Commentary: Battles Won, but War on Vet Homelessness Continues

In his second inaugural address, Abraham Lincoln called upon Americans to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan ... These words have proven so influential that the Department of Veterans Affairs has adopted them as its motto. But how well have we as a nation risen to this call? [excerpt

We Have a Sacred Duty to House all Homeless Veterans

In a letter to Congress urging the nation to pay what it owed to veterans of the Continental Army, George Washington voiced his firm conviction that we as honorable Americans would “never leave unpaid the debt of gratitude” to those brave souls who “rescued by their arms from impending ruin” the fledgling United States. (excerpt

Opinion: Too Many Veterans with Children are Still Homeless

Don’t ignore homeless veterans. As we pause this Veterans Day to reflect on those who have sacrificed in the service of our country, let us not neglect to address the plight of those who have returned to a civilian life with far less promise than they have every right to expect. [excerpt

Opinion: Housing Our Homeless Vets is a Duty We’ll Always Owe

As we celebrate Veterans Day across America, we are reminded of President Abraham Lincoln’s powerful admonition in the Gettysburg Address regarding what we owe to those who have sacrificed and given of themselves in the defense of the common good. [excerpt

Science opportunities from the Topex/Poseidon mission

The U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the French Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES) propose to conduct a Topex/Poseidon Mission for studying the global ocean circulation from space. The mission will use the techniques of satellite altimetry to make precise and accurate measurements of sea level for several years. The measurements will then be used by Principal Investigators (selected by NASA and CNES) and by the wider oceanographic community working closely with large international programs for observing the Earth, on studies leading to an improved understanding of global ocean dynamics and the interaction of the ocean with other processes influencing life on Earth. The major elements of the mission include a satellite carrrying an altimetric system for measuring the height of the satellite above the sea surface; a precision orbit determination system for referring the altimetric measurements to geodetic coordinates; a data analysis and distribution system for processing the satellite data, verifying their accuracy, and making them available to the scientific community; and a principal investigator program for scientific studies based on the satellite observations. This document describes the satellite, its sensors, its orbit, the data analysis system, and plans for verifying and distributing the data. It then discusses the expected accuracy of the satellite's measurements and their usefulness to oceanographic, geophysical, and other scientific studies. Finally, it outlines the relationship of the Topex/Poseidon mission to other large programs, including the World Climate Research Program, the U.S. Navy's Remote Ocean Sensing System satellite program and the European Space Agency's ERS-1 satellite program

A comparison of results from two simulators used for studies of astronaut maneuvering units

A comparison of the results from a fixed-base, six-degree-of -freedom simulator and a moving-base, three-degree-of-freedom simulator was made for a close-in, EVA-type maneuvering task in which visual cues of a target spacecraft were used for guidance. The maneuvering unit (the foot-controlled maneuvering unit of Skylab Experiment T020) employed an on-off acceleration command control system operated entirely by the feet. Maneuvers by two test subjects were made for the fixed-base simulator in six and three degrees of freedom and for the moving-base simulator in uncontrolled and controlled, EVA-type visual cue conditions. Comparisons of pilot ratings and 13 different quantitative parameters from the two simulators are made. Different results were obtained from the two simulators, and the effects of limited degrees of freedom and uncontrolled visual cues are discussed

NASA Research in aeropropulsion

Selected examples of recent accomplishments and current activities that are relevant to the principal classes of civil and military vehicles: subsonic transports, commuters, supersonic transports, general aviation, rotorcraft, V/STOL, and high performance. Some instances of emerging technologies with potential high impact on further progress are discussed

Parametric studies with an atmospheric diffusion model that assesses toxic fuel hazards due to the ground clouds generated by rocket launches

Parametric studies were made with a multilayer atmospheric diffusion model to place quantitative limits on the uncertainty of predicting ground-level toxic rocket-fuel concentrations. Exhaust distributions in the ground cloud, cloud stabilized geometry, atmospheric coefficients, the effects of exhaust plume afterburning of carbon monoxide CO, assumed surface mixing-layer division in the model, and model sensitivity to different meteorological regimes were studied. Large-scale differences in ground-level predictions are quantitatively described. Cloud alongwind growth for several meteorological conditions is shown to be in error because of incorrect application of previous diffusion theory. In addition, rocket-plume calculations indicate that almost all of the rocket-motor carbon monoxide is afterburned to carbon dioxide CO2, thus reducing toxic hazards due to CO. The afterburning is also shown to have a significant effect on cloud stabilization height and on ground-level concentrations of exhaust products

Development of sprayed ceramic seal systems for turbine gas path sealing

A ceramic seal system is reported that employs plasma-sprayed graded metal/ceramic yttria stabilized zirconium oxide (YSZ). The performance characteristics of several YSZ configurations were determined through rig testing for thermal shock resistance, abradability, and erosion resistance. Results indicate that this type of sealing system offers the potential to meet operating requirements of future gas turbine engines

Experimental measurements of the ground cloud growth during the 11 February 1974, Titan-Centaur launch at Kennedy Space Center

The Titan-Centaur was launched from Kennedy Space Center on February 11, 1974 at 0948 eastern daylight time. Ground level effluent measurements were obtained from the solid rocket motors for comparison with NASA diffusion models for predicting effluent ground level concentrations and cloud behavior. The results obtained provide a basis for an evaluation of such key model inputs such as cloud rise rate, stabilization altitude, crosswind growth, volume expansion, and cloud trajectory. Ground level effluent measurements were limited because of changing meteorological conditions, incorrect instrument location, and operational problems. Based on the measurement results, operational changes are defined. Photographs of the ground exhaust clouds are shown. The chemical composition of the exhaust gases was analyzed and is given