Radiation view factor program
Computer program, RAVFAC, calculates diffuse radiation view factors, using contour integrals. Technique is combined with finite difference /double summation/ technique to compose total program package.
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Computer program, RAVFAC, calculates diffuse radiation view factors, using contour integrals. Technique is combined with finite difference /double summation/ technique to compose total program package.
Global cloud model for computerized simulation of earth-viewing space missions
Neutron radiographic viewing system consisting of camera head and control processor is developed for use in nondestructive testing applications. Camera head consists of neutron-sensitive image intensifier system, power supply, and SEC vidicon camera head. Both systems, with their optics, are housed on test mount.
The need for a task that would collate and interpret Apollo results and provide a synthesized view of the moon is discussed. Comparisons are made between earth and moon structure and history.
The design, development and application of a neutron radiographic viewing system for use in nondestructive testing applications is considered. The system consists of a SEC vidicon camera, neutron image intensifier system, disc recorder, and TV readout. Neutron bombardment of the subject is recorded by an image converter and passed through an optical system into the SEC vidicon. The vidicon output may be stored, or processed for visual readout.
The history and progress of physical interpretations of physiological control, viewing life as a biochemical oscillator, are surveyed. Special attention is given to the author's studies (1964, 1965, 1968 and 1969) and to studies of Katchalsky (1969) who demonstrated a 1,000-A scale which may provide a basis for a biochemical oscillator.
The results of a questionnaire designed to gather information on how nonmeteorological scientists and engineers view meteorology and weather forecasting are summarized in this paper. The respondents were from two organizations, Texas A & M University and NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, the first representing the academic community and the latter the engineering community. While there were some differences between the groups, in most cases answers expressed in the opinionnaire by the two groups were essentially identical. The results revealed the following: Approximately three-fourths of the respondents use meteorological data and/or weather forecasts in their profession; the meaning of probability forecasts is very unclear with only 13% indicating the correct answer; television is the main source of weather information; approximately half of the respondents had never heard of the Global Atmospheric Research Program; and the opinion was almost unanimous that satellites had contributed significantly to weather observations and/or forecasts. Also, the results indicated a number of other ?problem' areas where some improvements are desired.
The unexploited value of the Nimbus meteorological sensor data relates to the satellites' ability for global, temporal, repetitive and uniform tonal and spatial coverage of the earth's surface. Examples are presented illustrating how synoptic views of large areas increase interpretive capability and enable focusing on large targets of interest. The effect of resolution of the Nimbus imaging systems on these observations is discussed, together with the assessment of the areal and temporal magnitude of changes observed by these systems. Two case studies are presented exemplifying the satellites' ability for repetitive observations enabling phenomena to be monitored under special conditions. One study deals with changes observed in the Antarctic ice conditions utilizing the Nimbus 2 and 3 television picture data. The other study deals with terrestrial changes in the Mississippi River Valley and the Niger River Valley (Africa), observed primarily in the 0.7 to 1.3 micron spectral band.
Existing global cloud models are improved and expanded so that they might be more effectively used in planning and evaluating potential earth-viewing space missions. A relationship is developed between the ground and satellite-derived cloud-amount frequency distributions. This relationship is used to improve internal consistency between the ground-observed unconditional statistics and the satellite-derived conditional statistics as tabulated in previous models. A statistical technique is developed which permits the scaling of the conditional statistics to time and distance separations other than those for which the data base is tabulated. A new technique to increase or decrease the representative area size of the statistical data base is developed. Both the scaling and area adjustment techniques are shown to represent significant improvements over the techniques previously employed.
Earth viewing space missions offer exciting new possibilities in several earth resources disciplines - geography, hydrology, agriculture, geology, and oceanography, to name a few. A most useful tool in planning experiments and applying space technology to earth observation is a statistical description of atmospheric parameters. Four dimensional atmospheric models and a world wide cloud model are used to produce atmospheric attenuation models to predict degradation effects for all classes of sensors for application to earth sensing experiments from spaceborne platforms. To insure maximum utility and application of these products, the development of an interaction model of microwave energy and atmospheric variables provides a complete description of the effects of atmospheric moisture upon microwaves.
An RF phase interferometer has been integrated into the ATS-F spacecraft attitude control system. Laboratory measurements indicate that the interferometer is capable of determining spacecraft attitude in pitch and roll to an accuracy of 0.18 deg over a field-of-view of plus or minus 12.5 deg about the spacecraft normal axis with an angular resolution of 0.004 deg. The system is completely solid state, weighs 17 pounds, and consumes 12.5 W of DC power.
A display system was developed to provide flight information to the ground based pilots of radio controlled models used in flight research programs. The display system utilizes data received by telemetry from the model, and presents the information numerically in the field of view of the binoculars used by the pilots.
The views of geothermal development from a utility company standpoint are presented. The impediments associated with such developments as required reliability and identification of risks are discussed. The utility industry historically is not a risk-taking industry. Support of rapid geothermal development by the utility industry requires identification and elimination of risks or absorption of the risks by other agencies. Suggestions as to the identification and minimization of risks are made.
An iterative method is presented to retrieve single field of view (FOV) tropospheric temperature profiles directly from cloud-contaminated radiance data. A well-defined temperature profile may be calculated from the radiative transfer equation (RTE) for a partly cloudy atmosphere when the average fractional cloud amount and cloud-top height for the FOV are known. A cloud model is formulated to calculate the fractional cloud amount from an estimated cloud-top height. The method is then examined through use of simulated radiance data calculated through vertical integration of the RTE for a partly cloudy atmosphere using known values of cloud-top height(s) and fractional cloud amount(s). Temperature profiles are retrieved from the simulated data assuming various errors in the cloud parameters. Temperature profiles are retrieved from NOAA-4 satellite-measured radiance data obtained over an area dominated by an active cold front and with considerable cloud cover and compared with radiosonde data. The effects of using various guessed profiles and the number of iterations are considered.
Photometers on the ISIS-II spacecraft provide a view of the atomic oxygen 5577-A and 6300-A emissions and the N2(+) 3914-A emission detected as dayside aurora in the magnetospheric cleft region. The 6300-A emission forms a continuous and permanent band across the noon sector, at about 78 deg invariant latitude, with a defined region of maximum intensity that is never less than 2 kR (uncorrected for albedo) and is centered near magnetic noon. There are significant differences in the intensity patterns on either side of noon and their responses to geomagnetic activity. Discrete 3914-A auroral forms appear within this region at preferred locations that cannot be precisely specified but which tend to the poleward edge of the 6300-A emission in the evening and the equatorward edge in the morning, where the difference between the two emissions is greatest. It is concluded that the discrete auroras observed by all-sky cameras in the day sector follow the 6300-A emission through the cleft region, though a definite cleft boundary is not defined.
The question of image distribution reconstruction for coherent illumination of an object located in the aperture far zone is considered from first principles without postulating any particular optical spread function. The object function is mathematically modeled as a complex random function of angular coordinates, and it is assumed that the object distribution of interest is angularly limited to a certain a priori assigned field of view (FOV). A linear reconstruction procedure that is uniformly optimal in the FOV is established by using the methods of statistical estimation. Two special cases are examined: imaging a limited sector of a wide-angle random scene and objects in the FOV immersed in a wide-angle background of angular noise. It is noted that the domain of application of the reconstruction method is restricted to microwave frequencies.
A method for simultaneous reproduction of images, requiring different amounts of time to reproduce, on a cathode ray tube (CRT) screen is disclosed. Ultrasonic sectional views and electrocardiogram curves are simultaneously reproduced on the CRT screen by producing the images on different areas of a screen with two phosphors having different persistence times and luminous colors, within the times required for the appearance of the images. In front of the area on which is produced the image requiring the shorter time is a color filter which is permeable to the color of the phosphor with the shorter persistence time by which absorbs the color of the other phosphor.
The paper presents a method for retrieving single field of view tropospheric temperature profiles directly from cloud-contaminated radiance data through the use of auxiliary data such as observed shelter temperatures and estimated cloud-top height. A model was formulated to calculate cloud parameters for use with the radiative transport equation at an estimated cloud-top level. The cloud and temperature data are used in conjunction with real and simulated radiance data from NOAA satellites.