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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.

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At least 235 records · Page 13
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1998

Characterization of Thin Film Microstrip Lines on Polyimide

This paper presents an in depth characterization of thin film microstrip (TFMS) lines fabricated on Dupont PI-2611 polyimide. Measured attenuation and effective dielectric constant is presented for TFMS lines with thicknesses from 2.45-7.4 microns and line widths from 5-34.4 microns over the frequency range of 1-110 GHz. The attenuation is separated into conductor and dielectric losses to determine the loss tangent of Dupont PI-2611 polyimide over the microwave frequency range. In addition, the measured characteristics are compared to closed form equations for a and eff from the literature. Based on the comparisons, recommendations for the best dosed form design equations for TFMS are made.

Ponchak, George E.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Ka-Band Waveguide Two-Way Hybrid Combiner for MMIC Amplifiers

The design, simulation, and characterization of a novel Ka-band (32.05 0.25 GHz) rectangular waveguide two-way branch-line hybrid unequal power combiner (with port impedances matched to that of a standard WR-28 waveguide) has been created to combine input signals, which are in phase and with an amplitude ratio of two. The measured return loss and isolation of the branch-line hybrid are better than 22 and 27 dB, respectively. The measured combining efficiency is 92.9 percent at the center frequency of 32.05 GHz. This circuit is efficacious in combining the unequal output power from two Ka-band GaAs pseudomorphic high electron mobility transistor (pHEMT) monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) power amplifiers (PAs) with high efficiency. The component parts include the branch-line hybrid-based power combiner and the MMIC-based PAs. A two-way branch-line hybrid is a four-port device with all ports matched; power entering port 1 is divided in phase, and into the ratio 2:1 between ports 3 and 4. No power is coupled to port 2. MMICs are a type of integrated circuit fabricated on GaAs that operates at microwave frequencies, and performs the function of signal amplification. The power combiner is designed to operate over the frequency band of 31.8 to 32.3 GHz, which is NASA's deep space frequency band. The power combiner would have an output return loss better than 20 dB. Isolation between the output port and the isolated port is greater than 25 dB. Isolation between the two input ports is greater than 25 dB. The combining efficiency would be greater than 90 percent when the ratio of the two input power levels is two. The power combiner is machined from aluminum with E-plane split-block arrangement, and has excellent reliability. The flexibility of this design allows the combiner to be customized for combining the power from MMIC PAs with an arbitrary power output ratio. In addition, it allows combining a low-power GaAs MMIC with a high-power GaN MMIC. The arbitrary port impedance allows matching the output impedance of the MMIC PA directly to the waveguide impedance without transitioning first into a transmission line with characteristic impedance of 50 ohms. Thus, by eliminating the losses associated with a transition, the overall SSPA efficiency is enhanced. For reducing the cost and weight when required in very large quantities, such as in the beam-forming networks of phased-array antenna systems, the combiner can be manufactured using metal-plated plastic. Two hybrid unequal power combiners can be cascaded to realize a non-binary combiner (for e.g., a three-way) and can be synergistically optimized for low VSWR (voltage standing wave ratio), low insertion loss, high isolation, and wide bandwidth using commercial off-the-shelf electromagnetic software design tools.

Simons, Rainee N.↗
NASA NTRS1981

An analysis of short pulse and dual frequency radar techniques for measuring ocean wave spectra from satellites

A four frequency moment characterization of backscatter from the near-vertical is applied to an analysis of the short pulse and dual frequency microwave techniques. The range reflectivity modulation spectrum closely approximates the directional wave slope spectrum, while harmonic distortion is small and is a minimum near 10 deg incidence. The short pulse measurement signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is typically greater than the narrowband dual frequency SNR, with the difference being the ratio of the range beam extent to pulse length, minus the ratio of beam-limited to pulse-limited Doppler spreads. It is concluded that dual frequency measurements are basically impractical, although short pulse measurements are useful and can employ existing space-qualified microwave hardware.

Jackson, F. C.↗
NASA NTRS2015

Validation of Rain Rate Retrievals for the Airborne Hurricane Imaging Radiometer (HIRAD)

The NASA Hurricane and Severe Storm Sentinel (HS3) mission is an aircraft field measurements program using NASA's unmanned Global Hawk aircraft system for remote sensing and in situ observations of Atlantic and Caribbean Sea hurricanes. One of the principal microwave instruments is the Hurricane Imaging Radiometer (HIRAD), which measures surface wind speeds and rain rates. For validation of the HIRAD wind speed measurement in hurricanes, there exists a comprehensive set of comparisons with the Stepped Frequency Microwave Radiometer (SFMR) with in situ GPS dropwindsondes [1]. However, for rain rate measurements, there are only indirect correlations with rain imagery from other HS3 remote sensors (e.g., the dual-frequency Ka- & Ku-band doppler radar, HIWRAP), which is only qualitative in nature. However, this paper presents results from an unplanned rain rate measurement validation opportunity that occurred in 2013, when HIRAD flew over an intense tropical squall line that was simultaneously observed by the Tampa NEXRAD meteorological radar (Fig. 1). During this experiment, Global Hawk flying at an altitude of 18 km made 3 passes over the rapidly propagating thunderstorm, while the TAMPA NEXRAD perform volume scans on a 5-minute interval. Using the well-documented NEXRAD Z-R relationship, 2D images of rain rate (mm/hr) were obtained at two altitudes (3 km & 6 km), which serve as surface truth for the HIRAD rain rate retrievals. A preliminary comparison of HIRAD rain rate retrievals (image) for the first pass and the corresponding closest NEXRAD rain image is presented in Fig. 2 & 3. This paper describes the HIRAD instrument, which 1D synthetic-aperture thinned array radiometer (STAR) developed by NASA Marshall Space Flight Center [2]. The rain rate retrieval algorithm, developed by Amarin et al. [3], is based on the maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) technique, which compares the observed Tb's at the HIRAD operating frequencies of 4, 5, 6 and 6.6 GHz with corresponding theoretical Tb values from a forward radiative transfer model (RTM). The optimum solution is the integrated rain rate that minimizes the difference between RTM and observed values. Because the excess Tb from rain comes from the direct upwelling and the indirect reflected downwelling paths through the atmosphere, there are several assumptions made for the 2D rain distribution in the antenna incident plane (crosstrack to flight direction). The opportunity to knowing 2D rain surface truth from NEXRAD at two different altitudes will enable a comprehensive evaluation to be preformed and reported in this paper.

hurricane↗
NASA NTRS1981

A frequency and timing subsystem for the ORION mobile unit

A mobile surveying instrument in support of the crustal dynamics program measures the length and direction of the distance between sites on the Earth's surface using VLBI techniques operating at microwave frequencies and extragalactic radio sources. The frequency and timing subsystem uses as a frequency standard the hydrogen maser. An important part of the subsystem is a sophisticated automatic system to monitor frequency stability and accumulated clock error.

Clements, P. A.↗
NASA NTRS2021

Constrained Inversion of a Microwave Snowpack Emission Model Using Dictionary Matching: Applications for GPM Satellite

This article presents a new algorithmic framework for multilayer inversion of the dense media radiative transfer (DMRT) equations of snowpack emission, with particular emphasis on the role of high-frequency microwave channels above 60 GHz. The approach relies on dictionary matching and locally constrained least squares. The results demonstrate that the algorithm can invert the DMRT model and retrieve depth, density, and grain size of a single-layer snowpack when dependencies of density and grain size on depth are properly accounted for. However, as the number of layers increases, the sensitivity of the inversion to observation noise grows markedly. Using observations, over the Great Plains in the United States, from the microwave imager onboard the global precipitation measurement (GPM, 10-166 GHz) core satellite, the initial results demonstrate that under a clear-sky condition and no vegetation canopy, the algorithm is capable to retrieve the snow depth and water equivalent of seasonal snow with a mean absolute error (MAE) of less than 0.15 m--when compared to the high-resolution analysis data from the SNOw Data Assimilation System (SNODAS).

Snow↗
NASA NTRS1983

Greenland 1979 microwave remote sensing data catalog report, 14-15 October 1979

Microwave remote sensing measurements were cataloged for active and passive instruments in support of the 1979 Greenland Remote Sensing Experiment. Instruments used in this field experiment include the stepped frequency microwave radiometer (4 to 8 GHz) and the airborne microwave scatterometer (14.6 GHz). The microwave signature data are inventoried and cataloged in a user friendly format and are available on 9 track computer compatible tapes upon request.

Hennigar, H. F.↗
NASA NTRS2021

Applications of Dynamic Land Surface Information for Passive Microwave Precipitation Retrieval

Accurate, physically based precipitation retrieval over global land surfaces is an important goal of the NASA/JAXA Global Precipitation Measurement Mission (GPM). This is a difficult problem for the passive microwave constellation, as the signal over radiometrically warm land surfaces in the microwave frequencies means that the measurements used are indirect and typically require inferring some type of relationship between an observed scattering signal and precipitation at the surface. GPM, with collocated radiometer and dual-frequency radar, is an excellent tool for tackling this problem and improving global retrievals. In the years following the launch of the GPM Core Observatory satellite, physically based passive microwave retrieval of precipitation over land continues to be challenging. Validation efforts suggest that the operational GPM passive microwave algorithm, the Goddard profiling algorithm (GPROF), tends to overestimate precipitation at the low (<5 mm h−1) end of the distribution over land. In this work, retrieval sensitivities to dynamic surface conditions are explored through enhancement of the algorithm with dynamic, retrieved information from a GPM-derived optimal estimation scheme. The retrieved parameters describing surface and background characteristics replace current static or ancillary GPROF information including emissivity, water vapor, and snow cover. Results show that adding this information decreases probability of false detection by 50% and, most importantly, the enhancements with retrieved parameters move the retrieval away from dependence on ancillary datasets and lead to improved physical consistency.

Sarah Ringerud↗
NASA NTRS1981

Effects of antenna blockage on radio frequency performance of the microwave radiometer spacecraft

Radio frequency scaled models of the microwave radiometer spacecraft suspended feed concept were tested to determine the effects of aperture blockage on the antenna radiation pattern. Contributors to the uncertainty of the test measurements were evaluated, and an estimate of the blockage effects was made for comparison with the test measurements. The gain loss budget associated with reflector performance characteristics (aperture blockage, surface reflectivity, reflector roughness, and defocus) was determined.

Sikes, L. D.↗
NASA NTRS1984

A reexamination of soil textural effects on microwave emission and backscattering

Microwave frequency measurements of moist soil dielectric properties are noted to challenge the validity of percent-of-field-capacity as a moisture indicator that is independent of soil texture in terms of microwave sensitivity. In arriving at this view, gravimetric, volumetric, and percent-of-field-capacity were tested for their ability to reduce dielectric behavior divergence between soil textures at 1.4 and 5.0 GHz. The most congruent dielectric behavior between soil textures is found to occur when soil moisture is expressed on a volumetric basis that is proportional to the number of water dipoles/unit volume. An inadequate characterization of soil bulk density in the field, combined with the dependency of bulk density on water retention at field capacity, offers the most plausible explanation for the earlier conclusions.

Dobson, M. C.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Microwave remote sensing of soil moisture

Knowledge of soil moisture is important to many disciplines, such as agriculture, hydrology, and meteorology. Soil moisture distribution of vast regions can be measured efficiently only with remote sensing techniques from airborne or satellite platforms. At low microwave frequencies, water has a much larger dielectric constant than dry soil. This difference manifests itself in surface emissivity (or reflectivity) change between dry and wet soils, and can be measured by a microwave radiometer or radar. The Microwave Sensors and Data Communications Branch is developing microwave remote sensing techniques using both radar and radiometry, but primarily with microwave radiometry. The efforts in these areas range from developing algorithms for data interpretation to conducting feasibility studies for space systems, with a primary goal of developing a microwave radiometer for soil moisture measurement from satellites, such as EOS or the Space Station. These efforts are listed.

Shiue, J. C.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Estimated accuracy of ground-based liquid water measurements during FIRE

Since on goal of the First ISCCP Regional Experiment (FIRE) project is to improve our understanding of the relationships between cloud microphysics and cloud reflectivity, it is important that the accuracy of remote liquid measurements by microwave radiometry be thoroughly understood. The question is particularly relevant since the uncertainty in the absolute value of the radiometric liquid measurement is greatest at low liquid water contents (less than 0.1 mm). However it should be stressed that although uncertainty exists in the absolute value of liquid, it is well known that the observed radiometric signal is proportional to the amount of liquid in the antenna beam. As a result, changes in amounts of liquid are known to greater accuracy than the absolute value, which may contain a bias. Here, an assessment of the liquid measurement accuracy attained at San Nicolas Island (SNI) is presented. The vapor and liquid water data shown were computed from the radiometric brightness temperatures using statistical retrieval algorithms. The retrieval coefficients were derived from the 69 soundings made by Colorado State University during the SNI observations. Sources of error in the vapor and liquid measurements include cross-talk in the retrieval algorithms (not a factor at low liquid contents), uncertainties in the brightness temperature measurement, and uncertainties in the vapor and liquid attenuation coefficients. The relative importance of these errors is discussed. For the retrieval of path-integrated liquid water, the greatest uncertainty is caused by the temperature dependence of the absorption at microwave frequencies. As a result, the accuracy of statistical retrieval of liquid depends to large measure upon how representative the a priori radiosonde data are of the conditions prevailing during the measurements. The microwave radiometer measurements at SNI were supplemented by an infrared (IR) radiometer modified for measurement of cloud-base temperature. Thus, the IR system provides the means to incorporate continuous measurements of the liquid temperature into the retrieval process.

Snider, Jack B.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Microwave radiometric measurements of sea-surface parameters

A technique to remotely measure sea-surface temperature and salinity (for concentrations greater than 5 parts-per-thousand) with accuracies of 1 C and 1 part-per-thousand, respectively, was demonstrated with a two-frequency microwave radiometer system.

Kendall, B. M.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Received optical power calculations for optical communications link performance analysis

The factors affecting optical communication link performance differ substantially from those at microwave frequencies, due to the drastically differing technologies, modulation formats, and effects of quantum noise in optical communications. In addition detailed design control table calculations for optical systems are less well developed than corresponding microwave system techniques, reflecting the relatively less mature state of development of optical communications. Described below are detailed calculations of received optical signal and background power in optical communication systems, with emphasis on analytic models for accurately predicting transmitter and receiver system losses.

Marshall, W. K.↗
NASA NTRS1999

New Generation Lidar Technology and Applications

Lidar has been a tool for atmospheric research for several decades. Until recently routine operational use of lidar was not known. Problems have involved a lack of appropriate technology rather than a lack of applications. Within the last few years, lidar based on a new generation of solid state lasers and detectors have changed the situation. Operational applications for cloud and aerosol research applications are now well established. In these research applications, the direct height profiling capability of lidar is typically an adjunct to other types of sensing, both passive and active. Compact eye safe lidar with the sensitivity for ground based monitoring of all significant cloud and aerosol structure and the reliability to operate full time for several years is now in routine use. The approach is known as micro pulse lidar (MPL). For MPL the laser pulse repetition rate is in the kilohertz range and the pulse energies are in the micro-Joule range. The low pulse energy permits the systems to be eye safe and reliable with solid state lasers. A number of MPL systems have been deployed since 1992 at atmospheric research sites at a variety of global locations. Accurate monitoring of cloud and aerosol vertical distribution is a critical measurement for atmospheric radiation. An airborne application of lidar cloud and aerosol profiling is retrievals of parameters from combined lidar and passive sensing involving visible, infrared and microwave frequencies. A lidar based on a large pulse, solid state diode pumped ND:YAG laser has been deployed on the NASA ER-2 high altitude research aircraft along with multi-spectral visible/IR and microwave imaging radiometers since 1993. The system has shown high reliability in an extensive series of experimental projects for cloud remote sensing. The retrieval of cirrus radiation parameters is an effective application for combined lidar and passive sensing. An approved NASA mission will soon begin long term lidar observation of atmospheric structure from space. The Geoscience Laser Altimeter System (GLAS) of the Earth Observing System is scheduled for deployment in the 2001 time frame. GLAS is both a cloud and aerosol lidar and a surface altimeter, principally for monitoring of polar ice sheets. The GLAS instrument is based on all solid state lasers operating at 40 Hz and high efficiency, solid state detectors. The design lifetime is three to five years. Data from the GLAS mission is expected to revolutionize some aspects of our understanding of the global distribution of cloud and aerosols for global climate prediction.

Spinhirne, James D.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Radar measurement of soil moisture content

The effect of soil moisture on the radar backscattering coefficient was investigated by measuring the 4-8 GHz spectral response from two types of bare-soil fields: slightly rough and very rough, in terms of the wavelength. An FM-CW radar system was used to measure the return at 10 frequency points across the 4-8 GHz band, at different look angles, and for all polarization combinations. The results indicate that the radar response to soil moisture content is highly dependent on the surface roughness, microwave frequency, and look angle. The response seems to be linear over the range 15%-30% moisture content for all angles, frequencies, polarizations and surface conditions.

Ulaby, F. T.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Pushbroom radiometry and its potential using large space antennas

Electromagnetic radiation is emitted by matter which was heated to a temperature above absolute zero. The amount of blackbody radiation in the microwave frequency region of interest (10 to the 8th power f 10 to the 10th power Hz) emitted by matter can be determined from the Rayleigh-Jeans approximation to Planck's Radiation Law. The amount of electromagnetic radiation from matter which is not a blackbody is a function of the emissivity of the material. The emissivity is a factor less than unity and is a function of several parameters including chemical composition, temperature, frequency, surface characteristics, and viewing angle. A radiometer is an instrument which detects and provides a measure of the electromagnetic radiation being emitted by a material or surface area within the radiometer's antenna beamwidth. Microwave radiometers provide the capability for remote measurements from Earth orbits of geophysical parameters. These measurements will require the use of a microwave imaging radiometer using a large aperture deployable antenna with multiple beams in a pushbroom mode to achieve high spatial resolution and large swath width.

Harrington, R. F.↗
NASA NTRS1998

A Cryogenic GaAs PHEMT/ Ferroelectric Ku-Band Tunable Oscillator

A Ku-band tunable oscillator operated at and below 77 K is described. The oscillator is based on two separate technologies: a 0.25 mm GaAs pseudomorphic high electron mobility transistor (PHEMT) circuit optimized for cryogenic operation, and a gold microstrip ring resonator patterned on a thin ferroelectric (SrTiO3) film which was laser ablated onto a LaAlO3 substrate. A tuning range of up to 3% of the center frequency was achieved by applying dc bias between the ring resonator and ground plane. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first tunable oscillator based on a thin film ferroelectric structure demonstrated in the microwave frequency range. The design methodology of the oscillator and the performance characteristics of the tunable resonator are described.

Romanofsky, Robert R.↗