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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 325 records · Page 18

LANDSAT instruments characterization

Twelve subscenes were selected from LANDSAT 5, scene 50129-17075 over White Sands, NM. Data set WHITE covers the entire White Sands desert area. Black and white films and hard copy prints of each band in this area were produced. A new command file was written for the interactive digital image manipulation system (IDIMS) to generate pseudocolor pixel prints of LANDSAT Thematic Mapper bands for data from B and A tapes. The program PCMAIN.FOR of principal component analysis and a supplemental program HEDIT.FOR for generating sampled data sets were developed. The procedures for performing component analysis on a subscene by using these programs are described. Modifications to various subroutines are listed. Bright target saturation internal calibration lamp state dependence was examined using calibration data of night scene 50052-02182, WRS 111/112 over Harrisburg, PA.

Lee, Y.↗

Principal Component Noise Filtering for NAST-I Radiometric Calibration

The National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS) Airborne Sounder Testbed- Interferometer (NAST-I) instrument is a high-resolution scanning interferometer that measures emitted thermal radiation between 3.3 and 18 microns. The NAST-I radiometric calibration is achieved using internal blackbody calibration references at ambient and hot temperatures. In this paper, we introduce a refined calibration technique that utilizes a principal component (PC) noise filter to compensate for instrument distortions and artifacts, therefore, further improve the absolute radiometric calibration accuracy. To test the procedure and estimate the PC filter noise performance, we form dependent and independent test samples using odd and even sets of blackbody spectra. To determine the optimal number of eigenvectors, the PC filter algorithm is applied to both dependent and independent blackbody spectra with a varying number of eigenvectors. The optimal number of PCs is selected so that the total root-mean-square (RMS) error is minimized. To estimate the filter noise performance, we examine four different scenarios: apply PC filtering to both dependent and independent datasets, apply PC filtering to dependent calibration data only, apply PC filtering to independent data only, and no PC filters. The independent blackbody radiances are predicted for each case and comparisons are made. The results show significant reduction in noise in the final calibrated radiances with the implementation of the PC filtering algorithm.

Tian, Jialin↗

A user's guide to the Mariner 9 television reduced data record

The Mariner 9 television experiment used two cameras to photograph Mars from an orbiting spacecraft. For quantitative analysis of the image data transmitted to earth, the pictures were processed by digital computer to remove camera-induced distortions. The removal process was performed by the JPL Image Processing Laboratory (IPL) using calibration data measured during prelaunch testing of the cameras. The Reduced Data Record (RDR) is the set of data which results from the distortion-removal, or decalibration, process. The principal elements of the RDR are numerical data on magnetic tape and photographic data. Numerical data are the result of correcting for geometric and photometric distortions and residual-image effects. Photographic data are reproduced on negative and positive transparency films, strip contact and enlargement prints, and microfiche positive transparency film. The photographic data consist of two versions of each TV frame created by applying two special enhancement processes to the numerical data.

Seidman, J. B.↗

Study of LANDSAT-D thematic mapper performance as applied to hydrocarbon exploration

Activities in support of thematic mapper "A'-tape analysis, field work in the Cement-Velma, Oklahoma areas, and continued interpretation and assessment of imagery of various test sites are reported. The objectives of the A-tape analysis are: (1) to examine the radiometric loss of data quality introduced by resampling to P-tape format; (2) to seek a better distriping of the image by replacing the NASA matching of radiometry to on-board calibration data with an EarthSat matching of the histograms for each of the sixteen detectors, processing separately for forward and backward scanner sweeps; and (3) to produce an image with improved appearance and improved radiometeric qualities.

Source record↗

AVHRR-Based Polar Pathfinder Products: Evaluation, Enhancement and Transition to MODIS

Study of the environment has historically been done with observations and measurements in relatively few local areas. While some of these have been done over long time spans, most have not. The NOAA/NASA Pathfinder project was initiated to complement these data sets with satellite data that can provide information over larger spatial areas and longer time spans. The AVHRR Polar Pathfinder (APR) program was part of this project. The APR was to supply data from the NOAA AVHRR instruments that was consistently generated in a format usable to a wide range of scientific investigators. A grant was obtained from the NASA Research Announcement 97-MTPE-03 to evaluate the APP products, to provide any enhancements, and to compare with products from the new MODIS instrument. There was about a two year overlap between the projects, and this validation effort had several impacts on the APP products. The APP products are derived from the instruments aboard 4 NOAA satellites, NOAA-7, 9, 11, and 14. Initial validation efforts compared the thermal calibrations of these instruments, and differences are found. Calibration has undergone many revisions and techniques have changed since the satellites were launched. The first calibration methods were optimized for global ocean temperatures, as this was one of the primary and important uses of the AVHRR instruments. As the APP program started, newer methods that provided more accurate temperature retrievals over a wider range of temperatures were being developed. The calibration of a wider range of temperatures were necessary because of the extremely low values in the polar regions. These methods were also designed so that calibrated data was also consistent between all the NOAA satellites. These newer calibration methods were then adopted primarily because of the initial finding of this validation effort.

Fowler, Charles↗

Discrimination of growth and water stress in wheat by various vegetation indices through a clear a turbid atmosphere

Reflectance data were obtained over a drought-stressed and a well-watered wheat plot with a hand-held radiometer having bands similar to the MSS bands of the LANDSAT satellites. Data for 48 clear days were interpolated to yield reflectance values for each day of the growing season, from planting until harvest. With an atmospheric path radiance model and LANDSAT-2 calibration data, the reflectance were used to simulate LANDSAT digital counts (not quantized) for the four LANDSAT bands for each day of the growing season, through a clear (approximately 100 km meteorological range) and a turbid (approximately 10 km meteorological range) atmosphere. Several ratios and linear combinations of bands were calculated using the simulated data, then assessed for their relative ability to discriminate vegetative growth and plant stress through the two atmospheres. The results show that water stress was not detected by any of the indices until after growth was retarded, and the sensitivity of the various indices to vegetation depended on plant growth stage and atmospheric path radiance.

Jackson, R. D.↗

Monitoring VIIRS Thermal Emissive Bands Long-Term Performance Using Lunar Observations

Two Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instruments are currently operating in space, one onboard the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (S-NPP) satellite launched on October 28, 2011 and the other onboard the NOAA-20 satellite launched on November 18, 2017. The performance of the seven VIIRS thermal emissive bands (TEBs) is monitored via on-orbit calibration data, the analysis of Earth view observations, as well as inter-comparisons with other sensors. The Moon has been used as a unique invariant target for on-orbit sensor calibration because its surface property is considered extremely stable over time in spectra, radiometry, and geometry with a repeatable lunar phase. This paper presents the assessments of the S-NPP and NOAA-20 VIIRS TEB on-orbit calibration stability using near-monthly scheduled lunar observations over their respective missions. The methodology previously developed for MODIS is now applied to VIIRS to monitor the TEB long-term stability by extracting and trending the lunar brightness temperatures from selected unsaturated pixels. It includes a correction applied to reduce any impact from the Sun–Moon geometry (e.g. Sun-Moon distance variation). The results show that the mission-long brightness temperature trends from the lunar surface are stable for all VIIRS TEBs, despite noticeable seasonal variations in the lunar thermal emissive radiance.

VIIRS↗

Convective scale weather analysis and forecasting

How satellite data can be used to improve insight into the mesoscale behavior of the atmosphere is demonstrated with emphasis on the GOES-VAS sounding and image data. This geostationary satellite has the unique ability to observe frequently the atmosphere (sounders) and its cloud cover (visible and infrared) from the synoptic scale down to the cloud scale. These uniformly calibrated data sets can be combined with conventional data to reveal many of the features important in mesoscale weather development and evolution.

Purdom, J. F. W.↗

Navigation Algorithms for the SeaWiFS Mission

The navigation algorithms for the Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS) were designed to meet the requirement of 1-pixel accuracy-a standard deviation (sigma) of 2. The objective has been to extract the best possible accuracy from the spacecraft telemetry and avoid the need for costly manual renavigation or geometric rectification. The requirement is addressed by postprocessing of both the Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver and Attitude Control System (ACS) data in the spacecraft telemetry stream. The navigation algorithms described are separated into four areas: orbit processing, attitude sensor processing, attitude determination, and final navigation processing. There has been substantial modification during the mission of the attitude determination and attitude sensor processing algorithms. For the former, the basic approach was completely changed during the first year of the mission, from a single-frame deterministic method to a Kalman smoother. This was done for several reasons: a) to improve the overall accuracy of the attitude determination, particularly near the sub-solar point; b) to reduce discontinuities; c) to support the single-ACS-string spacecraft operation that was started after the first mission year, which causes gaps in attitude sensor coverage; and d) to handle data quality problems (which became evident after launch) in the direct-broadcast data. The changes to the attitude sensor processing algorithms primarily involved the development of a model for the Earth horizon height, also needed for single-string operation; the incorporation of improved sensor calibration data; and improved data quality checking and smoothing to handle the data quality issues. The attitude sensor alignments have also been revised multiple times, generally in conjunction with the other changes. The orbit and final navigation processing algorithms have remained largely unchanged during the mission, aside from refinements to data quality checking. Although further improvements are certainly possible, future evolution of the algorithms is expected to be limited to refinements of the methods presented here, and no substantial changes are anticipated.

Hooker, Stanford B.↗

Characterization of the NASA Glenn Research Center 8- by 6-Foot Supersonic Wind Tunnel (2019 Test)

There were several major modifications made to the NASA Glenn Research Center 8- by 6-Foot Supersonic Wind Tunnel between 2016 and 2019, including the 9- by 15-Foot Low Speed Wind Tunnel Acoustic Improvement Modifications. Following completion of these facility modifications, a characterization test was conducted in the 8- by 6-Foot Supersonic Wind Tunnel test section. This test entry collected data for a single test section porosity configuration across the entire operating range of the facility. Flow field data were collected at a cross-sectional plane and axially along test section center-line for use in quantifying the test section flow quality. Off-nominal supersonic conditions were surveyed through variation of balance chamber pressure at each of the discrete flexible wall nozzle settings. Additionally, a baseline check calibration data set was acquired during this entry.

8x6 SWT↗

The Mid-infrared Spectrum of the Transiting Exoplanet HD 209458b

We report the spectroscopic detection of mid-infrared emission from the transiting exoplanet HD 209458b. Using archive data taken with the Spitzer IRS instrument, we have determined the spectrum of HD 209458b between 7.46 and 15.25 micrometers. We have used two independent methods to determine the planet spectrum, one differential in wavelength and one absolute, and find the results are in good agreement. Over much of this spectral range, the planet spectrum is consistent with featureless thermal emission. Between 7.5 and 8.5 m, we find evidence for an unidentified spectral feature. If this spectral modulation is due to absorption, it implies that the dayside vertical temperature profile of the planetary atmosphere is not entirely isothermal. Using the IRS data, we have determined the broadband eclipse depth to be 0:00315 +/- 0:000315, implying significant redistribution of heat from the dayside to the nightside. This work required the development of improved methods for Spitzer IRS data calibration that increase the achievable absolute calibration precision and dynamic range for observations of bright point sources.

data analysis↗

Implementation and Use of a Convergence Test for Iterative Wind Tunnel Balance Load Predictions

A modified and extended version of a convergence test for wind tunnel strain-gage balance load iterations was implemented. The test uses an upper bound of the Lipschitz constant to assess convergence characteristics of balance load predictions if the Iterative Method is applied. Convergence is expected within the use envelope of the balance whenever this upper bound is less than the threshold of one. It is explained in great detail how the convergence test can be applied to the two load iteration equation types that are currently being used in the aerospace testing community. In addition, the application of the test to balances with bi-directional output characteristics is discussed. It is also shown how numerical differentiation can be used in order to obtain partial derivatives that are needed for the calculation of the Lipschitz constant. Finally, machine calibration data of NASA's MC60E six-component force balance is selected to demonstrate both implementation and use of the convergence test.

calibration analysis↗

Criteria for the use of regression analysis for remote sensing of sediment and pollutants

Data analysis procedures for quantification of water quality parameters that are already identified and are known to exist within the water body are considered. The liner multiple-regression technique was examined as a procedure for defining and calibrating data analysis algorithms for such instruments as spectrometers and multispectral scanners.

Whitlock, C. H.↗

Assessment of MODIS and VIIRS Solar Diffuser On-Orbit Degradation

Both MODIS and VIIRS instruments use a solar diffuser (SD) for their reflective solar bands (RSB) on-orbit calibration. On-orbit changes in SD bi-directional reflectance factor (BRF) are tracked by a solar diffuser stability monitor (SDSM) using its alternate measurements of the sunlight reflected off the SD panel and direct sunlight through a fixed attenuation screen. The SDSM calibration data are collected by a number of filtered detectors, covering wavelengths from 0.41 to 0.94 micrometers. In this paper we describe briefly the Terra and Aqua MODIS and S-NPP VIIRS SDSM on-orbit operation and calibration activities and strategies, provide an overall assessment of their SDSM on-orbit performance, including wavelength-dependent changes in the SDSM detector responses and changes in their SD BRF, and discuss remaining challenging issues and their potential impact on RSB calibration quality. Due to different launch dates, operating configurations, and calibration frequencies, the Terra and Aqua MODIS and S-NPP VIIRS SD have experienced different amount of SD degradation. However, in general the shorter the wavelength, the larger is the SD on-orbit degradation. On the other hand, the larger changes in SDSM detector responses are observed at longer wavelengths in the near infrared (NIR).

MODIS↗

Non-nulling seven-hole probes for high angle flow measurement

This paper illustrates a method for calibrating seven-hole probes to measure local total and static pressures and relative flow angles of up to 70 degrees in subsonic compressible flows. The method of Latin Squares was used to statistically sample a large and otherwise unmanageable data set, thereby reducing to a minimum the number of data points required to construct a polynomial curve fit to the data. Calibration produces three-variable third order polynomials which permit all of the desired flow properties to be found explicitly from probe measured pressures. This method determines the flow angles to within 2 degrees and Mach number to within 0.04 with 95 percent certainty.

Gerner, A. A.↗

Evaluation of Exposure From a Low Energy X-Ray Device Using Thermoluminescent Dosimeters

The exposure from an electron beam welding device was evaluated using thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLDs). The device generated low energy X-rays which the current dose equivalent conversion algorithm was not designed to evaluate making it necessary to obtain additional information relating to TLD operation at the photon energies encountered with the device. This was accomplished by performing irradiations at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) using low energy X-ray techniques. The resulting data was used to determine TLD badge response for low energy X-rays and to establish the relationship between TLD element response and the dose equivalent at specific depths in tissue for these photon energies. The new energy/dose equivalent calibration data was used to calculate the shallow and eye dose equivalent of badges exposed to the device.

Edwards, David L.↗

Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) Onboard Calibration System

The AVIRIS instrument uses an onboard calibration system to provide auxiliary calibration data. The system consists of tungsten halogen cycle lamp imaged onto a fiber bundle through an eight position filter wheel. The fiber bundle illuminates the back side of the foreoptics shutter during a pre-run and post-run calibration sequence. The filter wheel contains 2 neutral density filters, 5 spectral filters and blocked position.

spectrometer↗