analysis of a simple model of the asymptotic form of force-free fields of translational symmetry leads to and therefore justifies this functional form. According to this model, the field evolves in a well-behaved manner with no indication of instability or loss of equilibrium.

Sturrock, P. A.↗

NASA NTRS1995

Asymptotic analysis of force-free magnetic fields of cylindrical symmetry

It is known from computer calculations that if a force-free magnetic-field configuration is stressed progressively by footpoint displacements, the configuration expands and approaches the open configuration with the same surface flux distribution, and, in the process, the energy of the field increases progressively. Analysis of a simple model of force-free fields of cylindrical symmetry leads to simple asymptotic expressions for the extent and energy of such a configuration. The analysis is carried through for both spherical and planar source surfaces. According to this model, the field evolves in a well-behaved manner with no indication of instability or loss of equilibrium.

Sturrock, P. A.↗

NASA NTRS2003

Plasma Sheath Behavior of the ProSEDS Delta II

The Propulsive Small Expendable Deployer System (ProSEDS) mission is a demonstration of the orbit lowering capabilities of an electrodynamic tether. The system is sequenced through various electrical modes, involving both open circuit and closed circuit configurations, so that the performance capabilities of the system can be studied. Ionospheric electrons are collected on the upper end of the bare tether, conducted through the tether, and returned to the ionosphere at the lower end (Delta I1 2nd stage) via the operation of a Hollow Cathode Plasma Contactor (HCPC). The working gas of the HCPC is xenon. Environmental plasma measurements and sheath potential are obtained from the Differential Ion Flux Probe w/Mass Analysis (DIFPM) and Langmuir Probe and Spacecraft Potential (LPSP) instruments. Each instrument has three sensors symmetrically placed about the strut section of the Delta 2nd stage. A magnetometer is also included in the ProSEDS instrumentation suite. An initial analysis of the rocket stage sheath behavior as a function of ProSEDS configuration (open or closed circuit), ambient ionospheric density, orientation to velocity vector (ram-wake influence), and magnetic field orientation is presented. An initial assessment on how well the plasma contactor grounded the rocket stage is also presented.

Wright, K. H.↗

NASA NTRS2012

Intelligent nanomedicine integrating diagnosis and therapy

A method of controlling the activity of a biologically active compound. The method concerns an oligonucleotide-based compound, comprising a hairpin-forming oligonucleotide, an effector moiety physically associated with the oligonucleotide, where the effector moiety possesses a biological activity, and a regulating moiety physically associated with the oligonucleotide, where the regulating moiety controls the biological activity of the effector moiety by interacting with the effector moiety. The oligonucleotide can assume a hairpin configuration, where the effector and regulating moieties interact, or an open configuration, where the effector and regulating moieties fail to interact. Depending on the nature of the effector and regulating moieties, either configuration can result in the expression of the biological activity of the effector moiety.

Li, Na↗

NASA NTRS1977

Determination of three-dimensional radiative exchange factors for the Space Shuttle by Monte Carlo

A program was developed to predict radiative exchange factors in three-dimensional configurations with curved, specularly-reflecting surfaces using the Monte Carlo method. It was shown that this can be done efficiently by using the normal Monte Carlo method for closed configurations and/or high surface emissivities, while Energy Partitioning should be used for open configurations and/or low surface emissivities. Comparison with experiments on the Space Shuttle radiator panels showed that the simple model of gray, diffuse emission is sufficient for the prediction of exchange factors between actual (silver-coated teflon) surfaces. For solar-irradiation exchange factors on the Space Shuttle, on the other hand, spectral and directional variations of surface properties must be taken into account.

Modest, M. F.↗

NASA NTRS2018

Use of the Ames Check Standard Model for the Validation of Wall Interference Corrections

The new check standard model of the NASA Ames 11-ft Transonic Wind Tunnel was chosen for a future validation of the facility's wall interference correction system. The chosen validation approach takes advantage of the fact that test conditions experienced by a large model in the slotted part of the tunnel's test section will change significantly if a subset of the slots is temporarily sealed. Therefore, the model's aerodynamic coefficients have to be recorded, corrected, and compared for two different test section configurations in order to perform the validation. Test section configurations with highly accurate Mach number and dynamic pressure calibrations were selected for the validation. First, the model is tested with all test section slots in open configuration while keeping the model's center of rotation on the tunnel centerline. In the next step, slots on the test section floor are sealed and the model is moved to a new center of rotation that is 33 inches below the tunnel centerline. Then, the original angle of attack sweeps are repeated. Afterwards, wall interference corrections are applied to both test data sets and response surface models of the resulting aerodynamic coefficients in interference-free flow are generated. Finally, the response surface models are used to predict the aerodynamic coefficients for a family of angles of attack while keeping dynamic pressure, Mach number, and Reynolds number constant. The validation is considered successful if the corrected aerodynamic coefficients obtained from the related response surface model pair show good agreement. Residual differences between the corrected coefficient sets will be analyzed as well because they are an indicator of the overall accuracy of the facility's wall interference correction process.

wind tunnel wall interferenc↗

NASA NTRS2019

Flight Mechanics Modeling and Post-Flight Analysis of ADEPT SR-1

Sounding Rocket One (SR-1), the first flight test of the Adaptable Deployable Entry and Placement Technology (ADEPT), was performed on Sept. 12, 2018. ADEPT is a deployable aeroshell that can be stowed during launch and then opened after launch to increase the drag area of the spacecraft when entering into a planetary atmosphere. The main objectives of the SR-1 flight test were to demonstrate that the ADEPT vehicle can be opened exo-atmospherically and to characterize the stability of the vehicle during atmospheric flight. The SR-1 test vehicle was a 0.7 m diameter 70 degree half-angle, faceted, sphere-cone, which was the primary payload on an UP Aerospace Spaceloft (SL) launch vehicle from the White Sands Missile Range (WSMR). ADEPT successfully separated from the spent booster in its stowed configuration, opened above 100 km altitude, and then landed in the deployed configuration within WSMR. The flight mechanics of the vehicle was modeled pre-flight for performance and range safety predictions. This paper describes the pre-flight ADEPT trajectory simulation and how the flight data compared with the predictions from the simulations.

Dutta, Soumyo↗

NASA NTRS2017

Rapid Optical Shutter, Chopper, Modulator and Deflector

An optical device with a light source and a detector is provided. A digital micromirror device positioned between the detector and the light source may deflect light beams projected from the light source. An aperture in front of the detector may block an incoming light beam from the detector when the incoming light beam is incident on the detector outside of a passable incident range and including an aperture opening configured to pass the incoming light beam to the detector when the incoming light beam is incident on the detector within a passable incident range. The digital micromirror device may rotate between a first position causing the light beam to pass through the aperture opening and a second position causing the light beam to be blocked by the aperture. The optical device may be configured to operate as a shutter, chopper, modulator and/or deflector.

Danehy, Paul M.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Quasi-static evolution of force-free magnetic fields and a model for two-ribbon solar flares

It is shown that a two-dimensional force-free field in the solar corona can evolve in a quasi-static manner toward an open configuration, assuming the coronal field is invariant with respect to translations parallel to the x-axis. The theoretical result is applied to the quantitative theory of the evolution of two-ribbon solar flares of Kopp and Pneuman (1976), and the results are discussed. It is concluded that the two-dimensional force is the principal mechanism for the opening of the coronal magnetic field prior to reconnection during a solar flare.

Aly, J. J.↗

NASA NTRS2021

Impact of the Screen Configurations on the Estimated Terra MODIS SD Degradation

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instruments on-board the Aqua and Terra spacecraft have collected valuable Earth data for the last 19 and 21 years, respectively. MODIS is equipped with various on-orbit calibrators, including a solar diffuser (SD) and solar diffuser stability monitor (SDSM), that are used to monitor changes in the instrument’s gain over time. Nominally, SD calibrations alternate between two configurations: screen open and screen closed. Terra MODIS, however, experienced an anomaly in 2003, which has left the SD door and screen in a permanent open-closed configuration. This resulted in accelerated degradation of the SD on Terra MODIS due to the direct solar radiation exposure every orbit. It also led to an unexpected divergence between the calibration coefficients, m1, or the inverse of the gain, generated using SD data and those generated using lunar observations at the time of the 2003 anomaly. This paper examines the effect of the screen configuration on the Terra SD degradation by analyzing Terra SDSM data and comparing to Aqua. We generate “pseudo-open” Terra SDSM data by modeling the ratio of Aqua screen open and screen closed SDSM data and calculate the Terra SD degradation using this new screen open data. We then examine the effects on our m1 values calculated using this new pseudo-open SD degradation for Terra. Implementing this new degradation results in a smaller discrepancy between the lunar and SD m1 values after the door anomaly, indicating that there may be a systematic error in the SD degradation calculated with screen closed data.

MODIS↗

NASA NTRS2018

In-Line Electromagnetic Actuator for Fuel Modulation

An in-line electromagnetic actuator with normally-open configuration has been developed for the purpose of exploring its application as a fuel modulator for the active control of combustor thermo-acoustic instabilities. The actuator is based on the spring-coil-plunger mechanism with the plunger designed to be suspended by crossed cantilever beam springs. Operational specification was set for a 1000 psi maximum inlet fuel pressure and modulation for a broad frequency bandwidth that encompasses frequencies that are typically associated with combustor thermo-acoustic instabilities. Various test results demonstrated fuel modulation up to 1200 Hz for coil excitation voltage between 2.3 and 4.6 V and current between 16 and 48 mA, respectively. The initial goal of this work was to demonstrate fuel modulation based on the concept of a normally-open fuel modulator with tethered plunger displacement.

Actuator↗

NASA NTRS2018

In-Line Electromagnetic Actuator for Fuel Modulation

Okojie, Robert S.↗

NASA NTRS2003

The NASA Airborne Earth Science Microwave Imaging Radiometer (AESMIR): A New Sensor for Earth Remote Sensing

The Airborne Earth Science Microwave Imaging Radiometer (AESMIR) is a versatile new airborne imaging radiometer recently developed by NASA. The AESMIR design is unique in that it performs dual-polarized imaging at all standard passive microwave frequency bands (6-89 GHz) using only one sensor headscanner package, providing an efficient solution for Earth remote sensing applications (snow, soil moisture/land parameters, precipitation, ocean winds, sea surface temperature, water vapor, sea ice, etc.). The microwave radiometers themselves will incorporate state-of-the-art receivers, with particular attention given to instrument calibration for the best possible accuracy and sensitivity. The single-package design of AESMIR makes it compatible with high-altitude aircraft platforms such as the NASA ER-2s. The arbitrary 2-axis gimbal can perform conical and cross-track scanning, as well as fixed-beam staring. This compatibility with high-altitude platforms coupled with the flexible scanning configuration, opens up previously unavailable science opportunities for convection/precip/cloud science and co-flying with complementary instruments, as well as providing wider swath coverage for all science applications. By designing AESMIR to be compatible with these high-altitude platforms, we are also compatible with the NASA P-3, the NASA DC-8, C-130s and ground-based deployments. Thus AESMIR can provide low-, mid-, and high- altitude microwave imaging. Parallel filter banks allow AESMIR to simultaneously simulate the exact passbands of multiple satellite radiometers: SSM/I, TMI, AMSR, Windsat, SSMI/S, and the upcoming GPM/GMI and NPOESS/CMIS instruments --a unique capability among aircraft radiometers. An L-band option is also under development, again using the same scanner. With this option, simultaneous imaging from 1.4 to 89 GHz will be feasible. And, all receivers except the sounding channels will be configured for 4-Stokes polarimetric operation using high-speed digital correlators in the near future. The capabilities and unique design features of this new sensor will be described, and example imagery will be presented.

Kim, Edward↗

NASA NTRS1969

Nonorthogonal natural orbitals from open-shell configuration-interaction calculations.

Natural orbitals calculated from spin free one density matrix of open shell limited configuration-interaction wave function constructed from nonorthogonal basis

Heaton, M.↗

NASA NTRS2009

Improving the Visible and Infrared Contrast Ratio of Microshutter Arrays

Three device improvements have been developed that dramatically enhance the contrast ratio of microshutters. The goal of a microshutter is to allow as much light through as possible when the shutters are in the open configuration, and preventing any light from passing through when they are in the closed position. The ratio of the transmitted light that is blocked is defined here as the contrast ratio. Three major components contribute to the improved performance of these microshutters: 1. The precise implementation of light shields, which protect the gap around the shutters so no light can leak through. It has been ascertained that without the light shield there would be a gap on the order of 1 percent of the shutter area, limiting the contrast to a maximum of 100. 2. The precise coating of the interior wall of each microshutter was improved with an insulator and metal using an angle deposition technique. The coating prevents any infrared light that finds an entrance on the surface of the microshutter cell from being emitted from a sidewall. Since silicon is in effect transparent to any light with a wavelength longer than .1 micrometer, these coatings are essential to blocking any stray signals when the shutters are closed. 3. A thin film of molybdenum nitride (MoN) was integrated onto the surface of the microshutter blade. This film provides the majority of light blockage over the microshutter and also ensures that the shutter can be operated over a wide temperature range by maintaining its flatness. These improvements were motivated by the requirements dictated by the James Webb Space Telescope NIRSpec instrument. The science goals of the NIRSpec require observing some of the very faintest objects in a given field of view that also may contain some very bright objects. To observe the faint objects, the light from the bright objects - which could be thousands of times brighter - must be completely blocked. If a closed microshutter is even slightly transmissive, a very bright object will still transmit a small signal, which can be larger than a signal from a very faint object transmitted through an open shutter. Since this situation can completely corrupt the results, it was necessary that the closed shutters be able to attenuate light by at least a factor of 2,000. There currently exist four flight-quality microshutter arrays that have been fully or are currently undergoing testing and the results support that the three improvements described above have successfully led to contrast levels greater than 50,000 in over 99 percent of the microshutters at an operating temperature of 35 K. Applications for these high-contrast microshutters are in the photomask generation and stepper equipment used to make integrated circuits and microelectromechanical (MEMS) devices. Since microshutters are a reconfigurable optical element, their versatility in these industries provides an improvement over printed masks and fixed projection alignment systems.

Jhabvala, Murzy↗