Abstract: A mobile buildup apparatus for transporting, supporting and protecting an upper stage rocket and a mated spacecraft between and in the various facilities through which it must pass prior to their being loaded into the cargo bay of an orbiter of NASA's Space Transportation System and transported into space. The mobile buildup apparatus comprises a transport system, support structure and protective cover. The transport system comprises a pair of semitrailers attached side-by-side removable gooseneck assembly and a removable gooseneck dolly with pintle-hook are attached to the front end of the transport system, and air ride axles to minimize shock and vibration. The support structure comprises an upper stage assembly stand and an access platform both of which are mounted on the mobile buildup apparatus to provide support for and access to, respectively, the upper stage and the mated spacecraft during assembly, testing and ground integration operations. A protective cover also is provided.

Abstract: A corner finishing tool having means to contain a supply of mastic and having generally perpendicular means defining a corner with wear pads.

Abstract: Alkali and alkaline earth metal and zinc halide brines may be viscosified with compositions incorporating a viscosity inducing hydrophilic polymer, mineral oil, oil soluble non-ionic surfactants, polar solvents, and diluent.

Abstract: Apparatus for forming a denesting lip in paperboard containers by folding, heating, and sealing or tacking a side extension flap to form a denesting lip for nested stacks of such containers. The denesting apparatus includes a pair of pressure pads which guide the paperboard container onto the apparatus and prevent the container from sliding off the apparatus while the denesting operation is performed. The apparatus also includes a multiplanar mandrel pad for forming a bottom closure that is flat on its exterior surface.

Abstract: Bis(2-ethyl-1-hexyl) tetrabromophthalate produced by the reaction of tetrabromophthalic anhydride with 2-ethyl-1-hexanol in the presence of titanium isopropoxide catalyst may be purified by contacting the reaction mixture with sodium carbonate decahydrate with agitation for a time and at a temperature sufficient to enhance product quality, followed by isolation of bis(2-ethyl-1-hexyl) tetrabromophthalate.

Abstract: A spectrometer for high-resolution particle energy loss spectroscopy is described. Specifically, the high-resolution particle energy loss spectrometer of the present invention comprises: source means for producing a collimated beam of particles; first stage monochromator means for selecting particles within a specified energy range; intermediate particle lens means for collimating, accelerating and decelerating the particles exiting from the first stage monochromator means; second stage monochromator means for selecting particles within a specified energy range; exit particle focusing means; input particle focusing means; cylindrical analyzer means for selecting particles with a specified energy range; and detector means for detecting impinging particles. The spectrometer described herein obtains higher system resolution at a given output current than other spectrometers known in the art.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for forming a fluid-tight seal at an aperture where a rotatable shaft passes through a barrier into a barred fluid. A mechanical seal is mounted on the rotatable shaft. A stationary portion of the mechanical seal is elastomerically joined to the barrier by an elastomeric joint to form a substantially fluid-tight chamber bounded by the mechanical seal, the elastomeric joint and the barrier. The stationary portion of the mechanical seal is sealingly positioned adjacent to the rotatable portion of the mechanical seal. The elastomeric joint absorbs relative radial and axial motion between the barrier and the mechanical seal. The chamber is flushed with a flushing fluid. The stationary portion of the mechanical seal is rigidly anchored to the stationary shaft drive housing. The rotatable portion of the mechanical seal is attached to the rotatable shaft at such a distance from a stationary drive shaft housing that the resistance of the shaft to radial deflection is substantially maximum.

Abstract: An electronic digital timing control apparatus for controlling different durations for two sequential events in alternation, especially in environmental systems. The timing control apparatus is programmable and contains a single oscillator and a binary counter which counts a predetermined fixed number of output cycles from the oscillator. At one end of the first count, tuning components for the oscillator are switched in order to change the oscillator frequency and thereby the duration for the next count for the next corresponding event.

Abstract: Disclosed are a reactive fire-protective formulation containing halogen and phosphorous compounds for polyurethane rigid foam materials and a process for the preparation thereof. The formulation consists of a liquid homogeneous mixture of a polyether-polyol based on an aromatic amine or sorbitol or tetrol or a mixture thereof, a neopentane containing bromo and hydroxy groups and a compound containing phosphorus and nitrogen and is particularly suitable for the preparation of preformulated polyurethane systems (component A).

Abstract: A carton blank and method for forming a liquid-tight tapered container having a denesting tab. When the blank is folded and sealed to form an open-topped tapered container, a destacking tab is formed as a result of abhesion. The tab facilitates destacking a single container from a stack of like containers prior to their filling and final closure.

Abstract: A packaging wrap of a paper and shock absorbing material combination in which the lower layers are cut at specified distances from the edges of the wrap to form strips, while the uncut layer provides hinges about which the strips rotate until lying flat upon the uncut layer, where such strips are secured in position. Because the width of each strip is less than one-half the width of the wrap, a hollow gap is formed in which all or a portion of an article may be inserted.

Abstract: Flame retardant non-mutagenic halogenated alkyl phosphate ester mixture of the formula: ##STR1## and flame retardant polymer systems incorporating such mixtures.

Abstract: A switch panel that can be quickly and easily reconfigured is disclosed. The number, type and location of the switches and indicators on the switch panel can be selected to optimize the switch panel for a particular application. The switches and indicators are plugged into a fixed receptacle board in the switch panel. A wiring board customized for the particular application is inserted into the switch panel to complete the reconfiguration.

Abstract: A spectrometer for high-resolution particle energy loss spectroscopy is described. Specifically, the high-resolution particle energy loss spectrometer of the present invention comprises: source means for producing a collimated beam of particles; first stage monochromator means for selecting particles within a specified energy range; intermediate particle lens means for collimating, accelerating and decelerating the particles exiting from the first stage monochromator means; second stage monochromator means for selecting particles within a specified energy range; exit particle focusing means; input particle focusing means; cylindrical analyzer means for selecting particles with a specified energy range; and detector means for detecting impinging particles. The spectrometer described herein obtains higher system resolution at a given output current than other spectrometers known in the art.

Abstract: An improved apparatus for rapidly compressing, expanding, and displaying broad band information which is transmitted over a narrow band communications channel. In the preferred embodiment, a video image is cyclically assembled in low resolution and high resolution phases from digitized data representing gray level intensity for individual pixels which have been grouped into pixel. During the initial cycle of the low resolution phase, a representative sample of cell intensity values is transmitted by a sending station to a receiving station according to a video compression routine. The receiving station then uses a video expansion routine to calculate an intensity value for those pixels whose intensity values were not transmitted and displays an initial image. This image is refined during subsequent low-resolution cycles by additional transmissions from the sending station which replace the calculated cell intensity values with an actual or better approximation value for that pixel.

Abstract: A patient lift assembly is provided in which a patient supported on a sheet of flexible, durable material is elevated by increasing the horizontal distance between elevated horizontal arms to which the sheet is removably attached. The horizontal distance between the arms is increased by increasing the distance between the base leg connectors of the apparatus which, in turn, separates the uprights to which the arms are attached. The patient is lowered by decreasing the distance between the arms and increasing the slack in the sheet.

Abstract: A method is presented for spectral reconstruction which comprises first obtaining component concentrations of a series of mixtures, which component concentrations constitute a set of reference values. The spectral value of each member of that series of mixtures is measured at a first wavelength, which spectral value possesses contribution from individual components in the mixture, whose individual contribution is unknown. The spectral values for the series of mixtures are then mathematically cross-correlated with the component concentrations in said series of mixtures, at the first wavelength, thereby obtaining the spectral contribution for said components at that first wavelength. The spectral value of each member of that series of mixtures is measured at the second wavelength, which spectral values are then cross-correlated with component concentrations in the series of mixtures thereby obtaining the spectral contribution for said components at the second wavelength.

Abstract: Improved two dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance imaging methods of the present invention are presented which comprise sensitizing a two dimensional slice of an object by standard procedures in a static magnetic field wherein the magnetization of the spins is transverse to the static field, applying a time varying magnetic field gradient to the sensitized two dimensional slice, detecting radiated electromagnetic energy from the two dimensional slice, and reconstructing spin information for each element within a slice from the detected radiated electromagnetic energy. In one aspect, the improvement is the use of an appropriate weighting function in the reconstruction to weight the detected radiated electromagnetic energy signals to compensate for the use of time varying magnetic field gradients that do not sample equal area elements of phase space in equal time intervals.

Abstract: There is disclosed a process for the preparation of completely brominated derivatives of aromatic compounds comprising one or more phenyl groups which may contain substituents, side chains or be partially-brominated. The complete bromination is effected by utilizing liquid bromine as a reaction solvent whereby the starting aromatic material is reacted with an excess of bromine which contains a bromination catalyst and the mixture is refluxed for a sufficient time. Use of these brominated derivatives as fire retarding agents is nylon and polyester is also disclosed.