NASA Scientific and Technical Aerospace Reports

20040073759 Michigan Technological Univ., Houghton, MI
Improving NQR Detection of Materials
Suits, B. H.; Jan. 2001; 6 pp.; In English
Contract(s)/Grant(s): N000173-01-1-G000
Report No.(s): AD-A422685; No Copyright; Avail: CASI; A02, Hardcopy
Recent Collaborative work with the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) to improve explosive detection using nuclear
quadrupole resonance (NQR) is summarized. The work included aspects of radio-frequency (RF) mitigation particularly
concerning RF coil design for NQR applications in the field, such as land mine detection. Additional studies involving
three-frequency NQR were also pursued.
DTIC
Explosives Detection; Nuclear Quadrupole Resonance
20040074175 Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Cambridge, MA, USA
Feasibility Study of Utilizing Existing Infrared Array Cameras for Daylight Star Tracking on NASA’s Ultra Long
Duration Balloon (ULDB) Missions
Tueller, Jack, Technical Monitor; Fazio, Giovanni G.; Tolls, Volker; May 2004; 13 pp.; In English
Contract(s)/Grant(s): NAG5-8662; No Copyright; Avail: CASI; A03, Hardcopy
The purpose of this study was to investigate the feasibility of developing a daytime star tracker for ULDB flights using
a commercially available off-the-shelf infrared array camera. This report describes the system used for ground-based tests, the
observations, the test results, and gives recommendations for continued development.
Derived from text
Feasibility; Infrared Radiation; Balloon Flight; Daytime; CCD Star Tracker; Long Duration Space Flight
20040074179 NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA
Estimation of Aperture Errors with Direct Interferometer-Output Feedback for Spacecraft Formation Control
Lu, Hui-Ling; Cheng, Victor H. L.; Leitner, Jesse A.; Carpenter, Kenneth G.; [2004]; 6 pp.; In English; American Control
Conference 2004, 30 Jun. - 2 Jul. 2004, Boston, MA, USA; No Copyright; Avail: CASI; A02, Hardcopy
Long-baseline space interferometers involving formation flying of multiple spacecraft hold great promise as future space
missions for high-resolution imagery. The major challenge of obtaining high-quality interferometric synthesized images from
long-baseline space interferometers is to control these spacecraft and their optics payloads in the specified configuration
accurately. In this paper, we describe our effort toward fine control of long-baseline space interferometers without resorting
to additional sensing equipment. We present an estimation procedure that effectively extracts relative x/y translational exit
pupil aperture deviations from the raw interferometric image with small estimation errors.
Author
Apertures; Error Analysis; Interferometers; Feedback Control
20040074204 Arizona Univ., Tucson, AZ, USA
Acquisition of a High-resolution Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer for Cosmochemical and Geochemical
Research
Lauretta, D. S.; [2004]; 3 pp.; In English
Contract(s)/Grant(s): NAG5-11355; No Copyright; Avail: CASI; A01, Hardcopy
The primary goal of our research in this program is to develop new techniques for the analysis of volatile trace elements
in very small samples using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) in preparation for samples returned by
the Stardust mission. The instrument that will serve as the basis of our experiments is the ELEMENT2 high-resolution
ICP-MS. We have spent the past year designing the laboratory to house this instrument as well as space to store and prepare
samples returned by the Stardust mission. Unfortunately, the location that we had initially selected for the instrument turned
out to be insufficient for our needs. This was determined almost eight months into the first year of our funding cycle, after
extensive work including the production of engineering drawings. However, during this time the Lunar and Planetary
Laboratory was selected to lead Phoenix, the first Mars Scout mission. As a result of this award LPL purchased a new, 50,000
square foot building. We have acquired 1400 square feet of laboratory space in this new facility. Four-hundred square feet will
be used for a class-100 clean room. This area is designated for storage and preparation of extraterrestrial materials. The
additional 1000 square feet will house the ELEMENT2 ICP-MS and peripheral devices. This is an enormous amount of space
for this instrument, but it provides plenty of room for expansion in the future. The ICP-MS and the clean room facilities have
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