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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 307 records · Page 17
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NASA NTRS2006

Miniature Ground Penetrating Radar, CRUX GPR

Under NASA instrument development programs (PIDDP 2000-2002, MIPD 2003-2005, ESR and T, 2005) we have been developing miniature ground penetrating radars (GPR) for use in mapping subsurface stratigraphy from planetary rovers for Mars and lunar applications. The Mars GPR is for deeper penetration (up to 50 m depth) into the Martian subsurface at moderate resolution (0.5 m) for a geological characterization. As a part of the CRUX (Construction and Resource Utilization Explorer) instrument suite, the CRUX GPR is optimized for a lunar prospecting application. It will have shallower penetration (5 m depth) with higher resolution (10 cm) for construction operations including ISRU (in-situ resource utilization).

ground penetrating radars (GPR↗
NASA NTRS2014

A Microfabricated 8-40 GHz Dual-Polarized Reflector Feed

Planar antennas based on tightly coupled dipole arrays (also known as a current sheet antenna or CSA) are amenable for use as electronically scanned phased arrays. They are capable of performance nearing a decade of bandwidth. These antennas have been demonstrated in many implementations at frequencies below 18 GHz. This paper describes the implementation using a relatively new multi-layer microfabrication process resulting in a small, 6x6 element, dual-linear polarized array with beamformer that operates from 8 to 40 GHz. The beamformer includes baluns that feed the dual-polarized differential antenna elements and reactive splitter networks that also cover the full frequency range of operation. This antenna array serves as a reflector feed for a multi-band instrument designed to measure snow water equivalent (SWE) from airborne platforms. The instrument has both radar and radiome try capability at multiple frequencies. Scattering-parameter and time-domain measurements have been used to characterize the array feed. Radiation patterns of the antenna have been measured and are compared to simulation. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this work represents the most integrated multi-octave millimeter-wave antenna feed fabricated to date.

current sheet antenna↗
NASA NTRS2009

Proceedings of the 40th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference

The 40th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference included sessions on: Phoenix: Exploration of the Martian Arctic; Origin and Early Evolution of the Moon; Comet Wild 2: Mineralogy and More; Astrobiology: Meteorites, Microbes, Hydrous Habitats, and Irradiated Ices; Phoenix: Soil, Chemistry, and Habitability; Planetary Differentiation; Presolar Grains: Structures and Origins; SPECIAL SESSION: Venus Atmosphere: Venus Express and Future Missions; Mars Polar Caps: Past and Present; SPECIAL SESSION: Lunar Missions: Results from Kaguya, Chang'e-1, and Chandrayaan-1, Part I; 5 Early Nebula Processes and Models; SPECIAL SESSION: Icy Satellites of Jupiter and Saturn: Cosmic Gymnasts; Mars: Ground Ice and Climate Change; SPECIAL SESSION: Lunar Missions: Results from Kaguya, Chang'e-1, and Chandrayaan-1, Part II; Chondrite Parent-Body Processes; SPECIAL SESSION: Icy Satellites of Jupiter and Saturn: Salubrious Surfaces; SNC Meteorites; Ancient Martian Crust: Primary Mineralogy and Aqueous Alteration; SPECIAL SESSION: Messenger at Mercury: A Global Perspective on the Innermost Planet; CAIs and Chondrules: Records of Early Solar System Processes; Small Bodies: Shapes of Things to Come; Sulfur on Mars: Rocks, Soils, and Cycling Processes; Mercury: Evolution and Tectonics; Venus Geology, Volcanism, Tectonics, and Resurfacing; Asteroid-Meteorite Connections; Impacts I: Models and Experiments; Solar Wind and Genesis: Measurements and Interpretation; Mars: Aqueous Processes; Magmatic Volatiles and Eruptive Conditions of Lunar Basalts; Comparative Planetology; Interstellar Matter: Origins and Relationships; Impacts II: Craters and Ejecta Mars: Tectonics and Dynamics; Mars Analogs I: Geological; Exploring the Diversity of Lunar Lithologies with Sample Analyses and Remote Sensing; Chondrite Accretion and Early History; Science Instruments for the Mars Science Lander; . Martian Gullies: Morphology and Origins; Mars: Dunes, Dust, and Wind; Mars: Volcanism; Early Solar System Chronology; Seek Out and Explore: Upcoming and Future Missions; Mars: Early History and Impact Processes; Mars Analogs II: Chemical and Spectral; Achondrites and their Parent Bodies; and Planning for Future Exploration of the Moon The poster sessions were: Lunar Missions: Results from Kaguya, Chang'e-1, and Chandrayaan-1; LRO and LCROSS; Geophysical Analysis of the Lunar Surface and Interior; Remote Observation and Geologic Mapping of the Lunar Surface; Lunar Spectroscopy; Venus Geology, Geophysics, Mapping, and Sampling; Planetary Differentiation; Bunburra and Buzzard Coulee: Recent Meteorite Falls; Meteorites: Terrestrial History; CAIs and Chondrules: Records of Early Solar System Processes; Volatile and Organic Compounds in Chondrites; Crashing Chondrites: Impact, Shock, and Melting; Ureilite Studies; Petrology and Mineralogy of the SNC Meteorites; Martian Meteorites; Phoenix Landing Site: Perchlorate and Other Tasty Treats; Mars Polar Atmospheres and Climate Modeling; Mars Polar Investigations; Mars Near-Surface Ice; Mars: A Volatile-Rich Planet; Mars: Geochemistry and Alteration Processes; Martian Phyllosilicates: Identification, Formation, and Alteration; Astrobiology; Instrument Concepts, Systems, and Probes for Investigating Rocks and Regolith; Seeing is Believing: UV, VIS, IR, X- and Gamma-Ray Camera and Spectrometer Instruments; Up Close and Personal: In Situ Analysis with Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy and Mass Spectrometry; Jupiter and Inscrutable Io; Tantalizing Titan; Enigmatic Enceladus and Intriguing Iapetus; Icy Satellites: Cryptic Craters; Icy Satellites: Gelid Geology/Geophysics; Icy Satellites: Cool Chemistry and Spectacular Spectroscopy; Asteroids and Comets; Comet Wild 2: Mineralogy and More; Hypervelocity Impacts: Stardust Models, LDEF, and ISPE; Presolar Grains; Early Nebular Processes: Models and Isotopes; Solar Wind and Genesis: Measurements and Interpretation; Education and Public Outreach; Mercury; Pursuing Lunar Exploration; Sources and Eruptionf Lunar Basalts; Chemical and Physical Properties of the Lunar Regolith; Lunar Dust and Transient Surface Phenomena; Lunar Databases and Data Restoration; Meteoritic Samples of the Moon; Chondrites, Their Clasts, and Alteration; Achondrites: Primitive and Not So Primitive; Iron Meteorites; Meteorite Methodology; Antarctic Micrometeorites; HEDs and Vesta; Dust Formation and Transformation; Interstellar Organic Matter; Early Solar System Chronology; Comparative Planetology; Impacts I: Models and Experiments; Impacts II: Craters and Ejecta; Mars: Volcanism; Mars: Tectonics and Dynamics; Martian Stratigraphy: Understanding the Geologic History of Mars Through the Sedimentary Rock Record; Mars: Valleys and Valley Networks; Mars: Aqueous Processes in Valles Marineris and the Southern Highlands; Mars: Aqueous Geomorphology; Martian Gullies: Morphology and Origins; Mars: Dunes, Dust, and Wind; Mars: Remote Sensing; Mars: Geologic Mapping, Photogrammetry, and Cratering; Martian Mineralogy: Constraints from Missions and Laboratory Investigations; Mars Analogs: Chemical and Physical; Mars Analogs: Sulfates and Sulfides; Missions: Approaches, Architectures, Analogs, and Actualities; Not Just Skin Deep: Electron Microscopy, Heat Flow, Radar, and Seismology Instruments and Planetary Data Systems, Techniques, and Interpretation.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2016

NASA L-SAR Instrument for the NISAR (NASA-ISRO) Synthetic Aperture Radar Mission

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in the United States and the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) have partnered to develop an Earth-orbiting science and applications mission that exploits synthetic aperture radar to map Earth’s surface every 12 days or less. To meet demanding coverage, sampling, and accuracy requirements, the system was designed to achieve over 240 km swath at fine resolution, and using full polarimetry where needed. To address the broad range of disciplines and scientific study areas of the mission, a dual-frequency system was conceived, at L-band (24 cm wavelength) and S-band (10 cm wavelength). To achieve these observational characteristics, a reflector-feed system is considered, whereby the feed aperture elements are individually sampled to allow a scan-on-receive (“SweepSAR”) capability at both L-band and S-band. The instrument leverages the expanding capabilities of on-board digital processing to enable real-time calibration and digital beamforming. This paper describes the mission characteristics, current status of the L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (L-SAR) portion of the instrument, and the technology development efforts in the United States that are reducing risk on the key radar technologies needed to ensure proper SweepSAR operations.

beamforming↗
NASA NTRS1988

Advanced altimetry

The radar altimeter being developed for the Ocean Topography Experiment (TOPEX) will have an inherent instrument precision of 2 to 3 cm. While some minor refinements may be possible in the future, major geophysical advances could be made if altimetric measurements over a wide swath of the Earth's surface were possible. The NASA Headquarters Oceanic Processes Branch is supporting a 3-year investigation of the technological issues inherent in the precision measurement of topography from spaceborne platforms at angles off-nadir. To explore the off-nadir measurement of topography, a flexible, airborne radar instrument system is being developed. Its hardware design is now complete, and it is made up of several subsystems. The antenna selected is a dielectric lens of .894 m diameter. The RF subsystem uses phase-locked oscillators, FET solid-state amplifiers, and times four frequency multipliers to develop a transmit signal at a frequency of 36.0 GHz and a local oscillator signal at a frequency of 35.4 GHz. Lecroy 6880 digitizers under computer control digitize the five receiver outputs. The digital subsystem consists of six single-board Heurikon processors. At this time, the instrument construction continues with final system integration planned for November 1988.

Parsons, C. L.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Orbital-Radar v1.0.0: a tool to transform suborbital radar observations to synthetic EarthCARE cloud radar data

The Earth Cloud, Aerosol and Radiation Explorer (EarthCARE) satellite developed by the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) launched in May 2024 carries a novel 94 GHz cloud profiling radar (CPR) with Doppler capability. This work describes the open-source instrument simulator Orbital-Radar, which transforms high-resolution radar data from field observations or forward simulations of numerical models to CPR primary measurements and uncertainties. The transformation accounts for sampling geometry and surface effects. We demonstrate Orbital-Radar's ability to provide realistic CPR views of typical cloud and precipitation scenes. The presented case studies show small-scale convection, marine stratus clouds, and Arctic mixed-phase cloud cases. These results provide valuable insights into the capabilities and challenges of the EarthCARE CPR mission and its advantages over the CloudSat CPR. Finally, Orbital-Radar allows for evaluating kilometre-scale numerical weather prediction models with EarthCARE CPR observations. So, Orbital-Radar can generate calibration and validation (Cal/Val) data sets already pre-launch. Nevertheless, an evaluation of synthetic CPR output data to accurate EarthCARE CPR data is missing.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1974

Measurements of optical and midday auroras

Measurements made in the midday auroras are analyzed and compared to measurements from the nighttime auroras. Examples are given of coordinated programs in Alaska which involve satellites, radars, ground optical instrumentation, and other types of observing satellites for the study of auroras.

Sivjee, G. G.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Optical aurora and its relationship to measurements from satellites, VHF radar and incoherent scatter radars

Examples are given of coordinated programs in Alaska which involve satellites, radars, ground optical instrumentation, and other types of observing satellites for the study of atmospheric and magnetospheric geophysics. Programs include coincidence data acquisition, scheduled data acquisition, and planned experiments. The use of optical triangulation techniques to determine the position of the aurora in order to place the other measurements in the perspective of the overall auroral morphology is detailed.

Romick, G. J.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Facilities for meteorological research at NASA Goddard/Wallops Flight Facility

The technical characteristics of the Atmospheric Sciences Research Facility, the improvements being made to the instrumentation there which will enhance its usefulness in atmospheric research, and several of the on-going research programs are described. Among the area of atmospheric research discussed are clouds and precipitation, lightning, ozone, wind, and storms. Meteorological instruments including Doppler radar, spectrophotometers, and ozone sensors are mentioned. Atmospheric research relevant to aircraft design and COMSTAR communication satellites is briefly discussed.

Gerlach, J. C.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Imaging data

The primary, planetary imaging data base includes all images obtained in visible wavelengths by imaging camera systems aboard planetary spacecraft. (Excluded, due to the volume and complexity of the data, are images taken from Lunar or Earth orbital spacecraft). These estimated 145,000 individual images exist on 12,400 magnetic tapes in a digital format primarily as Experiment Data Records (EDRs); and most are accompanied by the Supplementary Experiment Data Records (SEDRs), which render the EDRs useful. Hardcopy pictures and negatives, the designated archive products for imaging experiments, along with color products and mosaics are maintained at the National space Science Data Center (NSSDC). Also included in the discussion of imaging data are two-dimensional data produced by spacecraft instruments other than optical sensors which may be considered images in a broad sense. Examples of these instruments are imaging radar systems, scanning infrared radiometers, and photopolarimeters.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1984

Outlook for research on subtropical marine stratiform clouds

A detailed description of the goals and methodology of the First International Satellite Cloud Cover Project Regional Experiment (FIRE) is presented. The purpose of the experiment is to develop physical models and parameterizations of fractional cloud cover over the Pacific Basin. In order to determine fractional cloud cover parameters, satellite observations by radar and lidar instruments will be combined with in situ measurements of the cloud-capped marine boundary layer. A description of a candidate experiment for the program is presented, and some general problems connected with the statistical characterization of satellite imagery are discussed.

Randall, D. A.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Plasma irregularities associated with a morning discrete auroral arc - Radar interferometer observations and theory

A description is given of E region auroral plasma irregularities associated with an intense auroral morning arc observed over Fort Churchill by radar. The observations are compared with data from an all-sky camera (ASC) operated at Fort Churchill by the National Research Council of Canada. The particular event described was chosen because of the rapid variation in structure and motion of the arc as it traveled through the radar beam. The horizontal vector electron drift velocity and electric field along the poleward boundary of the morning discrete auroral arc was successfully measured with a radar interferometer. This instrument provided information concerning the temporal and spatial structure of the electrostatic plasma turbulence in the arc. The observations are described.

Providakes, J.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Electric potential patterns deduced for the SUNDIAL period of September 23-26, 1986

High-latitude electric potential and ionospheric conductance patterns are presented and discussed for the Northern Hemisphere during the SUNDIAL period of September 23-26, 1986 using the Assimilative Mapping of Ionospheric Electrodynamics (AMIE) technique of Richmond and Kamide (1988). Data sources used for the model are satellite and ground magnetometers, electron precipitation instruments, incoherent scatter radars, and ionospheric coherent radars. The period was characterized by many substorms, and a wide variety of instantaneous patterns of electrodynamic parameters on a hemispheric scale are derived throughout this period, of which only a few examples are displayed. The entire set of electric potentials and conductances are being made available through the NCAR CEDAR Data Base for further analysis and utilization in simulation models.

Emery, B. A.↗
NASA NTRS1992

HUD Guidance for the ASKA Experimental STOL Aircraft using Radar Position Information

The paper describes a high performance HUD guidance system installed on the experimental powered-lift STOL aircraft Aska. Since the maiden flight in October 1985, the HUD system has been used in all the flight tests. The HUD has an accurate flight path symbol generated by inertial velocity from the IRS which is updated by up-linked precision radar position data. The flight path symbol is very useful for precise approach and flare control for Aska which has large ground effects. A synthetic runway is also presented, which is conformal with the real runway, using the position data from the ground tracking radar system. Under instrument meteorological conditions, the pilot can approach and land using the HUD synthetic runway as well as in visual meteorological conditions. The HUD system proved to be a valuable aid to the pilot for all the Aska flight tests. A NASA Ames Research Center test pilot demonstrated touch down accuracy of less than 8 meters (peak to peak) for a series of three landings.

Yazawa, Kenji↗
NASA NTRS1994

Validation of ERS-1 environmental data products

Evaluation of the launch-version algorithms used by the European Space Agency (ESA) to derive wind field and ocean wave estimates from measurements of sensors aboard the European Remote Sensing satellite, ERS-1, has been accomplished through comparison of the derived parameters with coincident measurements made by 24 open ocean buoys maintained by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration). During the period from November 1, 1991 through February 28, 1992, data bases with 577 and 485 pairs of coincident sensor/buoy wind and wave measurements were collected for the Active Microwave Instrument (AMI) and Radar Altimeter (RA) respectively. Based on these data, algorithm retrieval accuracy is estimated to be plus or minus 4 m/s for AMI wind speed, plus or minus 3 m/s for RA wind speed and plus or minus 0.6 m for RA wave height. After removing 180 degree ambiguity errors, the AMI wind direction retrieval accuracy was estimated at plus or minus 28 degrees. All of the ERS-1 wind and wave retrievals are relatively unbiased. These results should be viewed as interim since improved algorithms are under development. As final versions are implemented, additional assessments should be conducted to complete the validation.

Goodberlet, Mark A.↗
NASA NTRS1996

Robot Tools

Mecanotron, now division of Robotics and Automation Corporation, developed a quick-change welding method called the Automatic Robotics Tool-change System (ARTS) under Marshall Space Flight Center and Rockwell International contracts. The ARTS system has six tool positions ranging from coarse sanding disks and abrasive wheels to cloth polishing wheels with motors of various horsepower. The system is used by fabricators of plastic body parts for the auto industry, by Texas Instruments for making radar domes, and for advanced composites at Aerospatiale in France.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2005

Direct Detection Doppler Lidar Wind Measurements Obtained During the 2002 International H2O Project (IHOP)

The Goddard Lidar Observatory for Winds (GLOW) is a mobile Doppler lidar system that uses direct detection techniques for profiling winds in the troposphere and lower stratosphere. In May and June of 2002 GLOW was deployed to the Southern Great Plains of the US to participate in the International H2O Project (IHOP). GLOW was located at the Homestead profiling site in the Oklahoma panhandle about 15 km east of the SPOL radar. Several other Goddard lidars, the Scanning Raman Lidar (SRL) and HARLIE, as well as radars and passive instruments were permanently operated from the Homestead site during the IHOP campaign providing a unique cluster of observations. During the IHOP observation period (May 14, 2002 to June 25, 2002) over 240 hours of wind profile measurements were obtained with GLOW. In this paper we will describe the GLOW instrument as it was configured for the IHOP campaign and we will present examples of wind profiles obtained.

Gentry, Bruce↗