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Briefs: Physical Sciences
A new concept called "liquid shell insulation" has been proposed as a means of temporary thermal protection for scientific instrument probes that are required to operate for short times in hot, high-pressure...
Briefs: Physical Sciences
Magnetostrictive Valves Actuated by Flux Tubes
Magnetostrictive valves for cryogenic applications would be actuated by superconducting flux tubes (SFTs), according to a proposal. The reasoning behind this proposal closely tracks that of the proposal to use SFTs in magnetostrictive heat switches, as reported in the preceding article.
Briefs: Information Technology
The Goal Performance Evaluation System (GPES) is an Internet-based automated management information system (see figure) now undergoing development at Kennedy Space Center (KSC). The GPES is...
Briefs: Software
Program Summarizes Operational Data From a Complex System
Engineering Data Summarization Flight Software is a computer program designed for use aboard a spacecraft to implement a concept, called "beacon monitoring," that has been discussed in several prior NASA Tech Briefs articles. The program generates summaries of operational data (e.g., sensor...
Briefs: Information Technology
A method of processing of time-series data from sensors that monitor a dynamic physical system has been devised to enable detection of anomalies in the dynamics. The method involves computing...
Briefs: Software
Software for Acquiring Data on Dynamics of Magnetic Bearings
A computer program controls the automated acquisition, display, and reduction of data on the dynamics of magnetic bearings. The data gathered by use of this program are expected to enable the verification and enhancement of mathematical models of magnetic-bearing dynamics, thereby...
Briefs: Physical Sciences
An instrument that measures the characteristic lifetime of fluorescence of chlorophyll has been invented for in situ, real-time oceanographic studies of photosynthesis in...
Briefs: Information Technology
Program for Visualization and Exploration of Scientific Data
WebWinds is an interactive computer program that aids the visualization and exploration of scientific data. WebWinds is the successor to LinkWinds, which was reported in "LinkWinds — Flexible Software for Highly Interactive Visual Data Analysis" (NPO-19786), NASA Tech Briefs, Vol. 20,...
Briefs: Materials
Corrosion of iron and steel substrates can be inhibited by coating them with any of the wide variety of compounds denoted generally as polyanilines. A polyaniline suitable for this type of...
Briefs: Photonics/Optics
A proposed quantum-well infrared photodetector (QWIP) would exploit resonant-phonon-assisted transitions to reduce dark current significantly below that of a typical previously developed QWIP...
Briefs: Photonics/Optics
A photonic system has been devised for acquiring a radio-frequency (RF) signal from a remote receiving antenna via a long optical fiber. The system performs multiple functions,...
Briefs: Photonics/Optics
Cylindrical lenses can be used to increase the efficiency of coupling of light between (1) beams with circular or nearly circular cross sections propagating in single-mode optical...
Briefs: Photonics/Optics
A spectrometer has been developed for acquiring transient emission and absorption spectra in the wavelength range from 1.2 to 5.0 µm. It could be used to characterize flames, turbulence, and other transient...
Briefs: Photonics/Optics
An improved photodiode-based complementary metal oxide/semiconductor (CMOS) active-pixel sensor (APS) incorporates features to (1) allow imaging with very high electronic shutter speeds,...
Briefs: Photonics/Optics
A fiber-optic illumination device that aids the inspection of window surfaces has been improved to make it suitable for automated detection of pits, scratches, and subsurface damage by...
Briefs: Photonics/Optics
Two improved schemes for the design and operation of photodiode-based CMOS (complementary metal oxide/ semiconductor) active-pixel sensors (APSs) afford zero image lag,...
Briefs: Photonics/Optics
Whispering-Gallery-Mode Microspheres as Light Modulators
Light modulators of a proposed type would exploit the propagation of lightin "whispering-gallery" electromagnetic modes in microspheres made of electro-optical materials. These modulators would offer advantages of ultrahigh modulation efficiency and increased bandwidth, relative to their...
Briefs: Photonics/Optics
Electrodeposition of Strong Glassy Metals
Thin-walled structures made of strong glassy nickel and glassy nickel-cobalt alloys, with tailorable low residual stresses, and with high resistance to permanent plastic deformation, can be formed by use of an electrodeposition process. This process was developed to enable the fabrication of lightweight,...
Briefs: Information Technology
The Multi-Disciplinary Computing Environment (MDICE) is a software system for multidisciplinary analysis of complex engineering equipment, processes, and systems. Currently MDICE supports a...
Briefs: Information Technology
Electronic Storage and Retrieval of Engineering Documents
The KSC Electronic Documentation System (KEDS) is a computer-intranet system at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) for the storage and retrieval of engineering drawings and other engineering documents that have been officially released. Prior to the development of the KEDS, microfilm copies of...
Briefs: Information Technology
Optimization Modeling Assistant (OMA) is an expert-system computer program that assists its users in the development of mathematical and algorithmic models for optimization. As used...
Briefs: Information Technology
Interface Program for Generation of Computational Grids
Computer Aided Grid Interface (CAGI) is a computer program that serves as an interface between computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) programs and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) programs. CAGI reads Initial Graphics Exchange Specification (IGES) files from CAD/CAM...
Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
The EXOS computer program numerically simulates impacts of orbital debris on spacecraft. EXOS can be used to simulate meteoroid- and orbital-debris-impact damage to commercial...
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
The figure schematically depicts a heterodyne photonic apparatus built around three continuous-wave, near-infrared diode lasers. This apparatus generates electromagnetic radiation at...
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
Advanced unicouples that contain carefully tailored combinations of thermoelectric materials are being investigated in an effort to develop thermoelectric power generators that would operate with...
Briefs: Test & Measurement
A compact, portable, mid-infrared, laser-based instrument that operates at room temperature has been developed for use in detecting trace concentrations of CO or any of several other...
Briefs: Test & Measurement
Personal Cabin Pressure Alarm
Compact instruments, similar in appearance to common personal pagers, have been proposed for warning aircraft crewmembers that cabin air pressure has decreased to a potentially dangerous level. An instrument of this type, called a "personal cabin pressure monitor and warning system" (PCPMWS), implements a warning...
Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Software Predicts Noise From Rotor-Wake/Stator Interactions
V072 is a computer program that predicts the noise generated by the interaction between the rotor-blade wake (fan wake) and the stator vanes of a turbofan engine. The program is a combination of subroutines from prior NASA programs, with many added features.
Briefs: Software
Software for Obtaining Ideal SAR Chirps
A computer program introduces a predistortion into the chirp signal used to frequency-modulate a synthetic-aperture-radar (SAR) signal at the transmitter. The predistortion is intended to compensate for distortions introduced by nonideal performance of the various pieces of SAR equipment — especially the...
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