Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “sounding”

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

Sound broadcasting satellite systems for individual reception by mobile receivers

In this paper, the feasibility of a multi-channel sound broadcasting satellite system for operation in a band between 0.5 and 2.0 GHz is investigated. Considered are sound broadcasting satellite systems that provide conventional FM sound broadcasting for individual receivers in a wide geographical area. Comparative weight estimation of sound broadcasting satellites is carried out for various sizes of coverage area and spacecraft antenna, and for different carrier frequencies in the band from 0.5 to 2.0 GHz. It is concluded that relatively light (1200 to about 1500 lbs) spacecraft are feasible, even with low-cost portable or mobile receiving systems.

Park, Y. H.↗

Nonlinear interactions in superfluid dynamics: Nonstationary heat transfer due to second sound shock waves

Second sound techniques were used to study superfluid helium. Second sound shock waves produced relative velocities in the bulk fluid. Maximum counterflow velocities produced in this way are found to follow the Langer-Fischer prediction for the fundamental critical velocity in its functional dependence on temperature and pressure. Comparison of successive shock and rotating experiments provides strong evidence that breakdown results in vorticity production in the flow behind the shock. Schlieren pictures have verified the planar nature of second sound shocks even after multiple reflections. The nonlinear theory of second sound was repeatedly verified in its prediction of double shocks and other nonlinear phenomena.

Liepmann, H. W.↗

AVE/VAS 1: 25 mb sounding data

The rawinsonde sounding program for the AVE/VAS I (shakedown) experiment is described. Tabulated data at 25-mb intervals for the 13 special rawinsonde stations and 1 National Weather Service station participating in the experiment are presented. Soundings were taken at 1200 and 1800 GMT on February 6, 1982, and at 0000 GMT on February 7, 1982. The method of processing soundings is discussed briefly, estimates of the RMS errors in the data are presented, and an example of contact data is given. Termination pressures of soundings are tabulated, as are observations of ground temperature at a depth of 2 cm.

Sienkiewicz, M. E.↗

AVE/VAS 4: 25-mb sounding data

The rawinsonde sounding program is described and tabulated data at 25 mb intervals for the 24 stations and 14 special stations participating in the experiment is presented. Sounding were taken at 3 hr intervals. An additional sounding was taken at the normal synoptic observation time. Some soundings were computed from raw ordinate data, while others were interpolated from significant level data.

Sienkiewicz, M. E.↗

AVE/VAS 5: 25-mb sounding data

The rawinsonde sounding program is described and tabulated data at 25 mb intervals for the 24 and 14 special stations participation in the experiment are presented. Soundings were taken at 3 hr intervals. The method of processing soundings is discussed briefly, estimates of the RMS errors in the data are presented, and an example of contact data is given. Termination pressures of soundings taken in the meso beta scale network are tabulated, as are observations of ground temperature at a depth of 2 cm.

Sienkiewicz, M. E.↗

An evaluation of soundings, analyses and model forecasts derived from TIROS-N and NOAA-6 satellite data

TIROS-N and NOAA-6 temperature soundings over North America during three days in January 1980, and synoptic analyses and numerical-model forecasts derived from them, are compared with conventional data and analyses from NMC's limited-area fine-mesh model (LFM). The collocated sounding comparison revealed significant errors, especially near the surface and the tropopause. Satellite-derived thermal gradients were found to be weak, and thickness-analysis difference fields to propagate eastward, suggesting that sounding errors are correlated with synoptic patterns. The same pattern of anomalies is seen in the model forecasts. More detailed determinations of the correlation detected here could be used to optimize the assimilation of satellite soundings to conventional data.

Koehler, T. L.↗

Atmospheric soundings from a geostationary satellite

The accuracy of the soundings from a geostationary platform with the visible infrared spin-scan radiometer atmospheric sounder (VAS) on GOES-5 is evaluated. It is shown that the VAS radiances for the case under investigation are consistent with those obtained by the polar orbiting high resolution infrared radiation sounders. VAS temperature profile retrievals are found to agree well with those observed by radiosonde. An improved product can be obtained by initializing the retrieval process with ground-based Profiler data. It is found that time variations in the atmospheric state are readily discernible from VAS soundings at approximately 2 hr intervals. The results of this case study show that merging ground Profiler and satellite VAS observations can provide temperature soundings of comparable accuracy to those of the radiosonde, although the VAS-Profiler sounding can be achieved much more frequently.

Menzel, W. P.↗

The impact of satellite temperature soundings on the forecasts of a small national meteorological service

The impact of introducing satellite temperature sounding data on a numerical weather prediction model of a national weather service is evaluated. A dry five level, primitive equation model which covers most of the Northern Hemisphere, is used for these experiments. Series of parallel forecast runs out to 48 hours are made with three different sets of initial conditions: (1) NOSAT runs, only conventional surface and upper air observations are used; (2) SAT runs, satellite soundings are added to the conventional data over oceanic regions and North Africa; and (3) ALLSAT runs, the conventional upper air observations are replaced by satellite soundings over the entire model domain. The impact on the forecasts is evaluated by three verification methods: the RMS errors in sea level pressure forecasts, systematic errors in sea level pressure forecasts, and errors in subjective forecasts of significant weather elements for a selected portion of the model domain. For the relatively short range of the present forecasts, the major beneficial impacts on the sea level pressure forecasts are found precisely in those areas where the satellite sounding are inserted and where conventional upper air observations are sparse. The RMS and systematic errors are reduced in these regions. The subjective forecasts of significant weather elements are improved with the use of the satellite data. It is found that the ALLSAT forecasts are of a quality comparable to the SAR forecasts.

Wolfson, N.↗

VAS sounding data evaluation

The VAS soundings derived by NOAA personnel and NASA personnel and rawinsonde soundings are compared: (1) directly by plotting on Skew t-log p diagrams; (2) by pairing rawinsonde soundings with the closest satellite soundings and calculating the mean and standard deviations of differences between the two data sets; and (3) by constructing synoptic and subsynoptic scale analyses with rawinsonde and satellite data. Differences for various parameters are discussed.

Scoggins, J. R.↗

A comparison of U.S. and USSR rocketsondes using LIMS satellite temperature sounding as a transfer standard

In connection with the reduction of the number of sounding rockets launched per year, there is a general need to make the most effective use of each sounding. In particular, it is often necessary to combine the results from different types of instruments to obtain a meaningful and complete picture of the atmosphere. For this reason, data from different rockets must be compatible. The present investigation is concerned with the utilization of the temperature soundings of the Limb Infrared Monitor of the Stratosphere (LIMS) as the uniform comparison standard. Gille et al. (1984) have compared the LIMS temperatures to a set of 122 U.S. datasonde rockets. In the current study, a comparison between soundings by rocketborne instruments of the USSR and LIMS is combined with the results of the previous LIMS-U.S. rocketsonde comparison in the same latitude bands to provide an updated estimate of the differences between U.S. and USSR rocketborne temperature measurements.

Gille, J. C.↗

Flow field and near and far sound field of a subsonic jet

Flow and sound field data are presented for a 2.54 cm diameter air jet at a Mach number of 0.50 and a Reynolds number of 300,000. Distributions of mean velocity, turbulence intensities, Reynolds stress, spectral components of turbulence as well as of the near field pressure, together with essential characteristics of the far field sound are reported. This detailed set of data for one particular flow, erstwhile unavailable in the literature, is expected to help promoote and calibrate subsonic jet noise theories. 'Source locations' in terms of the turbulence maxima, coupling between the entrainment dynamics and the near pressure field, the sound radiation paths, and the balance in mass, momentum and sound energy fluxes are discussed. The results suggest that the large scale coherent structures of the jet govern the 'source locations' by controlling the turbulence and also strongly influence the near field pressure fluctuations.

Zaman, K. B. M. Q.↗

Remote temperature profiling in the troposphere and stratosphere by the radio-acoustic sounding technique

Radar application of the radio-acoustic sounding technique uses the Doppler frequency shift of radar echoes returning from the atmospheric wave structure, in association with a traveling acoustic pulse transmitted from the ground, to determine the speed of sound, and hence the atmospheric temperature, as a function of altitude. Temperature measurement in the troposphere and stratosphere were determined using the radio-acoustic sounding technique with the Radio-Acoustic Sounding System (RASS). Successful experiments were performed in March 1985, and in August 1985.

Matuura, N.↗

Time composite sounding

In the time composite sounding mode, the Vertical Atmospheric Sounder (VAS) data is collected in a series of images of one spin each rather than in the dwell sound mode where single lines are repeatedly scanned. A drawback of the time composite method is temporal smearing of the data, but to compensate this there is also the chance that shifting cloud patterns will permit better spatial coverage. Time composite sounding was performed for a single case study, June 14, 1984. Four, ten minute single spin swaths were processed. The principal conclusion was that the time composite results were at least equivalent to the conventional dwell sounding results, despite the fact that compositing was done in a less than optimum way because of software limitations.

Hayden, C.↗

X-ray astronomy experiments from sounding rockets

During the past fourteen years, the M.I.T. X-ray Astronomy sounding rocket group has designed, fabricated, and flown five different scientific sounding rocket payloads. These experiment payloads were launched on a total of twelve sounding rocket flights of which only one failed because of rocket problems. Eight of these flights yielded astronomical data that resulted in a total of twelve publications. The bulk of this research was supported by NASA Grant NGR 22-009-730 X-Ray Astronomy Experiments Sounding Rockets. The fifth and final experiment payload conceived and built under this Grant (the Wide Field Soft X-ray Camera: WFSXC) served as the prototype for the British Wide Field Camera (WFC) experiment to be launched on the ROSAT mission. The five experiment payloads and the results obtained from these experiments are briefly described. In the case of the WFSXC, which served principally as an engineering prototype for a major space mission, a number of papers written by British collaborators which describe the ROSAT Wide Field Camera are presented.

Rappaport, Saul↗

Sound propagation over uneven ground and irregular topography

The acoustic impedance of the surface coverings used in the laboratory experiments on sound diffraction by topographical ridges was determined. The model, which was developed, takes into account full wave effects and the possibility of surface waves and predicts the sound pressure level at the receiver location relative to what would be expected if the flat surface were not present. The sound pressure level can be regarded as a function of frequency, sound speed in air, heights of source and receiver, and horizontal distance from source to receiver, as well as the real and imaginary parts of the surface impedance.

Berthelot, Yves H.↗

Improved VAS regression soundings of mesoscale temperature structure observed during the 1982 atmospheric variability experiment

An Atmospheric Variability Experiment (AVE) was conducted over the central U.S. in the spring of 1982, collecting radiosonde date to verify mesoscale soundings from the VISSR Atmospheric Sounder (VAS) on the GOES satellite. Previously published VAS/AVE comparisons for the 6 March 1982 case found that the satellite retrievals scarcely detected a low level temperature inversion or a mid-tropospheric cold pool over a special mesoscale radiosonde verification network in north central Texas. The previously published regression and physical retrieval algorithms did not fully utilize VAS' sensitivity to important subsynoptic thermal features. Therefore, the 6 March 1982 case was reprocessed adding two enhancements to the VAS regression retrieval algorithm: (1) the regression matrix was determined using AVE profile data obtained in the region at asynoptic times, and (2) more optimistic signal-to-noise statistical conditioning factors were applied to the VAS temperature sounding channels. The new VAS soundings resolve more of the low level temperature inversion and mid-level cold pool. Most of the improvements stems from the utilization of asynoptic radiosonde observations at NWS sites. This case suggests that VAS regression soundings may require a ground-based asynoptic profiler network to bridge the gap between the synoptic radiosonde network and the high resolution geosynchronous satellite observations during the day.

Chesters, Dennis↗

Sounding rocket and balloon flight safety philosophy and methodologies

NASA's sounding rocket and balloon goal is to successfully and safely perform scientific research. This is reflected in the design, planning, and conduct of sounding rocket and balloon operations. The purpose of this paper is to acquaint the sounding rocket and balloon scientific community with flight safety philosophy and methodologies, and how range safety affects their programs. This paper presents the flight safety philosophy for protecting the public against the risk created by the conduct of sounding rocket and balloon operations. The flight safety criteria used to implement this philosophy are defined and the methodologies used to calculate mission risk are described.

Beyma, R. J.↗

Measurement of the absorption coefficient of acoustical materials using the sound intensity method

In this study the possibility of using the two-microphone sound intensity technique to measure the normal incidence and the random incidence sound absorption coefficient was investigated. The normal incidence absorption coefficient was determined by measuring the intensity incidence on the sample and the intensity reflected by the sample placed in an anechoic chamber. The random incidence absorption coefficient was determined by measuring the intensity incident on the sample and the intensity reflected by the sample placed in a reverberation chamber. Absorption coefficient results obtained by the sound intensity technique were compared with standard techniques, namely the reverberation chamber and the standing wave tube. The major advantages of using the sound intensity technique are that it permits 'in situ' measurements and the absorption coefficient for a large range of frequencies can be obtained from a single measurement.

Atwal, Mahabir S.↗