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NASA NTRS2020

SAGE III/ISS Contamination Monitoring Package: Observations in Orbit

The Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment III (SAGE III) telescope and instrument assembly employ the methods of solar occultation and lunar occultation to retrieve near-global vertical profiles of atmospheric ozone, water vapor, nitrogen dioxide, aerosol extinctions, and other gaseous species and atmospheric state parameters. The SAGE III grating spectrometer measures light within the spectral range of 280 nm to 1037 nm at approximately 1 nm resolution, but retrievals in the Ultraviolet (UV) are particularly sensitive to contamination of the optical train. Therefore, a contamination door that contains a quartz optical window can be closed over the telescope aperture during periods of enhanced external contaminant flux. This optically transparent window permits continued science event acquisition at an acceptably diminished signal-to-noise ratio, which is expected to decline with ongoing accretion of contaminant material. To date, this impact has been short term, and science quality through the window returns to baseline performance after a contamination source is removed and spontaneous desorption removes material from the low-affinity quartz surface. Two Contamination Monitoring Packages (CMPs) consisting of eight Thermoelectric Quartz Crystal Microbalances (TQCMs) from QCM Research provide characterization and redundant monitoring of contaminant deposition from the 2pi steradian solid angle on the payload side of the Expedite the Processing of Experiments to the Space Station (ExPRESS) Payload Adapter. CMP data are closely examined by the SAGE III team to determine when the contamination door should remain closed during science events and in what direction the instrument assembly scan head should stow when not acquiring science measurements. Additionally, should the CMPs indicate an unacceptable accretion rate, the flight computer will close the contamination door as part of the automatic fault detection system. Along with spectrometer measurements of the quartz window's transmission, the payload CMPs enable auditing of the mission contamination budget. The process of Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) can be used to help identify chemical constituents accreted on the CMP sensors. To be presented here along with an explanation of the CMP systems are the first two and a half years of observations of the contaminant deposition environment around the payload in quiescence and during special events like docking vehicles.

Tyler T Dawson↗

NASA NTRS1993

Mission operations update for the restructured Earth Observing System (EOS) mission

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Earth Observing System (EOS) will provide a comprehensive long term set of observations of the Earth to the Earth science research community. The data will aid in determining global changes caused both naturally and through human interaction. Understanding man's impact on the global environment will allow sound policy decisions to be made to protect our future. EOS is a major component of the Mission to Planet Earth program, which is NASA's contribution to the U.S. Global Change Research Program. EOS consists of numerous instruments on multiple spacecraft and a distributed ground system. The EOS Data and Information System (EOSDIS) is the major ground system developed to support EOS. The EOSDIS will provide EOS spacecraft command and control, data processing, product generation, and data archival and distribution services for EOS spacecraft. Data from EOS instruments on other Earth science missions (e.g., Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM)) will also be processed, distributed, and archived in EOSDIS. The U.S. and various International Partners (IP) (e.g., the European Space Agency (ESA), the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) of Japan, and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA)) participate in and contribute to the international EOS program. The EOSDIS will also archive processed data from other designated NASA Earth science missions (e.g., UARS) that are under the broad umbrella of Mission to Planet Earth.

Kelly, Angelita Castro↗

NASA NTRS2008

Remote Sensing of Tropospheric Pollution from Space

We review the progress of tropospheric trace gas observations and address the need for additional measurement capabilities as recommended by the National Academy of Science (NAS, 2007). Tropospheric measurements from current and earlier instruments show pollution in the Northern Hemisphere as a result of fossil fuel burning and a strong seasonal dependence with the largest amounts of photochemically-generated ozone in summer. At low latitudes, where photon flux is stronger throughout the year, trace gas concentrations are driven by the abundance of the emissions, where the largest source, biomass burning, is readily seen in carbon monoxide measurements, but lightning and biogenic trace gases may also contribute to trace gas variability. Although substantive progress has been achieved in seasonal and global mapping of a few tropospheric trace gases, satellite trace-gas observations with considerably better temporal and spatial resolution are essential to forecasting air quality at scales required by policy-makers. The concurrent use of atmospheric composition measurements for both scientific and operational purposes is a new paradigm for the atmospheric chemistry community. The examples presented illustrate both the promise and challenge of merging satellite information with in situ observations in state-of-the-art data assimilation models.

Fishman, Jack↗

NASA NTRS2016

Cross Correlation versus Normalized Mutual Information on Image Registration

This is the first study to quantitatively assess and compare cross correlation and normalized mutual information methods used to register images in subpixel scale. The study shows that the normalized mutual information method is less sensitive to unaligned edges due to the spectral response differences than is cross correlation. This characteristic makes the normalized image resolution a better candidate for band to band registration. Improved band-to-band registration in the data from satellite-borne instruments will result in improved retrievals of key science measurements such as cloud properties, vegetation, snow and fire.

band-to-band↗

NASA NTRS2016

Thermophysical Properties Along Curiosity's Traverse in Gale Crater, Mars, Derived from the REMS Ground Temperature Sensor

The REMS instrument onboard the Mars Science Laboratory rover, Curiosity, has measured ground temperature nearly continuously at hourly intervals for two Mars years. Coverage of the entire diurnal cycle at 1 Hz is available every few martian days. We compare these measurements with predictions of surface atmosphere thermal models to derive the apparent thermal inertia and thermally derived albedo along the rovers traverse after accounting for the radiative effects of atmospheric water ice during fall and winter, as is necessary to match the measured seasonal trend. The REMS measurements can distinguish between active sand, other loose materials, mudstone, and sandstone based on their thermophysical properties. However, the apparent thermal inertias of bedrock dominated surfaces [approx. 350-550 J m(exp. -2) K(exp. -1 s(exp. -1/2 )] are lower than expected. We use rover imagery and the detailed shape of the diurnal ground temperature curve to explore whether lateral or vertical heterogeneity in the surface materials within the sensor footprint might explain the low inertias. We find that the bedrock component of the surface can have a thermal inertia as high as 650-1700 J m(exp. -2) K(exp. -1) s(exp. -1/2) for mudstone sites and approx. 700 J m(exp. -2) K(exp. -1) s(exp. - 1/2) for sandstone sites in models runs that include lateral and vertical mixing. Although the results of our forward modeling approach may be non-unique, they demonstrate the potential to extract information about lateral and vertical variations in thermophysical properties from temporally resolved measurements of ground temperature.

Vasavada, Ashwin R.↗

NASA NTRS2021

Using Intelligent Targeting to increase the science return of a Smart Ice Storm Hunting Radar

Smart Ice Cloud Sensing (SMICES) is a small-sat concept in which a radar intelligently targets ice storms based on information collected by a lookahead radiometer. Often space observations are performed by continuously collecting data from an instrument aimed at nadir (e.g. directly below the space platform). However, if the platform has the ability to assess science utility of features being overflown, an intelligent measurement scheme can improve science return. This can be achieved by controlling the on/off state of the instrument if it is not able to continuously operate (e.g. due to energy or thermal constraints), and by allowing the instrument to view off nadir if it has pointing capabilities.In the case of SMICES, power constraints and the rarity of storms means that with blind nadir targeting SMICES would collect a limited amount of ice storm radar data. The algorithms proposed acquire measurements to maximize acquired high interest storms while concurrently collecting a background sampling of all features. We use a cloud classification system to identify five different cloud types. Six algorithms ranging from “blind” to more selective are described and results from evaluation on a dataset of 13 ground swaths covering 72,399,600 km2 of data are presented. This data is from high quality science simulations that contain all five cloud types and multiple storms. When utilizing the radiometer’s lookahead and the full range of the radar the results show a 23.7x and 1.9x increase over the base algorithm in the most and second most important cloud types respectively.

Cooke, Caitlyn↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

NASA’s PACE Ocean Color Instrument Thermal Design Evolution: from Goddard’s Instrument Design Lab through Flight Development

NASA’s Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) mission, set to launch in 2024, seeks to provide data continuity for the ocean color, aerosol and cloud measurements acquired by NASA’s on-orbit Earth Science observatories since the 1990s. It will accomplish this through its Ocean Color Instrument (OCI), an optical spectrometer being developed for hyper-spectral measurements in the ultraviolet-to-near-infrared band between 340 nm and 2260 nm. Although OCI’s instrument architecture will provide greater insight and resolution than its predecessors in this wavelength range, the engineering required to achieve this also poses a greater challenge. In thermal engineering, this translates to a more complex thermal control approach to address high heat dissipations, stringent stabilities, the volume of heat that requires transport, and changing thermal environments due to tilting of the entire instrument ±20° twice per orbit. This current work explores how the PACE OCI instrument design has evolved from its initial conception in NASA Goddard’s Instrument Design Laboratory (IDL) to the current iteration of its flight design. The IDL studies explored three separate instrument configurations and two spatial resolutions per configuration, which were then down selected to a single instrument type and spatial resolution for flight instrument development. OCI subsequently went through major project milestones, including Preliminary Design Review (PDR), Critical Design Review (CDR), Pre-Environmental Review (PER) and Pre-Ship Review (PSR), with significant design updates along the way. This paper aims to provide a comprehensive account of OCI’s thermal control architecture evolution and the engineering drivers that have shaped it, with the goal of identifying trends spanning the full instrument development timeline to inform and advance future instrument thermal designs.

PACE↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

NASA’s PACE Ocean Color Instrument Thermal Design Evolution: from Goddard’s Instrument Design Lab through Flight Development

PACE↗

NASA NTRS2014

Integrated Science Investigation of the Sun (ISIS): Design of the Energetic Particle Investigation

The Integrated Science Investigation of the Sun (ISIS) is a complete science investigation on the Solar Probe Plus (SPP) mission, which flies to within nine solar radii of the Sun's surface. ISIS comprises a two-instrument suite to measure energetic particles over a very broad energy range, as well as coordinated management, science operations, data processing, and scientific analysis. Together, ISIS observations allow us to explore the mechanisms of energetic particles dynamics, including their: (1) Origins-defining the seed populations and physical conditions necessary for energetic particle acceleration; (2) Acceleration-determining the roles of shocks, reconnection, waves, and turbulence in accelerating energetic particles; and (3) Transport-revealing how energetic particles propagate from the corona out into the heliosphere. The two ISIS Energetic Particle Instruments measure lower (EPI-Lo) and higher (EPI-Hi) energy particles. EPI-Lo measures ions and ion composition from approx. 20 keV/nucleon-15 MeV total energy and electrons from approx.25-1000 keV. EPI-Hi measures ions from approx. 1-200 MeV/nucleon and electrons from approx. 0.5-6 MeV. EPI-Lo comprises 80 tiny apertures with fields-of-view (FOVs) that sample over nearly a complete hemisphere, while EPI-Hi combines three telescopes that together provide five large-FOV apertures. ISIS observes continuously inside of 0.25 AU with a high data collection rate and burst data (EPI-Lo) coordinated with the rest of the SPP payload; outside of 0.25 AU, ISIS runs in low-rate science mode whenever feasible to capture as complete a record as possible of the solar energetic particle environment and provide calibration and continuity for measurements closer in to the Sun. The ISIS Science Operations Center plans and executes commanding, receives and analyzes all ISIS data, and coordinates science observations and analyses with the rest of the SPP science investigations. Together, ISIS' unique observations on SPP will enable the discovery, untangling, and understanding of the important physical processes that govern energetic particles in the innermost regions of our heliosphere, for the first time. This paper summarizes the ISIS investigation at the time of the SPP mission Preliminary Design Review in January 2014.

Coronal Mass Ejections↗

NASA NTRS2012

Development of a Compact, Deep-Penetrating Heat Flow Instrument for Lunar Landers: In-Situ Thermal Conductivity System

Geothermal heat flow is obtained as a product of the geothermal gradient and the thermal conductivity of the vertical soil/rock/regolith interval penetrated by the instrument. Heat flow measurements are a high priority for the geophysical network missions to the Moon recommended by the latest Decadal Survey and previously the International Lunar Network. One of the difficulties associated with lunar heat flow measurement on a robotic mission is that it requires excavation of a relatively deep (approx 3 m) hole in order to avoid the long-term temporal changes in lunar surface thermal environment affecting the subsurface temperature measurements. Such changes may be due to the 18.6-year-cylcle lunar precession, or may be initiated by presence of the lander itself. Therefore, a key science requirement for heat flow instruments for future lunar missions is to penetrate 3 m into the regolith and to measure both thermal gradient and thermal conductivity. Engineering requirements are that the instrument itself has minimal impact on the subsurface thermal regime and that it must be a low-mass and low-power system like any other science instrumentation on planetary landers. It would be very difficult to meet the engineering requirements, if the instrument utilizes a long (> 3 m) probe driven into the ground by a rotary or percussive drill. Here we report progress in our efforts to develop a new, compact lunar heat flow instrumentation that meets all of these science and engineering requirements.

Nagihara, S.↗

NASA NTRS1974

Optical properties of mercury ion thruster exhausts and implications for science instruments

Emission from the exhaust plume of a 30 cm mercury ion thruster was measured from 160 to 600 nm as a function of axial and radial distance from the thruster discharge chamber. The spectrally dispersed absolute intensities were used to construct an empirical volume rate function. The function was integrated along a typical instrument field of view, and the resulting apparent brightness was compared with instrument sensitivities to evaluate the extent of optical interference. Most of the emitted radiation came from UV lines of excited mercury atoms and ions, with no observable continuum emission. The intensity levels degraded rapidly with distance from the thruster so that optical interference was negligible for fields of view not intercepting the beam axis. The operation of only one instrument, a zodiacal photopolarimeter, was considered incompatible with simultaneous thruster operation.

Monahan, K. M.↗

NASA NTRS1975

Optical properties of mercury ion thruster exhaust plumes Significance for candidate SEP science instruments

Emission from the exhaust plume of a 30 cm mercury ion thruster was measured from 160 to 600 nm as a function of axial and radial distance from the thruster discharge chamber. The spectrally dispersed absolute intensities were used to construct an empirical volume emission rate function. The function was integrated along a typical instrument field of view, and the resulting apparent brightness was compared with instrument sensitivities to evaluate the extent of optical interference. The intensity levels degraded rapidly with distance from the thruster so that optical interference was negligible for fields of view not intercepting the beam axis. The operation of only one instrument, a zodiacal photopolarimeter was considered incompatible with simultaneous thruster operation.

Goldstein, R.↗

NASA NTRS2019

Sensitivity of Inherent Optical Properties from Ocean Reflectance Inversion Models to Satellite Instrument Wavelength Suites

The Earth science community seeks to develop climate data records (CDRs) from satellite measurements of ocean color, a continuous data record that now exceeds 20 years. Space agencies will launch additional instruments in the coming decade that will continue this data record, including the NASA PACE spectrometer. Inherent optical properties (IOPs) quantitatively describe the absorbing and scattering constituents of seawater and can be estimated from satellite-observed spectroradiometric data using semi-analytical algorithms (SAAs). SAAs exploit the contrasting optical signatures of constituent matter at spectral bands observed by satellite sensors. SAA performance, therefore, depends on the spectral resolution of the satellite spectroradiometer. A CDR spanning SeaWiFS, MODIS, OLCI, and PACE, for example, would include IOPs derived using varied wavelength suites if all available wavelengths were considered. Here, we explored differences in derived IOPs that stem simply from the use of (eight) different wavelength suites of input radiometric measurements. Using synthesized data and SeaWiFS Level-3 mission-long composites, we demonstrated equivalent SAA performance for all wavelength suites, but that IOP retrievals vary by several percent across wavelength suites and as a function of water type. The differences equate to roughly ≤ 6, 12, and 7% for a(sub dg)(443), a(sub ph)(443), and b(sub bp)(443), respectively, for waters with C(sub a) ≤ 1 mg -cu m. These values shrink for sensors with similar wavelength suites (e.g., SeaWiFS, MODIS, and MERIS) and rise to substantially larger values for higher C(sub a) waters. Our results also indicate that including 400 nm (in the case of OLCI) influences the derived IOPs, using longer wavelengths (>600 nm) influences the derived IOPs when there is a red signal, and, including additional spectral information shows potential for improved IOP estimation, but not without revisiting SAA parameterizations and execution. While modest in scope, we believe this study contributes to the knowledge base for CDR development. The implication of ignoring such an analysis as CDRs continue to be developed is a prolonged inability to distinguish between algorithmic and environmental contributions to trends and anomalies in the IOP time-series.

ocean color satellites↗

NASA NTRS1990

Mapping photopolarimeter spectrometer instrument feasibility study for future planetary flight missions

Evaluations are summarized directed towards defining optimal instrumentation for performing planetary polarization measurements from a spacecraft platform. An overview of the science rationale for polarimetric measurements is given to point out the importance of such measurements for future studies and exploration of the outer planets. The key instrument features required to perform the needed measurements are discussed and applied to the requirements for the Cassini mission to Saturn. The resultant conceptual design of a spectro-polarimeter photometer for Cassini is described in detail.

Source record↗

NASA NTRS2013

JWST Integrated Science Instrument Module Alignment Optimization Tool

During cryogenic vacuum testing of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) Integrated Science Instrument Module (ISIM), the global alignment of the ISIM with respect to the designed interface of the JWST optical telescope element (OTE) will be measured through a series of optical characterization tests. These tests will determine the locations and orientations of the JWST science instrument projected focal surfaces and entrance pupils with respect to their corresponding OTE optical interfaces. If any optical performance non-compliances are identified, the ISIM will be adjusted to improve its performance. In order to understand how to manipulate the ISIM's degrees of freedom properly and to prepare for the ISIM flight model testing, a series of optical-mechanical analyses have been completed to develop and identify the best approaches for bringing a non-compliant ISIM element into compliance. In order for JWST to meet its observatory-level optical requirements and ambitious science goals, the ISIM element has to meet approximately 150 separate optical requirements. Successfully achieving many of those optical requirements depends on the proper alignment of the ISIM element with respect to the OTE. To verify that the ISIM element will meet its optical requirements, a series of cryogenic vacuum tests will be conducted with an OTE Simulator (OSIM). An optical Ray Trace and Geometry Model tool was developed to help solve the multi-dimensional alignment problem. The tool allows the user to determine how best to adjust the alignment of the JWST ISIM with respect to the ideal telescope interfaces so that the approximately 150 ISIM optical performance requirements can be satisfied. This capability has not existed previously.

Bos, Brent↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Active Optical Remote Sensing Sensors and Instrumentation for NASA’s Future Earth and Space Science Measurements/Missions

STRIVES Entry: 20230013683, Abstract—Active optical (Laser/Lidar) measurement techniques are critical for the future National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Earth, Planetary Science, Exploration, and Aeronautics measurements. The latest science decadal surveys recommend several missions requiring active optical systems to meet the science measurement objectives and the aeronautics community continues to use Laser/Lidar technologies to meet the aeronautics measurement objectives. This presentation will provide an overview of NASA efforts in developing and maturing state-of-the-art advanced solid-state flight laser/lidar systems for airborne and space-borne remote sensing measurements. The presentation will also provide details of a strategic approach for active optical technologies and techniques to meet the NASA’s future Earth and Space Science measurements/missions needs and requirements for space-based applications.

NASA's Future↗

NASA NTRS2018

Advancements Towards Active Remote Sensing of CO2 from Space Using Intensity-Modulated, Continuous-Wave (IM-CW) Lidar

The Active Sensing of CO2 Emissions over Nights, Days, and Seasons (ASCENDS) CarbonHawk Experiment Simulator (ACES) is a NASA Langley Research Center instrument funded by NASA’s Science Mission Directorate that seeks to advance technologies critical to measuring atmospheric column carbon dioxide (CO2) mixing ratios in support of the NASA ASCENDS mission. The ACES instrument, an Intensity-Modulated Continuous-Wave (IM-CW) lidar, was designed for high-altitude aircraft operations and can be directly applied to space instrumentation to meet the ASCENDS mission requirements. The ACES design demonstrates advanced technologies critical for developing an airborne simulator and spaceborne instrument with lower platform consumption of size, mass, and power, and with improved performance. ACES recently flew on the NASA DC-8 aircraft during the 2017 NASA ASCENDS/Arctic-Boreal Vulnerability Experiment (ABoVE) airborne measurement campaign to test ASCENDS-related technologies in the challenging Arctic environment. Data were collected over a wide variety of surface reflectivities, terrain, and atmospheric conditions during the campaign’s 8 research flights. ACES also flew during the 2017 and 2018 Atmospheric Carbon and Transport – America (ACT-America) Earth Venture Suborbital -2 (EVS-2) campaigns along with the primary ACT-America CO2 lidar, Harris Corporation’s Multi-Frequency Fiber Laser Lidar (MFLL). Regional CO2 distributions of the lower atmosphere were observed from the C-130 aircraft during the ACT-America campaigns in support of ACT-America’s science objectives. The airborne lidars provide unique data that complement the more traditional in situ sensors. This presentation shows the applications of CO2 lidars in meeting these science needs from airborne platforms and an eventual spacecraft.

Obland, Michael D.↗

NASA NTRS2010

Pupil Alignment Measuring Technique and Alignment Reference for Instruments or Optical Systems

A technique was created to measure the pupil alignment of instruments in situ by measuring calibrated pupil alignment references (PARs) in instruments. The PAR can also be measured using an alignment telescope or an imaging system. PAR allows the verification of the science instrument (SI) pupil alignment at the integrated science instrument module (ISIM) level of assembly at ambient and cryogenic operating temperature. This will allow verification of the ISIM+SI alignment, and provide feedback to realign the SI if necessary.

Hagopian, John G.↗