Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “New Observing System”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 181 records · Page 10
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

NASA's Decadal Survey Observing System for Aerosols, Clouds, Convection, and Precipitation (ACCP): The Atmosphere Observing System

The observing system to be described today arose from NASA’s recent Earth Science Decadal Survey. In 2018, NASA funded a 2.5-year study to identify key science requirements and potential architecture solutions to address 2 of the 5 decadal survey recommended designated observables: aerosols and clouds, convection, and precipitation (or ACCP). A set of architectures was recommended to NASA HQ earlier this year, leading to a new mission that we have named the Atmosphere Observing System, or AOS, although that name may eventually change. In this presentation, when I refer to ACCP, I am speaking about the recent 2-year study and when I refer to AOS I am speaking of the new mission currently in its mission concept development phase. I will provide some background on the decadal survey and how it led to the ACCP and AOS goals. I will describe the architecture that was recommended to NASA HQ and summarize current activities as we work toward our mission concept review next spring.

Scott A. Braun↗
NASA NTRS2018

Some General and Fundamental Requirements for Designing Observing System Simulation Experiments (OSSEs)

There is an increasing demand to provide OSSE support when seeking funding for new atmospheric observing instruments. Various individuals and groups are running or developing OSSEs with little experience in OSSEs in particular or DA in general. In this presentation we will describe some key issues that are often neglected and some of the poor practices to be avoided. These include issues regarding NR and OSSE validation, consideration of instrument, observation operator, and forecast model error, relationships between observations and synoptic conditions, and conflicts of interest.

Errico, Ronald M.↗
NASA NTRS1985

An efficient algorithm for estimating noise covariances in distributed systems

An efficient computational algorithm for estimating the noise covariance matrices of large linear discrete stochatic-dynamic systems is presented. Such systems arise typically by discretizing distributed-parameter systems, and their size renders computational efficiency a major consideration. The proposed adaptive filtering algorithm is based on the ideas of Belanger, and is algebraically equivalent to his algorithm. The earlier algorithm, however, has computational complexity proportional to p to the 6th, where p is the number of observations of the system state, while the new algorithm has complexity proportional to only p-cubed. Further, the formulation of noise covariance estimation as a secondary filter, analogous to state estimation as a primary filter, suggests several generalizations of the earlier algorithm. The performance of the proposed algorithm is demonstrated for a distributed system arising in numerical weather prediction.

Dee, D. P.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Robust adaptive regulation without persistent excitation

A globally convergent adaptive regulator for minimum or nonminimum phase systems subject to bounded distrubances and unmodeled dynamics is presented. The control strategy is designed for a particular input-output representation obtained from the state space representation of the system. The leading coefficient of the new representation is the product of the observability and controllability matrices of the system. The controller scheme uses a Least Squares identification algorithm with a dead zone. The dead zone is chosen to obtain convergence properties on the estimates and on the covariance matrix as well. This allows the definition of modified estimates which secure well-conditioned matrices in the adaptive control law. Explicit bounds on the plant output are given.

Lozano-Leal, Rogelio↗
NASA NTRS2005

An Agent-Based Interface to Terrestrial Ecological Forecasting

The latest generation of NASA Earth Observing System (EOS) satellites has brought a new dimension to continuous monitoring of the living part of the Earth System, the biosphere. EOS data can now provide weekly global measures of vegetation productivity and ocean chlorophyll, and many related biophysical factors such as land cover changes or snowmelt rates. However, the highest economic value would come from forecasting impending conditions of the biosphere, to allow decision makers to mitigate dangers or exploit positive trends. NASA's strategic plan for the Earth Science Enterprise i d e n a s ecological forecasting as a focus for research. Ecological forecasting predicts the effects of changes in the physical, chemical and biological environment on ecosystem activity. Possible applications of such a system include predicting shortfalls or bumper crops of agricultural production, populations of threatened or invasive species or wildfire danger in time to allow improves preparation and logistical efficiency. Petabytes of remote sensing data are now available to help measure, understand and forecast changes in the Earth system, but using these data effectively can be surprisingly hard. The volume and variety of data files and formats are daunting. Simple data management activities, such as locating and transferring files, changing file formats, gridding point data, and scaling and reprojecting gridded data, can consume far more personnel time and resources than the actual data analysis. Some scientists commit to a particular data source or resolution just because using anything different would be more effort that it's worth. Better tools can help, but most of the tools developed to date are little more than shell scripts; they lack the flexibility to meet the diverse needs of users and are difficult to extend to handle changes in available data sources.

Golden, Keith↗
NASA NTRS2011

Response of the Antarctic Stratosphere to Warm Pool EI Nino Events in the GEOS CCM

A new type of EI Nino event has been identified in the last decade. During "warm pool" EI Nino (WPEN) events, sea surface temperatures (SSTs) in the central equatorial Pacific are warmer than average. The EI Nino signal propagates poleward and upward as large-scale atmospheric waves, causing unusual weather patterns and warming the polar stratosphere. In austral summer, observations show that the Antarctic lower stratosphere is several degrees (K) warmer during WPEN events than during the neutral phase of EI Nino/Southern Oscillation (ENSO). Furthermore, the stratospheric response to WPEN events depends of the direction of tropical stratospheric winds: the Antarctic warming is largest when WPEN events are coincident with westward winds in the tropical lower and middle stratosphere i.e., the westward phase of the quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO). Westward winds are associated with enhanced convection in the subtropics, and with increased poleward wave activity. In this paper, a new formulation of the Goddard Earth Observing System Chemistry-Climate Model, Version 2 (GEOS V2 CCM) is used to substantiate the observed stratospheric response to WPEN events. One simulation is driven by SSTs typical of a WPEN event, while another simulation is driven by ENSO neutral SSTs; both represent a present-day climate. Differences between the two simulations can be directly attributed to the anomalous WPEN SSTs. During WPEN events, relative to ENSO neutral, the model simulates the observed increase in poleward planetary wave activity in the South Pacific during austral spring, as well as the relative warming of the Antarctic lower stratosphere in austral summer. However, the modeled response to WPEN does not depend on the phase of the QBO. The modeled tropical wind oscillation does not extend far enough into the lower stratosphere and upper troposphere, likely explaining the model's insensitivity to the phase of the QBO during WPEN events.

Hurwitz, Margaret M.↗
NASA NTRS2015

Industrialization of Space: Microgravity Based Opportunities for Material and Life Science

Microgravity based commercial opportunities are broad, with applications ranging from fiber optics, device-grade semiconductor crystals, space beads, new materials, cell micro encapsulation, 3D tissues and cell cultures, genetic and molecular changes of immune suppression, protein and virus crystal growth, perfume and hair care. To date, primarily the knowledge gained from observing and understanding new end states of systems unraveled in microgravity has been translated into unique technologies and business opportunities on Earth. In some instances existing light qualified hardware is immediately available for commercial RD for small scale in-space manufacturing. Overall products manufactured in microgravity have key properties usually surpassing the best terrestrial counterparts. The talk will address the potential benefits of microgravity research for a variety of terrestrial markets. Our findings originate from discussions with 100+ non-aerospace private companies among the high-tech Silicon Valley ecosystem, show that the opportunities and benefits of using the ISS are largely not considered by experts, primarily due to a lack of awareness of the breadth of terrestrial applications that have been enabled or enhanced by microgravity RD. Based on this dialogue, the concept of microgravity verticals is developed to translate the benefits of the microgravity environment into blue ocean business opportunities for various key US commercial sectors.

technical risk↗
NASA NTRS2016

Innovation at the Edge of Space- An Engine for Global Opportunities

Microgravity based commercial opportunities are broad, with applications ranging from fiber optics, device-grade semiconductor crystals, space beads, new materials, cells microencapsulation, 3D tissues and cell cultures, genetic and molecular changes of immune suppression, protein and virus crystal growth, perfume and hair care. To date, primarily the knowledge gained from observing and understanding new end states of systems unraveled in microgravity has been translated into unique technologies and business opportunities on Earth. In some instances existing flight qualified hardware is immediately available for commercial RD for small-scale in-space manufacturing. Overall, products manufactured in microgravity have key properties usually surpassing the best terrestrial counterparts. Commercially, these products have an attractive touch of space which aids in marketing.The talk will addresses the potential benefits of microgravity research for a variety of terrestrial markets by (1) surveying the level of awareness and interest of parties from different commercial sectors (2) assessing the potential of microgravity to stimulate innovation in future product development and (3) formulating a synergistic strategy to use microgravity for economic growth and public benefit.Our findings originating primarily from discussions with 100+ non-aerospace private companies among the high-tech Silicon Valley ecosystem, show that the opportunities and benefits of using the ISS are largely not considered by experts, primarily due to a lack of awareness of the breadth of terrestrial applications that have been enabled or enhanced by microgravity RD. Based on this dialogue, the concept of microgravity verticals is developed to translate the benefits of the microgravity environment into blue ocean business opportunities for various key US commercial sectors.

orbital economy↗
NASA NTRS2004

Improving the Transition of Earth Satellite Observations from Research to Operations

There are significant gaps between the observations, models, and decision support tools that make use of new data. These challenges include: 1) Decreasing the time to incorporate new satellite data into operational forecast assimilation systems, 2) Blending in-situ and satellite observing systems to produce the most accurate and comprehensive data products and assessments, 3) Accelerating the transition from research to applications through national test beds, field campaigns, and pilot demonstrations, and 4) Developing the partnerships and organizational structures to effectively transition new technology into operations. At the Short-term Prediction Research and Transition (SPORT) Center in Huntsville, Alabama, a NASA-NOAA-University collaboration has been developed to accelerate the infusion of NASA Earth science observations, data assimilation and modeling research into NWS forecast operations and decision-making. The SPoRT Center research focus is to improve forecasts through new observation capability and the regional prediction objectives of the US Weather Research Program dealing with 0-1 day forecast issues such as convective initiation and 24-hr quantitative precipitation forecasting. The near real-time availability of high-resolution experimental products of the atmosphere, land, and ocean from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), the Advanced Infrared Spectroradiometer (AIRS), and lightning mapping systems provide an opportunity for science and algorithm risk reduction, and for application assessment prior to planned observations from the next generation of operational low Earth orbiting and geostationary Earth orbiting satellites. This paper describes the process for the transition of experimental products into forecast operations, current products undergoing assessment by forecasters, and plans for the future. The SPoRT Web page is at (http://www.ghcc.msfc.nasa.gov/sport).

Goodman, Steven J.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Physical properties of the planets and satellites from radar observations

The radar cross section of a planetary target is defined as the area of an isotropic scatterer, normal to the illumination, that would yield the observed echo intensity, if it were placed at the target's location. Attention is given to the angular scattering law, surface imagery, and topography. The observational results are discussed, taking into account the moon and the inner planets, the asteroids, the Galilean satellites, and the rings of Saturn. It is pointed out that the reach of radar astronomy has maintained nearly an exponential growth over the past three decades, as the sensitivity of available radar systems has on average more than doubled each year. There are, however, limits to this growth set by the large costs required for a new generation of observing facilities. Only modest increases in radar system sensitivity are, therefore, expected for the next decade.

Pettengill, G. H.↗
NASA NTRS2020

NASA's High-Resolution GEOS Forecasting and Reanalysis Products: Support for TOLNet

Stratospheric intrusions (SIs) the introduction of ozone-rich stratospheric air into the troposphere – have been the interest of decades of research for their link with surface ozone air quality exceedances, especially at the high elevations in the western USA in springtime; however, the impact of SIs in the remaining seasons and over the rest of the USA is less clear. We can expect MERRA-2 to realistically represent both atmospheric dynamics and composition. The operational GEOS weather forecasting system, GEOS-FP, has a similar ozone observing system to MERRA-2, while NASA's new global high-resolution air quality forecast system, GEOS-CF, combines the operational GEOS weather forecasting model with the state-of-the-science GEOS-Chem chemistry module (version 12), simulating a wide range of additional air pollutants and tracers which strengthens this detailed analysis of the intrusions and the sources for the high ozone concentrations. Using a multitude of observational datasets, including lidar, air craft, ozonesondes and air quality monitoring surface sites, in combination with the GEOS forecast and reanalysis products, we aim to provide the public with tools which are available in near-real time to enhance their capability to identify the impact of stratospheric air on surface ozone concentrations separate from anthropogenic sources. In particular, improved understanding of the connections between large-scale climate variability and local-scale dynamically-driven air quality events may support improved seasonal prediction of SI events.

Knowland, K. Emma↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

NASA Earth: Synthetic Spectranomics - Deep Learning of Surface 3-D Geometry, Chemistry, and Hyperspectra to Inform Next-generation Land Models

Machine and deep learning (ML/DL) have transformed our approach to Earth observation and system modeling (EOSM), unifying both in view of ML/DL models as a form of data assimilation (DA). Trained on diverse Earth observation records, detailed physical models, or hybrids of both in physics-informed machine learning, ML/DL may improve upon existing Earth system model (ESM) formulations while creating entirely new classes of models. One important application of deep learning is observation synthesis, allowing ESM developers to prepare for the increased spatial, temporal, and spectral/polar resolution of proposed future observing systems. This may involve the retrospective application of learning algorithms to existing observational records, with or without physical radiative transfer models, to co-inform mission planning and ESM development while providing a degree of data continuity for new missions.

Adam Erickson↗
NASA NTRS1974

Studies of chemical abundances in the outer solar system

Ground-based observations and the Pioneer 10 mission have led to new discoveries and revisions of previous ideas about the outer solar system. Among these are the discovery of atmospheres on Io and Ganymede, emission from sodium and hydrogen in a cloud around Io, and the presence of acetylene, ethane, and phosphine in the atmosphere of Jupiter. Titan, the largest satellite of Saturn, continues to be an extremely interesting and baffling object, clearly very different in composition from the bodies familiar with in the inner solar system - which is also true of Ganymede and Callisto. New data on the abundances of methane and hydrogen in the atmospheres of Uranus and Neptune suggest that the values of C/H in these atmospheres may be much lower than had been previously thought. This result reinforces the apparent compositional difference between these two planets and Jupiter and Saturn, whose atmospheres exhibit a near-solar value for this ratio.

Owen, T.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Studies of chemical abundances in the outer solar system

Ground-based observations and the Pioneer 10 mission have led to new discoveries and revisions of previous ideas about the outer solar system. Among these are the discovery of atmospheres on lo and Ganymede, emission from sodium and hydrogen in a cloud around lo, and the presence of acetylene, ethane, and phosphine in the atmosphere of Jupiter. Titan, the largest satellite of Saturn, continues to be an extremely interesting and baffling object, clearly very different in composition from the bodies we are familiar with in the inner solar system; this is also true of Ganymede and Callisto. New data on the abundances of methane and hydrogen in the atmospheres of Uranus and Neptune suggest that the values of C/H in these atmospheres may be much lower than had been previously thought. This result reinforces the apparent compositional differences between these two planets and Jupiter and Saturn, whose atmospheres exhibit a near-solar value for this ratio.

Owen, T.↗
NASA NTRS1996

Theory of Planetary System Formation

Observations and theoretical considerations support the idea that the Solar System formed by the collapse of tenuous interstellar matter to a disk of gas and dust (the primitive solar nebula), from which the Sun and other components separated under the action of dissipative forces and by the coagulation of solid material. Thus, planets are understood to be contemporaneous byproducts of star formation. Because the circumstellar disks of new stars are easier to observe than mature planetary systems, the possibility arises that the nature and variety of planets might be studied from observations of the conditions of their birth. A useful theory of planetary system formation would therefore relate the properties of circumstellar disks both to the initial conditions of star formation and to the consequent properties of planets to those of the disk. Although the broad outlines of such a theory are in place, many aspects are either untested, controversial, or otherwise unresolved; even the degree to which such a comprehensive theory is possible remains unknown.

Cassen, Patrick↗
NASA NTRS1995

Kinetics of diffusional droplet growth in a liquid/liquid two-phase system

A new powerful experimental technique based on holographic observations, developed at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, now permits observation of small liquid droplets coarsening. This technique was developed and used for mixed-dimensional coarsening studies. Experiments were conducted on an isopycnic two-phase alloy of succinonitrile and water, annealed isothermally over a four-month period. The succinonitrile-rich droplets precipitate from a water-rich liquid matrix having a density very close to that of the droplets. The matrix and droplets, however, have different optical indices. The results of these experiments, along with the results of computer simulation based on the quasi-static diffusion approximation developed at Rensselaer are reported. These results were published recently. Copies of these papers are attached to this report.

Glickman, M. E.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Implementing JEDI into NASA GMAO’s Real Time Production Suite

NASA’s Global Modeling and Assimilation Office (GMAO) has prepared their first production system involving the Joint Effort for Data assimilation Integration (JEDI) framework. In this system the central analysis, that drives the deterministic forecast, will be provided using JEDI. This talk outlines the phased approach to implementing JEDI into production that GMAO has designed, and how this approach will allow for a careful analysis of the system against the existing data assimilation framework (GSI). In the first phase of implementation the existing data assimilation system will perform certain actions that are still under development in JEDI. These include thinning the observations and producing satellite bias correction coefficients. JEDI is hooked up to the existing workflow so a single line switch can activate whether the existing or JEDI-based analysis is cycled. Outside of the monumental effort to construct JEDI that is ongoing at the Joint Center for Satellite Data Assimilation (JCSDA), GMAO have undertaken two areas of considerable effort. The talk will describe these efforts and highlight the main challenges that have been encountered. The first area of work is to implement the background error model from the existing data assimilation system into JEDI. The second is to validate the observing system in JEDI against the one in GSI, which has involved several new features being added to the observation operators in JEDI. While the longer-term plans involve trying to improve on the GSI in these two areas, GMAO is keen to have JEDI start from a trusted baseline. This is also key to implementing JEDI quickly so other priorities, such as increasing the number of model levels, can be easily worked on in parallel. GMAO is actively working on a framework to shepherd in the next generation coupled data assimilation system and model. As JEDI is implemented for the first time the plan is to ambitiously cycle through implementations, frequently bringing JEDI features to production. Details of these plans will be given in the talk and we will highlight key implementation and product milestones that we hope to achieve, as well as touch on the development environment that we will use to support frequent refreshing of the production system.

JEDI↗