High-Speed Observer


Book Description

A high frame rate digital video camera installed on test stands at Stennis Space Center has been used to capture images of Space Shuttle main engine plumes during test. These plume images are processed in real time to detect and differentiate anomalous plume events occurring during a time interval on the order of 5 msec. Such speed yields near instantaneous availability of information concerning the state of the hardware. This information can be monitored by the test conductor or by other computer systems, such as the integrated health monitoring system processors, for possible test shutdown before occurrence of a catastrophic engine failure. Rieckoff, T. J. and Covan, M. and OFarrell, J. M. Marshall Space Flight Center NASA/TM-2001-210798, NAS 1.15:210798, M-1000




NASA Tech Briefs


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High-Speed Observer


Book Description

A high-frame-rate digital video camera, installed on test stands at Stennis Space Center (SSC), has been used to capture images of the aerospike engine plume during test. These plume images are processed in real time to detect and differentiate anomalous plume events. Results indicate that the High-Speed Observer (HSO) system can detect anomalous plume streaking events that are indicative of aerospike engine malfunction.Rieckhoff, T. J. and Covan, M. A. and OFarrell, J. M.Marshall Space Flight CenterAEROSPIKE ENGINES; DIGITAL CAMERAS; PLUMES; MALFUNCTIONS; REAL TIME OPERATION; DIGITAL TELEVISION; TEST STANDS; HIGH SPEED




Low-Speed Wind Tunnel Testing


Book Description

A brand-new edition of the classic guide on low-speed wind tunnel testing While great advances in theoretical and computational methods have been made in recent years, low-speed wind tunnel testing remains essential for obtaining the full range of data needed to guide detailed design decisions for many practical engineering problems. This long-awaited Third Edition of William H. Rae, Jr.'s landmark reference brings together essential information on all aspects of low-speed wind tunnel design, analysis, testing, and instrumentation in one easy-to-use resource. Written by authors who are among the most respected wind tunnel engineers in the world, this edition has been updated to address current topics and applications, and includes coverage of digital electronics, new instrumentation, video and photographic methods, pressure-sensitive paint, and liquid crystal-based measurement methods. The book is organized for quick access to topics of interest, and examines basic test techniques and objectives of modeling and testing aircraft designs in low-speed wind tunnels, as well as applications to fluid motion analysis, automobiles, marine vessels, buildings, bridges, and other structures subject to wind loading. Supplemented with real-world examples throughout, Low-Speed Wind Tunnel Testing, Third Edition is an indispensable resource for aerospace engineering students and professionals, engineers and researchers in the automotive industries, wind tunnel designers, architects, and others who need to get the most from low-speed wind tunnel technology and experiments in their work.







Sierra Hotel : flying Air Force fighters in the decade after Vietnam


Book Description

In February 1999, only a few weeks before the U.S. Air Force spearheaded NATO's Allied Force air campaign against Serbia, Col. C.R. Anderegg, USAF (Ret.), visited the commander of the U.S. Air Forces in Europe. Colonel Anderegg had known Gen. John Jumper since they had served together as jet forward air controllers in Southeast Asia nearly thirty years earlier. From the vantage point of 1999, they looked back to the day in February 1970, when they first controlled a laser-guided bomb strike. In this book Anderegg takes us from "glimmers of hope" like that one through other major improvements in the Air Force that came between the Vietnam War and the Gulf War. Always central in Anderegg's account of those changes are the people who made them. This is a very personal book by an officer who participated in the transformation he describes so vividly. Much of his story revolves around the Fighter Weapons School at Nellis Air Force Base (AFB), Nevada, where he served two tours as an instructor pilot specializing in guided munitions.




Fundamentals of Atmospheric Physics


Book Description

Fundamentals of Atmospheric Physics emphasizes the interrelationships of physical and dynamical meteorology. The text unifies four major subject areas: atmospheric thermodynamics, hydrostatic equilibrium and stability, atmospheric radiation and clouds, and atmospheric dynamics. These fundamental areas serve as cornerstones of modern atmospheric research on environmental issues like global change and ozone depletion. Physical concepts underlying these subject areas are developed from first principles, providing a self-contained text for students and scholars from diverse backgrounds. The presentation is Lagrangian (single-body problems) in perspective, with a balance of theory and application. Each chapter includes detailed and extensive problems; selected answers are provided, as are appendices of various constants. The text requires a thorough foundation in calculus. - Presents a comprehensive introduction to atmospheric thermodynamics, hydrostatics, radiation and clouds, and dynamics - Develops concepts from first principles, providing a self-contained volume for readers from diverse backgrounds - Emphasizes the interaction of physical processes shaping global problems of atmospheric energetics, transport, and chemistry - Provides a balance of theory and applications, with examples drawn from a wide range of phenomena figuring in global atmospheric research - Extensively illustrated with global satellite imagery and analyses and photographs of laboratory simulations - Exercises apply to a wide range of topical problems




The Smell of Kerosene


Book Description

This book puts the reader in the pilot's seat for a "day at the office" unlike any other. The Smell of Kerosene tells the dramatic story of a NASA research pilot who logged over 11,000 flight hours in more than 125 types of aircraft. Donald Mallick gives the reader fascinating first-hand description of his early naval flight training, carrier operations, and his research flying career with NASA. After transferring to the NASA Flight Research Center, Mallick became involved with projects that further pushed the boundaries of aerospace technology. These included the giant delta-winged XB-70 supersonic airplane, the wingless M2-F1 lifting body vehicle, and triple-sonic YF-12 Blackbird. Mallick also test flew the Lunar Landing Research Vehicle and helped develop techniques used in training astronauts to land on the Moon.




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