Magazine

A proposed valve unit called a "vacuum pumping station" would be incorporated into a plumbing system that supplies a vacuum for vacuum insulated cryogenic equipment. The vacuum pumping station is intended to perform functions now performed by, and to be a simpler and more reliable alternative to, an assembly of components...

A report discusses direct numerical simulations (DNS) of a developing mixing layer between nitrogen and heptane initially at different temperatures and initially flowing at different velocities under supercritical conditions. The usual conservation equations for a binary fluid, along with the...

A report proposes a system that would supply gas for inflating one or more inflatable structure(s) in outer space. The system would include a small tank of helium for initial inflation, plus a catalytic hydrazine gas generator that would supply makeup gas over the long term. After initial...

A report describes the development of a lightweight thermal insulation system for Martian surface applications. The ambient Martian atmosphere, which is predominantly carbon dioxide at a pressure of 10 torr, is used as the insulation medium with a modest multiple radiation shield...

A report describes Martian landing balls, which are under development for use in delivering scientific payloads to Mars. Martian landing balls are related to other soft-landing devices that resemble beach balls and that have been described in several previous NASA Tech Briefs articles. They are also related to the Zorb...

In 1987 a discovery led to the formal proof that it is possible to use chaotic functions to arrive at a nonprobabilistic and nondeterministic method normal context of the operation of this system, and by using a virtual operational environment, the investigators are manipulating data in eight dimensions, which require a...

A report describes an experimental investigation of effects of thermally induced intermixing of In0.6Ga0.4As and GaAs on the dynamics of photoexcited charge carriers in In0.6Ga0.4As/GaAs quantum dots. The quantum dots (nanometer-size islands of In0.6Ga0.4As surrounded by GaAs) were grown by...

A report describes experiments in which time-averaged and unsteady local variations in the densities of underexpanded supersonic free jets issuing from a choked circular nozzle were measured by laser-induced Rayleigh scattering. This study is part of a continuing effort to understand the...

The term "coherent phase line enhancer" (CPLE) refers to a dual-transform method of spectral analysis that enhances the detection of periodic and quasi-periodic signals buried in wide-band noise. The CPLE is particularly useful for increasing the signal-to-noise ratios of spectral peaks...

MECS is a computer program for the automated, secure, rapid, and efficient transfer of data between a central source and users at multiple distant locations. "MECS" signifies "Multi-mission Encrypted Communication System." MECS enables many users to collaborate securely on a shared plan or set of data.

Real-Time Net Transfer (RTNT) software allows for efficient and reliable transport of raw, GPS (Global Positioning System) observables over the open Internet. Efficiency is achieved by editing and compressing the GPS observables at the remote site, and by using User Datagram...

The Common Database Interface and Report Generator is a computer program that serves as both (1) a single common interface for data-base application programs to gain access to local or remote data bases by use of Structured Query Language (SQL) operators and (2) a report generator.

The DataSlate computer program is being developed to help educators and students gain access to, view, manipulate, and otherwise interact with sets of planetary and other scientific data via the Internet or via local data-storage facilities. DataSlate will be especially useful for displaying...

An Airfield Wind Advisory System (AWAS) includes a self-contained weather station, located at an airfield, that measures speed and direction of the wind, the temperature, the barometric pressure, and the humidity. This ground station digitizes these measurements and transmits the measurement data...

A computer program performs a unified analysis of the radiation exposure, the temperatures, and the power generation and distribution for predicting the performance of the TOPEX satellite on orbit and during maneuvers. The unified analysis is needed because all aspects are...

Parameter Identification in Thermal Networks (PITN) is a computer program developed to satisfy a need to update parameters in mathematical models of thermal systems in order to make the temperatures computed by the models equal to the temperatures measured in tests of the corresponding real...

Solid State Recorder Pointer Tracker (SSRPT) is a computer program developed specifically to aid ground-based monitoring and control of two redundant solid-state recorders (SSRs) aboard the Cassini Spacecraft. The SSRs store telemetry data until downlink times, which are limited to a...

The Platform Independent Software Components for the Exploration of Space (PISCES) software library provides for web-based, collaborative development of computer programs for planning trajectories and other trajectory-related aspects of spacecraft-mission design. The PISCES library...