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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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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1977

Materials and techniques for spacecraft static charge control

An overview of the design, development, fabrication, and testing of transparent conductive coatings and conductive lattices deposited or formed on high resistivity spacecraft dielectric materials to obtain control static charge buildup on spacecraft external surfaces is presented. Fabrication techniques for the deposition of indium/tin oxide coatings and copper grid networks on Kapton and FEP Teflon films and special frit coatings for OSR and solar cell cover glasses are discussed. The techniques include sputtering, photoetching, silkscreening, and mechanical processes. A facility designed and built to simulate the electron plasma at geosynchronous altitudes is described along with test procedures. The results of material characterizations as well as electron irradiation aging effects in this facility for spacecraft polymers treated to control static charge are presented. The data presents results for electron beam energies up to 30 kV and electron current densities of 30 nA/cm squared. Parameters measured include secondary emission, surface leakage, and through the sample currents as a function of primary beam energy and voltage.

Amore, L. J.↗
NASA NTRS2011

HyspIRI Level-2 Thermal Infrared (TIR) land surface temperature and emissivity algorithm theoretical basis document.

This document outlines the theory and methodology for generating the HyspIRI TIR Level-2 land surface temperature and emissivity (LST&E) products. The LST&E products are derived from the surface radiance product that is calculated by atmospherically correcting the at-sensor radiance, making them interdependent products. LST&E products are essential for a wide range of Earth system studies.

Hook, Simon J.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

All-sky Retrieval of Atmospheric Temperature, Water Vapor, Clouds, Trace Gases, and Surface Properties from Operational Hyperspectral IR Sounders

Operational IR sounders such AIRS, CrIS, and IASI provide high quality hyperspectral measurements for weather and climate applications. We will describe a new all-sky Single Field-of-view Sounder Atmospheric Product (SiFSAP). The uniqueness of this product is that it uses all available channels from hyperspectral sounders and the optimal estimation retrieval is done at a single FOV spatial resolution. The SiFSAP includes atmospheric temperature, water vapor, clouds, trace gases, surface skin, and surface emissivity and will be produced operationally at NASA GES DISC. We will describe the core component of the SiFSAP algorithm, which is the Principal Component-based Radiative Transfer Model (PCRTM), and will show example applications of the SiFSAP product for various atmospheric weather and dynamics studies. We also describe a new Climate Fingerprinting Sounder Product (ClimFiSP), which is derived from spatiotemporally averaged level-1 hyperspectral radiances directly. The ClimFiSP algorithm uses consistent radiative kernels and a robust spectral fingerprinting method. It provides fast and accurate data fusion products from multiple satellite sensors. We have applied this method to both AIRS and CrIS (on SNPP and on NOAA 20) data and generated two decades climate data records for atmospheric temperature, water vapor, cloud, trace gases, and surface skin temperature. The ClimFiSP are being transitioned to NASA data centers for routine generations level-3 products.

pcrtm↗
NASA NTRS2011

Apparatus for Measuring Total Emissivity of Small, Low-Emissivity Samples

An apparatus was developed for measuring total emissivity of small, lightweight, low-emissivity samples at low temperatures. The entire apparatus fits inside a small laboratory cryostat. Sample installation and removal are relatively quick, allowing for faster testing. The small chamber surrounding the sample is lined with black-painted aluminum honeycomb, which simplifies data analysis. This results in the sample viewing a very high-emissivity surface on all sides, an effect which would normally require a much larger chamber volume. The sample and chamber temperatures are individually controlled using off-the-shelf PID (proportional integral derivative) controllers, allowing flexibility in the test conditions. The chamber can be controlled at a higher temperature than the sample, allowing a direct absorptivity measurement. The lightweight sample is suspended by its heater and thermometer leads from an isothermal bar external to the chamber. The wires run out of the chamber through small holes in its corners, and the wires do not contact the chamber itself. During a steady-state measurement, the thermometer and bar are individually controlled at the same temperature, so there is zero heat flow through the wires. Thus, all of sample-temperature-control heater power is radiated to the chamber. Double-aluminized Kapton (DAK) emissivity was studied down to 10 K, which was about 25 K colder than any previously reported measurements. This verified a minimum in the emissivity at about 35 K and a rise as the temperature dropped to lower values.

Tuttle, James↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Climate Fingerprinting Sounder Product (ClimFiSP) Skin Temperature Trends Analysis

Climate fingerprinting Sounder Product (ClimFiSP) has been developed at NASA Langley Research Center which includes daily skin temperature, surface emissivity, air temperature, H2O, trace gases, and cloud properties on 0.5x0.5 grid. Those properties are derived from IR hyper-spectral radiance measured by AIRS on Aqua and CrIS on SNPP and JPSS series. Global skin temperature trends have been derived using more than 20 years of monthly mean skin temperature data from ClimFiSP. The ClimFiSP algorithm use the spectral fingerprinting methodology that allows a low latency procession of more than two decades long satellite data record. The computational cost can be reduced by more than two orders of magnitude as compared with traditional Level-Level2-Level3 retrieval algorithms. In this presentation the global skin temperature trend from ClimFiSP will be compared with skin temperature trend derived from CLIMCAPS, ERA5, GISTEMP, HadCRUT5, and IASI data products, and the results show that pattern of ClimFiSP global skin temperature trends overall matches well with other datasets. The zonally averaged skin temperature anomaly will also be validated using those datasets. It is expected that ClimFiSP surface temperature data can serve as an important complement for surface-based estimates, especially in the regions where the spatial coverage of the surface-based observations is scarce.

Liqiao Lei↗
NASA NTRS2019

A Qualitative Investigation of Selected Infrared Flow Visualization Image Processing Techniques

The deployment and integration of high-sensitivity infrared cameras in a transonic wind tunnel testenvironment has resulted in a unique capability to image aerodynamic phenomena in real-time. Multi-camera infrared flow visualization data systems are now routinely utilized at the NASA Ames Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel. The small flow-induced temperature gradients on the surface of the wind tunnel test article coupled with the high bit-depth of the infrared camera sensor makes the processing of the image data critically important. An image processing routine must enhance features of interest with minimal artifacts. Additionally, the production wind tunnel test environment demands that these processed images are made available in a real-time, automatic fashion. Therefore, any image processing routine must be computationally economical and enhance the image data with minimal input from a human operator. The following seeks to qualitatively explore selected image processing techniques by assessing their effectiveness to resolve flow features on a wind tunnel test article. A multi-scale contrast enhancement technique is discussed as well as a new implementation of a multi-scale, non-interpolated adaptive histogram equalization. Finally, a novel method is introduced that demonstrates the ability to resolve flow features imaged on bare-steel test articles possessing low emissivity.This method makes use of dynamic mode decomposition and discrete-time filtering to separate the background reflections that dominate low emissivity surfaces from the aerodynamic driven surface temperature gradients.This process will be shown to resolve the onset of boundary layer transition on a bare metal wing as well as identify and resolve hidden features in the image data. While the implementation of this technique is very preliminary it demonstrates the potential to extend the application of infrared flow-visualization within the wind tunnel test environment.

Image Processeing↗
NASA NTRS1990

Aircraft-based radiometric imaging of tropospheric temperature and precipitation using the 118.75-GHz oxygen resonance

Passive microwave imaging of O2 emissions using the 118.75-GHz resonance has been investigated for tropospheric and stratospheric remote sensing of atmospheric temperature and precipitation. An imaging millimeter-wave spectrometer (MTS) using eight double-sideband channels centered around the 118.75-GHz resonance, and including a fixed-beam 53.65-GHz radiometer and video camera was constructed. The MTS collected data during 33 flights of the NASA-ER-2 high-altitude aircraft in 1986 during GALE and Cohmex, yielding the first high-spatial-resolution microwave images of atmospheric O2 brightness. The isolated 118-GHz line offers higher spatial resolution and precipitation sensitivity than O2 lines in the 5-mm band near 60 GHz. The brightness temperature perturbations of clouds in nonprecipitating regions are typically twice as large in the 118-GHz channels. However, observations over cirrus anvils show that the 118-GHz brightnesses are not adversely sensitive to some optically opaque cloud cover. Thus these channels are expected to be useful for temperature sounding in the presence of clouds, although retrieval ambiguities can result from variations in the water-vapor profile and surface emissivity.

Gasiewski, A. J.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Imdr Regio: The Geology of A Possible Active Hot Spot on Venus and A Target for Future Exploration By the ESA Envision Mission.

With Venus being the focus of future new missions like ESA’s EnVision, we need to look for target sites for future investigations on Venus. The different instruments will help to study the planet in a unprecedented detail. In particular, the VenSAR instrument will map the 20% of the surface of Venus at a resolution of 5 to 10 meters/pixel, so it gets crucial to select what areas of Venus deserve to be targeted for such a high-resolution mapping. We propose here Imdr Regio as a good candidate location for combined high resolution SAR mapping and for study with the rest of the mission instruments (e.g., Subsurface Radar Sounder). Imdr Regio is a large topographic rise that extends approximately from 35ºS-50ºS and 195ºE-225ºE between the volcanic plains of Helen, Nsomeka and Wawalag Planitiae. Imdr Regio was classified as a volcano-dominated topographic rise with a minimum-maximum diameter of 1200-1400 km and a swell height of 1.6 km. The southeast of Imdr Regio is dominated by Idunn Mons (46.5ºS/214.5ºE). Studies using the 1 µm (derived) surface emissivity from the Venus Express mission of the volcanic flows surrounding Idunn Mons suggest that high emissivity values in the volcano flanks are related to relatively unweathered basaltic rock and therefore indicative of a recent or even ongoing volcanic activity. We have carried out geologic mapping in the area to constrain volcanic and tectonic structures, and the geologic history of the large topographic rise. This geologic mapping reveals that different styles of volcanism are present across Imdr Regio and that this volcanic activity takes place in all the hot spot in close relation with the formation of a rift throughout all time represented by in the area. The first stages on the evolution of this large volcano are characterized by the formation of a radial fracture system and contemporaneous large sheet flows. These large sheet flows are locally difficult to distinguish from regional plains and are also deformed by regional N-trending wrinkle ridges. After this initial phase, multiple overlapping digitate flow units form the flanks and summit of the volcano and are contemporaneous with NW-SE trending fractures and graben of Olapa Chasma, a rift system that cross the topographic rise. To the northwest another large volcano also presents a system of radial fractures but lacks clear large sheet flows. Numerous pit chains are associated to fractures and graben, suggesting that transport of magma under the surface is important. The geologic history based on the mapping suggests that activity in Imdr Regio started with the emplacement of a plume/diapir in the southeast, which resulted in the formation of a radial dyke system and the emplacement of large sheet flows in Idunn Mons. The presence of other large volcanoes to the northwest suggests the presence of another magmatic source (plume or diapir). After this initial stage, volcanism continues in Idunn Mons and activity in the topographic rise is strongly related to the formation of Olapa Chasma. Rift-related volcanic flows postdate these other volcanoes and are contemporaneous with the late activity in Idunn Mons. Monogenetic volcanism is present in the rift and in all the units that are in the area.

I. López↗
NASA NTRS1999

A TRMM Rainfall Estimation Method Applicable to Land Areas

Methods developed to estimate rain rate on a footprint scale over land with the satellite-borne multispectral dual-polarization Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/1) radiometer have met with limited success. Variability of surface emissivity on land and beam filling are commonly cited as the weaknesses of these methods. On the contrary, we contend a more significant reason for this lack of success is that the information content of spectral and polarization measurements of the SSM/I is limited. because of significant redundancy. As a result, the complex nature and vertical distribution C, of frozen and melting ice particles of different densities, sizes, and shapes cannot resolved satisfactorily. Extinction in the microwave region due to these complex particles can mask the extinction due to rain drops. Because of these reasons, theoretical models that attempt to retrieve rain rate do not succeed on a footprint scale. To illustrate the weakness of these models, as an example we can consider the brightness temperature measurement made by the radiometer in the 85 GHz channel (T85). Models indicate that T85 should be inversely related to the rain rate, because of scattering. However, rain rate derived from 15-minute rain gauges on land indicate that this is not true in a majority of footprints. This is also supported by the ship-borne radar observations of rain in the Tropical Oceans and Global Atmosphere Coupled Ocean-Atmosphere Response Experiment (TOGA-COARE) region over the ocean. Based on these observations. we infer that theoretical models that attempt to retrieve rain rate do not succeed on a footprint scale. We do not follow the above path of rain retrieval on a footprint scale. Instead, we depend on the limited ability of the microwave radiometer to detect the presence of rain. This capability is useful to determine the rain area in a mesoscale region. We find in a given rain event that this rain area is closely related to the mesoscale-average rain rate. Based on this observation, in this study we have developed a method to estimate the mesoscale-average rain rate over land utilizing microwave radiometer data. Because of the high degree of geographic and seasonal variability in the nature and intensity of rain, this method requires some tuning with 15-minute rain gauge data on land. After tuning the method, it can be applied to an independent set of rain events that are close in time and space. We find that the mesoscale rain rates retrieved over the period of a month on land with this method shows a correlation of about 0.85 with respect to the surface rain-gauge observations. This mesoscale-average rain rate estimation method can be useful to extend the spatial and temporal coverage of the rainfall data provided by the Precipitation Radar on board the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite.

Prabhakara, C.↗
DOE OSTI2024

Aerosol Vertical Turbulent Mass Flux Retrievals Through Novel Remote Sensing Algorithm

Abstract Integrated measurements of aerosol, radiation, cloud, and turbulent transport in the planetary boundary layer (PBL) are essential for understanding and modeling climate and air quality. Here, we developed a new technique for the identification of convective turbulent regions and deriving the vertical distribution of aerosol turbulent mass fluxes within PBL. The algorithm uses retrievals from coherent Doppler lidars and a high spectral resolution lidar. The technique was applied to study particle mass fluxes over 2 months (November–December 2020) during the campaign conducted at the DOE Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Southern Great Plains (SGP) site in Lamont, Oklahoma. The algorithm developed here is capable of continuously deriving vertically resolved (curtains) aerosol mass fluxes. Our data analysis shows that at the site, the 30‐min averaged fluxes at 135 m above the surface were mainly positive (upward) at ∼1 μg m −2 s −1 , suggesting that the surface is the primary source of the particle mass supplied to the boundary layer at the SGP site. Analyses of the individual case studies have revealed that not all the derived fluxes can be linked to surface emissions. Both positive and negative values in a range of ±5 μg m −2 s −1 can be caused by convective thermals interacting between the residual layer and the mixed layer and by rotation of the horizontal wind with the height. Large erroneous negative fluxes can also be caused by drizzling/precipitating clouds. We anticipate that the application of the current technique will lead to a more realistic representation of aerosol mass budgets and bidirectional mixing rates.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2026

Spring Dust in Colorado Plateau: Transport Pathways and Interannual Variability Derived From Two Decades of MERRA‐2 Reanalysis

Spring dust storms in the U.S. Southwest significantly impact environmental and human systems, yet their climatological patterns and driving mechanisms remain poorly understood. Using two decades of MERRA-2 reanalysis data and self-organizing map clustering, we identified four distinct dust transport pathways from surrounding and remote deserts for the top 10% of spring dust events impacting the Colorado Plateau: (a) intense southwesterly near-surface transport where eastward upward transport is blocked by topography, (b) substantial remote transport plus weaker surface emissions, (c) moderate southwesterly transport with stronger upper-level transport, and (d) rare northwesterly pattern linked to the Great Basin sources, which accounts for 38%, 14%, 37%, and 11% of total events, respectively. The frequency and intensity of these events strongly correlate with large-scale climate variability, with increased dust events during La Niña. Our results provide a robust framework for improving seasonal dust forecasts and understanding future dust dynamics under climate change.

aerosol transport↗
DOE OSTI2025

Chemical imaging of individual stratospheric particles sampled over North America

The increasing size, severity, and frequency of wildfires have led to dramatic increases in particulate matter concentrations in the troposphere. Severe wildfires can generate intense convective systems capable of transporting large quantities of biomass burning organic aerosols (BBOA) to the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere (UTLS). Chemically complex organic matter and light-absorbing carbonaceous material is introduced into stratospheric regions that were historically isolated from direct surface emissions. In this study, stratospheric particles were sampled over North America during the Dynamics and Chemistry of the Summer Stratosphere (DCOTSS) campaign, an aircraft-based research project designed to characterize convective perturbation in the UTLS. Particle samples collected from six research flights during summer 2022 were analyzed using Computer-Controlled Scanning Electron Microscopy and Scanning Transmission X-ray Microscopy to investigate particle size distributions, morphology, chemical composition, and mixing state of stratospheric particles along transects across the continental United States and adjacent Pacific Ocean airspace. Analysis revealed that all sampled particles contained detectable levels of carbon, with most exhibiting organic volume fractions of 0.37 ± 0.20. Notably, about 5% of the particles also contained soot inclusions, which indicates the presence of refractory black carbon transported to stratospheric altitudes and provides direct evidence of wildfire-derived black carbon reaching the UTLS. Typical particle morphology exhibits organic shells over soot and inorganic cores and suggests secondary processing and aging of BBOA during transport to and within the UTLS. These findings provide compelling evidence that wildfire emissions play a critical role in affecting the long-term composition and radiative properties of stratospheric particles.

Sharpe, Steven [Purdue Univ., West Lafayette, IN (↗
NASA NTRS1968

Thermal control panel Patent

Development and characteristics of thermal sensitive panel for controlling ratio of solar absorptivity to surface emissivity for space vehicle temperature control

Osullivan, W. J., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1971

Life testing of metal-ceramic CO2 lasers

The main purpose of this program was to determine the life characteristics of nine space-qualified, metal-ceramic CO2 lasers. Lifetimes ranged between about 400 hours to over 2000 hours (the limit of testing) with a high degree of consistency in like groups. In all cases the tubes which had failed could be restored to near their original power by doubling the cathode current for 30 minutes. Periodic rejuvenation allowed operation for the full 2000 hours on all tubes. The failure mechanism appears to involve formation of NiO and C on the nickel cathode emission surface with subsequent absorption of tube gases.

Fahlen, T. S.↗