Airborne forest fire research

The research relating to airborne fire fighting systems is reviewed to provide NASA/Langley Research Center with current information on the use of aircraft in forest fire operations, and to identify research requirements for future operations. A literature survey, interview of forest fire service personnel, analysis and synthesis of data from research reports and independent conclusions, and recommendations for future NASA-LRC programs are included

An Elementary Proof of the Existence and Uniqueness Theorem for the Navier-Stokes Equations

We give a geometric approach to proving know regularity and existence theorems for the 2D Navier-Stokes Equations. We feel this point of view is instructive in better understanding the dynamics. The technique is inspired by constructions in the Dynamical Systems.Comment: 15 Page

Radiatively Induced Lorentz and Gauge Symmetry Violation in Electrodynamics with Varying alpha

A time-varying fine structure constant alpha(t) could give rise to Lorentz- and CPT-violating changes to the vacuum polarization, which would affect photon propagation. Such changes to the effective action can violate gauge invariance, but they are otherwise permitted. However, in the minimal theory of varying alpha, no such terms are generated at lowest order. At second order, vacuum polarization can generate an instability--a Lorentz-violating analogue of a negative photon mass squared -m^2 proportional to alpha [(d alpha/dt) / alpha]^2 log (Lambda^2), where Lambda is the cutoff for the low-energy effective theory.Comment: 14 page

Man-machine shuttle support program

Human factors support requirements for space shuttle progra

Study of the astronaut's capabilities to maintain life support systems and cabin habitability in weightless conditions. Mod 3. A new technique for investigating cargo transfer in simulated weightless environments

Simulation of cargo transfer in weightlessness environmen

Hybrid water immersion simulation of manual IVA performance in weightlessness

A description is given of the development, tests, and analysis of a manual simulator. The simulator was developed to test mass handling and translation under weightlessness conditions by a test subject. The system is composed of a hybrid simulator with a combination of water immersion and mechanical, Peter Pan, simulation. The concept operates on the equivalence principle, with the subject and the cargo remaining quasi-stationary. Movement is effected through a moving device controlled through force by the subject. Motion response is determined through computations of the inertial movement under such conditions

Correlation Study of the Simulation of Gemini Extravehicular Activity with Flight Results

Correlation study of simulation of Gemini extravehicular activity with flight result

Preliminary design polymeric materials experiment

A typical Advanced Technology Laboratory mission flight plan was developed and used as a guideline for the identification of a number of experiment considerations. The experiment logistics beginning with sample preparation and ending with sample analysis are then overlaid on the mission in order to have a complete picture of the design requirements. The results of this preliminary design study fall into two categories. First specific preliminary designs of experiment hardware which is adaptable to a variety of mission requirements. Second, identification of those mission considerations which affect hardware design and will require further definition prior to final design. Finally, a program plan is presented which will provide the necessary experiment hardware in a realistic time period to match the planned shuttle flights. A bibliography of all material reviewed and consulted but not specifically referenced is provided

Lorentz Violating Inflation

We explore the impact of Lorentz violation on the inflationary scenario. More precisely, we study the inflationary scenario in the scalar-vector-tensor theory where the vector is constrained to be unit and time like. It turns out that the Lorentz violating vector affects the dynamics of the chaotic inflationary model and divides the inflationary stage into two parts; the Lorentz violating stage and the standard slow roll stage. We show that the universe is expanding as an exact de Sitter spacetime in the Lorentz violating stage although the inflaton field is rolling down the potential. Much more interestingly, we find exact Lorentz violating inflationary solutions in the absence of the inflaton potential. In this case, the inflation is completely associated with the Lorentz violation. We also mention some consequences of Lorentz violating inflation which can be tested by observations.Comment: 7 pages, 1 figur

Interferometers as Probes of Planckian Quantum Geometry

A theory of position of massive bodies is proposed that results in an observable quantum behavior of geometry at the Planck scale, $t_P$. Departures from classical world lines in flat spacetime are described by Planckian noncommuting operators for position in different directions, as defined by interactions with null waves. The resulting evolution of position wavefunctions in two dimensions displays a new kind of directionally-coherent quantum noise of transverse position. The amplitude of the effect in physical units is predicted with no parameters, by equating the number of degrees of freedom of position wavefunctions on a 2D spacelike surface with the entropy density of a black hole event horizon of the same area. In a region of size $L$, the effect resembles spatially and directionally coherent random transverse shear deformations on timescale $\approx L/c$ with typical amplitude $\approx \sqrt{ct_PL}$. This quantum-geometrical "holographic noise" in position is not describable as fluctuations of a quantized metric, or as any kind of fluctuation, dispersion or propagation effect in quantum fields. In a Michelson interferometer the effect appears as noise that resembles a random Planckian walk of the beamsplitter for durations up to the light crossing time. Signal spectra and correlation functions in interferometers are derived, and predicted to be comparable with the sensitivities of current and planned experiments. It is proposed that nearly co-located Michelson interferometers of laboratory scale, cross-correlated at high frequency, can test the Planckian noise prediction with current technology.Comment: 23 pages, 6 figures, Latex. To appear in Physical Review