The image dissector camera - A new approach to spacecraft sensors.
Image dissector camera providing high resolving power, photometric fidelity and long life for use in meteorological satellite
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Image dissector camera providing high resolving power, photometric fidelity and long life for use in meteorological satellite
Processing of lunar television pictures and Fortran programs for processing computations on digital computer
Manufacturing, reliability, and quality control techniques used on Ranger Block III TELEVISION subsystem
Ranger television system design to obtain high resolution lunar surface photographs including ground recovery and flight systems
Soft landing of Luna-9 on moon - photographs of lunar landscape
Solid state image converter capable of imaging radiation from near infrared to 11,000 Angstrom
Television observations, soil sampling, lunar surface mechanical properties, lunar temperature and thermal characteristics, and other scientific results from Surveyor III mission
Hydrogen fire visualization detection techniques including application of photography, TV and image converter in IR and UV regions
An improved laser altimeter for a flight simulator which allows measurement of the height of the simulator probe above the terrain directly below the probe tip is described. A laser beam is directed from the probe at an angle theta to the horizontal to produce a beam spot on the terrain. The angle theta that the laser beam makes with the horizontal is varied so as to bring the beam spot into coincidence with a plumb line coaxial with the longitudinal axis of the probe. A television altimeter camera observes the beam spot and has a raster line aligned with the plumb line. Spot detector circuit coupled to the output of the TV camera monitors the position of the beam spot relative to the plumb line.
A Weld Operator's Remote Monitoring System (WORMS) for remote viewing of manual and automatic GTA welds has been developed for use in Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) manufacturing. This system utilizes fiberoptics to transmit images from a receiving lens to a small closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera. The camera converts the image to an electronic signal, which is sent to a videotape recorder (VTR) and a monitor. The overall intent of this system is to provide a clearer, more detailed view of welds than is available by direct observation. This system has six primary areas of application: (1) welder training; (2) viewing of joint penetration; (3) viewing visually inaccessible welds; (4) quality control and quality assurance; (5) remote joint tracking and adjustment of variables in machine welds; and (6) welding research and development. This paper describes WORMS and how it applies to each application listed.
George Diller, from NASA Public Affairs, introduces Bob Page who is the chairman of the NASA Intercenter Photo Working Group. Page discusses the purpose of the group which is to perform an analysis of all imagery captured of spacecraft launches. He presents charts to discuss return to flight optics. The charts consist of: 1) Overall Shuttle Imagery Plan; 2) Baseline Configuration Imagery; 3) Upgraded Operational Television (OTV) Cameras; 4) Mobile Launch Platform Cameras; 5) Fixed Service Structure Cameras; 6) Kimeto Tracking Mount (KMT); 7) MOTS (Mobile Optical Tracking System); 8) Intermediate Focal Length Optical Tracker (IFLOT); 9) Distant Object Attitude Measurement System (DOAMS); 10) Advanced Transportable Optical Tracking System (ATOTS); 11) STS-114 Pad Fixed Tracker Camera Configuration; 12) STS-114 Camera Medium and Long Range Tracker Configuration; 13) WB-57 Ascent Visualization Experiment (WAVE); 14) WAVE Profile, Plan View, CAD Flight Training, and Test Flight; 15) Minimum STS-114 Flight Cameras Configuration; 16) External Tank (ET) Separation Cameras; 17) ET Imagery; Umbilical and Handheld; 18) On-Orbit Imagery; and 19) Imagery Data Distribution Plan. The presentation ends with a brief question and answer period.
Electronic image amplification methods are used in variable star observations to increase significantly the volume of recorded information. Electronic cameras are the most efficient, while television cameras increase contrast of weak stars against the background of the sky.
Five all solid state cockpit television system (CTVS) cameras, built to USAF requirements for high performance type F-16 aircraft, were modified and tested for possible use in the closed circuit television system on the space shuttle orbiter. The 400 HZ power supply in the electronics unit assembly was replaced with two DC/DC converters to enable operation from 28VDC spacecraft-type power sources. Nonessential circuit functions were deleted to minimize input power requirements. The normal 31 mm focal length lense assemblies were replaced with wider field-of-view 19 mm focal length lenses. Base plates for and housings were redesigned to facilitate mounting and heat-sinking of the camera in the space environment and short length (14") adapter cables were designed, fabricated, and tested to meet requirements for cameras configured to mount on the astronauts helmet/visor assembly. Technical requirements, design implementation, environmental tests, Modifications prodedures, and reliability/quality efforts are discussed. Schematics are included.
Data compression allows video signals to be transmitted economically on telephone circuits. Telephone lines transmit television signals to remote traffic-control center. Lines also carry command signals from center to TV camera and compressor at highway site. Video system with television cameras positioned at critical points on highways allows traffic controllers to determine visually, almost immediately, exact cause of traffic-flow disruption; e.g., accidents, breakdowns, or spills, almost immediately. Controllers can then dispatch appropriate emergency services and alert motorists to minimize traffic backups.
Limited power and bandwidth transmission for portable camera of Apollo lunar television system
A first-order geometrical optics analysis of a facsimile camera augmented with an auxiliary lens as magnifier is presented. This concept, called quasi-microscope, bridges the gap between surface resolutions of the order of 1 to 10 mm which can be obtained directly with planetary lander cameras and resolutions of the order of 0.2 to 10 microns which can be obtained only with relatively complex microscopes. A facsimile camera was considered in the analysis; however, the analytical results can also be applied to television and film cameras. It was found that quasi-microscope resolutions in the range from 10 to 100 microns are obtainable with current state-of-the-art lander facsimile cameras. For the Viking lander camera having an angular resolution of 0.04 deg, which was considered as a specific example, the best achievable resolution would be about 20 microns. The preferred approach to increase the resolution of the quasi-microscope would be, if possible, through an increase in angular resolution of the camera. A twofold to threefold improvement in resolution could also be achieved with a special camera focus position, but this approach tends to require larger and heavier auxiliary optics.
During the Apollo 15 and 16 missions, a special camera provided the scientific community and the home viewer with real-time coverage of the lunar exploration. The lunar blast-off of the Apollo 16 ascent module was tracked by the mission controller at NASA's Manned Space Center and watched 250,000 miles away on earth. The operation of this television camera and the remote control unit are described and block diagrams given. Ground-command capability from the Mission Control Center permitted versatility and optimization of the TV coverage, without diverting the astronauts from their primary role of lunar exploration.
A digest of technical characteristics of remote sensors and supporting technological experiments uniquely developed under NASA Applications Programs for Earth Observation Flight Missions is presented. Included are camera systems, sounders, interferometers, communications and experiments. In the text, these are grouped by types, such as television and photographic cameras, lasers and radars, radiometers, spectrometers, technology experiments, and transponder technology experiments. Coverage of the brief history of development extends from the first successful earth observation sensor aboard Explorer 7 in October, 1959, through the latest funded and flight-approved sensors under development as of October 1, 1972. A standard resume format is employed to normalize and mechanize the information presented.