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Briefs: Electronics & Computers
An improved type of optoelectronic oscillator is based on Brillouin amplification. An oscillator of this type converts light energy into an electro-optical oscillation, typically at a...
Briefs: Materials
Evaluation of Additives to PFPEs in Boundary Lubrication
A report describes experiments on the wear-reducing performances of six additives to perfluoropolyether (PFPE)-based fluids in the boundary-lubrication regime. The additives were a phosphate, a thiophosphate, a β-diketone, a benzothiazole, an amide/thiol, and a sulfite. Each additive was...
Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Engineers have designed a new device, called the Smart Washer, that can electromagnetically detect bolthole cracks in metal structures. The device is a metal washer that contains a...
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
Stimulated Brillouin Scattering (SBS) in optical fibers can be exploited to obtain frequency conversion with amplification and frequency-selective amplification in photonic...
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
Plasma Window Technology for Propagating Particle Beams and Radiation from Vacuum to Atmosphere
Plasma windows can separate vacuum and atmosphere, or regions of high and low vacuums, in a way which facilitates transmission of various particle beams and/or radiation from low- to high-pressure regions. In a prototype device, a stabilized plasma arc...
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
A circuit has been designed to debounce a mechanical switch, which is used to activate a digital circuit. Contacts tend to make and break connections several times until the switch contacts settle out....
Briefs: Materials
Engineers at Rockwell International Corporation's Space System Division have developed a new method of insulating composite structural material...
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
The LaserStrobe Optical Probe is an advanced laser-augmented video-imaging system that observes and measures particle behavior in the harsh environment of a...
Briefs: Unmanned Systems
Solar-Powered Aerobots With Power-Surge Capabilities
Advanced aerobots that would be powered by solar photovoltaic batteries and that would be capable of storing energy for occasional operation during short intervals at power levels far beyond those of the photovoltaic batteries have been proposed. Aerobots are robotic balloon-buoyed airborne...
Briefs: Physical Sciences
Combination of Cryotrapping and SPME for GC/MS Analysis
An improved process has been devised for acquiring and preparing trace amounts of airborne organic compounds for analysis by a gas chromatograph and mass spectrometer (GC/MS). A sample of air is passed through a cryotrap, where organic compounds and water vapor condense on the wall of a tube...
Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Multichannel Ultrasonic-Bolt-Tension-Gauge System
An improved system for measuring tensions in multiple bolts is based on the usual measurement of the times of propagation of ultrasonic waves along the bolts, but the quantities measured and the method of processing the measurement data differ from those of conventional ultrasonic bolt-tension...
Briefs: Photonics/Optics
Many types of scientific images and data are complex and are easier to interpret when observed in three dimensions. This is especially true for information presented visually in the form of...
Briefs: Physical Sciences
A method of satellite radar interferometry (SRI) enables the remote measurement of three-dimensional velocities of ice flow over large areas of glaciers. At present,...
Briefs: Physical Sciences
Determining Characteristics of Wind-Borne Particles
A small, robust, lightweight, low-power-consumption instrumentation system has been proposed for determining the kinetic energies, masses, and other parameters of wind-borne particles. Originally intended for use in future exploration of Mars, the system might also prove useful on Earth for...
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
A computational study has been performed to show that one can accurately compute the cold-test electromagnetic characteristics of the helical slow-wave circuit of a...
Briefs: Physical Sciences
An instrumentation system monitors ambient air to determine whether hydrazine vapor is present in sufficient concentration to be harmful to humans or equipment. The system can measure hydrazine...
Briefs: Physical Sciences
Electrostatic Dispersion of Fuel Drops To Reduce Soot
Electrostatic dispersion of drops of sprayed liquid fuel has been proposed as a technique for reducing the amount of soot formed during burning of the fuel. It is necessary to disperse fuel drops in order to reduce local concentrations of fuel-rich vapors, because such concentrations favor the...
Briefs: Information Technology
A trainable software system known as JARtool 2.0 has been developed to help scientists find localized objects of interest ("target objects") in image data bases. A human expert...
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
A glove has been instrumented to sense the angles of finger joints via the electrical resistances of strips of an electrically conductive elastomer on the backs of the fingers, including the thumb (see...
Briefs: Photonics/Optics
The figure illustrates aspects of a lightweight, relatively inexpensive solar photovoltaic module suitable for use on Earth or in outer space in conjunction with at least a single-axis...
Briefs: Photonics/Optics
An imaging method to detect flaws in composite pressure vessels used in the aerospace industry has been developed. Solid-rocket-motor casings and fuel or oxidizer tanks for liquid rocket motors can now be...
Briefs: Physical Sciences
An all-electronic digital particle-image velocimetry (PIV) system has been developed for use in measuring three-dimensional velocities at numerous points throughout a plane of interest in...
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
An oscillator circuit that contains superconductive and ferroelectric resonator elements is undergoing development. This circuit is designed to serve as a frequency-locked local...
Briefs: Physical Sciences
Scanning-mode shadowgraphy has been proposed as an alternative optical technique for diagnosis of shock waves. Under suitable conditions, scanning-mode shadowgraphy could overcome the...
Briefs: Software
Quick and Unusually Easy Repository Search Software
The Quick and Unusually Easy Repository Search computer program simplifies the search for information contained in a repository of documents at Marshall Space Flight Center. Searching for information on the basis of general subjects can be very time-consuming and frustrating: The repository at...
Briefs: Physical Sciences
A sonochemical treatment has been proposed for removing hydrazine contaminants from water. The basis of the proposal is a conjecture that the sonochemical effect in water containing...
Briefs: Information Technology
A program of research on the use of wavelets for compression of data in a parallel-computing environment has led to development of a scheme for compressing image data. The purpose of the research...
Briefs: Photonics/Optics
Thermal-desorption x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (TDXPS) is a technique in which the thermal aspect of thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) is combined with non-angle-resolved x-ray...
Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Automated Calibration of Torque Analyzers Without Weights
An automated apparatus calibrates digital torque analyzers that, in turn, are used to verify the accuracies of torque wrenches. The apparatus is located in a central laboratory, and the digital torque analyzers are brought to the laboratory for calibration. Previously, the torque analyzers...
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Webcasts
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Advantages of Smart Power Distribution Unit Design for Automotive &...
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Cooling a New Generation of Aerospace and Defense Embedded...
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Beyond AI-Copy-Paste Engineering: Advanced AI-Integration Success...
Upcoming Webinars: Energy
