Planetary exploration by robotic aerovehicles

Planetary aerobots are a new type of telerobotic science platform that can fly and navigate in a dynamic 3-dimensional atmospheric environment, thus enabling the global in situ exploration of planetary atmospheres and surfaces. Aerobots are enabled by a new concept in planetary balloon altitude control, developed at JPL, which employs reversible-fluid changes to permit repeated excursions in altitude. The essential physics and thermodynamics ofreversible-fluid altitude control have been demonstrated in a series of altitude-control experiments conducted in the Earth's atmosphere, which are described. Aerobot altitude-control technology will be important in the exploration of seven planets and satellites in our solar system. Three of these objects—Venus, Mars, and the Saturnian satellite Titan—have accessible solid surfaces and atmospheres dominated by the dense gases nitrogen or carbon dioxide. They will be explored with aerobots using helium or hydrogen as their primary means of buoyancy. The other four planets—Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune—have deep atmospheres that are predominantly hydrogen. It may be possible to explore these atmospheres with aerobots inflated with atmospheric gas that is then radiatively heated from the hotter gaseous depths below. To fulfill their potential, aerobots to explore the planets will need autonomous state estimators to guide their observations and provide information to the altitude-control systems. The techniques of acquiring these data remotely are outlined. Aerobots will also use on board altitude control and navigation systems to execute complex flight paths including descent to the surface and exploiting differential wind velocities to access different latitude belts. Approaches to control of these systems are examined. The application of aerobots to Venus exploration is explored in some detail: The most ambitious mission described, the Venus Flyer Robot (VFR), would have the capability to make repeated short excursions to the high-temperature surface environment of Venus to acquire data and then return to the Earth-like upper atmosphere to communicate and recool its electronic systems. Finally a Planetary Aerobot Testbed is discussed which will conduct Earth atmospheric flights to validate autonomous-state-estimator techniques and flight-path-control techniques needed for future planetary missions.     

Fourier transform infra-red study of uniaxially-oriented isotactic polystyrene

Fourier transform infra-red measurements have been made of the orientation in isotactic polystyrene as a function of draw ratio. Based on these results, new band assignments are made and orientation functions calculated.     

A dynamic measure of order in structural glasses

Although some patterns of physical behavior are common in the glass transition and in the properties of supercooled liquids and glasses (characteristic viscoelasticity, temperature dependence of viscosity and relaxation times, property evolution through “physical aging”, difficulties in performing equilibrium measurements or simulations, etc.), it is difficult to arrive at a definition of the glass transition which distinguishes it from other phenomena exhibiting similar features. The present paper addresses this problem by defining a dynamical measure of order involving the average “shape” of particle trajectories in supercooled liquids. This dynamic order parameter should provide a measure of “closeness” to the glass transition and some indirect insights into the physical nature of supercooled liquids and glasses. Arguments are given that the proposed dynamic measure of order [“generalized capacity”, C(T)] is related to the temperature-dependent “effective hydrodynamic radius” R_H(T) measured in supercooled liquids and model numerical calculations are given to support this view. Some consequences of the intermittent particle motion at low temperatures for stress relaxation are also discussed.     

THE RECURSIVE FITTING OF SUBSET VARX MODELS

Abstract. A vector time series model of the form A(L)y(t) + B(L)x(t) =ε(t) is known as a vector autoregressive model with exogenous variables (VARX model) and involves a regressand vector y(t) and a regressor vector x(t). This paper provides a method for the recursive fitting of subset VARX models. It suggests the use of ascending recursions in conjunction with an order selection criterion to choose an 'optimum' subset VARX model.     

Effects of the International Temperature Scale of 1990 (ITS-90) on CIE Documentary Standards for Radiometry,Photometry, and Colorimetry

The differences between ITS-90 and IPTS-68 above 1235 K are described. It is shown that none of the following CIE definitions or recommendations require revision because of the introduction of the ITS-90: International Lighting Vocabulary definitions; CIE Standard Illuminants A, D₆₅, other illuminants; and sources for realizing CIE Illuminants. The effect of the ITS-90 on previously calibrated sources for realizing CIE illuminants is negligibly small.²     

A URI-based approach for addressing fragments of media resources on the Web

To make media resources a prime citizen on the Web, we have to go beyond simply replicating digital media files. The Web is based on hyperlinks between Web resources, and that includes hyperlinking out of resources (e.g., from a word or an image within a Web page) as well as hyperlinking into resources (e.g., fragment URIs into Web pages). To turn video and audio into hypervideo and hyperaudio, we need to enable hyperlinking into and out of them. The W3C Media Fragments Working Group is taking on the challenge to further embrace W3C??s mission to lead the World Wide Web to its full potential by developing a Media Fragment protocol and guidelines that ensure the long-term growth of the Web. The major contribution of this paper is the introduction of Media Fragments as a media-format independent, standard means of addressing media resources using URIs. Moreover, we explain how the HTTP protocol can be used and extended to serve Media Fragments and what the impact is for current Web-enabled media formats.     

Teleoperation to robotics at Langley Research Center

A popular conception of the evolution of remote manipulation is a progression from teleoperation to telerobotics and then to robotics. This is logical because in going from teleoperation to robotics there would appear to be a continuous decrease in manned workload, an increase in system complexity, and an increase in the amount of intelligence in the automated system. During the past 10 years NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) has been involved in all three areas. The decision on which system is most suitable for a task depends not only on the task, but on the allocation of responsibility for intelligence or high level control. The operator may be responsible for all intelligence and control functions, they may be shared between the operator and the automated system, or they may be performed by an autonomous system. This paper discusses some of the experiences in each area in applications related to possible space tasks and some of the lessons learned.     

Static and Cyclic Fatigue of Alumina at High Temperatures: II, Failure Analysis

Failure mechanisms of an alumina, tested at 1200°C under static and various cyclic loading conditions, were examined. Slow crack growth of a single crack is the dominant mechanism for the failure in specimens under cyclic loading with a short duration of maximum stress at all applied stress levels, as well as at high applied loads for static loading and cyclic loading with a longer hold time at maximum stress. At low stress levels, failure of static loading and cyclic loading with a longer hold time at maximum stress might occur by formation and/or growth of multiple macrocracks. More importantly, for all the given loading conditions. The viscous glassy phase behind the crack tip could have a bridging effect on the crack surfaces. A simplified model for calculating effective stress intensity factor at the crack tip under static and various cyclic loading demonstrated a trend consistent with the stress–life data.     

An NMR study of acid sites on chlorided alumina catalysts using trimethylphosphine as a probe

The MAS-NMR spectra of adsorbed trimethylphosphine (TMP) were used to determine the concentration of Brønsted and Lewis acid sites on pure and chlorinated-Al₂O₃ samples. Chlorination with CHCl₃,CCl₄ or AlCl₃ promoted the formation of Brønsted acid centers, which are characterized by the protonated adduct of TMP. This adduct has a³¹P chemical shift of ca. –3.8 ppm and a J_P–H scalar coupling of 517 Hz. Additional resonances in the –44 to –54 ppm range are attributed to Lewis acid-base pairs. In some cases a partially resolved J_P–Al coupling is observed, which confirms the assignment. Upon thermal treatment of a chlorinated sample at temperatures > 200°C, the concentration of Brønsted acid centers decreased; the concentration of one type of Lewis acid increased and another remained almost constant. In a parallel set of experiments the initial conversion ofn-hexane at 150°C and the yields of cracking and isomerization products were determined. Comparable functional relationships were observed between the loss of Brønsted acid sites and the decrease in yields of both cracking and isomerization products. These results suggest that Bransted acidity is responsible for the cracking and isomerization ofn-hexane over chlorided aluminas at 150°C.