NASA/Spacelink File Name:6_6_9_3.TXT STS-48/UARS HALOGEN OCCULTATION EXPERIMENT (HALOE) FACT SHEET Introduction NASA'S Halogen Occultation Experiment (HALOE) is designed to monitor the vertical distributions of ozone and key upper atmosphere trace gases that affect the global ozone distribution by measuring the attenuation (reduction in intensity) of the Sun's energy in selected spectral bands as it passes through the Earth's atmosphere. One of the 10 highly-instrumented experiments on NASA's Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS), HALOE is scheduled to be launched in September aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery. The instrument has a planned lifetime of at least 18 months. UARS is the first comprehensive space experiment ever mounted to study the chemistry, dynamics and energetics of the Earth's upper atmosphere. It will provide valuable scientific input to critical policy decisions aimed at protecting the thin, fragile ozone layer which blocks harmful ultraviolet radiation from reaching the Earth's surface. The UARS spacecraft will be delivered into a 348-mile (560 km) circular Earth orbit. After deployment by the Shuttle remote manipulator system, UARS will be boosted by a propulsion system on the spacecraft to a 363-mile (600 km) circular orbit, inclined 57 degrees to the equator. Goddard Space Flight Center manages and directs the UARS mission for the Office of Space Sciences and Applications, NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C. The spacecraft was designed, built, integrated and tested by GE Astrospace, Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, and East Windsor, New Jersey. HALOE Science Objectives Scientific objectives of the HALOE mission are to: % Improve understanding of stratospheric ozone depletion by collecting and analyzing global vertical profiles of ozone and gases important in its destruction: hydrogen chloride, methane, water vapor, nitric oxide and nitrogen dioxide. % Study the chlorofluoromethane impact on ozone by measuring hydrogen chloride and hydrogen fluoride in addition to the other key chemical species, and using data on Freon 11, Freon 12 and chlorine nitrate obtained from other UARS experiments. The science investigations will include studies of trace gas sources and depositories, transport mechanisms, dynamics, and validation of atmospheric and photochemical dynamics models. The experiment uses gas filter correlation radiometry to measure hydrogen chloride, hydrogen fluoride, methane and nitric oxide, and broadband filter radiometry to measure water vapor, nitrogen dioxide, ozone and carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide data will be used to obtain atmospheric temperature versus pressure profiles. HALOE Instrument Description The HALOE instrument hardware is contained in two separate packages, the Platform Electronics Assembly (PEA) and the Sensor Assembly. The PEA links the instrument with the spacecraft. The Sensor Assembly makes the science measurements and consists of eight science detectors and radiometers, a Cassegrain telescope, a two-axis gimbal assembly, a Sun sensor, the spacecraft adapter and supporting electronics. The operating principles of gas filter correlation radiometry and conventional broadband filter radiometry are described below: Gas Filter Correlation Radiometry Principle - Solar energy enters the gas correlation section of the instrument optics and is divided for each channel (hydrogen chloride, hydrogen fluoride, nitric oxide and methane) into two paths. Each channel has its own broadband optical filter and detector. The first path contains a cell filled with the gas to be measured; the second path is a vacuum path without gas. By electronically comparing the outputs of the gas and vacuum path detectors, scientists can derive chemical measurements. Broadband Filter Radiometry Principle - The water vapor, nitrogen dioxide, ozone and carbon dioxide channels are conventional broadband filter radiometers. In this case, energy from the Sun comes in through only one path for each channel. After passing through a broadband optical filter, the energy is focused on a detector. By tracking the Sun, a signal is recorded outside the atmosphere and during occultation after absorption by the atmosphere. The ratio of the attenuated signal to the signal outside the atmosphere can be used to measure the gas concentration. The Cassegrain telescope reflects solar energy through a series of beamsplitters and spectral filters to the photovoltaic detectors for the gas filter correlation channels and to the broadband filter radiometer channels. The atmospheric target gases are detected at specific wavelengths between 2.5 microns and 11 microns. The instrument size is approximately 36 in. (spacecraft adapter to frame radiometer) by 24 in. (elevation gimbal to telescope) by 32 in. (telescope to Gimbal Electronics Sssembly) or (92 x 62 x 81 cm). The Platform Electronics Assembly is approximately 9 x 10 x 6.6 inches (23.5 x 24.3 x 22.1 cm). The total mass of the instrument (Sensor Assembly and PEA) is 222 pounds (101 kg). The initial design phase for HALOE was conducted by TRW Defense and Space Systems Group in Redondo Beach, California. The final design, fabrication, assembly and testing was completed in-house at Langley Research Center. Instrument Operation The HALOE instrument operates autonomously once powered and initialized. Commands are sent to the spacecraft computer to operate the instrument for one day to perform the sunrise and sunset data observations. When the spacecraft sends a command to perform a sunrise or sunset sequence, the instrument automatically performs a solar acquisition, a balance of all gas filter correlation radiometer channels, limb to limb scans of the solar disk, a calibration activity, the science data measurement during occultation and then slews back to the stow position. The Sun pointer/tracker subsystem consists of two coarse and one fine Sun sensors, a two-axis gimbal assembly, a microprocessor and drive electronics for gimbal motor control. Its function is to acquire the Sun, scan the solar disk and track a specified location on the solar disk during balance, calibration, and science data measurement activities for orbital sunrise or sunset events. Acquisition and tracking control signals for the gimbals are derived from the Sun sensors. During a typical event, measurements will begin at a tangent height of 93 miles (150 km), where there is no atmospheric interference, down to the Earth's surface or until the Sun is obscured by clouds. HALOE will view approximately 15 sunrises and sunsets each day collecting data on vertical trace gas concentrations. Each event will occur at a different latitude and longitude, and global coverage is repeated every 3 to 4 weeks. Data Processing Data from the HALOE instrument will be stored in one of two tape recorders aboard the UARS observatory. The data will be transmitted to the White Sands receiving system through the Tracking Data Relay Satellite System (TDRSS). Routine processing of the data will occur at the Central Data Handling Facility (CDHF) at the Goddard Space Flight Center with software provided by the Langley science team. Interaction with the CDHF will be through a direct data link between the HALOE Remote Analysis Computer at Langley Research Center and the CDHF. Processed data will contain species concentration profiles as a function of global location and time. The profiles will be mapped out on a global and seasonal basis as the data accumulates during the mission. All UARS data will be archived at the Goddard Space Flight Center. Scientific Value Ozone in the Earth's atmosphere reaches concentrations of only about 12 parts ozone to one million air molecules, yet it has profound effects on Earth life. If the ozone level is changed, the solar ultraviolet level at the Earth's surface is altered. Serious biological and economical impacts can occur in areas such as human health, crop and plant growth, perturbations to micro-organisms in the soil and oceans, weathering of materials, and possible climate and weather alterations. A 1 percent decline in ozone levels, for example, can lead to a 2 percent rise in human skin cancer. Also, if ozone is depleted, the stratospheric temperature rise will be altered leading to changes in atmospheric stability due to the weakened temperature inversion. A growing body of evidence has led to a consensus in the scientific community that man-made activities are perturbing the ozone layer. The recent Antarctic ozone "hole" finding, for example, can only be explained by considering reactions involving aerosol particles and chlorine compounds formed after dissociation of the man-made chlorofluoromethanes (CFM's). These CFM's are used as refrigerants and in various industrial applications. The extent to which such effects occur outside the Antarctic region is unknown. Consequently, it is very important that the ozone layer be monitored globally and over a long time period. The overall goal of HALOE is to provide global-scale data on temperature, ozone and other key trace gases needed to study and to better understand the chemistry, dynamics and radiative processes of the middle atmosphere (6-74 miles or 10-120 km) and to study the impact of CFM's on ozone using hydrogen fluoride observations, in combination with other HALOE data. The figure shows the major chlorine source species entering the middle atmosphere. They interact with ozone, the nitrogen and hydrogen oxides, and with solar radiation to form the reservoir molecules hydrogen chloride and hydrogen fluoride. For every chlorine atom formed in the middle atmosphere by dissociation of the CFM molecules, approximately 1,000 ozone molecules are destroyed. HALOE studies will be aimed at evaluating the relative importance of man-made and natural chlorine sources in ozone destruction. Since the primary man-made chlorine sources (i.e., the CFM's) contain both chlorine and fluorine in the molecule, while natural sources (e.g. methyl chloride and carbon tetrachloride) contain only chlorine, hydrogen fluoride becomes an indicator of man-made chlorine input to the middle atmosphere. Hydrogen chloride is an indicator of the total chlorine input. The relative importance of these two sources can be inferred by studying changes in hydrogen chloride and hydrogen fluoride with time. HALOE Implementation The Langley Research Center is responsible for providing the scientific instrument for the HALOE investigation, the instrument flight operations, the science data products through HALOE data processing and data management systems, and managing the Science Team and its investigations. HALOE Science Team Dr. James M. Russell III, HALOE Principal Investigator, Langley Research Center Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone, University of California/Irvine Prof. S. Roland Drayson, University of Michigan Prof. John E. Frederick, University of Chicago Dr. Adrian F. Tuck, Aeronomy Lab/NOAA/ERL, Boulder, Colorado Prof. Dr. Paul J. Crutzen, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, Federal Republic of Germany Dr. John E. Harries, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, United Kingdom Dr. Jae H. Park, NASA Langley Research Center Larry L. Gordley, Gats Inc., Hampton,Va. W. Donald Hesketh, SpaceTec Ventures Inc., Hampton, Va. HALOE Project Management Dewey M. Smith, Project Manager Thomas C. Jones, Deputy Project Manager Dr. James M. Russell III, Principal Investigator John G. Wells, Flight Operations and Science Manager Kenneth V. Haggard, Science Software and Data Processing Manager 9/6/91 NASA/Spacelink File Name:6_2_2_32_9.TXT STS-48 MIDDECK 0-GRAVITY DYNAMICS EXPERIMENT FACT SHEET In 1987, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) initiated an outreach program, called In-Space Technology Experiment Program (IN-STEP), which allows universities, industry and the government to develop small, inexpensive technology flight experiments. Five flight experiments have been selected for IN-STEP, which is funded by NASA's Office of Aeronautics, Exploration and Technology, NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C. The first university experiment to fly in the program is called MODE- -for Middeck 0-gravity Dynamics Experiment--developed by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The MODE experiment will study mechanical and fluid behavior of components for Space Station Freedom and other future spacecraft. Testing space structures in the normal 1-g environment of Earth poses problems because gravity significantly influences their dynamic response. Also, the suspension systems needed for tests in 1-g further complicate the gravity effects. Models of space structures intended for use in microgravity can be tested more realistically in the weightlessness of space. The MODE experiment consists of electronically-instrumented hardware that Shuttle astronauts will test in the craft's pressurized middeck section. MODE will study the sloshing of fluids in partially-filled containers and the vibration characteristics of jointed truss structures. MODE occupies 3 1/2 standard Shuttle middeck lockers. One locker contains the experiment support module (ESM) that controls the experiment. The other middeck lockers accommodate the fluid test articles (FTAs), a partially-assembled structural test article (STA), optical data storage disks and shakers needed for the experiment. The FTAs and shaker attach to the support module for testing; the STA floats free in the weightlessness of the middeck, but connects to the support module with an umbilical through which excitation and sensor signals travel. EXPERIMENT SUPPORT MODULE The experiment support module contains a special purpose computer, high speed input/output data and control lines to the test articles, a power conditioning system, signal generator, signal conditioning amplifiers, and a high-capacity optical disk data recording system. Experiment Support Module. In orbit, the astronauts command the computer via a keypad to execute test routines stored on the optical recorder before launch. Once a test routine begins, the computer and associated control circuits excite the containers or the truss with precisely controlled forces and then measure the response. The Shuttle crew members use an alpha-numeric display to monitor the status and progress of each test. FLUID TEST ARTICLES The study of fluid dynamics and spacecraft interaction in microgravity is an integral part of NASA's research and technology base. It is a research area that has influenced space vehicle design since the Apollo program of the 1960s. A detailed understanding of such fluid/spacecraft interactions is needed to design a broad spectrum of future spacecraft that will carry liquids for fuel and life support, including an Earth-orbiting fuel depot for Mars missions. The behavior of fluids depends on the gravity level present. In addition to experiments in normal gravity, researchers obtained a large database on fluid dynamics in microgravity by flying the MODE-type hardware on NASA's KC-135 aircraft. The aircraft repeatedly flew a special parabolic flight path that produced short periods of weightlessness. Although the KC-135 studies provided useful data, they were too brief to understand the behavior of fluids in space. The MODE flight experiment aboard STS-48 gives researchers access to a much longer duration micro- gravity environment. The four fluid test articles are Lexan cylinders --two containing silicon oil and two containing water. Silicon oil has dynamic properties that approximate those of typical spacecraft fluid propellants. Water is more likely than the silicon oil to stay together at one end of the cylinder--an important test condition. The same basic dynamic information will be obtained for both fluids. The cylinders mount one at a time to a force balance that connects to a shaker on the support module. The balance will measure the forces arising from the motion of the fluid inside the tanks. These forces, with other data such as the test article acceleration and the ambient acceleration levels of the entire assembly, will be recorded in digital form on an optical disk. STRUCTURAL TEST ARTICLE The structural test article is a truss model of part of a large space structure. It includes 4 strain gauges and 11 accelerometers and is vibrated by an actuator. When deployed in the Shuttle orbiter's middeck, the test device is about 72 inches long with an 8-inch square cross section. There are two types of trusses: deployable and erectable. The deployable structures are stored folded and are unhinged and snapped into place for the tests. The erectable structure is a collection of individual truss elements that screw into round joints or "nodes." Four different truss configurations are slated for testing. First, the basic truss will be evaluated. It is an in-line combination of truss sections, with an erectable module flanked by deployable modules mounted on either end. Next, a rotary joint, similar to the Space Station Freedom "alpha joint" that will govern the orientation fo the station's solar arrays, will replace the erectable section. The third configuration will be L-shaped combination of a deployable truss, rotary joint and erectable module (all mounted in-line) and another deployable section mounted at a 90-degree angle to the end of the erectable truss. The final arrangement will mount a flexible appendage simulating a solar panel or a solar dynamic module to the elbow of the L- shaped third configuration. Both test articles will be tested using vibrations over a specified frequency range. On-orbit experiment operations with both devices will include assembly, calibration, performance of test routines and stowage. MODE requires two eight-hour test periods in orbit. Researchers expect to obtain more than four million bits of digital data, about 4 hours of video tape, and more than 100 photographs. The space-based data will be analyzed and detailed comparisons made with pre- and post-flight measurements done on the flight hardware using laboratory suspension systems. The results also will refine numerical models used to predict the dynamic behavior of the test articles. This low-cost experiment will provide better understanding of the capabilities and limitations of ground-based suspension systems used to measure the dynamic response of complex structures. It should lead to more sophisticated computer models that more accurately predict the performance of future large space structures and the impact of moving liquids in future spacecraft. In response to the 1987 IN-STEP program solicitation, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Space Engineering Research Center developed MODE and received a NASA contract that same year. MIT selected Payload Systems Inc., Cambridge, Mass., as the prime subcontractor responsible for hardware fabrication, certification and mission support. McDonnell Douglas Space Systems Company, Huntington Beach, Calif., joined the program in 1989 using its own funds to support design and construction of the structural test article. NASA's Langley Research Center, Hampton, Va., manages the contract. With NASA Headquarters, Langley also provides technical and administrative assistance to integrate the payload into the Space Shuttle. Sherwin M. Beck is the NASA MODE project manager and Robert N. Buchan is the NASA MODE experiment manager, both at Langley. MIT Professor Edward F. Crawley is the experiment's principal investigator. Edward Bokhour is hardware development manager and Dr. Javier de Luis is experiment support scientist, both at Payload Systems, Inc. Dr. Andrew S. Bicos is the project scientist at McDonnell Douglas Space Systems Company.