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Progress in extra-solar planet detection is reviewed. The following subject areas are covered: (1) the definition of a planet; (2) the weakness of planet signals; (3) direct techniques - imaging and spectral detection; and (4) indirect techniques - reflex motion and occultations.
Using data from Allegheny Observatory's Thaw/MAP astrometric system, absolute parallaxes are presented for Chi Cygni, 51 Andromedae, the newly discovered RS CVn variable OP Andromedae, and selected stars in these fields. Using existing angular diameter measures and the new parallaxes, linear diameters for Chi Cygni and 51 And are given. Chi Cygni has a perturbation in declination having a period of 0.75 yr and an amplitude of +/- 5 mas. Owing to the extreme variability of Chi Cygni, no further characterization of the system is possible at this time. Other results of spectral interest include the detection of a perturbation in the motion of BD +47 deg 466. This system was found to have a parallax of 14.4 +/- 1.2 mas.
SPOT panchromatic imagery is used to measure subresolution horizontal terrain displacements that are associated with earthquakes, sand dune migration, coastal processes, and glacial motion. The approach is aimed at detecting and measuring surface processes by statistically matching the radiometric patterns in the data that differ spatially in a consistent direction over many pixels. Data obtained from the satellite-derived imagery can facilitate the understanding of natural hazards and the determination of the rates of many environmental processes worldwide.
Due to the inherent danger of space exploration, the need for greater use of teleoperated and autonomous robotic systems in space-based applications has long been apparent. Autonomous and semi-autonomous robotic devices have been proposed for carrying out routine functions associated with scientific experiments aboard the shuttle and space station. Finally, research into the use of such devices for planetary exploration continues. To accomplish their assigned tasks, all such autonomous and semi-autonomous devices will require the ability to move themselves through space without hitting themselves or the objects which surround them. In space it is important to execute the necessary motions correctly when they are first attempted because repositioning is expensive in terms of both time and resources (e.g., fuel). Finally, such devices will have to function in a variety of different environments. Given these constraints, a means for fast motion planning to insure the correct movement of robotic devices would be ideal. Unfortunately, motion planning algorithms are rarely used in practice because of their computational complexity. Fast methods have been developed for detecting imminent collisions, but the more general problem of motion planning remains computationally intractable. However, in this paper we show how the use of multicomputers and appropriate parallel algorithms can substantially reduce the time required to synthesize paths for dexterous articulated robots with a large number of joints. We have developed a parallel formulation of the Randomized Path Planner proposed by Barraquand and Latombe. We have shown that our parallel formulation is capable of formulating plans in a few seconds or less on various parallel architectures including: the nCUBE2 multicomputer with up to 1024 processors (nCUBE2 is a registered trademark of the nCUBE corporation), and a network of workstations.
A large, previously undetected flux of small bodies near earth is identified by employing the standard technique of detection of an individual object in two consecutive frames. The observational periods and viewing coordinates for the search for small bodies are presented. A null test is performed in order to further demonstrate that the signatures in the images are not due to instrumental artifacts. The observed fluxes, orbital motions, and radii of the small bodies detected are in agreement with those for the small cometlike objects previously reported. It is pointed out that the radii of the small bodies would be in the range of meters. Since an alternative interpretation of the small bodies is possible, it is suggested that the use of a telescope with larger aperture and/or array detectors with lesser noise levels is necessary to confirm the present observations.
The paper discusses problems in the detection and measurement of ocean waves from their SAR images, in particular the measurement of the wavenumber spectrum of ocean-wave-height fluctuations. Comparisons on a limited set of pitch-roll buoy and SEASAT SAR measurements during the 1978 JASIN experiment reveal that degradation of SAR resolution caused by wave orbital motion is a crucial factor in the detection of waves by SAR images. Thus, waves with small slopes traveling perpendicular to the SAR flight path are more easily detected than waves with large slopes traveling along the flight path. Although the SAR estimates in this comparison were found to contain significant biases, they were in rough agreement with buoy measurements, provided the ocean wavelength was between about 120 and 400 m and the ocean wave direction was not approximately along the SAR flight path.
Tests of otolith function were performed pre-flight and post-flight on the science crew of the first Spacelab Mission with a rail-mounted linear acceleration sled. Four tests were performed using horizontal lateral (y-axis) acceleration: perception of linear motion, a closed loop nulling task, dynamic ocular torsion, and lateral eye deviations. The motion perception test measured the time to detect the onset and direction of near threshold accelerations. Post-flight measures of threshold and velocity constant obtained during the days immediately following the mission showed no consistent pattern of change among the four crewmen compared to their pre-flight baseline other than an increased variability of response. In the closed loop nulling task, crewmen controlled the motion of the sled and attempted to null a computer-generated random disturbance motion. When performed in the light, no difference in ability was noted between pre-flight and post-flight. In the dark, however, two of the four crewmen exhibited somewhat enhanced performance post-flight. Dynamic ocular torsion was measured in response to sinusoidal lateral acceleration which produces a gravitionertial stimulus equivalent to lateral head tilt without rotational movement of the head. Results available for two crewmen suggest a decreased amplitude of sinusoidal ocular torsion when measured on the day of landing (R+0) and an increasing amplitude when measured during the week following the mission.
An improved linear sled has been developed to provide precise motion stimuli without generating perceptible extraneous motion cues (a noiseless environment). A modified adaptive forced-choice method was employed to determine perceptual thresholds to whole-body linear sinusoidal motion in 25 subjects. Thresholds for the detection of movement in the horizontal plane were found to be lower than those reported previously. At frequencies of 0.2 to 0.5 Hz, thresholds were shown to be independent of frequency, while at frequencies of 1.0 to 3.0 Hz, thresholds showed a decreasing sensitivity with increasing frequency, indicating that the perceptual process is not sensitive to the rate change of acceleration of the motion stimulus. The results suggest that the perception of motion behaves as an integrating accelerometer with a bandwidth of at least 3 Hz.
We present a wavelet-based algorithm to identify dwarf galaxies in the Milky Way in Gaia DR2 data. Our algorithm detects overdensities in 4D position–proper-motion space, making it the first search to explicitly use velocity information to search for dwarf galaxy candidates. We optimize our algorithm and quantify its performance by searching for mock dwarfs injected into Gaia DR2 data and for known Milky Way satellite galaxies. Comparing our results with previous photometric searches, we find that our search is sensitive to undiscovered systems at Galactic latitudes |b| > 20° and with half-light radii larger than the 50% detection efficiency threshold for Pan-STARRS1 (PS1) at (i) absolute magnitudes of –7 < M V < –3 and distances of 32 kpc < D < 64 kpc, and (ii) M V < –4 and 64 kpc < D < 128 kpc. Based on these results, we predict that our search is expected to discover 5 ± 2 new satellite galaxies: four in the PS1 footprint and one outside the Dark Energy Survey and PS1 footprints. We apply our algorithm to the Gaia DR2 data set and recover ~830 high-significance candidates, out of which we identify a "gold standard" list of ~200 candidates based on cross-matching with potential candidates identified in a preliminary search using Gaia EDR3 data. All of our candidate lists are publicly distributed for future follow-up studies. Here, we show that improvements in astrometric measurements provided by Gaia EDR3 increase the sensitivity of this technique; we plan to continue to refine our candidate list using future data releases.
The Echo program's use of large sounding rockets to inject electron beams into the outer trapping region where the earth's plasma sheet interacts with the inner magnetosphere is discussed. The beams pass through the plasma sheet and the trapping region, reflect at the southern hemisphere conjugate point and return to the vicinity of the rocket where they are detected and analyzed for acceleration and diffusion processes which may also be responsible for the radiation belts. The motion of electron beams in the magnetosphere is discussed from the standpoint of single particle motion, and the trajectories of electrons injected with known energy, known angle between the electron velocity vector and the local magnetic field vector, and known position are examined. The interaction between the rocket motion and the electron drift motion is described, and the advantages and drawbacks of beam detection by optical methods and by throwaway detectors are compared. Planned Echo experiments using the Space Shuttle are discussed
By using the laser-speckle strain gauge, the strain of metal at the temperature lower than 250 C is measured. The principle of the gauge is to measure the expansion or contraction of the fine structures of surface by detecting the resultant speckle displacement in an optoelectronic way, whereby the effect of rigid-body motion is automatically cancelled out with the aid of a differential detection system. A transportable apparatus was built and a comparison experiment performed with a resistance strain gauge at room temperature. It has a strain sensitivity of .00002, a gauge length smaller than 1 mm, and no upper limit in a range of strain measurement. In the measurement of high-temperature strain it is free from the need for a dummy gauge and insensitive to an electric drift effect. As examples of strain measurement at high-temperature, thermal expansion and contraction of a top of a soldering iron are measured. The interval of the measurement can be made at shortest 1.6 sec. and the change in the strain is clearly followed until the ultimate stationary temperature is reached.
The results of a Fourier analysis to detect fast periodic and quasi-periodic pulsations in the X-ray emission from the sources 4U 0614 + 091, 4U 1636 - 536, 4U 1735 - 44, 4U 1820 30, GX 5 - 1, GX 9 + 9, Ser X-1, and Cyg X-2 are presented. This search has been carried out for the first time in the soft energy band (0.2-2.0 keV), using data from the Einstein Observatory high resolution imager instrument. An approximate method of minimizing the decrease in search sensitivity produced by the Doppler shift of the pulse periods due to source orbital motion is discussed. No pulsations have been detected, and upper limits, which depend on the orbital parameters assumed for the sources, are set on the pulsed flux fraction.
Adiabatic equations of motion are derived for the micrometer-sized dust grains detected in the Jovian and Saturn magnetospheres by the Pioneer 10 and 11 spacecraft. The adiabatic theory of charged particle motion is extended to the case of variable grain charge. Attention is focused on the innermost and outermost limits to the grain orbit evolution, with all orbits tending to become circular with time. The parameters such as the center equation of motion, the drift velocity, and the parallel equation of motion are obtained for grains in a rotating magnetosphere. Consideration is given to the effects of periodic grain charge-discharge, which are affected by the ambient plasma properties and the grain plasma velocity. The charge-discharge process at the gyrofrequency is determined to eliminate the invariance of the magnetic moment and cause the grain to exhibit radial movement. The magnetic moment increases or decreases as a function of the gyrophase of the charge variation.
INTRODUCTION: Exposure to microgravity causes adaptive changes in eye-head coordination that can lead to altered gaze control. This could affect postflight visual acuity during head and body motion. The goal of this study was to characterize changes in dynamic visual acuity after long-duration spaceflight. METHODS: Dynamic Visual Acuity (DVA) data from 14 astro/cosmonauts were collected after long-duration (~6 months) spaceflight. The difference in acuity between seated and walking conditions provided a metric of change in the subjects ability to maintain gaze fixation during self-motion. In each condition, a psychophysical threshold detection algorithm was used to display Landolt ring optotypes at a size that was near each subject s acuity threshold. Verbal responses regarding the orientation of the gap were recorded as the optotypes appeared sequentially on a computer display 4 meters away. During the walking trials, subjects walked at 6.4 km/h on a motorized treadmill. RESULTS: A decrement in mean postflight DVA was found, with mean values returning to baseline within 1 week. The population mean showed a consistent improvement in DVA performance, but it was accompanied by high variability. A closer examination of the individual subject s recovery curves revealed that many did not follow a pattern of continuous improvement with each passing day. When adjusted on the basis of previous long-duration flight experience, the population mean shows a "bounce" in the re-adaptation curve. CONCLUSION: Gaze control during self-motion is altered following long-duration spaceflight and changes in postflight DVA performance indicate that vestibular re-adaptation may be more complex than a gradual return to normal.
Recent work on INS integrated motion analysis is described. Results were obtained with a maximally passive system of obstacle detection (OD) for ground-based vehicles and rotorcraft. The OD approach involves motion analysis of imagery acquired by a passive sensor in the course of vehicle travel to generate range measurements to world points within the sensor FOV. INS data and scene analysis results are used to enhance interest point selection, the matching of the interest points, and the subsequent motion-based computations, tracking, and OD. The most important lesson learned from the research described here is that the incorporation of inertial data into the motion analysis program greatly improves the analysis and makes the process more robust.
Teamed Robots for Exploration and Science in Steep Areas (TRESSA) is a system of three autonomous mobile robots that cooperate with each other to enable scientific exploration of steep terrain (slope angles up to 90 ). Originally intended for use in exploring steep slopes on Mars that are not accessible to lone wheeled robots (Mars Exploration Rovers), TRESSA and systems like TRESSA could also be used on Earth for performing rescues on steep slopes and for exploring steep slopes that are too remote or too dangerous to be explored by humans. TRESSA is modeled on safe human climbing of steep slopes, two key features of which are teamwork and safety tethers. Two of the autonomous robots, denoted Anchorbots, remain at the top of a slope; the third robot, denoted the Cliffbot, traverses the slope. The Cliffbot drives over the cliff edge supported by tethers, which are payed out from the Anchorbots (see figure). The Anchorbots autonomously control the tension in the tethers to counter the gravitational force on the Cliffbot. The tethers are payed out and reeled in as needed, keeping the body of the Cliffbot oriented approximately parallel to the local terrain surface and preventing wheel slip by controlling the speed of descent or ascent, thereby enabling the Cliffbot to drive freely up, down, or across the slope. Due to the interactive nature of the three-robot system, the robots must be very tightly coupled. To provide for this tight coupling, the TRESSA software architecture is built on a combination of (1) the multi-robot layered behavior-coordination architecture reported in "An Architecture for Controlling Multiple Robots" (NPO-30345), NASA Tech Briefs, Vol. 28, No. 10 (October 2004), page 65, and (2) the real-time control architecture reported in "Robot Electronics Architecture" (NPO-41784), NASA Tech Briefs, Vol. 32, No. 1 (January 2008), page 28. The combination architecture makes it possible to keep the three robots synchronized and coordinated, to use data from all three robots for decision- making at each step, and to control the physical connections among the robots. In addition, TRESSA (as in prior systems that have utilized this architecture) , incorporates a capability for deterministic response to unanticipated situations from yet another architecture reported in Control Architecture for Robotic Agent Command and Sensing (NPO-43635), NASA Tech Briefs, Vol. 32, No. 10 (October 2008), page 40. Tether tension control is a major consideration in the design and operation of TRESSA. Tension is measured by force sensors connected to each tether at the Cliffbot. The direction of the tension (both azimuth and elevation) is also measured. The tension controller combines a controller to counter gravitational force and an optional velocity controller that anticipates the motion of the Cliffbot. The gravity controller estimates the slope angle from the inclination of the tethers. This angle and the weight of the Cliffbot determine the total tension needed to counteract the weight of the Cliffbot. The total needed tension is broken into components for each Anchorbot. The difference between this needed tension and the tension measured at the Cliffbot constitutes an error signal that is provided to the gravity controller. The velocity controller computes the tether speed needed to produce the desired motion of the Cliffbot. Another major consideration in the design and operation of TRESSA is detection of faults. Each robot in the TRESSA system monitors its own performance and the performance of its teammates in order to detect any system faults and prevent unsafe conditions. At startup, communication links are tested and if any robot is not communicating, the system refuses to execute any motion commands. Prior to motion, the Anchorbots attempt to set tensions in the tethers at optimal levels for counteracting the weight of the Cliffbot; if either Anchorbot fails to reach its optimal tension level within a specified time, it sends message to the other robots and the commanded motion is not executed. If any mechanical error (e.g., stalling of a motor) is detected, the affected robot sends a message triggering stoppage of the current motion. Lastly, messages are passed among the robots at each time step (10 Hz) to share sensor information during operations. If messages from any robot cease for more than an allowable time interval, the other robots detect the communication loss and initiate stoppage.
We report the discovery of a microlensing planet OGLE-2012-BLG-0950Lb with a planet/host mass ratio Periapsis Approx. = 2 x10(exp. -4). A long term distortion detected in both MOA and OGLE light curve can be explained by themicrolens parallax due to the Earths orbital motion around the Sun. Although the finite source effect is not detected, we obtain the lens flux by the high resolution Keck AO observation. Combining the microlens parallax and the lens flux reveal the nature of the lens: a planet with mass of M(sub p) = 35(+17/-)M compared to Earth is orbiting around an M-dwarf with mass of M(sub host) = 0.56(+0.12/-0.16) M compared to the Sun with a planet-host projected separation of r1 = 2.7(+0.6/-0.7) au located at Luminosity Distance = 3.0(+0.8/-1.1) kpc from us. This is the first mass measurement from only microlens parallax and the lens flux without the finite source effect. In the coming space observation-era with Spitzer, K2, Euclid, and WFIRST, we expect many such events for which we will not be able to measure any finite source effect. This work demonstrates an ability of mass measurements in such events.
Various papers on control paradigms and data structures in sensor fusion are presented. The general topics addressed include: decision models and computational methods, sensor modeling and data representation, active sensing strategies, geometric planning and visualization, task-driven sensing, motion analysis, models motivated biology and psychology, decentralized detection and distributed decision, data fusion architectures, robust estimation of shapes and features, application and implementation. Some of the individual subjects considered are: the Firefly experiment on neural networks for distributed sensor data fusion, manifold traversing as a model for learning control of autonomous robots, choice of coordinate systems for multiple sensor fusion, continuous motion using task-directed stereo vision, interactive and cooperative sensing and control for advanced teleoperation, knowledge-based imaging for terrain analysis, physical and digital simulations for IVA robotics.