1976 July-September - NASA Ames History Office

The laser veloeimeter has been successfully
applied to measure pressure distributions on 2-D airfnils
in transonic flow and to measure mean and
fluctuating velocity prairies in a shock-induced
separated, turbulent boundary layer.
ttazard boundaries lor the Wake Vortex Avoidante
System ander development by tee FAA were
assessed by NASA, FAA. and Air Force pilots for
two classes ofjel transports during visual and instrument
approaches using the FSAA
A new three-axis pointing and control system for
remotely controlled telescopes has been successfully
tested at Ames¯ VIP (for Video Inertia~ Pointing)
uses a state-of-the-art charge-coupled device video
star tracker connec~:ed to a micro-computer built
into the VIP electronics to provide automatic correction
and steering signals to the telescope gyrostabilization
system. The remote operator may view
the star field, as seen by the video tracker, on a
cathode ray tube display at the control console, as
well as continuously position the telescope optical
axis by commands to the VIP computer.
NASA-developed polyimide foam
fh! lift wlflrli¸ [Jlr~,ile]ll~i~ t~lt l/lfI2t
AnlCS in’,csIigatlon, tq the I)etascd Fklp
&ppr]lnck >l)CCtt~ 1o " kill ~k’c and air pre~sCtlCS
IO .18l) loFt. Mlqltdalllq!Z Ihc’ c~lndilion’. ID I lOW abotil
~p;lu’t" vehiclu’$ t’lllt-rln~, varllt’s ~tlllospht’rg lhlOtlgh
dOlldS
A joint scientific mission witll tile (’V-q90 aircraft
was completed in mid-1075 if, vot’~illg NASA and Ihc
European Space Agency to simulate futnre Spacetab
(~perations lot assisting in Spacetab planning An
important l’eattJre of tile mission was the rise of
experinlent operalors ill plaice of the principal investigators,
as will be done m Spaceklt~
Aerodynamic tests in pure hydrogen were con
dueled for the fi~-,t time ever in the tlypersonie
Frcelqight Aerodynamic Facilit> at velocities up to
5 km sac. Data from these tests will be used to
design entry probes for the outer planets (Jupiter.
Sattlrn. Oranusl whose atmospheres contain large
percentages ol hydrogem
It has been shown by Ames researchers that waves
observed to propagate m the Crab Nebula imply a
dramatically small upper limit of ] ffs s grams on the
mass of a photon. The new upper limit is about a
hundred thousand times smaller than the previous
best limit
Ames researchers have found that the amount of
particles added to the stratosphere dunng period~ of
high volcanic activity could account for some of the
cooling trends experienced over the last several can
furies, as well as for parts of the last major ice age.
Measurements of stratospheric nitric oxide and
ozone using our U-2 aircraf~ flying from Moffett
Field. Alaska, Hawaii and Wallops shay, large unex+
pected seasonal variations and meridional distributions
with pronounced polar r:-gion enhancement.
The newly-developed Ames 20 stratospheric model
is predicting similar variations.
Ames" researcher~ developed computer codes sohmg
Schroedinger’s equation for the wa~e function of
diatonic molecules with sufficient precision that
most properties el tbe~c molecules (dissociation
cnerg?, optical band strengths, dipole moments.
etc ~ can be deri~ed with better accurac} Q~an measnrable
b?. experiment.
The Ame~ Heat Pipe Experiment which was
launched el>beard the Orbiting Astronomical
Observator> tOAO-CI in August 1072, was recently,
retested after more than three >ears in orbit. Tun
tests were hi#i}y successft~l, pro,,iding flight le~e}
confidence in the long term use of ga~-controlled
heatpipe> in space applications
The Adxanced l"herma] Control Flight experiment,
v, hich was launched on-board the Advanced
Tecbnoiogb Satellite [ATSo~ in Ma~, [c~4. wa:,
completed The resu]t~ show that diode and
feedback-controlled heat pipes function retl.~bl> in
space and that :3 phase change material, octadecanc,
can be used in 0-g to provide energy storage
reusable surface insulation and coating
.4me~ Reu,utble Sat]one Insulathm and C, armg
ha.s ht’e*l adopted hi .lflarti~t Marietta (’~,~t~an; a~
the leading edge heat shieM materml jbr their proposed
lersion el the X-24C hyperxonh" research
nehich’. Martin is non’ mann eriai hi