70 PHYSICS (GENERAL) For geophysics see 46 Geophysics. For astrophysics see 90 Astrophysics. For solar physics see 92 Solar physics. N74-13438* National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Langley Research Center, Langley Station, Va. TRANSMITTING AND REFLECTING DIFFUSER Patent Lloyd S. Keafer, Jr., Ernest E. Burcher, and Leonard P. Kopia, inventors (to NASA) Issued 18 Dec. 1973 5 p Filed 30 Mar. 1972 Continuation-in part of abandoned US Patent Appl. SN-38816. filed 19 May 1970 (NASA-Case-LAR-10385-2; US-Patent-3,779,788; A near-Lambertian diffuser is described which transmits and reflects ultraviolet light. An ultraviolet grade fused silica substrate is coated with vaporized fuse silica. The coating thickness is controlled, one thickness causing ultraviolet light to diffuse and another thickness causing ultraviolet light to reflect a near Lambertian pattern. Official Gazette of the U.S. Patent Office N75-26789*# National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala. ANTI-GRAVITY DEVICE Patent Application Sudarshan Palsingh, inventor (to NASA) (NAS-NRC) Filed 28 May 1975 14 p Sponsored by NASA (NASA-Case-MFS-22758-1; US-Patent-Appl-SN-581514) Avail: NTIS HC $3.25 CSCL 20K An educational toy useful in demonstrating fundamental concepts regarding the laws of gravity is described. The device comprises a sphere 10 of radius r resting on top of sphere 12 of radius R. The center of gravity of sphere 10 is displaced from its geometrical center by distance D. The dimensions are so related that D((R+r)/r) is greater than r. With the center of gravity of sphere 10 lying on a vertical line, the device is in equilibrium. When sphere 10 is rolled on the surface of sphere 12 it will return to its equilibrium position upon release. This creates an illusion that sphere 10 is defying the laws of gravity. In reality, due to the above noted relationship of D. R. and r. the center of gravity of sphere 10 rises from its equilibrium position as it rolls a short distance up or down the surface of sphere 12. Author A shutter element is described which is formed by a loop of an electrically conductive ribbon disposed adjacent to the end of a passageway to be shuttered. The shuttered end of the passageway is cut at an acute angle The two leg portions of the ribbon loop are closely spaced to each other and disposed in a plane parallel to the axis of the passageway A pulse c high current is switched through the loop to cause the current flowing in opposite directions through adjacent leg portions of the ribbon. This produces a magnetically induced pressure on one of the legs of the ribbon forcing the leg over the end of the passageway in gas tight sealing engagement, and thereby blocking passageway Official Gazette of the US Patent Office 71 ACOUSTICS Includes sound generation, transmission and attenua tion. For noise pollution see 45 Environment Pollution. N74-21014* National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Washington, D.C. AUDITORY DISPLAY FOR THE BLIND Patent Raymond M. Fish, inventor (to NASA) Issued 26 Mar. 1974 6 p Filed 27 Oct. 1972 (NASA-Case-HQN-10832-1: US-Patent-3,800.082; A system for providing an auditory display of two-dimensional patterns as an aid to the blind is described. It includes a scanning device for producing first and second voltages respectively indicative of the vertical and horizontal positions of the scan and a further voltage indicative of the intensity at each point of the scan and hence of the presence or absence of the pattern at that point. The voltage related to scan intensity controls transmission of the sounds to the subject so that the subject knows that a portion of the pattern is being encountered by the 26 Sponsored by NASA (NASA-Case-NPO-11623-1; US-Patent-3,827,288; A digital servocontrol system for random noise excitation of a test object in a reverberant acoustic chamber employs a plurality of sensors spaced in the sound field to produce signals in separate channels which are decorrelated and averaged. The average signal is divided into a plurality of adjacent frequency bands cyclically sampled by a time division multiplex system, converted into digital form, and compared to a predetermined spectrum value stored in digital form. The results of the comparisons are used to control a time-shared up-down counter to develop gain control signals for the respective frequency bands in the spectrum of random sound energy picked up by the microphones. Official Gazette of the U.S. Patent Office (NASA-Case-NPO-13673-1; US-Patent-4,025,876: An acoustic surface wave oscillator is constructed from a semiconductor piezoelectric acoustic surface wave amplifier by providing appropriate perturbations at the piezoelectric boundary. The perturbations cause Bragg order reflections that maintain acoustic wave oscillation under certain conditions of gain and feedback. Official Gazette of the U.S. Patent Office N76-18886*# National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Pasadena Office. Calif. ACOUSTIC ENERGY SHAPING Patent Application Taylor G. Wang (JPL) and Daniel D. Elleman, inventors (to NASA) (JPL) Filed 13 Feb. 1976 10 p (Contract NAS7-100) (NASA-Case-NPO-13802-1: US-Patent-Appl-SN-658133) Avail NTIS HC $3.50 CSCL 20A A suspended mass is shaped by melting all or a selected portion of the mass and applying acoustic energy in varying amounts to different portions of the mass In one technique for forming an optical waveguide slug. a mass of oval section is 72 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS Includes atomic structure and molecular spectra. N74-19310* National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Washington, D.C. DOPPLER SHIFT SYSTEM Patent Sol Aisenberg, inventor (to NASA) (Space Sci., Inc., Waltham, Avail: A system is described for measuring velocities of radiating particles based on Doppler shift. Light from the particles is directed through a narrow band optical filter to a Fabry-Perot interferometer initially tuned to a selected center line corresponding to zero particle Doppler shift. The movable mirror of the interferometer is made to sweep about the center line by the output of a modulation oscillator. The fringe pattern output is imaged onto a pin hole through which light is directed to a photomultiplier. The output of the photomultiplier is supplied to a phase sensitive detector with the oscillator output as a reference signal and which operates in the quadrature mode. The detector's output is gain controlled and is combined with the oscillator's output to adjust the interferometer's movable mirror to acquire the line cester. Official Gazette of the U.S. Patent Office 40 OUTPUT OUTPUT SIGNAL 442 N76-15860* National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Lewis Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio. DEUTERIUM PASS THROUGH TARGET Patent Donald L. Alger, inventor (to NASA) Issued 2 Dec. 1975 7 p Filed 27 Aug. 1974 (NASA-Case-LEW-11866-1; US-Patent-3,924,137; US-Patent-Appl-SN-500980; US-Patent-Class-250-499; US-Patent-Class-250-500) Avail: US Patent Office 20H CSCL A neutron emitting target for use in neutron generating apparatus including a deuteron source and an accelerator vacuum chamber, comprised of a tritium-containing target layer, a deuteron accumulation layer, and a target support containing passages providing communication between the accumulation layer and portions of the surface of the support exposed to the accelerator vacuum chamber is described. With this arrangement, deuterons passing through the target layer and implanting in and diffusing through the accumulation layer, diffuse into the communicating passages and are returned to the accelerator vacuum chamber. Continuous removal of deuterons from the target in conventional water cooled neutron generating apparatus is provided. Preferably, the target is provided with thin barrier layers to prevent undesirable U.V. SOURCE -23 A target for dispensing high energy protons or neutrons or ionized atoms or ionized molecules is provided which comprises a container for the target gas, which is at atmospheric or higher pressure. The container material can release the target gas in the spot where the container is heated above a predetermined temperature by the impact of an ion beam where protons or neutrons are desired, or by electrons where ionized atoms or molecules are desired. On the outside of the container, except for the region where the beam is to impact, there is deposited a layer of a metal which is imperious to gaseous diffusion. A further protective coating of a material is placed over the layer of metal, except at the region of the ion impact area in order to adsorb any unreacted gas in the vacuum in which the target is placed, to thereby prevent reduction of the high vacuum, as well as contamination of the interior of the vacuum chamber. Official Gazette of the U.S. Patent Office OPTIONAL LIGHT OUTPUT PORT 20 SPHERICAL,CYLINDRICAL, CUBICAL, OR RECTANG- 24 22) CONTROL ROD SYSTEM N75-30876* National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Lewis Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio. PROTECTED ISOTOPE HEAT SOURCE Patent Raymond K. Burns, Lloyd I. Shure, and Elliott D. Katzen, inventors (to NASA) Issued 12 Aug. 1975 5 p Filed 26 May 1971 (NASA-Case-LEW-11227-1; US-Patent-3,899,680; A radioactive isotope capsule is disposed in a container (heat shield) which will have a single stable trim attitude when reentering the earth's atmosphere and while falling to earth. The center of gravity of the heat source is located forward of the midpoint between the front face and the rear face of the container. The capsule is insulated from the front face of the container but not from the rear surface of the container. Official Gazette of the U.S. Patent Office N75-22108*# National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Washington, D.C. NONEQUILIBRIUM RADIATION NUCLEAR REACTOR Patent Application Karlheinz Thom (Fla. Univ., Gainesville) and Richard T. Schneider, inventors (to NASA) (Fla. Univ., Gainesville) Filed 21 Mar. 1975 18 p Sponsored by NASA (NASA-Case-HQN-10841-1; US-Patent-Appl-SN-560891) Avail: NTIS HC $3.25 CSCL 18L An externally moderated themal nuclear reactor is disclosed which is designed to provide output power in the form of electromagnetic radiation. The reactor is a gaseous fueled nuclear cavity reactor device which can operate over wide ranges of temperature and pressure, and which includes the capability of processing and recycling waste products such as long-lived transuranium actinides. The primary output of the device may N77-18891* National Aeronautics and Space Administration. NUCLEAR THERMIONIC CONVERTER Patent Avail: Efficient nuclear reactor thermionic converter units are described which can be constructed at low cost and assembled in a reactor which requires a minimum of fuel. Each converter unit utilizes an emitter rod with a fluted exterior, several fuel passages located in the bulges that are formed in the rod between the flutes, and a collector receiving passage formed through the center of the rod. An array of rods is closely packed in an interfitting arrangement, with the bulges of the rods received in the recesses formed between the bulges of other rods, thereby closely packing the nuclear fuel. The rods are constructed of a mixture of tungsten and thorium oxide to provide high power output, high efficiency, high strength, and good machinability. Official Gazette of the U.S. Patent Office symmetrical about the optical axis, the obscuration is independent of the scan angle. Official Gazette of the U.S. Patent Office N74-20008* National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. FORMATION OF STAR TRACKING RETICLES Patent Wade O. Smith and Albert R. Toft, inventors (to NASA) Issued 26 Mar. 1974 6 p Filed 17 Apr. 1972 Continuation-in-part of US Patent Appl. SN-80029, filed 12 Oct. 1970 (NASA-Case-GSC-11188-3: US-Patent-3.799.793; US-Patent-Appl-SN-244566; US-Patent-Class-117-45; US-Patent-Appl-SN-80029) Avail: US Patent Office CSCL 148 The present application is directed towards a process for producing high resolution, substantially non-reflective reticles or choppers suitable for use for transmitting in both the visible and near ultra-violet regions, able to withstand reasonable handling and extreme environmental conditions, and capable of operating at speeds of from 2800 to about 9000 revolutions per minute without distortion. In particular, the present invention is directed towards the production or reticles having a quartz base vacuum coated with chromium, chromium-silver alloy, and silver with electrodeposited copper and black chromium thereon, respectively. in the form of a reticle pattern. The quartz permits the transmission of light while the pattern is opaque to light. The reticles of the present invention are intended for use in optical trackers, such as star trackers used in outer space. Official Gazette of the U.S. Patent Office US-Patent-Appl-SN-242662; US-Patent-Class-356-216; A wide angle, low focal ratio, high resolution, catoptric, image plane scanner is described. The scanner includes the following features: (1) a reflective improvement on the Schmidt principle. (2) a polar line scanner in which all field elements are brought to and corrected on axis, and (3) a scanner arrangement in which the aperture stop of the system is imaged at the center of curvature of a spherical primary mirror. The system scans are a large radial angle and an extremely high rate of speed with relatively small scanning mirrors. Because the system is |