2,552 research outputs found
Thermal Control Surfaces Experiment
This report is the final experiment report for the TCSE and summarizes many years of hardware development and analyses. Also included are analyses presented in a number of TCSE papers that were prepared and given at scientific conferences including three LDEF Post-Retrieval Symposiums
A Numerical Integration Scheme to Determine Hemispheric Emittance, Solar Absorptance and Earth Infrared Absorptance from Spectral Reflectance Data
Numerical method for computing hemispheric emittance, solar absorptance, and earth infrared absorptance from measured values for spectral reflectance of coatin
Development of microcomputer-based mental acuity tests for repeated-measures studies
The purpose of this report is to detail the development of the Automated Performance Test System (APTS), a computer battery of mental acuity tests that can be used to assess human performance in the presence of toxic elements and environmental stressors. There were four objectives in the development of APTS. First, the technical requirements for developing APTS followed the tenets of the classical theory of mental tests which requires that tests meet set criteria like stability and reliability (the lack of which constitutes insensitivity). To be employed in the study of the exotic conditions of protracted space flight, a battery with multiple parallel forms is required. The second criteria was for the battery to have factorial multidimensionality and the third was for the battery to be sensitive to factors known to compromise performance. A fourth objective was for the tests to converge on the abilities entailed in mission specialist tasks. A series of studies is reported in which candidate APTS tests were subjected to an examination of their psychometric properties for repeated-measures testing. From this work, tests were selected that possessed the requisite metric properties of stability, reliability, and factor richness. In addition, studies are reported which demonstrate the predictive validity of the tests to holistic measures of intelligence
Development of an improved protective cover/light block for multilayer insulation
The feasibility of using a scrim-reinforced, single metallized, 4-mil Tedlar film as a replacement for the Teflon coated Beta-cloth/single metallized 3-mil Kapton film presently used as the protective cover/light block for multilayer insulation (MLI) on the Orbiter, Spacelab, and other space applications was demonstrated. The proposed Tedlar concept is lighter and potentially lower in cost. Thermal analysis with the proper concept was much simpler than with the present system. Tests have already demonstrated that white Tedlar has low alpha (adsorption) degradation in space from U.V. The proposed concept was 4400 percent cheaper with nominal weight savings of 50 percent
The effects of solid rocket motor effluents on selected surfaces and solid particle size, distribution, and composition for simulated shuttle booster separation motors
A series of three tests was conducted using solid rocket propellants to determine the effects a solid rocket plume would have on thermal protective surfaces (TPS). The surfaces tested were those which are baselined for the shuttle vehicle. The propellants used were to simulate the separation solid rocket motors (SSRM) that separate the solid rocket boosters (SRB) from the shuttle launch vehicle. Data cover: (1) the optical effects of the plume environment on spacecraft related surfaces, and (2) the solid particle size, distribution, and composition at TPS sample locations
Fluorescence measurements of the thermal control experiments coatings on LDEF S0069 and A0114
Fluorescence measurements were made on the thermal control coatings from the Long Duration Experiment Facility (LDEF) S0069, Thermal Control Surfaces Experiment (TCSE); and the A0114, Interaction of Atomic Oxygen with Material Surfaces in Low Earth orbit. Fluorescence was observed in two types of thermal control coatings and is attributed to pigments or binders. In addition, fluorescence measurement on the silver Teflon from the front cover of TCSE led to confirmation of damage (cracking) to the metal layers during application
BeppoSAX Observations of the Maser Sy2 Galaxy: ESO103-G35
We have made BeppoSAX observations of the Seyfert 2/1.9 galaxy ESO103-G35,
which contains a nuclear maser source and is known to be heavily absorbed in
the X-rays. Analysis of the X-ray spectra observed by SAX in October 1996 and
1997 yields a spectral index 0.74+/-0.07, typical of Seyfert galaxies and
consistent with earlier observations of this source. The strong, soft X-ray
absorption has column density 1.79E(23)/cm^2, again consistent with earlier
results. The best fitting spectrum is that of a power law with a high energy
cutoff at 29+/-10 keV, a cold, marginally resolved Fe Kalpha line with EW 290
eV (1996) and a mildly ionized Fe K-edge at 7.37 keV. The Kalpha line and cold
absorption are consistent with origin in a accretion disk/torus through which
our line-of-sight passes at a radial distance of pc. The Fe K-edge is
mildly ionized suggesting the presence of ionized gas probably in the inner
accretion disk, close to the central source or in a separate warm absorber. The
data quality is too low to distinguish between these possibilities but the
edge-on geometry implied by the water maser emission favors the former.
Comparison with earlier observations of ESO103-G35 shows little/no change in
spectral parameters while the flux changes by factors of a few on timescales of
a few months. The 2--10 keV flux decreased by a factor of 2.7 between Oct 1996
and Oct 1997 with no detectable change in the count rate >20 keV suggesting a
constant or delayed response reflection component. The high energy cutoff is
lower than the typical 300keV values seen in Seyfert galaxies. A significant
subset of similar sources would affect current models of the AGN contribution
to the cosmic X-ray background which generally assume a high energy cutoff of
300 keV.Comment: 22 pages, postscript file, accepted for publication in Ap
Fact Sheet no.2: Water Quality and Poultry Disposal Pits
Disposing of poultry that die during grow out is a serious management problem for poultry producers in Northwest Arkansas and across the country. Poultry disposal can affect water quality and the health of wildlife, livestock and people
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