Atmospheric and surface compositional studies of Mercury and the moon

The atmosphere of the Moon and Mercury will be studied by means of high resolution spectroscopy of sodium and potassium resonance line emissions. The variation of metal vapor abundances with time, and with location will be measured with a view to understanding the origin and evolution of these elements in the atmospheres of the Moon and Mercury. Infrared spectroscopic measurements will be made of Mercury to determine the surface mineralogy, predicated on the availability of the Kuiper Airborne Observatory and infrared charge coupled device (CCD). During the past year, an excellent series of measurements were completed of the spatial distribution of sodium on Mercury. Sodium was found to be concentrated at the polar regions, and to be displaced towards the terminator by solar radiation pressure. Sodium and potassium were discovered in the atmosphere of the Moon. The ratio of sodium to potassium approximates that of the lunar regolith. Thermal infrared measurements of Mercury showed that the Christiansen peak was located shortwards of 8 micrometer, which indicates an acidic mineralogy

Revised estimates for ozone reduction by shuttle operation

Previous calculations by five different modeling groups of the effect of space shuttle operations on the ozone layer yielded an estimate of 0.2 percent ozone reduction for the Northern Hemisphere at 60 launches per year. Since these calculations were made, the accepted rate constant for the reaction between hydroperoxyl and nitric oxide to yield hydroxyl and nitrogen dioxide, HO2 + NO yields OH + NO2, was revised upward by more than an order of magnitude, with a resultant increase in the predicted ozone reduction for chlorofluoromethanes by a factor of approximately 2. New calculations of the shuttle effect were made with use of the new rate constant data, again by five different modeling groups. The new value of the shuttle effect on the ozone layer was found to be 0.25 percent. The increase resulting from the revised rate constant is considerably less for space shuttle operations than for chlorofluoromethane production, because the new rate constant also increases the calculated rate of downward transport of shuttle exhaust products out of the stratosphere

Mass-spectrometric investigation of reaction of oxygen atoms with methane

Mass spectrometric investigation of oxygen atoms reacting with methan

Some problems of the thin film cadmium sulfide solar cell

Storage, humidity, thermal cycling, and mechanism of thin film cadmium sulfide solar cell

Static electricity in the Apollo spacecraft

Static electricity ignition hazards in Apollo spacecraf

Femtosecond probing of bimolecular reactions: The collision complex

Progress has been made in probing the femtosecond dynamics of transition states of chemical reactions.(1) The "half-collision" case of unimolecular reactions has been experimentally investigated for a number of systems and much theoretical work has already been developed.(2) For bimolecular reactions, the case of full collision, the zero of time is a problem which makes the femtosecond temporal resolution of the dynamics a difficult task

Femtosecond real-time probing of reactions. VIII. The bimolecular reaction Br+I2

In this paper, we discuss the experimental technique for real-time measurement of the lifetimes of the collision complex of bimolecular reactions. An application to the atom–molecule Br+I_2 reaction at two collision energies is made. Building on our earlier Communication [J. Chem. Phys. 95, 7763 (1991)], we report on the observed transients and lifetimes for the collision complex, the nature of the transition state, and the dynamics near threshold. Classical trajectory calculations provide a framework for deriving the global nature of the reactive potential energy surface, and for discussing the real-time, scattering, and asymptotic (product-state distribution) aspects of the dynamics. These experimental and theoretical results are compared with the extensive array of kinetic, crossed beam, and theoretical studies found in the literature for halogen radical–halogen molecule exchange reactions

Development and application of computer software techniques to human factors task data handling problems Final report, 21 Jun. 1965 - 21 Jun. 1966

Computer software techniques applied to human factors task data handling problem

Multispectral infrared imaging interferometer

Device permitting simultaneous viewing of infrared images at different wavelengths consists of imaging lens, Michelson interferometer, array of infrared detectors, data processing equipment for Fourier transformation of detector signal, and image display unit. Invention is useful in earth resources applications, nondestructive testing, and medical diagnoses

Proceedings of the Space Shuttle Environmental Assessment Workshop on Stratospheric Effects

Various aspects of the potential environmental impact of space shuttle exhaust are explored. Topics include: (1) increased ultraviolet radiation levels in the biosphere due to destruction of atmospheric ozone; (2) climatic changes due to aerosol particles affecting the planetary albedo; (3) space shuttle propellants (including alternate formulations); and (4) measurement of space shuttle exhaust products