Motion and Heating During Atmosphere Reentry of Space Vehicles

The results of an analysis of the motion and heating during atmospheric reentry of manned space vehicles has shown the following: 1. Flight-corridor depths which allow reentry in a single pass decrease rapidly as the reentry speed increases if the maximum deceleration is limited to 10 g. 2. Use of aerodynamic lift can result in a three-to five fold increase in corridor depth over that available to a ballistic vehicle for the same deceleration limits. 3. Use of aerodynamic lift to widen these reentry corridors causes a heating penalty which becomes severe for values of the lift-drag ratio greater than unity for constant lift-drag entry. 4. In the region of most intense convective heating the inviscid flow is generally in chemical equilibrium but the boundary-layer flows are out of equilibrium. Heating rates for the nonequilibrium boundary layer are generally lower than for the corresponding equilibrium case. 5. Radiative heating from the hot gas trapped between the shock wave and the body stagnation region may be as severe as the convective heating and unfortunately occurs at approximately the same time in the flight

Wireless Command-and-Control of UAV-Based Imaging LANs

Dual airborne imaging system networks were operated using a wireless line-of-sight telemetry system developed as part of a 2002 unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) imaging mission over the USA s largest coffee plantation on the Hawaiian island of Kauai. A primary mission objective was the evaluation of commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) 802.11b wireless technology for reduction of payload telemetry costs associated with UAV remote sensing missions. Predeployment tests with a conventional aircraft demonstrated successful wireless broadband connectivity between a rapidly moving airborne imaging local area network (LAN) and a fixed ground station LAN. Subsequently, two separate LANs with imaging payloads, packaged in exterior-mounted pressure pods attached to the underwing of NASA's Pathfinder-Plus UAV, were operated wirelessly by ground-based LANs over independent Ethernet bridges. Digital images were downlinked from the solar-powered aircraft at data rates of 2-6 megabits per second (Mbps) over a range of 6.5 9.5 km. An integrated wide area network enabled payload monitoring and control through the Internet from a range of ca. 4000 km during parts of the mission. The recent advent of 802.11g technology is expected to boost the system data rate by about a factor of five

Optimizing training event schedules at Naval Air Station Fallon

Naval Air Station (NAS) Fallon, located in Northwestern Nevada, is best known for one of its resident training schools, the United States Navy Fighter Weapons School, popularly known as Topgun. Fallon training range airspace overlays 10,200 square miles and contains ground ranges for bombing and electronic warfare. In addition to servicing the flight training requirements of its resident programs, NAS Fallon provides airspace, land, and logistical support for dozens of outside commands, ranging from carrier airwing detachments to special operations forces. It follows that scheduling training events at NAS Fallon is heavily constrained due to large demands on limited training airspace and aircraft availability. This thesis constructs, implements, and produces sample results using the Scheduling Assistance Tool (SAT), a mixed integer program designed as an aid to the operations department at NAS Fallon. SAT optimizes allocation of range space, subject to limited resources such as operational field hours, equipment, and event turnaround times. The primary output is a deconflicted daily flight schedule that includes unit, event, day, start time, and range assignment. We test SAT with 323 real-world event requests over a one-month period. SAT’s baseline test results in 86% of events being scheduled. By giving optional ranges and start times to the unscheduled events, SAT is able to schedule 99% of the same events. Several additional excursions from the baseline scenario demonstrate how SAT can improve event schedules.http://archive.org/details/optimizingtraini1094558370Outstanding ThesisLieutenant Junior Grade, United States NavyApproved for public release; distribution is unlimited

Barriers and facilitators to HIV testing in primary care among health care providers

Purpose: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a preventable disease that can have improved outcomes with early diagnosis and treatment. The CDC recommends that HIV testing be incorporated into clinical settings as part of routine medical care. Methods: Individual, open-ended interviews were conducted with primary care providers and administrators to obtain their views regarding the meaning of routine HIV testing and the barriers and facilitators to implementing routine HIV testing in their respective practices. Results: Most respondents supported routine HIV testing, although their definitions of routine varied. Barriers for providers included time and financial constraints to appropriately conduct HIV counseling and testing and inadequate HIV education and training. Facilitators for implementing routine HIV testing included patients’ feelings of empowerment and reduced HIV stigma. Conclusions: The implementation of routine HIV testing in primary care practices appears to be an acceptable public health intervention. Next steps should include efforts to standardize the definition of routine HIV testing and working with primary care settings to better understand and reduce barriers to routine testing