States Air Force Research Articles

Encyclopedia of space and astronomy

Encyclopedia of Space and Astronomy covers this timely and popular topic in a clear, comprehensive manner. Offering a complete presentation of the main concepts, terms, facilities, and people in astronomy, the encyclopedia pays special attention to space-based astronomy and space exploration. Broad coverage includes terms such as astrophysics, planetary science, and cosmology, as well as both American and international astronomy and space technology. Containing 600-700 entries, 10-15 essays, 75-100 line illustrations, and 75-100 black-and-white photographs, this authoritative reference provides students and teachers with a visually stimulating learning experience. Encyclopedia of Space and Astronomy focuses mainly on modern astronomy and space achievements but also includes the most important accomplishments of classical astronomy. The impact of astronomy, astrophysics, and cosmology is presented in terms of the development of the scientific method and also with respect to philosophy. History-related entries trace the evolution of astronomy and space technology from ancient times, and selected entries discuss important observatories and organizations such as NASA, as well as contemporary events. Entries include absolute zero, brown dwarf, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Nicholas Copernicus, extraterrestrial, gravitational collapse, lunar rovers, Mars expeditions and surface bases, quantum theory, Uhuru space-craft, and Wernher Von Braun.

ATOC/Pioneer Seamount cable after 8 years on the seafloor: Observations, environmental impact

A study was conducted on the impacts of the presence of the Acoustic Thermometry of Ocean Climate (ATOC)/Pioneer Seamount cable on the benthos from nearshore waters adjacent to its origin at Pillar Point Air Force Station in Half Moon Bay, California to its terminus 95 km along its length on Pioneer Seamount. The coaxial Type SD cable was installed, unburied on the seafloor in 1995. Thirteen sites along the cable route were surveyed using the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) ROVs Ventana and Tiburon equipped with cable-tracking tools. Quantitative comparisons of biological communities and seafloor features between cable and control sites were performed at nine stations. Forty-two hours of video footage and 138 push cores were collected over 15.1 km of seafloor. Approximately 12.1 km of the cable was observed (13% of the cable route). This study documents the appearance and condition of the cable and the underlying seafloor, and the effects of the cable on biological communities along its route. Limited self-burial of the cable has occurred during the 8-year deployment, particularly over the continental shelf and upper slope. Cable strumming by nearshore wave action has incised rocky siltstone outcrops. Several observations of kinks and snags in the cable on the upper slope (∼240 m depth) suggest contact with trawling gear. Few changes in the abundance or distribution of benthic fauna were detectable from video observations (epifaunal) and sediment core samples (infauna). Of 17 megafaunal groups and 19 infaunal taxa, no tests evaluating the overall effect of the cable were statistically significant. While these results indicate that the biological impacts of the cable are minor at most, three megafaunal groups exhibited cable-related changes at one or more stations. Actiniarians (sea anemones) colonized the cable when it was exposed on the seafloor, and were therefore generally more abundant on the cable than in surrounding, sediment-dominated seafloor habitats. Some fishes were also more abundant near the cable, apparently due to the higher habitat complexity provided by the cable. The study also documents general changes in the benthos across the Central California continental margin.

Field and laboratory evaluation of the treatment of DNAPL source zones using emulsified zero‐valent iron

AbstractEmulsified zero‐valent iron (EZVI) is a surfactant‐stabilized, biodegradable emulsion that forms droplets consisting of a liquid‐oil membrane surrounding zero‐valent iron (ZVI) particles in water. This article summarizes the results obtained during the first field‐scale deployment of EZVI at NASA's Launch Complex 34 (LC34) located on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, in August 2002 and presents the results of recent follow‐on laboratory tests evaluating the mechanisms, which contribute to the performance of the technology. The field‐scale demonstration evaluated the performance of EZVI containing nanoscale zero‐valent iron (NZVI) when applied to dense, nonaqueous phase liquid (DNAPL) trichloroethylene (TCE) in the saturated zone. Results of the field demonstration indicate substantial reductions in TCE soil concentrations (greater than 80 percent) at all but two soil boring locations and significant reductions in TCE groundwater concentrations (e.g., 60 percent to 100 percent) at all depths targeted with EZVI. Laboratory tests conducted in 2005 suggest that both NZVI particles and EZVI containing NZVI can provide significant reductions in TCE mass when used to treat TCE DNAPL in small test reactors. However, EZVI was able to reduce TCE concentrations to lower levels than were obtained with NZVI alone, likely as a result of the combined impact of sequestration of the TCE into the oil phase and degradation of the TCE with the NZVI. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

MBSAT A direct broadcast satellite for mobile users in Japan and Korea

The MBSAT spacecraft was launched on 13 March 2004 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on an Atlas III-A launch vehicle. The satellite is now in service at its orbital location of 144 ∘ E longitude. The satellite is designed to provide high-quality audio, video and data services to mobile users in Japan and Korea. Broadcast transmissions use 25 MHz of bandwidth at the S-band frequency of 2.6 GHz, while uplinks and feeder links to terrestrial repeaters use the Ku-band. The MBSAT satellite design incorporates a large, unfurlable, mesh reflector for S-band broadcast. This 12 m (effective aperture) reflector coupled with phase-combined arrays of Traveling Wave Tube Amplifiers result in Effective Isotropic Radiated Power levels of 67–69 dBW over Japan and Korea coverage areas. The use of Stationary Plasma Thrusters for North–South stationkeeping significantly enhances the mission lifetime as well as minimizes potential disturbances to the 12 m reflector.

The flight readiness and the future of the Boeing Delta IV Heavy expendable launch vehicle

In early December 2003, the first Delta IV Heavy launch vehicle was successfully rolled out of the Horizontal Integration Facility (HIF) and erected on Space Launch Complex (SLC) 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. The vehicle remains on the launch pad, undergoing a series of launch readiness tests in preparation for liftoff on a qualification flight in the fall of 2004. The Heavy launch vehicle represents the largest of the five vehicles of the Delta IV family, which consists of the Delta IV Medium, three Delta IV Medium vehicles with solid strap-on rocket motors (Medium-Plus variants), and the Delta IV Heavy. All vehicle configurations utilize a common booster core (CBC). The Heavy employs two additional CBCs, serving as liquid rocket boosters for added payload capability. The vehicle measures 71.7 m in height when fully stacked with a payload. This paper describes in detail the Delta IV Heavy launch vehicle and summarizes the flight readiness process in preparation for a successful flight, including wet dress rehearsals. A summary of the sequence of events of the Heavy qualification flight is also included.

The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Mission

The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) will be launched in August 2005 by an Atlas V 401 expendable launch vehicle from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, USA. It will deliver to Mars orbit a payload to conduct remote sensing science observations, identify and characterize sites for future landers, and provide critical telecom/navigation relay capability for follow-on missions. The mission is designed to provide global, regional survey, and targeted observations from a low 255 km by 320 km Mars orbit with a 3:00 PM local mean solar time (ascending node). During the one Martian year (687 Earth days) primary science phase, the orbiter will acquire visual and near-infrared high-resolution images of the planet's surface, monitor atmospheric weather and climate, and search the upper crust for evidence of water. After this science phase is completed, the orbiter will provide telecommunications support for spacecraft launched to Mars in the 2007 and 2009 opportunities. The primary mission ends on December 31, 2010, approximately 5.5 years after launch.

Evaluation of a wind power parameterization using tower observations

The spatial and temporal components of a published wind power parameterization method are evaluated using observed winds (9 m to 90 m) from 7 years of data collected at four towers in the Kennedy Space Center/Cape Canaveral Air Force Station network. The temporal component is governed by two parameterization inputs which represent the amplitude and mean of an assumed sinusoidal diurnal variation of the ratio of the 80 m to 10 m winds, respectively. Comparison with tower observations shows that the estimates of the mean ratio are robust but biased high, indicating that the temporal variation of the observations can be approximated by, but is not, a pure sinusoid. The observed and parameterized amplitude are poorly correlated as the amplitude estimate is sensitive to small phase shifts in the diurnal variation of the ratio of the wind speeds. The observed annual wind power for the site is consistent with what is known about the wind energy potential in Florida, while wind power estimates based on the temporal extrapolation are more than twice that observed. The erroneous wind power estimate is shown to be related to an assumption that negative amplitude estimates are indicative of a diurnal phase shift in the ratio of the 80 m to 10 m winds. When the assumed phase shift is removed from the data and the observed inputs are applied, the parameterized 80 m wind power estimates were comparable to those observed. The spatial component of the parameterization depends on a least squares fit of four different wind extrapolation methods to 0000 and 1200 UTC wind profiles. Comparison of the observed 80 m winds with those obtained via the least squares method indicates that the 0000 UTC 80 m wind and power estimates exceed (by as much as 1 m s−1 and 200 W m−2, respectively) the observed 80 m winds and power for all months. When compared against the 0000 UTC regression, the 1200 UTC 80 m wind and power estimates are closer to the observed power for all months. The power law often yields the lowest residual (on the order of 15–20% of the time) but is also largely responsible for high power estimates. The positive power bias (i.e., estimated greater than observed) is a result of the combination of two factors, namely, (1) the 0000/1200 UTC profiles and 10 m winds are, in general, not representative of the daily averaged values, with the 0000 and 1200 UTC 10 m winds less than their daily average, and (2) the differences between the observed 80 m and 10 m 0000 and 1200 UTC winds are greater than the difference between the daily averaged 80 m and 10 m mean winds. These results illustrate the potentially problematic nature of combining the lowest residual producing (extrapolation) method, obtained from a fit to the 0000 or 1200 UTC wind profiles, and the daily‐averaged 10 m wind to produce a daily‐averaged 80 m wind estimate.

Rhetoric and Ideology in the Nuclear Test Documentary

Abstract In this article Bob Mielke offers the first sustained scholarship on the bizarre cold war films made by the obscure Lookout Mountain Air Force Station studio. These films have only recently become available to the general public. Mielke explores their common structure, freighted ideological perspective, and reception over time.

A 7-Yr Climatological Study of Land Breezes over the Florida Spaceport

Abstract Seven years of wind and temperature data from a high-resolution network of 44 towers at the Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station were used to develop an objective method for identifying land breezes, which are defined as seaward-moving wind shift lines in this study. The favored meteorological conditions for land breezes consisted of surface high pressure in the vicinity of the Florida peninsula, mainly clear skies, and light synoptic onshore flow and/or the occurrence of a sea breeze during the afternoon preceding a land breeze. The land breeze characteristics are examined for two events occurring under different weather regimes—one with light synoptic onshore flow and no daytime sea breeze, and another following a daytime sea breeze under a prevailing offshore flow. Land breezes were found to occur over east-central Florida in all months of the year and had varied onset times and circulation depths. Land breezes were most common in the spring and summer months and least common in the winter. The average onset times were ∼4–5 h after sunset from May to July and ∼6.5–8 h after sunset from October to January. Land breezes typically moved from the west or southwest during the spring and summer, from the northwest in the autumn, and nearly equally from all directions in the winter. Shallow land breezes (<150-m depth) were typically not associated with the afternoon sea breeze and behaved like density currents, exhibiting the largest temperature decreases and latest onset times. Deep land breezes (>150-m depth) were most often preceded by an afternoon sea breeze, had the smallest horizontal temperature gradients, and experienced a mean onset time that is 4 h earlier than that of shallow land breezes.

Organizing Safety: Conditions for Successful Information Assurance Programs

Organizations must continuously seek safety. When considering computerized health information systems, "safety" includes protecting the integrity, confidentiality, and availability of information assets such as patient information, key components of the technical information system, and critical personnel. "High Reliability Theory" (HRT) argues that organizations with strong leadership support, continuous training, redundant safety mechanisms, and "cultures of high reliability" can deploy and safely manage complex, risky technologies such as nuclear weapons systems or computerized health information systems. In preparation for the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996, the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Health Affairs), the Offices of the Surgeons General of the United States Army, Navy and Air Force, and the Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center (TATRC), US Army Medical Research and Materiel Command sponsored organizational, doctrinal, and technical projects that individually and collectively promote conditions for a "culture of information assurance." These efforts include sponsoring the "P3 Working Group" (P3WG), an interdisciplinary, tri-service taskforce that reviewed all relevant Department of Defense (DoD), Miliary Health System (MHS), Army, Navy and Air Force policies for compliance with the HIPAA medical privacy and data security regulations; supporting development, training, and deployment of OCTAVE(sm), a self-directed information security risk assessment process; and sponsoring development of the Risk Information Management Resource (RIMR), a Web-enabled enterprise portal about health information assurance.

Nowcasting Thunderstorm Anvil Clouds over Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station

Abstract Electrified thunderstorm anvil clouds extend the threat of natural and triggered lightning to space launch and landing operations far beyond the immediate vicinity of thunderstorm cells. The deep convective updrafts of thunderstorms transport large amounts of water vapor, supercooled water droplets, and ice crystals into the upper troposphere, forming anvil clouds, which are then carried downstream by the prevailing winds in the anvil-formation layer. Electrified anvil clouds have been observed over the space launch and landing facilities of the John F. Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS), emanating from thunderstorm activity more than 200 km away. Space launch commit criteria and flight rules require launch and landing vehicles to avoid penetration of the nontransparent portion of anvil clouds. The life cycles of 163 anvil clouds over the Florida peninsula and its coastal waters were documented using Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES)-8 visible...

Managing Cold War historic structures: Mitigating impacts to a satellite‐tracking antenna at New Boston Air Force Station, New Hampshire

AbstractIt is the responsibility of all federal facilities to be the caretakers of any historic properties under their jurisdiction. When a significant historic structure will be adversely affected by a federal project, that impact must be mitigated. Such mitigation is generally achieved through documentation of the structure so that a written and visual record of the existing structure is saved for posterity. Argonne National Laboratory personnel recently documented a historically significant Cold War‐era satellite‐tracking antenna for the New Boston Air Force Station in New Hampshire. This antenna was slated for demolition. The procedure followed for identification of the property, the planning of the demolition, and the development of the documentation provides an example of how management of historic properties can be addressed without interfering with the mission activities. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

SHARAD: The MRO 2005 shallow radar

SHARAD is a subsurface sounding radar provided by the Italian Space Agency (ASI) as a facility instrument to be flown on the NASA mission Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO). It shall be launched on August 2005 from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and shall deliver a payload designed to provide observations from a low Mars orbit with a nominal science period starting from October 2006. SHARAD operating parameters, 20 MHz central frequency with a 10 MHz bandwidth, shall allow to study the planet in a way that shall complement previous and recent results, shall be complementary to the other Italian sounding radar Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionosphere Sounding (MARSIS) in terms of scale and resolution, and shall return scientific data for Martian soil in order to support the site selection for future landing missions. In this paper the scientific objectives and the system analysis will be discussed and the expected performance is evaluated.

Meso-scale convergence rainfall and surface fluxes during the Indian summer monsoon

Meso-scale convergence and vertical velocity were computed using Bellamy technique from rawindsonde and pibal data obtained from three stations. These stations formed the vertices of a meso-scale triangle around Kharagpur (22.3° N, 87.2° E) - a region of moist convection located near the eastern end of the monsoon trough, where the monsoon trough boundary layer experiment (MONTBLEX), was conducted during the Indian summer monsoon 1990. We find that the total rainfall over the meso-triangle depends on the proximity and intensity of the large-scale pressure system forming in the head Bay and moving W/NW towards the land during the onset and active phase of the monsoon. When the large-scale flow showed cyclic circulation extending to mid-troposphere, the rainfall over the triangle does not seem to be affected by the meso-scale divergence. However the rainfall at Kalaikonda (KKA) -an airforce station near Kharagpur (KGP) correlates with meso-scale divergence/convergence. Surface heat flux estimated using sonic anemometer at 8m AGL at KGP was large during meso-scale convergence. It increased with wind speed while the momentum flux showed large variation.

Verification of High-Resolution RAMS Forecasts over East-Central Florida during the 1999 and 2000 Summer Months

This paper presents an objective and subjective verification of a high-resolution configuration of the Regional Atmospheric Modeling System (RAMS) over east-central Florida during the 1999 and 2000 summer months. Centered on the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS), the innermost nested grid of RAMS has a horizontal grid spacing of 1.25 km, thereby providing forecasts capable of modeling finescale phenomena such as ocean and river breezes, and convection. The RAMS is run operationally at CCAFS within the Eastern Range Dispersion Assessment System (ERDAS), in order to provide emergency response guidance during space operations. ERDAS uses RAMS wind and temperature fields for input into ERDAS diffusion algorithms; therefore, the accuracy of dispersion predictions is highly dependent on the accuracy of RAMS forecasts. The most substantial error in RAMS over east-central Florida is a surface-based cold temperature bias, primarily during the daylight hours. At the Shuttle Landing Facility, the RAMS point error statistics are not substantially different than the National Centers for Environment Prediction Eta Model; however, an objective evaluation consisting of only point error statistics cannot adequately determine the added value of a high-resolution model configuration. Thus, results from a subjective evaluation of the RAMS forecast sea breeze and thunderstorm initiation on the 1.25-km grid are also presented. According to the subjective verification of the Florida east coast sea breeze, the RAMS categorical and skill scores exceeded that of the Eta Model predictions in most instances. The RAMS skill scores in predicting thunderstorm initiation are much lower than the sea-breeze evaluation scores, likely resulting from the lack of a sophisticated data assimilation scheme in the current operational configuration.

Lightning strike forecasts

A new Global Positioning System Lightning Index could provide a better lightning forecast for the launches of the NASA Shuttle and other commercial and military launches from the Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, which are in a high lightning‐flashdensity region.The index measures the amount of water vapor in the atmosphere, which can help to create the positive and negative charges in a thundercloud.

Spacecraft launched for close‐up rendezvous with comets

The Comet Nucleus Tour (or CONTOUR), a NASA Discovery mission, is on its way to having close encounters with two and possibly three comets of the estimated 1 million million comets in our Solar System. Launched on 3 July from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, the $159‐million CONTOUR mission will use a series of Earth‐gravity assist maneuvers to gain up‐close images of the comets Encke and Schwassmann‐Wachman 3. In addition, mission plans include sufficient flexibility to possibly include a rendezvous with a third comet if the opportunity arises and the scientific payoff is considered great enough.

Molecular drag model based on differential reduction of the Kruger–Shapiro equations

The history of the method of differential probability in molecular flow is reviewed, beginning with the little known derivation by D. Santeler (5th Annual Symposium on Space Environmental Simulation, Arnold Air Force Station, TN, May, 1964), based on the equation of C. W. Oatley [Br. J. Appl. Phys. 8, 15 (1957)]. This method contains the aperture correction within the theory, without phenomenological assumptions. A new equation of this type, for molecular pumping, is derived by differential reduction of the Kruger–Shapiro equations. A simple solution of the differential equations yields results of good accuracy for engineering use. The physical characteristics of molecular pumping are clarified by describing the pressure distribution within the pumping tube as if it were a conductance. By this method the calculated performance of a model pump is shown to be in satisfactory agreement with a Clausing-type solution from a previous publication.

High Incidence of Severe Parasitemia in Falciparum Malaria.

Dear Editor, In response to the communication by Lt Col D Rosha et al [1], I would like to put on record our experiences with falciparum malaria in an Air Force station situated in a semi-hilly, densely forested, tribal, highly malarious belt in Central India. Meterological and topographical features in this belt ensure heavy transmission of malaria almost perennially among the locals. The vectors identified by us include A culicifacies and A fluviatilis, the latter being a highly efficient vector with outdoor resting habits. The Air Force station is intimately surrounded by tribal villages with a heavy reservoir of falciparum malaria. As the same was spilling over and giving our station the dubious distinction of having the highest rate of malaria among all service stations, we projected the problem to Air HQ, which in turn approached Director, National Malaria Action Programme (NMAP), and through him State and District health authorities to extend necessary support including Modified Radical Treatment to the local population around the Air Force station. As a consequence, a joint team with the civilian field workers and the SHO staff has been established to carry out active and passive surveillance among the tribal villages and extend radical treatment to the positives. Besides, reducing the reservoir of infection and in turn checking the incidence among service personnel, the data gathered has built up a sound surveillance and early warning system. It also reveals that tribals tolerate falciparum malaria better than nomadic service personnel. Recently we detected P falciparum parasitemia of more than 50% of the RBCs in a 3 year old tribal girl who had no signs other than low grade fever detected during active surveillance – and responded favourably to a dose of chloroquine and primaquine administered by the civil multipurpose worker. The following host factors may be considered before suspecting a new strain of falciparum. Populations long exposed to P falciparum show some resistance to it possibly as a result of natural selection [2. Natives acquire a relative tolerance to the infection and suffer only a mild illness. Many children in such areas have large liver and spleen and malaria parasites in the blood, but no other signs of the disease. In untreated or inadequately treated malaria the parasites persist in the body for months or years and in malarious regions reinfection is the rule. After the early period of recurring fever (overt malaria), the parasites live in more or less stable equilibrium with the forces of immunity (?symbiosis) [2]. It is quite likely that the threshold of parasitemia which gives rise to symptoms may be higher in natives (because of host factors) as compared to non-immune nomadic populations, which may explain the findings by Lt Col Rosha et al (perhaps having a pathologist as their co-author has given an agent new falciparum strain bias in their views!).

Local Data Integration over East-Central Florida Using the ARPS Data Analysis System

The Applied Meteorology Unit has configured the Advanced Regional Prediction System (ARPS) Data Analysis System (ADAS) to support operational short-range weather forecasting over east-central Florida, including the Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The ADAS was modified to assimilate nationally and locally available in situ and remotely sensed observational data into a series of high-resolution gridded analyses every 15 min. The goal for running ADAS over east-central Florida is to generate real-time analysis products that may enhance weather nowcasts and short-range (<6 h) forecasts issued by the 45th Weather Squadron (45 WS), the Spaceflight Meteorology Group (SMG), and the National Weather Service (NWS) at Melbourne, Florida (MLB). The locally configured ADAS has the potential to provide added value because it ingests all operationally available data into a single grid analysis at high spatial and temporal resolutions. ADAS-generated grid analyses can provide forecasters with a tool to develop a more comprehensive understanding of evolving fine-scale weather features than could be obtained by individually examining the disparate data sources. The potential utility of this ADAS configuration to operational forecasters is demonstrated through a postanalysis case study of a thunderstorm outflow boundary that postponed an Atlas space launch mission, and a Florida cool-season squall line event. In the Atlas case study, a thunderstorm outflow boundary generated strong winds that exceeded the Atlas vehicle limits. A diagnosis of this event, using analysis products during the decaying phase of a Florida summer thunderstorm, illustrates the potential benefits that may be provided to forecasters supporting space launch and landing operations, and to NWS MLB meteorologists generating short-range forecast products. The evolution of analyzed cloud fields from the squall line event were used to track the areal coverage and tendencies of cloud ceiling and cloud-top heights that impact the evaluation of space operation weather constraints and NWS aviation products. These cases also illustrate how the analyses can provide guidance for nowcasts and short-range forecasts of Florida warm-season convection and fire-weather parameters. In addition, some of the sensitivities of the ADAS analyses to selected observational data sources are discussed. Recently, a real-time version of ADAS was implemented at both SMG and the NWS MLB forecast offices. Future plans of this ADAS configuration include incorporating additional observational datasets and designing visualization products for specific forecast tasks. Finally, the ultimate goal is to use these ADAS analyses to initialize a high-resolution numerical weather prediction model run locally at SMG and the NWS MLB, in order to develop a cycling scheme that preserves fine-scale features such as convective outflow boundaries in short-range numerical forecasts.