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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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NASA NTRS1988

Choosing antenna aimpoints during occultations - A simple method for Galileo

Attempts have been made to design the trajectory of the Galileo orbiter so that it passes behind Jupiter, as viewed from earth, as many times as possible during the mission. During this type of pass, or occultation, the thick Jovian atmosphere acts as a lens, refracting a portion of the radio signal from the spacecraft toward earth. A method for calculating antenna aiming vectors during occultations is presented. This method meets the necessary accuracy requirements while offering a reduction in terms of complexity and usage of computer resources.

Wolf, Aron A.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Occultation evidence for an atmosphere on Pluto

Observations from different sources of Pluto occulting a 12th-magnitude star indicate an extended atmosphere around the planet. Here, data obtained from the 1 m telescope at the University of Tasmania, Hobart are interpreted in terms of a theory for occultation by an atmosphere whose thickness is comparable to the planetary radius. The data can be satisfactorily fitted with a methane atmosphere at plausible pressures and temperatures. The surface pressures inferred from this single chord are uncertain by an order of magnitude, but are consistent with spectroscopic constraints.

Hubbard, W. B.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Limits on the radius and a possible atmosphere of Charon from its 1980 stellar occultation

Walker's (1980) stellar occultation data for Charon are presently fit by a model which encompasses the possibility of differential refraction by an atmosphere, followed by a sudden occultation behind Charon's limb. The 601.5-km Charon radius lower limit thus obtained may serve as a constraint in models of the mutual event data; while the model fits considered support a Charonian atmosphere of indeterminate composition, time resolution is insufficient for certainty and the data may be interpretable as indications of either a slight extinction near Charon or an entirely unidentified and unassociated effect.

Elliot, J. L.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Results from 13-cm absorptivity and H2SO4 abundance profiles from the Season 10 (1986) Pioneer Venus Orbiter radio occultation experiment

Results are reported from 13-cm radio-occultation absorptivity measurements of H2SO4 in the northern-hemisphere atmosphere of Venus, obtained by the Pioneer Venus Orbiter on 23 orbits during late 1986 and early 1987. The theoretical basis of the occultation measurements is explained; the error-analysis procedures are outlined; and the data are presented in tables and graphs. The abundance and distribution of gaseous H2SO4 in the equatorial zone (11-25 deg N) are found to be significantly different from those at latitudes above 36 deg N, and evidence for a reduction in H2SO4 abundance since the 1979 measurements is detected.

Jenkins, Jon M.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Occultations by Uranus and Neptune - 1991-1999

The results of a photographic plate search are presented for stars as faint as mv = 14 which may be occulted by Uranus or Neptune or their rings between January 1, 1991 and December 31, 1999. Circumstances for the closest approach of Uranus to 76 stars and Neptune to 18 stars are presented. Occultations by Neptune's ring 'arcs' are predicted in 1992, 1997, and 1999.

Klemola, Arnold R.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Analysis of stellar occultation data for planetary atmospheres. I - Model fitting, with application to Pluto

Consideration is given to an analytic model for a stellar-occultation light curve developed for a small, spherically symmetric planetary atmosphere that includes thermal and molecular weight gradients in a region that overlies an extinction layer. The model incorporates two equivalent sets of parameters. One set specifies the occultation light curve in terms of signal levels, times, and time intervals. The other set specifies physical parameters of the planetary atmosphere. Equations are given for the transforming between the sets of parameters, including their errors and correlation coefficients. Detailed numerical calculations are presented for a benchmark case. The results obtained are consistent with the isothermal prediction of the 'methane-thermostat' model of Pluto's atmosphere.

Elliot, J. L.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Occultations of faint stars by Neptune and its rings - 1992-1999

As Neptune moves from the Galactic plane in the 1990s, fewer of the stars required for occultation studies able to shed light on its rings will be available. The Klemola and Mink (1991) search has been extended to the limits of the plates, where V magnitude is about 15.5, to yield additional possible occultations; these encompass 68 stars for the 1992-1999 period. Some of the stars have K magnitudes greater than 11.

Mink, Douglas J.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Lunar occultation visibility

The question of lunar occultation visibility of stars is examined from both a theoretical and an observational viewpoint. The background light caused by the lunar surface, the brightness caused by the lunar glare, the brightness of the sky for dark, twilight, and daytime conditions, and the effects of the telescopic optics are taken into consideration. The results are compared to give the limit on stellar visibility at the time of a lunar occultation, and the model results are graphically demonstrated as a function of various input parameters. Comparisons with observations show good agreement, with an uncertainty of about one-third of a magnitude.

Schaefer, Bradley E.↗
NASA NTRS1993

The Halogen Occultation Experiment

The Halogen Occultation Experiment (HALOE) uses solar occultation to measure vertical profiles of O3, HCl, HF, CH4, H2O, NO, NO2, aerosol extinction, and temperature versus pressure with an instantaneous vertical field of view of 1.6 km at the earth limb. Latitudinal coverage is from 80 deg S to 80 deg N over the course of 1 year and includes extensive observations of the Antarctic region during spring. The altitude range of the measurements extends from about 15 km to about 60-130 km, depending on channel. Experiment operations have been essentially flawless, and all performance criteria either meet or exceed specifications. Internal data consistency checks, comparisons with correlative measurements, and qualitative comparisons with 1985 atmospheric trace molecule spectroscopy (ATMOS) results are in good agreement. Examples of pressure versus latitude cross sections and a global orthographic projection for the September 21 to October 15, 1992, period show the utility of CH4, HF, and H2O as tracers, the occurrence of dehydration in the Antarctic lower stratosphere, the presence of the water vapor hygropause in the tropics, evidence of Antarctic air in the tropics, the influence of Hadley tropical upwelling, and the first global distribution of HCl, HF, and NO throughout the stratosphere. Nitric oxide measurements extend through the lower thermosphere.

Russell, James M., III↗
NASA NTRS1993

Geometry of the Saturn system from the 3 July 1989 occultation of 28 Sgr and Voyager observations

The pole direction and radius scale for the ring system of Saturn are presently determined by combining the July 3, 1989 observations of 28 Sgr's occultation by Saturn with Voyager 1 and 2 photopolarimeter occultation measurements. The computation of ring-orbit models is separately conducted via a sky-plane method and a solar system barycentric vector approach; the results obtained by both methods are in excellent agreement. If Voyager trajectory uncertainties are assumed to be negligible, these observations can be used to determine the precession rate of the pole of Saturn about the solar system's invariable pole.

French, Richard G.↗
NASA NTRS1993

The occultation of 28 Sgr by Saturn - Saturn pole position and astrometry

Saturn's ring plane-defined pole position is presently derived from the geometry of Saturn's July 3, 1989 occultation of 28 Sgr, as indicated by the timings of 12 circular edges in the Saturn C-ring as well as the edges of the Encke gap and the outer edge of the Keeler gap. The edge timings are used to solve for the position angle and opening angle of the apparent ring ellipses; the internal consistency of the data set and the redundancy of stations indicates an absolute error of the order of 5 km. The pole position thus obtained is consistent with the pole and ring radius scale derived from Voyager occultation observations.

Hubbard, W. B.↗
NASA NTRS1993

IRTF observations of the occultation of 28 Sgr by Saturn

NASA's Mauna Kea IR Telescope Facility obtained an IR-imaging time series for the July 3, 1989 occultation of 28 Sgr by Saturn and its rings; the stellar signal is present in these images throughout the ring occultation event. These data are noted to vary systematically with respect to the Voyager data over large radius scales, perhaps due to stellar signal diffraction through the rings. The stellar diameter, which is projected to be about 20 km, placed most bending- and density-wave trains below measurable resolution. Masses and mean optical depths are presented for individual ring sections.

Harrington, Joseph↗
NASA NTRS1993

Cloud, dust, and ozone vertical profiles from solar occultation measurements: Implications for dynamics

An instrument was designed for solar occultation measurements of the martian atmosphere from the Phobos spacecraft. It was composed of three different dispersive systems working in the ultraviolet (UV: 0.22-0.32 microns) for the measurement of O3 and aerosols, in the near infrared (NIR: 0.76 microns, 0.94 microns) for the detection of O2 and H2O, and in the infrared (IR: 1.9 microns, 3.7 microns) where CO2 and H2O were measured. A detailed description of the instrument may be found in the special issue of Nature. Its principle objective is to measure from the Phobos orbit the spectrum of the Sun, modified by atmospheric extinction, during sunset. The UV-NIR spot has an angular diameter of 1 arcmin, or approximately 3 km vertical resolution, and is located near the center of the solar disk. The IR field is about twice as large and its line of sight is shifted by 8.5 arcmin, or approximately 20 km, relative to the previous one. It is therefore located near the edge of the solar disk. Sampling times are generally 0.5, 1, and 2 s for IR, UV, and NIR channels respectively, corresponding to vertical excursions of the line of sight of 1, 2, and 4 km respectively under nominal conditions. The instrument operated from February 8 to March 26 (the martian equinox occurred on February 17). The latitude of the intersection of the Sun-spacecraft axis with the surface of Mars varied from -11 to +20, the seasonal date L(sub s) being in the range 0 - 20. All measurements were therefore made near northern spring equinox in equatorial regions. Due to an error in the pointing system, only partial results were obtained, the region below approximately equals 30 km altitude being never sounded by the UV-NIR spectrometer. On the contrary, nine complete occultations were obtained in the IR channels, whose line of sight was fortunately approximately equals 20 km below the UV-NIR axis.

Chassefiere, E.↗
NASA NTRS1994

GOMOS: Gobal Ozone Monitoring by Occultation of Stars

In this paper we report on the progress and status of the Global Ozone Monitoring by Occultation of Stars (GOMOS) instrument, and imaging spectrometer under development for flight on the European Space Agency's Polar Orbiting Earth Mission (POEM-1) mission in 1998. Employing occultation of stars as a light probe of the Earth's atmosphere from a sun-sychronous polar orbit, the instrument will monitor ozone and other atmospheric trace gases over the entire globe. Atmospheric transmission resolution of approximately 1.7 km. When data are combined regionally, it will be possible to detect ozone concentration trends as small as 0.05 percent/year, depending on the degree of combination.

Leppelmeier, G. W.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Magellan radio occultation measurements of atmospheric waves on Venus

Radio occultation experiments were conducted at Venus on three consecutive orbits of the Magellan spacecraft in October 1991. Each occultation occurred over the same topography (67 deg N, 127 deg E) and at the same local time (22 hr 5 min), but the data are sensitive to zonal variations because the atmosphere rotates significantly during one orbit. Through comparisons between observations and predictions of standard wave theory, we have demonstrated that small-scale oscillations in retrieved temperature profiles as well as scintillations in received signal intensity are caused by a spectrum of vertically propagating internal gravity waves. There is a strong similarity between the intensity scintillations observed here and previous measurements, which pertain to a wide range of locations and experiment dates. This implies that the same basic phenomenon underlies all the observations and hence that gravity waves are a persistent, global feature of Venus' atmosphere. We obtained a fairly complete characterization of a gravity wave that appears above the middle cloud in temperature measurements on all three orbits. The amplitude and vertical wavelength are about 4 K and 2.5 km respectively, at 65 km. A model for radiative damping implies that the wave intrinsic frequency is approximately 2 x 10(exp 4) rad/sec, the corresponding ratio between horizontal and vertical wavelengths is approximately 100. The wave is nearly stationary relative to the surface or the Sun. Radiative attenuation limits the wave amplitude at altitudes above approximately 65 km, leading to wave drag on the mean zonal winds of about +0.4 m/sec per day (eastward). The sign, magnitude, and location of this forcing suggest a possible role in explaining the decrease with height in the zonal wind speed that is believed to occur above the cloud tops. Temperature oscillations with larger vertical wavelengths (5-10 km) were also observed on all three orbits, but we are able unable to interpret these unambiguously.

Hinson, David P.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Saturn's central flash from the 3 July 1989 occultation of 28 Sgr

We present observations of Saturn's central flash obtained from Palomar and McDonald Observatories during the 3 July 1989 occultation of 28 Sgr. As the star passed close to the geometric center of Saturn's shadow, the focusing of the incident starlight by the planet's atmosphere formed multiple stellar images along the limb which were detected in infrared images obtained at wavelengths of 3.9 (Palomar) and 2.1 microns (McDonald). These are the first reported observations of a central flash due to Saturn, and the first of any planet in which the signal flash from each stellar image could be determined separately, permitting a comparison of both intensity and position for each image with model predictions. Four separate flashes were observed from each observatory, corresponding to points on the limb where the starlight passed through the Cassini Division and the relatively transparent C Ring, with maximum brightness reaching 1-2% of the unocculted stellar intensity. The timing of the flashes is quite sensitive to the shape of Saturn's limb, which depends in turn on the planet's zonal gravity harmonics and on the zonal wind profile in the lower stratosphere, near the 2.5-mbar pressure level. The locations of the images along the limb, as well as the timing, shapes, and amplitudes of the individual flash light curves, are well matched by a smoothed model based on a tropospheric zonal wind profile obtained from tracking cloud features in Voyager images and the Saturn ring optical depth profile obtained from the Voyager Photopolarimeter experiment. The smoothing required to give the best match to the data exceeds that attributable to the finite angular extent of the occulted star and may be due to refractive scattering by turbulence or wave structure in Saturn's atmosphere. There is no evidence of significant atmospheric absorption at the observed wavelengths, which correspond to spectral regions of weak methane absorption.

Nicholson, Philip D.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Occultations of stars by asteroids in 1995 and 1996

Predictions, based on a computerized comparison of asteroid ephemerides with the catalog positions of 567,500 stars, are given for 155 occultations of stars by asteroids in 1995 and 1996. On average, the predictions are expected to be more accurate than in earlier searches because of the use of more modern star catalogs. A number of very favorable occultations, visible in North America and elsewhere, are discussed.

Wasserman, L. H.↗
NASA NTRS1996

On the Assessment and Uncertainty of Atmospheric Trace Gas Burden Measurements with High Resolution Infrared Solar Occultation Spectra from Space by the ATMOS Experiment

The Atmospheric Trace Molecule Spectroscopy (ATMOS) instrument is a high resolution Fourier transform spectrometer that measures atmospheric composition from low Earth orbit with infrared solar occultation sounding in the limb geometry. Following an initial flight in 1985, ATMOS participated in the Atmospheric Laboratory for Applications and Science (ATLAS) 1, 2, and 3 Space Shuttle missions in 1992, 1993, and 1994 yielding a total of 440 occultation measurements over a nine year period. The suite of more than thirty atmospheric trace gases profiled includes CO2, O3, N2O, CH4, H2O, NO, NO2, HNO3, HCl, HF, ClONO2, CCl3F, CCl2F2, CHF2Cl, and N2O5. The analysis method has been revised throughout the mission years culminating in the 'version 2' data set. The spectroscopic error analysis is described in the context of supporting the precision estimates reported with the profiles; in addition, systematic uncertainties assessed from the quality of the spectroscopic database are described and tabulated for comparisons with other experiments.

Abrams, M. C.↗