Development of systems and techniques for landing an aircraft using onboard television

A flight program was conducted to develop a landing technique with which a pilot could consistently and safely land a remotely piloted research vehicle (RPRV) without outside visual reference except through television. Otherwise, instrumentation was standard. Such factors as the selection of video parameters, the pilot's understanding of the television presentation, the pilot's ground cockpit environment, and the operational procedures for landing were considered. About 30 landings were necessary for a pilot to become sufficiently familiar and competent with the test aircraft to make powered approaches and landings with outside visual references only through television. When steep approaches and landings were made by remote control, the pilot's workload was extremely high. The test aircraft was used as a simulator for the F-15 RPRV, and as such was considered to be essential to the success of landing the F-15 RPRV

Flight test evaluation of a separate surface attitude command control system on a Beech 99 airplane

A joint NASA/university/industry program was conducted to flight evaluate a potentially low cost separate surface implementation of attitude command in a Beech 99 airplane. Saturation of the separate surfaces was the primary cause of many problems during development. Six experienced professional pilots who made simulated instrument flight evaluations experienced improvements in airplane handling qualities in the presence of turbulence and a reduction in pilot workload. For ride quality, quantitative data show that the attitude command control system results in all cases of airplane motion being removed from the uncomfortable ride region

NASA Adaptive Multibeam Phased Array (AMPA): An application study

The proposed orbital geometry for the adaptive multibeam phased array (AMPA) communication system is reviewed and some of the system's capabilities and preliminary specifications are highlighted. Typical AMPA user link models and calculations are presented, the principal AMPA features are described, and the implementation of the system is demonstrated. System tradeoffs and requirements are discussed. Recommendations are included

Model Assessment of Alternatives for Reducing Seepage from Buried Uranium Mill Talings at the Morton Ranch Site in Central Wyoming

The purpose of this study is to examine potential ground water contamination by seepage from buried tailings under four alternatives of clay liners and tailings placement, which have been proposed for possible use at the Morton Ranch Site. To accomplish this comparison of alternatives, laboratory work and numerous measurements were made on materials typical of the Morton Ranch Site. These measurements provide the soil characteristics necessary for input to the hydrologic flow and transport models

Long-term stability of earthen materials in contact with acidic tailings solutions

The objectives of the studies documented in this report were to use experimental and geochemical computer modeling tools to assess the long-term environmental impact of leachate movement from acidic uranium mill tailings. Liner failure (i.e., an increase in the permeability of the liner material) was not found to be a problem when various acidic tailings solutions leached through liner materials for periods up to 3 years. On the contrary, materials that contained over 30% clay showed a decrease in permeability with time in the laboratory columns. The high clay materials tested appear suitable for lining tailings impoundment ponds. The decreases in permeability are attributed to pore plugging resulting from the precipitation of minerals and solids. This precipitation takes place due to the increase in pH of the tailings solution brought about by the buffering capacity of the soil. Geochemical modeling predicts, and x-ray characterization confirms, that precipitation of solids from solution is occurring in the acidic tailings solution/liner interactions studied. In conclusion the same mineralogical changes and contaminant reactions predicted by geochemical modeling and observed in laboratory studies were found at a drained evaporation pond (Lucky Mc in Wyoming) with a 4 year history of acid attack

High-efficiency cell structures and processes applied to photovoltaic-grade Czochralski silicon

The authors performed a detailed study to examine the limiting performance available using photovoltaic-grade Cz silicon. Photovoltaic-grade silicon refers to silicon produced by the photovoltaic industry, which may differ from the silicon used in the semiconductor device industry in impurity and defect concentrations.The study included optimization of fabrication processes, development of advanced device structures, and detailed model calculations to project future performance improvements. Process and device optimization resulted in demonstration of 75-{micro}s bulk lifetimes and 17.6%-efficient large-area cells using photovoltaic-grade Cz silicon. Detailed calculations based on the material and device evaluation of the present work project efficiencies of 20% for photovoltaic-grade Cz silicon with properly optimized processing and device structures

High-efficiency cell structures and processes applied to photovoltaic-grade Czochralski silicon

The authors performed a detailed study to examine the limiting performance available using photovoltaic-grade Cz silicon. Photovoltaic-grade silicon refers to silicon produced by the photovoltaic industry, which may differ from the silicon used in the semiconductor device industry in impurity and defect concentrations.The study included optimization of fabrication processes, development of advanced device structures, and detailed model calculations to project future performance improvements. Process and device optimization resulted in demonstration of 75-{micro}s bulk lifetimes and 17.6%-efficient large-area cells using photovoltaic-grade Cz silicon. Detailed calculations based on the material and device evaluation of the present work project efficiencies of 20% for photovoltaic-grade Cz silicon with properly optimized processing and device structures

The Value of Literacy Practices

The concepts of literacy events and practices have received considerable attention in educational research and policy. In comparison, the question of value, that is, ‘which literacy practices do people most value?’ has been neglected. With the current trend of cross-cultural adult literacy assessment, it is increasingly important to recognise locally valued literacy practices. In this paper we argue that measuring preferences and weighting of literacy practices provides an empirical and democratic basis for decisions in literacy assessment and curriculum development and could inform rapid educational adaptation to changes in the literacy environment. The paper examines the methodological basis for investigating literacy values and its potential to inform cross-cultural literacy assessments. The argument is illustrated with primary data from Mozambique. The correlation between individual values and respondents’ socio-economic and demographic characteristics is explored

Comparison of 35 and 50 {\mu}m thin HPK UFSD after neutron irradiation up to 6*10^15 neq/cm^2

We report results from the testing of 35 {\mu}m thick Ultra-Fast Silicon Detectors (UFSD produced by Hamamatsu Photonics (HPK), Japan and the comparison of these new results to data reported before on 50 {\mu}m thick UFSD produced by HPK. The 35 {\mu}m thick sensors were irradiated with neutrons to fluences of 0, 1*10^14, 1*10^15, 3*10^15, 6*10^15 neq/cm^2. The sensors were tested pre-irradiation and post-irradiation with minimum ionizing particles (MIPs) from a 90Sr \b{eta}-source. The leakage current, capacitance, internal gain and the timing resolution were measured as a function of bias voltage at -20C and -27C. The timing resolution was extracted from the time difference with a second calibrated UFSD in coincidence, using the constant fraction method for both. Within the fluence range measured, the advantage of the 35 {\mu}m thick UFSD in timing accuracy, bias voltage and power can be established.Comment: 9 pages, 9 figures, HSTD11 Okinawa. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1707.0496