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Russell, Damon

Publications and source records attributed to Russell, Damon.

5 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2017

Development of an Ultra-wide band Receiver for the North America Array

The North America Array (NAA), also known as the next-generation Very Large Array (ngVLA), is a concept for a radio astronomical interferometric array operating in the frequency range 1.2 GHz to 116 GHz and designed to provide substantial improvements in sensitivity, angular resolution, and frequency coverage while reducing operational costs compared to the current Jansky Very Large Array (JVLA). At JPL, we are designing a single receiver package designed to operate across the 8 to 48 GHz frequency range, in contrast to the current JVLA, which covers this frequency range with five receiver packages. Reducing the number of receiving systems required to cover the full frequency range would reduce operating costs. We are developing a prototype integrated feed-receiver package with a system noise temperature that meets the requirements of the ngVLA/NAA primary science programs, with a design that meets the requirement of low long-term operational costs. The receiver package being developed at JPL consists of a feed horn, low-noise amplifier (LNA), and down-converters to analog intermediate frequencies. We report on the status of this receiver package development.

Lazio, Joseph↗
NASA NTRS2013

A 6U CubeSat Constellation for Atmospheric Temperature and Humidity Sounding

We are currently developing a 118/183 GHz sensor that will enable observations of temperature and precipitation profiles over land and ocean. The 118/183 GHz system is well suited for a CubeSat deployment as ~10cm antenna aperture provides sufficiently small footprint sizes (is approx. 25km). This project will enable low cost, compact radiometer instrumentation at 118 and 183 GHz that would fit in a 6U CubeSat with the objective of mass-producing this design to enable a suite of small satellites to image the key geophysical parameters that are needed to improve prediction of extreme weather events. We will take advantage of past and current technology developments at JPL viz. HAMSR (High Altitude Microwave Scanning Radiometer), Advanced Component Technology (ACT'08) to enable low-mass and low-power high frequency airborne radiometers. The 35 nm InP enabling technology provides significant reduction in power consumption (Low Noise Amplifier + Mixer Block consumes 24 mW). In this paper, we will describe the design and implementation of the 118 GHz temperature sounder and 183 GHz humidity sounder instrument on the 6U CubeSat. In addition, a summary of radiometer calibration and retrieval techniques of the temperature and humidity will be discussed. The successful demonstration of this instrument on the 6U CubeSat would pave the way for the development of a constellation consisting of suite of these instruments. The proposed constellation of these 6U CubeSat radiometers would allow sampling of tropospheric temperature and humidity with fine temporal (on the order of minutes) and spatial resolution (is approx. 25 km).

radiometer↗