Development of the ARIES parachute system

The design and testing of a two-stage parachute system to recover a space telescope weighing up to 2000 pounds is described. The system consists of a 15-ft dia ribbon parachute reefed to 50% for 10 seconds and a 73-ft dia paraform or cross second stage reefed to 10% for 10 seconds. The results of eight drop tests and one operational rocket launched flight and recovery are presented. A successful operational recovery of a 1600-lb NASA space telescope was conducted. The payload was launched by a second stage Minuteman rocket to an altitude of about 300 miles above sea level

Remotely sensed and laboratory spectral signatures of an ocean-dumped acid waste

An ocean-dumped acid waste plume was studied by using a rapid scanning spectrometer to remotely measure ocean radiance from a helicopter. The results of these studies are presented and compared with results from sea truth samples and laboratory experiments. An ocean spectral reflectance signature and a laboratory spectral transmission signature were established for the iron-acid waste pollutant. The spectrally and chemically significant component of the acid waste pollutant was determined to be ferric iron

Surface pressure data for a supersonic-cruise airplane configuration at Mach numbers of 2.30, 2.96, 3.30

The tabulated results of surface pressure tests conducted on the wing and fuselage of an airplane model in the Langley Unitary Plan wind tunnel are presented without analysis. The model tested was that of a supersonic-cruise airplane with a highly swept arrow-wing planform, two engine nacelles mounted beneath the wing, and outboard vertical tails. Data were obtained at Mach numbers of 2.30, 2.96, and 3.30 for angles of attack from -4 deg to 12 deg. The Reynolds number for these tests was 6,560,000 per meter

The Geographic Distribution of Bowhead Whales, Balaena mysticetus, in the Bering, Chukchi, and Beaufort Seas: Evidence from Whaleship Records, 1849–1914

We have extracted, digitized, and analyzed information about bowhead whales, Balaena mysticetus, contained in records of whaling cruises that were undertaken in the Bering, Chukchi, and Beaufort Seas from 1849 to 1914. Our database consists of 65,000 days of observations which provide insights into whether this bowhead stock may comprise more than one population

Sample preparation for nanoanalytical electron microscopy using the FIB lift-out method and low energy ion milling

Thinning specimens to electron transparency for electron microscopy analysis can be done by conventional (2 - 4 kV) argon ion milling or focused ion beam (FIB) lift-out techniques. Both these methods tend to leave ''mottling'' visible on thin specimen areas, and this is believed to be surface damage caused by ion implantation and amorphisation. A low energy (250 - 500 V) Argon ion polish has been shown to greatly improve specimen quality for crystalline silicon samples. Here we investigate the preparation of technologically important materials for nanoanalysis using conventional and lift-out methods followed by a low energy polish in a GentleMill™ low energy ion mill. We use a low energy, low angle (6 - 8°) ion beam to remove the surface damage from previous processing steps. We assess this method for the preparation of technologically important materials, such as steel, silicon and GaAs. For these materials the ability to create specimens from specific sites, and to be able to image and analyse these specimens with the full resolution and sensitivity of the STEM, allows a significant increase of the power and flexibility of nanoanalytical electron microscopy

Development of a CCD for ultraviolet imaging using a CCD photocathode combination

CCD in the electron-in mode, coupled with a bi-alkali photocathode to produce UV photon conversion, provides the following desirable features: (1) high UV response of the bi-alkali photocathode; (2) excellent imaging quality of a CCD area array; and (3) high signal-to-noise ratio due to the EBS (electron bombarded silicon) gain of the CCD operating in a tube configuration. This paper describes the rationale and progress made in developing a CCD for use as an UV imager

Cosmological models with flat spatial geometry

The imposition of symmetries or special geometric properties on submanifolds is less restrictive than to impose them in the full space-time. Starting from this idea, in this paper we study irrotational dust cosmological models in which the geometry of the hypersurfaces generated by the fluid velocity is flat, which supposes a relaxation of the restrictions imposed by the Cosmological Principle. The method of study combines covariant and tetrad methods that exploits the geometrical and physical properties of these models. This procedure will allow us to determine all the space-times within this class as well as to study their properties. Some important consequences and applications of this study are also discussed.Comment: 12 pages, LaTeX2e, IOP style. To appear in Classical and Quantum Gravit