Walking Wheel Design for Lunar Rove-Rand and Its Application Simulation Based on Virtual Lunar Environment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhao Yibing

2014-05-01

Full Text Available The lunar rover design is the key problem of planet exploration. It is extraordinarily important for researchers to fully understand the lunar terrain and propose the reasonable lunar rover. In this paper, one new type of walking wheel modeled on impeller is presented based on vehicle terramechanics. The passive earth pressure of soil mechanics put forward by C. A. Coulomb is employed to obtain the wheel traction force. Some kinematics simulations are conducted for lunar rover model. Besides, this paper presents how to model lunar landing terrain containing typical statistic characteristic including craters and boulders; then, the second step is to construct basal lunar surface by using Brown Fractal Motion and the next is to add craters and boulders by means of known diameter algorithm and Random-create Diameter Algorithm. By means of importing 2D plain of lunar surface into UG, 3D parasolid is modeled and finally imported to ADAMS, which is available for lunar rover kinematics and dynamics simulation. Lastly, based on power spectrum curve of lunar terrain, the spectral characteristic of three different lunar terrain roughness is educed by using reverse engineering algorithm. Simulation results demonstrated the frequency of vibration mechanics properties of different roughness surfaces.

Volcanic glass signatures in spectroscopic survey of newly proposed lunar pyroclastic deposits

Science.gov (United States)

Besse, S.; Sunshine, J.M.; Gaddis, L.R.

2014-01-01

Moon Mineralogy Mapper spectroscopic observations are used to assess the mineralogy of five sites that have recently been proposed to include lunar dark mantle deposits (DMDs). Volcanic glasses have, for the first time, clearly been identified at the location of three of the proposed pyroclastic deposits. This is the first time that volcanic glasses have been identified at such a small scale on the lunar surface from remote sensing observations. Deposits at Birt E, Schluter, and Walther A appear to be glassy DMDs. Deposits at Birt E and Schluter show (1) morphological evidence suggesting a likely vent and (2) mineralogical evidence indicative of the presence of volcanic glasses. The Walther A deposits, although they show no morphological evidence of vents, have the spectroscopic characteristics diagnostic of volcanic glasses. The deposits of the Freundlich-Sharonov basin are separated in two areas: (1) the Buys-Ballot deposits lack mineralogical and morphological evidence and thus are found to be associated with mare volcanism not with DMDs and (2) the Anderson crater deposits, which do not exhibit glassy DMD signatures, but they appear to be associated with possible vent structures and so may be classifiable as DMDs. Finally, dark deposits near the crater Kopff are found to be associated with likely mare volcanism and not associated with DMDs. The spectral identification of volcanic glass seen in many of the potential DMDs is a strong indicator of their pyroclastic origin.

Lunar regolith stratigraphy analysis based on the simulation of lunar penetrating radar signals

Science.gov (United States)

Lai, Jialong; Xu, Yi; Zhang, Xiaoping; Tang, Zesheng

2017-11-01

The thickness of lunar regolith is an important index of evaluating the quantity of lunar resources such as 3He and relative geologic ages. Lunar penetrating radar (LPR) experiment of Chang'E-3 mission provided an opportunity of in situ lunar subsurface structure measurement in the northern mare imbrium area. However, prior work on analyzing LPR data obtained quite different conclusions of lunar regolith structure mainly because of the missing of clear interface reflectors in radar image. In this paper, we utilized finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method and three models of regolith structures with different rock density, number of layers, shapes of interfaces, and etc. to simulate the LPR signals for the interpretation of radar image. The simulation results demonstrate that the scattering signals caused by numerous buried rocks in the regolith can mask the horizontal reflectors, and the die-out of radar echo does not indicate the bottom of lunar regolith layer and data processing such as migration method could recover some of the subsurface information but also result in fake signals. Based on analysis of simulation results, we conclude that LPR results uncover the subsurface layered structure containing the rework zone with multiple ejecta blankets of small crater, the ejecta blanket of Chang'E-3 crater, and the transition zone and estimate the thickness of the detected layer is about 3.25 m.

Lunar soil as shielding against space radiation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Miller, J. [Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, MS 83R0101, 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, CA 94720 (United States)], E-mail: miller@lbl.gov; Taylor, L. [Planetary Geosciences Institute, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996 (United States); Zeitlin, C. [Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302 (United States); Heilbronn, L. [Department of Nuclear Engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996 (United States); Guetersloh, S. [Department of Nuclear Engineering, Texas A and M University, College Station, TX 77843 (United States); DiGiuseppe, M. [Northrop Grumman Corporation, Bethpage, NY 11714 (United States); Iwata, Y.; Murakami, T. [National Institute of Radiological Sciences, Chiba 263-8555 (Japan)

2009-02-15

We have measured the radiation transport and dose reduction properties of lunar soil with respect to selected heavy ion beams with charges and energies comparable to some components of the galactic cosmic radiation (GCR), using soil samples returned by the Apollo missions and several types of synthetic soil glasses and lunar soil simulants. The suitability for shielding studies of synthetic soil and soil simulants as surrogates for lunar soil was established, and the energy deposition as a function of depth for a particular heavy ion beam passing through a new type of lunar highland simulant was measured. A fragmentation and energy loss model was used to extend the results over a range of heavy ion charges and energies, including protons at solar particle event (SPE) energies. The measurements and model calculations indicate that a modest amount of lunar soil affords substantial protection against primary GCR nuclei and SPE, with only modest residual dose from surviving charged fragments of the heavy beams.

Armstrong practices in Lunar Module simulator

Science.gov (United States)

1969-01-01

Neil A. Armstrong, Commander for the Apollo 11 Moon-landing mission, practices for the historic event in a Lunar Module simulator in the Flight Crew Training building at KSC. Accompanying Armstrong on the Moon flight will be Command Module Pilot Michael Collins and Lunar Module Pilot Edwin E. Aldrin Jr.

Echo simulation of lunar penetrating radar: based on a model of inhomogeneous multilayer lunar regolith structure

Science.gov (United States)

Dai, Shun; Su, Yan; Xiao, Yuan; Feng, Jian-Qing; Xing, Shu-Guo; Ding, Chun-Yu

2014-12-01

Lunar Penetrating Radar (LPR) based on the time domain Ultra-Wideband (UWB) technique onboard China's Chang'e-3 (CE-3) rover, has the goal of investigating the lunar subsurface structure and detecting the depth of lunar regolith. An inhomogeneous multi-layer microwave transfer inverse-model is established. The dielectric constant of the lunar regolith, the velocity of propagation, the reflection, refraction and transmission at interfaces, and the resolution are discussed. The model is further used to numerically simulate and analyze temporal variations in the echo obtained from the LPR attached on CE-3's rover, to reveal the location and structure of lunar regolith. The thickness of the lunar regolith is calculated by a comparison between the simulated radar B-scan images based on the model and the detected result taken from the CE-3 lunar mission. The potential scientific return from LPR echoes taken from the landing region is also discussed.

Echo simulation of lunar penetrating radar: based on a model of inhomogeneous multilayer lunar regolith structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dai Shun; Su Yan; Xiao Yuan; Feng Jian-Qing; Xing Shu-Guo; Ding Chun-Yu

2014-01-01

Lunar Penetrating Radar (LPR) based on the time domain Ultra-Wideband (UWB) technique onboard China's Chang'e-3 (CE-3) rover, has the goal of investigating the lunar subsurface structure and detecting the depth of lunar regolith. An inhomogeneous multi-layer microwave transfer inverse-model is established. The dielectric constant of the lunar regolith, the velocity of propagation, the reflection, refraction and transmission at interfaces, and the resolution are discussed. The model is further used to numerically simulate and analyze temporal variations in the echo obtained from the LPR attached on CE-3's rover, to reveal the location and structure of lunar regolith. The thickness of the lunar regolith is calculated by a comparison between the simulated radar B-scan images based on the model and the detected result taken from the CE-3 lunar mission. The potential scientific return from LPR echoes taken from the landing region is also discussed

Hydrogen and fluorine in the surfaces of lunar samples

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leich, D.A.; Goldberg, R.H.; Burnett, D.S.; Tombrello, T.A.

1974-04-01

The resonant nuclear reaction F-19 (p, alpha gamma)O-16 was used to perform depth sensitive analyses for both fluorine and hydrogen in lunar samples. The resonance at 0.83 MeV (center-of-mass) in this reaction was applied to the measurement of the distribution of trapped solar protons in lunar samples to depths of about 1 / 2 micrometer. These results are interpreted in terms of terrestrial H 2 O surface contamination and a redistribution of the implanted solar H which has been influenced by heavy radiation damage in the surface region. Results are also presented for an experiment to test the penetration of H 2 O into laboratory glass samples which have been irradiated with O-16 to simulate the radiation damaged surfaces of lunar glasses. Fluorine determinations were performed in a 1 pm surface layer on lunar samples using the same F-19(alpha gamma)O-16 resonance. The data are discussed from the standpoint of lunar fluorine and Teflon contamination. (U.S.)

Magnesium and Silicon Isotopes in HASP Glasses from Apollo 16 Lunar Soil 61241

Science.gov (United States)

Herzog, G. F.; Delaney, J. S.; Lindsay, F.; Alexander, C. M. O'D; Chakrabarti, R.; Jacobsen, S. B.; Whattam, S.; Korotev, R.; Zeigler, R. A.

2012-01-01

The high-Al (>28 wt %), silica-poor (<45 wt %) (HASP) feldspathic glasses of Apollo 16 are widely regarded as the evaporative residues of impacts in the lunar regolith [1-3]. By virtue of their small size, apparent homogeneity, and high inferred formation temperatures, the HASP glasses appear to be good samples in which to study fractionation processes that may accompany open system evaporation. Calculations suggest that HASP glasses with present-day Al2O3 concentrations of up to 40 wt% may have lost 19 wt% of their original masses, calculated as the oxides of iron and silicon, via evaporation [4]. We report Mg and Si isotope abundances in 10 HASP glasses and 2 impact-glass spherules from a 64-105 m grain-size fraction taken from Apollo 16 soil sample 61241.

APOLLO 10 ASTRONAUT ENTERS LUNAR MODULE SIMULATOR

Science.gov (United States)

1969-01-01

Apollo 10 lunar module pilot Eugene A. Cernan prepares to enter the lunar module simulator at the Flight Crew Training Building at the NASA Spaceport. Cernan, Apollo 10 commander Thomas P. Stafford and John W. Young, command module pilot, are to be launched May 18 on the Apollo 10 mission, a dress rehearsal for a lunar landing later this summer. Cernan and Stafford are to detach the lunar module and drop to within 10 miles of the moon's surface before rejoining Young in the command/service module. Looking on as Cernan puts on his soft helmet is Snoopy, the lovable cartoon mutt whose name will be the lunar module code name during the Apollo 10 flight. The command/service module is to bear the code name Charlie Brown.

Mineralogical and chemical properties of the lunar regolith

Science.gov (United States)

Mckay, David S.; Ming, Douglas W.

1989-01-01

The composition of lunar regolith and its attendant properties are discussed. Tables are provided listing lunar minerals, the abundance of plagioclase feldspar, pyroxene, olivine, and ilmenite in lunar materials, typical compositions of common lunar minerals, and cumulative grain-size distribution for a large number of lunar soils. Also provided are charts on the chemistry of breccias, the chemistry of lunar glass, and the comparative chemistry of surface soils for the Apollo sites. Lunar agglutinates, constructional particles made of lithic, mineral, and glass fragments welded together by a glassy matrix containing extremely fine-grained metallic iron and formed by micrometeoric impacts at the lunar surface, are discussed. Crystalline, igneous rock fragments, breccias, and lunar glass are examined. Volatiles implanted in lunar materials and regolith maturity are also addressed.

Astronaut Neil Armstrong participates in lunar surface simulation training

Science.gov (United States)

1969-01-01

Astronaut Neil A. Armstrong, wearing an Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU), participates in lunar surface simulation training on April 18, 1969 in bldg 9, Manned Spacecraft Center. Armstrong is the prime crew commander of the Apollo 11 lunar landing mission. Here, he is standing on Lunar Module mockup foot pad preparing to ascend steps.

Characterization of Minnesota lunar simulant for plant growth

Science.gov (United States)

Oglesby, James P.; Lindsay, Willard L.; Sadeh, Willy Z.

1993-01-01

Processing of lunar regolith into a plant growth medium is crucial in the development of a regenerative life support system for a lunar base. Plants, which are the core of such a system, produce food and oxygen for humans and, at the same time, consume carbon dioxide. Because of the scarcity of lunar regolith, simulants must be used to infer its properties and to develop procedures for weathering and chemical analyses. The Minnesota Lunar Simulant (MLS) has been identified to date as the best available simulant for lunar regolith. Results of the dissolution studies reveal that appropriately fertilized MLS can be a suitable medium for plant growth. The techniques used in conducting these studies can be extended to investigate the suitability of actual lunar regolith as a plant growth medium. Dissolution experiments were conducted using the MLS to determine its nutritional and toxicity characteristics for plant growth and to develop weathering and chemical analysis techniques. Two weathering regimes, one with water and one with dilute organic acids simulating the root rhizosphere microenvironment, were investigated. Elemental concentrations were measured using inductively-coupled-plasma (ICP) emission spectrometry and ion chromatography (IC). The geochemical speciation model, MINTEQA2, was used to determine the major solution species and the minerals controlling them. Acidification was found to be a useful method for increasing cation concentrations to meaningful levels. Initial results indicate that MLS weathers to give neutral to slightly basic solutions which contain acceptable amounts of the essential elements required for plant nutrition (i.e., potassium, calcium, magnesium, sulfur, zinc, sodium, silicon, manganese, copper, chlorine, boron, molybdenum, and cobalt). Elements that need to be supplemented include carbon, nitrogen, and perhaps phosphorus and iron. Trace metals in solution were present at nontoxic levels.

[Evaluation of Cellular Effects Caused by Lunar Regolith Simulant Including Fine Particles].

Science.gov (United States)

Horie, Masanori; Miki, Takeo; Honma, Yoshiyuki; Aoki, Shigeru; Morimoto, Yasuo

2015-06-01

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration has announced a plan to establish a manned colony on the surface of the moon, and our country, Japan, has declared its participation. The surface of the moon is covered with soil called lunar regolith, which includes fine particles. It is possible that humans will inhale lunar regolith if it is brought into the spaceship. Therefore, an evaluation of the pulmonary effects caused by lunar regolith is important for exploration of the moon. In the present study, we examine the cellular effects of lunar regolith simulant, whose components are similar to those of lunar regolith. We focused on the chemical component and particle size in particular. The regolith simulant was fractionated to lunar regolith simulant such as cell membrane damage, induction of oxidative stress and proinflammatory effect.

Conceptual Design of Korea Aerospace Research Institute Lunar Explorer Dynamic Simulator

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dong-Young Rew

2010-12-01

Full Text Available In lunar explorer development program, computer simulator is necessary to provide virtual environments that vehicle confronts in lunar transfer, orbit, and landing missions, and to analyze dynamic behavior of the spacecraft under these environments. Objective of simulation differs depending on its application in spacecraft development cycle. Scope of use cases considered in this paper includes simulation of software based, processor and/or hardware in the loop, and support of ground-based flight test of developed vehicle. These use cases represent early phase in development cycle but reusability of modeling results in the next design phase is considered in defining requirements. A simulator architecture in which simulator platform is located in the middle and modules for modeling, analyzing, and three dimensional visualizing are connected to that platform is suggested. Baseline concepts and requirements for simulator development are described. Result of trade study for selecting simulation platform and approaches of defining other simulator components are summarized. Finally, characters of lunar elevation map data which is necessary for lunar terrain generation is described.

Mechanical properties of lunar regolith and lunar soil simulant

Science.gov (United States)

Perkins, Steven W.

1989-01-01

Through the Surveyor 3 and 7, and Apollo 11-17 missions a knowledge of the mechanical properties of Lunar regolith were gained. These properties, including material cohesion, friction, in-situ density, grain-size distribution and shape, and porosity, were determined by indirect means of trenching, penetration, and vane shear testing. Several of these properties were shown to be significantly different from those of terrestrial soils, such as an interlocking cohesion and tensile strength formed in the absence of moisture and particle cementation. To characterize the strength and deformation properties of Lunar regolith experiments have been conducted on a lunar soil simulant at various initial densities, fabric arrangements, and composition. These experiments included conventional triaxial compression and extension, direct tension, and combined tension-shear. Experiments have been conducted at low levels of effective confining stress. External conditions such as membrane induced confining stresses, end platten friction and material self weight have been shown to have a dramatic effect on the strength properties at low levels of confining stress. The solution has been to treat these external conditions and the specimen as a full-fledged boundary value problem rather than the idealized elemental cube of mechanics. Centrifuge modeling allows for the study of Lunar soil-structure interaction problems. In recent years centrifuge modeling has become an important tool for modeling processes that are dominated by gravity and for verifying analysis procedures and studying deformation and failure modes. Centrifuge modeling is well established for terrestrial enginering and applies equally as well to Lunar engineering. A brief review of the experiments is presented in graphic and outline form.

Construction material processed using lunar simulant in various environments

Science.gov (United States)

Chase, Stan; Ocallaghan-Hay, Bridget; Housman, Ralph; Kindig, Michael; King, John; Montegrande, Kevin; Norris, Raymond; Vanscotter, Ryan; Willenborg, Jonathan; Staubs, Harry

1995-01-01

The manufacture of construction materials from locally available resources in space is an important first step in the establishment of lunar and planetary bases. The objective of the CoMPULSIVE (Construction Material Processed Using Lunar Simulant In Various Environments) experiment is to develop a procedure to produce construction materials by sintering or melting Johnson Space Center Simulant 1 (JSC-1) lunar soil simulant in both earth-based (1-g) and microgravity (approximately 0-g) environments. The characteristics of the resultant materials will be tested to determine its physical and mechanical properties. The physical characteristics include: crystalline, thermal, and electrical properties. The mechanical properties include: compressive tensile, and flexural strengths. The simulant, placed in a sealed graphite crucible, will be heated using a high temperature furnace. The crucible will then be cooled by radiative and forced convective means. The core furnace element consists of space qualified quartz-halogen incandescent lamps with focusing mirrors. Sample temperatures of up to 2200 C are attainable using this heating method.

Simulations of Water Migration in the Lunar Exosphere

Science.gov (United States)

Hurley, D.; Benna, M.; Mahaffy, P. R.; Elphic, R. C.; Goldstein, D. B.

2014-12-01

We perform modeling and analysis of water in the lunar exosphere. There were two controlled experiments of water interactions with the surface of the Moon observed by the Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) Neutral Mass Spectrometer (NMS). The Chang'e 3 landing on the Moon on 14 Dec 2013 putatively sprayed ~120 kg of water on the surface on the Moon at a mid-morning local time. Observations by LADEE near the noon meridian on six of the orbits in the 24 hours following the landing constrain the propagation of water vapor. Further, on 4 Apr 2014, LADEE's Orbital Maintenance Manuever (OMM) #21 sprayed the surface of the Moon with an estimated 0.73 kg of water in the pre-dawn sector. Observations of this maneuver and later in the day constrain the adsorption and release at dawn of adsorbed materials. Using the Chang'e 3 exhaust plume and LADEE's OMM-21 as control experiments, we set limits to the adsorption and thermalization of water with lunar regolith. This enables us to predict the efficiency of the migration of water as a delivery mechanism to the lunar poles. Then we simulate the migration of water through the lunar exosphere using the rate of sporadic inputs from meteoritic sources (Benna et al., this session). Simulations predict the amount of water adsorbed to the surface of the Moon and the effective delivery rate to the lunar polar cold traps.

Lunar magma transport phenomena

Science.gov (United States)

Spera, Frank J.

1992-01-01

An outline of magma transport theory relevant to the evolution of a possible Lunar Magma Ocean and the origin and transport history of the later phase of mare basaltic volcanism is presented. A simple model is proposed to evaluate the extent of fractionation as magma traverses the cold lunar lithosphere. If Apollo green glasses are primitive and have not undergone significant fractionation en route to the surface, then mean ascent rates of 10 m/s and cracks of widths greater than 40 m are indicated. Lunar tephra and vesiculated basalts suggest that a volatile component plays a role in eruption dynamics. The predominant vapor species appear to be CO CO2, and COS. Near the lunar surface, the vapor fraction expands enormously and vapor internal energy is converted to mixture kinetic energy with the concomitant high-speed ejection of vapor and pyroclasts to form lunary fire fountain deposits such as the Apollo 17 orange and black glasses and Apollo 15 green glass.

Closer look at lunar volcanism

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vaniman, D.T.; Heiken, G.; Taylor, G.J.

1984-01-01

Although the American Apollo and Soviet Luna missions concentrated on mare basalt samples, major questions remain about lunar volcanism. Lunar field work will be indispensable for resolving the scientific questions about ages, compositions, and eruption processes of lunar volcanism. From a utilitarian standpoint, a better knowledge of lunar volcanism will also yield profitable returns in lunar base construction (e.g., exploitation of rille or lava-tube structures) and in access to materials such as volatile elements, pure glass, or ilmenite for lunar industry

A Virtual Simulation Environment for Lunar Rover: Framework and Key Technologies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yan-chun Yang

2008-11-01

Full Text Available Lunar rover development involves a large amount of validation works in realistic operational conditions, including its mechanical subsystem and on-board software. Real tests require equipped rover platform and a realistic terrain. It is very time consuming and high cost. To improve the development efficiency, a rover simulation environment called RSVE that affords real time capabilities with high fidelity has been developed. It uses fractional Brown motion (fBm technique and statistical properties to generate lunar surface. Thus, various terrain models for simulation can be generated through changing several parameters. To simulate lunar rover evolving on natural and unstructured surface with high realism, the whole dynamics of the multi-body systems and complex interactions with soft ground is integrated in this environment. An example for path planning algorithm and controlling algorithm testing in this environment is tested. This simulation environment runs on PC or Silicon Graphics.

A Virtual Simulation Environment for Lunar Rover: Framework and Key Technologies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yan-chun Yang

2008-06-01

Full Text Available Lunar rover development involves a large amount of validation works in realistic operational conditions, including its mechanical subsystem and on-board software. Real tests require equipped rover platform and a realistic terrain. It is very time consuming and high cost. To improve the development efficiency, a rover simulation environment called RSVE that affords real time capabilities with high fidelity has been developed. It uses fractional Brown motion (fBm technique and statistical properties to generate lunar surface. Thus, various terrain models for simulation can be generated through changing several parameters. To simulate lunar rover evolving on natural and unstructured surface with high realism, the whole dynamics of the multi-body systems and complex interactions with soft ground is integrated in this environment. An example for path planning algorithm and controlling algorithm testing in this environment is tested. This simulation environment runs on PC or Silicon Graphics.

Temperature-dependent magnetic properties of individual glass spherules, Apollo 11, 12, and 14 lunar samples.

Science.gov (United States)

Thorpe, A. N.; Sullivan, S.; Alexander, C. C.; Senftle, F. E.; Dwornik, E. J.

1972-01-01

Magnetic susceptibility of 11 glass spherules from the Apollo 14 lunar fines have been measured from room temperature to 4 K. Data taken at room temperature, 77 K, and 4.2 K, show that the soft saturation magnetization was temperature independent. In the temperature range 300 to 77 K the temperature-dependent component of the magnetic susceptibility obeys the Curie law. Susceptibility measurements on these same specimens and in addition 14 similar spherules from the Apollo 11 and 12 mission show a Curie-Weiss relation at temperatures less than 77 K with a Weiss temperature of 3-7 degrees in contrast to 2-3 degrees found for tektites and synthetic glasses of tektite composition. A proposed model and a theoretical expression closely predict the variation of the susceptibility of the glass spherules with temperature.

Conceptual Design of Simulation Models in an Early Development Phase of Lunar Spacecraft Simulator Using SMP2 Standard

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Hoon Hee; Koo, Cheol Hea; Moon, Sung Tae; Han, Sang Hyuck; Ju, Gwang Hyeok

2013-08-01

The conceptual study for Korean lunar orbiter/lander prototype has been performed in Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI). Across diverse space programs around European countries, a variety of simulation application has been developed using SMP2 (Simulation Modelling Platform) standard related to portability and reuse of simulation models by various model users. KARI has not only first-hand experience of a development of SMP compatible simulation environment but also an ongoing study to apply the SMP2 development process of simulation model to a simulator development project for lunar missions. KARI has tried to extend the coverage of the development domain based on SMP2 standard across the whole simulation model life-cycle from software design to its validation through a lunar exploration project. Figure. 1 shows a snapshot from a visualization tool for the simulation of lunar lander motion. In reality, a demonstrator prototype on the right-hand side of image was made and tested in 2012. In an early phase of simulator development prior to a kick-off start in the near future, targeted hardware to be modelled has been investigated and indentified at the end of 2012. The architectural breakdown of the lunar simulator at system level was performed and the architecture with a hierarchical tree of models from the system to parts at lower level has been established. Finally, SMP Documents such as Catalogue, Assembly, Schedule and so on were converted using a XML(eXtensible Mark-up Language) converter. To obtain benefits of the suggested approaches and design mechanisms in SMP2 standard as far as possible, the object-oriented and component-based design concepts were strictly chosen throughout a whole model development process.

Development and mechanical properties of structural materials from lunar simulants

Science.gov (United States)

Desai, Chandra S.; Girdner, K.; Saadatmanesh, H.; Allen, T.

1991-01-01

Development of the technologies for manufacture of structural and construction materials on the Moon, utilizing local lunar soil (regolith), without the use of water, is an important element for habitats and explorations in space. Here, it is vital that the mechanical behavior such as strength and flexural properties, fracture toughness, ductility and deformation characteristics be defined toward establishment of the ranges of engineering applications of the materials developed. The objective is to describe the research results in two areas for the above goal: (1) liquefaction of lunar simulant (at about 100 C) with different additives (fibers, powders, etc.); and (2) development and use of a new triaxial test device in which lunar simulants are first compressed under cycles of loading, and then tested with different vacuums and initial confining or in situ stress.

Simulated Lunar Testing of Metabolic Heat Regenerated Temperature Swing Adsorption

Science.gov (United States)

Padilla, Sebastian A.; Bower, Chad E.; Iacomini, Christie S.; Paul, Heather L.

2012-01-01

Metabolic heat regenerated Temperature Swing Adsorption (MTSA) technology is being developed for thermal and carbon dioxide (CO2) control for a Portable Life Support System (PLSS), as well as water recycling. An Engineering Development Unit (EDU) of the MTSA Subassembly (MTSAS) was designed and assembled for optimized Martian operations, but also meets system requirements for lunar operations. For lunar operations the MTSA sorption cycle is driven via a vacuum swing between suit ventilation loop pressure and lunar vacuum. The focus of this effort was testing in a simulated lunar environment. This environment was simulated in Paragon's EHF vacuum chamber. The objective of the testing was to evaluate the full cycle performance of the MTSA Subassembly EDU, and to assess CO2 loading and pressure drop of the wash coated aluminum reticulated foam sorbent bed. Lunar environment testing proved out the feasibility of pure vacuum swing operation, making MTSA a technology that can be tested and used on the Moon prior to going to Mars. Testing demonstrated better than expected CO2 Nomenclature loading on the sorbent and nearly replicates the equilibrium data from the sorbent manufacturer. This exceeded any of the previous sorbent loading tests performed by Paragon. Subsequently, the increased performance of the sorbent bed design indicates future designs will require less mass and volume than the current EDU rendering MTSA as very competitive for Martian PLSS applications.

3D PIC SIMULATIONS OF COLLISIONLESS SHOCKS AT LUNAR MAGNETIC ANOMALIES AND THEIR ROLE IN FORMING LUNAR SWIRLS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bamford, R. A.; Kellett, B. J. [RAL Space, STFC, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Chilton, Didcot, OX11 0QX (United Kingdom); Alves, E. P.; Cruz, F.; Silva, L. O [GoLP/Instituto de Plasmas e Fusão Nuclear, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, 1049-001 Lisbon (Portugal); Fonseca, R. A. [DCTI/ISCTE—Instituto Universitário de Lisboa, 1649-026 Lisbon (Portugal); Trines, R. M. G. M. [Central Laser Facility, STFC, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Chilton, Didcot, OX11 0QX (United Kingdom); Halekas, J. S. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, 414 Van Allen Hall, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242 (United States); Kramer, G. [The Lunar and Planetary Institute, USRA, 3600 Bay Area Blvd, Houston, TX 77058 (United States); Harnett, E. [Department of Earth and Space Science, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195-1310 (United States); Cairns, R. A. [University of St Andrews, North Haugh, St. Andrews, Fife, KY16 9SS (United Kingdom); Bingham, R., E-mail: Ruth.Bamford@stfc.ac.uk [SUPA, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, Scotland, 4G 0NG (United Kingdom)

2016-10-20

Investigation of the lunar crustal magnetic anomalies offers a comprehensive long-term data set of observations of small-scale magnetic fields and their interaction with the solar wind. In this paper a review of the observations of lunar mini-magnetospheres is compared quantifiably with theoretical kinetic-scale plasma physics and 3D particle-in-cell simulations. The aim of this paper is to provide a complete picture of all the aspects of the phenomena and to show how the observations from all the different and international missions interrelate. The analysis shows that the simulations are consistent with the formation of miniature (smaller than the ion Larmor orbit) collisionless shocks and miniature magnetospheric cavities, which has not been demonstrated previously. The simulations reproduce the finesse and form of the differential proton patterns that are believed to be responsible for the creation of both the “lunar swirls” and “dark lanes.” Using a mature plasma physics code like OSIRIS allows us, for the first time, to make a side-by-side comparison between model and space observations. This is shown for all of the key plasma parameters observed to date by spacecraft, including the spectral imaging data of the lunar swirls. The analysis of miniature magnetic structures offers insight into multi-scale mechanisms and kinetic-scale aspects of planetary magnetospheres.

Nanophase Fe0 in lunar soils

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

globules that occur in the rinds of many soil grains and in the ... tinitic glass is a quenched product of silicate melts, also produced by micrometeorite impacts on lunar soils ..... stand impact processes and their products. ... cules at night; the earth's atmosphere by con- .... deep lunar interior from an inversion of lunar free oscil-.

Mass Production of Mature Lunar Regolith Simulant, Phase I

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — As NASA prepares for future exploration activities on the Moon, there is a growing need to develop higher fidelity lunar soil simulants that can accurately reproduce...

Feldspar basalts in lunar soil and the nature of the lunar continents

Science.gov (United States)

Reid, A. M.; Ridley, W. I.; Harmon, R. S.; Warner, J.; Brett, R.; Jakes, P.; Brown, R. W.

1974-01-01

It is found that 25% on the Apollo-14 glasses have the same composition as the glasses in two samples taken from the Luna-16 column. The compositions are equivalent to feldspar basalt and anorthosite gabbro, and are similar to the feldspar basalts identified from Surveyor-7 analysis for lunar continents.

Numerical Simulations of the Lunar Penetrating Radar and Investigations of the Geological Structures of the Lunar Regolith Layer at the Chang’E 3 Landing Site

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chunyu Ding

2017-01-01

Full Text Available In the process of lunar exploration, and specifically when studying lunar surface structure and thickness, the established lunar regolith model is usually a uniform and ideal structural model, which is not well-suited to describe the real structure of the lunar regolith layer. The present study aims to explain the geological structural information contained in the channel 2 LPR (lunar penetrating radar data. In this paper, the random medium theory and Apollo drilling core data are used to construct a modeling method based on discrete heterogeneous random media, and the simulation data are processed and collected by the electromagnetic numerical method FDTD (finite-difference time domain. When comparing the LPR data with the simulated data, the heterogeneous random medium model is more consistent with the actual distribution of the media in the lunar regolith layer. It is indicated that the interior structure of the lunar regolith layer at the landing site is not a pure lunar regolith medium but rather a regolith-rock mixture, with rocks of different sizes and shapes. Finally, several reasons are given to explain the formation of the geological structures of the lunar regolith layer at the Chang’E 3 landing site, as well as the possible geological stratification structure.

Corrosion of simulated nuclear waste glass

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Music, S.; Ristic, M.; Gotic, M.; Foric, J.

1988-01-01

In this study the preparation and characterization of borosilicate glasses of different chemical composition were investigated. Borosilicate glasses were doped with simulated nuclear waste oxides. The chemical corrosion in water of these glasses was followed by measuring the leach rates as a function of time. It was found that a simulated nuclear waste glass with the chemical composition (weight %), 15.61% Na 2 O, 10.39% B 2 O 3 , 45.31% SiO 2 , 13.42% ZnO, 6.61% TiO 2 and 8.66% waste oxides, is characterized by low melting temperature and with good corrosion resistance in water. Influence of passive layers on the leaching behaviour of nuclear waste glasses is discussed. (author) 20 refs.; 7 figs.; 4 tabs

Evidence for a sulfur-undersaturated lunar interior from the solubility of sulfur in lunar melts and sulfide-silicate partitioning of siderophile elements

Science.gov (United States)

Steenstra, E. S.; Seegers, A. X.; Eising, J.; Tomassen, B. G. J.; Webers, F. P. F.; Berndt, J.; Klemme, S.; Matveev, S.; van Westrenen, W.

2018-06-01

Sulfur concentrations at sulfide saturation (SCSS) were determined for a range of low- to high-Ti lunar melt compositions (synthetic equivalents of Apollo 14 black and yellow glass, Apollo 15 green glass, Apollo 17 orange glass and a late-stage lunar magma ocean melt, containing between 0.2 and 25 wt.% TiO2) as a function of pressure (1-2.5 GPa) and temperature (1683-1883 K). For the same experiments, sulfide-silicate partition coefficients were derived for elements V, Cr, Mn, Co, Cu, Zn, Ga, Ge, As, Se, Mo, Sn, Sb, Te, W and Pb. The SCSS is a strong function of silicate melt composition, most notably FeO content. An increase in temperature increases the SCSS and an increase in pressure decreases the SCSS, both in agreement with previous work on terrestrial, lunar and martian compositions. Previously reported SCSS values for high-FeO melts were combined with the experimental data reported here to obtain a new predictive equation to calculate the SCSS for high-FeO lunar melt compositions. Calculated SCSS values, combined with previously estimated S contents of lunar low-Ti basalts and primitive pyroclastic glasses, suggest their source regions were not sulfide saturated. Even when correcting for the currently inferred maximum extent of S degassing during or after eruption, sample S abundances are still > 700 ppm lower than the calculated SCSS values for these compositions. To achieve sulfide saturation in the source regions of low-Ti basalts and lunar pyroclastic glasses, the extent of degassing of S in lunar magma would have to be orders of magnitude higher than currently thought, inconsistent with S isotopic and core-to-rim S diffusion profile data. The only lunar samples that could have experienced sulfide saturation are some of the more evolved A17 high-Ti basalts, if sulfides are Ni- and/or Cu rich. Sulfide saturation in the source regions of lunar melts is also inconsistent with the sulfide-silicate partitioning systematics of Ni, Co and Cu. Segregation of

Examining spectral variations in localized lunar dark mantle deposits

Science.gov (United States)

Jawin, Erica; Besse, Sebastien; Gaddis, Lisa R.; Sunshine, Jessica; Head, James W.; Mazrouei, Sara

2015-01-01

The localized lunar dark mantle deposits (DMDs) in Alphonsus, J. Herschel, and Oppenheimer craters were analyzed using visible-near-infrared spectroscopy data from the Moon Mineralogy Mapper. Spectra of these localized DMDs were analyzed for compositional and mineralogical variations within the deposits and were compared with nearby mare basalt units. Spectra of the three localized DMDs exhibited mafic absorption features indicating iron-rich compositions, although the DMDs were spectrally distinct from nearby mare basalts. All of the DMDs contained spectral signatures of glassy materials, suggesting the presence of volcanic glass in varying concentrations across the individual deposits. In addition, the albedo and spectral signatures were variable within the Alphonsus and Oppenheimer crater DMDs, suggesting variable deposit thickness and/or variations in the amount of mixing with the local substrate. Two previously unidentified localized DMDs were discovered to the northeast of Oppenheimer crater. The identification of high concentrations of volcanic glass in multiple localized DMDs in different locations suggests that the distribution of volcanic glass across the lunar surface is much more widespread than has been previously documented. The presence of volcanic glass implies an explosive, vulcanian eruption style for localized DMDs, as this allows volcanic glass to rapidly quench, inhibiting crystallization, compared to the larger hawaiian-style eruptions typical of regional DMD emplacement where black beads indicate a higher degree of crystallization. Improved understanding of the local and global distributions of volcanic glass in lunar DMDs will further constrain lunar degassing and compositional evolution throughout lunar volcanic history.

Computer simulating observations of the Lunar physical libration for the Japanese Lunar project ILOM

Science.gov (United States)

Petrova, Natalia; Hanada, Hideo

2010-05-01

In the frame of the second stage of the Japanese space mission SELENE-2 (Hanada et al. 2009) the project ILOM (In-situ Lunar Orientation Measurement) planned after 2017years is a kind of instrument for positioning on the Moon. It will be set near the lunar pole and will determine parameters of lunar physical libration by positioning of several tens of stars in the field of view regularly for longer than one year. Presented work is dedicated to analyses of computer simulating future observations. It's proposed that for every star crossing lunar prime meridian its polar distance will be to measure. The methods of optimal star observation are being developed for the future experiment. The equations are constructed to determine libration angles ? (t),ρ(t),σ(t)- on the basis of observed polar distances pobs: (| f1(?,ρ,Iσ,pobs) = 0 |{ f2(?,ρ,Iσ,pobs) = 0 | f3(?,ρ,Iσ,pobs) = 0 |( or f(X) = 0, where ; f = ? f1 ? | f2 | |? f3 |? X = ? ? ? | ρ | |? Iσ |? (1) At the present stage we have developed the software for selection of stars for these future polar observations. Stars were taken from various stellar catalogues, such as the UCAC2-BSS, Hipparcos, Tycho and FK6. The software reduces ICRS coordinates of star to selenographical system at the epoch of observation (Petrova et al., 2009). For example, to the epochs 2017 - 2018 more than 50 stars brighter than m = 12 were selected for the northern pole. In total, these stars give about 600 crossings of the prime meridian during one year. Nevertheless, only a few stars (2-5) may be observed in a vicinity of the one moment. This is not enough to have sufficient sample to exclude various kind of errors. The software includes programmes which can determine the moment of transition of star across the meridian and theoretical values of libration angles at this moments. A serious problem arises when we try to solve equations (1) with the purpose to determine libration angles on the basis of simulated pobs.. Polar distances

Simulated Lunar Testing of Metabolic Heat Regenerated Temperature Swing Adsorption Technology

Science.gov (United States)

Padilla, Sebastian A.; Bower, Chad; Iacomini, Christie S.; Paul, H.

2011-01-01

Metabolic heat regenerated Temperature Swing Adsorption (MTSA) technology is being developed for thermal and carbon dioxide (CO2) control for a Portable Life Support System (PLSS), as well as water recycling. An Engineering Development Unit (EDU) of the MTSA subassembly was designed and assembled for optimized Martian operations, but also meets system requirements for lunar operations. For lunar operations the MTSA sorption cycle is driven via a vacuum swing between suit ventilation loop pressure and lunar vacuum. The focus of this effort is operations and testing in a simulated lunar environment. This environment was simulated in Paragon s EHF vacuum chamber. The objective of this testing was to evaluate the full cycle performance of the MTSA Subassembly EDU, and to assess CO2 loading and pressure drop of the wash coated aluminum reticulated foam sorbent bed. The lunar testing proved out the feasibility of pure vacuum swing operation, making MTSA a technology that can be tested and used on the Moon prior to going to Mars. Testing demonstrated better than expected CO2 loading on the sorbent and nearly replicates the equilibrium data from the sorbent manufacturer. This had not been achieved in any of the previous sorbent loading tests performed by Paragon. Subsequently, the increased performance of the sorbent bed design indicates future designs will require less mass and volume than the current EDU rendering MTSA as very competitive for Martian PLSS applications.

Development and mechanical properties of construction materials from lunar simulants

Science.gov (United States)

Desai, Chandra S.

1990-01-01

The development of construction materials such as concrete from lunar soils without the use of water requires a different methodology than that used for conventional terrestrial concrete. Currently, this research involves two aspects: (1) liquefaction of lunar simulants with various additives in a furnace so as to produce a construction material like an intermediate ceramic; and (2) cyclic loading of simulant with different initial vacuums and densities with respect to the theoretical maximum densities (TMD). In both cases, bending, triaxial compression, extension, and hydrostatic tests will be performed to define the stress-strain strength response of the resulting materials. In the case of the intermediate ceramic, bending and available multiaxial test devices will be used, while for the compacted case, tests will be performed directly in the new device. The tests will be performed by simulating in situ confining conditions. A preliminary review of high-purity metal is also conducted.

The Use of Tribocharging in the Electrostatic Beneficiation of Lunar Simulant

Science.gov (United States)

Trigwell, S.; Captain, J. G.; Arens, E. E.; Captain, J. E.; Quinn, J. W.; Calle, C. I.

2007-01-01

Any future lunar base and habitat must be constructed from strong dense materials in order to provide for thermal and radiation protection. Lunar soil may meet this need. Lunar regolith has high concentrations of aluminum, silicon, calcium, iron, sodium, and titanium oxides. Refinement or enrichment of specific minerals in the soil before it is chemically processed may be more desirable as it would reduce the size and energy requirements required to produce the virgin material and it may significantly reduce the process' complexity. Also, investigations into the potential production of breathable oxygen from oxidized mineral components are a major research initiative by NASA. In this study. the objective was to investigate the use of tribocharging to charge lunar simulants and pass them through a parallel plate separator to enrich different mineral fractions. This technique takes advantage of the high Lunar vacuum in which much higher voltages can be used on the separation plates than in air. Additionally, the Lunar g1avity, only being 1/6 that of Earth, allows the particles more separation time between the plates and therefore enhances separation. For the separation studies, two lunar stimulants were used. The first simulant was created in-house, labeled KSC-1. using commercially supplied (sieved to 325 mesh) materials, and was composed of 40 wt. % feldspar ((Na,K,Ca)AlSi3O8;SiO2), 40 wt. % olivine ((Mg,Fe)2SiO4), 10 wt. % ilmenite (FeTiO3). and 10 wt. % spodumene (LiAlSi2O6) (pyroxene). The advantage of the in-house mixture is that the composition can he varied to simulate different soil compositions from different areas on the moon. This simulant was used to show proof-of-concept using the designed separator in air. The second stimulant was JSC-1. used for the vacuum experiments. JSC-1 is principally basalts, containing phases of plagioclase. pyroxene. olivine, and ilmenite. The JSC-1 was sieved to provide a 50-75 micron size range to correlate with the mean

The simulation of lunar gravity field recovery from D-VLBI of Chang’E-1 and SELENE lunar orbiters

Science.gov (United States)

Yan, Jianguo; Ping, Jingsong; Matsumoto, K.; Li, Fei

2008-07-01

The lunar gravity field is a foundation to study the lunar interior structure, and to recover the evolution history of the Moon. It is still an open and key topic for lunar science. For above mentioned reasons, it becomes one of the important scientific objectives of recent lunar missions, such as KAGUYA (SELENE) the Japanese lunar mission and Chang’E-1, the Chinese lunar mission. The Chang’E-1 and the SELENE were successfully launched in 2007. It is estimated that these two missions can fly around the Moon longer than 6 months simultaneously. In these two missions, the Chinese new VLBI (Very Long Baseline Interferometry) network will be applied for precise orbit determination (POD) by using a differential VLBI (D-VLBI) method during the mission period. The same-beam D-VLBI technique will contribute to recover the lunar gravity field together with other conventional observables, i.e. R&RR (Range and Range Rate) and multi-way Doppler. Taking VLBI tracking conditions into consideration and using the GEODYNII/SOVLE software of GSFC/NASA/USA [Rowlands, D.D., Marshall, J.A., Mccarthy, J., et al. GEODYN II System Description, vols. 1 5. Contractor Report, Hughes STX Corp. Greenbelt, MD, 1997; Ullman, R.E. SOLVE program: mathematical formulation and guide to user input, Hughes/STX Contractor Report, Contract NAS5-31760. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, 1994], we simulated the lunar gravity field recovering ability with and without D-VLBI between the Chang’E-1 and SELENE main satellite. The cases of overlapped flying and tracking period of 30 days, 60 days and 90 days have been analyzed, respectively. The results show that D-VLBI tracking between two lunar satellites can improve the gravity field recovery remarkably. The results and methods introduced in this paper will benefit the actual missions.

Sputtering of Lunar Regolith Simulant by Protons and Multicharged Heavy Ions at Solar Wind Energies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meyer, Fred W.; Harris, Peter R.; Taylor, C.N.; Meyer, Harry M. III; Barghouty, N.; Adams, J. Jr.

2011-01-01

We report preliminary results on sputtering of a lunar regolith simulant at room temperature by singly and multiply charged solar wind ions using quadrupole and time-of-flight (TOF) mass spectrometry approaches. Sputtering of the lunar regolith by solar-wind heavy ions may be an important particle source that contributes to the composition of the lunar exosphere, and is a possible mechanism for lunar surface ageing and compositional modification. The measurements were performed in order to assess the relative sputtering efficiency of protons, which are the dominant constituent of the solar wind, and less abundant heavier multicharged solar wind constituents, which have higher physical sputtering yields than same-velocity protons, and whose sputtering yields may be further enhanced due to potential sputtering. Two different target preparation approaches using JSC-1A AGGL lunar regolith simulant are described and compared using SEM and XPS surface analysis.

Development and mechanical properties of construction materials from lunar simulant

Science.gov (United States)

Desai, Chandra S.

1992-01-01

Development of versatile engineering materials from locally available materials in space is an important step toward the establishment of outposts on the Moon and Mars. Development of the technologies for manufacture of structural and construction materials on the Moon, utilizing local lunar soil (regolith), without the use of water, is an important element for habitats and explorations in space. It is also vital that the mechanical behavior such as strength and tensile, flexural properties, fracture toughness, ductility, and deformation characteristics are defined toward establishment of the ranges of engineering applications of the materials developed. The objectives include two areas: (1) thermal 'liquefaction' of lunar simulant (at about 1100 C) with different additives (fibers, powders, etc.), and (2) development and use of a new triaxial test device in which lunar simulants are first compacted under cycles of loading, and then tested with different vacuums and initial confining or in situ stress. Details of the development of intermediate ceramic composites (ICC) and testing for their flexural and compression characteristics were described in various reports and papers. The subject of behavior of compacted simulant under vacuum was described in previous progress reports and publications; since the presently available device allows vacuum levels up to only 10(exp -4) torr, it is recommended that a vacuum pump that can allow higher levels of vacuum be utilized for further investigation.

Development and mechanical properties of structural materials from lunar simulant

Science.gov (United States)

Desai, Chandra S.

1991-01-01

Development of versatile engineering materials from locally available materials in space is an important step toward establishment of outposts such as on the moon and Mars. Here development of the technologies for manufacture of structural and construction materials on the moon, utilizing local lunar soil (regolith), without the use of water, is an important element for habitats and explorations in space. It is also vital that the mechanical behavior such as strength and flexural properties, fracture toughness, ductility, and deformation characteristics are defined toward establishment of the ranges of engineering applications of the materials developed. The objectives include two areas: (1) thermal liquefaction of lunar simulant (at about 1100 C) with different additives (fibers, powders, etc.); and (2) development and use of a traxial test device in which lunar simulants are first compacted under cycles of loading, and then tested with different vacuums and initial confining or insitu stress. The second area was described in previous progress reports and publications; since the presently available device allows vacuum levels up to only 10(exp -4) torr, it is recommended that a vacuum pump that can allow higher levels of vacuum is acquired.

Dynamic Hybrid Simulation of the Lunar Wake During ARTEMIS Crossing

Science.gov (United States)

Wiehle, S.; Plaschke, F.; Angelopoulos, V.; Auster, H.; Glassmeier, K.; Kriegel, H.; Motschmann, U. M.; Mueller, J.

2010-12-01

The interaction of the highly dynamic solar wind with the Moon is simulated with the A.I.K.E.F. (Adaptive Ion Kinetic Electron Fluid) code for the ARTEMIS P1 flyby on February 13, 2010. The A.I.K.E.F. hybrid plasma simulation code is the improved version of the Braunschweig code. It is able to automatically increase simulation grid resolution in areas of interest during runtime, which greatly increases resolution as well as performance. As the Moon has no intrinsic magnetic field and no ionosphere, the solar wind particles are absorbed at its surface, resulting in the formation of the lunar wake at the nightside. The solar wind magnetic field is basically convected through the Moon and the wake is slowly filled up with solar wind particles. However, this interaction is strongly influenced by the highly dynamic solar wind during the flyby. This is considered by a dynamic variation of the upstream conditions in the simulation using OMNI solar wind measurement data. By this method, a very good agreement between simulation and observations is achieved. The simulations show that the stationary structure of the lunar wake constitutes a tableau vivant in space representing the well-known Friedrichs diagram for MHD waves.

Charged-particle track analysis, thermoluminescence and microcratering studies of lunar samples

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Durrani, S.A.

1977-01-01

Studies of lunar samples (from both Apollo and Luna missions) have been carried out, using track analysis and thermoluminescence (t.l.) techniques, with a view to shedding light on the radiation and temperature histories of the Moon. In addition, microcraters in lunar glasses have been studied in order to elucidate the cosmic-dust impact history of the lunar regolith. In tracks studies, the topics discussed include the stabilizing effect of the thermal annealing of fossil tracks due to the lunar temperature cycle; the 'radiation annealing' of fresh heavy-ion tracks by large doses of protons (to simulate the effect of lunar radiation-damage on track registration); and correction factors for the anisotropic etching of crystals which are required in reconstructing the exposure history of lunar grains. An abundance ratio of ca. (1.1 + 0.3) x 10 -3 has been obtained, by the differential annealing technique, for the nuclei beyond the iron group to those within that group in the cosmic rays incident on the Moon. The natural t.l. of lunar samples has been used to estimate their effective storage temperature and mean depth below the surface. The results of the study of natural and artificially produced microcraters have been studied. (author)

Electromagnetic particle-in-cell simulations of the solar wind interaction with lunar magnetic anomalies.

Science.gov (United States)

Deca, J; Divin, A; Lapenta, G; Lembège, B; Markidis, S; Horányi, M

2014-04-18

We present the first three-dimensional fully kinetic and electromagnetic simulations of the solar wind interaction with lunar crustal magnetic anomalies (LMAs). Using the implicit particle-in-cell code iPic3D, we confirm that LMAs may indeed be strong enough to stand off the solar wind from directly impacting the lunar surface forming a mini-magnetosphere, as suggested by spacecraft observations and theory. In contrast to earlier magnetohydrodynamics and hybrid simulations, the fully kinetic nature of iPic3D allows us to investigate the space charge effects and in particular the electron dynamics dominating the near-surface lunar plasma environment. We describe for the first time the interaction of a dipole model centered just below the lunar surface under plasma conditions such that only the electron population is magnetized. The fully kinetic treatment identifies electromagnetic modes that alter the magnetic field at scales determined by the electron physics. Driven by strong pressure anisotropies, the mini-magnetosphere is unstable over time, leading to only temporal shielding of the surface underneath. Future human exploration as well as lunar science in general therefore hinges on a better understanding of LMAs.

Analysis and Testing of Load Characteristics for Rotary-Percussive Drilling of Lunar Rock Simulant with a Lunar Regolith Coring Bit

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Peng Li

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Based on an optimized lunar regolith coring bit (LRCB configuration, the load characteristics of rotary-percussive drilling of lunar rock simulant in a laboratory environment are analyzed to determine the effects of the drilling parameters (the rotational velocity, the penetration rate, and the percussion frequency on the drilling load. The process of rotary drilling into lunar rock using an LRCB is modeled as an interaction between an elemental blade and the rock. The rock’s fracture mechanism during different stages of the percussive mechanism is analyzed to create a load forecasting model for the cutting and percussive fracturing of rock using an elemental blade. Finally, a model of the load on the LRCB is obtained from the analytic equation for the bit’s cutting blade distribution; experimental verification of the rotary-impact load characteristics for lunar rock simulant with different parameters is performed. The results show that the penetrations per revolution (PPR are the primary parameter influencing the drilling load. When the PPR are fixed, increasing the percussion frequency reduces the drilling load on the rock. Additionally, the variation pattern of the drilling load of the bit is in agreement with that predicted by the theoretical model. This provides a research basis for subsequent optimization of the drilling procedure and online recognition of the drilling process.

Volumetric change of simulated radioactive waste glass irradiated by electron accelerator. [Silica glass

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sato, Seichi; Furuya, Hirotaka; Inagaki, Yaohiro; Kozaka, Tetsuo; Sugisaki, Masayasu

1987-11-01

Density changes of simulated radioactive waste glasses, silica glass and Pyrex glass irradiated by an electron accelerator were measured by a ''sink-float'' technique. The density changes of the waste and silica glasses were less than 0.05 %, irradiated at 2.0 MeV up to the fluence of 1.7 x 10/sup 17/ ecm/sup 2/, while were remarkably smaller than that of Pyrex glass of 0.18 % shrinkage. Precision of the measurements in the density changes of the waste glass was lower than that of Pyrex glass possibly because of the inhomogeneity of the waste glass

Evolution of Shock Melt Compositions in Lunar Regoliths

Science.gov (United States)

Vance, A. M.; Christoffersen, R.; Keller, L. P.; Berger, E. L.; Noble, S. K.

2016-01-01

Space weathering processes - driven primarily by solar wind ion and micrometeorite bombardment, are constantly changing the surface regoliths of airless bodies, such as the Moon. It is essential to study lunar soils in order to fully under-stand the processes of space weathering, and how they alter the optical reflectance spectral properties of the lunar surface relative to bedrock. Lunar agglutinates are aggregates of regolith grains fused together in a glassy matrix of shock melt produced during micrometeorite impacts into the lunar regolith. The formation of the shock melt component in agglutinates involves reduction of Fe in the target material to generate nm-scale spherules of metallic Fe (nanophase Fe0 or npFe0). The ratio of elemental Fe, in the form of npFe0, to FeO in a given bulk soil indicates its maturity, which increases with length of surface exposure as well as being typically higher in the finer-size fraction of soils. The melting and mixing process in agglutinate formation remain poorly understood. This includes incomplete knowledge regarding how the homogeneity and overall compositional trends of the agglutinate glass portions (agglutinitic glass) evolve with maturity. The aim of this study is to use sub-micrometer scale X-ray compositional mapping and image analysis to quantify the chemical homogeneity of agglutinitic glass, correlate its homogeneity to its parent soil maturity, and identify the principal chemical components contributing to the shock melt composition variations. An additional focus is to see if agglutinitic glass contains anomalously high Fe sub-micron scale compositional domains similar to those recently reported in glassy patina coatings on lunar rocks.

Research on Impact Process of Lander Footpad against Simulant Lunar Soils

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bo Huang

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The safe landing of a Moon lander and the performance of the precise instruments it carries may be affected by too heavy impact on touchdown. Accordingly, landing characteristics have become an important research focus. Described in this paper are model tests carried out using simulated lunar soils of different relative densities (called “simulant” lunar soils below, with a scale reduction factor of 1/6 to consider the relative gravities of the Earth and Moon. In the model tests, the lander was simplified as an impact column with a saucer-shaped footpad with various impact landing masses and velocities. Based on the test results, the relationships between the footpad peak feature responses and impact kinetic energy have been analyzed. Numerical simulation analyses were also conducted to simulate the vertical impact process. A 3D dynamic finite element model was built for which the material parameters were obtained from laboratory test data. When compared with the model tests, the numerical model proved able to effectively simulate the dynamic characteristics of the axial forces, accelerations, and penetration depths of the impact column during landing. This numerical model can be further used as required for simulating oblique landing impacts.

An Evidence-based Approach to Developing a Management Strategy for Medical Contingencies on the Lunar Surface: The NASA/Haughton-Mars Project (HMP) 2006 Lunar Medical Contingency Simulation at Devon Island

Science.gov (United States)

Scheuring, R. A.; Jones, J. A.; Lee, P.; Comtois, J. M.; Chappell, S.; Rafiq, A.; Braham, S.; Hodgson, E.; Sullivan, P.; Wilkinson, N.;

A simulation of the Four-way lunar Lander-Orbiter tracking mode for the Chang'E-5 mission

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Fei; Ye, Mao; Yan, Jianguo; Hao, Weifeng; Barriot, Jean-Pierre

2016-06-01

The Chang'E-5 mission is the third phase of the Chinese Lunar Exploration Program and will collect and return lunar samples. After sampling, the Orbiter and the ascent vehicle will rendezvous and dock, and both spacecraft will require high precision orbit navigation. In this paper, we present a novel tracking mode-Four-way lunar Lander-Orbiter tracking that possibly can be employed during the Chang'E-5 mission. The mathematical formulas for the Four-way lunar Lander-Orbiter tracking mode are given and implemented in our newly-designed lunar spacecraft orbit determination and gravity field recovery software, the LUnar Gravity REcovery and Analysis Software/System (LUGREAS). The simulated observables permit analysis of the potential contribution Four-way lunar Lander-Orbiter tracking could make to precision orbit determination for the Orbiter. Our results show that the Four-way lunar Lander-Orbiter Range Rate has better geometric constraint on the orbit, and is more sensitive than the traditional two-way range rate that only tracks data between the Earth station and lunar Orbiter. After combining the Four-way lunar Lander-Orbiter Range Rate data with the traditional two-way range rate data and considering the Lander position error and lunar gravity field error, the accuracy of precision orbit determination for the Orbiter in the simulation was improved significantly, with the biggest improvement being one order of magnitude, and the Lander position could be constrained to sub-meter level. This new tracking mode could provide a reference for the Chang'E-5 mission and have enormous potential for the positioning of future lunar farside Lander due to its relay characteristic.

Electromagnetic Simulations of Ground-Penetrating Radar Propagation near Lunar Pits and Lava Tubes

Science.gov (United States)

Zimmerman, M. I.; Carter, L. M.; Farrell, W. M.; Bleacher, J. E.; Petro, N. E.

2013-01-01

Placing an Orion capsule at the Earth-Moon L2 point (EML2) would potentially enable telerobotic operation of a rover on the lunar surface. The Human Exploration Virtual Institute (HEVI) is proposing that rover operations be carried out near one of the recently discovered lunar pits, which may provide radiation shielding for long duration human stays as well as a cross-disciplinary, science-rich target for nearer-term telerobotic exploration. Ground penetrating radar (GPR) instrumentation included onboard a rover has the potential to reveal many details of underground geologic structures near a pit, as well as characteristics of the pit itself. In the present work we employ the full-wave electromagnetic code MEEP to simulate such GPR reflections from a lunar pit and other subsurface features including lava tubes. These simulations will feed forward to mission concepts requiring knowledge of where to hide from harmful radiation and other environmental hazards such as plama charging and extreme diurnal temperatures.

Ground Simulations of Near-Surface Plasma Field and Charging at the Lunar Terminator

Science.gov (United States)

Polansky, J.; Ding, N.; Wang, J.; Craven, P.; Schneider, T.; Vaughn, J.

2012-12-01

Charging in the lunar terminator region is the most complex and is still not well understood. In this region, the surface potential is sensitively influenced by both solar illumination and plasma flow. The combined effects from localized shadow generated by low sun elevation angles and localized wake generated by plasma flow over the rugged terrain can generate strongly differentially charged surfaces. Few models currently exist that can accurately resolve the combined effects of plasma flow and solar illumination over realistic lunar terminator topographies. This paper presents an experimental investigation of lunar surface charging at the terminator region in simulated plasma environments in a vacuum chamber. The solar wind plasma flow is simulated using an electron bombardment gridded Argon ion source. An electrostatic Langmuir probe, nude Faraday probes, a floating emissive probe, and retarding potential analyzer are used to quantify the plasma flow field. Surface potentials of both conducting and dielectric materials immersed in the plasma flow are measured with a Trek surface potential probe. The conducting material surface potential will simultaneously be measured with a high impedance voltmeter to calibrate the Trek probe. Measurement results will be presented for flat surfaces and objects-on-surface for various angles of attack of the plasma flow. The implications on the generation of localized plasma wake and surface charging at the lunar terminator will be discussed. (This research is supported by the NASA Lunar Advanced Science and Exploration Research program.)

Simulation of Glass Fiber Forming Processes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Von der Ohe, Renate

Two glass fiber forming processes have been simulated using FEM, which are the drawing of continuous glass fibers for reinforcement purposes and the spinning of discontinuous glass fibers - stone wool for insulation. The aim of this work was to set up a numerical model for each process, and to use...... this model in finding relationships between the production conditions and the resulting fiber properties. For both processes, a free surface with large deformation and radiative and convective heat transfer must be taken into account. The continuous fiber drawing has been simulated successfully......, and parametric studies have been made. Several properties that characterize the process have been calculated, and the relationship between the fictive temperature and the cooling rate of the fibers has been found. The model for the discontinuous fiber spinning was brought to the limits of the commercial code...

A MATLAB based Distributed Real-time Simulation of Lander-Orbiter-Earth Communication for Lunar Missions

Science.gov (United States)

Choudhury, Diptyajit; Angeloski, Aleksandar; Ziah, Haseeb; Buchholz, Hilmar; Landsman, Andre; Gupta, Amitava; Mitra, Tiyasa

Lunar explorations often involve use of a lunar lander , a rover [1],[2] and an orbiter which rotates around the moon with a fixed radius. The orbiters are usually lunar satellites orbiting along a polar orbit to ensure visibility with respect to the rover and the Earth Station although with varying latency. Communication in such deep space missions is usually done using a specialized protocol like Proximity-1[3]. MATLAB simulation of Proximity-1 have been attempted by some contemporary researchers[4] to simulate all features like transmission control, delay etc. In this paper it is attempted to simulate, in real time, the communication between a tracking station on earth (earth station), a lunar orbiter and a lunar rover using concepts of Distributed Real-time Simulation(DRTS).The objective of the simulation is to simulate, in real-time, the time varying communication delays associated with the communicating elements with a facility to integrate specific simulation modules to study different aspects e.g. response due to a specific control command from the earth station to be executed by the rover. The hardware platform comprises four single board computers operating as stand-alone real time systems (developed by MATLAB xPC target and inter-networked using UDP-IP protocol). A time triggered DRTS approach is adopted. The earth station, the orbiter and the rover are programmed as three standalone real-time processes representing the communicating elements in the system. Communication from one communicating element to another constitutes an event which passes a state message from one element to another, augmenting the state of the latter. These events are handled by an event scheduler which is the fourth real-time process. The event scheduler simulates the delay in space communication taking into consideration the distance between the communicating elements. A unique time synchronization algorithm is developed which takes into account the large latencies in space

Research on rat's pulmonary acute injury induced by lunar soil simulant.

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Yan; Liu, Jin-Guo; Zheng, Yong-Chun; Xiao, Chun-Ling; Wan, Bing; Guo, Li; Wang, Xu-Guang; Bo, Wei

2018-02-01

The steps to the moon never stopped after the Apollo Project. Lessons from manned landings on the moon have shown that lunar dust has great influence on the health of astronauts. In this paper, comparative studies between the lunar soil simulant (LSS) and PM2.5 were performed to discover their harm to human biological systems and explore the methods of prevention and treatment of dust poisoning for future lunar manned landings. Rats were randomly divided into the control group, two CAS-1 lunar soil simulant groups (tracheal perfusion with 7 mg and 0.7 mg, respectively, in a 1-mL volume) and the PM2.5 group (tracheal perfusion with 0.7 mg in a 1-mL volume). The biochemical indicators in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), MPO activity in the lung tissue, pathologic changes, and inflammatory cells in the BALF were measured after 4 h and 24 h. The LSS group showed cytotoxicity that was closely related to the concentration. The figures of the two LSS groups (4 and 24 h) show that the alveolar septa were thickened. Additionally, it was observed that neutrophils had infiltrated, and various levels of inflammation occurred around the vascular and bronchial structures. The overall results of the acute effects of the lungs caused by dust showed that the lung toxicity of LSS was greater than that of PM2.5. LSS could induce lung damage and inflammatory lesions. The biomarkers in BALF caused by acute injury were consistent with histopathologic observations. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Taiwan LLC.

Monte Carlo Simulations of Phosphate Polyhedron Connectivity in Glasses

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

ALAM,TODD M.

1999-12-21

Monte Carlo simulations of phosphate tetrahedron connectivity distributions in alkali and alkaline earth phosphate glasses are reported. By utilizing a discrete bond model, the distribution of next-nearest neighbor connectivities between phosphate polyhedron for random, alternating and clustering bonding scenarios was evaluated as a function of the relative bond energy difference. The simulated distributions are compared to experimentally observed connectivities reported for solid-state two-dimensional exchange and double-quantum NMR experiments of phosphate glasses. These Monte Carlo simulations demonstrate that the polyhedron connectivity is best described by a random distribution in lithium phosphate and calcium phosphate glasses.

Experimental Simulations to Understand the Lunar and Martian Surficial Processes

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Y. Y. S.; Li, X.; Tang, H.; Li, Y.; Zeng, X.; Chang, R.; Li, S.; Zhang, S.; Jin, H.; Mo, B.; Li, R.; Yu, W.; Wang, S.

2016-12-01

In support with China's Lunar and Mars exploration programs and beyond, our center is dedicated to understand the surficial processes and environments of planetary bodies. Over the latest several years, we design, build and optimize experimental simulation facilities and utilize them to test hypotheses and evaluate affecting mechanisms under controlled conditions particularly relevant to the Moon and Mars. Among the fundamental questions to address, we emphasize on five major areas: (1) Micrometeorites bombardment simulation to evaluate the formation mechanisms of np-Fe0 which was found in lunar samples and the possible sources of Fe. (2) Solar wind implantation simulation to evaluate the alteration/amorphization/OH or H2O formation on the surface of target minerals or rocks. (3) Dusts mobility characteristics on the Moon and other planetary bodies by excitation different types of dust particles and measuring their movements. (4) Mars basaltic soil simulant development (e.g., Jining Martian Soil Simulant (JMSS-1)) and applications for scientific/engineering experiments. (5) Halogens (Cl and Br) and life essential elements (C, H, O, N, P, and S) distribution and speciation on Mars during surficial processes such as sedimentary- and photochemical- related processes. Depending on the variables of interest, the simulation systems provide flexibility to vary source of energy, temperature, pressure, and ambient gas composition in the reaction chambers. Also, simulation products can be observed or analyzed in-situ by various analyzer components inside the chamber, without interrupting the experimental conditions. In addition, behavior of elements and isotopes during certain surficial processes (e.g., evaporation, dissolution, etc.) can be theoretically predicted by our theoretical geochemistry group with thermodynamics-kinetics calculation and modeling, which supports experiment design and result interpretation.

Simulation of an Aspheric Glass Lens Forming Behavior in Progressive GMP Process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chang, Sung Ho; Lee, Young Min; Kang, Jeong Jin; Hong, Seok Kwan; Shin, Gwang Ho; Heo, Young Moo; Jung, Tae Sung

2007-01-01

Recently, GMP(Glass Molding Press) process is mainly used to produce aspheric glass lenses. Because glass lens is heated at high temperature above Tg (Transformation Temperature) for forming the glass, the quality of aspheric glass lens is deteriorated by residual stresses which are generated in a aspheric glass lens after forming. In this study, as a fundamental study to develop the mold for progressive GMP process, we conducted a aspheric glass lens forming simulation. Prior to a aspheric glass lens forming simulation, compression and thermal conductivity tests were carried out to obtain mechanical and thermal properties of K-PBK40 which is newly developed material for precision molding, and flow characteristics of K-PBK40 were obtained at high temperature. Then, using the flow characteristics obtained, compression simulation was carried out and compared with the experimental result for the purpose of verifying the obtained flow characteristics. Finally, a glass lens press simulation in progressive GMP process was carried out and we could forecast the shape of deformed glass lenses and residual stresses contribution in the structure of deformed glass lenses after forming

Simulation used to qualify nuclear waste glass for disposal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reimus, T.W.; Kuhn, W.L.

1987-07-01

A hypothetical vitrification system was simulated errors associated with controlling and predicting the composition of the nuclear waste glass produced in the system. The composition of the glass must fall within certain limits to qualify for permanent geologic disposal. The estimated error in predicting the concentrations of various constituents in the glass was 2% to 8%, depending on the strategy for sampling and analyzing the feed and on the assumed magnitudes of the process uncertainties. The estimated error in controlling the glass composition was 2% to 9%, depending on the strategy for sampling and analyzing the waste and on the assumed magnitudes of the uncertainties. This work demonstrates that simulation techniques can be used to assist in qualifying nuclear waste glass for disposal. 3 refs., 2 figs., 4 tabs

Spectral Unmixing Modeling of the Aristarchus Pyroclastic Deposit: Assessing the Eruptive History of Glass-Rich Regional Lunar Pyroclastic Deposits

Science.gov (United States)

Jawin, E. R.; Head, J. W., III; Cannon, K.

2017-12-01

The Aristarchus pyroclastic deposit in central Oceanus Procellarum is understood to have formed in a gas-rich explosive volcanic eruption, and has been observed to contain abundant volcanic glass. However, the interpreted color (and therefore composition) of the glass has been debated. In addition, previous analyses of the pyroclastic deposit have been performed using lower resolution data than are currently available. In this work, a nonlinear spectral unmixing model was applied to Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3) data of the Aristarchus plateau to investigate the detailed mineralogic and crystalline nature of the Aristarchus pyroclastic deposit by using spectra of laboratory endmembers including a suite of volcanic glasses returned from the Apollo 15 and 17 missions (green, orange, black beads), as well as synthetic lunar glasses (orange, green, red, yellow). Preliminary results of the M3 unmixing model suggest that spectra of the pyroclastic deposit can be modeled by a mixture composed predominantly of a featureless endmember approximating space weathering and a smaller component of glass. The modeled spectra were most accurate with a synthetic orange glass endmember, relative to the other glasses analyzed in this work. The results confirm that there is a detectable component of glass in the Aristarchus pyroclastic deposit which may be similar to the high-Ti orange glass seen in other regional pyroclastic deposits, with only minimal contributions of other crystalline minerals. The presence of volcanic glass in the pyroclastic deposit, with the low abundance of crystalline material, would support the model that the Aristarchus pyroclastic deposit formed in a long-duration, hawaiian-style fire fountain eruption. No significant detection of devitrified black beads in the spectral modeling results (as was observed at the Apollo 17 landing site in the Taurus-Littrow pyroclastic deposit), suggests the optical density of the eruptive plume remained low throughout the

Electrostatic Power Generation from Negatively Charged, Simulated Lunar Regolith

Science.gov (United States)

Choi, Sang H.; King, Glen C.; Kim, Hyun-Jung; Park, Yeonjoon

2010-01-01

Research was conducted to develop an electrostatic power generator for future lunar missions that facilitate the utilization of lunar resources. The lunar surface is known to be negatively charged from the constant bombardment of electrons and protons from the solar wind. The resulting negative electrostatic charge on the dust particles, in the lunar vacuum, causes them to repel each other minimizing the potential. The result is a layer of suspended dust about one meter above the lunar surface. This phenomenon was observed by both Clementine and Surveyor spacecrafts. During the Apollo 17 lunar landing, the charged dust was a major hindrance, as it was attracted to the astronauts' spacesuits, equipment, and the lunar buggies. The dust accumulated on the spacesuits caused reduced visibility for the astronauts, and was unavoidably transported inside the spacecraft where it caused breathing irritation [1]. In the lunar vacuum, the maximum charge on the particles can be extremely high. An article in the journal "Nature", titled "Moon too static for astronauts?" (Feb 2, 2007) estimates that the lunar surface is charged with up to several thousand volts [2]. The electrostatic power generator was devised to alleviate the hazardous effects of negatively charged lunar soil by neutralizing the charged particles through capacitive coupling and thereby simultaneously harnessing power through electric charging [3]. The amount of power generated or collected is dependent on the areal coverage of the device and hovering speed over the lunar soil surface. A thin-film array of capacitors can be continuously charged and sequentially discharged using a time-differentiated trigger discharge process to produce a pulse train of discharge for DC mode output. By controlling the pulse interval, the DC mode power can be modulated for powering devices and equipment. In conjunction with a power storage system, the electrostatic power generator can be a power source for a lunar rover or other

Apollo 15 yellow-brown volcanic glass: Chemistry and petrogenetic relations to green volcanic glass and olivine-normative mare basalts

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hughes, S.S.; Schmitt, R.A.; (Oregon State Univ., Corvallis (USA)); Delano, J.W. (State Univ. of New York, Albany (USA))

1988-10-01

Apollo 15 yellow-brown glass is one of twenty-five, high Mg, primary magmas emplaced on the lunar surface in pyroclastic eruptions. Forty spherules of this glass were individually analyzed by electron microprobe and INAA for major- and trace-elements. The abundances demonstrate that this primary magma was produced by partial melting of differentiated cumulates in the lunar mantle. Models are developed to explain the possible source-regions of several Apollo 15 and Apollo 12 low-Ti mare magmas as being products of hybridization involving three ancient differentiated components of a primordial lunar magma ocean: (a) early olivine {plus minus} orthopyroxene cumulates; (b) late-stage clinopyroxene + pigeonite + ilmenite + plagioclase cumulates; and (c) late-stage inter-cumulus liquid.

Laboratory simulations of lunar darkening processes

Science.gov (United States)

Hapke, B.

1993-01-01

It was clear long before the Apollo missions that a darkening process occurs on the moon. However, its nature remains controversial and elusive. Current evidence implies that the darkening is associated with, and is probably caused by, submicroscopic metallic iron in the regolith. Questions discussed at the workshop include: (1) under what conditions will impact vitrification produce a dark glass; (2) what is the role of the submicroscopic metallic Fe (SMFe) in the lunar darkening process; (3) how is the SMFe produced; (4) is there a significant component of the regolith that has been deposited from a vapor, if so, what form is it in, and how can it be recognized, what are its effects on the chemistry of the regolith; (5) how do the processes of impact vitrification, vaporization, sputtering, and SMFe production vary as a function of distance from the sun and location in planetary magnetospheres; and (6) what other processes might affect optical properties. Ices have lower melting and boiling temperatures and sputtering yields several orders of magnitude larger than silicates. Hence, analogous processes will occur to an even greater extent on satellites of the outer planets, and these questions are relevant to those bodies as well.

A novel lunar bed rest analogue.

Science.gov (United States)

Cavanagh, Peter R; Rice, Andrea J; Licata, Angelo A; Kuklis, Matthew M; Novotny, Sara C; Genc, Kerim O; Englehaupt, Ricki K; Hanson, Andrea M

2013-11-01

Humans will eventually return to the Moon and thus there is a need for a ground-based analogue to enable the study of physiological adaptations to lunar gravity. An important unanswered question is whether or not living on the lunar surface will provide adequate loading of the musculoskeletal system to prevent or attenuate the bone loss that is seen in microgravity. Previous simulations have involved tilting subjects to an approximately 9.5 degrees angle to achieve a lunar gravity component parallel to the long-axis of the body. However, subjects in these earlier simulations were not weight-bearing, and thus these protocols did not provide an analogue for load on the musculoskeletal system. We present a novel analogue which includes the capability to simulate standing and sitting in a lunar loading environment. A bed oriented at a 9.5 degrees angle was mounted on six linear bearings and was free to travel with one degree of freedom along rails. This allowed approximately 1/6 body weight loading of the feet during standing. "Lunar" sitting was also successfully simulated. A feasibility study demonstrated that the analogue was tolerated by subjects for 6 d of continuous bed rest and that the reaction forces at the feet during periods of standing were a reasonable simulation of lunar standing. During the 6 d, mean change in the volume of the quadriceps muscles was -1.6% +/- 1.7%. The proposed analogue would appear to be an acceptable simulation of lunar gravity and deserves further exploration in studies of longer duration.

Standard test method for determining liquidus temperature of immobilized waste glasses and simulated waste glasses

CERN Document Server

American Society for Testing and Materials. Philadelphia

2011-01-01

1.1 These practices cover procedures for determining the liquidus temperature (TL) of nuclear waste, mixed nuclear waste, simulated nuclear waste, or hazardous waste glass in the temperature range from 600°C to 1600°C. This method differs from Practice C829 in that it employs additional methods to determine TL. TL is useful in waste glass plant operation, glass formulation, and melter design to determine the minimum temperature that must be maintained in a waste glass melt to make sure that crystallization does not occur or is below a particular constraint, for example, 1 volume % crystallinity or T1%. As of now, many institutions studying waste and simulated waste vitrification are not in agreement regarding this constraint (1). 1.2 Three methods are included, differing in (1) the type of equipment available to the analyst (that is, type of furnace and characterization equipment), (2) the quantity of glass available to the analyst, (3) the precision and accuracy desired for the measurement, and (4) candi...

Investigations of glass structure using fluorescence line narrowing and moleuclar dynamics simulations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weber, M.J.; Brawer, S.A.

1982-01-01

The local structure at individual ion sites in simple and multicomponent glasses is simulated using methods of molecular dynamics. Computer simulations of fluoroberyllate glasses predict a range of ion separations and coordination numbers that increases with increasing complexity of the glass composition. This occurs at both glass forming and glass modifying cation sites. Laser-induced fluorescence line-narrowing techniques provide a unique probe of the local environments of selected subsets of ions and are used to measure site to site variations in the electronic energy levels and transition probabilities of rare earth ions. These and additional results from EXAFS, neutron and x-ray diffraction, and NMR experiments are compared with simulated glass structures

Chemical durability of simulated nuclear glasses containing water

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, H.; Tomozawa, M.

1995-04-01

The chemical durability of simulated nuclear waste glasses having different water contents was studied. Results from the product consistency test (PCT) showed that glass dissolution increased with water content in the glass. This trend was not observed during MCC-1 testing. This difference was attributed to the differences in reactions between glass and water. In the PCT, the glass network dissolution controlled the elemental releases, and water in the glass accelerated the reaction rate. On the other hand, alkali ion exchange with hydronium played an important role in the MCC-1. For the latter, the amount of water introduced into a leached layer from ion-exchange was found to be much greater than that of initially incorporated water in the glass. Hence, the initial water content has no effect on glass dissolution as measured by the MCC-1 test

Structure of the lunar wake: Two-dimensional global hybrid simulations

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Trávníček, Pavel; Hellinger, Petr; Schriver, D.; Bale, S. D.

2005-01-01

Roč. 32, - (2005), L06102/1-L06102/4 ISSN 0094-8276 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA205/05/1011 Grant - others:ESA(XE) PRODEX 14529; NSF(US) INT- 0010111; NASA (US) NAG5-11804 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z30420517 Keywords : hybrid simulations * lunar wake Subject RIV: BL - Plasma and Gas Discharge Physics Impact factor: 2.491, year: 2005

Simulation of the Chang'E-5 mission contribution in lunar long wavelength gravity field improvement

Science.gov (United States)

Yan, Jianguo; Yang, Xuan; Ping, Jinsong; Ye, Mao; Liu, Shanhong; Jin, Weitong; Li, Fei; Barriot, Jean-Pierre

2018-06-01

The precision of lunar gravity field estimation has improved by means of three to five orders of magnitude since the successful GRAIL lunar mission. There are still discrepancies however, in the low degree coefficients and long wavelength components of the solutions developed by two space research centers (JPL and GSFC). These discrepancies hint at the possibilities for improving the accuracy in the long wavelength part of the lunar gravity field. In the near future, China will launch the Chang'E-5 lunar mission. In this sample-return mission, there will be a chance to do KBRR measurements between an ascending module and an orbiting module. These two modules will fly around lunar at an inclination of ˜49 degrees, with an orbital height of 100 km and an inter-satellite distance of 200 km. In our research, we simulated the contribution of the KBRR tracking mode for different GRAIL orbital geometries. This analysis indicated possible deficiencies in the low degree coefficient solutions for the polar satellite-to-satellite tracking mode at various orbital heights. We also investigated the potential contributions of the KBRR to the Chang'E-5 mission goal of lunar gravity field recovery, especially in the long wavelength component. Potential improvements were assessed using various power spectrums of the lunar gravity field models. In addition, we also investigated possible improvements in solving lunar tidal Love number K2. These results may assist the implementation of the Chang'E-5 mission.

Zinnia Germination and Lunar Soil Amendment

Science.gov (United States)

Reese, Laura

2017-01-01

Germination testing was performed to determine the best method for germinating zinnias. This method will be used to attempt to germinate the zinnia seeds produced in space. It was found that seed shape may be critically important in determining whether a seed will germinate or not. The ability of compost and worm castings to remediate lunar regolith simulant for plant growth was tested. It was found that neither treatment effectively improves plant growth in lunar regolith simulant. A potential method of improving lunar regolith simulant by mixing it with arcillite was discovered.

Extraterrestrial fiberglass production using solar energy. [lunar plants or space manufacturing facilities

Science.gov (United States)

Ho, D.; Sobon, L. E.

1979-01-01

A conceptual design is presented for fiberglass production systems in both lunar and space environments. The raw material, of lunar origin, will be plagioclase concentrate, high silica content slag, and calcium oxide. Glass will be melted by solar energy. The multifurnace in the lunar plant and the spinning cylinder in the space plant are unique design features. Furnace design appears to be the most critical element in optimizing system performance. A conservative estimate of the total power generated by solar concentrators is 1880 kW; the mass of both plants is 120 tons. The systems will reproduce about 90 times their total mass in fiberglass in 1 year. A new design concept would be necessary if glass rods were produced in space.

Leaching of actinides from simulated nuclear waste glass

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pickering, S.; Walker, C.T.; Offermann, P.

1982-01-01

Two types of simulated nuclear waste glass doped with actinides were leached at 200 0 C in distilled water and salt solutions. Am, Np, Pu and U were all preferentially retained in the surface layer on the glass. Leaching ratios of 0.1 to 0.2 for Np and approx. 0.02 for Am were measured. The losses of Am and Np to the leachant were proportional to the total weight loss of the glass and were larger at 10 ml leachant/cm 2 glass than at 5 ml/cm 2 . Weight loss from the glass occurred only at the start of the experiments for periods ranging from 10 h to 10 days according to leachant composition and volume. Wt losses from the C31-3-EC glass were much greater in saturated NaCl solution than in distilled water. Enrichment in the outer surface layer of Al or Ca according to glass type could be correlated with leachant pH, glass composition and weight loss measurements

Can Fractional Crystallization of a Lunar Magma Ocean Produce the Lunar Crust?

Science.gov (United States)

Rapp, Jennifer F.; Draper, David S.

2013-01-01

New techniques enable the study of Apollo samples and lunar meteorites in unprecedented detail, and recent orbital spectral data reveal more about the lunar farside than ever before, raising new questions about the supposed simplicity of lunar geology. Nevertheless, crystallization of a global-scale magma ocean remains the best model to account for known lunar lithologies. Crystallization of a lunar magma ocean (LMO) is modeled to proceed by two end-member processes - fractional crystallization from (mostly) the bottom up, or initial equilibrium crystallization as the magma is vigorously convecting and crystals remain entrained, followed by crystal settling and a final period of fractional crystallization [1]. Physical models of magma viscosity and convection at this scale suggest that both processes are possible. We have been carrying out high-fidelity experimental simulations of LMO crystallization using two bulk compositions that can be regarded as end-members in the likely relevant range: Taylor Whole Moon (TWM) [2] and Lunar Primitive Upper Mantle (LPUM) [3]. TWM is enriched in refractory elements by 1.5 times relative to Earth, whereas LPUM is similar to the terrestrial primitive upper mantle, with adjustments made for the depletion of volatile alkalis observed on the Moon. Here we extend our earlier equilibrium-crystallization experiments [4] with runs simulating full fractional crystallization

Uranium in the rock fragments from Lunar soil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Komarov, A.N.; Sergeev, S.A.

1983-01-01

Uranium content and distribution in Lunar rock fragments 0.4-0.9 mm in size from ''Lunar-16+ -20, -24'' stations were studied by the method of autoradiography. Uranium is almost absent in rock-forming minerals and is concentrated in some accessory mineral. Uranium content in microgabro fragments from ''Lunar-20 and -24'' equals (0.0n - n.0)16 -6 g/g. Variations are not related to fragment representation. Radiogra-- phies of fragments from Lunar soil showed the uranium distribution from uniform (in glasses) to extremely nonuniform in some holocrystalline rocks. It was pointed out, that uranium micro distributions in Lunar and Earth (effusive and magmatic) rocks have common features. In both cases rock-forming minerals don't contain appreciable uranium amount in the form of isomorphic admixture; uranium is highly concentrated in some accessory minerais. The difference lies in tne absence of hydroxyl -containing secondary minerals, which are enriched with uranium on Earth, in Lunar rocks. ''Film'' uranium micromineralization, which occurs in rocks of the Earth along the boundaries of mineral grains is absent in Lunar rocks as well

A Participatory Agent-Based Simulation for Indoor Evacuation Supported by Google Glass

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jesús M. Sánchez

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Indoor evacuation systems are needed for rescue and safety management. One of the challenges is to provide users with personalized evacuation routes in real time. To this end, this project aims at exploring the possibilities of Google Glass technology for participatory multiagent indoor evacuation simulations. Participatory multiagent simulation combines scenario-guided agents and humans equipped with Google Glass that coexist in a shared virtual space and jointly perform simulations. The paper proposes an architecture for participatory multiagent simulation in order to combine devices (Google Glass and/or smartphones with an agent-based social simulator and indoor tracking services.

Iron phosphate glass containing simulated fast reactor waste: Characterization and comparison with pristine iron phosphate glass

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Joseph, Kitheri; Asuvathraman, R.; Venkata Krishnan, R.; Ravindran, T.R.; Govindaraj, R.; Govindan Kutty, K.V.; Vasudeva Rao, P.R.

2014-01-01

Detailed characterization was carried out on an iron phosphate glass waste form containing 20 wt.% of a simulated nuclear waste. High temperature viscosity measurement was carried out by the rotating spindle method. The Fe 3+ /Fe ratio and structure of this waste loaded iron phosphate glass was investigated using Mössbauer and Raman spectroscopy respectively. Specific heat measurement was carried out in the temperature range of 300–700 K using differential scanning calorimeter. Isoconversional kinetic analysis was employed to understand the crystallization behavior of the waste loaded iron phosphate glass. The glass forming ability and glass stability of the waste loaded glass were also evaluated. All the measured properties of the waste loaded glass were compared with the characteristics of pristine iron phosphate glass

Modeling lunar volcanic eruptions

Science.gov (United States)

Housley, R. M.

1978-01-01

Simple physical arguments are used to show that basaltic volcanos on different planetary bodies would fountain to the same height if the mole fraction of gas in the magma scaled with the acceleration of gravity. It is suggested that the actual eruption velocities and fountain heights are controlled by the velocities of sound in the two phase gas/liquid flows. These velocities are in turn determined by the gas contents in the magma. Predicted characteristics of Hawaiian volcanos are in excellent accord with observations. Assuming that the only gas in lunar volcano is the CO which would be produced if the observed Fe metal in lunar basalts resulted from graphite reduction, lunar volcanos would fountain vigorously, but not as spectacularly as their terrestrial counterparts. The volatile trace metals, halogens, and sulfur released would be transported over the entire moon by the transient atmosphere. Orange and black glass type pyroclastic materials would be transported in sufficient amounts to produce the observed dark mantle deposits.

Molecular dynamics simulation of sodium aluminosilicate glass structures and glass surface-water reactions using the reactive force field (ReaxFF)

Science.gov (United States)

Dongol, R.; Wang, L.; Cormack, A. N.; Sundaram, S. K.

2018-05-01

Reactive potentials are increasingly used to study the properties of glasses and glass water reactions in a reactive molecular dynamics (MD) framework. In this study, we have simulated a ternary sodium aluminosilicate glass and investigated the initial stages of the glass surface-water reactions at 300 K using reactive force field (ReaxFF). On comparison of the simulated glass structures generated using ReaxFF and classical Buckingham potentials, our results show that the atomic density profiles calculated for the surface glass structures indicate a bond-angle distribution dependency. The atomic density profiles also show higher concentrations of non-bridging oxygens (NBOs) and sodium ions at the glass surface. Additionally, we present our results of formation of silanol species and the diffusion of water molecules at the glass surface using ReaxFF.

Heating-induced glass-glass and glass-liquid transformations in computer simulations of water

Science.gov (United States)

Chiu, Janet; Starr, Francis W.; Giovambattista, Nicolas

2014-03-01

Water exists in at least two families of glassy states, broadly categorized as the low-density (LDA) and high-density amorphous ice (HDA). Remarkably, LDA and HDA can be reversibly interconverted via appropriate thermodynamic paths, such as isothermal compression and isobaric heating, exhibiting first-order-like phase transitions. We perform out-of-equilibrium molecular dynamics simulations of glassy water using the ST2 model to study the evolution of LDA and HDA upon isobaric heating. Depending on pressure, glass-to-glass, glass-to-crystal, glass-to-vapor, as well as glass-to-liquid transformations are found. Specifically, heating LDA results in the following transformations, with increasing heating pressures: (i) LDA-to-vapor (sublimation), (ii) LDA-to-liquid (glass transition), (iii) LDA-to-HDA-to-liquid, (iv) LDA-to-HDA-to-liquid-to-crystal, and (v) LDA-to-HDA-to-crystal. Similarly, heating HDA results in the following transformations, with decreasing heating pressures: (a) HDA-to-crystal, (b) HDA-to-liquid-to-crystal, (c) HDA-to-liquid (glass transition), (d) HDA-to-LDA-to-liquid, and (e) HDA-to-LDA-to-vapor. A more complex sequence may be possible using lower heating rates. For each of these transformations, we determine the corresponding transformation temperature as function of pressure, and provide a P-T "phase diagram" for glassy water based on isobaric heating. Our results for isobaric heating dovetail with the LDA-HDA transformations reported for ST2 glassy water based on isothermal compression/decompression processes [Chiu et al., J. Chem. Phys. 139, 184504 (2013)]. The resulting phase diagram is consistent with the liquid-liquid phase transition hypothesis. At the same time, the glass phase diagram is sensitive to sample preparation, such as heating or compression rates. Interestingly, at least for the rates explored, our results suggest that the LDA-to-liquid (HDA-to-liquid) and LDA-to-HDA (HDA-to-LDA) transformation lines on heating are related

Heating-induced glass-glass and glass-liquid transformations in computer simulations of water

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chiu, Janet; Giovambattista, Nicolas; Starr, Francis W.

2014-01-01

Water exists in at least two families of glassy states, broadly categorized as the low-density (LDA) and high-density amorphous ice (HDA). Remarkably, LDA and HDA can be reversibly interconverted via appropriate thermodynamic paths, such as isothermal compression and isobaric heating, exhibiting first-order-like phase transitions. We perform out-of-equilibrium molecular dynamics simulations of glassy water using the ST2 model to study the evolution of LDA and HDA upon isobaric heating. Depending on pressure, glass-to-glass, glass-to-crystal, glass-to-vapor, as well as glass-to-liquid transformations are found. Specifically, heating LDA results in the following transformations, with increasing heating pressures: (i) LDA-to-vapor (sublimation), (ii) LDA-to-liquid (glass transition), (iii) LDA-to-HDA-to-liquid, (iv) LDA-to-HDA-to-liquid-to-crystal, and (v) LDA-to-HDA-to-crystal. Similarly, heating HDA results in the following transformations, with decreasing heating pressures: (a) HDA-to-crystal, (b) HDA-to-liquid-to-crystal, (c) HDA-to-liquid (glass transition), (d) HDA-to-LDA-to-liquid, and (e) HDA-to-LDA-to-vapor. A more complex sequence may be possible using lower heating rates. For each of these transformations, we determine the corresponding transformation temperature as function of pressure, and provide a P-T “phase diagram” for glassy water based on isobaric heating. Our results for isobaric heating dovetail with the LDA-HDA transformations reported for ST2 glassy water based on isothermal compression/decompression processes [Chiu et al., J. Chem. Phys. 139, 184504 (2013)]. The resulting phase diagram is consistent with the liquid-liquid phase transition hypothesis. At the same time, the glass phase diagram is sensitive to sample preparation, such as heating or compression rates. Interestingly, at least for the rates explored, our results suggest that the LDA-to-liquid (HDA-to-liquid) and LDA-to-HDA (HDA-to-LDA) transformation lines on heating are related

Heating-induced glass-glass and glass-liquid transformations in computer simulations of water

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chiu, Janet; Giovambattista, Nicolas [Department of Physics, Brooklyn College of the City University of New York, Brooklyn, New York 11210 (United States); Starr, Francis W. [Department of Physics, Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut 06459 (United States)

2014-03-21

Water exists in at least two families of glassy states, broadly categorized as the low-density (LDA) and high-density amorphous ice (HDA). Remarkably, LDA and HDA can be reversibly interconverted via appropriate thermodynamic paths, such as isothermal compression and isobaric heating, exhibiting first-order-like phase transitions. We perform out-of-equilibrium molecular dynamics simulations of glassy water using the ST2 model to study the evolution of LDA and HDA upon isobaric heating. Depending on pressure, glass-to-glass, glass-to-crystal, glass-to-vapor, as well as glass-to-liquid transformations are found. Specifically, heating LDA results in the following transformations, with increasing heating pressures: (i) LDA-to-vapor (sublimation), (ii) LDA-to-liquid (glass transition), (iii) LDA-to-HDA-to-liquid, (iv) LDA-to-HDA-to-liquid-to-crystal, and (v) LDA-to-HDA-to-crystal. Similarly, heating HDA results in the following transformations, with decreasing heating pressures: (a) HDA-to-crystal, (b) HDA-to-liquid-to-crystal, (c) HDA-to-liquid (glass transition), (d) HDA-to-LDA-to-liquid, and (e) HDA-to-LDA-to-vapor. A more complex sequence may be possible using lower heating rates. For each of these transformations, we determine the corresponding transformation temperature as function of pressure, and provide a P-T “phase diagram” for glassy water based on isobaric heating. Our results for isobaric heating dovetail with the LDA-HDA transformations reported for ST2 glassy water based on isothermal compression/decompression processes [Chiu et al., J. Chem. Phys. 139, 184504 (2013)]. The resulting phase diagram is consistent with the liquid-liquid phase transition hypothesis. At the same time, the glass phase diagram is sensitive to sample preparation, such as heating or compression rates. Interestingly, at least for the rates explored, our results suggest that the LDA-to-liquid (HDA-to-liquid) and LDA-to-HDA (HDA-to-LDA) transformation lines on heating are related

Sims Analysis of Water Abundance and Hydrogen Isotope in Lunar Highland Plagioclase

Science.gov (United States)

Hui, Hejiu; Guan, Yunbin; Chen, Yang; Peslier, Anne H.; Zhang, Youxue; Liu, Yang; Rossman, George R.; Eiler, John M.; Neal, Clive R.

2015-01-01

The detection of indigenous water in mare basaltic glass beads has challenged the view established since the Apollo era of a "dry" Moon. Since this discovery, measurements of water in lunar apatite, olivine-hosted melt inclusions, agglutinates, and nominally anhydrous minerals have confirmed that lunar igneous materials contain water, implying that some parts of lunar mantle may have as much water as Earth's upper mantle. The interpretation of hydrogen (H) isotopes in lunar samples, however, is controversial. The large variation of H isotope ratios in lunar apatite (delta Deuterium = -202 to +1010 per mille) has been taken as evidence that water in the lunar interior comes from the lunar mantle, solar wind protons, and/or comets. The very low deuterium/H ratios in lunar agglutinates indicate that solar wind protons have contributed to their hydrogen content. Conversely, H isotopes in lunar volcanic glass beads and olivine-hosted melt inclusions being similar to those of common terrestrial igneous rocks, suggest a common origin for water in both Earth and Moon. Lunar water could be inherited from carbonaceous chondrites, consistent with the model of late accretion of chondrite-type materials to the Moon as proposed by. One complication about the sources of lunar water, is that geologic processes (e.g., late accretion and magmatic degassing) may have modified the H isotope signatures of lunar materials. Recent FTIR analyses have shown that plagioclases in lunar ferroan anorthosite contain approximately 6 ppm H2O. So far, ferroan anorthosite is the only available lithology that is believed to be a primary product of the lunar magma ocean (LMO). A possible consequence is that the LMO could have contained up to approximately 320 ppm H2O. Here we examine the possible sources of water in the LMO through measurements of water abundances and H isotopes in plagioclase of two ferroan anorthosites and one troctolite from lunar highlands.

Particle-In-Cell Simulations of the Solar Wind Interaction with Lunar Crustal Magnetic Anomalies: Magnetic Cusp Regions

Science.gov (United States)

Poppe, A. R.; Halekas, J. S.; Delory, G. T.; Farrell, W. M.

2012-01-01

As the solar wind is incident upon the lunar surface, it will occasionally encounter lunar crustal remanent magnetic fields. These magnetic fields are small-scale, highly non-dipolar, have strengths up to hundreds of nanotesla, and typically interact with the solar wind in a kinetic fashion. Simulations, theoretical analyses, and spacecraft observations have shown that crustal fields can reflect solar wind protons via a combination of magnetic and electrostatic reflection; however, analyses of surface properties have suggested that protons may still access the lunar surface in the cusp regions of crustal magnetic fields. In this first report from a planned series of studies, we use a 1 1/2-dimensional, electrostatic particle-in-cell code to model the self-consistent interaction between the solar wind, the cusp regions of lunar crustal remanent magnetic fields, and the lunar surface. We describe the self-consistent electrostatic environment within crustal cusp regions and discuss the implications of this work for the role that crustal fields may play regulating space weathering of the lunar surface via proton bombardment.

Beneficiation of lunar ilmenite

Science.gov (United States)

Ruiz, Joaquin

1991-01-01

One of the most important commodities lacking in the moon is free oxygen which is required for life and used extensively for propellent. Free oxygen, however, can be obtained by liberating it from the oxides and silicates that form the lunar rocks and regolith. Ilmenite (FeTiO3) is considered one of the leading candidates for production of oxygen because it can be reduced with a reasonable amount of energy and it is an abundant mineral in the lunar regolith and many mare basalts. In order to obtain oxygen from ilmenite, a method must be developed to beneficiate ilmenite from lunar material. Two possible techniques are electrostatic or magnetic methods. Both methods have complications because lunar ilmenite completely lacks Fe(3+). Magnetic methods were tested on eucrite meteorites, which are a good chemical simulant for low Ti mare basalts. The ilmenite yields in the experiments were always very low and the eucrite had to be crushed to xxxx. These data suggest that magnetic separation of ilmenite from fine grain lunar basalts would not be cost effective. Presently, experiments are being performed with electrostatic separators, and lunar regolith is being waited for so that simulants do not have to be employed.

MoonMars Astronaut and CapCom Protocols: ESTEC and LunAres PMAS Simulations

Science.gov (United States)

Authier, L.; Blanc, A.; Foing, B. H.; Lillo, A.; Evellin, P.; Kołodziejczyk, A.; Heinicke, C.; Harasymczuk, M.; Chahla, C.; Tomic, A.; Hettrich, S.; PMAS Astronauts

2017-10-01

ILEWG developed since 2008 a Mobile Laboratory Habitat (ExoHab) at ESTEC which was tested during a short simulation in July. It was a foretaste of the PMAS mission on 31 July-14 August in LunAres base at Pila, with mission control in Torun, Poland.

Erosive Wear Characterization of Materials for Lunar Construction

Science.gov (United States)

Mpagazehe, Jeremiah N.; Street, Kenneth W., Jr.; Delgado, Irebert R.; Higgs, C. Fred, III

2012-01-01

NASA s Apollo missions revealed that exhaust from the retrorockets of landing spacecraft may act to significantly accelerate lunar dust on the surface of the Moon. A recent study by Immer et al. (C. Immer, P.T. Metzger, P.E. Hintze, A. Nick, and R. Horan, Apollo 12 Lunar Module exhaust plume impingement on Lunar Surveyor III, Icarus, Vol. 211, pp. 1089-1102, 2011) investigated coupons returned to Earth from the Surveyor III lunar probe which were subjected to lunar dust impingement by the Apollo 12 Lunar Module landing. Their study revealed that even with indirect impingement, the spacecraft sustained erosive damage from the fast-moving lunar dust particles. In this work, results are presented from a series of erosive wear experiments performed on 6061 Aluminum using the JSC-1AF lunar dust simulant. Optical profilometry was used to investigate the surface after the erosion process. It was found that even short durations of lunar dust simulant impacting at low velocities produced substantial changes in the surface.

Production and remediation of low sludge simulated Purex waste glasses, 2: Effects of sludge oxide additions on glass durability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ramsey, W.G.

1993-01-01

Glass produced during the Purex 4 campaigns of the Integrated DWPF Melter System (IDMS) and the 774 Research Melter contained a lower fraction of sludge components than targeted by the Product Composition Control System (PCCS). Purex 4 glass was more durable than the benchmark (EA) glass, but was less durable than most other simulated SRS high-level waste glasses. Further, the measured durability of Purex 4 glass was not as well correlated with the durability predicted from the DWPF process control algorithm, probably because the algorithm was developed to predict the durability of SRS high-level waste glasses with higher sludge content than Purex 4. A melter run, designated Purex 4 Remediation, was performed using the 774 Research Melter to determine if the initial PCCS target composition determined for Purex 4 would produce acceptable glass whose durability could be accurately modeled by the DWPF glass durability algorithm. Reagent grade oxides and carbonates were added to Purex 4 melter feed stock to simulate a higher sludge loading. Each canister of glass produced was sampled and the glass durability was determined by the Product Consistency Test method. This document details the durability data and subsequent analysis

Influence of the Choice of Lunar Gravity Model on Orbit Determination for Lunar Orbiters

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Young-Rok Kim

2018-01-01

Full Text Available We examine the influence of the lunar gravity model on the orbit determination (OD of a lunar orbiter operating in a 100 km high, lunar polar orbit. Doppler and sequential range measurements by three Deep Space Network antennas and one Korea Deep Space Antenna were used. For measurement simulation and OD analysis, STK11 and ODTK6 were utilized. GLGM2, LP100K, LP150Q, GRAIL420A, and GRAIL660B were used for investigation of lunar gravity model selection effect. OD results were assessed by position and velocity uncertainties with error covariance and an external orbit comparison using simulated true orbit. The effect of the lunar gravity models on the long-term OD, degree and order level, measurement-acquisition condition, and lunar altitude was investigated. For efficiency verification, computational times for the five lunar gravity models were compared. Results showed that significant improvements to OD accuracy are observed by applying a GRAIL-based model; however, applying a full order and degree gravity modeling is not always the best strategy, owing to the computational burden. Consequently, we consider that OD using GRAIL660B with 70 × 70 degree and order is the most efficient strategy for mission preanalysis. This study provides useful guideline for KPLO OD analysis during nominal mission operation.

Astronaut Neil Armstrong participates in lunar surface siumlation training

Science.gov (United States)

1969-01-01

Suited Astronaut Neil A. Armstrong, wearing an Extravehicular Mobility Unit, participates in lunar surface simulation training on April 18, 1969, in bldg 9, Manned Spacecraft Center (MSC). Armstrong is the prime crew commander of the Apollo 11 lunar landing mission. Here, he simulates scooping up a lunar surface sample.

Reduction of iron-bearing lunar minerals for the production of oxygen

Science.gov (United States)

Massieon, Charles; Cutler, Andrew; Shadman, Farhang

1992-01-01

The kinetics and mechanism of the reduction of simulants of the iron-bearing lunar minerals olivine ((Fe,Mg)2SiO4), pyroxene ((Fe,Mg,Ca)SiO3), and ilmenite (FeTiO3) are investigated, extending previous work with ilmenite. Fayalite is reduced by H2 at 1070 K to 1480 K. A layer of mixed silica glass and iron forms around an unreacted core. Reaction kinetics are influenced by permeation of hydrogen through this layer and a reaction step involving dissociated hydrogen. Reaction mechanisms are independent of Mg content. Augite, hypersthene, and hedenbergite are reduced in H2 at the same temperatures. The products are iron metal and lower iron silicates mixed throughout the mineral. Activation energy rises with calcium content. Ilmenite and fayalite are reduced with carbon deposited on partially reduced minerals via the CO disproportionation reaction. Reduction with carbon is rapid, showing the carbothermal reduction of lunar minerals is possible.

Isothermal crystallization kinetics in simulated high-level nuclear waste glass

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vienna, J.D.; Hrma, P.; Smith, D.E.

1997-01-01

Crystallization kinetics of a simulated high-level waste (HLW) glass were measured and modelled. Kinetics of acmite growth in the standard HW39-4 glass were measured using the isothermal method. A time-temperature-transformation (TTT) diagram was generated from these data. Classical glass-crystal transformation kinetic models were empirically applied to the crystallization data. These models adequately describe the kinetics of crystallization in complex HLW glasses (i.e., RSquared = 0.908). An approach to measurement, fitting, and use of TTT diagrams for prediction of crystallinity in a HLW glass canister is proposed

Viscosity calculations of simulated ion-exchange resin waste glasses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Cheon Woo; Park, Jong Kil; Lee, Kyung Ho; Lee, Myung Chan; Song, Myung Jae; BRUNELOT, Pierre

2000-01-01

An induction cold crucible melter (CCM) located in the NETEC-KEPCO has been used to vitrify simulated ion-exchange resin. During vitrification, the CCM operations were tightly constrained by glass viscosity as an important process parameter. Understanding the role of viscosity and quantifying viscosity is highly required in the determination of optimized feed formulations and in the selection of the processing temperature. Therefore, existing process models of glass viscosity based on a relationship between the glass composition, its structure polymerization, and the temperature were searched and adapted to our borosilicate glass systems. Calculated data using a viscosity model based on calculation of non-bridging oxygen (NBO) were in good agreement with the measured viscosity data of benchmark glasses

An interactive visualisation tool applied to the simulation of glass pressing

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Laevsky, K.; Telea, A.; Mattheij, R.M.M.

2001-01-01

An interactive numerical simulation approach to the process of glass pressing is presented. Glass is modelled as a strongly viscous Newtonian fluid whose deformation under pressure is described by a Stokes equation. Modelling the evolution of the glass free boundary in time poses a particular

Simulation of alpha decay of actinides in iron phosphate glasses by ion irradiation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dube, Charu L., E-mail: dubecharu@gmail.com; Stennett, Martin C.; Gandy, Amy S.; Hyatt, Neil C.

2016-03-15

Highlights: • Alpha decay of actinides in iron phosphate glasses is simulated by employing ion irradiation technique. • FTIR and Raman spectroscopic measurements confirm modification of glass network. • The depolymerisation of glass network after irradiation is attributed to synergetic effect of nuclear and electronic losses. - Abstract: A surrogate approach of ion beam irradiation is employed to simulate alpha decay of actinides in iron phosphate nuclear waste glasses. Bismuth and helium ions of different energies have been selected for simulating glass matrix modification owing to radiolysis and ballistic damage due to recoil atoms. Structural modification and change in coordination number of network former were probed by employing Reflectance Fourier-Transform Infrared (FT-IR), and Raman spectroscopies as a consequence of ion irradiation. Depolymerisation is observed in glass sample irradiated at intermediate energy of 2 MeV. Helium blisters of micron size are seen in glass sample irradiated at low helium ion energy of 30 keV.

Multi-state autonomous drilling for lunar exploration

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chen Chongbin

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Due to the lack of information of subsurface lunar regolith stratification which varies along depth, the drilling device may encounter lunar soil and lunar rock randomly in the drilling process. To meet the load safety requirements of unmanned sampling mission under limited orbital resources, the control strategy of autonomous drilling should adapt to the indeterminable lunar environments. Based on the analysis of two types of typical drilling media (i.e., lunar soil and lunar rock, this paper proposes a multi-state control strategy for autonomous lunar drilling. To represent the working circumstances in the lunar subsurface and reduce the complexity of the control algorithm, lunar drilling process was categorized into three drilling states: the interface detection, initiation of drilling parameters for recognition and drilling medium recognition. Support vector machine (SVM and continuous wavelet transform were employed for the online recognition of drilling media and interface, respectively. Finite state machine was utilized to control the transition among different drilling states. To verify the effectiveness of the multi-state control strategy, drilling experiments were implemented with multi-layered drilling media constructed by lunar soil simulant and lunar rock simulant. The results reveal that the multi-state control method is capable of detecting drilling state variation and adjusting drilling parameters timely under vibration interferences. The multi-state control method provides a feasible reference for the control of extraterrestrial autonomous drilling.

Extraction of Water from Lunar Permafrost

Science.gov (United States)

Ethridge, Edwin C.; Kaukler, William

2009-01-01

Remote sensing indicates the presence of hydrogen rich regions associated with the lunar poles. The logical hypothesis is that there is cryogenically trapped water ice located in craters at the lunar poles. Some of the craters have been in permanent darkness for a billion years. The presence of water at the poles as well as other scientific advantages of a polar base, have influenced NASA plans for the lunar outpost. The lunar outpost has water and oxygen requirements on the order of 1 ton per year scaling up to as much as 5 tons per year. Microwave heating of the frozen permafrost has unique advantages for water extraction. Proof of principle experiments have successfully demonstrated that microwaves will couple to the cryogenic soil in a vacuum and the sublimed water vapor can be successfully captured on a cold trap. Dielectric property measurements of lunar soil simulant have been measured. Microwave absorption and attenuation in lunar soil simulant has been correlated with measured dielectric properties. Future work will be discussed.

Liquid -to-glass transition in bulk glass-forming Cu55-xZr45Agx alloys using molecular dynamic simulations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Celtek M.

2011-05-01

Full Text Available We report results from molecular dynamics (MD studies concerning the microscopic structure of the ternary, bulk metallic glass-forming Cu55-x Zr45Agx (x=0,10,20 alloys using tight-binding potentials. Understanding of the nature of Glass Forming Ability (GFA of studied alloys, GFA parameters, glass transition temperature (T-g, melting temperature (T-m, reduced glass transition temperature (T-g/T-m, the supercooled liquid region and other parameters were simulated and compared with experiments. The computed pair distribution functions reproduce well experimental x-ray data of Inoue and co-workers. Structure analysis of the Cu-Zr-Ag alloy based on MD simulation will be also presented

Simulation of Cu-Mg metallic glass: Thermodynamics and structure

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bailey, Nicholas; Schiøtz, Jakob; Jacobsen, Karsten Wedel

2004-01-01

We have obtained effective medium theory interatomic potential parameters suitable for studying Cu-Mg metallic glasses. We present thermodynamic and structural results from simulations of such glasses over a range of compositions. We have produced low-temperature configurations by cooling from...... the melt at as slow a rate as practical, using constant temperature and pressure molecular dynamics. During the cooling process we have carried out thermodynamic analyses based on the temperature dependence of the enthalpy and its derivative, the specific heat, from which the glass transition temperature...

Burn Delay Analysis of the Lunar Orbit Insertion for Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter

Science.gov (United States)

Bae, Jonghee; Song, Young-Joo; Kim, Young-Rok; Kim, Bangyeop

2017-12-01

The first Korea lunar orbiter, Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO), has been in development since 2016. After launch, the KPLO will execute several maneuvers to enter into the lunar mission orbit, and will then perform lunar science missions for one year. Among these maneuvers, the lunar orbit insertion (LOI) is the most critical maneuver because the KPLO will experience an extreme velocity change in the presence of the Moon’s gravitational pull. However, the lunar orbiter may have a delayed LOI burn during operation due to hardware limitations and telemetry delays. This delayed burn could occur in different captured lunar orbits; in the worst case, the KPLO could fly away from the Moon. Therefore, in this study, the burn delay for the first LOI maneuver is analyzed to successfully enter the desired lunar orbit. Numerical simulations are performed to evaluate the difference between the desired and delayed lunar orbits due to a burn delay in the LOI maneuver. Based on this analysis, critical factors in the LOI maneuver, the periselene altitude and orbit period, are significantly changed and an additional delta-V in the second LOI maneuver is required as the delay burn interval increases to 10 min from the planned maneuver epoch.

Lunar surface engineering properties experiment definition

Science.gov (United States)

Mitchell, J. K.; Goodman, R. E.; Hurlbut, F. C.; Houston, W. N.; Willis, D. R.; Witherspoon, P. A.; Hovland, H. J.

1971-01-01

Research on the mechanics of lunar soils and on developing probes to determine the properties of lunar surface materials is summarized. The areas of investigation include the following: soil simulation, soil property determination using an impact penetrometer, soil stabilization using urethane foam or phenolic resin, effects of rolling boulders down lunar slopes, design of borehole jack and its use in determining failure mechanisms and properties of rocks, and development of a permeability probe for measuring fluid flow through porous lunar surface materials.

MCNP simulations of a glass display used in a mobile phone as an accident dosimeter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Discher, Michael; Hiller, Mauritius; Woda, Clemens

2015-01-01

It has been demonstrated that glass display of mobile phones can be used as a device for accident dosimetry. Published studies concentrated on the experimental investigation of parts of the glass display. In the work presented here, the experimental results are compared with results of radiation transport calculations using the Monte Carlo code MCNP5. An experimental setup of an irradiation of an extracted glass display is simulated. The simulation is then extended to a simulation of a modern day mobile phone consisting of all major parts. Simulations are performed for various irradiation conditions and different geometric and material properties. The results of the simulation show a good agreement with the experiments for an extracted glass sample as well as for an actual modern mobile phone. The glass display is exposed to radiation in various angular and energy distributions. Simulated results were compared to experimentally determined results. The effects of the irradiation condition on the photon energy dependence were investigated and variations in the material constants of the display glass composition were discussed. This work affirms the usability of a mobile phone as a versatile and flexible accident radiation detector. - Highlights: • Simulations of a modern day mobile phone using MCNP are carried out. • Results of the simulation show a good agreement with the experiments. • Photon energy dependence and angular response for display glass are verified

Evolution of Shock Melt Compositions in Lunar Agglutinates

Science.gov (United States)

Vance, A. M.; Christoffersen, R.; Keller, L. P.

2015-01-01

Lunar agglutinates are aggregates of regolith grains fused together in a glassy matrix of shock melt produced during smaller-scale (mostly micrometeorite) impacts. Agglutinate formation is a key space weathering process under which the optically-active component of nanophase metallic Fe (npFe(sup 0)) is added to the lunar regolith. Here we have used energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) compositional spectrum imaging in the SEM to quantify the chemical homogeneity of agglutinitic glass, correlate its homogeneity to its parent soil maturity, and identify the principle chemical components contributing to the shock melt compositional variations.

Feasibility of Augmented Reality in Clinical Simulations: Using Google Glass With Manikins.

Science.gov (United States)

Chaballout, Basil; Molloy, Margory; Vaughn, Jacqueline; Brisson Iii, Raymond; Shaw, Ryan

2016-03-07

Studies show that students who use fidelity-based simulation technology perform better and have higher retention rates than peers who learn in traditional paper-based training. Augmented reality is increasingly being used as a teaching and learning tool in a continual effort to make simulations more realistic for students. The aim of this project was to assess the feasibility and acceptability of using augmented reality via Google Glass during clinical simulation scenarios for training health science students. Students performed a clinical simulation while watching a video through Google Glass of a patient actor simulating respiratory distress. Following participation in the scenarios students completed two surveys and were questioned if they would recommend continued use of this technology in clinical simulation experiences. We were able to have students watch a video in their field of vision of a patient who mimicked the simulated manikin. Students were overall positive about the implications for being able to view a patient during the simulations, and most students recommended using the technology in the future. Overall, students reported perceived realism with augmented reality using Google Glass. However, there were technical and usability challenges with the device. As newer portable and consumer-focused technologies become available, augmented reality is increasingly being used as a teaching and learning tool to make clinical simulations more realistic for health science students. We found Google Glass feasible and acceptable as a tool for augmented reality in clinical simulations.

Processing of high-temperature simulated waste glass in a continuous ceramic melter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barnes, S.M.; Brouns, R.A.; Hanson, M.S.

1980-01-01

Recent operations have demonstrated that high-melting-point glasses and glass-ceramics can be successfully processed in joule-heated, ceramic-lined melters with minor modifications to the existing technology. Over 500 kg of simulated waste glasses have been processed at temperatures up to 1410 0 C. The processability of the two high-temperature waste forms tested is similar to existing borosilicate waste glasses. High-temperature waste glass formulations produced in the bench-scale melter exhibit quality comparing favorably to standard waste glass formulations

Endogenous Lunar Volatiles

Science.gov (United States)

McCubbin, F. M.; Liu, Y.; Barnes, J. J.; Boyce, J. W.; Day, J. M. D.; Elardo, S. M.; Hui, H.; Magna, T.; Ni, P.; Tartese, R.;

C-O volatiles in Apollo 15 and Apollo 17 picritic glasses

Science.gov (United States)

Rutherford, Malcolm J.; Fogel, Robert A.

1993-01-01

A15 and A17 primitive picritic glasses have been examined by FTIR for the presence of dissolved C-O species to determine the role of C-O gasses on driving lunar fire-fountains. A15 green and yellow glasses were extensively studied and found to be free of dissolved C species down to FTIR detection limits (10-100 ppm; species and sample specific). Preliminary data on A17 orange glasses are similarly devoid of FTIR detectable C-O species. Re-analyses of the C-O driving mechanism theory for mare volcanism demonstrates the need to determine the fO2 of the lunar interior; the factor that most critically determined the role of C gasses in the fire-fountaining events. Oxygen fugacities equivalent to IW-0.5 and above imply dissolved CO3(=) in the primitive glasses at levels above FTIR detection. The f02's below IW-0.5 imply concentrations of CO3(=) below FTIR detection. Recent data suggesting lunar mantle fO2's of IW-2 or less, strongly mitigate against finding FTIR measurable dissolved CO3(=) consistent with the findings of this study.

Experimental methods for quenching structures in lunar-analog silicate melts - Variations as a function of quench media and composition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dyar, M.D.

1984-01-01

Compositions analogous to lunar green, orange, and brown glasses were synthesized under consistent conditions, then quenched into a variety of different media when the samples were removed from the furnace. Iron valence and coordination are a direct function of quench media used, spanning the range from brine/ice (most effective quench), water, butyl phthalate, silicone oil, liquid nitrogen, highly reducing CO-CO2 gas, to air (least efficient quench). In the green and brown glasses, Fe(3+) in four-fold and six-fold coordination is observed in the slowest-quenched samples Fe(2+) coordination varies directly with quench efficiency. Less pronounced changes were observed in the Ti-rich orange glass. Therefore the remote-sensed spectrum of a glass-bearing regolith on the moon may be influenced by the process by which the glass cooled, and extreme caution must be used when comparing spectra of synthetic glass analogs with real lunar glasses

Observing Ice Sublimation From Water-Doped Lunar Simulant at Cryogenic Temperatures

Science.gov (United States)

Roush, T. L.; Teodoro, L. F. A.; Colaprete, A.; Cook, A. M.; Elphic, R.

2018-01-01

NASA's Resource Prospector (RP) mission is intended to characterize the three-dimensional nature of volatiles in lunar polar and permanently shadowed regions. The Near-Infrared Volatile Spectrometer System (NIRVSS) observes while a drill penetrates to a maximum depth of 1 m. Any 10 cm increment of soil identified as containing water ice can be delivered to a heating crucible with the evolved gas delivered to a gas chromatograph / mass spectrometer. NIRVSS consists of two components; a spectrometer box (SB) and bracket assembly (BA), connected by two fiber optic cables. The SB contains separate short- and long-wavelength spectrometers, SW and LW respectively, that collectively span the 1600-3400 nm range. The BA contains an IR emitter (lamp), drill observation camera (DOC, 2048 x 2048 CMOS detector), 8 different wavelength LEDs, and a longwave calibration sensor (LCS) measuring the surface emissivity at four IR wavelengths. Tests of various RP sub-systems have been under-taken in a large cryo-vacuum chamber at Glenn Re-search Center. The chamber accommodates a tube (1.2 m high x 25.4 cm diameter) filled with lunar simulant, NU-LHT-3M, prepared with known abundances of water. Thermocouples are embedded at different depths, and also across the surface of the soil tube. In the chamber the tube is cooled with LN2 as the pressure is reduced to approx. 5-6x10(exp -6) Torr. For the May 2016 tests two soil tubes were prepared with initially 2.5 Wt.% water. The shroud surrounding the soil tube was held at different temperatures for each tube to simulate a warm and cold lunar environment. Table 1 provides a summary of experimental conditions and Figure 1 shows the nominal view of the NIRVSS components, the drill foot, and the top of the soil tube. Once the average soil temperature reached approx. 178 K, drilling commenced. During drilling activities NIRVSS was alternating between obtaining spectra and obtaining images. Here we discuss NIRVSS spectral data obtained during

Simulation of the solidification in a channel of a water-cooled glass flow

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

G. E. Ovando Chacon

2014-12-01

Full Text Available A computer simulation study of a laminar steady-state glass flow that exits from a channel cooled with water is reported. The simulations are carried out in a two-dimensional, Cartesian channel with a backward-facing step for three different angles of the step and different glass outflow velocities. We studied the interaction of the fluid dynamics, phase change and thermal behavior of the glass flow due to the heat that transfers to the cooling water through the wall of the channel. The temperature, streamline, phase change and pressure fields are obtained and analyzed for the glass flow. Moreover, the temperature increments of the cooling water are characterized. It is shown that, by reducing the glass outflow velocity, the solidification is enhanced; meanwhile, an increase of the step angle also improves the solidification of the glass flow.

Nuclear waste glass corrosion mechanisms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jantzen, C.M.

1987-04-01

Dissolution of nuclear waste glass occurs by corrosion mechanisms similar to those of other solids, e.g., metallurgical and mineralogic systems. Metallurgical phenomena such as active corrosion, passivation and immunity have been observed to be a function of the glass composition and the solution pH. Hydration thermodynamics was used to quantify the role of glass composition and its effect on the solution pH during dissolution. A wide compositional range of natural, lunar, medieval, and nuclear waste glasses, as well as some glass-ceramics were investigated. The factors observed to affect dissolution in deionized water are pertinent to the dissolution of glass in natural environments such as the groundwaters anticipated to interact with nuclear waste glass in a geologic repository. The effects of imposed pH and oxidation potential (Eh) conditions existing in natural environments on glass dissolution is described in the context of Pourbaix diagrams, pH potential diagrams, for glass

New Insight in Understanding the mechanical responses of polymer glasses using molecular dynamic simulation

Science.gov (United States)

Zheng, Yexin; Wang, Shi-Qing; Tsige, Mesfin

The Kremer-Grest bead-spring model has been the standard model in molecular dynamics simulation of polymer glasses. However, due to current computational limitations in accessing relevant time scales in polymer glasses in a reasonable amount of CPU time, simulation of mechanical response of polymer glasses in molecular dynamic simulations requires a much higher quenching rate and deformation rate than used in experiments. Despite several orders of magnitude difference in time scale between simulation and experiment, previous studies have shown that simulations can produce meaningful results that can be directly compared with experimental results. In this work we show that by tuning the quenching rate and deformation rate relative to the segmental relaxation times, a reasonable mechanical response shows up in the glassy state. Specifically, we show a younger glass prepared with a faster quenching rate shows glassy responses only when the imposed deformation rate is proportionally higher. the National Science Foundation (DMR-1444859 and DMR-1609977).

Computer simulations of nanoindentation in Mg-Cu and Cu-Zr metallic glasses

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Paduraru, Anca; Andersen, Ulrik Grønbjerg; Thyssen, Anders

2010-01-01

The formation of shear bands during plastic deformation of Cu0.50Zr0.50 and Mg0.85Cu0.15 metallic glasses is studied using atomic-scale computer simulations. The atomic interactions are described using realistic many-body potentials within the effective medium theory, and are compared with similar...... simulations using a Lennard-Jones description of the material. The metallic glasses are deformed both in simple shear and in a simulated nanoindentation experiment. Plastic shear localizes into shear bands with a width of approximately 5 nm in CuZr and 8 nm in MgCu. In simple shear, the shear band formation...... is very clear, whereas only incipient shear bands are seen in nanoindentation. The shear band formation during nanoindentation is sensitive to the indentation velocity, indenter radius and the cooling rate during the formation of the metallic glass. For comparison, a similar nanoindentation simulation...

Characterization of borosilicate glasses containing simulated high-level radioactive wastes from PNC

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Terai, R.; Eguchi, K.; Yamanaka, H.

1979-01-01

The characterization of borosilicate glasses containing simulated HLW from PNC has been carried out. Phase separation of molybdates, volatilization, viscosity, electrical resistivity, thermal conductivity, elastic modulus, chemical durability, and devitrification of these glasses have been measured, and the suitability of the glasses for the vitrified solidification processes is discussed from the viewpoint of safety

Experimental Measurements of Heat Transfer through a Lunar Regolith Simulant in a Vibro-Fluidized Reactor Oven

Science.gov (United States)

Nayagam, Vedha; Berger, Gordon M.; Sacksteder, Kurt R.; Paz, Aaron

2012-01-01

Extraction of mission consumable resources such as water and oxygen from the planetary environment provides valuable reduction in launch-mass and potentially extends the mission duration. Processing of lunar regolith for resource extraction necessarily involves heating and chemical reaction of solid material with processing gases. Vibrofluidization is known to produce effective mixing and control of flow within granular media. In this study we present experimental results for vibrofluidized heat transfer in lunar regolith simulants (JSC-1 and JSC-1A) heated up to 900 C. The results show that the simulant bed height has a significant influence on the vibration induced flow field and heat transfer rates. A taller bed height leads to a two-cell circulation pattern whereas a single-cell circulation was observed for a shorter height. Lessons learned from these test results should provide insight into efficient design of future robotic missions involving In-Situ Resource Utilization.

Preliminary Simulation of the Corrosion Rate of Archaeological Glass

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Steefel, Carl

2014-01-06

In this study, we make use of a micro-continuum modeling approach (the Kinetic-Microscopic-Continuum Model or K{micro}C model) to capture the spatial distribution and identity of reaction products developing over time as a result of the archaeological glass corrosion, while also matching the time scales of alteration where possible. Since the glass blocks sat on the Mediterranean seafloor for 1800 years, the physical and chemical boundary conditions are largely constant. We focus on a fracture within the glass block identified by Verney-Carron et al. (2008) and simulate it as a 1D system, with a fixed concentration (Dirichlet) boundary corresponding to the interior of the fracture.

Molecular Dynamics Simulation of the Structure and Properties of Lithium Phosphate Glasses

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liang, J-J; Cygan, R.T.; Alam, T.M.

1999-07-09

A new forcefield model was developed for the computer simulation of phosphate materials that have many important applications in the electronics and biomedical industries. The model provides a fundamental basis for the evaluation of phosphate glass structure and thermodynamics. Molecular dynamics simulations of a series of lithium phosphate glass compositions were performed using the forcefield model. A high concentration of three-membered rings (P{sub 3}O{sub 3}) occurs in the glass of intermediate composition (0.2 Li{sub 2}O {center_dot} 0.8P{sub 2}O{sub 5}) that corresponds to the minimum in the glass transition temperature curve for the compositional series. Molecular orbital calculations of various phosphate ring clusters indicate an increasing stabilization of the phosphate ring structure going from two- to four-membered rings.

Studies in matter antimatter separation and in the origin of lunar magnetism

Science.gov (United States)

Barker, W. A.; Greeley, R.; Parkin, C.; Aggarwal, H.; Schultz, P.

1975-01-01

A progress report, covering lunar and planetary research is introduced. Data cover lunar ionospheric models, lunar and planetary geology, and lunar magnetism. Wind tunnel simulations of Mars aeolian problems and a comparative study of basaltic analogs of Lunar and Martial volcanic features was discussed.

Simulating the physicochemical properties of borosilicate and lanthanum borosilicate glasses using a polarizable force field

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pacaud, Fabien

2016-01-01

as result of the nuclear waste vitrification, the knowledge and understanding of the dynamic and structural properties of glasses, including the behavior of radionuclides, is important (in liquid and solid phases). It can influence the glass waste properties, the lifetime of the vitrification process and the amount of radionuclides introduced in the glass matrix. Molecular dynamic simulations have been done to study the influence of the glass matrix composition into the structural and dynamic properties of the glass. a simplified glass, with 3 major oxides of the R7T7 glass such as SiO_2, B_2O_3 and Na_2O, have been used to simulate the R7T7 industrial nuclear glass (a 30 oxides glass). The inclusion of La_2O_3 allows us to simulate the impact of fission products and minor actinides into the properties of the glass matrix. Both systems, the SiO_2-B_2O_3-Na_2O and SiO_2-B_2O_3-Na_2O-La_2O_3, allow us to study the sodium and lanthanum effect on the properties of the glass. During this work, a polarizable force field has been developed to do these simulations. The results obtained at room temperature let us reproduce the experimental results of the structure, the distribution of BIII/BIV and the density. a study has been done on the viscosity and electrical conductivity of the liquid. The distribution BIV/BIII and the influence of the structural changes on the density along with the temperature have also been observed with thermal quenching. The current limits of this approach are also described. (author) [fr

Immobilization of simulated high-level radioactive waste in borosilicate glass: Pilot scale demonstrations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ritter, J.A.; Hutson, N.D.; Zamecnik, J.R.; Carter, J.T.

1991-01-01

The Integrated DWPF Melter System (IDMS), operated by the Savannah River Laboratory, is a pilot scale facility used in support of the start-up and operation of the Department of Energy's Defense Waste Processing Facility. The IDMS has successfully demonstrated, on an engineering scale (one-fifth), that simulated high level radioactive waste (HLW) sludge can be chemically treated with formic acid to adjust both its chemical and physical properties, and then blended with simulated precipitate hydrolysis aqueous (PHA) product and borosilicate glass frit to produce a melter feed which can be processed into a durable glass product. The simulated sludge, PHA and frit were blended, based on a product composition program, to optimize the loading of the waste glass as well as to minimize those components which can cause melter processing and/or glass durability problems. During all the IDMS demonstrations completed thus far, the melter feed and the resulting glass that has been produced met all the required specifications, which is very encouraging to future DWPF operations. The IDMS operations also demonstrated that the volatile components of the melter feed (e.g., mercury, nitrogen and carbon, and, to a lesser extent, chlorine, fluorine and sulfur) did not adversely affect the melter performance or the glass product

Hazard Detection Software for Lunar Landing

Science.gov (United States)

Huertas, Andres; Johnson, Andrew E.; Werner, Robert A.; Montgomery, James F.

2011-01-01

The Autonomous Landing and Hazard Avoidance Technology (ALHAT) Project is developing a system for safe and precise manned lunar landing that involves novel sensors, but also specific algorithms. ALHAT has selected imaging LIDAR (light detection and ranging) as the sensing modality for onboard hazard detection because imaging LIDARs can rapidly generate direct measurements of the lunar surface elevation from high altitude. Then, starting with the LIDAR-based Hazard Detection and Avoidance (HDA) algorithm developed for Mars Landing, JPL has developed a mature set of HDA software for the manned lunar landing problem. Landing hazards exist everywhere on the Moon, and many of the more desirable landing sites are near the most hazardous terrain, so HDA is needed to autonomously and safely land payloads over much of the lunar surface. The HDA requirements used in the ALHAT project are to detect hazards that are 0.3 m tall or higher and slopes that are 5 or greater. Steep slopes, rocks, cliffs, and gullies are all hazards for landing and, by computing the local slope and roughness in an elevation map, all of these hazards can be detected. The algorithm in this innovation is used to measure slope and roughness hazards. In addition to detecting these hazards, the HDA capability also is able to find a safe landing site free of these hazards for a lunar lander with diameter .15 m over most of the lunar surface. This software includes an implementation of the HDA algorithm, software for generating simulated lunar terrain maps for testing, hazard detection performance analysis tools, and associated documentation. The HDA software has been deployed to Langley Research Center and integrated into the POST II Monte Carlo simulation environment. The high-fidelity Monte Carlo simulations determine the required ground spacing between LIDAR samples (ground sample distances) and the noise on the LIDAR range measurement. This simulation has also been used to determine the effect of

Corrosion of inconel in high-temperature borosilicate glass melts containing simulant nuclear waste

Science.gov (United States)

Mao, Xianhe; Yuan, Xiaoning; Brigden, Clive T.; Tao, Jun; Hyatt, Neil C.; Miekina, Michal

2017-10-01

The corrosion behaviors of Inconel 601 in the borosilicate glass (MW glass) containing 25 wt.% of simulant Magnox waste, and in ZnO, Mn2O3 and Fe2O3 modified Mg/Ca borosilicate glasses (MZMF and CZMF glasses) containing 15 wt.% of simulant POCO waste, were evaluated by dimensional changes, the formation of internal defects and changes in alloy composition near corrosion surfaces. In all three kinds of glass melts, Cr at the inconel surface forms a protective Cr2O3 scale between the metal surface and the glass, and alumina precipitates penetrate from the metal surface or formed in-situ. The corrosion depths of inconel 601 in MW waste glass melt are greater than those in the other two glass melts. In MW glass, the Cr2O3 layer between inconel and glass is fragmented because of the reaction between MgO and Cr2O3, which forms the crystal phase MgCr2O4. In MZMF and CZMF waste glasses the layers are continuous and a thin (Zn, Fe, Ni, B)-containing layer forms on the surface of the chromium oxide layer and prevents Cr2O3 from reacting with MgO or other constituents. MgCr2O4 was observed in the XRD analysis of the bulk MW waste glass after the corrosion test, and ZrSiO4 in the MZMF waste glass, and ZrSiO4 and CaMoO4 in the CZMF waste glass.

Structure of Cu64.5Zr35.5 metallic glass by reverse Monte Carlo simulations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fang, X. W.; Huang, Li; Wang, C. Z.; Ho, K. M.; Ding, Z. J.

2014-01-01

Reverse Monte Carlo simulations (RMC) have been widely used to generate three dimensional (3D) atomistic models for glass systems. To examine the reliability of the method for metallic glass, we use RMC to predict the atomic configurations of a “known” structure from molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, and then compare the structure obtained from the RMC with the target structure from MD. We show that when the structure factors and partial pair correlation functions from the MD simulations are used as inputs for RMC simulations, the 3D atomistic structure of the glass obtained from the RMC gives the short- and medium-range order in good agreement with those from the target structure by the MD simulation. These results suggest that 3D atomistic structure model of the metallic glass alloys can be reasonably well reproduced by RMC method with a proper choice of input constraints

Endogenous Lunar Volatiles: Insights into the Abundances of Volatiles in the Moon from Lunar Apatite

Science.gov (United States)

McCubbin, Francis

2016-01-01

At the time of publication of New Views of the Moon, it was thought that the Moon was bone dry with less than about 1 ppb H2O. However in 2007, initial reports at the 38th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference speculated that H-species were present in both apatites and pyroclastic volcanic lunar glasses. These early reports were later confirmed through peer-review, which motivated many subsequent studies on magmatic volatiles in and on the Moon within the last decade. Some of these studies have cast into question the post-Apollo view of lunar formation, the distribution and sources of volatiles in the Earth-Moon system, and the thermal and magmatic evolution of the Moon. The mineral apatite has been one of the pillars of this new field of study, and it will be the primary focus of this abstract. Although apatite has been used both to understand the abundances of volatiles in lunar systems as well as the isotopic compositions of those volatiles, the focus here will be on the abundances of F, Cl, and H2O. This work demonstrates the utility of apatite in advancing our understanding of lunar volatiles, hence apatite should be among the topics covered in the endogenous lunar volatile chapter in NVM II. Truncated ternary plot of apatite X-site occupancy (mol%) from highlands apatite and mare basalt apatite plotted on the relative volatile abundance diagram from. The solid black lines delineate fields of relative abundances of F, Cl, and H2O (on a weight basis) in the melt from which the apatite crystallized. The diagram was constructed using available apatite/melt partitioning data for fluorine, chlorine, and hydroxyl.

Lunar Navigation Architecture Design Considerations

Science.gov (United States)

D'Souza, Christopher; Getchius, Joel; Holt, Greg; Moreau, Michael

2009-01-01

The NASA Constellation Program is aiming to establish a long-term presence on the lunar surface. The Constellation elements (Orion, Altair, Earth Departure Stage, and Ares launch vehicles) will require a lunar navigation architecture for navigation state updates during lunar-class missions. Orion in particular has baselined earth-based ground direct tracking as the primary source for much of its absolute navigation needs. However, due to the uncertainty in the lunar navigation architecture, the Orion program has had to make certain assumptions on the capabilities of such architectures in order to adequately scale the vehicle design trade space. The following paper outlines lunar navigation requirements, the Orion program assumptions, and the impacts of these assumptions to the lunar navigation architecture design. The selection of potential sites was based upon geometric baselines, logistical feasibility, redundancy, and abort support capability. Simulated navigation covariances mapped to entry interface flightpath- angle uncertainties were used to evaluate knowledge errors. A minimum ground station architecture was identified consisting of Goldstone, Madrid, Canberra, Santiago, Hartebeeshoek, Dongora, Hawaii, Guam, and Ascension Island (or the geometric equivalent).

Electrical resistivities of glass melts containing simulated SRP waste sludges

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wiley, J.R.

1978-08-01

One option for the long-term management of radioactive waste at the Savannah River Plant is to solidify the waste in borosilicate glass by using a continuous, joule-heated, ceramic melter. Electrical resistivities that are needed for melter design were measured for melts of two borosilicate, glass-forming mixtures, each of which was combined with various amounts of several simulated-waste sludges. The simulated sludge spanned the composition range of actual sludges sampled from SRP waste tanks. Resistivities ranged from 6 to 10 ohm-cm at 500 0 C. Melt composition and temperature were correlated with resistivity. Resistivity was not a simple function of viscosity. 15 figures, 4 tables

The preferred walk to run transition speed in actual lunar gravity.

Science.gov (United States)

De Witt, John K; Edwards, W Brent; Scott-Pandorf, Melissa M; Norcross, Jason R; Gernhardt, Michael L

2014-09-15

Quantifying the preferred transition speed (PTS) from walking to running has provided insight into the underlying mechanics of locomotion. The dynamic similarity hypothesis suggests that the PTS should occur at the same Froude number across gravitational environments. In normal Earth gravity, the PTS occurs at a Froude number of 0.5 in adult humans, but previous reports found the PTS occurred at Froude numbers greater than 0.5 in simulated lunar gravity. Our purpose was to (1) determine the Froude number at the PTS in actual lunar gravity during parabolic flight and (2) compare it with the Froude number at the PTS in simulated lunar gravity during overhead suspension. We observed that Froude numbers at the PTS in actual lunar gravity (1.39±0.45) and simulated lunar gravity (1.11±0.26) were much greater than 0.5. Froude numbers at the PTS above 1.0 suggest that the use of the inverted pendulum model may not necessarily be valid in actual lunar gravity and that earlier findings in simulated reduced gravity are more accurate than previously thought. © 2014. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

Thermal phase stability of some simulated Defense waste glasses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

May, R.P.

1981-04-01

Three simulated defense waste glass compositions developed by Savannah River Laboratories were studied to determine viscosity and compositional effects on the comparative thermal phase stabilities of these glasses. The glass compositions are similar except that the 411 glasses are high in lithium and low in sodium compared to the 211 glass, and the T glasses are high in iron and low in aluminum compared to the C glass. Specimens of these glasses were heat treated using isothermal anneals as short as 10 min and up to 15 days over the temperature range of 450 0 C to 1100 0 C. Additionally, a specimen of each glass was cooled at a constant cooling rate of 7 0 C/hour from an 1100 0 C melt down to 500 0 C where it was removed from the furnace. The following were observed. The slow cooling rate of 7 0 C/hour is possible as a canister centerline cooling rate for large canisters. Accordingly, it is important to note that a short range diffusion mechanism like cooperative growth phenomena can result in extensive devitrification at lower temperatures and higher yields than a long-range diffusion mechanism can; and can do it without the growth of large crystals that can fracture the glass. Refractory oxides like CeO 2 and (Ni, Mn, Fe) 2 O 4 form very rapidly at higher temperatures than silicates and significant yields can be obtained at sufficiently high temperatures that settling of these dense phases becomes a major microstructural feature during slow cooling of some glasses. These annealing studies further show that below 500 0 C there is but little devitrification occurring implying that glass canisters stored at 300 0 C may be kinetically stable despite not being thermodynamically so

Thermal phase stability of some simulated Defense waste glasses

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

May, R.P.

1981-04-01

Three simulated defense waste glass compositions developed by Savannah River Laboratories were studied to determine viscosity and compositional effects on the comparative thermal phase stabilities of these glasses. The glass compositions are similar except that the 411 glasses are high in lithium and low in sodium compared to the 211 glass, and the T glasses are high in iron and low in aluminum compared to the C glass. Specimens of these glasses were heat treated using isothermal anneals as short as 10 min and up to 15 days over the temperature range of 450/sup 0/C to 1100/sup 0/C. Additionally, a specimen of each glass was cooled at a constant cooling rate of 7/sup 0/C/hour from an 1100/sup 0/C melt down to 500/sup 0/C where it was removed from the furnace. The following were observed. The slow cooling rate of 7/sup 0/C/hour is possible as a canister centerline cooling rate for large canisters. Accordingly, it is important to note that a short range diffusion mechanism like cooperative growth phenomena can result in extensive devitrification at lower temperatures and higher yields than a long-range diffusion mechanism can; and can do it without the growth of large crystals that can fracture the glass. Refractory oxides like CeO/sub 2/ and (Ni, Mn, Fe)/sub 2/O/sub 4/ form very rapidly at higher temperatures than silicates and significant yields can be obtained at sufficiently high temperatures that settling of these dense phases becomes a major microstructural feature during slow cooling of some glasses. These annealing studies further show that below 500/sup 0/C there is but little devitrification occurring implying that glass canisters stored at 300/sup 0/C may be kinetically stable despite not being thermodynamically so.

Testing of Large-Scale ICV Glasses with Hanford LAW Simulant

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hrma, Pavel R.; Kim, Dong-Sang; Vienna, John D.; Matyas, Josef; Smith, Donald E.; Schweiger, Michael J.; Yeager, John D.

2005-03-01

Preliminary glass compositions for immobilizing Hanford low-activity waste (LAW) by the in-container vitrification (ICV) process were initially fabricated at crucible- and engineering-scale, including simulants and actual (radioactive) LAW. Glasses were characterized for vapor hydration test (VHT) and product consistency test (PCT) responses and crystallinity (both quenched and slow-cooled samples). Selected glasses were tested for toxicity characteristic leach procedure (TCLP) responses, viscosity, and electrical conductivity. This testing showed that glasses with LAW loading of 20 mass% can be made readily and meet all product constraints by a far margin. Glasses with over 22 mass% Na2O can be made to meet all other product quality and process constraints. Large-scale testing was performed at the AMEC, Geomelt Division facility in Richland. Three tests were conducted using simulated LAW with increasing loadings of 12, 17, and 20 mass% Na2O. Glass samples were taken from the test products in a manner to represent the full expected range of product performance. These samples were characterized for composition, density, crystalline and non-crystalline phase assemblage, and durability using the VHT, PCT, and TCLP tests. The results, presented in this report, show that the AMEC ICV product with meets all waste form requirements with a large margin. These results provide strong evidence that the Hanford LAW can be successfully vitrified by the ICV technology and can meet all the constraints related to product quality. The economic feasibility of the ICV technology can be further enhanced by subsequent optimization.

Structure and properties of sodium aluminosilicate glasses from molecular dynamics simulations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Xiang, Ye; Du, Jincheng; Smedskjær, Morten Mattrup

2013-01-01

the recent Corning® Gorilla® Glass. In this paper, the structures of sodium aluminosilicate glasses with a wide range of Al/Na ratios (from 1.5 to 0.6) have been studied using classical molecular dynamics simulations in a system containing around 3000 atoms, with the aim to understand the structural role...

High-Fidelity Lunar Dust Simulant, Phase II

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The severity of the lunar dust problems encountered during the Apollo missions were consistently underestimated by ground tests, illustrating the need to develop...

High-Fidelity Lunar Dust Simulant, Phase I

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The severity of the lunar dust problems encountered during the Apollo missions were consistently underestimated by ground tests, illustrating the need to develop...

Experimental Study of Lunar and SNC Magmas

Science.gov (United States)

Rutherford, Malcolm J.

1998-01-01

The research described in this progress report involved the study of petrological, geochemical and volcanic processes that occur on the Moon and the SNC parent body, generally accepted to be Mars. The link between these studies is that they focus on two terrestrial-type parent bodies somewhat smaller than earth, and the fact that they focus on the role of volatiles in magmatic processes and on processes of magma evolution on these planets. The work on the lunar volcanic glasses has resulted in some exciting new discoveries over the years of this grant. We discovered small metal blebs initially in the Al5 green glass, and determined the significant importance of this metal in fixing the oxidation state of the parent magma (Fogel and Rutherford, 1995). More recently, we discovered a variety of metal blebs in the Al7 orange glass. Some of these Fe-Ni metal blebs were in the glass; others were in olivine phenocrysts. The importance of these metal spheres is that they fix the oxidation state of the parent magma during the eruption, and also indicate changes during the eruption (Weitz et al., 1997) They also yield important information about the composition of the gas phase present, the gas which drove the lunar fire-fountaining. One of the more exciting and controversial findings in our research over the past year has been the possible fractionation of H from D during shock (experimental) of hornblende bearing samples (Minitti et al., 1997). This research is directed at explaining some of the low H2O and high D/H observed in hydrous phases in the SNC meteorites.

Beneficiation of Stillwater Complex Rock for the Production of Lunar Simulants

Science.gov (United States)

Rickman, D. L.; Young, C.; Stoeser, D.; Edmunson, J.

2014-01-01

The availability of pure, high calcium plagioclase would be a significant asset in any attempt to manufacture high-quality lunar simulants. A suitable plagioclase product can be obtained from materials obtained from the Stillwater Complex of Montana. The access, geology, petrology, and mineralogy of the relevant rocks and the mill tailings are described here. This study demonstrates successful plagioclase recovery from mill tailings produced by the Stillwater Mine Company. Hydrogen peroxide was used to remove carboxymethyl cellulose from the tailing. The characteristics of the plagioclase products are shown and locked grains are identified as a limit to achievable purity. Based on the experimental results, flowsheets were developed showing how these resources could be processed and made into 'separates' of (1) high calcium plagioclase and (2) orthopyroxene/clinopyroxene with the thought that they would be combined later to make simulant.

Water leaching of borosilicate glasses: experiments, modeling and Monte Carlo simulations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ledieu, A.

2004-10-01

This work is concerned with the corrosion of borosilicate glasses with variable oxide contents. The originality of this study is the complementary use of experiments and numerical simulations. This study is expected to contribute to a better understanding of the corrosion of nuclear waste confinement glasses. First, the corrosion of glasses containing only silicon, boron and sodium oxides has been studied. The kinetics of leaching show that the rate of leaching and the final degree of corrosion sharply depend on the boron content through a percolation mechanism. For some glass contents and some conditions of leaching, the layer which appears at the glass surface stops the release of soluble species (boron and sodium). This altered layer (also called the gel layer) has been characterized with nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) techniques. Second, additional elements have been included in the glass composition. It appears that calcium, zirconium or aluminum oxides strongly modify the final degree of corrosion so that the percolation properties of the boron sub-network is no more a sufficient explanation to account for the behavior of these glasses. Meanwhile, we have developed a theoretical model, based on the dissolution and the reprecipitation of the silicon. Kinetic Monte Carlo simulations have been used in order to test several concepts such as the boron percolation, the local reactivity of weakly soluble elements and the restructuring of the gel layer. This model has been fully validated by comparison with the results on the three oxide glasses. Then, it has been used as a comprehensive tool to investigate the paradoxical behavior of the aluminum and zirconium glasses: although these elements slow down the corrosion kinetics, they lead to a deeper final degree of corrosion. The main contribution of this work is that the final degree of corrosion of borosilicate glasses results from the competition of two opposite mechanisms

Aqueous corrosion of borosilicate glasses: experiments, modeling and Monte-Carlo simulations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ledieu, A.

2004-10-01

This work is concerned with the corrosion of borosilicate glasses with variable oxide contents. The originality of this study is the complementary use of experiments and numerical simulations. This study is expected to contribute to a better understanding of the corrosion of nuclear waste confinement glasses. First, the corrosion of glasses containing only silicon, boron and sodium oxides has been studied. The kinetics of leaching show that the rate of leaching and the final degree of corrosion sharply depend on the boron content through a percolation mechanism. For some glass contents and some conditions of leaching, the layer which appears at the glass surface stops the release of soluble species (boron and sodium). This altered layer (also called the gel layer) has been characterized with nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) techniques. Second, additional elements have been included in the glass composition. It appears that calcium, zirconium or aluminum oxides strongly modify the final degree of corrosion so that the percolation properties of the boron sub-network is no more a sufficient explanation to account for the behavior of these glasses. Meanwhile, we have developed a theoretical model, based on the dissolution and the reprecipitation of the silicon. Kinetic Monte Carlo simulations have been used in order to test several concepts such as the boron percolation, the local reactivity of weakly soluble elements and the restructuring of the gel layer. This model has been fully validated by comparison with the results on the three oxide glasses. Then, it has been used as a comprehensive tool to investigate the paradoxical behavior of the aluminum and zirconium glasses: although these elements slow down the corrosion kinetics, they lead to a deeper final degree of corrosion. The main contribution of this work is that the final degree of corrosion of borosilicate glasses results from the competition of two opposite mechanisms

Chemical durability of lead borosilicate glass matrix under simulated geological conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yalmali, Vrunda S.; Deshingkar, D.S.; Wattal, P.K.

2002-03-01

The lead borosilicate glass has been developed for vitrification of High Level Waste (HLW) stored at Trombay. This waste is contains especially high contents of sodium, uranium sulphate and iron. The glasses containing HLW are to be ultimately disposed into deep geological repositories. Long term leach rates under simulated geological conditions need to be evaluated for glass matrix. Studies were taken up to estimate the lead borosilicate glass WTR-62 matrix for chemical durability in presence of synthetic ground water. The leachant selected was based on composition of ground water sample near proposed repository site. In the first phase of these tests, the experiments were conducted for short duration of one and half month. The leaching experiments were conducted in presence of a) distilled water b) synthetic ground water c) synthetic ground water containing granite, bentonite and ferric oxide and d) synthetic ground water containing humic acid at 100 0 C. The leachate samples were analysed by pHmetry , ion chromatography and UV -VIS spectrophotometry. The normalised leach rates for lead borosilicate WTR- 62 glass matrix based on silica, boron and sulphate analyses of leachates were of the order of 10 -3 to 10 -5 gms/cm 2 /day for 45 days test period in presence of synthetic ground water as well as in presence of other materials likely to be present along with synthetic ground water. These rates are comparable to those of sodium borsilicate glass matrices reported in literature. It is known that the leach rates of glass matrix decrease with longer test durations due to formation of leached layer on its surface. The observed leach rates of lead borosilicate WTR- 62 glass matrix for 45 day tests under simulated geological conditions were found to be sufficiently encouraging to take up long term tests for evaluating its performances under repository conditions. (author)

Morphologies of CaMoO sub 4 crystals in simulated nuclear waste disposal glass

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, D.; Sengers, E.G.F.; Janssen, F.J.J.G. (KEMA, Arnhem (Netherlands). Chemical Technology and Material Research Dept.); Waal, H. de (TPO-TNO Glass Technology, Eindhoven (Netherlands))

1992-07-01

Fission products can diffuse through nuclear waste disposal glass due to the action of the temperature gradient caused by radioactive decay and the small thermal conductivity of the glass. Diffusion may eventually lead to crystallization. Because the densities of the products of glass crystallization may differ from that of the parent glass, crystallization causes stresses to develop, which can lead to fracture and exposure of increased surface area to environmental attack. Several kinds of crystals including, CaMoO{sub 4}, in the simulated nuclear waste disposal glass K{sub 3}, which consists of Na{sub 2}O, B{sub 2}O{sub 3}, SiO{sub 2} and other oxides, were identified previously after heat treatment. Recently it was found that CaMoO{sub 4} crystals have two kinds of morphologies in glass K{sub 3} heat-treated at temperatures between 870 and 1120 K. One kind of morphology, which is rather special, has not previously been reported. In this letter the morphologies of CaMoO{sub 4} crystals in this simulated nuclear waste disposal glass are discussed. (author).

Optimal Lunar Landing Trajectory Design for Hybrid Engine

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dong-Hyun Cho

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The lunar landing stage is usually divided into two parts: deorbit burn and powered descent phases. The optimal lunar landing problem is likely to be transformed to the trajectory design problem on the powered descent phase by using continuous thrusters. The optimal lunar landing trajectories in general have variety in shape, and the lunar lander frequently increases its altitude at the initial time to obtain enough time to reduce the horizontal velocity. Due to the increment in the altitude, the lunar lander requires more fuel for lunar landing missions. In this work, a hybrid engine for the lunar landing mission is introduced, and an optimal lunar landing strategy for the hybrid engine is suggested. For this approach, it is assumed that the lunar lander retrofired the impulsive thruster to reduce the horizontal velocity rapidly at the initiated time on the powered descent phase. Then, the lunar lander reduced the total velocity and altitude for the lunar landing by using the continuous thruster. In contradistinction to other formal optimal lunar landing problems, the initial horizontal velocity and mass are not fixed at the start time. The initial free optimal control theory is applied, and the optimal initial value and lunar landing trajectory are obtained by simulation studies.

Water Content of Lunar Alkali Fedlspar

Science.gov (United States)

Mills, R. D.; Simon, J. I.; Wang, J.; Alexander, C. M. O'D.; Hauri, E. H.

2016-01-01

Detection of indigenous hydrogen in a diversity of lunar materials, including volcanic glass, melt inclusions, apatite, and plagioclase suggests water may have played a role in the chemical differentiation of the Moon. Spectroscopic data from the Moon indicate a positive correlation between water and Th. Modeling of lunar magma ocean crystallization predicts a similar chemical differentiation with the highest levels of water in the K- and Th-rich melt residuum of the magma ocean (i.e. urKREEP). Until now, the only sample-based estimates of water content of KREEP-rich magmas come from measurements of OH, F, and Cl in lunar apatites, which suggest a water concentration of alkali feldspar, a common mineral in K-enriched rocks, can have approx. 20 ppm of water, which implies magmatic water contents of approx. 1 wt % in the high-silica magmas. This estimate is 2 to 3 orders of magnitude higher than that estimated from apatite in similar rocks. However, the Cl and F contents of apatite in chemically similar rocks suggest that these melts also had high Cl/F ratios, which leads to spuriously low water estimates from the apatite. We can only estimate the minimum water content of urKREEP (+ bulk Moon) from our alkali feldspar data because of the unknown amount of degassing that led to the formation of the granites. Assuming a reasonable 10 to 100 times enrichment of water from urKREEP into the granites produces an estimate of 100-1000 ppm of water for the urKREEP reservoir. Using the modeling of and the 100-1000 ppm of water in urKREEP suggests a minimum bulk silicate Moon water content between 2 and 20 ppm. However, hydrogen loss was likely very significant in the evolution of the lunar mantle. Conclusions: Lunar granites crystallized between 4.3-3.8 Ga from relatively wet melts that degassed upon crystallization. The formation of these granites likely removed significant amounts of water from some mantle source regions, e.g. later mare basalts predicting derivation from a

Unique properties associated with normal martensitic transition and strain glass transition – A simulation study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Dong; Ni, Yan; Gao, Jinghui; Zhang, Zhen; Ren, Xiaobing; Wang, Yunzhi

2013-01-01

Highlights: ► We model the unique properties of strain glass which is different from that of normal martensite. ► We describe the importance of point defects in the formation of strain glass and related properties. ► The role of point defect can be attributed to global transition temperature effect (GTTE) and local field effect (LFE). -- Abstract: The transition behavior and unique properties associated with normal martensitic transition and strain glass transition are investigated by computer simulations using the phase field method. The simulations are based on a physical model that assumes that point defects alter the thermodynamic stability of martensite and create local lattice distortion. The simulation results show that strain glass transition exhibits different properties from those found in normal martensitic transformations. These unique properties include diffuse scattering pattern, “smear” elastic modulus peak, disappearance of heat flow peak and non-ergodicity. These simulation predictions agree well with the experimental observations

Sodalite as a vehicle to increase Re retention in waste glass simulant during vitrification

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Luksic, Steven A., E-mail: steven.luksic@pnnl.gov; Riley, Brian J.; Parker, Kent E.; Hrma, Pavel

2016-10-15

Technetium (Tc) retention during Hanford waste vitrification can be increased if the volatility can be controlled. Incorporating Tc into a thermally stable mineral phase, such as sodalite, is one way to achieve increased retention. Here, rhenium (Re)-bearing sodalite was tested as a vehicle to transport perrhenate (ReO{sub 4}{sup −}), a nonradioactive surrogate for pertechnetate (TcO{sub 4}{sup −}), into high-level (HLW) and low-activity waste (LAW) glass simulants. After melting HLW and LAW simulant feeds, the retention of Re in the glass was measured and compared with the Re retention in glass prepared from a feed containing Re{sub 2}O{sub 7}. Phase analysis of sodalite in both these glasses across a profile of temperatures describes the durability of Re-sodalite during the feed-to-glass transition. The use of Re sodalite improved the Re retention by 21% for HLW glass and 85% for LAW glass, demonstrating the potential improvement in Tc-retention if TcO{sub 4}{sup −} were to be encapsulated in a Tc-sodalite prior to vitrification. - Highlights: • Re retention is improved by incorporation into sodalite structure. • LAW-type glass shows lower retention but larger improvement with Re-sodalite. • Sodalite is stable to higher temperatures in high-alumina glass melts.

Atomistic simulations of TeO₂-based glasses: interatomic potentials and molecular dynamics.

Science.gov (United States)

Gulenko, Anastasia; Masson, Olivier; Berghout, Abid; Hamani, David; Thomas, Philippe

2014-07-21

In this work we present for the first time empirical interatomic potentials that are able to reproduce TeO2-based systems. Using these potentials in classical molecular dynamics simulations, we obtained first results for the pure TeO2 glass structure model. The calculated pair distribution function is in good agreement with the experimental one, which indicates a realistic glass structure model. We investigated the short- and medium-range TeO2 glass structures. The local environment of the Te atom strongly varies, so that the glass structure model has a broad Q polyhedral distribution. The glass network is described as weakly connected with a large number of terminal oxygen atoms.

In-situ rock melting applied to lunar base construction and for exploration drilling and coring on the moon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rowley, J.C.; Neudecker, J.W.

1984-01-01

An excavation technology based upon melting of rock and soil has been extensively developed at the prototype hardware and conceptual design levels for terrestrial conditions. Laboratory and field tests of rock-melting penetration have conclusively indicated that this excavation method is insensitive to rock, soil types, and conditions. Especially significant is the ability to form in-place glass linings or casings on the walls of boreholes, tunnels, and shafts. These factors indicate the unique potential for in situ construction of primary lunar base facilities. Drilling and coring equipment for resource exploration on the moon can also be devised that are largely automated and remotely operated. It is also very likely that lunar melt-glasses will have changed mechanical properties when formed in anhydrous and hard vacuum conditions. Rock melting experiments and prototype hardware designs for lunar rock-melting excavation applications are suggested

Operating Range for High Temperature Borosilicate Waste Glasses: (Simulated Hanford Enveloped)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mohammad, J.; Ramsey, W. G.; Toghiani, R. K.

2003-01-01

The following results are a part of an independent thesis study conducted at Diagnostic Instrumentation and Analysis Laboratory-Mississippi State University. A series of small-scale borosilicate glass melts from high-level waste simulant were produced with waste loadings ranging from 20% to 55% (by mass). Crushed glass was allowed to react in an aqueous environment under static conditions for 7 days. The data obtained from the chemical analysis of the leachate solutions were used to test the durability of the resulting glasses. Studies were performed to determine the qualitative effects of increasing the B2O3 content on the overall waste glass leaching behavior. Structural changes in a glass arising due to B2O3 were detected indirectly by its chemical durability, which is a strong function of composition and structure. Modeling was performed to predict glass durability quantitatively in an aqueous environment as a direct function of oxide composition

The behaviour of selected yttrium containing bioactive glass microspheres in simulated body environments.

Science.gov (United States)

Cacaina, D; Ylänen, H; Simon, S; Hupa, M

2008-03-01

The study aims at the manufacture and investigation of biodegradable glass microspheres incorporated with yttrium potentially useful for radionuclide therapy of cancer. The glass microspheres in the SiO2-Na2O-P2O5-CaO-K2O-MgO system containing yttrium were prepared by conventional melting and flame spheroidization. The behaviour of the yttrium silicate glass microspheres was investigated under in vitro conditions using simulated body fluid (SBF) and Tris buffer solution (TBS), for different periods of time, according to half-life time of the Y-90. The local structure of the glasses and the effect of yttrium on the biodegradability process were evaluated by Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and Back Scattered Electron Imaging of Scanning Electron Microscopy (BEI-SEM) equipped with Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis. UV-VIS spectrometry and Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) was used for analyzing the release behaviour of silica and yttrium in the two used solutions. The results indicate that the addition of yttrium to a bioactive glass increases its structural stability which therefore, induced a different behaviour of the glasses in simulated body environments.

Generalized Software Architecture Applied to the Continuous Lunar Water Separation Process and the Lunar Greenhouse Amplifier

Science.gov (United States)

Perusich, Stephen; Moos, Thomas; Muscatello, Anthony

2011-01-01

This innovation provides the user with autonomous on-screen monitoring, embedded computations, and tabulated output for two new processes. The software was originally written for the Continuous Lunar Water Separation Process (CLWSP), but was found to be general enough to be applicable to the Lunar Greenhouse Amplifier (LGA) as well, with minor alterations. The resultant program should have general applicability to many laboratory processes (see figure). The objective for these programs was to create a software application that would provide both autonomous monitoring and data storage, along with manual manipulation. The software also allows operators the ability to input experimental changes and comments in real time without modifying the code itself. Common process elements, such as thermocouples, pressure transducers, and relative humidity sensors, are easily incorporated into the program in various configurations, along with specialized devices such as photodiode sensors. The goal of the CLWSP research project is to design, build, and test a new method to continuously separate, capture, and quantify water from a gas stream. The application is any In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) process that desires to extract or produce water from lunar or planetary regolith. The present work is aimed at circumventing current problems and ultimately producing a system capable of continuous operation at moderate temperatures that can be scaled over a large capacity range depending on the ISRU process. The goal of the LGA research project is to design, build, and test a new type of greenhouse that could be used on the moon or Mars. The LGA uses super greenhouse gases (SGGs) to absorb long-wavelength radiation, thus creating a highly efficient greenhouse at a future lunar or Mars outpost. Silica-based glass, although highly efficient at trapping heat, is heavy, fragile, and not suitable for space greenhouse applications. Plastics are much lighter and resilient, but are not

Rare Earth Element Partitioning in Lunar Minerals: An Experimental Study

Science.gov (United States)

McIntosh, E. C.; Rapp, J. F.; Draper, D. S.

2016-01-01

The partitioning behavior of rare earth elements (REE) between minerals and melts is widely used to interpret the petrogenesis and geologic context of terrestrial and extra-terrestrial samples. REE are important tools for modelling the evolution of the lunar interior. The ubiquitous negative Eu anomaly in lunar basalts is one of the main lines of evidence to support the lunar magma ocean (LMO) hypothesis, by which the plagioclase-rich lunar highlands were formed as a flotation crust during differentiation of a global-scale magma ocean. The separation of plagioclase from the mafic cumulates is thought to be the source of the Eu depletion, as Eu is very compatible in plagioclase. Lunar basalts and volcanic glasses are commonly depleted in light REEs (LREE), and more enriched in heavy REEs (HREE). However, there is very little experimental data available on REE partitioning between lunar minerals and melts. In order to interpret the source of these distinctive REE patterns, and to model lunar petrogenetic processes, REE partition coefficients (D) between lunar minerals and melts are needed at conditions relevant to lunar processes. New data on D(sub REE) for plagioclase, and pyroxenes are now available, but there is limited available data for olivine/melt D(sub REE), particularly at pressures higher than 1 bar, and in Fe-rich and reduced compositions - all conditions relevant to the lunar mantle. Based on terrestrial data, REE are highly incompatible in olivine (i.e. D much less than 1), however olivine is the predominant mineral in the lunar interior, so it is important to understand whether it is capable of storing even small amounts of REE, and how the REEs might be fractionatied, in order to understand the trace element budget of the lunar interior. This abstract presents results from high-pressure and temperature experiments investigating REE partitioning between olivine and melt in a composition relevant to lunar magmatism.

Experimental Simulations of Lunar Magma Ocean Crystallization: The Plot (But Not the Crust) Thickens

Science.gov (United States)

Draper, D. S.; Rapp, J. F.; Elardo, S. M.; Shearer, C. K., Jr.; Neal, C. R.

2016-01-01

Numerical models of differentiation of a global-scale lunar magma ocean (LMO) have raised as many questions as they have answered. Recent orbital missions and sample studies have provided new context for a large range of lithologies, from the comparatively magnesian "purest anorthosite" reported by to Si-rich domes and spinel-rich clasts with widespread areal distributions. In addition, the GRAIL mission provided strong constraints on lunar crustal density and average thickness. Can this increasingly complex geology be accounted for via the formation and evolution of the LMO? We have in recent years been conducting extensive sets of petrologic experiments designed to fully simulate LMO crystallization, which had not been attempted previously. Here we review the key results from these experiments, which show that LMO differentiation is more complex than initial models suggested. Several important features expected from LMO crystallization models have yet to be reproduced experimentally; combined modelling and experimental work by our group is ongoing.

Lunar Dust Mitigation Screens

Science.gov (United States)

Knutson, Shawn; Holloway, Nancy

being developed in a collaborative effort between Langley Research Center and Kennedy Space Center. The screens typically consist of spiral shaped conductive traces patterned on high dielectric substrates (i.e. glass, quartz, polyimide film, etc.). Two broad categories of substrate materials are being investigated for the screens. One category consists of transparent substrates (i.e. glass, quartz, sapphire, etc.), and the other non-transparent sub-strates (Kapton, polyimide films, metals, etc.). The transparent screens utilize patterns made from indium tin oxide (ITO), a transparent conductive material, on clear substrates while the non-transparent screens use copper patterns on a transluscent or opaque substrates. Further, the screen is coated with a high dielectric polyimide cover layer to protect the screen pattern. One promising cover layer material that is currently being investigated is Langley Research Center-Soluble Imide (LaRC-SI), a NASA LaRC developed polyimide. Lastly, a top-coat of hard, inorganic material is evaporated onto the cover layer for protection from scratches due to abrasive nature of the dust. Of note, several top-coat materials are under investigation and include: aluminum oxide, silicon dioxide, titanium oxide, yttrium oxide, zirconium oxide, and zinc sulfide. The electrostatic dust mitigation screens function when a high voltage (700V or greater) is applied to the screen electrodes, thus creating an electromagnetic wave across the surface of the screen that repels the dust. Lunar dust typically contains a high positive charge; therefore, the screens are charged with a higher positive charge that effectively repels dust from the surface (i.e. like charges repel, unlike charges attract). It is anticipated that full development and maturation of this technology will enable humans to sustain a long term presence on the moon, and other planets where dust may have negative implications.

Viscosity of glasses containing simulated Savannah River Plant waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Plodinec, M.J.

1978-08-01

The viscosity of glass melts containing four simulated sludge types and two frit candidates (Frits 18 and 21) was measured over the temperature range 750 to 1200 0 C. The viscosity of melts made with either frit was reduced by the addition of high iron sludge, unchanged by average sludge, and increased by composite and high aluminum sludge. High aluminium sludge greatly increased the viscosity. Frit 21 (containing 4 wt % Li 2 O substituted for 4 wt % Na 2 O in Frit 18) was clearly better than Frit 18 in terms of its low viscosity. However, further reductions in viscosity are desirable, especially for glasses containing high aluminum sludge. Changing any frit component by 1 wt % did not significantly affect the viscosity of the glasses. Therefore, variability of 1 wt % in any frit component can be tolerated

Plume Impingement to the Lunar Surface: A Challenging Problem for DSMC

Science.gov (United States)

Lumpkin, Forrest; Marichalar, Jermiah; Piplica, Anthony

2007-01-01

The President's Vision for Space Exploration calls for the return of human exploration of the Moon. The plans are ambitious and call for the creation of a lunar outpost. Lunar Landers will therefore be required to land near predeployed hardware, and the dust storm created by the Lunar Lander's plume impingement to the lunar surface presents a hazard. Knowledge of the number density, size distribution, and velocity of the grains in the dust cloud entrained into the flow is needing to develop mitigation strategies. An initial step to acquire such knowledge is simulating the associated plume impingement flow field. The following paper presents results from a loosely coupled continuum flow solver/Direct Simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) technique for simulating the plume impingement of the Apollo Lunar module on the lunar surface. These cases were chosen for initial study to allow for comparison with available Apollo video. The relatively high engine thrust and the desire to simulate interesting cases near touchdown result in flow that is nearly entirely continuum. The DSMC region of the flow field was simulated using NASA's DSMC Analysis Code (DAC) and must begin upstream of the impingement shock for the loosely coupled technique to succeed. It was therefore impossible to achieve mean free path resolution with a reasonable number of molecules (say 100 million) as is shown. In order to mitigate accuracy and performance issues when using such large cells, advanced techniques such as collision limiting and nearest neighbor collisions were employed. The final paper will assess the benefits and shortcomings of such techniques. In addition, the effects of plume orientation, plume altitude, and lunar topography, such as craters, on the flow field, the surface pressure distribution, and the surface shear stress distribution are presented.

Radiation Shielding of Lunar Regolith/Polyethylene Composites and Lunar Regolith/Water Mixtures

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Quincy F.; Gersey, Brad; Wilkins, Richard; Zhou, Jianren

2011-01-01

Space radiation is a complex mixed field of ionizing radiation that can pose hazardous risks to sophisticated electronics and humans. Mission planning for lunar exploration and long duration habitat construction will face tremendous challenges of shielding against various types of space radiation in an attempt to minimize the detrimental effects it may have on materials, electronics, and humans. In late 2009, the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) discovered that water content in lunar regolith found in certain areas on the moon can be up to 5.6 +/-2.8 weight percent (wt%) [A. Colaprete, et. al., Science, Vol. 330, 463 (2010). ]. In this work, shielding studies were performed utilizing ultra high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) and aluminum, both being standard space shielding materials, simulated lunar regolith/ polyethylene composites, and simulated lunar regolith mixed with UHMWPE particles and water. Based on the LCROSS findings, radiation shielding experiments were conducted to test for shielding efficiency of regolith/UHMWPE/water mixtures with various percentages of water to compare relative shielding characteristics of these materials. One set of radiation studies were performed using the proton synchrotron at the Loma Linda Medical University where high energy protons similar to those found on the surface of the moon can be generated. A similar experimental protocol was also used at a high energy spalation neutron source at Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE). These experiments studied the shielding efficiency against secondary neutrons, another major component of space radiation field. In both the proton and neutron studies, shielding efficiency was determined by utilizing a tissue equivalent proportional counter (TEPC) behind various thicknesses of shielding composite panels or mixture materials. Preliminary results from these studies indicated that adding 2 wt% water to regolith particles could increase shielding of

Rock sample brought to earth from the Apollo 12 lunar landing mission

Science.gov (United States)

1969-01-01

A scientist's gloved hand holds one of the numerous rock samples brought back to Earth from the Apollo 12 lunar landing mission. This sample is a highly shattered basaltic rock with a thin black-glass coating on five of its six sides. Glass fills fractures and cements the rock together. The rock appears to have been shattered and thrown out by a meteorite impact explosion and coated with molten rock material before the rock fell to the surface.

Lunar Soil Erosion Physics for Landing Rockets on the Moon

Science.gov (United States)

Clegg, Ryan; Metzger, Philip; Roberson, Luke; Stephen, Huff

2010-03-01

To develop a lunar outpost, we must understand the blowing of soil during launch and landing of the new Altair Lander. For example, the Apollo 12 Lunar Module landed approximately 165 meters from the deactivated Surveyor III spacecraft, scouring its surfaces and creating numerous tiny pits. Based on simulations and video analysis from the Apollo missions, blowing lunar soil particles have velocities up to 2000 m/s at low ejection angles relative to the horizon, reach an apogee higher than the orbiting Command and Service Module, and travel nearly the circumference of the Moon. The low ejection angle and high velocity are concerns for the lunar outpost. As a first step in investigating this concern, we have performed a series of low-velocity impact experiments in a modified sandblasting hood using lunar soil simulant impacted upon various materials that are commonly used in spaceflight hardware. It was seen that considerable damage is inevitable and protective barriers need to be designed.

Computer simulations of rare earth sites in glass: experimental tests and applications to laser materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weber, M.J.

1984-11-01

Computer simulations of the microscopic structure of BeF 2 glasses using molecular dynamics are reviewed and compared with x-ray and neutron diffraction, EXAFS, NMR, and optical measurements. Unique information about the site-to-site variations in the local environments of rare earth ions is obtained using optical selective excitation and laser-induced fluorescence line-narrowing techniques. Applications and limitations of computer simulations to the development of laser glasses and to predictions of other static and dynamic properties of glasses are discussed. 35 references, 2 figures, 2 tables

Kalman filter application to mitigate the errors in the trajectory simulations due to the lunar gravitational model uncertainty

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gonçalves, L D; Rocco, E M; De Moraes, R V; Kuga, H K

2015-01-01

This paper aims to simulate part of the orbital trajectory of Lunar Prospector mission to analyze the relevance of using a Kalman filter to estimate the trajectory. For this study it is considered the disturbance due to the lunar gravitational potential using one of the most recent models, the LP100K model, which is based on spherical harmonics, and considers the maximum degree and order up to the value 100. In order to simplify the expression of the gravitational potential and, consequently, to reduce the computational effort required in the simulation, in some cases, lower values for degree and order are used. Following this aim, it is made an analysis of the inserted error in the simulations when using such values of degree and order to propagate the spacecraft trajectory and control. This analysis was done using the standard deviation that characterizes the uncertainty for each one of the values of the degree and order used in LP100K model for the satellite orbit. With knowledge of the uncertainty of the gravity model adopted, lunar orbital trajectory simulations may be accomplished considering these values of uncertainty. Furthermore, it was also used a Kalman filter, where is considered the sensor's uncertainty that defines the satellite position at each step of the simulation and the uncertainty of the model, by means of the characteristic variance of the truncated gravity model. Thus, this procedure represents an effort to approximate the results obtained using lower values for the degree and order of the spherical harmonics, to the results that would be attained if the maximum accuracy of the model LP100K were adopted. Also a comparison is made between the error in the satellite position in the situation in which the Kalman filter is used and the situation in which the filter is not used. The data for the comparison were obtained from the standard deviation in the velocity increment of the space vehicle. (paper)

Evaluation of Surface Modification as a Lunar Dust Mitigation Strategy for Thermal Control Surfaces

Science.gov (United States)

Gaier, James R.; Waters, Deborah L.; Misconin, Robert M.; Banks, Bruce A.; Crowder, Mark

2011-01-01

Three surface treatments were evaluated for their ability to lower the adhesion between lunar simulant dust and AZ93, AlFEP, and AgFEP thermal control surfaces under simulated lunar conditions. Samples were dusted in situ and exposed to a standardized puff of nitrogen gas. Thermal performance before dusting, after dusting, and after part of the dust was removed by the puff of gas, were compared to perform the assessment. None of the surface treatments was found to significantly affect the adhesion of lunar simulants to AZ93 thermal control paint. Oxygen ion beam texturing also did not lower the adhesion of lunar simulant dust to AlFEP or AgFEP. But a workfunction matching coating and a proprietary Ball Aerospace surface treatment were both found to significantly lower the adhesion of lunar simulants to AlFEP and AgFEP. Based on these results, it is recommended that all these two techniques be further explored as dust mitigation coatings for AlFEP and AgFEP thermal control surfaces.

Effects of system size and cooling rate on the structure and properties of sodium borosilicate glasses from molecular dynamics simulations.

Science.gov (United States)

Deng, Lu; Du, Jincheng

2018-01-14

Borosilicate glasses form an important glass forming system in both glass science and technologies. The structure and property changes of borosilicate glasses as a function of thermal history in terms of cooling rate during glass formation and simulation system sizes used in classical molecular dynamics (MD) simulation were investigated with recently developed composition dependent partial charge potentials. Short and medium range structural features such as boron coordination, Si and B Q n distributions, and ring size distributions were analyzed to elucidate the effects of cooling rate and simulation system size on these structure features and selected glass properties such as glass transition temperature, vibration density of states, and mechanical properties. Neutron structure factors, neutron broadened pair distribution functions, and vibrational density of states were calculated and compared with results from experiments as well as ab initio calculations to validate the structure models. The results clearly indicate that both cooling rate and system size play an important role on the structures of these glasses, mainly by affecting the 3 B and 4 B distributions and consequently properties of the glasses. It was also found that different structure features and properties converge at different sizes or cooling rates; thus convergence tests are needed in simulations of the borosilicate glasses depending on the targeted properties. The results also shed light on the complex thermal history dependence on structure and properties in borosilicate glasses and the protocols in MD simulations of these and other glass materials.

Effects of system size and cooling rate on the structure and properties of sodium borosilicate glasses from molecular dynamics simulations

Science.gov (United States)

Deng, Lu; Du, Jincheng

2018-01-01

Borosilicate glasses form an important glass forming system in both glass science and technologies. The structure and property changes of borosilicate glasses as a function of thermal history in terms of cooling rate during glass formation and simulation system sizes used in classical molecular dynamics (MD) simulation were investigated with recently developed composition dependent partial charge potentials. Short and medium range structural features such as boron coordination, Si and B Qn distributions, and ring size distributions were analyzed to elucidate the effects of cooling rate and simulation system size on these structure features and selected glass properties such as glass transition temperature, vibration density of states, and mechanical properties. Neutron structure factors, neutron broadened pair distribution functions, and vibrational density of states were calculated and compared with results from experiments as well as ab initio calculations to validate the structure models. The results clearly indicate that both cooling rate and system size play an important role on the structures of these glasses, mainly by affecting the 3B and 4B distributions and consequently properties of the glasses. It was also found that different structure features and properties converge at different sizes or cooling rates; thus convergence tests are needed in simulations of the borosilicate glasses depending on the targeted properties. The results also shed light on the complex thermal history dependence on structure and properties in borosilicate glasses and the protocols in MD simulations of these and other glass materials.

MOONLIGHT: A NEW LUNAR LASER RANGING RETROREFLECTOR AND THE LUNAR GEODETIC PRECESSION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Martini

2013-12-01

Full Text Available Since the 1970s Lunar Laser Ranging (LLR to the Apollo Cube Corner Retroreflector (CCR arrays (developed by the University of Maryland, UMD supplied almost all significant tests of General Relativity (Alley et al., 1970; Chang et al., 1971; Bender et al.,1973: possible changes in the gravitational constant, gravitational self-energy, weak equivalence principle, geodetic precession, inverse-square force-law. The LNF group, in fact, has just completed a new measurement of the lunar geodetic precession with Apollo array, with accuracy of 9 × 10−3, comparable to the best measurement to date. LLR has also provided significant information on the composition and origin of the moon. This is the only Apollo experiment still in operation. In the 1970s Apollo LLR arrays contributed a negligible fraction of the ranging error budget. Since the ranging capabilities of ground stations improved by more than two orders of magnitude, now, because of the lunar librations, Apollo CCR arrays dominate the error budget. With the project MoonLIGHT (Moon Laser Instrumentation for General relativity High-accuracy Tests, in 2006 INFN-LNF joined UMD in the development and test of a new-generation LLR payload made by a single, large CCR (100mm diameter unaffected by the effect of librations. With MoonLIGHT CCRs the accuracy of the measurement of the lunar geodetic precession can be improved up to a factor 100 compared to Apollo arrays. From a technological point of view, INFN-LNF built and is operating a new experimental apparatus (Satellite/lunar laser ranging Characterization Facility, SCF and created a new industry-standard test procedure (SCF-Test to characterize and model the detailed thermal behavior and the optical performance of CCRs in accurately laboratory-simulated space conditions, for industrial and scientific applications. Our key experimental innovation is the concurrent measurement and modeling of the optical Far Field Diffraction Pattern (FFDP and the

Strength and compressibility of returned lunar soil.

Science.gov (United States)

Carrier, W. D., III; Bromwell, L. G.; Martin, R. T.

1972-01-01

Two oedometer and three direct shear tests have been performed in vacuum on a 200 g sample of lunar soil from Apollo 12 (12001, 119). The compressibility data have been used to calculate bulk density and shear wave velocity versus depth on the lunar surface. The shear wave velocity was found to increase approximately with the one-fourth power of the depth, and the results suggest that the Apollo 14 Active Seismic Experiment may not have detected the Fra Mauro formation at a depth of 8.5 m, but only naturally consolidated lunar soil. The shear data indicate that the strength of the lunar soil sample is about 65% that of a ground basalt simulant at the same void ratio.

Numerical Simulations of the Lunar Penetrating Radar and Investigations of the Geological Structures of the Lunar Regolith Layer at the Chang’E 3 Landing Site

OpenAIRE

Ding, Chunyu; Su, Yan; Xing, Shuguo; Dai, Shun; Xiao, Yuan; Feng, Jianqing; Liu, Danqing; Li, Chunlai

2017-01-01

In the process of lunar exploration, and specifically when studying lunar surface structure and thickness, the established lunar regolith model is usually a uniform and ideal structural model, which is not well-suited to describe the real structure of the lunar regolith layer. The present study aims to explain the geological structural information contained in the channel 2 LPR (lunar penetrating radar) data. In this paper, the random medium theory and Apollo drilling core data are used to co...

Simulation-Based Multiobjective Optimization of Timber-Glass Residential Buildings in Severe Cold Regions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yunsong Han

2017-12-01

Full Text Available In the current context of increasing energy demand, timber-glass buildings will become a necessary trend in sustainable architecture in the future. Especially in severe cold zones of China, energy consumption and the visual comfort of residential buildings have attracted wide attention, and there are always trade-offs between multiple objectives. This paper aims to propose a simulation-based multiobjective optimization method to improve the daylighting, energy efficiency, and economic performance of timber-glass buildings in severe cold regions. Timber-glass building form variables have been selected as the decision variables, including building width, roof height, south and north window-to-wall ratio (WWR, window height, and orientation. A simulation-based multiobjective optimization model has been developed to optimize these performance objectives simultaneously. The results show that Daylighting Autonomy (DA presents negative correlations with Energy Use Intensity (EUI and total cost. Additionally, with an increase in DA, Useful Daylighting Illuminance (UDI demonstrates a tendency of primary increase and then decrease. Using this optimization model, four building performances have been improved from the initial generation to the final generation, which proves that simulation-based multiobjective optimization is a promising approach to improve the daylighting, energy efficiency, and economic performances of timber-glass buildings in severe cold regions.

Lunar dusty plasma: A result of interaction of the solar wind flux and ultraviolet radiation with the lunar surface

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lisin, E A; Tarakanov, V P; Petrov, O F; Popel, S I

2015-01-01

One of the main problems of future missions to the Moon is associated with lunar dust. Solar wind flux and ultraviolet radiation interact with the lunar surface. As a result, there is a substantial surface change and a near-surface plasma sheath. Dust particles from the lunar regolith, which turned in this plasma because of any mechanical processes, can levitate above the surface, forming dust clouds. In preparing of the space experiments “Luna-Glob” and “Luna-Resource” particle-in-cell calculations of the near-surface plasma sheath parameters are carried out. Here we present some new results of particle-in-cell simulation of the plasma sheath formed near the surface of the moon as a result of interaction of the solar wind and ultraviolet radiation with the lunar surface. The conditions of charging and stable levitation of dust particles in plasma above the lunar surface are also considered. (paper)

Simulation of Cu-Mg metallic glass: Thermodynamics and structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bailey, Nicholas P.; Schioetz, Jakob; Jacobsen, Karsten W.

2004-01-01

We have obtained effective medium theory interatomic potential parameters suitable for studying Cu-Mg metallic glasses. We present thermodynamic and structural results from simulations of such glasses over a range of compositions. We have produced low-temperature configurations by cooling from the melt at as slow a rate as practical, using constant temperature and pressure molecular dynamics. During the cooling process we have carried out thermodynamic analyses based on the temperature dependence of the enthalpy and its derivative, the specific heat, from which the glass transition temperature may be determined. We have also carried out structural analyses using the radial distribution function (RDF) and common neighbor analysis (CNA). Our analysis suggests that the splitting of the second peak, commonly associated with metallic glasses, in fact, has little to do with the glass transition itself, but is simply a consequence of the narrowing of peaks associated with structural features present in the liquid state. In fact, the splitting temperature for the Cu-Cu RDF is well above T g . The CNA also highlights a strong similarity between the structure of the intermetallic alloys and the amorphous alloys of similar composition. We have also investigated the diffusivity in the supercooled regime. Its temperature dependence indicates fragile-liquid behavior, typical of binary metallic glasses. On the other hand, the relatively low specific-heat jump of around 1.5k B /atom indicates apparent strong-liquid behavior, but this can be explained by the width of the transition due to the high cooling rates

Extracting lunar dust parameters from image charge signals produced by the Lunar Dust Experiment

Science.gov (United States)

Stanley, J.; Kempf, S.; Horanyi, M.; Szalay, J.

2015-12-01

The Lunar Dust Experiment (LDEX) onboard the Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) is an impact ionization dust detector used to characterize the lunar dust exosphere generated by the impacts of large interplanetary particles and meteor streams (Horanyi et al., 2015). In addition to the mass and speed of these lofted particles, LDEX is sensitive to their charge. The resulting signatures of impact events therefore provide valuable information about not only the ambient plasma environment, but also the speed vectors of these dust grains. Here, impact events produced from LDEX's calibration at the Dust Accelerator Laboratory are analyzed using an image charge model derived from the electrostatic simulation program, Coulomb. We show that parameters such as dust grain speed, size, charge, and position of entry into LDEX can be recovered and applied to data collected during LADEE's seven-month mission.

Connecting Returned Apollo Soils and Remote Sensing: Application to the Diviner Lunar Radiometer

Science.gov (United States)

Greenhagen, B. T.; DonaldsonHanna, K. L.; Thomas, I. R.; Bowles, N. E.; Allen, Carlton C.; Pieters, C. M.; Paige, D. A.

2014-01-01

The Diviner Lunar Radiometer, onboard NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, has produced the first global, high resolution, thermal infrared observations of an airless body. The Moon, which is the most accessible member of this most abundant class of solar system objects, is also the only body for which we have extraterrestrial samples with known spatial context, returned Apollo samples. Here we present the results of a comprehensive study to reproduce an accurate simulated lunar environment, evaluate the most appropriate sample and measurement conditions, collect thermal infrared spectra of a representative suite of Apollo soils, and correlate them with Diviner observations of the lunar surface. It has been established previously that thermal infrared spectra measured in simulated lunar environment (SLE) are significantly altered from spectra measured under terrestrial or martian conditions. The data presented here were collected at the University of Oxford Simulated Lunar Environment Chamber (SLEC). In SLEC, we simulate the lunar environment by: (1) pumping the chamber to vacuum pressures (less than 10-4 mbar) sufficient to simulate lunar heat transport processes within the sample, (2) cooling the chamber with liquid nitrogen to simulate radiation to the cold space environment, and (3) heating the samples with heaters and lamp to set-up thermal gradients similar to those experienced in the upper hundreds of microns of the lunar surface. We then conducted a comprehensive suite of experiments using different sample preparation and heating conditions on Apollo soils 15071 (maria) and 67701 (highland) and compared the results to Diviner noontime data to select the optimal experimental conditions. This study includes thermal infrared SLE measurements of 10084 (A11 - LM), 12001 (A12 - LM), 14259 (A14 - LM), 15071 (A15 - S1), 15601 (A15 - S9a), 61141 (A16 - S1), 66031 (A16 - S6), 67701 (A16 - S11), and 70181 (A17 - LM). The Diviner dataset includes all six Apollo sites

Designing a Distributed Space Systems Simulation in Accordance with the Simulation Interoperability Standards Organization (SISO)

Science.gov (United States)

Cowen, Benjamin

2011-01-01

Simulations are essential for engineering design. These virtual realities provide characteristic data to scientists and engineers in order to understand the details and complications of the desired mission. A standard development simulation package known as Trick is used in developing a source code to model a component (federate in HLA terms). The runtime executive is integrated into an HLA based distributed simulation. TrickHLA is used to extend a Trick simulation for a federation execution, develop a source code for communication between federates, as well as foster data input and output. The project incorporates international cooperation along with team collaboration. Interactions among federates occur throughout the simulation, thereby relying on simulation interoperability. Communication through the semester went on between participants to figure out how to create this data exchange. The NASA intern team is designing a Lunar Rover federate and a Lunar Shuttle federate. The Lunar Rover federate supports transportation across the lunar surface and is essential for fostering interactions with other federates on the lunar surface (Lunar Shuttle, Lunar Base Supply Depot and Mobile ISRU Plant) as well as transporting materials to the desired locations. The Lunar Shuttle federate transports materials to and from lunar orbit. Materials that it takes to the supply depot include fuel and cargo necessary to continue moon-base operations. This project analyzes modeling and simulation technologies as well as simulation interoperability. Each team from participating universities will work on and engineer their own federate(s) to participate in the SISO Spring 2011 Workshop SIW Smackdown in Boston, Massachusetts. This paper will focus on the Lunar Rover federate.

Astronauts Young and Duke participate in training with Lunar Roving Vehicle

Science.gov (United States)

1972-01-01

Astronauts John W. Young (right) and Charles M. Duke Jr., participate in simulation training with the Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV) during Apollo 16 pre-launch activity at the Kennedy Space Center. All systems on the LRV-2 were activated and checked for trouble-free operation during the simulations. Young is the Apollo 16 commander; and Duke is the lunar module pilot.

Durability of simulated waste glass: effects of pressure and formation of surface layers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wicks, G.G.; Mosley, W.C.; Whitkop, P.G.; Saturday, K.A.

1981-01-01

The leaching behavior of simulated Savannah River Plant (SRP) waste glass was studied at elevated pressures and anticipated storage temperatures. An integrated approach, which combined leachate solution analyses with both bulk and surface studies, was used to study the corrosion process. Compositions of leachates were evaluated by colorimetry and atomic absorption. Used in the bulk and surface analyses were optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, x-ray energy spectroscopy, wide-angle x-ray, diffraction, electron microprobe analysis, infrared reflectance spectroscopy, electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis, and Auger electron spectroscopy. Results from this study show that there is no significant adverse effect of pressure, up to 1500 psi and 90 0 C, on the chemical durability of simulated SPR waste glass leached for one month in deionized water. In addition, the leached glass surface layer was characterized by an adsorbed film rich in minor constituents from the glass. This film remained on the glass surface even after leaching in relatively alkaline solutions at elevated pressures at 90 0 C for one month. The sample surface area to volume of leachant ratios (SA/V) was 10:1 cm -1 and 1:10 cm -1 . The corrosion mechanisms and surface and subsurface layers produced will be discussed along with the potential importance of these results to repository storage

Phase formation during corrosion experiments with two simulated borosilicate nuclear waste glasses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haaker, R.F.

1985-10-01

Corrosion products resulting from the reaction of simulated high-level radioactive waste glasses with various solutions have been identified. At 200degC, in saturated NaCl, a degree of reaction of 10 g C31-3 glass or 2.6 g SON 68 glass per liter of solution was obtained. Analcime, vermiculite (a phyllosilicate) and a 2:1 zinc silicate are the major silica containing alteration products for the C31-3 glass. Analcime was the only silicate alteration product which could be identified for SON 68 glass. C31-3 glass appeared to be less reactive with a quinary brine containing Mg ++ than with NaCl. With the quinary brine, montmorillonite (a phyllosilicate) was the predominant silica containing alteration product. Hydrotalcite (a Mg-Al hydroxysulfate) and montmorillonite were the major Al-containing phases. A phyllosilicate, probably montmorillonite, was observed to form during the reaction of SON 68 glass with quinary brine. With either glass, modified NaCl brines which contained small amounts of MgCl 2 seem to have the effect of decreasing the amount of analcime and increasing the amount of phyllosilicate which is formed. In the case of C31-3 glass, there is approximately enough Mg, Al and Zn to precipitate most of the leached Si; measured Si concentrations remain well below that expected for amorphous silica. SON 68 glass has less Zn, Al and Mg than C31-3 glass and much higher Si concentrations of the leachates. (orig./RB)

Leaching behavior of simulated high-level waste glass

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kamizono, Hiroshi

1987-03-01

The author's work in the study on the leaching behavior of simulated high-level waste (HLW) glass were summarized. The subjects described are (1) leach rates at high temperatures, (2) effects of cracks on leach rates, (3) effects of flow rate on leach rates, and (4) an in-situ burial test in natural groundwater. In the following section, the leach rates obtained by various experiments were summarized and discussed. (author)

NASA Lunar Base Wireless System Propagation Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Hwu, Shian U.; Upanavage, Matthew; Sham, Catherine C.

2007-01-01

There have been many radio wave propagation studies using both experimental and theoretical techniques over the recent years. However, most of studies have been in support of commercial cellular phone wireless applications. The signal frequencies are mostly at the commercial cellular and Personal Communications Service bands. The antenna configurations are mostly one on a high tower and one near the ground to simulate communications between a cellular base station and a mobile unit. There are great interests in wireless communication and sensor systems for NASA lunar missions because of the emerging importance of establishing permanent lunar human exploration bases. Because of the specific lunar terrain geometries and RF frequencies of interest to the NASA missions, much of the published literature for the commercial cellular and PCS bands of 900 and 1800 MHz may not be directly applicable to the lunar base wireless system and environment. There are various communication and sensor configurations required to support all elements of a lunar base. For example, the communications between astronauts, between astronauts and the lunar vehicles, between lunar vehicles and satellites on the lunar orbits. There are also various wireless sensor systems among scientific, experimental sensors and data collection ground stations. This presentation illustrates the propagation analysis of the lunar wireless communication and sensor systems taking into account the three dimensional terrain multipath effects. It is observed that the propagation characteristics are significantly affected by the presence of the lunar terrain. The obtained results indicate the lunar surface material, terrain geometry and antenna location are the important factors affecting the propagation characteristics of the lunar wireless systems. The path loss can be much more severe than the free space propagation and is greatly affected by the antenna height, surface material and operating frequency. The

Modelling of Lunar Dust and Electrical Field for Future Lunar Surface Measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Yunlong

Modelling of the lunar dust and electrical field is important to future human and robotic activities on the surface of the moon. Apollo astronauts had witnessed the maintaining of micron- and millimeter sized moon dust up to meters level while walked on the surface of the moon. The characterizations of the moon dust would enhance not only the scientific understanding of the history of the moon but also the future technology development for the surface operations on the moon. It has been proposed that the maintaining and/or settlement of the small-sized dry dust are related to the size and weight of the dust particles, the level of the surface electrical fields on the moon, and the impaction and interaction between lunar regolith and the solar particles. The moon dust distributions and settlements obviously affected the safety of long term operations of future lunar facilities. For the modelling of the lunar dust and the electrical field, we analyzed the imaging of the legs of the moon lander, the cover and the footwear of the space suits, and the envelope of the lunar mobiles, and estimated the size and charges associated with the small moon dust particles, the gravity and charging effects to them along with the lunar surface environment. We also did numerical simulation of the surface electrical fields due to the impaction of the solar winds in several conditions. The results showed that the maintaining of meters height of the micron size of moon dust is well related to the electrical field and the solar angle variations, as expected. These results could be verified and validated through future on site and/or remote sensing measurements and observations of the moon dust and the surface electrical field.

Discoveries from Revisiting Apollo Direct Active Measurements of Lunar Dust

Science.gov (United States)

O'Brien, Brian

2010-05-01

New missions to the moon being developed by China, Japan, India, USA, Russia and Europe and possibilities of human missions about 2020 face the reality that 6 Apollo expeditions did not totally manage or mitigate effects of easily-mobilised and very "sticky" lunar dust on humans and hardware. Laboratory and theoretical modelling cannot reliably simulate the complex lunar environments that affect dynamical movements of lunar dust. The only direct active measurements of lunar dust during Apollo were made by matchbox-sized minimalist Dust Detector Experiments (DDEs) deployed to transmit some 30 million digital measurements from Apollo 11, 12, 14 and 15. These were misplaced or relatively ignored until 2009, when a self-funded suite of discoveries (O'Brien Geophys. Research Letters FIX 6 May 2099) revealed unexpected properties of lunar dust, such as the adhesive force being stronger as illumination increased. We give the first reports of contrasting effects, contamination or cleansing, from rocket exhausts of Apollo 11, 12, 14 and 15 Lunar Modules leaving the moon. We further strengthen the importance of collateral dust inadvertently splashed on Apollo hardware by human activities. Dust management designs and mission plans require optimum use of such in situ measurements, extended by laboratory simulations and theoretical modelling.

Short- and medium-range order in a Zr73Pt27 glass: Experimental and simulation studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, S.Y.; Wang, C.Z.; Li, M.Z.; Huang, L.; Ott, R.T.; Kramer, M.J.; Sordelet, D.J.; Ho, K.M.

2008-01-01

The structure of a Zr 73 Pt 27 metallic glass, which forms a Zr 5 Pt 3 (Mn 5 Si 3 -type) phase having local atomic clusters with distorted icosahedral coordination during the primary crystallization, has been investigated by means of x-ray diffraction and combining ab initio molecular-dynamics (MD) and reverse Monte Carlo (RMC) simulations. The ab initio MD simulation provides an accurate description of short-range structural and chemical ordering in the glass. A three-dimensional atomistic model of 18?000 atoms for the glass structure has been generated by the RMC method utilizing both the structure factor S(k) from x-ray diffraction experiment and the partial pair-correlation functions from ab initio MD simulation. Honeycutt and Andersen index and Voronoi cell analyses, respectively, were used to characterize the short- and medium-range order in the atomistic structure models generated by ab initio MD and RMC simulations. The ab initio results show that an icosahedral type of short-range order is predominant in the glass state. Furthermore, analysis of the atomic model from the constrained RMC simulations reveals that the icosahedral-like clusters are packed in arrangements having higher-order correlations, thus establishing medium-range topological order up to two or three cluster shells.

Lunar Landing Training vehicle piloted by Neil Armstrong during training

Science.gov (United States)

1969-01-01

A Lunar Landing Training Vehicle, piloted by Astronaut Neil Armstrong, goes through a checkout flight at Ellington Air Force Base on June 16, 1969. The total duration of the lunar simulation flight was five minutes and 59 seconds. Maximum altitude attained was about 300 feet.

Chemical durability of borosilicate glasses containing simulated high-level nuclear wastes, 1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hara, Shigeo; Terai, Ryohei; Yamanaka, Hiroshi

1983-01-01

The Soxhlet-type leaching test apparatus has been developed to evaluate the chemical durability of some borosilicate glasses containing simulated High-Level nuclear Wastes, HLW. After the leaching over the temperature range of 50 0 -95 0 C, the weight loss of specimens with time was determined on both the samples of blocks and grains, and various components dissolved into water were analyzed by atomic absorption and colorimetry technique. It was found that Soxhlet-type test method was more useful than JIS test method, because the specimens in Soxhlet type apparatus were forced always to react with pure water and the mechanism of leaching could be evaluate accurately. The chemical durability of commercial glasses decreases generally with increasing of alkali contents in glasses. In the case of these borosilicate glasses containing HLW, however, the leachability was apparently independent on the alkali contents because of the complexity of these glass compositions. The variation of leaching rate with temperature suggests that dissolution mechanism changes with temperature. (author)

Thorium abundances on the aristarchus plateau: Insights into the composition of the aristarchus pyroclastic glass deposits

Science.gov (United States)

Hagerty, Justin J.; Lawrence, D.J.; Hawke, B.R.; Gaddis, Lisa R.

2009-01-01

Thorium (Th) data from the Lunar Prospector gamma ray spectrometer (LP-GRS) are used to constrain the composition of lunar pyroclastic glass deposits on top of the Aristarchus plateau. Our goal is to use forward modeling of LP-GRS Th data to measure the Th abundances on the plateau and then to determine if the elevated Th abundances on the plateau are associated with the pyroclastic deposits or with thorium-rich ejecta from Aristarchus crater. We use a variety of remote sensing data to show that there is a large, homogenous portion of the pyroclastics on the plateau that has seen little or no contamination from the Th-rich ejecta of Aristarchus crater. Our results show that the uncontaminated pyroclastic glasses on Aristarchus plateau have an average Th content of 6.7 ppm and ???7 wt % TiO2. These Th and Ti values are consistent with Th-rich, intermediate-Ti yellow glasses from the lunar sample suite. On the basis of this information, we use petrologic equations and interelement correlations for the Moon to estimate the composition of the source region from which the Aristarchus glasses were derived. We find that the source region for the Aristarchus glasses contained high abundances of heat-producing elements, which most likely served as a thermal driver for the prolonged volcanic activity in this region of the Moon. Copyright 2009 by the American Geophysical Union.

Alpha spectrum profiling of plutonium in leached simulated high-level radioactive waste-glass

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Diamond, H.; Friedman, A.M.

1981-01-01

Low-geometry X-ray spectra from /sup 239/Pu and /sup 237/Np, incorporated into simulated high-level radioactive waste-glass, were transformed into depth distributions for these elements. Changes in the depth profiles were observed for a series of static leachings in 75/degree/C water. Radiochemical assay of the leach solutions revealed that little neptunium or plutonium was leached, and that the amount leached was independent of leaching time. The depth profiles of the leached specimens showed that there was selective leaching of nonradioactive components of the glass, concentrating the remaining neptunium and plutonium in a broad zone near (but not at) the glass surface. Eventual redeposition of nonradioactive material onto the glass surface inhibited further leaching

Lunar Airborne Dust Toxicity Hazard Assessments (Invited)

Science.gov (United States)

Cooper, B. L.; McKay, D. S.; Taylor, L. A.; Wallace, W. T.; James, J.; Riofrio, L.; Gonzalez, C. P.

2009-12-01

The Lunar Airborne Dust Toxicity Assessment Group (LADTAG) is developing data to set the permissible limits for human exposure to lunar dust. This standard will guide the design of airlocks and ports for EVA, as well as the requirements for filtering and monitoring the atmosphere in habitable vehicles, rovers and other modules. LADTAG’s recommendation for permissible exposure limits will be delivered to the Constellation Program in late 2010. The current worst-case exposure limit of 0.05 mg/m3, estimated by LADTAG in 2006, reflects the concern that lunar dust may be as toxic as quartz dust. Freshly-ground quartz is known to be more toxic than un-ground quartz dust. Our research has shown that the surfaces of lunar soil grains can be more readily activated by grinding than quartz. Activation was measured by the amount of free radicals generated—activated simulants generate Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) i.e., production of hydroxyl free radicals. Of the various influences in the lunar environment, micrometeorite bombardment probably creates the most long-lasting reactivity on the surfaces of grains, although solar wind impingement and short-wavelength UV radiation also contribute. The comminution process creates fractured surfaces with unsatisfied bonds. When these grains are inhaled and carried into the lungs, they will react with lung surfactant and cells, potentially causing tissue damage and disease. Tests on lunar simulants have shown that dissolution and leaching of metals can occur when the grains are exposed to water—the primary component of lung fluid. However, simulants may behave differently than actual lunar soils. Rodent toxicity testing will be done using the respirable fraction of actual lunar soils (particles with physical size of less than 2.5 micrometers). We are currently separating the fine material from the coarser material that comprises >95% of the mass of each soil sample. Dry sieving is not practical in this size range, so a new system

XPS and ion beam scattering studies of leaching in simulated waste glass containing uranium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Karim, D.P.; Pronko, P.P.; Marcuso, T.L.M.; Lam, D.J.; Paulikas, A.P.

1980-01-01

Glass samples (consisting of 2 mole % UO 3 dissolved in a number of complex borosilicate simulated waste glasses including Battelle 76-68) were leached for varying times in distilled water at 75 0 C. The glass surfaces were examined before and after leaching using x-ray photoemission spectroscopy and back-scattered ion beam profiling. Leached samples showed enhanced surface layer concentrations of several elements including uranium, titanium, zinc, iron and rare earths. An experiment involving the leaching of two glasses in the same vessel showed that the uranium surface enhancement is probably not due to redeposition from solution

Formation of polymer micro-agglomerations in ultralow-binder-content composite based on lunar soil simulant

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Tzehan; Chow, Brian J.; Zhong, Ying; Wang, Meng; Kou, Rui; Qiao, Yu

2018-02-01

We report results from an experiment on high-pressure compaction of lunar soil simulant (LSS) mixed with 2-5 wt% polymer binder. The LSS grains can be strongly held together, forming an inorganic-organic monolith (IOM) with the flexural strength around 30-40 MPa. The compaction pressure, the number of loadings, the binder content, and the compaction duration are important factors. The LSS-based IOM remains strong from -200 °C to 130 °C, and is quite gas permeable.

Structural investigation and simulation of acoustic properties of some tellurite glasses using artificial intelligence technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gaafar, M.S.; Abdeen, Mostafa A.M.; Marzouk, S.Y.

2011-01-01

Research highlights: → Simulation the acoustic properties of some tellurite glasses using one of the artificial intelligence techniques (artificial neural network). → The glass network is strengthened by enhancing the linkage of Te-O chains. The tellurite network will also come to homogenization, because of uniform distribution of Nb 5+ ions among the Te-O chains, though some of the tellurium-oxide polyhedra still link each other in edge sharing. → Excellent agreements between the measured values and the predicted values were obtained for over 50 different tellurite glass compositions. → The model we designed gives a better agreement as compared with Makishima and Machenzie model. - Abstract: The developments in the field of industry raise the need for simulating the acoustic properties of glass materials before melting raw material oxides. In this paper, we are trying to simulate the acoustic properties of some tellurite glasses using one of the artificial intelligence techniques (artificial neural network). The artificial neural network (ANN) technique is introduced in the current study to simulate and predict important parameters such as density, longitudinal and shear ultrasonic velocities and elastic moduli (longitudinal and shear moduli). The ANN results were found to be in successful good agreement with those experimentally measured parameters. Then the presented ANN model is used to predict the acoustic properties of some new tellurite glasses. For this purpose, four glass systems xNb 2 O 5 -(1 - x)TeO 2 , 0.1PbO-xNb 2 O 5 -(0.9 - x)TeO 2 , 0.2PbO-xNb 2 O 5 -(0.8 - x)TeO 2 and 0.05Bi 2 O 3 -xNb 2 O 5 -(0.95 - x)TeO 2 were prepared using melt quenching technique. The results of ultrasonic velocities and elastic moduli showed that the addition of Nb 2 O 5 as a network modifier provides oxygen ions to change [TeO 4 ] tbps into [TeO 3 ] tps.

Structural investigation and simulation of acoustic properties of some tellurite glasses using artificial intelligence technique

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gaafar, M.S., E-mail: mohamed_s_gaafar@hotmail.com [Ultrasonic Department, National Institute for Standards, Giza (Egypt); Physics Department, Faculty of Science, Majmaah University, Zulfi (Saudi Arabia); Abdeen, Mostafa A.M., E-mail: mostafa_a_m_abdeen@hotmail.com [Dept. of Eng. Math. and Physics, Faculty of Eng., Cairo University, Giza (Egypt); Marzouk, S.Y., E-mail: samir_marzouk2001@yahoo.com [Arab Academy of Science and Technology, Al-Horria, Heliopolis, Cairo (Egypt)

2011-02-24

Research highlights: > Simulation the acoustic properties of some tellurite glasses using one of the artificial intelligence techniques (artificial neural network). > The glass network is strengthened by enhancing the linkage of Te-O chains. The tellurite network will also come to homogenization, because of uniform distribution of Nb{sup 5+} ions among the Te-O chains, though some of the tellurium-oxide polyhedra still link each other in edge sharing. > Excellent agreements between the measured values and the predicted values were obtained for over 50 different tellurite glass compositions. > The model we designed gives a better agreement as compared with Makishima and Machenzie model. - Abstract: The developments in the field of industry raise the need for simulating the acoustic properties of glass materials before melting raw material oxides. In this paper, we are trying to simulate the acoustic properties of some tellurite glasses using one of the artificial intelligence techniques (artificial neural network). The artificial neural network (ANN) technique is introduced in the current study to simulate and predict important parameters such as density, longitudinal and shear ultrasonic velocities and elastic moduli (longitudinal and shear moduli). The ANN results were found to be in successful good agreement with those experimentally measured parameters. Then the presented ANN model is used to predict the acoustic properties of some new tellurite glasses. For this purpose, four glass systems xNb{sub 2}O{sub 5}-(1 - x)TeO{sub 2}, 0.1PbO-xNb{sub 2}O{sub 5}-(0.9 - x)TeO{sub 2}, 0.2PbO-xNb{sub 2}O{sub 5}-(0.8 - x)TeO{sub 2} and 0.05Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3}-xNb{sub 2}O{sub 5}-(0.95 - x)TeO{sub 2} were prepared using melt quenching technique. The results of ultrasonic velocities and elastic moduli showed that the addition of Nb{sub 2}O{sub 5} as a network modifier provides oxygen ions to change [TeO{sub 4}] tbps into [TeO{sub 3}] tps.

High Level Architecture Distributed Space System Simulation for Simulation Interoperability Standards Organization Simulation Smackdown

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Zuqun

2011-01-01

Modeling and Simulation plays a very important role in mission design. It not only reduces design cost, but also prepares astronauts for their mission tasks. The SISO Smackdown is a simulation event that facilitates modeling and simulation in academia. The scenario of this year s Smackdown was to simulate a lunar base supply mission. The mission objective was to transfer Earth supply cargo to a lunar base supply depot and retrieve He-3 to take back to Earth. Federates for this scenario include the environment federate, Earth-Moon transfer vehicle, lunar shuttle, lunar rover, supply depot, mobile ISRU plant, exploratory hopper, and communication satellite. These federates were built by teams from all around the world, including teams from MIT, JSC, University of Alabama in Huntsville, University of Bordeaux from France, and University of Genoa from Italy. This paper focuses on the lunar shuttle federate, which was programmed by the USRP intern team from NASA JSC. The shuttle was responsible for provide transportation between lunar orbit and the lunar surface. The lunar shuttle federate was built using the NASA standard simulation package called Trick, and it was extended with HLA functions using TrickHLA. HLA functions of the lunar shuttle federate include sending and receiving interaction, publishing and subscribing attributes, and packing and unpacking fixed record data. The dynamics model of the lunar shuttle was modeled with three degrees of freedom, and the state propagation was obeying the law of two body dynamics. The descending trajectory of the lunar shuttle was designed by first defining a unique descending orbit in 2D space, and then defining a unique orbit in 3D space with the assumption of a non-rotating moon. Finally this assumption was taken away to define the initial position of the lunar shuttle so that it will start descending a second after it joins the execution. VPN software from SonicWall was used to connect federates with RTI during testing

FE-SEM, FIB and TEM Study of Surface Deposits of Apollo 15 Green Glass Volcanic Spherules

Science.gov (United States)

Ross, Daniel K.; Thomas-Keprta, K. L.; Rahman, Z.; Wentworth, S. J.; McKay, D. S.

2011-01-01

Surface deposits on lunar pyroclastic green (Apollo 15) and orange (Apollo 17) glass spherules have been attributed to condensation from the gas clouds that accompanied fire-fountain eruptions. The fire fountains cast molten lava high above the lunar surface and the silicate melt droplets quenched before landing producing the glass beads. Early investigations showed that these deposits are rich in sulfur and zinc. The deposits are extremely fine-grained and thin, so that it was never possible to determine their chemical compositions cleanly by SEM/EDX or electron probe x-ray analysis because most of the excited volume was in the under-lying silicate glass. We are investigating the surface deposits by TEM, using focused ion beam (FIB) microscopy to extract and thin the surface deposits. Here we report on chemical mapping of a FIB section of surface deposits of an Apollo green glass bead 15401using the ultra-high resolution JEOL 2500 STEM located at NASA Johnson Space Center.

In situ one-year burial experiments with simulated nuclear waste glasses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hench, L.L.; Spilman, D.; Buonaquisti, T.; Werme, L.

1985-01-01

Two simulated nuclear waste glasses were corroded in an in-situ experiment in the Stripa mine up to one year at 90 degree C and ambient temperature. Changes in compositional in-depth profiles were measured using Fourier transform infrared reflection spectroscopy, SIMS and Rutherford back-scattering. For glass/glass interfaces, both glasses showed depletion of Na, Cs and B, but for the more corrosion resistant glass, the lower depletion is ascribed to the formation of a thin (0.2 nm) coherent and dense outer layer enriched in Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba, Zn-Al and Si, which impedes both ion exchange and network attack of the bulk underneath. For the bentonite interfaces, cation exchange of Ca, Mg, Al and Fe from the bentonite for primarily Na and B is found to produce a glass surface that has three silicate-rich layers. The larger concentrations of M/super2+/ and M/super3+/ cation and the high silica content of the reaction layers result in a considerably retarded rate of ion exchange after the formation of these layers during the first three months of burial. The granite interfaces showed the lowest rate of attack. This appears to be due to a large increase of Fe and Al within the glass surfaces exposed to granite. The results obtained using Rutheford back-scattering confirm the results obtained using the other techniques for surface analysis. Analysis of burial samples cast in steel mini-canisters show no significant effects associated with the steel canister-glass interface. (author)

Improved Lunar and Martian Regolith Simulant Production, Phase I

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — NASA's new exploration initiative created immediate need for materials science and technology research to enable safe human travel and work on future lunar or...

Life Sciences Implications of Lunar Surface Operations

Science.gov (United States)

Chappell, Steven P.; Norcross, Jason R.; Abercromby, Andrew F.; Gernhardt, Michael L.

2010-01-01

The purpose of this report is to document preliminary, predicted, life sciences implications of expected operational concepts for lunar surface extravehicular activity (EVA). Algorithms developed through simulation and testing in lunar analog environments were used to predict crew metabolic rates and ground reaction forces experienced during lunar EVA. Subsequently, the total metabolic energy consumption, the daily bone load stimulus, total oxygen needed, and other variables were calculated and provided to Human Research Program and Exploration Systems Mission Directorate stakeholders. To provide context to the modeling, the report includes an overview of some scenarios that have been considered. Concise descriptions of the analog testing and development of the algorithms are also provided. This document may be updated to remain current with evolving lunar or other planetary surface operations, assumptions and concepts, and to provide additional data and analyses collected during the ongoing analog research program.

Thermal Profile of the Lunar Interior Constrained by Revised Estimates of Concentrations of Heat Producing Elements

Science.gov (United States)

Fuqua-Haviland, H.; Panovska, S.; Mallik, A.; Bremner, P. M.; McDonough, W. F.

2017-12-01

Constraining the heat producing element (HPE) concentrations of the Moon is important for understanding the thermal state of the interior. The lunar HPE budget is debated to be suprachondritic [1] to chondritic [2]. The Moon is differentiated, thus, each reservoir has a distinct HPE signature complicating this effort. The thermal profile of the lunar interior has been constructed using HPE concentrations of an ordinary chondrite (U = 0.0068 ppm; Th = 0.025 ppm; K = 17 ppm) which yields a conservative low estimate [2, 3, 4]. A later study estimated the bulk lunar mantle HPE concentrations (U = 0.039 ppm; Th = 0.15 ppm; K = 212 ppm) based on measurements of Apollo pyroclastic glasses [5] assuming that these glasses represent the least fractionated, near-primary lunar mantle melts, hence, are the best proxies for capturing mantle composition. In this study, we independently validate the revised estimate by using HPE concentrations [5] to construct a conductive lunar thermal profile, or selenotherm. We compare our conductive profile to the range of valid temperatures. We demonstrate the HPE concentrations reported by [5], when used in a simple 1D spherical thermal conduction equation, yield an impossibly hot mantle with temperatures in excess of 4,000 K (Fig 1). This confirms their revised estimate is not representative of the bulk lunar mantle, and perhaps only representative of a locally enriched mantle domain. We believe that their Low-Ti avg. source estimate (Th = 0.055 ppm, Th/U=4; K/U=1700), with the least KREEP assimilation is the closest representation of the bulk lunar mantle, producing 3E-12 W/kg of heat. This estimate is close to that of the Earth (5E-12 W/kg), indicating that the bulk Earth and lunar mantles are similar in their HPE constituents. We have used the lunar mantle heat production, in conjunction with HPE estimates of the Fe-Ti-rich cumulates (high Ti-source estimate from [5]) and measurements of crustal ferroan anorthite [6], to capture the

Simulation of Temperature Field Distribution for Cutting the Temperated Glass by Ultraviolet Laser

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, B. J.; He, Y. C.; Dai, F.; Lin, X. C.

2017-03-01

The finite element software ANSYS was adopted to simulate the temperature field distribution for laser cutting tempered glass, and the influence of different process parameters, including laser power, glass thickness and cutting speed, on temperature field distribution was studied in detail. The results show that the laser power has a greater influence on temperature field distribution than other paremeters, and when the laser power gets to 60W, the highest temperature reaches 749°C, which is higher than the glass softening temperature. It reflects the material near the laser spot is melted and the molten slag is removed by the high-energy water beam quickly. Finally, through the water guided laser cutting tempered glass experiment the FEM theoretical analysis was verified.

[Three-dimensional display simulation of lung surgery using "active shutter glasses"].

Science.gov (United States)

Onuki, Takamasa; Kanzaki, Masato; Sakamoto, Kei; Kikkawa, Takuma; Isaka, Tamami; Shimizu, Toshihide; Oyama, Kunihiro; Murasugi, Masahide

2011-08-01

We have reported preoperative 3-dimensional (3D) simulation of thoracoscopic lung surgery using self-made software and internet shareware of 3D-modeler. Using "active shutter glasses", we have tried the "3D display simulation" of lung surgery. 3D display was more effective to grasp clear 3D interrelation between the bronchii and pulmonary vascular system than those in images of currently in use with the same information volume.

FTIR spectra and properties of iron borophosphate glasses containing simulated nuclear wastes

Science.gov (United States)

Liao, Qilong; Wang, Fu; Chen, Kuiru; Pan, Sheqi; Zhu, Hanzhen; Lu, Mingwei; Qin, Jianfa

2015-07-01

30 wt.% simulated nuclear wastes were successfully immobilized by B2O3-doped iron phosphate base glasses. The structure and thermal stability of the prepared wasteforms were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and differential thermal analysis, respectively. The subtle structural variations attributed to different B2O3 doping modes have been discussed in detail. The results show that the thermal stability and glass forming tendency of the iron borophosphate glass wasteforms are faintly affected by different B2O3 doping modes. The main structural networks of iron borophosphate glass wasteforms are PO43-, P2O74-, [BO4] groups. Furthermore, for the wasteform prepared by using 10B2O3-36Fe2O3-54P2O5 as base glass, the distributions of Fe-O-P bonds, [BO4], PO43- and P2O74- groups are optimal. In general, the dissolution rate (DR) values of the studied iron borophosphate wasteforms are about 10-8 g cm-2 min-1. The obtained conclusions can offer some useful information for the disposal of high-level radioactive wastes using boron contained phosphate glasses.

The extent of the glass transition from molecular simulation revealing an overcrank effect.

Science.gov (United States)

Godey, François; Fleury, Alexandre; Ghoufi, Aziz; Soldera, Armand

2018-02-15

A deep understanding of the transition between rubber and amorphous state characterized by a glass transition temperature, T g , is still a source of discussions. In this work, we highlight the role of molecular simulation in revealing explicitly this temperature dependent behavior. By reporting the specific volume, the thermal expansion coefficient and the heat capacity versus the temperature, we actually show that the glass transition domain extends to a greater range of temperature, compared with experiments. This significant enlargement width is due to the fast cooling rate, and actually explains the difficulty to locate T g . This result is the manifestation of an overcranking effect used by high-speed cameras to reveal slow-motion. Accordingly, atomistic simulation offers the significant opportunity to show that the transition from the rubber state to the glass phase should be detailed in terms of the degrees of freedom freeze. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Structural simulation and ionic conductivity mechanisms in lithium thio-borate based glasses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Estournes, C.

1992-04-01

We propose in this work a structural study of B 2 S 3 -Li 2 S glass system through the use of neutron scattering, X-ray photo-electron spectroscopy and computerized simulation. We have got information on the order at low and short distance range of these glasses. This information has been correlated to changes in physical features like ionic conductivity, density and temperature of the vitreous transition according to their chemical compositions. The knowledge of the local order in the most modified binary glasses has allowed us to propose a model for ionic conduction similar to the model used for ionic crystals. This model has been validated: it yields an activation energy that agrees well with experimental data

Effects of alpha decays on nuclear waste glasses, simulation through atomistic models

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ghaleb, D.; Delaye, J.M.

1997-01-01

In a simplified (SiO 2 , B 2 O 3 , Na 2 O 3 , Al 2 O 3 , ZrO 2 ) nuclear glass we have simulated, by Molecular Dynamics simulations, the effects of displacement cascades created by the slowing-down of the recoil nucleus. The methodology employed to construct and validate the used Molecular Dynamics model representing the basis matrix of the 'light-water' French nuclear glass (R77) and the manner which are simulated atomic displacements are described. Although the energies given to recoil nucleus were relatively low (≤ 1/10 of actual energies) the study has yielded a number of interesting results. Notably we have: - identified the main mechanisms responsible for the depolymerization of the network; - observed, at the atomic level, the kinetic of the structure evolution; - detailed the behavior and displacement mechanisms of every atomic species during the cascade sequences; - made a link with the experimentation through the calculation of some physical properties. (authors)

Glass polymorphism in glycerol-water mixtures: I. A computer simulation study.

Science.gov (United States)

Jahn, David A; Wong, Jessina; Bachler, Johannes; Loerting, Thomas; Giovambattista, Nicolas

2016-04-28

We perform out-of-equilibrium molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of water-glycerol mixtures in the glass state. Specifically, we study the transformations between low-density (LDA) and high-density amorphous (HDA) forms of these mixtures induced by compression/decompression at constant temperature. Our MD simulations reproduce qualitatively the density changes observed in experiments. Specifically, the LDA-HDA transformation becomes (i) smoother and (ii) the hysteresis in a compression/decompression cycle decreases as T and/or glycerol content increase. This is surprising given the fast compression/decompression rates (relative to experiments) accessible in MD simulations. We study mixtures with glycerol molar concentration χ(g) = 0-13% and find that, for the present mixture models and rates, the LDA-HDA transformation is detectable up to χ(g) ≈ 5%. As the concentration increases, the density of the starting glass (i.e., LDA at approximately χ(g) ≤ 5%) rapidly increases while, instead, the density of HDA remains practically constant. Accordingly, the LDA state and hence glass polymorphism become inaccessible for glassy mixtures with approximately χ(g) > 5%. We present an analysis of the molecular-level changes underlying the LDA-HDA transformation. As observed in pure glassy water, during the LDA-to-HDA transformation, water molecules within the mixture approach each other, moving from the second to the first hydration shell and filling the first interstitial shell of water molecules. Interestingly, similar changes also occur around glycerol OH groups. It follows that glycerol OH groups contribute to the density increase during the LDA-HDA transformation. An analysis of the hydrogen bond (HB)-network of the mixtures shows that the LDA-HDA transformation is accompanied by minor changes in the number of HBs of water and glycerol. Instead, large changes in glycerol and water coordination numbers occur. We also perform a detailed analysis of the effects that

Lunar Soil Erosion Physics for Landing Rockets on the Moon

Science.gov (United States)

Clegg, Ryan N.; Metzger, Philip T.; Huff, Stephen; Roberson, Luke B.

2008-01-01

To develop a lunar outpost, we must understand the blowing of soil during launch and landing of the new Altair Lander. For example, the Apollo 12 Lunar Module landed approximately 165 meters from the deactivated Surveyor Ill spacecraft, scouring its surfaces and creating numerous tiny pits. Based on simulations and video analysis from the Apollo missions, blowing lunar soil particles have velocities up to 2000 m/s at low ejection angles relative to the horizon, reach an apogee higher than the orbiting Command and Service Module, and travel nearly the circumference of the Moon [1-3]. The low ejection angle and high velocity are concerns for the lunar outpost.

Alkali-resistant glass fiber reinforced high strength concrete in simulated aggressive environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kwan, W.H.; Cheah, C.B.; Ramli, M.; Chang, K.Y.

2018-01-01

The durability of the alkali-resistant (AR) glass fiber reinforced concrete (GFRC) in three simulated aggresive environments, namely tropical climate, cyclic air and seawater and seawater immersion was investigated. Durability examinations include chloride diffusion, gas permeability, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy examination (SEM). The fiber content is in the range of 0.6 % to 2.4 %. Results reveal that the specimen containing highest AR glass fiber content suffered severe strength loss in seawater environment and relatively milder strength loss under cyclic conditions. The permeability property was found to be more inferior with the increase in the fiber content of the concrete. This suggests that the AR glass fiber is not suitable for use as the fiber reinforcement in concrete is exposed to seawater. However, in both the tropical climate and cyclic wetting and drying, the incorporation of AR glass fiber prevents a drastic increase in permeability. [es

Lunar Flashlight and Other Lunar Cubesats

Science.gov (United States)

Cohen, Barbara

2017-01-01

Water is a human-exploitable resource. Lunar Flashlight is a Cubesat mission to detect and map lunar surface ice in permanently-shadowed regions of the lunar south pole. EM-1 will carry 13 Cubesat-class missions to further smallsat science and exploration capabilities; much room to infuse LEO cubesat methodology, models, and technology. Exploring the value of concurrent measurements to measure dynamical processes of water sources and sinks.

Our Lunar Destiny: Creating a Lunar Economy

Science.gov (United States)

Rohwer, Christopher J.

2000-01-01

"Our Lunar Destiny: Creating a Lunar Economy" supports a vision of people moving freely and economically between the earth and the Moon in an expansive space and lunar economy. It makes the economic case for the creation of a lunar space economy and projects the business plan that will make the venture an economic success. In addition, this paper argues that this vision can be created and sustained only by private enterprise and the legal right of private property in space and on the Moon. Finally, this paper advocates the use of lunar land grants as the key to unleashing the needed capital and the economic power of private enterprise in the creation of a 21st century lunar space economy. It is clear that the history of our United States economic system proves the value of private property rights in the creation of any new economy. It also teaches us that the successful development of new frontiers-those that provide economic opportunity for freedom-loving people-are frontiers that encourage, respect and protect the possession of private property and the fruits of labor and industry. Any new 21st century space and lunar economy should therefore be founded on this same principle.

Nucleation and crystal growth behavior of nepheline in simulated high-level waste glasses

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fox, K. [Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States). Savannah River National Lab. (SRNL); Amoroso, J. [Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States). Savannah River National Lab. (SRNL); Mcclane, D. [Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States). Savannah River National Lab. (SRNL)

2017-09-26

The Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) has been tasked with supporting glass formulation development and process control strategies in key technical areas, relevant to the Department of Energy’s Office of River Protection (DOE-ORP) and related to high-level waste (HLW) vitrification at the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP). Of specific interest is the development of predictive models for crystallization of nepheline (NaAlSiO4) in HLW glasses formulated at high alumina concentrations. This report summarizes recent progress by researchers at SRNL towards developing a predicative tool for quantifying nepheline crystallization in HLW glass canisters using laboratory experiments. In this work, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was used to obtain the temperature regions over which nucleation and growth of nepheline occur in three simulated HLW glasses - two glasses representative of WTP projections and one glass representative of the Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) product. The DWPF glass, which has been studied previously, was chosen as a reference composition and for comparison purposes. Complementary quantitative X-ray diffraction (XRD) and optical microscopy confirmed the validity of the methodology to determine nucleation and growth behavior as a function of temperature. The nepheline crystallization growth region was determined to generally extend from ~ 500 to >850 °C, with the maximum growth rates occurring between 600 and 700 °C. For select WTP glass compositions (high Al2O3 and B2O3), the nucleation range extended from ~ 450 to 600 °C, with the maximum nucleation rates occurring at ~ 530 °C. For the DWPF glass composition, the nucleation range extended from ~ 450 to 750 °C with the maximum nucleation rate occurring at ~ 640 °C. The nepheline growth at the peak temperature, as determined by XRD, was between 35 - 75 wt.% /hour. A maximum nepheline growth rate of ~ 0.1 mm/hour at 700 °C was measured for the DWPF

Nucleation and crystal growth behavior of nepheline in simulated high-level waste glasses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fox, K.; Amoroso, J.; Mcclane, D.

2017-01-01

The Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) has been tasked with supporting glass formulation development and process control strategies in key technical areas, relevant to the Department of Energy's Office of River Protection (DOE-ORP) and related to high-level waste (HLW) vitrification at the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP). Of specific interest is the development of predictive models for crystallization of nepheline (NaAlSiO4) in HLW glasses formulated at high alumina concentrations. This report summarizes recent progress by researchers at SRNL towards developing a predicative tool for quantifying nepheline crystallization in HLW glass canisters using laboratory experiments. In this work, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was used to obtain the temperature regions over which nucleation and growth of nepheline occur in three simulated HLW glasses - two glasses representative of WTP projections and one glass representative of the Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) product. The DWPF glass, which has been studied previously, was chosen as a reference composition and for comparison purposes. Complementary quantitative X-ray diffraction (XRD) and optical microscopy confirmed the validity of the methodology to determine nucleation and growth behavior as a function of temperature. The nepheline crystallization growth region was determined to generally extend from ~ 500 to >850 °C, with the maximum growth rates occurring between 600 and 700 °C. For select WTP glass compositions (high Al2O3 and B2O3), the nucleation range extended from ~ 450 to 600 °C, with the maximum nucleation rates occurring at ~ 530 °C. For the DWPF glass composition, the nucleation range extended from ~ 450 to 750 °C with the maximum nucleation rate occurring at ~ 640 °C. The nepheline growth at the peak temperature, as determined by XRD, was between 35 - 75 wt.% /hour. A maximum nepheline growth rate of ~ 0.1 mm/hour at 700 °C was measured for the DWPF

Production and remediation of low-sludge, simulated Purex waste glasses, 1: Effects of sludge oxide additions on melter operation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ramsey, W.G.

1993-01-01

Glass produced during the Purex 4 campaigns of the Integrated Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) Melter System (IDMS) and the 774 Research Melter contained a lower fraction of sludge components than targeted by the Product Composition Control System (PCCS). Purex 4 glass was more durable than the benchmark (EA) glass, but less durable than most simulated SRS high-level waste glasses. Also, Purex 4 glass was considerably less durable than predicted by the algorithm which will be used to control production of DWPF glass. A melter run was performed using the 774 Research Melter to determine if the initial PCCS target composition determined for Purex 4 would produce acceptable glass whose durability could be accurately modeled by Hydration Thermodynamics. Reagent grade oxides and carbonates were added to Purex 4 melter feed stock to simulate a higher sludge loading. Each canister of glass produced was sampled and the composition, crystallinity, and durability was determined. This document details the melter operation and composition and crystallinity analyses

Lunar CATALYST

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Lunar Cargo Transportation and Landing by Soft Touchdown (Lunar CATALYST) is a NASA initiative to encourage the development of U.S. private-sector robotic lunar...

Long-term product consistency test of simulated 90-19/Nd HLW glass

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gan, X.Y.; Zhang, Z.T.; Yuan, W.Y.; Wang, L.; Bai, Y.; Ma, H.

2011-01-01

Chemical durability of 90-19/Nd glass, a simulated high-level waste (HLW) glass in contact with the groundwater was investigated with a long-term product consistency test (PCT). Generally, it is difficult to observe the long term property of HLW glass due to the slow corrosion rate in a mild condition. In order to overcome this problem, increased contacting surface (S/V = 6000 m -1 ) and elevated temperature (150 o C) were employed to accelerate the glass corrosion evolution. The micro-morphological characteristics of the glass surface and the secondary minerals formed after the glass alteration were analyzed by SEM-EDS and XRD, and concentrations of elements in the leaching solution were determined by ICP-AES. In our experiments, two types of minerals, which have great impact on glass dissolution, were found to form on 90-19/Nd HLW glass surface when it was subjected to a long-term leaching in the groundwater. One is Mg-Fe-rich phyllosilicates with honeycomb structure; the other is aluminosilicates (zeolites). Mg and Fe in the leaching solution participated in the formation of phyllosilicates. The main components of phyllosilicates in alteration products of 90-19/Nd HLW glass are nontronite (Na 0.3 Fe 2 Si 4 O 10 (OH) 2 .4H 2 O) and montmorillonite (Ca 0.2 (Al,Mg) 2 Si 4 O 10 (OH) 2 .4H 2 O), and those of aluminosilicates are mordenite ((Na 2 ,K 2 ,Ca)Al 2 Si 10 O 24 .7H 2 O)) and clinoptilolite ((Na,K,Ca) 5 Al 6 Si 30 O 72 .18H 2 O). Minerals like Ca(Mg)SO 4 and CaCO 3 with low solubility limits are prone to form precipitant on the glass surface. Appearance of the phyllosilicates and aluminosilicates result in the dissolution rate of 90-19/Nd HLW glass resumed, which is increased by several times over the stable rate. As further dissolution of the glass, both B and Na in the glass were found to leach out in borax form.

Year 3 LUNAR Annual Report to the NASA Lunar Science Institute

OpenAIRE

Burns, Jack; Lazio, Joseph

2012-01-01

The Lunar University Network for Astrophysics Research (LUNAR) is a team of researchers and students at leading universities, NASA centers, and federal research laboratories undertaking investigations aimed at using the Moon as a platform for space science. LUNAR research includes Lunar Interior Physics & Gravitation using Lunar Laser Ranging (LLR), Low Frequency Cosmology and Astrophysics (LFCA), Planetary Science and the Lunar Ionosphere, Radio Heliophysics, and Exploration Science. The LUN...

The Dust Management Project: Characterizing Lunar Environments and Dust, Developing Regolith Mitigation Technology and Simulants

Science.gov (United States)

Hyatt, Mark J.; Straka, Sharon A.

2010-01-01

A return to the Moon to extend human presence, pursue scientific activities, use the Moon to prepare for future human missions to Mars, and expand Earth?s economic sphere, will require investment in developing new technologies and capabilities to achieve affordable and sustainable human exploration. From the operational experience gained and lessons learned during the Apollo missions, conducting long-term operations in the lunar environment will be a particular challenge, given the difficulties presented by the unique physical properties and other characteristics of lunar regolith, including dust. The Apollo missions and other lunar explorations have identified significant lunar dust-related problems that will challenge future mission success. Comprised of regolith particles ranging in size from tens of nanometers to microns, lunar dust is a manifestation of the complex interaction of the lunar soil with multiple mechanical, electrical, and gravitational effects. The environmental and anthropogenic factors effecting the perturbation, transport, and deposition of lunar dust must be studied in order to mitigate it?s potentially harmful effects on exploration systems and human explorers. The Dust Management Project (DMP) is tasked with the evaluation of lunar dust effects, assessment of the resulting risks, and development of mitigation and management strategies and technologies related to Exploration Systems architectures. To this end, the DMP supports the overall goal of the Exploration Technology Development Program (ETDP) of addressing the relevant high priority technology needs of multiple elements within the Constellation Program (CxP) and sister ETDP projects. Project scope, plans, and accomplishments will be presented.

Mechanical failure and glass transition in metallic glasses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Egami, T.

2011-01-01

Research highlights: → We review the recent results of molecular dynamics simulations on metallic glasses. → They show the equivalence of mechanical failure and glass transition. → We discuss the microscopic mechanism behind this equivalence. → We show that the density of defects in metallic glasses is as high as a quarter. → Our concepts about the defect state in glasses need to be changed. - Abstract: The current majority view on the phenomenon of mechanical failure in metallic glasses appears to be that it is caused by the activity of some structural defects, such as free-volumes or shear transformation zones, and the concentration of such defects is small, only of the order of 1%. However, the recent results compel us to revise this view. Through molecular dynamics simulation it has been shown that mechanical failure is the stress-induced glass transition. According to our theory the concentration of the liquid-like sites (defects) is well over 20% at the glass transition. We suggest that the defect concentration in metallic glasses is actually very high, and percolation of such defects causes atomic avalanche and mechanical failure. In this article we discuss the glass transition, mechanical failure and viscosity from such a point of view.

Characterization of leached surface layers on simulated high-level waste glasses by sputter-induced optical emission

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Houser, C.; Tsong, I.S.T.; White, W.B.

1979-01-01

The leaching process in simulated waste encapsulant glasses was studied by measuring the compositional depth-profiles of H (from water), the glass framework formers Si and B, the alkalis Na and Cs, the alkaline earths Ca and Sr, the transition metals Mo and Fe, the rare-earths La, Ce, and Nd, using the technique of sputter-induced optical emission. The leaching process of these glasses is highly complex. In addition to alkali/hydrogen exchange, there is breakdown of the glass framework, build-up of barrier layers on the surface, and formation of layered reaction zones of distinctly different chemistry all within the outer micrometer of the glass

Simulations of ground state fluctuations in mean-field Ising spin glasses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boettcher, Stefan

2010-01-01

The scaling of fluctuations in the distribution of ground state energies or costs with the system size N for Ising spin glasses is considered using an extensive set of simulations with the extremal optimization heuristic across a range of different models on sparse and dense graphs. These models exhibit very diverse behaviors, and an asymptotic extrapolation is often complicated by higher-order corrections in size. The clearest picture, in fact, emerges from the study of graph bipartitioning, a combinatorial optimization problem closely related to spin glasses. Asides from two-spin interactions with discrete bonds, we also consider problems with Gaussian bonds and three-spin interactions, which behave quite differently

Segregation of the elements of the platinum group in a simulated high-level waste glass

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mitamura, H.; Banba, T.; Kamizono, H.; Kiriyama, Y.; Kumata, M.; Murakami, T.; Tashiro, S.

1983-01-01

Segregation of the elements of the platinum group occurred during vitrification of the borosilicate glass containing 20 wt% simulated high-level waste oxides. The segregated materials were composed of two crystalline phases: one was the solid solution of ruthenium and rhodium dioxides and the other was that of palladium and rhodium metals also with tellurium. The segregated materials were not distributed homogeneously throughout the glass: (i) on the surface of the glass, there occurred palladium, rhodium and tellurium alloy alone; and (ii) at the inner part of the glass, the agglomerates of the two phases were concentrated in one part and dispersed in the other

Molecular dynamics simulations of disordered materials from network glasses to phase-change memory alloys

CERN Document Server

Massobrio, Carlo; Bernasconi, Marco; Salmon, Philip S

2015-01-01

This book is a unique reference work in the area of atomic-scale simulation of glasses. For the first time, a highly selected panel of about 20 researchers provides, in a single book, their views, methodologies and applications on the use of molecular dynamics as a tool to describe glassy materials. The book covers a wide range of systems covering ""traditional"" network glasses, such as chalcogenides and oxides, as well as glasses for applications in the area of phase change materials. The novelty of this work is the interplay between molecular dynamics methods (both at the classical and firs

Glass polymorphism in glycerol–water mixtures: I. A computer simulation study

Science.gov (United States)

Jahn, David A.; Wong, Jessina; Bachler, Johannes; Loerting, Thomas

2016-01-01

We perform out-of-equilibrium molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of water–glycerol mixtures in the glass state. Specifically, we study the transformations between low-density (LDA) and high-density amorphous (HDA) forms of these mixtures induced by compression/decompression at constant temperature. Our MD simulations reproduce qualitatively the density changes observed in experiments. Specifically, the LDA–HDA transformation becomes (i) smoother and (ii) the hysteresis in a compression/decompression cycle decreases as T and/or glycerol content increase. This is surprising given the fast compression/decompression rates (relative to experiments) accessible in MD simulations. We study mixtures with glycerol molar concentration χ g = 0–13% and find that, for the present mixture models and rates, the LDA–HDA transformation is detectable up to χ g ≈ 5%. As the concentration increases, the density of the starting glass (i.e., LDA at approximately χ g ≤ 5%) rapidly increases while, instead, the density of HDA remains practically constant. Accordingly, the LDA state and hence glass polymorphism become inaccessible for glassy mixtures with approximately χ g > 5%. We present an analysis of the molecular-level changes underlying the LDA–HDA transformation. As observed in pure glassy water, during the LDA-to-HDA transformation, water molecules within the mixture approach each other, moving from the second to the first hydration shell and filling the first interstitial shell of water molecules. Interestingly, similar changes also occur around glycerol OH groups. It follows that glycerol OH groups contribute to the density increase during the LDA–HDA transformation. An analysis of the hydrogen bond (HB)-network of the mixtures shows that the LDA–HDA transformation is accompanied by minor changes in the number of HBs of water and glycerol. Instead, large changes in glycerol and water coordination numbers occur. We also perform a detailed analysis of the

A PFC3D-based numerical simulation of cutting load for lunar rock simulant and experimental validation

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Peng; Jiang, Shengyuan; Tang, Dewei; Xu, Bo

2017-05-01

For sake of striking a balance between the need of drilling efficiency and the constrains of power budget on the moon, the penetrations per revolution of drill bit are generally limited in the range around 0.1 mm, and besides the geometric angle of the cutting blade need to be well designed. This paper introduces a simulation approach based on PFC3D (particle flow code 3 dimensions) for analyzing the cutting load feature on lunar rock simulant, which is derived from different geometric-angle blades with a small cutting depth. The mean values of the cutting force of five blades in the survey region (four on the boundary points and one on the center point) are selected as the macroscopic responses of model. The method of experimental design which includes Plackett-Burman (PB) design and central composite design (CCD) method is adopted in the matching procedure of microparameters in PFC model. Using the optimization method of enumeration, the optimum set of microparameters is acquired. Then, the experimental validation is implemented by using other twenty-five blades with different geometric angles, and the results from both simulations and laboratory tests give fair agreements. Additionally, the rock breaking process cut by different blades are quantified from simulation analysis. This research provides the theoretical support for the refinement of the rock cutting load prediction and the geometric design of cutting blade on the drill bit.

The negligible chondritic contribution in the lunar soils water.

Science.gov (United States)

Stephant, Alice; Robert, François

2014-10-21

Recent data from Apollo samples demonstrate the presence of water in the lunar interior and at the surface, challenging previous assumption that the Moon was free of water. However, the source(s) of this water remains enigmatic. The external flux of particles and solid materials that reach the surface of the airless Moon constitute a hydrogen (H) surface reservoir that can be converted to water (or OH) during proton implantation in rocks or remobilization during magmatic events. Our original goal was thus to quantify the relative contributions to this H surface reservoir. To this end, we report NanoSIMS measurements of D/H and (7)Li/(6)Li ratios on agglutinates, volcanic glasses, and plagioclase grains from the Apollo sample collection. Clear correlations emerge between cosmogenic D and (6)Li revealing that almost all D is produced by spallation reactions both on the surface and in the interior of the grains. In grain interiors, no evidence of chondritic water has been found. This observation allows us to constrain the H isotopic ratio of hypothetical juvenile lunar water to δD ≤ -550‰. On the grain surface, the hydroxyl concentrations are significant and the D/H ratios indicate that they originate from solar wind implantation. The scattering distribution of the data around the theoretical D vs. (6)Li spallation correlation is compatible with a chondritic contribution lunar surface, and (ii) the postulated chondritic lunar water is not retained in the regolith.

Lunar Riometry

Science.gov (United States)

Lazio, J.; Jones, D. L.; MacDowall, R. J.; Burns, J. O.; Kasper, J. C.

2011-12-01

The lunar exosphere is the exemplar of a plasma near the surface of an airless body. Exposed to both the solar and interstellar radiation fields, the lunar exosphere is mostly ionized, and enduring questions regarding its properties include its density and vertical extent and its behavior over time, including modification by landers. Relative ionospheric measurements (riometry) are based on the simple physical principle that electromagnetic waves cannot propagate through a partially or fully ionized medium below the plasma frequency, and riometers have been deployed on the Earth in numerous remote and hostile environments. A multi-frequency riometer on the lunar surface would be able to monitor, in situ, the peak plasma density of the lunar exosphere over time. We describe a concept for a riometer implemented as a secondary science payload on future lunar landers, such as those recommended in the recent Planetary Sciences Decadal Survey report. While the prime mission of such a riometer would be probing the lunar exosphere, our concept would also be capable to measuring the properties of nanometer- to micron-scale dust. The LUNAR consortium is funded by the NASA Lunar Science Institute to investigate concepts for astrophysical observatories on the Moon. Part of this research was carried out at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under a contract with NASA.

Preparation and studies on surface modifications of calcium-silico-phosphate ferrimagnetic glass-ceramics in simulated body fluid

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sharma, K.; Dixit, A.; Singh, Sher; Jagannath,; Bhattacharya, S.; Prajapat, C.L.; Sharma, P.K.; Yusuf, S.M.; Tyagi, A.K.; Kothiyal, G.P.

2009-01-01

The structure and magnetic behaviour of 34SiO 2 -(45 - x) CaO-16P 2 O 5 -4.5 MgO-0.5 CaF 2 - x Fe 2 O 3 (where x = 5, 10, 15, 20 wt.%) glasses have been investigated. Ferrimagnetic glass-ceramics are prepared by melt quench followed by controlled crystallization. The surface modification and dissolution behaviour of these glass-ceramics in simulated body fluid (SBF) have also been studied. Phase formation and magnetic behaviour have been studied using XRD and SQUID magnetometer. The room temperature Moessbauer study has been done to monitor the local environment around Fe cations and valence state of Fe ions. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was used to study the surface modification in glass-ceramics when immersed in simulated body fluid. Formation of bioactive layer in SBF has been ascertained using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The SBF solutions were analyzed using an absorption spectrophotometer. The magnetic measurements indicated that all these glasses possess paramagnetic character and the [Fe 2+ /Fe 3+ ] ions ratio depends on the composition of glass and varied with Fe 2 O 3 concentration in glass matrix. In glass-ceramics saturation magnetization increases with increase in amount of Fe 2 O 3 . The nanostructure of hematite and magnetite is formed in the glass-ceramics with 15 and 20 wt.% Fe 2 O 3 , which is responsible for the magnetic property of these glass-ceramics. Introduction of Fe 2 O 3 induces several modifications at the glass-ceramics surface when immersed in SBF solution and thereby affecting the surface dissolution and the formation of the bioactive layer.

Baseline Design and Performance Analysis of Laser Altimeter for Korean Lunar Orbiter

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hyung-Chul Lim

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Korea’s lunar exploration project includes the launching of an orbiter, a lander (including a rover, and an experimental orbiter (referred to as a lunar pathfinder. Laser altimeters have played an important scientific role in lunar, planetary, and asteroid exploration missions since their first use in 1971 onboard the Apollo 15 mission to the Moon. In this study, a laser altimeter was proposed as a scientific instrument for the Korean lunar orbiter, which will be launched by 2020, to study the global topography of the surface of the Moon and its gravitational field and to support other payloads such as a terrain mapping camera or spectral imager. This study presents the baseline design and performance model for the proposed laser altimeter. Additionally, the study discusses the expected performance based on numerical simulation results. The simulation results indicate that the design of system parameters satisfies performance requirements with respect to detection probability and range error even under unfavorable conditions.

Studies in matter antimatter separation and in the origin of lunar magnetism. Annual progress report, 1 Sep 1974--31 Aug 1975

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barker, W.A.; Greeley, R.; Parkin, C.; Aggarwal, H.; Schultz, P.

1975-01-01

A progress report covering lunar and planetary research is introduced. Data cover lunar ionospheric models, lunar and planetary geology, and lunar magnetism. Wind tunnel simulations of Mars aeolian problems and a comparative study of basaltic analogs of Lunar and Martial volcanic features was discussed

New Fiber Reinforced Waterless Concrete for Extraterrestrial Structural Applications

Science.gov (United States)

Toutanji, H.; Tucker, D.; Ethridge, E.

2005-01-01

Commercial use of sulfur concrete on Earth is well established, particularly in corrosive, e.g., acid and salt, environments. Having found troilite (FeS) on the Moon raises the question of using extracted sulfur as a lunar construction mate: iii an attractive alternative to conventional concrete as it does not require water For the purpose of this paper it is assumed that lunar ore is mined, refined, and the raw sulfur processed with appropriate lunar regolith to form, for example, brick and beam elements. Glass fibers produced from regolith were used as a reinforcement to improve the mechanical properties of the sulfur concrete. Glass fibers and glass rebar were produced by melting the lunar regolith simulant. Lunar regolith stimulant was melted in a 25 cc Pt-Rh crucible in a Sybron Thermoline 46100 high temperature MoSi2 furnace at melting temperatures of 1450 to 1600G. The glass melt wets the ceramic rod and long continuous glass fibers were easily hand drawn. The glass fibers were immediately coated with a protective polymer to maintain the mechanical strength. The viability of sulfur concrete as a construction material for extraterrestrial application is presented. The mechanical properties of the glass fiber reinforced sulfur concrete were investigated.

Moonage Daydream: Reassessing the Simple Model for Lunar Magma Ocean Crystallization

Science.gov (United States)

Rapp, J. F.; Draper, D. S.

2016-01-01

Details of the differentiation of a global-scale lunar magma ocean (LMO) remain enigmatic, as the Moon is not simply composed of highlands anorthosite and a suite of mare basalts as inferred from early studies. Results from recent orbital missions, and the increasingly detailed study of lunar samples, have revealed a much larger range of lithologies, from relatively MgO-rich and "purest anorthosite" discovered on the lunar far side by the M3 instrument on Chandraayan-1 to more exotic lithologies such as Si-rich domes and spinel-rich clasts distributed globally. To understand this increasingly complex geology, we must understand the initial formation and evolution of the LMO, and the composition of the cumulates this differentiation could have produced. Several attempts at modelling such a crystallization sequence have been made, and have raised as many questions as they have answered. We present results from our ongoing experimental simulations of magma ocean crystallization, investigating two end-member bulk compositions (TWM and LPUM) under fully fractional crystallization conditions. These simulations represent melting of the entire silicate portion of the Moon, as an end-member starting point from which to begin assessing the evolution of the lunar interior and formation of the lunar crust.

Galatic and solar cosmic ray - produced rare gas isotopes in lunar fines

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bhushan, B.N.; Rao, M.N.; Venkatesan, T.R.

1979-01-01

Lunar fines 10084, 14163 and 14148 from Apollo 11 and 14 missions as well as 24087 from Soviet Luna 24 mission have been studied for elemental and isotopic composition of He, Ne, Ar, Kr and Xe using milligram amounts by step-wise heating techniques. From these studies, the isotopic composition of solar wind has been determined and it is found to be in good agreement with the results reported by other workers. The experimental procedure adopted for studying these samples is described in brief. The use of a gas glass spectrometer for detecting the subtle galatic and solar cosmic ray xenon is explained. Data on the concentration and isotopic composition of selected isotopes of Xe and Ne in lunar fines is presented. (K.B.)

Benefits of a STEAM Collaboration in Newark, New Jersey: Volcano Simulation through a Glass-Making Experience

Science.gov (United States)

Gates, Alexander E.

2017-01-01

A simulated physical model of volcanic processes using a glass art studio greatly enhanced enthusiasm and learning among urban, middle- to high-school aged, largely underrepresented minority students in Newark, New Jersey. The collaboration of a geoscience department with a glass art studio to create a science, technology, engineering, arts, and…

Molecular dynamics simulations and structural descriptors of radioisotope glass vectors for in situ radiotherapy.

Science.gov (United States)

Christie, Jamieson K; Tilocca, Antonio

2012-10-18

The low solubility (high durability) of yttrium aluminosilicate (YAS) glass is one of its most important properties for use in in situ radiotherapy. Simple parameters, such as silica or yttria content or network connectivity, are not sufficient to rationalize the dependence of the solubility on the glass composition observed experimentally. We performed classical molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of eight different YAS glasses of known solubility and analyzed the MD trajectories to identify specific structural features that are correlated and can be used to predict the solubility. We show that the (Si-)O-Si coordination number CN(SiOSi), the yttrium-yttrium clustering ratio R(YY), and the number of intratetrahedral O-Si-O bonds per yttrium atom N(intra) can be combined into a single structural descriptor s = f(CN(SiOSi),R(YY),N(intra)) with a high correlation with the solubility. The parameter s can thus be calculated from MD simulations and used to predict the solubility of YAS compositions, allowing one to adjust them to the range required by radiotherapy applications. For instance, its trend shows that high-silica- and low-yttria-content YAS glasses should be sufficiently durable for the radiotherapy application, although additional clinical considerations may set a lower limit to the yttria content.

Three-dimensional phase-field simulation on the deformation of metallic glass nanowires

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, H.Y.; Zheng, G.P.

2014-01-01

Highlights: • 3D phase-field modeling is developed to investigate the deformation of MG nanowires. • The surface defects significantly affect the mechanical properties of nanowires. • Multiple shear bands are initiated from the surfaces of nanowires with D < 50 nm. - Abstract: It is very challenging to investigate the deformation mechanisms in micro- and nano-scale metallic glasses with diameters below several hundred nanometers using the atomistic simulation or the experimental approaches. In this work, we develop the fully three-dimensional phase-field model to bridge this gap and investigate the sample size effects on the deformation behaviors of metallic glass nanowires. The initial deformation defects on the surface are found to significantly affect the mechanical strength and deformation mode of nanowires. The improved ductility of metallic glass nanowires could be related with the multiple shear bands initiated from the nanowire surfaces

Lightweight Bulldozer Attachment for Construction and Excavation on the Lunar Surface

Science.gov (United States)

Mueller, Robert; Wilkinson, R. Allen; Gallo, Christopher A.; Nick, Andrew J.; Schuler, Jason M.; King, Robert H.

2009-01-01

A lightweight bulldozer blade prototype has been designed and built to be used as an excavation implement in conjunction with the NASA Chariot lunar mobility platform prototype. The combined system was then used in a variety of field tests in order to characterize structural loads, excavation performance and learn about the operational behavior of lunar excavation in geotechnical lunar simulants. The purpose of this effort was to evaluate the feasibility of lunar excavation for site preparation at a planned NASA lunar outpost. Once the feasibility has been determined then the technology will become available as a candidate element in the NASA Lunar Surface Systems Architecture. In addition to NASA experimental testing of the LANCE blade, NASA engineers completed analytical work on the expected draft forces using classical soil mechanics methods. The Colorado School of Mines (CSM) team utilized finite element analysis (FEA) to study the interaction between the cutting edge of the LANCE blade and the surface of soil. FEA was also used to examine various load cases and their effect on the lightweight structure of the LANCE blade. Overall it has been determined that a lunar bulldozer blade is a viable technology for lunar outpost site preparation, but further work is required to characterize the behavior in 1/6th G and actual lunar regolith in a vacuum lunar environment.

Chemical composition analysis of simulated waste glass T10-G-16A

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fox, K. M. [Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States). Savannah River National Lab. (SRNL)

2015-08-01

In this report, SRNL provides chemical composition analyses of a simulated LAW glass designated T10-G-16A.The measured chemical composition data are reported and compared with the targeted values for each component. No issues were identified in reviewing the analytical data.

Parallel Object Oriented MD Simulation Program for Long Time Simulations of Metallic Glasses and Undercooled Liquids

Science.gov (United States)

Böddeker, B.; Teichler, H.

The MD simulation program TABB is motivated by the need of long time simulations for the investigation of slow processes near the glass transition of glass forming alloys. TABB is written in C++ with a high degree of flexibility: TABB allows the use of any short ranged pair potentials or EAM potentials, by generating and using a spline representation of all functions and their derivatives. TABB supports several numerical integration algorithms like the Runge-Kotta or the modified Gear-predictor-corrector algorithm of order five. The boundary conditions can be chosen to resemble the geometry of bulk materials or films. The simulation box length or the pressure can be fixed for each dimension separately. TABB may be used in isokinetic, isoenergeric or canonic (with random forces) mode. TABB contains a simple instruction interpreter to easily control the parameters and options during the simulation. The same source code can be compiled either for workstations or for parallel computers. The main optimization goal of TABB is to allow long time simulations of medium or small sized systems. To make this possible, much attention is spent on the optimized communication between the nodes. TABB uses a domain decomposition procedure. To use many nodes with a small system, the domain size has to be small compared to the range of particle interactions. In the limit of many nodes for only few atoms, the bottle neck of communication is the latency time. TABB minimizes the number of pairs of domains containing atoms that interact between these domains. This procedure minimizes the need of communication calls between pairs of nodes. TABB decides automatically, to how many, and to which directions the decomposition shall be applied. E.g., in the case of one dimensional domain decomposition, the simulation box is only split into "slabs" along a selected direction. The three dimensional domain decomposition is best with respect to the number of interacting domains only for simulations

Analysis of the influence of orbital disturbances applied to an artificial lunar satellite

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gonçalves, L D; Rocco, E M; De Moraes, R V

2015-01-01

This paper analyzes the influence of the orbital disturbance forces in the trajectory of lunar satellites. The following gravitational and non-gravitational orbital disturbances are considered: the non-homogeneity of the lunar gravitational field; the gravitational attraction due to the third body, considering the Earth and the Sun; the lunar albedo; the solar radiation pressure. Numerical models were developed and implemented in an orbital trajectory simulator aiming to understand the dynamics of the orbital motion of an artificial satellite in lunar orbit when considering the simultaneous effect of all disturbances. Different orbits were simulated in order to characterize the major and the minor influence of each disturbing force as function of the inclination and the right ascension of the ascending node. This study can be very useful in the space mission analysis and in the selection of orbits less affected by environmental disturbances. (paper)

Predicting the Blast of Lunar Soil Under a Rocket's Exhaust Jet

Science.gov (United States)

Diaz, Carlos J. Sanchez

2007-01-01

The blast of lunar soil represents a problem for the future missions planned for the moon. When the lander approached the ground during the Apollo missions, huge showers of dust particles were sent in all directions at extremely high velocities - including upwards towards the landing spacecraft. This represents a clear danger to the lander because the loss of visibility and the damage that can be produced to the vehicle itself. If there had been equipment on the ground, these showers of particles would have created a sand blasting effect over the equipment, possibly damaging optics and contaminating the equipment and depending on the size and velocity of the particles maybe even more extensive damage as the particles penetrated the outer surface of the equipment. Since the there is no air on the moon to slow down the particles, they can travel large distances at high speeds, in fact in some instances they can reach near escape velocity and go into an orbit around the moon and come all the way back to almost the same point where they were at the beginning; meaning that some of the lunar dust that came up during landing will shower back over the site. Once on the surface, the extremely fine dust had a habit of getting itself everywhere. During the Apollo missions it not only covered the astronauts' suits, but managed to work its way inside, damaging airtight joints and scratching up glass visors. The dust found its way inside the spacecraft, contaminating the floor and electronic systems inside, clogging air filters in the process. This is due to the fact that the lunar soil is extremely cohesive. The Lunar soil causes all of the same problems as sand does on Earth but unlike sand particles on Earth, which have smooth spherical shapes, the dust on the Moon is more like small particles of glass with sharper edges since there is no erosion on the lunar surface. During the Apollo missions the dust problem did not cause a big problem due to the fact of the length of

Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Lunar Workshops for Educators

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, A. P.; Hsu, B. C.; Hessen, K.; Bleacher, L.

2012-12-01

The Lunar Workshops for Educators (LWEs) are a series of weeklong professional development workshops, accompanied by quarterly follow-up sessions, designed to educate and inspire grade 6-12 science teachers, sponsored by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO). Participants learn about lunar science and exploration, gain tools to help address common student misconceptions about the Moon, find out about the latest research results from LRO scientists, work with data from LRO and other lunar missions, and learn how to bring these data to their students using hands-on activities aligned with grade 6-12 National Science Education Standards and Benchmarks and through authentic research experiences. LWEs are held around the country, primarily in locations underserved with respect to NASA workshops. Where possible, workshops also include tours of science facilities or field trips intended to help participants better understand mission operations or geologic processes relevant to the Moon. Scientist and engineer involvement is a central tenant of the LWEs. LRO scientists and engineers, as well as scientists working on other lunar missions, present their research or activities to the workshop participants and answer questions about lunar science and exploration. This interaction with the scientists and engineers is consistently ranked by the LWE participants as one of the most interesting and inspiring components of the workshops. Evaluation results from the 2010 and 2011 workshops, as well as preliminary analysis of survey responses from 2012 participants, demonstrated an improved understanding of lunar science concepts among LWE participants in post-workshop assessments (as compared to identical pre-assessments) and a greater understanding of how to access and effectively share LRO data with students. Teachers reported increased confidence in helping students conduct research using lunar data, and learned about programs that would allow their students to make authentic

Lunar cement

Science.gov (United States)

Agosto, William N.

1992-01-01

With the exception of water, the major oxide constituents of terrestrial cements are present at all nine lunar sites from which samples have been returned. However, with the exception of relatively rare cristobalite, the lunar oxides are not present as individual phases but are combined in silicates and in mixed oxides. Lime (CaO) is most abundant on the Moon in the plagioclase (CaAl2Si2O8) of highland anorthosites. It may be possible to enrich the lime content of anorthite to levels like those of Portland cement by pyrolyzing it with lunar-derived phosphate. The phosphate consumed in such a reaction can be regenerated by reacting the phosphorus product with lunar augite pyroxenes at elevated temperatures. Other possible sources of lunar phosphate and other oxides are discussed.

Google Glass for Residents Dealing With Pediatric Cardiopulmonary Arrest: A Randomized, Controlled, Simulation-Based Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Drummond, David; Arnaud, Cécile; Guedj, Romain; Duguet, Alexandre; de Suremain, Nathalie; Petit, Arnaud

2017-02-01

To determine whether real-time video communication between the first responder and a remote intensivist via Google Glass improves the management of a simulated in-hospital pediatric cardiopulmonary arrest before the arrival of the ICU team. Randomized controlled study. Children's hospital at a tertiary care academic medical center. Forty-two first-year pediatric residents. Pediatric residents were evaluated during two consecutive simulated pediatric cardiopulmonary arrests with a high-fidelity manikin. During the second evaluation, the residents in the Google Glass group were allowed to seek help from a remote intensivist at any time by activating real-time video communication. The residents in the control group were asked to provide usual care. The main outcome measures were the proportion of time for which the manikin received no ventilation (no-blow fraction) or no compression (no-flow fraction). In the first evaluation, overall no-blow and no-flow fractions were 74% and 95%, respectively. During the second evaluation, no-blow and no-flow fractions were similar between the two groups. Insufflations were more effective (p = 0.04), and the technique (p = 0.02) and rate (p Google Glass group than in the control group. Real-time video communication between the first responder and a remote intensivist through Google Glass did not decrease no-blow and no-flow fractions during the first 5 minutes of a simulated pediatric cardiopulmonary arrest but improved the quality of the insufflations and chest compressions provided.

Using Lunar Module Shadows To Scale the Effects of Rocket Exhaust Plumes

Science.gov (United States)

2008-01-01

Excavating granular materials beneath a vertical jet of gas involves several physical mechanisms. These occur, for example, beneath the exhaust plume of a rocket landing on the soil of the Moon or Mars. We performed a series of experiments and simulations (Figure 1) to provide a detailed view of the complex gas-soil interactions. Measurements taken from the Apollo lunar landing videos (Figure 2) and from photographs of the resulting terrain helped demonstrate how the interactions extrapolate into the lunar environment. It is important to understand these processes at a fundamental level to support the ongoing design of higher fidelity numerical simulations and larger-scale experiments. These are needed to enable future lunar exploration wherein multiple hardware assets will be placed on the Moon within short distances of one another. The high-velocity spray of soil from the landing spacecraft must be accurately predicted and controlled or it could erode the surfaces of nearby hardware. This analysis indicated that the lunar dust is ejected at an angle of less than 3 degrees above the surface, the results of which can be mitigated by a modest berm of lunar soil. These results assume that future lunar landers will use a single engine. The analysis would need to be adjusted for a multiengine lander. Figure 3 is a detailed schematic of the Lunar Module camera calibration math model. In this chart, formulas relating the known quantities, such as sun angle and Lunar Module dimensions, to the unknown quantities are depicted. The camera angle PSI is determined by measurement of the imaged aspect ratio of a crater, where the crater is assumed to be circular. The final solution is the determination of the camera calibration factor, alpha. Figure 4 is a detailed schematic of the dust angle math model, which again relates known to unknown parameters. The known parameters now include the camera calibration factor and Lunar Module dimensions. The final computation is the ejected

The Study on the Alteration of Simulated HLLW Glass in Aqueous Media by Inverse Gas Chromatography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Zhentao; Gan, Xueying; Yuan, Wenyi; Wang, Lei; Xing, Haiqing; Balard, Henri

2008-01-01

There exist webs of fissures inside the glass block accessible to underground water and theses fissures will influence the alteration of the glass significantly. It is very necessary to study the fissure surface properties of the glass under deep geological conditions. The alteration tests were conducted using the simulated high level radioactive glass powder immersed in Beishan (candidate disposal site) underground water with S/V ratio of 8000 m -1 at 150 deg. C and 90 deg. C for different periods. After immersion, the glass powder was filtered and dried at 120 deg. C for 3 hours. The surface properties of the dried glass powder were evaluated by inverse chromatography. The results showed that the specific surface area of the glass increases abruptly at the beginning of immersion and then increase slowly afterwards. At higher immersion temperature, the secondary phase is condensing crystals; at the lower immersion temperature, the secondary phases were loosely 'islands' with cracks or fissures. (authors)

Methane Lunar Surface Thermal Control Test

Science.gov (United States)

Plachta, David W.; Sutherlin, Steven G.; Johnson, Wesley L.; Feller, Jeffrey R.; Jurns, John M.

2012-01-01

NASA is considering propulsion system concepts for future missions including human return to the lunar surface. Studies have identified cryogenic methane (LCH4) and oxygen (LO2) as a desirable propellant combination for the lunar surface ascent propulsion system, and they point to a surface stay requirement of 180 days. To meet this requirement, a test article was prepared with state-of-the-art insulation and tested in simulated lunar mission environments at NASA GRC. The primary goals were to validate design and models of the key thermal control technologies to store unvented methane for long durations, with a low-density high-performing Multi-layer Insulation (MLI) system to protect the propellant tanks from the environmental heat of low Earth orbit (LEO), Earth to Moon transit, lunar surface, and with the LCH4 initially densified. The data and accompanying analysis shows this storage design would have fallen well short of the unvented 180 day storage requirement, due to the MLI density being much higher than intended, its substructure collapse, and blanket separation during depressurization. Despite the performance issue, insight into analytical models and MLI construction was gained. Such modeling is important for the effective design of flight vehicle concepts, such as in-space cryogenic depots or in-space cryogenic propulsion stages.

Applications for special-purpose minerals at a lunar base

Science.gov (United States)

Ming, Douglas W.

1992-01-01

Maintaining a colony on the Moon will require the use of lunar resources to reduce the number of launches necessary to transport goods from the Earth. It may be possible to alter lunar materials to produce minerals or other materials that can be used for applications in life support systems at a lunar base. For example, mild hydrothermal alteration of lunar basaltic glasses can produce special-purpose minerals (e.g., zeolites, smectites, and tobermorites) that in turn may be used in life support, construction, waste renovation, and chemical processes. Zeolites, smectites, and tobermorites have a number of potential applications at a lunar base. Zeolites are hydrated aluminosilicates of alkali and alkaline earth cations that possess infinite, three-dimensional crystal structures. They are further characterized by an ability to hydrate and dehydrate reversibly and to exchange some of their constituent cations, both without major change of structure. Based on their unique absorption, cation exchange, molecular sieving, and catalytic properties, zeolites may be used as a solid support medium for the growth of plants, as an adsorption medium for separation of various gases (e.g., N2 from O2), as catalysts, as molecular sieves, and as a cation exchanger in sewage-effluent treatment, in radioactive waste disposal, and in pollution control. Smectites are crystalline, hydrated 2:1 layered aluminosilicates that also have the ability to exchange some of their constituent cations. Like zeolites, smectites may be used as an adsorption medium for waste renovation, as adsorption sites for important essential plant growth cations in solid support plant growth mediums (i.e., 'soils'), as cation exchangers, and in other important application. Tobermorites are cystalline, hydrated single-chained layered silicates that have cation-exchange and selectivity properties between those of smectites and most zeolites. Tobermorites may be used as a cement in building lunar base structures, as

Lunar feldspathic meteorites: Constraints on the geology of the lunar highlands, and the origin of the lunar crust

Science.gov (United States)

Gross, Juliane; Treiman, Allan H.; Mercer, Celestine N.

2014-02-01

The composition of the lunar crust provides clues about the processes that formed it and hence contains information on the origin and evolution of the Moon. Current understanding of lunar evolution is built on the Lunar Magma Ocean hypothesis that early in its history, the Moon was wholly or mostly molten. This hypothesis is based on analyses of Apollo samples of ferroan anorthosites (>90% plagioclase; molar Mg/(Mg+Fe)=Mg#Moon's surface, and remote sensing data, show that ferroan anorthosites are not globally distributed and that the Apollo highland samples, used as a basis for the model, are influenced by ejecta from the Imbrium basin. In this study we evaluate anorthosites from all currently available adequately described lunar highland meteorites, representing a more widespread sampling of the lunar highlands than Apollo samples alone, and find that ∼80% of them are significantly more magnesian than Apollo ferroan anorthosites. Interestingly, Luna mission anorthosites, collected outside the continuous Imbrium ejecta, are also highly magnesian. If the lunar highland crust consists dominantly of magnesian anorthosites, as suggested by their abundance in samples sourced outside Imbrium ejecta, a reevaluation of the Lunar Magma Ocean model is a sensible step forward in the endeavor to understand lunar evolution. Our results demonstrate that lunar anorthosites are more similar in their chemical trends and mineral abundance to terrestrial massif anorthosites than to anorthosites predicted in a Lunar Magma Ocean. This analysis does not invalidate the idea of a Lunar Magma Ocean, which seems a necessity under the giant impact hypothesis for the origin of the moon. However, it does indicate that most rocks now seen at the Moon's surface are not primary products of a magma ocean alone, but are products of more complex crustal processes.

Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, 20th, Houston, TX, Mar. 13-17, 1989, Proceedings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sharpton, V.L.; Ryder, G.

1990-01-01

Topics discussed include the petrology and geochemistry of the moon, the geology of the moon, lunar regolith processes and resources, the petrology and geochemistry of achondrites, comets and interplanetary dust, shock and terrestrial cratering, the geology of Mars, and the geology of Venus. Papers are presented on silicate liquid immiscibility in isothermal crystallization experiments; highly evolved and ultramafic lithologies from Apollo 14 soils; the relationship between orbital, earth-based, and sample data for lunar landing sites; and the volcanotectonic evolution of Mare Frigoris. Attention is also given to glass variants and multiple HASP trends in Apollo 14 regolith breccias, the characterization of lunar ilmenite resources, the U-Th-Pb systematics of the Estherville mesosiderite, and the extraterrestrial halogen and sulfur contents of the stratosphere. Other papers are on argon-40/argon-39 dating of impact craters; the outliers of dust along the southern margin of the Tharsis region, Mars; and the geology of southern Guinevere Planitia, Venus, based on analyses of Goldstone radar data

Photometric Lunar Surface Reconstruction

Science.gov (United States)

Nefian, Ara V.; Alexandrov, Oleg; Morattlo, Zachary; Kim, Taemin; Beyer, Ross A.

2013-01-01

Accurate photometric reconstruction of the Lunar surface is important in the context of upcoming NASA robotic missions to the Moon and in giving a more accurate understanding of the Lunar soil composition. This paper describes a novel approach for joint estimation of Lunar albedo, camera exposure time, and photometric parameters that utilizes an accurate Lunar-Lambertian reflectance model and previously derived Lunar topography of the area visualized during the Apollo missions. The method introduced here is used in creating the largest Lunar albedo map (16% of the Lunar surface) at the resolution of 10 meters/pixel.

Atomistic simulation of nanoformed metallic glass

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wu, Cheng-Da, E-mail: nanowu@cycu.edu.tw

2015-07-15

Highlights: • STZ forms at substrate surface underneath punch. • Atoms underneath punch have higher speeds at larger mold displacement. • Stick-slip phenomenon becomes more obvious with increasing imprint speed. • Great pattern transfer is obtained with unloading at low temperatures. - Abstract: The effects of forming speed and temperature on the forming mechanism and mechanics of Cu{sub 50}Zr{sub 25}Ti{sub 25} metallic glass are studied using molecular dynamics simulations based on the second-moment approximation of the many-body tight-binding potential. These effects are investigated in terms of atomic trajectories, flow field, slip vectors, internal energy, radial distribution function, and elastic recovery of nanoimprint lithography (NIL) patterns. The simulation results show that a shear transformation zone (STZ) forms at the substrate surface underneath the mold during the forming process. The STZ area increases with mold displacement (D). The movement speed of substrate atoms underneath the mold increases with increasing D value. The movement directions of substrate atoms underneath the mold are more agreeable for a larger D value. The stick-slip phenomenon becomes more obvious with increasing D value and imprint speed. The substrate energy increases with increasing imprint speed and temperature. Great NIL pattern transfer is obtained with unloading at low temperatures (e.g., room temperature)

Building an Economical and Sustainable Lunar Infrastructure to Enable Lunar Industrialization

Science.gov (United States)

Zuniga, Allison F.; Turner, Mark; Rasky, Daniel; Loucks, Mike; Carrico, John; Policastri, Daniel

2017-01-01

A new concept study was initiated to examine the architecture needed to gradually develop an economical, evolvable and sustainable lunar infrastructure using a public/private partnerships approach. This approach would establish partnership agreements between NASA and industry teams to develop a lunar infrastructure system that would be mutually beneficial. This approach would also require NASA and its industry partners to share costs in the development phase and then transfer operation of these infrastructure services back to its industry owners in the execution phase. These infrastructure services may include but are not limited to the following: lunar cargo transportation, power stations, communication towers and satellites, autonomous rover operations, landing pads and resource extraction operations. The public/private partnerships approach used in this study leveraged best practices from NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program which introduced an innovative and economical approach for partnering with industry to develop commercial cargo services to the International Space Station. This program was planned together with the ISS Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) contracts which was responsible for initiating commercial cargo delivery services to the ISS for the first time. The public/private partnerships approach undertaken in the COTS program proved to be very successful in dramatically reducing development costs for these ISS cargo delivery services as well as substantially reducing operational costs. To continue on this successful path towards installing economical infrastructure services for LEO and beyond, this new study, named Lunar COTS (Commercial Operations and Transport Services), was conducted to examine extending the NASA COTS model to cis-lunar space and the lunar surface. The goals of the Lunar COTS concept are to: 1) develop and demonstrate affordable and commercial cis-lunar and surface capabilities, such as lunar cargo

The Microstructure of Lunar Micrometeorite Impact Craters

Science.gov (United States)

Noble, S. K.; Keller, L. P.; Christoffersen, R.; Rahman, Z.

2016-01-01

The peak of the mass flux of impactors striking the lunar surface is made up of objects approximately 200 micrometers in diameter that erode rocks, comminute regolith grains, and produce agglutinates. The effects of these micro-scale impacts are still not fully understood. Much effort has focused on evaluating the physical and optical effects of micrometeorite impacts on lunar and meteoritic material using pulsed lasers to simulate the energy deposited into a substrate in a typical hypervelocity impact. Here we characterize the physical and chemical changes that accompany natural micrometeorite impacts into lunar rocks with long surface exposure to the space environment (12075 and 76015). Transmission electron microscope (TEM) observations were obtained from cross-sections of approximately 10-20 micrometers diameter craters that revealed important micro-structural details of micrometeorite impact processes, including the creation of npFe (sup 0) in the melt, and extensive deformation around the impact site.

Measurements of Photoelectric Yield and Physical Properties of Individual Lunar Dust Grains

Science.gov (United States)

Abbas, M. M.; Tankosic, D.; Craven, P. D.; Spann, J. F.; LeClair, A.; West, F. A.; Taylor, L.; Hoover, R.

2005-01-01

Micron size dust grains levitated and transported on the lunar surface constitute a major problem for the robotic and human habitat missions for the Moon. It is well known since the Apollo missions that the lunar surface is covered with a thick layer of micron/sub-micron size dust grains. Transient dust clouds over the lunar horizon were observed by experiments during the Apollo 17 mission. Theoretical models suggest that the dust grains on the lunar surface are charged by the solar UV radiation as well as the solar wind. Even without any physical activity, the dust grains are levitated by electrostatic fields and transported away from the surface in the near vacuum environment of the Moon. The current dust charging and the levitation models, however, do not fully explain the observed phenomena. Since the abundance of dust on the Moon's surface with its observed adhesive characteristics is believed to have a severe impact on the human habitat and the lifetime and operations of a variety of equipment, it is necessary to investigate the phenomena and the charging properties of the lunar dust in order to develop appropriate mitigating strategies. We will present results of some recent laboratory experiments on individual micro/sub-micron size dust grains levitated in electrodynamic balance in simulated space environments. The experiments involve photoelectric emission measurements of individual micron size lunar dust grains illuminated with UV radiation in the 120-160 nm wavelength range. The photoelectric yields are required to determine the charging properties of lunar dust illuminated by solar UV radiation. We will present some recent results of laboratory measurement of the photoelectric yields and the physical properties of individual micron size dust grains from the Apollo and Luna-24 sample returns as well as the JSC-1 lunar simulants.

Extraction of Water from Polar Lunar Permafrost with Microwaves - Dielectric Property Measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Ethridge, Edwin C.; Kaukler, William

2009-01-01

Remote sensing indicates the presence of hydrogen rich regions associated with the lunar poles. The logical hypothesis is that there is cryogenically trapped water ice located in craters at the lunar poles. Some of the craters have been in permanent darkness for a billion years. The presence of water at the poles as well as other scientific advantages of a polar base, have influenced NASA plans for the lunar outpost. The lunar outpost has water and oxygen requirements on the order of 1 ton per year scaling up to as much as 10 tons per year. Microwave heating of the frozen permafrost has unique advantages for water extraction. Proof of principle experiments have successfully demonstrated that microwaves will couple to the cryogenic soil in a vacuum and the sublimed water vapor can be successfully captured on a cold trap. The dielectric properties of lunar soil will determine the hardware requirements for extraction processes. Microwave frequency dielectric property measurements of lunar soil simulant have been measured.

Experimental Determination of in Situ Utilization of Lunar Regolith for Thermal Energy Storage

Science.gov (United States)

Richter, Scott W.

1993-01-01

A Lunar Thermal Energy from Regolith (LUTHER) experiment has been designed and fabricated at the NASA Lewis Research Center to determine the feasibility of using lunar soil as thermal energy storage media. The experimental apparatus includes an alumina ceramic canister (25.4 cm diameter by 45.7 cm length) which contains simulated lunar regolith, a heater (either radiative or conductive), 9 heat shields, a heat transfer cold jacket, and 19 type B platinum rhodium thermocouples. The simulated lunar regolith is a basalt, mined and processed by the University of Minnesota, that closely resembles the lunar basalt returned to earth by the Apollo missions. The experiment will test the effects of vacuum, particle size, and density on the thermophysical properties of the regolith. The properties include melt temperature (range), specific heat, thermal conductivity, and latent heat of storage. Two separate tests, using two different heaters, will be performed to study the effect of heating the system using radiative and conductive heat transfer. The physical characteristics of the melt pattern, material compatibility of the molten regolith, and the volatile gas emission will be investigated by heating a portion of the lunar regolith to its melting temperature (1435 K) in a 10(exp -4) pascal vacuum chamber, equipped with a gas spectrum analyzer. A finite differencing SINDA model was developed at NASA Lewis Research Center to predict the performance of the LUTHER experiment. The analytical results of the code will be compared with the experimental data generated by the LUTHER experiment. The code will predict the effects of vacuum, particle size, and density has on the heat transfer to the simulated regolith.

Lunar horticulture.

Science.gov (United States)

Walkinshaw, C. H.

1971-01-01

Discussion of the role that lunar horticulture may fulfill in helping establish the life support system of an earth-independent lunar colony. Such a system is expected to be a hybrid between systems which depend on lunar horticulture and those which depend upon the chemical reclamation of metabolic waste and its resynthesis into nutrients and water. The feasibility of this approach has been established at several laboratories. Plants grow well under reduced pressures and with oxygen concentrations of less than 1% of the total pressure. The carbon dioxide collected from the lunar base personnel should provide sufficient gas pressure (approx. 100 mm Hg) for growing the plants.

The influence of penetrating gamma radiation on the reaction of simulated nuclear waste glass in tuff groundwater

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ebert, W.L.; Bates, J.K.; Abrajano, T.A. Jr.; Gerding, T.J.

1989-01-01

Static leaching experiments have been performed to determine the influence of penetrating gamma radiation on the reaction of simulated nuclear waste glass in tuff groundwater at 90/degree/C. Both the leachates and the reacted glass monoliths were analyzed to characterize the reaction. Radiation was seen to acidify the leachates, but the high bicarbonate content of the groundwater prevented the pHs from dropping below 6.4. The glass reaction tended to raise the pH. Glass based on SRL 165 black frit and PNL 76-68 glass compositions were leached. The SRL 165 type glasses were quite durable and unaffected by radiation [NL(B) /approximately/4 g/m 2 after 278 days at all exposure rates]. The PNL 76-68 glasses were much less durable, with the durability decreasing as the exposure rate was increased [NL(B) was about 20 g/m 2 after 278 days at 1 /times/ 10 3 R/h for both ATM-1c and ATM-8 glasses]. 8 refs., 5 figs

Numerical Simulation of Rocket Exhaust Interaction with Lunar Soil, Phase I

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Rocket plume impingement may cause significant damage and contaminate co-landed spacecraft and surrounding habitat structures during Lunar landing operations. Under...

Solar Wind Implantation into Lunar Regolith II: Monte Carlo Simulations of Hydrogen Retention in a Surface with Defects and the Hydrogen (H, H2) Exosphere

Science.gov (United States)

Tucker, O. J.; Farrell, W. M.; Killen, R. M.; Hurley, D. M.

2018-01-01

Recently, the near-infrared observations of the OH veneer on the lunar surface by the Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3) have been refined to constrain the OH content to 500-750 parts per million (ppm). The observations indicate diurnal variations in OH up to 200 ppm possibly linked to warmer surface temperatures at low latitude. We examine the M3 observations using a statistical mechanics approach to model the diffusion of implanted H in the lunar regolith. We present results from Monte Carlo simulations of the diffusion of implanted solar wind H atoms and the subsequently derived H and H2 exospheres.

X-ray tomography of feed-to-glass transition of simulated borosilicate waste glasses

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Harris, W.H.; Guillen, D.P.; Kloužek, Jaroslav; Pokorný, P.; Yano, T.; Lee, S.; Schweiger, M. J.; Hrma, P.

2017-01-01

Roč. 100, č. 9 (2017), s. 3883-3894 ISSN 0002-7820 Institutional support: RVO:67985891 Keywords : borosilicate glass * computed tomography * glass melting * morphology * nuclear waste * X-ray Subject RIV: JH - Ceramics, Fire-Resistant Materials and Glass OBOR OECD: Ceramics Impact factor: 2.841, year: 2016

Lunar transportation system

Science.gov (United States)

1993-07-01

The University Space Research Association (USRA) requested the University of Minnesota Spacecraft Design Team to design a lunar transportation infrastructure. This task was a year long design effort culminating in a complete conceptual design and presentation at Johnson Space Center. The mission objective of the design group was to design a system of vehicles to bring a habitation module, cargo, and crew to the lunar surface from LEO and return either or both crew and cargo safely to LEO while emphasizing component commonality, reusability, and cost effectiveness. During the course of the design, the lunar transportation system (LTS) has taken on many forms. The final design of the system is composed of two vehicles, a lunar transfer vehicle (LTV) and a lunar excursion vehicle (LEV). The LTV serves as an efficient orbital transfer vehicle between the earth and the moon while the LEV carries crew and cargo to the lunar surface. Presented in the report are the mission analysis, systems layout, orbital mechanics, propulsion systems, structural and thermal analysis, and crew systems, avionics, and power systems for this lunar transportation concept.

Petrology of lunar rocks and implication to lunar evolution

Science.gov (United States)

Ridley, W. I.

1976-01-01

Recent advances in lunar petrology, based on studies of lunar rock samples available through the Apollo program, are reviewed. Samples of bedrock from both maria and terra have been collected where micrometeorite impact penetrated the regolith and brought bedrock to the surface, but no in situ cores have been taken. Lunar petrogenesis and lunar thermal history supported by studies of the rock sample are discussed and a tentative evolutionary scenario is constructed. Mare basalts, terra assemblages of breccias, soils, rocks, and regolith are subjected to elemental analysis, mineralogical analysis, trace content analysis, with studies of texture, ages and isotopic composition. Probable sources of mare basalts are indicated.

Aqueous corrosion of borosilicate glasses: experiments, modeling and Monte-Carlo simulations; Alteration par l'eau des verres borosilicates: experiences, modelisation et simulations Monte-Carlo

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ledieu, A

2004-10-01

This work is concerned with the corrosion of borosilicate glasses with variable oxide contents. The originality of this study is the complementary use of experiments and numerical simulations. This study is expected to contribute to a better understanding of the corrosion of nuclear waste confinement glasses. First, the corrosion of glasses containing only silicon, boron and sodium oxides has been studied. The kinetics of leaching show that the rate of leaching and the final degree of corrosion sharply depend on the boron content through a percolation mechanism. For some glass contents and some conditions of leaching, the layer which appears at the glass surface stops the release of soluble species (boron and sodium). This altered layer (also called the gel layer) has been characterized with nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) techniques. Second, additional elements have been included in the glass composition. It appears that calcium, zirconium or aluminum oxides strongly modify the final degree of corrosion so that the percolation properties of the boron sub-network is no more a sufficient explanation to account for the behavior of these glasses. Meanwhile, we have developed a theoretical model, based on the dissolution and the reprecipitation of the silicon. Kinetic Monte Carlo simulations have been used in order to test several concepts such as the boron percolation, the local reactivity of weakly soluble elements and the restructuring of the gel layer. This model has been fully validated by comparison with the results on the three oxide glasses. Then, it has been used as a comprehensive tool to investigate the paradoxical behavior of the aluminum and zirconium glasses: although these elements slow down the corrosion kinetics, they lead to a deeper final degree of corrosion. The main contribution of this work is that the final degree of corrosion of borosilicate glasses results from the competition of two opposite mechanisms

Water leaching of borosilicate glasses: experiments, modeling and Monte Carlo simulations; Alteration par l'eau des verres borosilicates: experiences, modelisation et simulations Monte Carlo

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ledieu, A

2004-10-15

This work is concerned with the corrosion of borosilicate glasses with variable oxide contents. The originality of this study is the complementary use of experiments and numerical simulations. This study is expected to contribute to a better understanding of the corrosion of nuclear waste confinement glasses. First, the corrosion of glasses containing only silicon, boron and sodium oxides has been studied. The kinetics of leaching show that the rate of leaching and the final degree of corrosion sharply depend on the boron content through a percolation mechanism. For some glass contents and some conditions of leaching, the layer which appears at the glass surface stops the release of soluble species (boron and sodium). This altered layer (also called the gel layer) has been characterized with nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) techniques. Second, additional elements have been included in the glass composition. It appears that calcium, zirconium or aluminum oxides strongly modify the final degree of corrosion so that the percolation properties of the boron sub-network is no more a sufficient explanation to account for the behavior of these glasses. Meanwhile, we have developed a theoretical model, based on the dissolution and the reprecipitation of the silicon. Kinetic Monte Carlo simulations have been used in order to test several concepts such as the boron percolation, the local reactivity of weakly soluble elements and the restructuring of the gel layer. This model has been fully validated by comparison with the results on the three oxide glasses. Then, it has been used as a comprehensive tool to investigate the paradoxical behavior of the aluminum and zirconium glasses: although these elements slow down the corrosion kinetics, they lead to a deeper final degree of corrosion. The main contribution of this work is that the final degree of corrosion of borosilicate glasses results from the competition of two opposite mechanisms

Thermal properties and surface reactivity in simulated body fluid of new strontium ion-containing phosphate glasses.

Science.gov (United States)

Massera, J; Petit, L; Cardinal, T; Videau, J J; Hupa, M; Hupa, L

2013-06-01

In this paper, we investigate the effect of SrO substitution for CaO in 50P₂O₅-10Na₂-(40-x)CaO-xSrO glass system (x from 0 to 40) on the thermal and structural properties and also on the glass reactivity in simulated body fluid (SBF) in order to find new glass candidates for biomedical glass fibers. The addition of SrO at the expense of CaO seems to restrain the leaching of phosphate ions in the solution limiting the reduction of the solution pH. We observed the formation of an apatite layer at the surface of the glasses when in contact with SBF. SrO and MgO were found in the apatite layer of the strontium ion-containing glasses, the concentration of which increases with an increase of SrO content. We think that it is the presence of MgO and SrO in the layer which limits the leaching of phosphate in the solution and thus the glass dissolution in SBF.

Level of Automation and Failure Frequency Effects on Simulated Lunar Lander Performance

Science.gov (United States)

Marquez, Jessica J.; Ramirez, Margarita

2014-01-01

A human-in-the-loop experiment was conducted at the NASA Ames Research Center Vertical Motion Simulator, where instrument-rated pilots completed a simulated terminal descent phase of a lunar landing. Ten pilots participated in a 2 x 2 mixed design experiment, with level of automation as the within-subjects factor and failure frequency as the between subjects factor. The two evaluated levels of automation were high (fully automated landing) and low (manual controlled landing). During test trials, participants were exposed to either a high number of failures (75% failure frequency) or low number of failures (25% failure frequency). In order to investigate the pilots' sensitivity to changes in levels of automation and failure frequency, the dependent measure selected for this experiment was accuracy of failure diagnosis, from which D Prime and Decision Criterion were derived. For each of the dependent measures, no significant difference was found for level of automation and no significant interaction was detected between level of automation and failure frequency. A significant effect was identified for failure frequency suggesting failure frequency has a significant effect on pilots' sensitivity to failure detection and diagnosis. Participants were more likely to correctly identify and diagnose failures if they experienced the higher levels of failures, regardless of level of automation

Lunar Topography: Results from the Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter

Science.gov (United States)

Neumann, Gregory; Smith, David E.; Zuber, Maria T.; Mazarico, Erwan

2012-01-01

The Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (LOLA) onboard the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) has been operating nearly continuously since July 2009, accumulating over 6 billion measurements from more than 2 billion in-orbit laser shots. LRO's near-polar orbit results in very high data density in the immediate vicinity of the lunar poles, with full coverage at the equator from more than 12000 orbital tracks averaging less than 1 km in spacing at the equator. LRO has obtained a global geodetic model of the lunar topography with 50-meter horizontal and 1-m radial accuracy in a lunar center-of-mass coordinate system, with profiles of topography at 20-m horizontal resolution, and 0.1-m vertical precision. LOLA also provides measurements of reflectivity and surface roughness down to its 5-m laser spot size. With these data LOLA has measured the shape of all lunar craters 20 km and larger. In the proposed extended mission commencing late in 2012, LOLA will concentrate observations in the Southern Hemisphere, improving the density of the polar coverage to nearly 10-m pixel resolution and accuracy to better than 20 m total position error. Uses for these data include mission planning and targeting, illumination studies, geodetic control of images, as well as lunar geology and geophysics. Further improvements in geodetic accuracy are anticipated from the use of re ned gravity fields after the successful completion of the Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) mission in 2012.

Lunar Science Conference, 5th, Houston, Tex., March 18-22, 1974, Proceedings. Volume 1 - Mineralogy and petrology. Volume 2 Chemical and isotope analyses. Organic chemistry. Volume 3 - Physical properties

Science.gov (United States)

Gose, W. A.

1974-01-01

Numerous studies on the properties of the moon based on Apollo findings and samples are presented. Topics treated include ages of the lunar nearside light plains and maria, orange material in the Sulpicius Gallus formation at the southwestern edge of Mare Serenitatis, impact-induced fractionation in the lunar highlands, igneous rocks from Apollo 16 rake samples, experimental liquid line of descent and liquid immiscibility for basalt 70017, ion microprobe mass analysis of plagioclase from 'non-mare' lunar samples, grain size and the evolution of lunar soils, chemical composition of rocks and soils at Taurus-Littrow, the geochemical evolution of the moon, U-Th-Pb systematics of some Apollo 17 lunar samples and implications for a lunar basin excavation chronology, volatile-element systematics and green glass in Apollo 15 lunar soils, solar wind nitrogen and indigenous nitrogen in Apollo 17 lunar samples, lunar trapped xenon, solar flare and lunar surface process characterization at the Apollo 17 site, and the permanent and induced magnetic dipole moment of the moon. Individual items are announced in this issue.

Lunar e-Library: A Research Tool Focused on the Lunar Environment

Science.gov (United States)

McMahan, Tracy A.; Shea, Charlotte A.; Finckenor, Miria; Ferguson, Dale

2007-01-01

As NASA plans and implements the Vision for Space Exploration, managers, engineers, and scientists need lunar environment information that is readily available and easily accessed. For this effort, lunar environment data was compiled from a variety of missions from Apollo to more recent remote sensing missions, such as Clementine. This valuable information comes not only in the form of measurements and images but also from the observations of astronauts who have visited the Moon and people who have designed spacecraft for lunar missions. To provide a research tool that makes the voluminous lunar data more accessible, the Space Environments and Effects (SEE) Program, managed at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in Huntsville, AL, organized the data into a DVD knowledgebase: the Lunar e-Library. This searchable collection of 1100 electronic (.PDF) documents and abstracts makes it easy to find critical technical data and lessons learned from past lunar missions and exploration studies. The SEE Program began distributing the Lunar e-Library DVD in 2006. This paper describes the Lunar e-Library development process (including a description of the databases and resources used to acquire the documents) and the contents of the DVD product, demonstrates its usefulness with focused searches, and provides information on how to obtain this free resource.

Vesicles in Apollo 15 Green Glasses: The Nature of Ancient Lunar Gases

Science.gov (United States)

Thomas-Keprta, K. L.; Clemett, S. J.; Berger, E. L.; Rahman, Z.; McKay, D. S.; Gibson, E. K.; Wentworth, S. J.

2014-01-01

Detailed studies of Apollo 15 green glass and related beads have shown they were formed in gas-rich fire fountains.. As the magmatic fluid became super-saturated in volatile gas, bubbles or vesicles formed within the magma. These exsolved gases became trapped within vesicles as the glasses were ejected from the fire-fountain and subsequently quenched. One of the keys to understanding formation processes on the ancient moon includes determining the composition of volatile species and elements, including metals, dissolved in magmatic gases. Here we report the nature of mineral phases spatially associated with vesicles in a green glass bead from Apollo sample 15411,42. The phases reflect the composition of the cooling/degassing magmatic vapors and fluids present at the time of bead formation approx, 3 Ga ago

REDOX state analysis of platinoid elements in simulated high-level radioactive waste glass by synchrotron radiation based EXAFS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Okamoto, Yoshihiro, E-mail: okamoto.yoshihiro@jaea.go.jp [Condensed Matter Chemistry Group, Quantum Beam Science Center, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Shirakata 2-4, Tokai-mura, Ibaraki 319-1195 (Japan); Shiwaku, Hideaki [Quantum Beam Science Center, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Kouto 1-1-1, Sayo-cho, Hyogo 679-5143 (Japan); Nakada, Masami [Nuclear Engineering Science Center, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Shirakata 2-4, Tokai-mura, Ibaraki 319-1195 (Japan); Komamine, Satoshi; Ochi, Eiji [Japan Nuclear Fuel Limited, 4-108 Aza Okitsuke, Oaza Obuchi, Rokkasho-mura, Aomori 030-3212 (Japan); Akabori, Mitsuo [Nuclear Engineering Science Center, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Shirakata 2-4, Tokai-mura, Ibaraki 319-1195 (Japan)

2016-04-01

Extended X-ray Absorption Fine Structure (EXAFS) analyses were performed to evaluate REDOX (REDuction and OXidation) state of platinoid elements in simulated high-level nuclear waste glass samples prepared under different conditions of temperature and atmosphere. At first, EXAFS functions were compared with those of standard materials such as RuO{sub 2}. Then structural parameters were obtained from a curve fitting analysis. In addition, a fitting analysis used a linear combination of the two standard EXAFS functions of a given elements metal and oxide was applied to determine ratio of metal/oxide in the simulated glass. The redox state of Ru was successfully evaluated from the linear combination fitting results of EXAFS functions. The ratio of metal increased at more reducing atmosphere and at higher temperatures. Chemical form of rhodium oxide in the simulated glass samples was RhO{sub 2} unlike expected Rh{sub 2}O{sub 3}. It can be estimated rhodium behaves according with ruthenium when the chemical form is oxide.

Effects of Crystallinity, Composition, and Texture on Hydrogen Solubility and Adsorption in Lunar Surface Materials and their Relevance to Remote Sensing

Science.gov (United States)

Dyar, M. D.; Hibbitts, C.; Orlando, T. M.; Poston, M.; Grieves, G. A.

2011-12-01

Abundant spacecraft data now demonstrate the presence of features associated with H on the lunar surface. The origin of that lunar H, whether as OH or H2O, is some combination of endogenic (juvenile) sources in the interiors of planetary materials and those resulting from exogenic deposition such as from the solar wind or comets. The ability of mineral (rock) and glass surfaces to internally host and surficially adsorb H is a function of several interrelated variables -- composition, crystallinity, and texture -- all of which will have an effect on observed band depth in remote sensing measurements. Studies of terrestrial materials show that the ability of nominally-anhydrous minerals to host H is related to composition in ways that reflect partition coefficients for H between melt and mineral, variations in bond strengths, and defect densities. This is important because the ability of a mineral to adsorb water on its exterior surface (chemisorption) should be related to some of the same factors that govern 'solubility' of H in the interiors of different mineral groups and compositions. IR signatures of internal OH/H2O can easily be confused with those of adsorbed OH/H2O. No correlation between H solubility and surface adsorptivity is observed in pristine glasses, which generally have passivated bonds on the surface and are hydrophobic. However, on the Moon, glass 'matures' rapidly via micrometeorite bombardment, potentially exposing dangling bonds on the surface that provide sites for H to adsorb. Unlike glasses, crystalline materials provide both defect lattice sites and dangling bonds on freshly-fractured surfaces that may enhance H adsorption. For example, bonding on mineral surfaces ranges from hydrogen bonding at non-lattice oxygen atoms (electronegative sites) to chemisorption at electropositive surface sites, such as structural defects or unsatisfied cations. Moreover, glasses and different mineral species also have different optical absorption coefficients

Lunar Health Monitor (LHM)

Science.gov (United States)

Lisy, Frederick J.

2015-01-01

Orbital Research, Inc., has developed a low-profile, wearable sensor suite for monitoring astronaut health in both intravehicular and extravehicular activities. The Lunar Health Monitor measures respiration, body temperature, electrocardiogram (EKG) heart rate, and other cardiac functions. Orbital Research's dry recording electrode is central to the innovation and can be incorporated into garments, eliminating the need for conductive pastes, adhesives, or gels. The patented dry recording electrode has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The LHM is easily worn under flight gear or with civilian clothing, making the system completely versatile for applications where continuous physiological monitoring is needed. During Phase II, Orbital Research developed a second-generation LHM that allows sensor customization for specific monitoring applications and anatomical constraints. Evaluations included graded exercise tests, lunar mission task simulations, functional battery tests, and resting measures. The LHM represents the successful integration of sensors into a wearable platform to capture long-duration and ambulatory physiological markers.

Phase-dependent space weathering effects and spectroscopic identification of retained helium in a lunar soil grain

Science.gov (United States)

Burgess, K. D.; Stroud, R. M.

2018-03-01

The solar wind is an important driver of space weathering on airless bodies. Over time, solar wind exposure alters the physical, chemical, and optical properties of exposed materials and can also impart a significant amount of helium into the surfaces of these bodies. However, common materials on the surface of the Moon, such as glass, crystalline silicates, and oxides, have highly variable responses to solar wind irradiation. We used scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) with electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) to examine the morphology and chemistry of a single grain of lunar soil that includes silicate glass, chromite and ilmenite, all present and exposed along the same surface. The exposure of the silicate glass and oxides to the same space weathering conditions allows for direct comparisons of the responses of natural materials to the complex lunar surface environment. The silicate glass shows minimal effects of solar wind irradiation, whereas both the chromite and ilmenite exhibit defect-rich rims that currently contain trapped helium. Only the weathered rim in ilmenite is rich in nanophase metallic iron (npFe0) and larger vesicles that retain helium at a range of internal pressures. The multiple exposed surfaces of the single grain of ilmenite demonstrate strong crystallographic controls of planar defects and non-spherical npFe0. The direct spectroscopic identification of helium in the vesicles and planar defects in the oxides provides additional evidence of the central role of solar wind irradiation in the formation of some common space weathering features.

Local dynamics of glass-forming polystyrene thin films from atomistic simulation

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Yuxing; Milner, Scott

Despite a wide technological application ranging from protective coatings to organic solar cells, there still no consensus on the mechanism for the glass transition in polymer thin films a manifestation of the infamous glass problem under confinement. Many experimental and computational studies have observed a large deviation of nanoscale dynamical properties in thin films from the corresponding properties in bulk. In this work, we perform extensive united-atom simulations on atactic polystyrene free-standing thin films near the glass transition temperature and focus on the effect of free surface on the local dynamics. We study the segmental dynamics as a function of distance from the surface for different temperatures, from which relaxation time and thereby local Tg is obtained for each layer. We find the dynamics near free surface is not only enhanced but becomes less strongly temperature dependent as Tg is approached compared to the bulk. We find an increasing length scale associated with mobility propagation from the free surface as temperature decreases, but no correlation between local structure and enhanced relaxation rates near the surface, consistent with studies on bead-spring chains.

Volatilization from borosilicate glass melts of simulated Savannah River Plant waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wilds, G.W.

1979-01-01

Laboratory scale studies determined the rates at which the semivolatile components sodium, boron, lithium, cesium, and ruthenium volatilized from borosilicate glass melts that contained simulated Savannah River Plant waste sludge. Sodium and boric oxides volatilize as the thermally stable compound sodium metaborate, and accounted for approx. 90% of the semivolatiles that evolved. The amounts of semivolatiles that evolved increased linearly with the logarithm of the sodium content of the glass-forming mixture. Cesium volatility was slightly suppressed when titanium dioxide was added to the melt, but was unaffected when cesium was added to the melt as a cesium-loaded zeolite rather than as a cesium carbonate solution. Volatility of ruthenium was not suppressed when the glass melt was blanketed with a nonoxidizing atmosphere. Trace quantities of mercury were removed from vapor streams by adsorption onto a silver-exchanged zeolite. A bed containing silver in the ionic state removed more than 99.9% of the mercury and had a high chemisorption capacity. Beds of lead-, copper-, and copper sulfide-exchanged zeolite-X and also an unexchanged zeolite-X were tested. None of these latter beds had high removal efficiency and high chemisorption capacity

Volatilization from borosilicate glass melts of simulated Savannah River Plant waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wilds, G.W.

1978-01-01

Laboratory scale studies determined the rates at which the semivolatile components sodium, boron, lithium, cesium, and ruthenium volatilized from borosilicate glass melts that contained simulated Savannah River Plant waste sludge. Sodium and boric oxides volatilize as the thermally stable compound sodium metaborate, and accounted for approx. 90% of the semivolatiles that evolved. The amounts of semivolatiles that evolved increased linearly with the logarithm of the sodium content of the glass-forming mixture. Cesium volatility was slightly suppressed when titanium dioxide was added to the melt, but was unaffected when cesium was added to the melt as a cesium-loaded zeolite rather than as a cesium carbonate solution. Volatility of ruthenium was not suppressed when the glass melt was blanketed with a nonoxidizing atmosphere. Trace quantities of mercury were removed from vapor streams by adsorption onto a silver-exchanged zeolite. A bed containing silver in the ionic state removed more than 99.9% of the mercury and had a high chemisorption capacity. Beds of lead-, copper-, and copper sulfide-exchanged zeolite-X and also an unexchanged zeolite-X were tested. None of these latter beds had high removal efficiency and high chemisorption capacity

First lunar outpost

Science.gov (United States)

Andino, Aureo F.; Silva, Daniel; Ortiz, Nelson; Alvarez, Omar; Colon, Julio A.; Colon, Myrelle; Diaz, Alicia; Escobar, Xochiquetzal Y.; Garcia, Alberto; Gonzalez, Isabel C.

1992-01-01

Design and research efforts at the University of Puerto Rico have focused on the evaluation and refinement of the Habitability Criteria for a prolonged human presence in space during the last four years. Living quarters for a Mars mission and a third generation lunar base concept were proposed. This academic year, 1991-92, work on further refinement of the habitability criteria and design of partial gravity furniture was carried on. During the first semester, design alternatives for furniture necessary in a habitat design optimized for lunar and Martian environments were developed. Designs are based on recent research data from lunar and Mars gravity simulations, and current NASA standards. Artifacts will be submitted to NASA architects to be tested in KC-135 flights. Test findings will be submitted for incorporation in future updates to NASA habitat design standards. Second semester work was aimed at integrating these findings into the First Lunar Outpost (FLO), a mission scenario currently being considered by NASA. The mission consists of a manned return to the moon by crews of four astronauts for periods of 45 days. The major hardware components of the mission are as follows: (1) a Crew Module for the delivery of the crew and their supplies, and (2) the Habitat Module, which will arrive on the Moon unmanned. Our design efforts concentrated on this Habitat Module and on application of habitability criteria. Different geometries for the pressure vessel and their impact on the interior architecture were studied. Upon the selection of a geometry, a more detailed analysis of the interior design was performed, taking into consideration the reduced gravity, and the protection against radiation, micrometeorites, and the extreme temperature variation. A proposal for a FLO was submitted by the students, consisting essentially of a 24-feet (7.3 m.) by 35-feet (10.67 m) high vertical cylinder with work areas, crew quarters, galley, wardroom, leisure facilities, health

Spacesuit Integrated Carbon Nanotube Dust Mitigation System for Lunar Exploration

Science.gov (United States)

Manyapu, Kavya Kamal

by integrating a passive technique based on Work Function Matching coating. SPIcDER aims for a self-cleaning spacesuit that can repel lunar dust. The SPIcDER research encompassed numerous demonstrations on coupons made of spacesuit outerlayer fabric, to validate the feasibility of the concept, and provide evidence that the SPIcDER system is capable of repelling over 85% of lunar dust simulant comprising of particles in the range of 10 microm-75microm, in ambient and vacuum conditions. Furthermore, the research presented in this dissertation proves the scalability of the SPIcDER technology on a full scale functional prototype of a spacesuit knee joint-section, and demonstrates its scaled functionality and performance using lunar dust simulant. It also comprises detailed numerical simulation and parametric analysis in ANSYS Maxwell and MATLAB for optimizing the integration of the SPIcDER system into the spacesuit outerlayer. The research concludes with analysis and experimental results on design, manufacturability, operational performance, practicality of application and astronaut safety. The research aims primarily towards spacesuit dust contamination. The SPIcDER technology developed in this research is however versatile, that can be optimized to a wide range of flexible surfaces for space and terrain applications-such as exploration missions to asteroids, Mars and dust-prone applications on Earth.

Detecting Structural Features in Metallic Glass via Synchrotron Radiation Experiments Combined with Simulations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gu-Qing Guo

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Revealing the essential structural features of metallic glasses (MGs will enhance the understanding of glass-forming mechanisms. In this work, a feasible scheme is provided where we performed the state-of-the-art synchrotron-radiation based experiments combined with simulations to investigate the microstructures of ZrCu amorphous compositions. It is revealed that in order to stabilize the amorphous state and optimize the topological and chemical distribution, besides the icosahedral or icosahedral-like clusters, other types of clusters also participate in the formation of the microstructure in MGs. This cluster-level co-existing feature may be popular in this class of glassy materials.

X-ray tomography of feed-to-glass transition of simulated borosilicate waste glasses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harris, William H.; Guillen, Donna P.; Klouzek, Jaroslav; Pokorny, Richard; Yano, Tetsuji

2017-01-01

The feed composition of a high level nuclear waste (HLW) glass melter affects the overall melting rate by influencing the chemical, thermophysical, and morphological properties of a relatively insulating cold cap layer over the molten phase where the primary feed vitrification reactions occur. Data from X ray computed tomography imaging of melting pellets comprised of a simulated high-aluminum HLW feed heated at a rate of 10°C/min reveal the distribution and morphology of bubbles, collectively known as primary foam, within this layer for various SiO 2 /(Li 2 CO 3 +H 3 BO 3 +Na 2 CO 3 ) mass fractions at temperatures between 600°C and 1040°C. To track melting dynamics, cross-sections obtained through the central profile of the pellet were digitally segmented into primary foam and a condensed phase. Pellet dimensions were extracted using Photoshop CS6 tools while the DREAM.3D software package was used to calculate pellet profile area, average and maximum bubble areas, and two-dimensional void fraction. The measured linear increase in the pellet area expansion rates – and therefore the increase in batch gas evolution rates – with SiO 2 /(Li 2 CO 3 +H 3 BO 3 +Na 2 CO 3 ) mass fraction despite an exponential increase in viscosity of the final waste glass at 1050°C and a lower total amount of gas-evolving species suggest that the retention of primary foam with large average bubble size at higher temperatures results from faster reaction kinetics rather than increased viscosity. However, viscosity does affect the initial foam collapse temperature by supporting the growth of larger bubbles. Because the maximum bubble size is limited by the pellet dimensions, larger scale studies are needed to understand primary foam morphology at high temperatures. This temperature-dependent morphological data can be used in future investigations to synthetically generate cold cap structures for use in models of heat transfer within a HLW glass melter.

Water leaching of borosilicate glasses: experiments, modeling and Monte Carlo simulations; Alteration par l'eau des verres borosilicates: experiences, modelisation et simulations Monte Carlo

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ledieu, A

2004-10-15

This work is concerned with the corrosion of borosilicate glasses with variable oxide contents. The originality of this study is the complementary use of experiments and numerical simulations. This study is expected to contribute to a better understanding of the corrosion of nuclear waste confinement glasses. First, the corrosion of glasses containing only silicon, boron and sodium oxides has been studied. The kinetics of leaching show that the rate of leaching and the final degree of corrosion sharply depend on the boron content through a percolation mechanism. For some glass contents and some conditions of leaching, the layer which appears at the glass surface stops the release of soluble species (boron and sodium). This altered layer (also called the gel layer) has been characterized with nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) techniques. Second, additional elements have been included in the glass composition. It appears that calcium, zirconium or aluminum oxides strongly modify the final degree of corrosion so that the percolation properties of the boron sub-network is no more a sufficient explanation to account for the behavior of these glasses. Meanwhile, we have developed a theoretical model, based on the dissolution and the reprecipitation of the silicon. Kinetic Monte Carlo simulations have been used in order to test several concepts such as the boron percolation, the local reactivity of weakly soluble elements and the restructuring of the gel layer. This model has been fully validated by comparison with the results on the three oxide glasses. Then, it has been used as a comprehensive tool to investigate the paradoxical behavior of the aluminum and zirconium glasses: although these elements slow down the corrosion kinetics, they lead to a deeper final degree of corrosion. The main contribution of this work is that the final degree of corrosion of borosilicate glasses results from the competition of two opposite mechanisms

Aqueous corrosion of borosilicate glasses: experiments, modeling and Monte-Carlo simulations; Alteration par l'eau des verres borosilicates: experiences, modelisation et simulations Monte-Carlo

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ledieu, A

2004-10-01

This work is concerned with the corrosion of borosilicate glasses with variable oxide contents. The originality of this study is the complementary use of experiments and numerical simulations. This study is expected to contribute to a better understanding of the corrosion of nuclear waste confinement glasses. First, the corrosion of glasses containing only silicon, boron and sodium oxides has been studied. The kinetics of leaching show that the rate of leaching and the final degree of corrosion sharply depend on the boron content through a percolation mechanism. For some glass contents and some conditions of leaching, the layer which appears at the glass surface stops the release of soluble species (boron and sodium). This altered layer (also called the gel layer) has been characterized with nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) techniques. Second, additional elements have been included in the glass composition. It appears that calcium, zirconium or aluminum oxides strongly modify the final degree of corrosion so that the percolation properties of the boron sub-network is no more a sufficient explanation to account for the behavior of these glasses. Meanwhile, we have developed a theoretical model, based on the dissolution and the reprecipitation of the silicon. Kinetic Monte Carlo simulations have been used in order to test several concepts such as the boron percolation, the local reactivity of weakly soluble elements and the restructuring of the gel layer. This model has been fully validated by comparison with the results on the three oxide glasses. Then, it has been used as a comprehensive tool to investigate the paradoxical behavior of the aluminum and zirconium glasses: although these elements slow down the corrosion kinetics, they lead to a deeper final degree of corrosion. The main contribution of this work is that the final degree of corrosion of borosilicate glasses results from the competition of two opposite mechanisms

Lunar magnetism

Science.gov (United States)

Hood, L. L.; Sonett, C. P.; Srnka, L. J.

1984-01-01

Aspects of lunar paleomagnetic and electromagnetic sounding results which appear inconsistent with the hypothesis that an ancient core dynamo was the dominant source of the observed crustal magnetism are discussed. Evidence is summarized involving a correlation between observed magnetic anomalies and ejecta blankets from impact events which indicates the possible importance of local mechanisms involving meteoroid impact processes in generating strong magnetic fields at the lunar surface. A reply is given to the latter argument which also presents recent evidence of a lunar iron core.

The Lunar Transit Telescope (LTT) - An early lunar-based science and engineering mission

Science.gov (United States)

Mcgraw, John T.

1992-01-01

The Sentinel, the soft-landed lunar telescope of the LTT project, is described. The Sentinel is a two-meter telescope with virtually no moving parts which accomplishes an imaging survey of the sky over almost five octaves of the electromagnetic spectrum from the ultraviolet into the infrared, with an angular resolution better than 0.1 arsec/pixel. The Sentinel will incorporate innovative techniques of interest for future lunar-based telescopes and will return significant engineering data which can be incorporated into future lunar missions. The discussion covers thermal mapping of the Sentinel, measurement of the cosmic ray flux, lunar dust, micrometeoroid flux, the lunar atmosphere, and lunar regolith stability and seismic activity.

Chiral-glass transition and replica symmetry breaking of a three-dimensional Heisenberg spin glass

OpenAIRE

Hukushima, K.; Kawamura, H.

2000-01-01

Extensive equilibrium Monte Carlo simulations are performed for a three-dimensional Heisenberg spin glass with the nearest-neighbor Gaussian coupling to investigate its spin-glass and chiral-glass orderings. The occurrence of a finite-temperature chiral-glass transition without the conventional spin-glass order is established. Critical exponents characterizing the transition are different from those of the standard Ising spin glass. The calculated overlap distribution suggests the appearance ...

Characterization of the glass transition of water predicted by molecular dynamics simulations using nonpolarizable intermolecular potentials.

Science.gov (United States)

Kreck, Cara A; Mancera, Ricardo L

2014-02-20

Molecular dynamics simulations allow detailed study of the experimentally inaccessible liquid state of supercooled water below its homogeneous nucleation temperature and the characterization of the glass transition. Simple, nonpolarizable intermolecular potentials are commonly used in classical molecular dynamics simulations of water and aqueous systems due to their lower computational cost and their ability to reproduce a wide range of properties. Because the quality of these predictions varies between the potentials, the predicted glass transition of water is likely to be influenced by the choice of potential. We have thus conducted an extensive comparative investigation of various three-, four-, five-, and six-point water potentials in both the NPT and NVT ensembles. The T(g) predicted from NPT simulations is strongly correlated with the temperature of minimum density, whereas the maximum in the heat capacity plot corresponds to the minimum in the thermal expansion coefficient. In the NVT ensemble, these points are instead related to the maximum in the internal pressure and the minimum of its derivative, respectively. A detailed analysis of the hydrogen-bonding properties at the glass transition reveals that the extent of hydrogen-bonds lost upon the melting of the glassy state is related to the height of the heat capacity peak and varies between water potentials.

Comparison of upright LBPP and supine LBNP in terms of cardiovascular and biomechanical parameters to simulate 1/6-G (lunar gravity) and 3/8-G (Martian gravity) activities

Science.gov (United States)

Schlabs, Thomas; Rosales-Velderrain, Armando; Ruckstuhl, Heidi; Richardson, Sara E.; Hargens, Alan

Background: Missions of astronauts to Moon and Mars may be planned in the future. From over 40 years of manned spaceflight it is known that the human body experiences cardiovascular and musculoskeletal losses and a decrease in aerobic fitness while exposed to reduced gravity. Because future missions will be much longer than before, further research is needed to improve Earth-based simulations of reduced gravity. Among others, two methods are capable of simu-lating fractional gravity on Earth: upright Lower Body Positive Pressure (LBPP) and supine Lower Body Negative Pressure (LBNP). No previous study has directly compared these two methods to determine which method is better suited to simulate both the biomechanical and cardiovascular responses of performing activity in lunar (1/6-G) and Martian (3/8-G) gravities. Taken previous studies into account and considering the fact that supine posture is closer to the established 10 head-up-tilt lunar simulation, we hypothesized that exercise performed in supine LBNP better simulates the cardiovascular conditions that occur in lunar and Martian gravities. Methods: 12 healthy normal subjects underwent a protocol consisting of resting and walking (0.25 Froude) with LBNP and LBPP. Each protocol was performed in simulated 1/6-G and 3/8-G. Heart-rate (HR), blood pressure, oxygen consumption (VO2), vertical component of the ground reaction force, comfort of the subject and perceived exertion of the subject (Borg Scale) were assessed. The obtained parameters were compared to predicted values for lunar and Martian gravity conditions in order to determine the method that shows the best level of agreement. Results: There was no difference in gait parameters between LBPP and LBNP simulation of lunar and Martian gravity (cadence: P=0.427, normalized stride length: P=0.373, duty fac-tor: P=0.302, and normalized vertical peak force (P=0.064). Mean blood pressure (P=0.398), comfort (P=0.832) and BORG rating (P=0.186) did not differ

Lagrangian Trajectory Modeling of Lunar Dust Particles

Science.gov (United States)

Lane, John E.; Metzger, Philip T.; Immer, Christopher D.

2008-01-01

Apollo landing videos shot from inside the right LEM window, provide a quantitative measure of the characteristics and dynamics of the ejecta spray of lunar regolith particles beneath the Lander during the final 10 [m] or so of descent. Photogrammetry analysis gives an estimate of the thickness of the dust layer and angle of trajectory. In addition, Apollo landing video analysis divulges valuable information on the regolith ejecta interactions with lunar surface topography. For example, dense dust streaks are seen to originate at the outer rims of craters within a critical radius of the Lander during descent. The primary intent of this work was to develop a mathematical model and software implementation for the trajectory simulation of lunar dust particles acted on by gas jets originating from the nozzle of a lunar Lander, where the particle sizes typically range from 10 micron to 500 micron. The high temperature, supersonic jet of gas that is exhausted from a rocket engine can propel dust, soil, gravel, as well as small rocks to high velocities. The lunar vacuum allows ejected particles to travel great distances unimpeded, and in the case of smaller particles, escape velocities may be reached. The particle size distributions and kinetic energies of ejected particles can lead to damage to the landing spacecraft or to other hardware that has previously been deployed in the vicinity. Thus the primary motivation behind this work is to seek a better understanding for the purpose of modeling and predicting the behavior of regolith dust particle trajectories during powered rocket descent and ascent.

View of the Lunar Module 'Orion' and Lunar Roving Vehicle during first EVA

Science.gov (United States)

1972-01-01

A view of the Lunar Module (LM) 'Orion' and Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV), as photographed by Astronaut Charles M. Duke Jr., lunar module pilot, during the first Apollo 16 extravehicular activity (EVA-1) at the Descates landing site. Astronaut John W. Young, commander, can be seen directly behind the LRV. The lunar surface feature in the left background is Stone Mountain.

Effect of Callovo-Oxfordian clay rock on the dissolution rate of the SON68 simulated nuclear waste glass

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Neeway, James J., E-mail: James.Neeway@pnnl.gov [SUBATECH, Unité Mixte de Recherche 6457, École des Mines de Nantes, CNRS/IN2P3, Université de Nantes, BP 20722, 44307 Nantes cedex 3 (France); Abdelouas, Abdesselam; Ribet, Solange; El Mendili, Yassine [SUBATECH, Unité Mixte de Recherche 6457, École des Mines de Nantes, CNRS/IN2P3, Université de Nantes, BP 20722, 44307 Nantes cedex 3 (France); Schumacher, Stéphan [ANDRA, Parc de la Croix Blanche, 1/7 rue Jean Monnet, 92298 Châtenay-Malabry (France); Grambow, Bernd [SUBATECH, Unité Mixte de Recherche 6457, École des Mines de Nantes, CNRS/IN2P3, Université de Nantes, BP 20722, 44307 Nantes cedex 3 (France)

2015-04-15

Long-term storage of high-level nuclear waste glass in France is expected to occur in an engineered barrier system (EBS) located in a subsurface Callovo-Oxfordian (COx) clay rock formation in the Paris Basin in northeastern France. Understanding the behavior of glass dissolution in the complex system is critical to be able to reliably model the performance of the glass in this complex environment. To simulate this multi-barrier repository scenario in the laboratory, several tests have been performed to measure glass dissolution rates of the simulated high-level nuclear waste glass, SON68, in the presence of COx claystone at 90 °C. Experiments utilized a High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) pump to pass simulated Bure site COx pore water through a reaction cell containing SON68 placed between two COx claystone cores for durations up to 200 days. Silicon concentrations at the outlet were similar in all experiments, even the blank experiment with only the COx claystone (∼4 mg/L at 25 °C and ∼15 mg/L at 90 °C). The steady-state pH of the effluent, measured at room temperature, was roughly 7.1 for the blank and 7.3–7.6 for the glass-containing experiments demonstrating the pH buffering capacity of the COx claystone. Dissolution rates for SON68 in the presence of the claystone were elevated compared to those obtained from flow-through experiments conducted with SON68 without claystone in silica-saturated solutions at the same temperature and similar pH values. Additionally, through surface examination of the monoliths, the side of the monolith in direct contact with the claystone was seen to have a corrosion thickness 2.5× greater than the side in contact with the bulk glass powder. Results from one experiment containing {sup 32}Si-doped SON68 also suggest that the movement of Si through the claystone is controlled by a chemically coupled transport with a Si retention factor, K{sub d}, of 900 mL/g.

Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Lunar Workshops for Educators, Year 1 Report

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, A. P.; Hsu, B. C.; Bleacher, L.; Shaner, A. J.; Dalton, H.

2011-12-01

This past summer, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) sponsored a series of weeklong professional development workshops designed to educate and inspire grade 6-12 science teachers: the Lunar Workshops for Educators. Participants learned about lunar science and exploration, gained tools to help address common student misconceptions about the Moon, heard some of the latest research results from LRO scientists, worked with LRO data, and learned how to bring these data to their students using hands-on activities aligned with grade 6-12 National Science Education Standards and Benchmarks. Where possible, the workshops also included tours of science facilities or field trips intended to help the teachers better understand mission operations or geologic processes relevant to the Moon. The workshops were very successful. Participants demonstrated an improved understanding of lunar science concepts in post-workshop assessments (as compared to identical pre-assessments) and a greater understanding of how to access and productively share data from LRO with their students and provide them with authentic research experiences. Participant feedback on workshop surveys was also enthusiastically positive. 5 additional Lunar Workshops for Educators will be held around the country in the summer of 2012. For more information and to register, visit http://lunar.gsfc.nasa.gov/lwe/index.html.

Simulation of the «COSMONAUT-ROBOT» System Interaction on the Lunar Surface Based on Methods of Machine Vision and Computer Graphics

Science.gov (United States)

Kryuchkov, B. I.; Usov, V. M.; Chertopolokhov, V. A.; Ronzhin, A. L.; Karpov, A. A.

2017-05-01

Extravehicular activity (EVA) on the lunar surface, necessary for the future exploration of the Moon, involves extensive use of robots. One of the factors of safe EVA is a proper interaction between cosmonauts and robots in extreme environments. This requires a simple and natural man-machine interface, e.g. multimodal contactless interface based on recognition of gestures and cosmonaut's poses. When travelling in the "Follow Me" mode (master/slave), a robot uses onboard tools for tracking cosmonaut's position and movements, and on the basis of these data builds its itinerary. The interaction in the system "cosmonaut-robot" on the lunar surface is significantly different from that on the Earth surface. For example, a man, dressed in a space suit, has limited fine motor skills. In addition, EVA is quite tiring for the cosmonauts, and a tired human being less accurately performs movements and often makes mistakes. All this leads to new requirements for the convenient use of the man-machine interface designed for EVA. To improve the reliability and stability of human-robot communication it is necessary to provide options for duplicating commands at the task stages and gesture recognition. New tools and techniques for space missions must be examined at the first stage of works in laboratory conditions, and then in field tests (proof tests at the site of application). The article analyzes the methods of detection and tracking of movements and gesture recognition of the cosmonaut during EVA, which can be used for the design of human-machine interface. A scenario for testing these methods by constructing a virtual environment simulating EVA on the lunar surface is proposed. Simulation involves environment visualization and modeling of the use of the "vision" of the robot to track a moving cosmonaut dressed in a spacesuit.

Astronaut Neil Armstrong participates in simulation training

Science.gov (United States)

1969-01-01

Astronaut Neil A. Armstrong, Apollo 11 commander, participates in simulation training in preparation for the scheduled lunar landing mission. He is in the Apollo Lunar Module Mission SImulator in the Kennedy Space Center's Flight Crew Training Building.

Lunar-A

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

penetrators will be transmitted to the earth station via the Lunar-A mother spacecraft orbiting at an altitude of about .... to save the power consumption of the Lunar-A penetrator .... and an origin-time versus tidal-phases correlation. (Toksoz et al ...

Lunar Sample Compendium

Science.gov (United States)

Meyer, Charles

2005-01-01

The purpose of the Lunar Sample Compendium will be to inform scientists, astronauts and the public about the various lunar samples that have been returned from the Moon. This Compendium will be organized rock by rock in the manor of a catalog, but will not be as comprehensive, nor as complete, as the various lunar sample catalogs that are available. Likewise, this Compendium will not duplicate the various excellent books and reviews on the subject of lunar samples (Cadogen 1981, Heiken et al. 1991, Papike et al. 1998, Warren 2003, Eugster 2003). However, it is thought that an online Compendium, such as this, will prove useful to scientists proposing to study individual lunar samples and should help provide backup information for lunar sample displays. This Compendium will allow easy access to the scientific literature by briefly summarizing the significant findings of each rock along with the documentation of where the detailed scientific data are to be found. In general, discussion and interpretation of the results is left to the formal reviews found in the scientific literature. An advantage of this Compendium will be that it can be updated, expanded and corrected as need be.

Performance of "Waterless Concrete"

Science.gov (United States)

Toutanji, H. A.; Grugel, R. N.

2009-01-01

Waterless concrete consists of molten elementary sulfur and aggregate. The aggregates in a lunar environment will be lunar rocks and soil. Sulfur is present on the Moon in Troilite soil (FeS) and, by oxidation of the soil, iron and sulfur can be produced. Sulfur concrete specimens were cycled between liquid nitrogen (approx.]91 C) and room temperature (^21 C) to simulate exposure to a lunar environment. Cycled and control specimens were subsequently tested in compression at room temperatures (^21 C) and ^-101 C. Test results showed that due to temperature cycling, the compressive strength of cycled specimens was 20% of those non-cycled. This reduction in strength can be attributed to the large differences in thermal coefficients of expansion of the materials constituting the concrete which promoted cracking. Similar sulfur concrete mixtures were strengthened with short and long glass fibres. The lunar regolith simulant was melted in a 25 cc Pt- Rh crucible in a Sybron Thermoline high temperature MoSi2 furnace at melting temperatures of 1450 to 1600 C for times of 30 min to i hour. Glass fibres and small rods were pulled from the melt. The glass fibres were used to reinforce sulfur concrete plated to improve the flexural strength of the sulfur concrete. Beams strengthened with glass fibres showed to exhibit an increase in the flexural strength by as much as 45%.

Solar flare and galactic cosmic ray tracks in lunar samples and meteorites - What they tell us about the ancient sun

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Crozaz, G.

1980-01-01

Evidence regarding the past activity of the sun in the form of nuclear particle tracks in lunar samples and meteorites produced by heavy ions in galactic cosmic rays and solar flares is reviewed. Observations of track-rich grains found in deep lunar cores and meteorite interiors are discussed which demonstrate the presence of solar flare activity for at least the past 4 billion years, and the similarity of track density profiles from various lunar and meteoritic samples with those in a glass filter from Surveyor 3 exposed at the lunar surface for almost three years is presented as evidence of the relative constancy of the solar flare energy spectrum over the same period. Indications of a heavy ion enrichment in solar flares are considered which are confirmed by recent satellite measurements, although difficult to quantify in lunar soil grains. Finally, it is argued that, despite previous claims, there exists as yet no conclusive evidence for either a higher solar activity during the early history of the moon or a change in galactic cosmic ray intensity, average composition or spectrum over the last 50 million years

Lunar Circular Structure Classification from Chang 'e 2 High Resolution Lunar Images with Convolutional Neural Network

Science.gov (United States)

Zeng, X. G.; Liu, J. J.; Zuo, W.; Chen, W. L.; Liu, Y. X.

2018-04-01

Circular structures are widely distributed around the lunar surface. The most typical of them could be lunar impact crater, lunar dome, et.al. In this approach, we are trying to use the Convolutional Neural Network to classify the lunar circular structures from the lunar images.

Lunar neutron source function

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kornblum, J.J.

1974-01-01

The search for a quantitative neutron source function for the lunar surface region is justified because it contributes to our understanding of the history of the lunar surface and of nuclear process occurring on the moon since its formation. A knowledge of the neutron source function and neutron flux distribution is important for the interpretation of many experimental measurements. This dissertation uses the available pertinent experimental measurements together with theoretical calculations to obtain an estimate of the lunar neutron source function below 15 MeV. Based upon reasonable assumptions a lunar neutron source function having adjustable parameters is assumed for neutrons below 15 MeV. The lunar neutron source function is composed of several components resulting from the action of cosmic rays with lunar material. A comparison with previous neutron calculations is made and significant differences are discussed. Application of the results to the problem of lunar soil histories is examined using the statistical model for soil development proposed by Fireman. The conclusion is drawn that the moon is losing mass

Lunar Quest in Second Life, Lunar Exploration Island, Phase II

Science.gov (United States)

Ireton, F. M.; Day, B. H.; Mitchell, B.; Hsu, B. C.

2010-12-01

Linden Lab’s Second Life is a virtual 3D metaverse created by users. At any one time there may be 40,000-50,000 users on line. Users develop a persona and are seen on screen as a human figure or avatar. Avatars move through Second Life by walking, flying, or teleporting. Users form communities or groups of mutual interest such as music, computer graphics, and education. These groups communicate via e-mail, voice, and text within Second Life. Information on downloading the Second Life browser and joining can be found on the Second Life website: www.secondlife.com. This poster details Phase II in the development of Lunar Exploration Island (LEI) located in Second Life. Phase I LEI highlighted NASA’s LRO/LCROSS mission. Avatars enter LEI via teleportation arriving at a hall of flight housing interactive exhibits on the LRO/ LCROSS missions including full size models of the two spacecraft and launch vehicle. Storyboards with information about the missions interpret the exhibits while links to external websites provide further information on the mission, both spacecraft’s instrument suites, and related EPO. Other lunar related activities such as My Moon and NLSI EPO programs. A special exhibit was designed for International Observe the Moon Night activities with links to websites for further information. The sim includes several sites for meetings, a conference stage to host talks, and a screen for viewing NASATV coverage of mission and other televised events. In Phase II exhibits are updated to reflect on-going lunar exploration highlights, discoveries, and future missions. A new section of LEI has been developed to showcase NASA’s Lunar Quest program. A new exhibit hall with Lunar Quest information has been designed and is being populated with Lunar Quest information, spacecraft models (LADEE is in place) and kiosks. A two stage interactive demonstration illustrates lunar phases with static and 3-D stations. As NASA’s Lunar Quest program matures further

Laser-powered lunar base

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Costen, R.; Humes, D.H.; Walker, G.H.; Williams, M.D.; Deyoung, R.J.

1989-01-01

The objective was to compare a nuclear reactor-driven Sterling engine lunar base power source to a laser-to-electric converter with orbiting laser power station, each providing 1 MW of electricity to the lunar base. The comparison was made on the basis of total mass required in low-Earth-orbit for each system. This total mass includes transportation mass required to place systems in low-lunar orbit or on the lunar surface. The nuclear reactor with Sterling engines is considered the reference mission for lunar base power and is described first. The details of the laser-to-electric converter and mass are discussed. The next two solar-driven high-power laser concepts, the diode array laser or the iodine laser system, are discussed with associated masses in low-lunar-orbit. Finally, the payoff for laser-power beaming is summarized

Lower-Cost, Relocatable Lunar Polar Lander and Lunar Surface Sample Return Probes

Science.gov (United States)

Amato, G. Michael; Garvin, James B.; Burt, I. Joseph; Karpati, Gabe

2011-01-01

Key science and exploration objectives of lunar robotic precursor missions can be achieved with the Lunar Explorer (LEx) low-cost, robotic surface mission concept described herein. Selected elements of the LEx concept can also be used to create a lunar surface sample return mission that we have called Boomerang

"Glass Formulation and Testing with TWRS LAW Simulants," Final Report to Duratek Inc. and BNFL Inc.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Muller, Isabelle S. [The Catholic University of America, Washington, DC (United States); Pegg, Ian L. [The Catholic University of America, Washington, DC (United States); Gan, Hao [The Catholic University of America, Washington, DC (United States); Buechele, Andrew C. [The Catholic University of America, Washington, DC (United States); Kim, C. [The Catholic University of America, Washington, DC (United States); Lai, Shan-Tao T. [The Catholic University of America, Washington, DC (United States); Del Rosario, G. [The Catholic University of America, Washington, DC (United States); Yan, Q. [The Catholic University of America, Washington, DC (United States); Kruger, Albert A. [The Catholic University of America, Washington, DC (United States)

2015-06-22

This report presents the results of glass formulation development with TWRS LAW simulants that was conducted at the Vitreous State Laboratory of The Catholic University of America during TWRS Phase I.

Numerical study of the glass-glass transition in short-ranged attractive colloids

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zaccarelli, Emanuela; Sciortino, Francesco; Tartaglia, Piero

2004-01-01

We report extensive numerical simulations in the glass region for a simple model of short-ranged attractive colloids, the square well model. We investigate the behaviour of the density autocorrelation function and of the static structure factor in the region of temperatures and packing fractions where a glass-glass transition is expected according to theoretical predictions. We strengthen our observations by studying both waiting time and history dependence of the numerical results. We provide evidence supporting the possibility that activated bond-breaking processes destabilize the attractive glass, preventing the full observation of a sharp glass-glass kinetic transition

Lunar Meteorites: A Global Geochemical Dataset

Science.gov (United States)

Zeigler, R. A.; Joy, K. H.; Arai, T.; Gross, J.; Korotev, R. L.; McCubbin, F. M.

2017-01-01

To date, the world's meteorite collections contain over 260 lunar meteorite stones representing at least 120 different lunar meteorites. Additionally, there are 20-30 as yet unnamed stones currently in the process of being classified. Collectively these lunar meteorites likely represent 40-50 distinct sampling locations from random locations on the Moon. Although the exact provenance of each individual lunar meteorite is unknown, collectively the lunar meteorites represent the best global average of the lunar crust. The Apollo sites are all within or near the Procellarum KREEP Terrane (PKT), thus lithologies from the PKT are overrepresented in the Apollo sample suite. Nearly all of the lithologies present in the Apollo sample suite are found within the lunar meteorites (high-Ti basalts are a notable exception), and the lunar meteorites contain several lithologies not present in the Apollo sample suite (e.g., magnesian anorthosite). This chapter will not be a sample-by-sample summary of each individual lunar meteorite. Rather, the chapter will summarize the different types of lunar meteorites and their relative abundances, comparing and contrasting the lunar meteorite sample suite with the Apollo sample suite. This chapter will act as one of the introductory chapters to the volume, introducing lunar samples in general and setting the stage for more detailed discussions in later more specialized chapters. The chapter will begin with a description of how lunar meteorites are ejected from the Moon, how deep samples are being excavated from, what the likely pairing relationships are among the lunar meteorite samples, and how the lunar meteorites can help to constrain the impactor flux in the inner solar system. There will be a discussion of the biases inherent to the lunar meteorite sample suite in terms of underrepresented lithologies or regions of the Moon, and an examination of the contamination and limitations of lunar meteorites due to terrestrial weathering. The

3D-Laser-Scanning Technique Applied to Bulk Density Measurements of Apollo Lunar Samples

Science.gov (United States)

Macke, R. J.; Kent, J. J.; Kiefer, W. S.; Britt, D. T.

2015-01-01

In order to better interpret gravimetric data from orbiters such as GRAIL and LRO to understand the subsurface composition and structure of the lunar crust, it is import to have a reliable database of the density and porosity of lunar materials. To this end, we have been surveying these physical properties in both lunar meteorites and Apollo lunar samples. To measure porosity, both grain density and bulk density are required. For bulk density, our group has historically utilized sub-mm bead immersion techniques extensively, though several factors have made this technique problematic for our work with Apollo samples. Samples allocated for measurement are often smaller than optimal for the technique, leading to large error bars. Also, for some samples we were required to use pure alumina beads instead of our usual glass beads. The alumina beads were subject to undesirable static effects, producing unreliable results. Other investigators have tested the use of 3d laser scanners on meteorites for measuring bulk volumes. Early work, though promising, was plagued with difficulties including poor response on dark or reflective surfaces, difficulty reproducing sharp edges, and large processing time for producing shape models. Due to progress in technology, however, laser scanners have improved considerably in recent years. We tested this technique on 27 lunar samples in the Apollo collection using a scanner at NASA Johnson Space Center. We found it to be reliable and more precise than beads, with the added benefit that it involves no direct contact with the sample, enabling the study of particularly friable samples for which bead immersion is not possible

Precision Lunar Laser Ranging For Lunar and Gravitational Science

Science.gov (United States)

Merkowitz, S. M.; Arnold, D.; Dabney, P. W.; Livas, J. C.; McGarry, J. F.; Neumann, G. A.; Zagwodzki, T. W.

2008-01-01

Laser ranging to retroreflector arrays placed on the lunar surface by the Apollo astronauts and the Soviet Lunar missions over the past 39 years have dramatically increased our understanding of gravitational physics along with Earth and Moon geophysics, geodesy, and dynamics. Significant advances in these areas will require placing modern retroreflectors and/or active laser ranging systems at new locations on the lunar surface. Ranging to new locations will enable better measurements of the lunar librations, aiding in our understanding of the interior structure of the moon. More precise range measurements will allow us to study effects that are too small to be observed by the current capabilities as well as enabling more stringent tests of Einstein's theory of General Relativity. Setting up retroreflectors was a key part of the Apollo missions so it is natural to ask if future lunar missions should include them as well. The Apollo retroreflectors are still being used today, and nearly 40 years of ranging data has been invaluable for scientific as well as other studies such as orbital dynamics. However, the available retroreflectors all lie within 26 degrees latitude of the equator, and the most useful ones within 24 degrees longitude of the sub-earth meridian. This clustering weakens their geometrical strength.

Development of a Modified Vacuum Cleaner for Lunar Surface Systems

Science.gov (United States)

Toon, Katherine P.; Lee, Steve A.; Edgerly, Rachel D.

2010-01-01

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) mission to expand space exploration will return humans to the Moon with the goal of maintaining a long-term presence. One challenge that NASA will face returning to the Moon is managing the lunar regolith found on the Moon's surface, which will collect on extravehicular activity (EVA) suits and other equipment. Based on the Apollo experience, the issues astronauts encountered with lunar regolith included eye/lung irritation, and various hardware failures (seals, screw threads, electrical connectors and fabric contamination), which were all related to inadequate lunar regolith mitigation. A vacuum cleaner capable of detaching, transferring, and efficiently capturing lunar regolith has been proposed as a method to mitigate the lunar regolith problem in the habitable environment on lunar surface. In order to develop this vacuum, a modified "off-the-shelf' vacuum cleaner will be used to determine detachment efficiency, vacuum requirements, and optimal cleaning techniques to ensure efficient dust removal in habitable lunar surfaces, EVA spacesuits, and air exchange volume. During the initial development of the Lunar Surface System vacuum cleaner, systematic testing was performed with varying flow rates on multiple surfaces (fabrics and metallics), atmospheric (14.7 psia) and reduced pressures (10.2 and 8.3 psia), different vacuum tool attachments, and several vacuum cleaning techniques in order to determine the performance requirements for the vacuum cleaner. The data recorded during testing was evaluated by calculating particulate removal, relative to the retained simulant on the tested surface. In addition, optical microscopy was used to determine particle size distribution retained on the surface. The scope of this paper is to explain the initial phase of vacuum cleaner development, including historical Apollo mission data, current state-of-the-art vacuum cleaner technology, and vacuum cleaner testing that has

Lunar Magma Ocean Crystallization: Constraints from Fractional Crystallization Experiments

Science.gov (United States)

Rapp, J. F.; Draper, D. S.

2015-01-01

The currently accepted paradigm of lunar formation is that of accretion from the ejecta of a giant impact, followed by crystallization of a global scale magma ocean. This model accounts for the formation of the anorthosite highlands crust, which is globally distributed and old, and the formation of the younger mare basalts which are derived from a source region that has experienced plagioclase extraction. Several attempts at modelling the crystallization of such a lunar magma ocean (LMO) have been made, but our ever-increasing knowledge of the lunar samples and surface have raised as many questions as these models have answered. Geodynamic models of lunar accretion suggest that shortly following accretion the bulk of the lunar mass was hot, likely at least above the solidus]. Models of LMO crystallization that assume a deep magma ocean are therefore geodynamically favorable, but they have been difficult to reconcile with a thick plagioclase-rich crust. A refractory element enriched bulk composition, a shallow magma ocean, or a combination of the two have been suggested as a way to produce enough plagioclase to account for the assumed thickness of the crust. Recently however, geophysical data from the GRAIL mission have indicated that the lunar anorthositic crust is not as thick as was initially estimated, which allows for both a deeper magma ocean and a bulk composition more similar to the terrestrial upper mantle. We report on experimental simulations of the fractional crystallization of a deep (approximately 100km) LMO with a terrestrial upper mantle-like (LPUM) bulk composition. Our experimental results will help to define the composition of the lunar crust and mantle cumulates, and allow us to consider important questions such as source regions of the mare basalts and Mg-suite, the role of mantle overturn after magma ocean crystallization and the nature of KREEP

Lunar electrostatic effects and protection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sun, Yongwei; Yuan, Qingyun; Xiong, Jiuliang

2013-01-01

The space environment and features on the moon surface are factors in strong electrostatic electrification. Static electricity will be produced in upon friction between lunar soil and detectors or astronauts on the lunar surface. Lunar electrostatic environment effects from lunar exploration equipment are very harmful. Lunar dust with electrostatic charge may enter the equipment or even cover the instruments. It can affect the normal performance of moon detectors. Owing to the huge environmental differences between the moon and the earth, the electrostatic protection technology on the earth can not be applied. In this paper, we review the electrostatic characteristics of lunar dust, its effects on aerospace equipment and moon static elimination technologies. It was concluded that the effect of charged lunar dust on detectors and astronauts should be completely researched as soon as possible.

TRIS buffer in simulated body fluid distorts the assessment of glass-ceramic scaffold bioactivity.

Science.gov (United States)

Rohanová, Dana; Boccaccini, Aldo Roberto; Yunos, Darmawati Mohamad; Horkavcová, Diana; Březovská, Iva; Helebrant, Aleš

2011-06-01

The paper deals with the characterisation of the bioactive phenomena of glass-ceramic scaffold derived from Bioglass® (containing 77 wt.% of crystalline phases Na(2)O·2CaO·3SiO(2) and CaO·SiO(2) and 23 wt.% of residual glass phase) using simulated body fluid (SBF) buffered with tris-(hydroxymethyl) aminomethane (TRIS). A significant effect of the TRIS buffer on glass-ceramic scaffold dissolution in SBF was detected. To better understand the influence of the buffer, the glass-ceramic scaffold was exposed to a series of in vitro tests using different media as follows: (i) a fresh liquid flow of SBF containing tris (hydroxymethyl) aminomethane; (ii) SBF solution without TRIS buffer; (iii) TRIS buffer alone; and (iv) demineralised water. The in vitro tests were provided under static and dynamic arrangements. SBF buffered with TRIS dissolved both the crystalline and residual glass phases of the scaffold and a crystalline form of hydroxyapatite (HAp) developed on the scaffold surface. In contrast, when TRIS buffer was not present in the solutions only the residual glassy phase dissolved and an amorphous calcium phosphate (Ca-P) phase formed on the scaffold surface. It was confirmed that the TRIS buffer primarily dissolved the crystalline phase of the glass-ceramic, doubled the dissolving rate of the scaffold and moreover supported the formation of crystalline HAp. This significant effect of the buffer TRIS on bioactive glass-ceramic scaffold degradation in SBF has not been demonstrated previously and should be considered when analysing the results of SBF immersion bioactivity tests of such systems. Copyright © 2011 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (LOLA) on NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) mission

Science.gov (United States)

Riris, H.; Cavanaugh, J.; Sun, X.; Liiva, P.; Rodriguez, M.; Neuman, G.

2017-11-01

The Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (LOLA) instrument [1-3] on NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) mission, launched on June 18th, 2009, from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, will provide a precise global lunar topographic map using laser altimetry. LOLA will assist in the selection of landing sites on the Moon for future robotic and human exploration missions and will attempt to detect the presence of water ice on or near the surface, which is one of the objectives of NASA's Exploration Program. Our present knowledge of the topography of the Moon is inadequate for determining safe landing areas for NASA's future lunar exploration missions. Only those locations, surveyed by the Apollo missions, are known with enough detail. Knowledge of the position and characteristics of the topographic features on the scale of a lunar lander are crucial for selecting safe landing sites. Our present knowledge of the rest of the lunar surface is at approximately 1 km kilometer level and in many areas, such as the lunar far side, is on the order of many kilometers. LOLA aims to rectify that and provide a precise map of the lunar surface on both the far and near side of the moon. LOLA uses short (6 ns) pulses from a single laser through a Diffractive Optical Element (DOE) to produce a five-beam pattern that illuminates the lunar surface. For each beam, LOLA measures the time of flight (range), pulse spreading (surface roughness), and transmit/return energy (surface reflectance). LOLA will produce a high-resolution global topographic model and global geodetic framework that enables precise targeting, safe landing, and surface mobility to carry out exploratory activities. In addition, it will characterize the polar illumination environment, and image permanently shadowed regions of the lunar surface to identify possible locations of surface ice crystals in shadowed polar craters.

The Benefits of Sample Return: Connecting Apollo Soils and Diviner Lunar Radiometer Remote Sensing Data

Science.gov (United States)

Greenhagen, B. T.; Donaldson-Hanna, K. L.; Thomas, I. R.; Bowles, N. E.; Allen, C. C.; Pieters, C. M.; Paige, D. A.

2014-01-01

The Diviner Lunar Radiometer, onboard NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, has produced the first global, high resolution, thermal infrared observations of an airless body. The Moon, which is the most accessible member of this most abundant class of solar system objects, is also the only body for which we have extraterrestrial samples with known spatial context. Here we present the results of a comprehensive study to reproduce an accurate simulated lunar environment, evaluate the most appropriate sample and measurement conditions, collect thermal infrared spectra of a representative suite of Apollo soils, and correlate them with Diviner observations of the lunar surface. We find that analyses of Diviner observations of individual sampling stations and SLE measurements of returned Apollo soils show good agreement, while comparisons to thermal infrared reflectance under terrestrial conditions do not agree well, which underscores the need for SLE measurements and validates the Diviner compositional dataset. Future work includes measurement of additional soils in SLE and cross comparisons with measurements in JPL Simulated Airless Body Emission Laboratory (SABEL).

Comparison of experimental and Monte-Carlo simulation of MeV particle transport through tapered/straight glass capillaries and circular collimators

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hespeels, F., E-mail: felicien.hespeels@unamur.be [University of Namur, PMR, 61 rue de Bruxelles, 5000 Namur (Belgium); Tonneau, R. [University of Namur, PMR, 61 rue de Bruxelles, 5000 Namur (Belgium); Ikeda, T. [RIKEN Nishina Center, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama 351-0198 (Japan); Lucas, S. [University of Namur, PMR, 61 rue de Bruxelles, 5000 Namur (Belgium)

2015-11-01

Highlights: • Monte-Carlo simulation for beam transportation through collimations devices. • We confirm the focusing effect of tapered glass capillary. • We confirm the feasibility of using passive collimation devices for ion beam analysis application. - Abstract: This study compares the capabilities of three different passive collimation devices to produce micrometer-sized beams for proton and alpha particle beams (1.7 MeV and 5.3 MeV respectively): classical platinum TEM-like collimators, straight glass capillaries and tapered glass capillaries. In addition, we developed a Monte-Carlo code, based on the Rutherford scattering theory, which simulates particle transportation through collimating devices. The simulation results match the experimental observations of beam transportation through collimators both in air and vacuum. This research shows the focusing effects of tapered capillaries which clearly enable higher transmission flux. Nevertheless, the capillaries alignment with an incident beam is a prerequisite but is tedious, which makes the TEM collimator the easiest way to produce a 50 μm microbeam.

Heterogeneity in lunar anorthosite meteorites: implications for the lunar magma ocean model.

Science.gov (United States)

Russell, Sara S; Joy, Katherine H; Jeffries, Teresa E; Consolmagno, Guy J; Kearsley, Anton

2014-09-13

The lunar magma ocean model is a well-established theory of the early evolution of the Moon. By this model, the Moon was initially largely molten and the anorthositic crust that now covers much of the lunar surface directly crystallized from this enormous magma source. We are undertaking a study of the geochemical characteristics of anorthosites from lunar meteorites to test this model. Rare earth and other element abundances have been measured in situ in relict anorthosite clasts from two feldspathic lunar meteorites: Dhofar 908 and Dhofar 081. The rare earth elements were present in abundances of approximately 0.1 to approximately 10× chondritic (CI) abundance. Every plagioclase exhibited a positive Eu-anomaly, with Eu abundances of up to approximately 20×CI. Calculations of the melt in equilibrium with anorthite show that it apparently crystallized from a magma that was unfractionated with respect to rare earth elements and ranged in abundance from 8 to 80×CI. Comparisons of our data with other lunar meteorites and Apollo samples suggest that there is notable heterogeneity in the trace element abundances of lunar anorthosites, suggesting these samples did not all crystallize from a common magma source. Compositional and isotopic data from other authors also suggest that lunar anorthosites are chemically heterogeneous and have a wide range of ages. These observations may support other models of crust formation on the Moon or suggest that there are complexities in the lunar magma ocean scenario to allow for multiple generations of anorthosite formation. © 2014 The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved.

The use of augmented reality glasses in central line simulation: "see one, simulate many, do one competently, and teach everyone".

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Cynthia Y; Thomas, Jonathan B; Alismail, Abdullah; Cohen, Avi; Almutairi, Waleed; Daher, Noha S; Terry, Michael H; Tan, Laren D

2018-01-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of using augmented reality (AR) glasses in central line simulation by novice operators and compare its efficacy to standard central line simulation/teaching. This was a prospective randomized controlled study enrolling 32 novice operators. Subjects were randomized on a 1:1 basis to either simulation using the augmented virtual reality glasses or simulation using conventional instruction. The study was conducted in tertiary-care urban teaching hospital. A total of 32 adult novice central line operators with no visual or auditory impairments were enrolled. Medical doctors, respiratory therapists, and sleep technicians were recruited from the medical field. The mean time for AR placement in the AR group was 71±43 s, and the time to internal jugular (IJ) cannulation was 316±112 s. There was no significant difference in median (minimum, maximum) time (seconds) to IJ cannulation for those who were in the AR group and those who were not (339 [130, 550] vs 287 [35, 475], p =0.09), respectively. There was also no significant difference between the two groups in median total procedure time (524 [329, 792] vs 469 [198, 781], p =0.29), respectively. There was a significant difference in the adherence level between the two groups favoring the AR group ( p =0.003). AR simulation of central venous catheters in manikins is feasible and efficacious in novice operators as an educational tool. Future studies are recommended in this area as it is a promising area of medical education.

Formation of apatite layers on modified canasite glass-ceramics in simulated body fluid.

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, C A; Kokubo, T; Reaney, I M; Hatton, P V; James, P F

2002-03-05

Canasite glass-ceramics were modified by either increasing the concentration of calcium in the glass, or by the addition of P2O5. Samples of these novel materials were placed in simulated body fluid (SBF), along with a control material (commercial canasite), for periods ranging from 12 h to 28 days. After immersion, surface analysis was performed using thin film X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared reflection spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy equipped with energy dispersive X-ray detectors. The concentrations of sodium, potassium, calcium, silicon, and phosphorus in the SBF solution were measured using inductively coupled plasma emission spectroscopy. No apatite was detected on the surface of commercial canasite, even after 28 days of immersion in SBF. A crystalline apatite layer was formed on the surface of a P2O5-containing canasite after 5 days, and after 3 days for calcium-enriched canasite. Ion release data suggested that the mechanism for apatite deposition was different for P2O5 and non-P2O5-containing glass-ceramics. Copyright 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Chemical analysis of simulated high level waste glasses to support stage III sulfate solubility modeling

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fox, K. M. [Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States). Savannah River National Lab. (SRNL)

2016-03-17

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Environmental Management (EM) is sponsoring an international, collaborative project to develop a fundamental model for sulfate solubility in nuclear waste glass. The solubility of sulfate has a significant impact on the achievable waste loading for nuclear waste forms within the DOE complex. These wastes can contain relatively high concentrations of sulfate, which has low solubility in borosilicate glass. This is a significant issue for low-activity waste (LAW) glass and is projected to have a major impact on the Hanford Tank Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP). Sulfate solubility has also been a limiting factor for recent high level waste (HLW) sludge processed at the Savannah River Site (SRS) Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF). The low solubility of sulfate in glass, along with melter and off-gas corrosion constraints, dictate that the waste be blended with lower sulfate concentration waste sources or washed to remove sulfate prior to vitrification. The development of enhanced borosilicate glass compositions with improved sulfate solubility will allow for higher waste loadings and accelerate mission completion.The objective of the current scope being pursued by SHU is to mature the sulfate solubility model to the point where it can be used to guide glass composition development for DWPF and WTP, allowing for enhanced waste loadings and waste throughput at these facilities. A series of targeted glass compositions was selected to resolve data gaps in the model and is identified as Stage III. SHU fabricated these glasses and sent samples to SRNL for chemical composition analysis. SHU will use the resulting data to enhance the sulfate solubility model and resolve any deficiencies. In this report, SRNL provides chemical analyses for the Stage III, simulated HLW glasses fabricated by SHU in support of the sulfate solubility model development.

Leaching of the simulated borosilicate waste glasses and spent nuclear fuel under a repository condition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Seung Soo; Chun, Kwan Sik; Kang, Chul Hyung; Suh, Hang Suk

2002-12-01

Leaching behaviors of simulated waste glass and spent fuel, contacted on bentonite blocks, in synthetic granitic groundwater were investigated in this study. The leach rate of boron from borosilicate waste glass between the compacted bentonite blocks reached about 0.03 gm-2day-1 at 1500 days, like as that of molybdenum. However, the concentration of uranium in leachate pass through bentonite blocks was less than their detection limits of 2 μg/L and whose yellow amorphous compound was found on the surface of glass contacted with the bentonite blocks. The leaching mechanism of waste glasses differed with their composition. The release rate of cesium from PWR spent fuel in the simulated granitic water without bentonite was leas than $1.0x10 -5 fraction/day after 300 days. The retardation factor of cesium by a 10 -mm thickness of bentonite block was more than 100 for 4-years leaching time. The cumulative release fraction of uranium for 954 days was 0.016% (1.7x10 -7 fraction/day) in granitic water without bentonite. The gap inventory of cesium for spent fuel G23-J11 was 0.15∼0.2%. However, the release of cesium from C15-I08 was 0.9% until 60 days and has being continued after that. Gap inventories of strontium and iodine in G23-J11 were 0.033% and below 0.2%, respectively. The sum of fraction of cesium in gap and grain boundary of G23-J11 was suggested below 3% and less

Nonlinear Electrostatic Properties of Lunar Dust

Science.gov (United States)

Irwin, Stacy A.

2012-01-01

A laboratory experiment was designed to study the induction charging and charge decay characteristics of small dielectric particles, or glass beads. Initially, the goal of the experiment was further understanding of induction charging of lunar dust particles. However, the mechanism of charging became a point of greater interest as the project continued. Within an environmentally-controlled acrylic glove box was placed a large parallel plate capacitor at high-voltage (HV) power supply with reversible polarity. Spherical 1-mm and 0.5-mm glass beads, singly, were placed between the plates, and their behaviors recorded on video and quantified. Nearly a hundred trials at various humidities were performed. The analysis of the results indicated a non-linear relationship between humidity and particle charge exchange time (CET), for both sizes of beads. Further, a difference in CET for top-resting beads and bottom-resting beads hinted at a different charging mechanism than that of simple induction. Results from the I-mm bead trials were presented at several space science and physics conferences in 2008 and 2009, and were published as a Master's thesis in August 2009. Tangential work stemming from this project resulted in presentations at other international conferences in 2010, and selection to attend workshop on granular matter flow 2011.

REE Partitioning in Lunar Minerals

Science.gov (United States)

Rapp, J. F.; Lapen, T. J.; Draper, D. S.

2015-01-01

Rare earth elements (REE) are an extremely useful tool in modeling lunar magmatic processes. Here we present the first experimentally derived plagioclase/melt partition coefficients in lunar compositions covering the entire suite of REE. Positive europium anomalies are ubiquitous in the plagioclase-rich rocks of the lunar highlands, and complementary negative Eu anomalies are found in most lunar basalts. These features are taken as evidence of a large-scale differentiation event, with crystallization of a global-scale lunar magma ocean (LMO) resulting in a plagioclase flotation crust and a mafic lunar interior from which mare basalts were subsequently derived. However, the extent of the Eu anomaly in lunar rocks is variable. Fagan and Neal [1] reported highly anorthitic plagioclase grains in lunar impact melt rock 60635,19 that displayed negative Eu anomalies as well as the more usual positive anomalies. Indeed some grains in the sample are reported to display both positive and negative anomalies. Judging from cathodoluminescence images, these anomalies do not appear to be associated with crystal overgrowths or zones.

Lunar resource base

Science.gov (United States)

Pulley, John; Wise, Todd K.; Roy, Claude; Richter, Phil

A lunar base that exploits local resources to enhance the productivity of a total SEI scenario is discussed. The goals were to emphasize lunar science and to land men on Mars in 2016 using significant amounts of lunar resources. It was assumed that propulsion was chemical and the surface power was non-nuclear. Three phases of the base build-up are outlined, the robotic emplacement of the first elements is detailed and a discussion of future options is included.

The International Lunar Decade Declaration

Science.gov (United States)

Beldavs, V.; Foing, B.; Bland, D.; Crisafulli, J.

2015-10-01

The International Lunar Decade Declaration was discussed at the conference held November 9-13, 2014 in Hawaii "The Next Giant Leap: Leveraging Lunar Assets for Sustainable Pathways to Space" - http://2014giantleap.aerospacehawaii.info/ and accepted by a core group that forms the International Lunar Decade Working Group (ILDWG) that is seeking to make the proposed global event and decade long process a reality. The Declaration will be updated from time to time by members of the ILDWreflecting new knowledge and fresh perspectives that bear on building a global consortium with a mission to progress from lunar exploration to the transformation of the Moon into a wealth gene rating platform for the expansion of humankind into the solar system. When key organizations have endorsed the idea and joined the effort the text of the Declaration will be considered final. An earlier International Lunar Decade proposal was issued at the 8th ICEUM Conference in 2006 in Beijing together with 13 specific initiatives for lunar exploration[1,2,3]. These initiatives have been largely implemented with coordination among the different space agencies involved provided by the International Lunar Exploration Working Group[2,3]. The Second International Lunar Decade from 2015 reflects current trends towards increasing involvement of commercial firms in space, particularly seeking opportunities beyond low Earth orbit. The central vision of the International Lunar Decade is to build the foundations for a sustainable space economy through international collaboration concurrently addressing Lunar exploration and building a shared knowledge base;Policy development that enables collabo rative research and development leading to lunar mining and industrial and commercial development;Infrastructure on the Moon and in cislunar space (communications, transport, energy systems, way-stations, other) that reduces costs, lowers risks and speeds up the time to profitable operations;Enabling technologies

Mechanical Properties and Durability of "Waterless Concrete"

Science.gov (United States)

Toutanji, Houssam; Grugel, Richard N.

2008-01-01

Waterless concrete consists of molten elementary sulfur and aggregate. The aggregates in lunar environment will be lunar rocks and soil. Sulfur is present on the Moon in Troilite soil (FeS) and by oxidation soil iron and sulfur can be produced. Iron can be used to reinforce the sulfur concrete. Sulfur concrete specimens were cycled between liquid nitrogen (approximately 191 C) and room temperature (approximately 21 C) to simulate exposure to a lunar environment. Cycled and control specimens were subsequently tested in compression at room temperatures (approximately 21 C) and approximately 101 C. Test results showed that due to temperature cycling, compressive strength of cycled specimens was 20% of those non-cycled. Microscopic examination of the fracture surfaces from the cycled samples showed clear de-bonding of the sulfur from the aggregate material whereas it was seen well bonded in those non-cycled. This reduction in strength can be attributed to the large differences in thermal coefficients of expansion of the materials constituting the concrete which promoted cracking. Similar sulfur concrete mixtures were strengthened with short and long glass fibers. The glass fibers from lunar regolith simulant was melted in a 25 cc Pt-Rh crucible in a Sybron Thermoline high temperature MoSi2 furnace at melting temperatures of 1450 to 1600 C for times of 30 min to 1 hour. Glass fibers were cast from the melt into graphite crucibles and were annealed for a couple of hours at 600 C. Glass fibers and small rods were pulled from the melt. The glass melt wets the ceramic rod and long continuous glass fibers were easily hand drawn. The glass fibers were immediately coated with a protective polymer to maintain the mechanical strength. The glass fibers were used to reinforce sulfur concrete plated to improve the flexural strength of the sulfur concrete. Prisms beams strengthened with glass fibers were tested in 4-point bending test. Beams strengthened with glass fiber showed to

Slow dynamics and glass transition in simulated free-standing polymer films: a possible relation between global and local glass transition temperatures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peter, S; Meyer, H; Baschnagel, J; Seemann, R

2007-01-01

We employ molecular dynamics simulations to explore the influence that the surface of a free-standing polymer film exerts on its structural relaxation when the film is cooled toward the glass transition. Our simulations are concerned with the features of a coarse-grained bead-spring model in a temperature regime above the critical temperature T c of mode-coupling theory. We find that the film dynamics is spatially heterogeneous. Monomers at the free surface relax much faster than they would in the bulk at the same temperature T. The fast relaxation of the surface layer continuously turns into bulk-like relaxation with increasing distance y from the surface. This crossover remains smooth for all T, but its range grows on cooling. We show that it is possible to associate a gradient in critical temperatures T c (y) with the gradient in the relaxation dynamics. This finding is in qualitative agreement with experimental results on supported polystyrene (PS) films (Ellison and Torkelson 2003 Nat. Mater. 2 695). Furthermore we show that the y dependence of T c (y) can be expressed in terms of the depression of T c (h)-the global T c for a film of thickness h-if we assume that T c (h) is the arithmetic mean of T c (y) and parameterize the depression of T c (h) by T c (h) = T c /(1+h 0 /h), a formula suggested by Herminghaus et al (2001 Eur. Phys. J. E 5 531) for the reduction of the glass transition temperature in supported PS films. We demonstrate the validity of this formula by comparing our simulation results to results from other simulations and experiments

Bringing You the Moon: Lunar Education Efforts of the Center for Lunar Science and Education

Science.gov (United States)

Shaner, A. J.; Shupla, C.; Shipp, S.; Allen, J.; Kring, D. A.; Halligan, E.; LaConte, K.

2012-01-01

The Center for Lunar Science and Exploration (CLSE), a collaboration between the Lunar and Planetary Institute and NASA's Johnson Space Center, is one of seven member teams of the NASA Lunar Science Institute. In addition to research and exploration activities, the CLSE team is deeply invested in education and public outreach. Overarching goals of CLSE education are to strengthen the future science workforce, attract and retain students in STEM disciplines, and develop advocates for lunar exploration. The team's efforts have resulted in a variety of programs and products, including the creation of a variety of Lunar Traveling Exhibits and the High School Lunar Research Project, featured at http://www.lpi.usra.edu/nlsi/education/.

Lunar Prospector Orbit Determination Uncertainties Using the High Resolution Lunar Gravity Models

Science.gov (United States)

Carranza, Eric; Konopliv, Alex; Ryne, Mark

1999-01-01

The Lunar Prospector (LP) mission began on January 6, 1998, when the LP spacecraft was launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida. The objectives of the mission were to determine whether water ice exists at the lunar poles, generate a global compositional map of the lunar surface, detect lunar outgassing, and improve knowledge of the lunar magnetic and gravity fields. Orbit determination of LP performed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is conducted as part of the principal science investigation of the lunar gravity field. This paper will describe the JPL effort in support of the LP Gravity Investigation. This support includes high precision orbit determination, gravity model validation, and data editing. A description of the mission and its trajectory will be provided first, followed by a discussion of the orbit determination estimation procedure and models. Accuracies will be examined in terms of orbit-to-orbit solution differences, as a function of oblateness model truncation, and inclination in the plane-of-sky. Long term predictions for several gravity fields will be compared to the reconstructed orbits to demonstrate the accuracy of the orbit determination and oblateness fields developed by the Principal Gravity Investigator.

Genesis of the Lunar Landing Vehicle

Science.gov (United States)

Gelzer, Christian

2009-01-01

The author examines early research regarding return flight from a Moon landing made prior to President Kennedy's 1961 challenge to put men on the Moon before the end of the decade. Organizations involved in early research include NACA, the Flight Research Center (now Dryden) Bell Aircraft Corporation. The discussion focuses on development of a flight simulator to model the Moon's reduced gravity and development of the Lunar Landing Research Vehicle.

Additive Construction using Basalt Regolith Fines

Science.gov (United States)

Mueller, Robert P.; Sibille, Laurent; Hintze, Paul E.; Lippitt, Thomas C.; Mantovani, James G.; Nugent, Matthew W.; Townsend, Ivan I.

2014-01-01

Planetary surfaces are often covered in regolith (crushed rock), whose geologic origin is largely basalt. The lunar surface is made of small-particulate regolith and areas of boulders located in the vicinity of craters. Regolith composition also varies with location, reflecting the local bedrock geology and the nature and efficiency of the micrometeorite-impact processes. In the lowland mare areas (suitable for habitation), the regolith is composed of small granules (20 - 100 microns average size) of mare basalt and volcanic glass. Impacting micrometeorites may cause local melting, and the formation of larger glassy particles, and this regolith may contain 10-80% glass. Studies of lunar regolith are traditionally conducted with lunar regolith simulant (reconstructed soil with compositions patterned after the lunar samples returned by Apollo). The NASA Kennedy Space Center (KSC) Granular Mechanics & Regolith Operations (GMRO) lab has identified a low fidelity but economical geo-technical simulant designated as Black Point-1 (BP-1). It was found at the site of the Arizona Desert Research and Technology Studies (RATS) analog field test site at the Black Point lava flow in adjacent basalt quarry spoil mounds. This paper summarizes activities at KSC regarding the utilization of BP-1 basalt regolith and comparative work with lunar basalt simulant JSC-1A as a building material for robotic additive construction of large structures. In an effort to reduce the import or in-situ fabrication of binder additives, we focused this work on in-situ processing of regolith for construction in a single-step process after its excavation. High-temperature melting of regolith involves techniques used in glassmaking and casting (with melts of lower density and higher viscosity than those of metals), producing basaltic glass with high durability and low abrasive wear. Most Lunar simulants melt at temperatures above 1100 C, although melt processing of terrestrial regolith at 1500 C is not

Lunar Phase Modulates Circadian Gene Expression Cycles in the Broadcast Spawning Coral Acropora millepora.

Science.gov (United States)

Brady, Aisling K; Willis, Bette L; Harder, Lawrence D; Vize, Peter D

2016-04-01

Many broadcast spawning corals in multiple reef regions release their gametes with incredible temporal precision just once per year, using the lunar cycle to set the night of spawning. Moonlight, rather than tides or other lunar-regulated processes, is thought to be the proximate factor responsible for linking the night of spawning to the phase of the Moon. We compared patterns of gene expression among colonies of the broadcast spawning coral Acropora millepora at different phases of the lunar cycle, and when they were maintained under one of three experimentally simulated lunar lighting treatments: i) lunar lighting conditions matching those on the reef, or lunar patterns mimicking either ii) constant full Moon conditions, or iii) constant new Moon conditions. Normal lunar illumination was found to shift both the level and timing of clock gene transcription cycles between new and full moons, with the peak hour of expression for a number of genes occurring earlier in the evening under a new Moon when compared to a full Moon. When the normal lunar cycle is replaced with nighttime patterns equivalent to either a full Moon or a new Moon every evening, the normal monthlong changes in the level of expression are destroyed for most genes. In combination, these results indicate that daily changes in moonlight that occur over the lunar cycle are essential for maintaining normal lunar periodicity of clock gene transcription, and this may play a role in regulating spawn timing. These data also show that low levels of light pollution may have an impact on coral biological clocks. © 2016 Marine Biological Laboratory.

Simulation of MeV electron energy deposition in CdS quantum dots absorbed in silicate glass for radiation dosimetry

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Baharin, R; Hobson, P R; Smith, D R, E-mail: ruzalina.baharin@brunel.ac.u [Centre for Sensors and Instrumentation, School of Engineering and Design, Brunel University, Uxbridge UB8 3PH (United Kingdom)

2010-09-01

We are currently developing 2D dosimeters with optical readout based on CdS or CdS/CdSe core-shell quantum-dots using commercially available materials. In order to understand the limitations on the measurement of a 2D radiation profile the 3D deposited energy profile of MeV energy electrons in CdS quantum-dot-doped silica glass have been studied by Monte Carlo simulation using the CASINO and PENELOPE codes. Profiles for silica glass and CdS quantum-dot-doped silica glass were then compared.

Simulation of MeV electron energy deposition in CdS quantum dots absorbed in silicate glass for radiation dosimetry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baharin, R; Hobson, P R; Smith, D R

2010-01-01

We are currently developing 2D dosimeters with optical readout based on CdS or CdS/CdSe core-shell quantum-dots using commercially available materials. In order to understand the limitations on the measurement of a 2D radiation profile the 3D deposited energy profile of MeV energy electrons in CdS quantum-dot-doped silica glass have been studied by Monte Carlo simulation using the CASINO and PENELOPE codes. Profiles for silica glass and CdS quantum-dot-doped silica glass were then compared.

Lunar Metal Oxide Electrolysis with Oxygen and Photovoltaic Array Production Applications

Science.gov (United States)

Curreri, P. A.; Ethridge, E.; Hudson, S.; Sen, S.

2006-01-01

This paper presents the results of a Marshall Space Flight Center funded effort to conduct an experimental demonstration of the processing of simulated lunar resources by the molten oxide electrolysis (MOE) process to produce oxygen and metal from lunar resources to support human exploration of space. Oxygen extracted from lunar materials can be used for life support and propellant, and silicon and metallic elements produced can be used for in situ fabrication of thin-film solar cells for power production. The Moon is rich in mineral resources, but it is almost devoid of chemical reducing agents, therefore, molten oxide electrolysis, MOE, is chosen for extraction, since the electron is the most practical reducing agent. MOE was also chosen for following reasons. First, electrolytic processing offers uncommon versatility in its insensitivity to feedstock composition. Secondly, oxide melts boast the twin key attributes of highest solubilizing capacity for regolith and lowest volatility of any candidate electrolytes. The former is critical in ensuring high productivity since cell current is limited by reactant solubility, while the latter simplifies cell design by obviating the need for a gas-tight reactor to contain evaporation losses as would be the case with a gas or liquid phase fluoride reagent operating at such high temperatures. In the experiments reported here, melts containing iron oxide were electrolyzed in a low temperature supporting oxide electrolyte (developed by D. Sadoway, MIT). The production of oxygen and reduced iron were observed. Electrolysis was also performed on the supporting electrolyte with JSC-1 Lunar Simulant. The cell current for the supporting electrolyte alone is negligible while the current for the electrolyte with JSC-1 shows significant current and a peak at about -0.6 V indicating reductive reaction in the simulant.

Endogenous Lunar Volatiles

Science.gov (United States)

McCubbin, F. M.; Liu, Y.; Barnes, J. J.; Anand, M.; Boyce, J. W.; Burney, D.; Day, J. M. D.; Elardo, S. M.; Hui, H.; Klima, R. L.; Magna, T.; Ni, P.; Steenstra, E.; Tartèse, R.; Vander Kaaden, K. E.

2018-04-01

This abstract discusses numerous outstanding questions on the topic of endogenous lunar volatiles that will need to be addressed in the coming years. Although substantial insights into endogenous lunar volatiles have been gained, more work remains.

Five Apollo astronauts with Lunar Module at ASVC prior to grand opening

Science.gov (United States)

1997-01-01

Some of the former Apollo program astronauts observe a Lunar Module and Moon mockup during a tour the new Apollo/Saturn V Center (ASVC) at KSC prior to the gala grand opening ceremony for the facility that was held Jan. 8, 1997. The astronauts were invited to participate in the event, which also featured NASA Administrator Dan Goldin and KSC Director Jay Honeycutt. Some of the visiting astonauts were (from left): Apollo 10 Lunar Module Pilot and Apollo 17 Commander Eugene A. Cernan; Apollo 9 Lunar Module Pilot Russell L. Schweikart; Apollo 10 Command Module Pilot and Apollo 16 Commander John W. Young; Apollo 10 Commander Thomas P. Stafford; and Apollo 11 Lunar Module Pilot Edwin E. 'Buzz' Aldrin, Jr. The ASVC also features several other Apollo program spacecraft components, multimedia presentations and a simulated Apollo/Saturn V liftoff. The facility will be a part of the KSC bus tour that embarks from the KSC Visitor Center.

Lunar imaging and ionospheric calibration for the Lunar Cherenkov technique

NARCIS (Netherlands)

McFadden, R.; Scholten, O.; Mevius, M.

2013-01-01

The Lunar Cherenkov technique is a promising method for UHE neutrino and cosmic ray detection which aims to detect nanosecond radio pulses produced during particle interactions in the Lunar regolith. For low frequency experiments, such as NuMoon, the frequency dependent dispersive effect of the

Lunar photometric modelling with SMART-1/AMIE imaging data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wilkman, O.; Muinonen, K.; Videen, G.; Josset, J.-L.; Souchon, A.

2014-01-01

We investigate the light-scattering properties of the lunar mare areas. A large photometric dataset was extracted from images taken by the AMIE camera on board the SMART-1 spacecraft. Inter-particle shadowing effects in the regolith are modelled using ray-tracing simulations, and then a phase function is fit to the data using Bayesian techniques and Markov chain Monte Carlo. Additionally, the data are fit with phase functions computed from radiative-transfer coherent-backscatter (RT-CB) simulations. The results indicate that the lunar photometry, including both the opposition effect and azimuthal effects, can be explained well with a combination of inter-particle shadowing and coherent backscattering. Our results produce loose constraints on the mare physical properties. The RT-CB results indicate that the scattering volume element is optically thick. In both the Bayesian analysis and the RT-CB fit, models with lower packing density and/or higher surface roughness always produce better fits to the data than densely packed, smoother ones

Kickstarting a New Era of Lunar Industrialization via Campaign of Lunar COTS Missions

Science.gov (United States)

Zuniga, Allison F.; Turner, Mark; Rasky, Daniel; Pittman, Robert B.; Zapata, Edgar

2016-01-01

To support the goals of expanding our human presence and current economic sphere beyond LEO, a new plan was constructed for NASA to enter into partnerships with industry to foster and incentivize a new era of lunar industrialization. For NASA to finally be successful in achieving sustainable human exploration missions beyond LEO, lessons learned from our space history have shown that it is essential for current program planning to include affordable and economic development goals as well as address top national priorities to obtain much needed public support. In the last 58 years of NASA's existence, only Apollo's human exploration missions beyond LEO were successful since it was proclaimed to be a top national priority during the 1960's. However, the missions were not sustainable and ended abruptly in 1972 due to lack of funding and insufficient economic gain. Ever since Apollo, there have not been any human missions beyond LEO because none of the proposed program plans were economical or proclaimed a top national priority. The proposed plan outlines a new campaign of low-cost, commercial-enabled lunar COTS (Commercial Orbital Transfer Services) missions which is an update to the Lunar COTS plan previously described. The objectives of this new campaign of missions are to prospect for resources, determine the economic viability of extracting those resources and assess the value proposition of using these resources in future exploration architectures such as Mars. These missions would be accomplished in partnership with commercial industry using the wellproven COTS Program acquisition model. This model proved to be very beneficial to both NASA and its industry partners as NASA saved significantly in development and operational costs, as much as tenfold, while industry partners successfully expanded their market share and demonstrated substantial economic gain. Similar to COTS, the goals for this new initiative are 1) to develop and demonstrate cost-effective, cis-lunar

Technicians work with Apollo 14 lunar sample material in Lunar Receiving Lab.

Science.gov (United States)

1971-01-01

Glove handlers work with freshly opened Apollo 14 lunar sample material in modularized cabinets in the Lunar Receiving Laboratory at the Manned Spacecraft Center. The glove operator on the right starts to pour fine lunar material which he has just taken from a tote bag. This powdery sample was among the last to be revealed of the 90-odd pounds of material brought back to Earth by the Apollo 14 crewmen.

Aluminum is More Cytotoxic than Lunar Dust in Human Skin and Lung Fibroblasts

Science.gov (United States)

Hammond, D.; Shehata, T.; Hammond, D.; Shehata, T.; Wise, J.P.; Martino, J; Wise, J.P.; Wise, J.P.

2009-01-01

NASA plans to build a permanent space station on the moon to explore its surface. The surface of the moon is covered in lunar dust, which consists of fine particles that contain silicon, aluminum and titanium, among others. Because this will be a manned base, the potential toxicity of this dust has to be studied. Also, toxicity standards for potential exposure have to be set. To properly address the potential toxicity of lunar dust we need to understand the toxicity of its individual components, as well as their combined effects. In order to study this we compared NASA simulant JSC-1AVF (volcanic ash particles), that simulates the dust found on the moon, to aluminum, the 3rd most abundant component in lunar dust. We tested the cytotoxicity of both compounds on human lung and skin fibroblasts (WTHBF-6 and BJhTERT cell lines, respectively). Aluminum oxide was more cytotoxic than lunar dust to both cell lines. In human lung fibroblasts 5, 10 and 50 g/sq cm of aluminum oxide induced 85%, 61% and 30% relative survival, respectively. For human skin fibroblasts the same concentrations induced 58%, 41% and 58% relative survival. Lunar dust was also cytotoxic to both cell lines, but its effects were seen at higher concentrations: 50, 100, 200 and 400 g/sq cm of lunar dust induced a 69%, 46%, 35% and 30% relative survival in the skin cells and 53%, 16%, 8% and 2% on the lung cells. Overall, for both compounds, lung cells were more sensitive than skin cells. This work was supported by a NASA EPSCoR grant through the Maine Space Grant Consortium (JPW), the Maine Center for Toxicology and Environmental Health., a Fulbright Grant (JM) and a Delta Kappa Gamma Society International World Fellowship (JM).

Comparison of a model vapor deposited glass films to equilibrium glass films

Science.gov (United States)

Flenner, Elijah; Berthier, Ludovic; Charbonneau, Patrick; Zamponi, Francesco

Vapor deposition of particles onto a substrate held at around 85% of the glass transition temperature can create glasses with increased density, enthalpy, kinetic stability, and mechanical stability compared to an ordinary glass created by cooling. It is estimated that an ordinary glass would need to age thousands of years to reach the kinetic stability of a vapor deposited glass, and a natural question is how close to the equilibrium is the vapor deposited glass. To understand the process, algorithms akin to vapor deposition are used to create simulated glasses that have a higher kinetic stability than their annealed counterpart, although these glasses may not be well equilibrated either. Here we use novel models optimized for a swap Monte Carlo algorithm in order to create equilibrium glass films and compare their properties with those of glasses obtained from vapor deposition algorithms. This approach allows us to directly assess the non-equilibrium nature of vapor-deposited ultrastable glasses. Simons Collaboration on Cracking the Glass Problem and NSF Grant No. DMR 1608086.

Orbital studies of lunar magnetism

Science.gov (United States)

Mcleod, M. G.; Coleman, P. J., Jr.

1982-01-01

Limitations of present lunar magnetic maps are considered. Optimal processing of satellite derived magnetic anomaly data is also considered. Studies of coastal and core geomagnetism are discussed. Lunar remanent and induced lunar magnetization are included.

Performance Evaluation of an Actuator Dust Seal for Lunar Operation

Science.gov (United States)

Delgado, Irebert R.; Gaier, James R.; Handschuh, Michael; Panko, Scott; Sechkar, Ed

2013-01-01

Exploration of extraterrestrial surfaces (e.g. moon, Mars, asteroid) will require durable space mechanisms that will survive potentially dusty surface conditions in addition to the hard vacuum and extreme temperatures of space. Baseline tests with lunar simulant were recently completed at NASA GRC on a new Low-Temperature Mechanism (LTM) dust seal for space actuator application. Following are top-level findings of the tests completed to date in vacuum using NU-LHT-2M lunar-highlands simulant. A complete set of findings are found in the conclusions section.Tests were run at approximately 10-7 torr with unidirectional rotational speed of 39 RPM.Initial break-in runs were performed at atmospheric conditions with no simulant. During the break-in runs, the maximum torque observed was 16.7 lbf-in. while the maximum seal outer diameter temperature was 103F. Only 0.4 milligrams of NU-LHT-2M simulant passed through the sealshaft interface in the first 511,000 cycles while under vacuum despite a chip on the secondary sealing surface.Approximately 650,000 of a planned 1,000,000 cycles were completed in vacuum with NU-LHT-2M simulant.Upon test disassembly NU-LHT-2M was found on the secondary sealing surface.

Sol-Gel Precursors for Ceramics from Minerals Simulating Soils from the Moon and Mars

Science.gov (United States)

Sibille, Laurent; Gavira-Gallardo, Jose-Antonio; Hourlier-Bahloul, Djamila

2003-01-01

Recent NASA mission plans for the human exploration of our Solar System has set new priorities for research and development of technologies necessary to enable a long-term human presence on the Moon and Mars. The recovery and processing of metals and oxides from mineral sources on other planets is under study to enable use of ceramics, glasses and metals by explorer outposts. We report some preliminary results on the production of sol-gel precursors for ceramic products using mineral resources available in Martian or Lunar soil. The presence of SiO2, TiO2, and A12O3 in both Martian (44 wt.% SiO2, 1 wt.% TiO2, 7 wt.% Al2O3) and Lunar (48 wt.% SiO2, 1.5 wt.% TiO2, 16 wt.% Al2O3) soils and the recent developments in chemical processes to solubilize silicates using organic reagents and relatively little energy indicate that such an endeavor is possible. In order to eliminate the risks involved in the use of hydrofluoric acid to dissolve silicates, two distinct chemical routes are investigated to obtain soluble silicon oxide precursors from Lunar and Martian simulant soils. Clear sol-gel precursors have been obtained by dissolution of silica from Lunar simulant soil in basic ethylene glycol (C2H4(OH)2) solutions to form silicon glycolates. Thermogravimetric Analysis and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy were used to characterize the elemental composition and structure of the precursor molecules. Further concentration and hydrolysis of the products was performed to obtain gel materials for evaluation as ceramic precursors. In the second set of experiments, we used the same starting materials to synthesize silicate esters in acidified alcohol mixtures. Preliminary results indicate the presence of silicon alkoxides in the product of distillation.

Characterization of Savannah River Plant waste glass

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Plodinec, M.J.

1985-01-01

The objective of the glass characterization programs at the Savannah River Laboratory (SRL) is to ensure that glass containing Savannah River Plant high-level waste can be permanently stored in a federal repository, in an environmentally acceptable manner. To accomplish this objective, SRL is carrying out several experimental programs, including: fundamental studies of the reactions between waste glass and water, particularly repository groundwater; experiments in which candidate repository environments are simulated as accurately as possible; burial tests of simulated waste glass in candidate repository geologies; large-scale tests of glass durability; and determination of the effects of process conditions on glass quality. In this paper, the strategy and current status of each of these programs is discussed. The results indicate that waste packages containing SRP waste glass will satisfy emerging regulatory criteria

Near-Infrared Monitoring of Volatiles in Frozen Lunar Simulants While Drilling

Science.gov (United States)

Roush, Ted L.; Colaprete, Anthony; Elphic, Richard C.; Forgione, Joshua; White, Bruce; McMurray, Robert; Cook, Amanda M.; Bielawski, Richard; Fritzler, Erin L.; Thompson, Sarah J.;

The Lunar Magma Ocean: Sharpening the Focus on Process and Composition

Science.gov (United States)

Rapp, J. F.; Draper, D. S.

2014-01-01

The currently accepted model for the formation of the lunar anorthositic crust is by flotation from a crystallizing lunar magma ocean (LMO) shortly following lunar accretion. Anorthositic crust is globally distributed and old, whereas the mare basalts are younger and derived from a source region that has experienced plagioclase extraction. Several attempts at modelling such a crystallization sequence have been made [e.g. 1, 2], but our ever-increasing knowledge of the lunar samples and surface have raised as many questions as these models have answered. This abstract presents results from our ongoing ex-periments simulating LMO crystallization and address-ing a range of variables. We investigate two bulk com-positions, which span most of the range of suggested lunar bulk compositions, from the refractory element enriched Taylor Whole Moon (TWM) [3] to the more Earth-like Lunar Primitive Upper Mantle (LPUM) [4]. We also investigate two potential crystallization mod-els: Fully fractional, where crystallizing phases are separated from the magma as they form and sink (or float in the case of plagioclase) throughout magma ocean solidification; and a two-step process suggested by [1, 5] with an initial stage of equilibrium crystalliza-tion, where crystals remain entrained in the magma before the crystal burden increases viscosity enough that convection slows and the crystals settle, followed by fractional crystallization. Here we consider the frac-tional crystallization part of this process; the equilibri-um cumulates having been determined by [6].

Leaching TC-99 from DWPF glass in simulated geologic repository groundwaters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bibler, N.E.; Jurgensen, A.R.

1986-01-01

The purpose was to determine if DWPF glass in geologic groundwaters would immobilize Tc-99 as well as it does other elements. A previous study (using a borosilicate glass of a very different composition from DWPF glass) indicated that Tc-99 leached rapidly from the glass suggesting that glass may not be a good matrix for immobilizing Tc-99. It was suggested that the Tc-99 had migrated to vesicles in the glass while the glass was still molten. To determine if borosilicate glass was a good immobilizing matrix for Tc-99, this study was performed using DWPF glass. The leaching of Tc-99 was compared to other elements in the glass. It was shown that rapid leaching will not occur with SRP glass. The leach rate for Tc-99 was nearly identical to that for B, a matrix element in the glass. Another objective was to compare the release of Tc-99 under oxidizing and reducing conditions with other elements in the glass. In the tests described here, even though the glass was dissolving more under reducing conditions as a result of abnormally high pH values, less Tc-99 appeared in solution

Lunar ash flows - Isothermal approximation.

Science.gov (United States)

Pai, S. I.; Hsieh, T.; O'Keefe, J. A.

1972-01-01

Suggestion of the ash flow mechanism as one of the major processes required to account for some features of lunar soil. First the observational background and the gardening hypothesis are reviewed, and the shortcomings of the gardening hypothesis are shown. Then a general description of the lunar ash flow is given, and a simple mathematical model of the isothermal lunar ash flow is worked out with numerical examples to show the differences between the lunar and the terrestrial ash flow. The important parameters of the ash flow process are isolated and analyzed. It appears that the lunar surface layer in the maria is not a residual mantle rock (regolith) but a series of ash flows due, at least in part, to great meteorite impacts. The possibility of a volcanic contribution is not excluded. Some further analytic research on lunar ash flows is recommended.

Waste glass melting stages

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anderson, L.D.; Dennis, T.; Elliott, M.L.; Hrma, P.

1993-04-01

Three different simulated nuclear waste glass feeds, consisting of dried waste and glass frit, were heat treated for 1 hour in a gradient furnace at temperatures ranging from approximately 600 degrees C--1000 degrees C. Simulated melter feeds from the Hanford Waste Vitrification Plant (HWVP), the Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF), and Kernforschungszentrum Karlsruhe (KfK) in Germany were used. The samples were thin-sectioned and examined by optical microscopy to investigate the stages of the conversion from feed to glass. Various phenomena were seen, such as frit softening, bubble formation, foaming, bubble motion and removal, convective mixing, and homogenization. Behavior of different feeds was similar, although the degree of gas generation and melt homogenization varied

Detection Capability Evaluation on Chang'e-5 Lunar Mineralogical Spectrometer (LMS)

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Bin; Ren, Xin; Yan, Wei; Xu, Xuesen; Cai, Tingni; Liu, Dawei; Liu, Jianjun; Li, Chunlai

2016-04-01

The Chang'e-5 (CE-5) lunar sample return mission is scheduled to launch in 2017 to bring back lunar regolith and drill samples. The Chang'e-5 Lunar Mineralogical Spectrometer (LMS), as one of the three sets of scientific payload installed on the lander, is used to collect in-situ spectrum and analyze the mineralogical composition of the sampling site. It can also help to select the sampling site , and to compare the measured laboratory spectrum of returned sample with in-situ data. LMS employs acousto-optic tunable filters (AOTFs) and is composed of a VIS/NIR module (0.48μm-1.45μm) and an IR module (1.4μm -3.2μm). It has spectral resolution ranging from 3 to 25 nm, with a field of view (FOV) of 4.24°×4.24°. Unlike Chang'e-3 VIS/NIR Imaging Spectrometer (VNIS), the spectral coverage of LMS is extended from 2.4μm to 3.2μm, which has capability to identify H2O/OH absorption features around 2.7μm. An aluminum plate and an Infragold plate are fixed in the dust cover, being used as calibration targets in the VIS/NIR and IR spectral range respectively when the dust cover is open. Before launch, a ground verification test of LMS needs to be conducted in order to: 1) test and verify the detection capability of LMS through evaluation on the quality of image and spectral data collected for the simulated lunar samples; and 2) evaluate the accuracy of data processing methods by the simulation of instrument working on the moon. The ground verification test will be conducted both in the lab and field. The spectra of simulated lunar regolith/mineral samples will be collected simultaneously by the LMS and two calibrated spectrometers: a FTIR spectrometer (Model 102F) and an ASD FieldSpec 4 Hi-Res spectrometer. In this study, the results of the LMS ground verification test will be reported including the evaluation on the LMS spectral and image data quality, mineral identification and inversion ability, accuracy of calibration and geometric positioning .

Conceptual design of a lunar oxygen pilot plant Lunar Base Systems Study (LBSS) task 4.2

Science.gov (United States)

1988-01-01

The primary objective was to develop conceptual designs of two pilot plants to produce oxygen from lunar materials. A lunar pilot plant will be used to generate engineering data necessary to support an optimum design of a larger scale production plant. Lunar oxygen would be of primary value as spacecraft propellant oxidizer. In addition, lunar oxygen would be useful for servicing nonregenerative fuel cell power systems, providing requirements for life support, and to make up oxygen losses from leakage and airlock cycling. Thirteen different lunar oxygen production methods are described. Hydrogen reduction of ilmenite and extraction of solar-wind hydrogen from bulk lunar soil were selected for conceptual design studies. Trades and sensitivity analyses were performed with these models.

Laboratory Measurements of Optical and Physical Properties of Individual Lunar Dust Grains

Science.gov (United States)

Abbas, M. M.; Tankosic, D.; Craven, P. D.; Hoover, R. B.

2006-01-01

The lunar surface is covered with a thick layer of sub-micron/micron size dust grains formed by meteoritic impact over billions of years. The fine dust grains are levitated and transported on the lunar surface, and transient dust clouds over the lunar horizon were observed by experiments during the Apollo 17 mission. Theoretical models suggest that the dust grains on the lunar surface are charged by the solar UV radiation as well as the solar wind. Even without any physical activity, the dust grains are levitated by electrostatic fields and transported away from the surface in the near vacuum environment of the Moon. The current dust charging and levitation models, however, do not fully explain the observed phenomena. Since the abundance of dust on the Moon's surface with its observed adhesive characteristics has the potential of severe impact on human habitat and operations and lifetime of a variety of equipment, it is necessary to investigate the charging properties and the lunar dust phenomena in order to develop appropriate mitigating strategies. Photoelectric emission induced by the solar UV radiation with photon energies higher than the work function of the grain materials is recognized to be the dominant process for charging of the lunar dust, and requires measurements of the photoelectric yields to determine the charging and equilibrium potentials of individual dust grains. In this paper, we present the first laboratory measurements of the photoelectric yields of individual sub-micron/micron size dust grains selected from sample returns of Apollo 17, and Luna 24 missions, as well as similar size dust grains from the JSC-1 simulants. The experimental results were obtained on a laboratory facility based on an electrodynamic balance that permits a variety of experiments to be conducted on individual sub-micron/micron size dust grains in simulated space environments. The photoelectric emission measurements indicate grain size dependence with the yield

Glass Property Data and Models for Estimating High-Level Waste Glass Volume

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vienna, John D.; Fluegel, Alexander; Kim, Dong-Sang; Hrma, Pavel R.

2009-10-05

This report describes recent efforts to develop glass property models that can be used to help estimate the volume of high-level waste (HLW) glass that will result from vitrification of Hanford tank waste. The compositions of acceptable and processable HLW glasses need to be optimized to minimize the waste-form volume and, hence, to save cost. A database of properties and associated compositions for simulated waste glasses was collected for developing property-composition models. This database, although not comprehensive, represents a large fraction of data on waste-glass compositions and properties that were available at the time of this report. Glass property-composition models were fit to subsets of the database for several key glass properties. These models apply to a significantly broader composition space than those previously publised. These models should be considered for interim use in calculating properties of Hanford waste glasses.

Glass Property Data and Models for Estimating High-Level Waste Glass Volume

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vienna, John D.; Fluegel, Alexander; Kim, Dong-Sang; Hrma, Pavel R.

2009-01-01

This report describes recent efforts to develop glass property models that can be used to help estimate the volume of high-level waste (HLW) glass that will result from vitrification of Hanford tank waste. The compositions of acceptable and processable HLW glasses need to be optimized to minimize the waste-form volume and, hence, to save cost. A database of properties and associated compositions for simulated waste glasses was collected for developing property-composition models. This database, although not comprehensive, represents a large fraction of data on waste-glass compositions and properties that were available at the time of this report. Glass property-composition models were fit to subsets of the database for several key glass properties. These models apply to a significantly broader composition space than those previously publised. These models should be considered for interim use in calculating properties of Hanford waste glasses.

Characterization of Simulant LAW Envelope A, B, and C with Glass Formers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hansen, E.K.

2000-01-01

The River Protection Project-Waste Treatment Plant (RPP-WPT) pretreatment and immobilization processes being developed by the DOE Office of River Protection will decontaminate High Level Waste (HLW) Envelopes A and B supernates using crossflow filtration followed by cesium and technetium ion exchange. Envelope C will undergo Sr/TRU precipitation prior to filtration to remove chelated actinides. The decontaminated supernates, now called low activity waste (LAW), will be concentrated through the LAW Melter Feed Evaporator. The concentrated LAW Melter Feed will be mixed with glass forming minerals and chemicals in an in the LAW Melter Feed Preparation Tank. The resulting slurry is then transferred to a Melter Feed Tank from which it is fed to one of the joule-heated, refractory-lined melters. Characterization of the melter feed slurry is required to complete the design of the RPP-WPT slurry feed systems. This report discusses the results obtained from the task, ''Bench Scale Mixing - Characterization of Simulant LAW Envelope A (AN105), B (AZ101), and C (AN107) With Glass Formers''. This task characterized the physical and chemical properties (rheology, particle size, weight percent soluble and insoluble solids, and chemical composition) of simulated LAW Melter feeds made from the different envelopes mentioned above. The goal of this task was to provide data for the design of the RPP-WPT Melter feed system

Naming Lunar Mare Basalts: Quo Vadimus Redux

Science.gov (United States)

Ryder, G.

1999-01-01

Nearly a decade ago, I noted that the nomenclature of lunar mare basalts was inconsistent, complicated, and arcane. I suggested that this reflected both the limitations of our understanding of the basalts, and the piecemeal progression made in lunar science by the nature of the Apollo missions. Although the word "classification" is commonly attached to various schemes of mare basalt nomenclature, there is still no classification of mare basalts that has any fundamental grounding. We remain basically at a classification of the first kind in the terms of Shand; that is, things have names. Quoting John Stuart Mill, Shand discussed classification of the second kind: "The ends of scientific classification are best answered when the objects are formed into groups respecting which a greater number of propositions can be made, and those propositions more important than could be made respecting any other groups into which the same things could be distributed." Here I repeat some of the main contents of my discussion from a decade ago, and add a further discussion based on events of the last decade. A necessary first step of sample studies that aims to understand lunar mare basalt processes is to associate samples with one another as members of the same igneous event, such as a single eruption lava flow, or differentiation event. This has been fairly successful, and discrete suites have been identified at all mare sites, members that are eruptively related to each other but not to members of other suites. These eruptive members have been given site-specific labels, e.g., Luna24 VLT, Apollo 11 hi-K, A12 olivine basalts, and Apollo 15 Green Glass C. This is classification of the first kind, but is not a useful classification of any other kind. At a minimum, a classification is inclusive (all objects have a place) and exclusive (all objects have only one place). The answer to "How should rocks be classified?" is far from trivial, for it demands a fundamental choice about nature

Lunar and Vesta Web Portals

Science.gov (United States)

Law, E.; JPL Luna Mapping; Modeling Project Team

2015-06-01

The Lunar Mapping and Modeling Project offers Lunar Mapping and Modeling Portal (http://lmmp.nasa.gov) and Vesta Trek Portal (http://vestatrek.jpl.nasa.gov) providing interactive visualization and analysis tools to enable users to access mapped Lunar and Vesta data products.

Simulated body-fluid tests and electrochemical investigations on biocompatibility of metallic glasses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lin, C.H.; Huang, C.H.; Chuang, J.F.; Lee, H.C.; Liu, M.C.; Du, X.H.; Huang, J.C.; Jang, J.S.C.; Chen, C.H.

2012-01-01

This paper presents the in-vitro and electrochemical investigations of four metallic glasses (MGs) for finding potential MG-based bio-materials. The simulation body-fluid Hanks solution is utilized for testing the corrosion resistance of MGs, and microorganisms of Escherichia coli are used in testing the bio-toxicity. In addition, a simple cyclic voltammetry method is used for rapid verification of the potential electrochemical responses. It is found that the Zr-based MG can sustain in the body-fluid, exhibiting the best corrosion resistance and electrochemical stability. The microbiologic test shows that E. coli can grow on the surface of the Zr-based metallic glass, confirming the low cell toxicity of this Zr-based MG. Highlights: ► Vanadium is added in Cu–Zr–Al alloy to induce B2-CuZr formation. ► The more induced B2-CuZr phase can improve compressive plasticity. ► The plasticity improvement might be caused by B2 phase dynamic coarsening.

Lunar Lava Tube Sensing

Science.gov (United States)

York, Cheryl Lynn; Walden, Bryce; Billings, Thomas L.; Reeder, P. Douglas

1992-01-01

Large (greater than 300 m diameter) lava tube caverns appear to exist on the Moon and could provide substantial safety and cost benefits for lunar bases. Over 40 m of basalt and regolith constitute the lava tube roof and would protect both construction and operations. Constant temperatures of -20 C reduce thermal stress on structures and machines. Base designs need not incorporate heavy shielding, so lightweight materials can be used and construction can be expedited. Identification and characterization of lava tube caverns can be incorporated into current precursor lunar mission plans. Some searches can even be done from Earth. Specific recommendations for lunar lava tube search and exploration are (1) an Earth-based radar interferometer, (2) an Earth-penetrating radar (EPR) orbiter, (3) kinetic penetrators for lunar lava tube confirmation, (4) a 'Moon Bat' hovering rocket vehicle, and (5) the use of other proposed landers and orbiters to help find lunar lava tubes.

The Lunar Magma Ocean (LMO) Paradigm Versus the Realities of Lunar Anorthosites

Science.gov (United States)

Treiman, A. H.; Gross, J.

2018-05-01

The paradigm of the Lunar Magma Ocean (LMO) is inconsistent with much chemical and compositional data on lunar anorthosites. The paradigm of serial anorthosite diapirism is more consistent, though not a panacea.

Human Estimation of Slope, Distance, and Height of Terrain in Simulated Lunar Conditions

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Oravetz, Christopher

2009-01-01

.... These unique lunar conditions are expected to affect human perception: the lack of an atmosphere, the non-Lambertian regolith reflectance properties, the lack of familiar objects, and the physiological effects of reduced gravity...

Chronology of early lunar crust

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dasch, E.J.; Nyquist, L.E.; Ryder, G.

1988-01-01

The chronology of lunar rocks is summarized. The oldest pristine (i.e., lacking meteoritic contamination of admixed components) lunar rock, recently dated with Sm-Nd by Lugmair, is a ferroan anorthosite, with an age of 4.44 + 0.02 Ga. Ages of Mg-suite rocks (4.1 to 4.5 Ga) have large uncertainties, so that age differences between lunar plutonic rock suites cannot yet be resolved. Most mare basalts crystallized between 3.1 and 3.9 Ga. The vast bulk of the lunar crust, therefore, formed before the oldest preserved terrestrial rocks. If the Moon accreted at 4.56 Ga, then 120 Ma may have elapsed before lunar crust was formed

The Lunar Dust Environment

Science.gov (United States)

Szalay, Jamey Robert

Planetary bodies throughout the solar system are continually bombarded by dust particles, largely originating from cometary activities and asteroidal collisions. Surfaces of bodies with thick atmospheres, such as Venus, Earth, Mars and Titan are mostly protected from incoming dust impacts as these particles ablate in their atmospheres as 'shooting stars'. However, the majority of bodies in the solar system have no appreciable atmosphere and their surfaces are directly exposed to the flux of high speed dust grains. Impacts onto solid surfaces in space generate charged and neutral gas clouds, as well as solid secondary ejecta dust particles. Gravitationally bound ejecta clouds forming dust exospheres were recognized by in situ dust instruments around the icy moons of Jupiter and Saturn, and had not yet been observed near bodies with refractory regolith surfaces before NASA's Lunar Dust and Environment Explorer (LADEE) mission. In this thesis, we first present the measurements taken by the Lunar Dust Explorer (LDEX), aboard LADEE, which discovered a permanently present, asymmetric dust cloud surrounding the Moon. The global characteristics of the lunar dust cloud are discussed as a function of a variety of variables such as altitude, solar longitude, local time, and lunar phase. These results are compared with models for lunar dust cloud generation. Second, we present an analysis of the groupings of impacts measured by LDEX, which represent detections of dense ejecta plumes above the lunar surface. These measurements are put in the context of understanding the response of the lunar surface to meteoroid bombardment and how to use other airless bodies in the solar system as detectors for their local meteoroid environment. Third, we present the first in-situ dust measurements taken over the lunar sunrise terminator. Having found no excess of small grains in this region, we discuss its implications for the putative population of electrostatically lofted dust.

Glass microspheres for brachytherapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Prado, Miguel O.; Prastalo, Simon; Blaumann, Herman; Longhino, Juan M.; Repetto Llamazares, A.H.V.

2007-01-01

We developed the capacity to produce glass microspheres containing in their structure one or more radioactive isotopes useful for brachytherapy. We studied the various facts related with their production: (Rare earth) alumino silicate glass making, glass characterization, microspheres production, nuclear activation through (n,γ) nuclear reactions, mechanical characterization before and after irradiation. Corrosion tests in simulated human plasma and mechanical properties characterization were done before and after irradiation. (author) [es

Astronaut Neil Armstrong participates in simulation of moon's surface

Science.gov (United States)

1969-01-01

Astronaut Neil A. Armstrong, wearing an Extravehicular Mobility Unit, deploys a lunar surface television camera during lunar surface simulation training in bldg 9, Manned Spacecraft Center. Armstrong is the prime crew commander of the Apollo 11 lunar landing mission.

Effects of tuff waste package components on release from 76-68 simulated waste glass: Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McVay, G.L.; Robinson, G.R.

1984-04-01

An experimental matrix has been conducted that will allow evaluation of the effects of waste package constituents on the waste form release behavior in a tuff repository environment. Tuff rock and groundwater were used along with 304L, 316, and 1020M ferrous metals to evaluate release from uranium-doped MCC 76-68 simulated waste glass. One of the major findings was that in the absence of 1020M mild steel, tuff rock powder dominates the system. However, when 1020M mild steel is present, it appears to dominate the system. The rock-dominated system results in suppressed glass-water reaction and leaching while the 1020M-dominated system results in enhanced leaching - but the metal effectively scavenges uranium from solution. The 300-series stainless steels play no significant role in affecting glass leaching characteristics. 6 refs., 28 figs., 5 tabs

Lunar mare TiO2 abundances estimated from UV/Vis reflectance

Science.gov (United States)

Sato, Hiroyuki; Robinson, Mark S.; Lawrence, Samuel J.; Denevi, Brett W.; Hapke, Bruce; Jolliff, Bradley L.; Hiesinger, Harald

2017-11-01

The visible (400-700 nm) and near-infrared (700-2800 nm) reflectance of the lunar regolith is dominantly controlled by variations in the abundance of plagioclase, iron-bearing silicate minerals, opaque minerals (e.g., ilmenite), and maturation products (e.g., agglutinate glass, radiation-produced rims on soil grains, and Fe-metal). The same materials control reflectance into the near-UV (250-400 nm) with varying degrees of importance. A key difference is that while ilmenite is spectrally neutral in the visible to near-infrared, it exhibits a diagnostic upturn in reflectance in the near-UV, at wavelengths shorter than about 450 nm. The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Wide Angle Camera (WAC) filters were specifically designed to take advantage of this spectral feature to enable more accurate mapping of ilmenite within mare soils than previously possible. Using the reflectance measured at 321 and 415 nm during 62 months of repeated near-global WAC observations, first we found a linear correlation between the TiO2 contents of the lunar soil samples and the 321/415 nm ratio of each sample return site. We then used the coefficients from the linear regression and the near-global WAC multispectral mosaic to derive a new TiO2 map. The average TiO2 content is 3.9 wt% for the 17 major maria. The highest TiO2 values were found in Mare Tranquillitatis (∼12.6 wt%) and Oceanus Procellarum (∼11.6 wt%). Regions contaminated by highland ejecta, lunar swirls, and the low-TiO2 maria (e.g., Mare Frigoris, the northeastern units of Mare Imbrium) exhibit very low TiO2 values (2.6 Ga), whereas only medium to high TiO2 values (average = 6.8 wt%, minimum = 4.5 wt%) are found for younger mare units (<2.6 Ga).

Three astronauts inside Command Module Simulator during Apollo Simulation

Science.gov (United States)

1968-01-01

Three astronauts inside the Command Module Simulator in bldg 5 during an Apollo Simulation. Left to right are Astronauts Thomas P. Stafford, commander; John W. Young, command module pilot; and Eugene A. Cernan, lunar module pilot.

Solid-support substrates for plant growth at a lunar base

Science.gov (United States)

Ming, D. W.; Galindo, C.; Henninger, D. L.

1990-01-01

Zeoponics is only in its developmental stages at the Johnson Space Center and is defined as the cultivation of plants in zeolite substrates that contain several essential plant growth cations on their exchange sites, and have minor amounts of mineral phases and/or anion-exchange resins that supply essential plant growth anions. Zeolites are hydrated aluminosilicates of alkali and alkaline earth cations with the ability to exchange most of their constituent exchange cations as well as hydrate/dehydrate without change to their structural framework. Because zeolites have extremely high cation exchange capabilities, they are very attractive media for plant growth. It is possible to partially or fully saturate plant-essential cations on zeolites. Zeoponic systems will probably have their greatest applications at planetary bases (e.g., lunar bases). Lunar raw materials will have to be located that are suited for the synthesis of zeolites and other exchange resings. Lunar 'soil' simulants have been or are being prepared for zeolite/smectite synthesis and 'soil' dissolution studies.

Lunar Atmosphere Probe Station: A Proof-of-Concept Instrument Package for Monitoring the Lunar Atmosphere

Science.gov (United States)

Lazio, J.; Jones, D. L.; MacDowall, R. J.; Stewart, K. P.; Burns, J. O.; Farrell, W. M.; Giersch, L.; O'Dwyer, I. J.; Hicks, B. C.; Polisensky, E. J.; Hartman, J. M.; Nesnas, I.; Weiler, K.; Kasper, J. C.

2013-12-01

The lunar exosphere is the exemplar of a plasma near the surface of an airless body. Exposed to both the solar and interstellar radiation fields, the lunar exosphere is mostly ionized, and enduring questions regarding its properties include its density and vertical extent, the extent of contributions from volatile outgassing from the Moon, and its behavior over time, including response to the solar wind and modification by landers. Relative ionospheric measurements (riometry) are based on the simple physical principle that electromagnetic waves cannot propagate through a partially or fully ionized medium below the plasma frequency, and riometers have been deployed on the Earth in numerous remote and hostile environments. A multi-frequency riometer on the lunar surface would be able to monitor, *in situ*, the vertical extent of the lunar exosphere over time. We provide an update on a concept for a riometer implemented as a secondary science payload on future lunar landers, such as those recommended in the recent Planetary Sciences Decadal Survey report or commercial ventures. The instrument concept is simple, consisting of an antenna implemented as a metal deposited on polyimide film and receiver. We illustrate various deployment mechanisms and performance of a prototype in increasing lunar analog conditions. While the prime mission of such a riometer would be probing the lunar exosphere, our concept would also be capable to measuring the properties of dust impactors. The Lunar University Network for Astrophysical Research consortium is funded by the NASA Lunar Science Institute to investigate concepts for astrophysical observatories on the Moon. Part of this research was carried out at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under a contract with NASA. Artist's impression of the Lunar Atmosphere Probe Station.

Solar wind radiation damage in lunar dust grains and the characteristics of the ancient solar wind

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Borg, J.; Chaumont, J.

1980-01-01

Current understanding of the exposure history of lunar dust grains to the ancient solar wind is reviewed, the work being based mostly on a Monte Carlo statistical code, describing the 'gardening' effects of the meteorite bombardment in the lunar regolith, and on analytical models, yielding the lifetimes of the grains against various types of destruction processes. Families of lunar dust grains are identified, and evidence is presented showing that lunar dust grains were not partially shielded from solar wind ions. Results of solar wind simulation experiments are used to interpret the thickness distribution of the amorphous coatings of solar wind radiation-damaged material observed on 1-micron lunar dust grains. It is argued that such distributions reflect the speed distribution of the ancient solar wind as averaged over periods of approximately 5000 years in duration, and that the ancient solar wind is less energetic than the present day solar wind

Estimates of Sputter Yields of Solar-Wind Heavy Ions of Lunar Regolith Materials

Science.gov (United States)

Barghouty, Abdulmasser F.; Adams, James H., Jr.

2008-01-01

At energies of approximately 1 keV/amu, solar-wind protons and heavy ions interact with the lunar surface materials via a number of microscopic interactions that include sputtering. Solar-wind induced sputtering is a main mechanism by which the composition of the topmost layers of the lunar surface can change, dynamically and preferentially. This work concentrates on sputtering induced by solar-wind heavy ions. Sputtering associated with slow (speeds the electrons speed in its first Bohr orbit) and highly charged ions are known to include both kinetic and potential sputtering. Potential sputtering enjoys some unique characteristics that makes it of special interest to lunar science and exploration. Unlike the yield from kinetic sputtering where simulation and approximation schemes exist, the yield from potential sputtering is not as easy to estimate. This work will present a preliminary numerical scheme designed to estimate potential sputtering yields from reactions relevant to this aspect of solar-wind lunar-surface coupling.

CERN-derived analysis of lunar radiation backgrounds

Science.gov (United States)

Wilson, Thomas L.; Svoboda, Robert

1993-01-01

The Moon produces radiation which background-limits scientific experiments there. Early analyses of these backgrounds have either failed to take into consideration the effect of charm in particle physics (because they pre-dated its discovery), or have used branching ratios which are no longer strictly valid (due to new accelerator data). We are presently investigating an analytical program for deriving muon and neutrino spectra generated by the Moon, converting an existing CERN computer program known as GEANT which does the same for the Earth. In so doing, this will (1) determine an accurate prompt neutrino spectrum produced by the lunar surface; (2) determine the lunar subsurface particle flux; (3) determine the consequence of charm production physics upon the lunar background radiation environment; and (4) provide an analytical tool for the NASA astrophysics community with which to begin an assessment of the Moon as a scientific laboratory versus its particle radiation environment. This will be done on a recurring basis with the latest experimental results of the particle data groups at Earth-based high-energy accelerators, in particular with the latest branching ratios for charmed meson decay. This will be accomplished for the first time as a full 3-dimensional simulation.

Visibility of lunar surface features - Apollo 14 orbital observations and lunar landing.

Science.gov (United States)

Ziedman, K.

1972-01-01

Description of an in-flight visibility test conducted during the Apollo 14 mission for the purpose of validating and extending the mathematical visibility models used previously in the course of the Apollo program to examine the constraints on descent operations imposed by lunar visibility limitations. Following a background review of the effects on mission planning of the visibility limitations due to downsun lunar surface detail 'washout' and a discussion of the visibility prediction techniques previously used for studying lunar visibility problems, the visibility test rationale and procedures are defined and the test results presented. The results appear to confirm the validity of the visibility prediction techniques employed in lunar visibility problem studies. These results provide also a basis for improving the accuracy of the prediction techniques by appropriate modifications.

Lunar and interplanetary trajectories

CERN Document Server

Biesbroek, Robin

2016-01-01

This book provides readers with a clear description of the types of lunar and interplanetary trajectories, and how they influence satellite-system design. The description follows an engineering rather than a mathematical approach and includes many examples of lunar trajectories, based on real missions. It helps readers gain an understanding of the driving subsystems of interplanetary and lunar satellites. The tables and graphs showing features of trajectories make the book easy to understand. .

Understanding of the mechanical and structural changes induced by alpha particles and heavy ions in the French simulated nuclear waste glass

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Karakurt, G.; Abdelouas, A.; Guin, J.-P.; Nivard, M.; Sauvage, T.; Paris, M.; Bardeau, J.-F.

2016-01-01

Borosilicate glasses are considered for the long-term confinement of high-level nuclear wastes. External irradiations with 1 MeV He + ions and 7 MeV Au 5+ ions were performed to simulate effects produced by alpha particles and by recoil nuclei in the simulated SON68 nuclear waste glass. To better understand the structural modifications, irradiations were also carried out on a 6-oxides borosilicate glass, a simplified version of the SON68 glass (ISG glass). The mechanical and macroscopic properties of the glasses were studied as function of the deposited electronic and nuclear energies. Alpha particles and gold ions induced a volume change up to −0.7% and −2.7%, respectively, depending on the glass composition. Nano-indentations tests were used to determine the mechanical properties of the irradiated glasses. A decrease of about −22% to −38% of the hardness and a decrease of the reduced Young's modulus by −8% were measured after irradiations. The evolution of the glass structure was studied by Raman spectroscopy, and also 11 B and 27 Al Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (MAS-NMR) on a 20 MeV Kr irradiated ISG glass powder. A decrease of the silica network connectivity after irradiation with alpha particles and gold ions is deduced from the structural changes observations. NMR spectra revealed a partial conversion of BO 4 to BO 3 units but also a formation of AlO 5 and AlO 6 species after irradiation with Kr ions. The relationships between the mechanical and structural changes are also discussed. - Highlights: • Mechanical and structural properties of two borosilicate glass compositions irradiated with alpha particles and heavy ions were investigated. • Both kinds of particles induced a decrease of the hardness, reduced Young's modulus and density. • Electronic and nuclear interactions are responsible for the changes observed. • The evolution of the mechanical properties under irradiation is linked to the changes occured in the

Lunar Water Resource Demonstration

Science.gov (United States)

Muscatello, Anthony C.

2008-01-01

In cooperation with the Canadian Space Agency, the Northern Centre for Advanced Technology, Inc., the Carnegie-Mellon University, JPL, and NEPTEC, NASA has undertaken the In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) project called RESOLVE. This project is a ground demonstration of a system that would be sent to explore permanently shadowed polar lunar craters, drill into the regolith, determine what volatiles are present, and quantify them in addition to recovering oxygen by hydrogen reduction. The Lunar Prospector has determined these craters contain enhanced hydrogen concentrations averaging about 0.1%. If the hydrogen is in the form of water, the water concentration would be around 1%, which would translate into billions of tons of water on the Moon, a tremendous resource. The Lunar Water Resource Demonstration (LWRD) is a part of RESOLVE designed to capture lunar water and hydrogen and quantify them as a backup to gas chromatography analysis. This presentation will briefly review the design of LWRD and some of the results of testing the subsystem. RESOLVE is to be integrated with the Scarab rover from CMIJ and the whole system demonstrated on Mauna Kea on Hawaii in November 2008. The implications of lunar water for Mars exploration are two-fold: 1) RESOLVE and LWRD could be used in a similar fashion on Mars to locate and quantify water resources, and 2) electrolysis of lunar water could provide large amounts of liquid oxygen in LEO, leading to lower costs for travel to Mars, in addition to being very useful at lunar outposts.

The use of augmented reality glasses in central line simulation: “see one, simulate many, do one competently, and teach everyone”

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Cynthia Y; Thomas, Jonathan B; Alismail, Abdullah; Cohen, Avi; Almutairi, Waleed; Daher, Noha S; Terry, Michael H; Tan, Laren D

2018-01-01

Objective The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of using augmented reality (AR) glasses in central line simulation by novice operators and compare its efficacy to standard central line simulation/teaching. Design This was a prospective randomized controlled study enrolling 32 novice operators. Subjects were randomized on a 1:1 basis to either simulation using the augmented virtual reality glasses or simulation using conventional instruction. Setting The study was conducted in tertiary-care urban teaching hospital. Subjects A total of 32 adult novice central line operators with no visual or auditory impairments were enrolled. Medical doctors, respiratory therapists, and sleep technicians were recruited from the medical field. Measurements and main results The mean time for AR placement in the AR group was 71±43 s, and the time to internal jugular (IJ) cannulation was 316±112 s. There was no significant difference in median (minimum, maximum) time (seconds) to IJ cannulation for those who were in the AR group and those who were not (339 [130, 550] vs 287 [35, 475], p=0.09), respectively. There was also no significant difference between the two groups in median total procedure time (524 [329, 792] vs 469 [198, 781], p=0.29), respectively. There was a significant difference in the adherence level between the two groups favoring the AR group (p=0.003). Conclusion AR simulation of central venous catheters in manikins is feasible and efficacious in novice operators as an educational tool. Future studies are recommended in this area as it is a promising area of medical education. PMID:29785148

Waste glass melting stages

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anderson, L.D.; Dennis, T.; Elliott, M.L.; Hrma, P.

1994-01-01

Three simulated nuclear waste glass feeds, consisting of dried waste and glass frit, were heat treated for 1 hour in a gradient furnace at temperatures ranging from approximately 600 degrees C to 1000 degrees C. Simulated melter feeds from the Hanford Waste Vitrification Plant (HWVP), the Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF), and Kernforschungszentru Karlsruhe (KfK) in Germany were used. The samples were thin sectioned and examined by optical microscopy to investigate the stages of the conversion from feed to glass. Various phenomena were seen, such as frit softening, bubble formation, foaming, bubble motion and removal, convective mixing, and homogenization. The behavior of different feeds was similar, although the degree of gas generation and melt homogenization varied. 2 refs., 8 tabs

A study on the plasticity of soda-lime silica glass via molecular dynamics simulations

Science.gov (United States)

Urata, Shingo; Sato, Yosuke

2017-11-01

Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were applied to construct a plasticity model, which enables one to simulate deformations of soda-lime silica glass (SLSG) by using continuum methods. To model the plasticity, stress induced by uniaxial and a variety of biaxial deformations was measured by MD simulations. We found that the surfaces of yield and maximum stresses, which are evaluated from the equivalent stress-strain curves, are reasonably represented by the Mohr-Coulomb ellipsoid. Comparing a finite element model using the constructed plasticity model to a large scale atomistic model on a nanoindentation simulation of SLSG reveals that the empirical method is accurate enough to evaluate the SLSG mechanical responses. Furthermore, the effect of ion-exchange on the SLSG plasticity was examined by using MD simulations. As a result, it was demonstrated that the effects of the initial compressive stress on the yield and maximum stresses are anisotropic contrary to our expectations.

Lunar Regolith Particle Shape Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Kiekhaefer, Rebecca; Hardy, Sandra; Rickman, Douglas; Edmunson, Jennifer

2013-01-01

Future engineering of structures and equipment on the lunar surface requires significant understanding of particle characteristics of the lunar regolith. Nearly all sediment characteristics are influenced by particle shape; therefore a method of quantifying particle shape is useful both in lunar and terrestrial applications. We have created a method to quantify particle shape, specifically for lunar regolith, using image processing. Photomicrographs of thin sections of lunar core material were obtained under reflected light. Three photomicrographs were analyzed using ImageJ and MATLAB. From the image analysis measurements for area, perimeter, Feret diameter, orthogonal Feret diameter, Heywood factor, aspect ratio, sieve diameter, and sieve number were recorded. Probability distribution functions were created from the measurements of Heywood factor and aspect ratio.

LADEE LUNAR DUST EXPERIMENT

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — This archive bundle includes data taken by the Lunar Dust Experiment (LDEX) instrument aboard the Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) spacecraft....

The atomic-scale nucleation mechanism of NiTi metallic glasses upon isothermal annealing studied via molecular dynamics simulations.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Yang; Li, JiaHao; Liu, BaiXin

2015-10-28

Nucleation is one of the most essential transformation paths in phase transition and exerts a significant influence on the crystallization process. Molecular dynamics simulations were performed to investigate the atomic-scale nucleation mechanisms of NiTi metallic glasses upon devitrification at various temperatures (700 K, 750 K, 800 K, and 850 K). Our simulations reveal that at 700 K and 750 K, nucleation is polynuclear with high nucleation density, while at 800 K it is mononuclear. The underlying nucleation mechanisms have been clarified, manifesting that nucleation can be induced either by the initial ordered clusters (IOCs) or by the other precursors of nuclei evolved directly from the supercooled liquid. IOCs and other precursors stem from the thermal fluctuations of bond orientational order in supercooled liquids during the quenching process and during the annealing process, respectively. The simulation results not only elucidate the underlying nucleation mechanisms varied with temperature, but also unveil the origin of nucleation. These discoveries offer new insights into the devitrification mechanism of metallic glasses.