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Briefs: Test & Measurement
Efforts are under way to develop a technique of noncontact acousto-ultrasonic testing in which (1) a pulsed laser beam excites ultrasonic waves in a plate specimen and (2) the ultrasonic...
Briefs: Test & Measurement
An apparatus based on line-of-sight resonant absorption of ultraviolet light yields measurement data from which one can calculate the concentrations of nitric oxide (NO) and of hydroxyl...
Briefs: Test & Measurement
The Gyroscope Automated Testbed is a computer-controlled apparatus designed primarily for automated testing of vibratory gyroscopes. It can also be used to test other devices: By changing...
Briefs: Test & Measurement
Electromechanical Testing of Microelectromechanical Devices
A method of electromechanical testing has been proposed for general diagnosis, evaluation of performance, and burn-in (accelerated life testing) of microelectromechanical devices. The tests would ordinarily be performed at the wafer level; that is, after the devices have been fabricated on...
Briefs: Test & Measurement
The figure illustrates a simple mechanism designed for anchoring one end of a cable on a structure and for adjusting the tension in the cable. Unlike turnbuckles and other conventional...
Briefs: Test & Measurement
A lightweight, low-power-consumption power supply has been developed to generate a combination of radio-frequency (RF) and dc voltages needed for the operation of a miniature quadrupole...
Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Electrobiotic sensors have been proposed for detecting toxic substances in a variety of environments. Electrobiotic sensors would be inexpensive, compact units that would be easy to use and could be deployed...
Briefs: Test & Measurement
Laser Heating for Testing Rocket-Engine Insulating Phenolic
A continuous-wave CO2 laser has been selected as a source of heat for testing the thermal response of carbon-cloth phenolic like that used as insulating material in a reusable solid-fuel rocket motor (RSRM). The particular thermal response of interest, observed during operation of an RSRM,...
Briefs: Test & Measurement
An optoelectronic instrument, known as a plant fluorescence sensor, is being developed for use as a working tool in agricultural settings. This instrument is a remote, passive monitor...
Briefs: Test & Measurement
Improved Electrical-Impedance Body-Fluids Monitor
The Johnson Space Center (JSC) body-fluids monitor advances the state of the art of measuring hydration levels in humans during spaceflight. Neither bulky nor heavy, this noninvasive instrument is built around a commercial inductance-capacitance-resistance meter, which is used to obtain...
Briefs: Test & Measurement
Software for Testing Access List Integrity
Many networks rely on firewalls or filtering routers for frontline network security. Packet filtering firewalls or routers filter incoming or outgoing packets based on a set of access rules. The IP (Internet Protocol) Packet Generator computer program assists in verifying that a packet filtering firewall...
Briefs: Medical
Improved miniature biotelemetric units resembling large pills have been proposed for use in physiological monitoring of the gastrointestinal tract. The broad principles of design, operation,...
Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control
A six-legged robot resembling an insect and a legless segmented robot resembling a worm (see figure) have been proposed as prototypes of biomorphic explorers small, mobile, exploratory robots that...
Briefs: Test & Measurement
A proposed miniature turbomolecular pump would be a prototype of high-vacuum sources for a forthcoming generation of miniature, portable mass spectrometers and other scientific instruments. The...
Briefs: Aerospace
The Dryden Flight Research Center (DFRC) has been a partner in many uninhabited-aerial-vehicle (UAV) test programs. Our participation has largely been in the areas of...
Briefs: Physical Sciences
A robust sensor based on the electrochemical oxidation of methanol has been developed for use in measuring the concentration of methanol dissolved in water. The sensor is expected to be...
Briefs: Test & Measurement
An improved solvent-extraction/infrared-analysis technique has been devised to replace an older technique for measuring very small concentrations of nonvolatile residues of industrial...
Briefs: Test & Measurement
A segmented-image emission velocimeter (SIEVE) is an optical instrument for measuring the velocity of a luminous turbulent flow. More specifically, it measures a component of flow...
Briefs: Test & Measurement
Pressurization and Leak Testing of Sample-Return Canisters
A technique that involves pressurization with a radioactive gas has been proposed to solve two problems associated with canisters used to transport samples from remote bodies (planets, moons, asteroids, or comets) back to Earth. The canisters must be sealed at the sampling locations. The...
Briefs: Test & Measurement
A technique for thermomechanical fatigue testing of thin-walled tubular specimens involves the application of cyclic axial (tension/compression) and torsional (shear) strains,...
Briefs: Energy
A surface-micromachining process has been devised for use in fabricating microscopic polycrystalline diamond structures (e.g., bridges and cantilevers) as integral parts...
Briefs: Physical Sciences
Integrated electrochemical sensors are being developed for use in measuring concentrations of sulfur dioxide in gas mixtures. These sensors are based on the electrochemical oxidation of SO2 and...
Briefs: Test & Measurement
Noncontact Measurement of Surface Tension of Molten Material
An improved method of noncontact measurement of the surface tension of a molten material has been developed, partly to overcome the disadvantages of contact measurement techniques as described in the preceding article, "Noncontact Measurement of Resistivity of Molten Material"...
Briefs: Test & Measurement
A multiwavelength pyrometric technique estimates the surface and bulk (subsurface) temperatures of a hot glass. The multiwavelength pyrometer for which the technique was developed...
Briefs: Test & Measurement
Sponsored by a NASA Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II contract, MetroLaser, Inc., has developed a novel, compact and low-cost laser Doppler vibrometer (LDV) under the...
Briefs: Test & Measurement
Noncontact Measurement of Resistivity of Molten Material
It is now possible to determine the electrical resistivity of a molten sample of a pure, electrically conductive material (a metal or semiconductor), without contact between the sample or any solid object. Once the electrical resistivity has been determined, the thermal conductivity can be...
Briefs: Aerospace
Nearly every military and commercial aircraft in the United States today uses pitot-static probes for accurate, repeatable airdata measurements. Recently, local angle-of-attack- and...
Briefs: Test & Measurement
A micromachined force-balance anemometer has been developed by modifying the design of a micromachined force-balance accelerometer that responds to accelerations as small as 109 × normal Earth...
Briefs: Test & Measurement
Software for Automated Retesting of Electrical Connections
The Shuttle Connector Analysis Network Automated Electrical Retest Operations (SCAN/AERO) computer program assists in the tracking, management, and automation of the retesting of electrical connectors on the space shuttle orbiters. Among other things, SCAN/AERO analyzes test data to...
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