Search NASASearch

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “GCP”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

29 records · Page 2

Geometric Accuracy of LANDSAT-4 MSS Image Data

Analyses of the LANDSAT-4 MSS image data of North Georgia provided by the EDC in CTT-p formats reveal that errors of approximately + or - 30 m in the raw data can be reduced to about + or - 55 m based on rectification procedures involving the use of 20 to 30 well-distributed GCPs and 2nd or 3rd degree polynomial equations. Higher order polynomials do not appear to improve the rectification accuracy. A subscene area of 256 by 256 pixels was rectified with a 1st degree polynomial to yield an RMSE sub xy value of + or - 40 m, indicating that USGS 1:24,000 scale quadrangle-sized areas of LANDSAT-4 data can be fitted to a map base with relatively few control points and simple equations. The errors in the rectification process are caused by the spatial resolution of the MSS data, by errors in the maps and GCP digitizing process, and by displacements caused by terrain relief. Overall, due to the improved pointing and attitude control of the spacecraft, the geometric quality of the LANDSAT-4 MSS data appears much improved over that of LANDSAT-1, -2 AND -3.

Welch, R.

STS-53 Space Shuttle mission report

The STS-53 Space Shuttle Program Mission Report provides a summary of the Orbiter, External Tank (ET), Solid Rocket Booster/Redesigned Solid Rocket Motor (SRB/RSRM), and the Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) subsystems performance during the fifty-second flight of the Space Shuttle Program, and the fifteenth flight of the Orbiter vehicle Discovery (OV-103). In addition to the Orbiter, the flight vehicle consisted of an ET, which was designated as ET-49/LWT-42; three SSME's, which were serial numbers 2024, 2012, and 2017 in positions 1, 2, and 3, respectively; and two SRB's, which were designated BI-055. The lightweight RSRM's that were installed in each SRB were designated 360L028A for the left SRB, and 360L028B for the right SRB. The primary objective of this flight was to successfully deploy the Department of Defense 1 (DOD-1) payload. The secondary objectives of this flight were to perform the operations required by the Glow Experiment/Cryogenic Heat Pipe Experiment Payload (GCP); the Hand-Held, Earth-Oriented, Real-Time, Cooperative, User-Friendly, Location-Targeting and Environmental System (HERCULES); the Space Tissue Loss (STL); the Battlefield Laser Acquisition Sensor Test (BLAST); the Radiation Monitoring Equipment-III (RME-III); the Microcapsules in Space-1 (MIS-1); the Visual Function Tester-2 (VFT-2); the Cosmic Radiation Effects and Activation Monitor (CREAM); the Clouds Logic to Optimize Use of Defense Systems-1A (CLOUDS-1A); the Fluids Acquisition and Resupply Experiment (FARE); and the Orbital Debris Radar Calibration Spheres (ODERACS). In addition to presenting a summary of subsystem performance, this report also discusses each Orbiter, ET, SSME, SRB, and RSRM in-flight anomaly in the applicable section of the report. Listed in the discussion of each anomaly is the officially assigned tracking number as published by each Project Office in their respective Problem Tracking List. All times given in this report are in Greenwich mean time (G.m.t.) as well as mission elapsed time (MET).

Fricke, Robert W., Jr.

VLF signatures of lightning-induced heating and ionization of the nighttime D-region

48.5 kHz signals from a transmitter in Silver Creek, Nebraska, propagating to Huntsville (HU), Alabama over a approximately 1200 km Great Circle Path (GCP) exhibit characteristic amplitude changes which appear within 20 ms of cloud-to-ground (CG) flashes located within 50 km of the path. Data are consistent with the heating of ionospheric electrons by the electromagnetic (EM) pulse from lightning producing ionization changes in the D-region over the thunderstorm.

Inan, U. S.

Use of GC/MS and Microtome Techniques as Methods to Evaluate ODC Free Cleaner Diffusion and Evaporation in Insulation and Phenolic Case Material

Because of the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendment (CAAA) many chlorinated solvents used in the aerospace industry are being phased out. Replacement of the ODC (ozone-depleting chemicals) with less volatile, non-ozone depleting cleaners has been extensively studied over the past seven years at Thiokol Propulsion, a Division of Cordant Technologies, Inc. The down selection of ODC replacement cleaners has been based on several factors including the diffusion evaporation of the cleaners in selected substrates. Methodologies were developed to evaluate the cleaner content in substrates. Methods of cutting thin slices of material (microtoming) were combined with GC/MS (gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy) analysis. Substrates evaluated in this study include potential solid rocket motor materials: ASNBR (asbestos-filled nitrile butadiene rubber) and CFEPDM (carbon-filled ethylene propylene dimonomer) insulation and glass (GCP), carbon (CCP) and silica (SCP) cloth phenolic substrates with fibers either parallel (0 deg) or perpendicular (90 deg) to the surface. Residue profiles indicate both cleaner and substrate composition affect the diffusion and subsequent evaporation of the cleaner from the substrate surface.

Biegert, L. L.

X-Ray Fluorescence Solvent Detection at the Substrate-Adhesive Interface

With environmental regulations limiting the use of volatile organic compounds, low-vapor pressure solvents have replaced traditional degreasing solvents for bond substrate preparation. When used to clean and prepare porous bond substrates such as phenolic composites, low vapor pressure solvents can penetrate deep into substrate pore networks and remain there for extended periods. Trapped solvents can interact with applied adhesives either prior to or during cure, potentially compromising bond properties. Currently, methods for characterizing solvent time-depth profiles in bond substrates are limited to bulk gravimetric or sectioning techniques. While sectioning techniques such as microtome allow construction of solvent depth profiles, their depth resolution and reliability are limited by substrate type. Sectioning techniques are particularly limited near the adhesive-substrate interface where depth resolution is further limited by adhesive-substrate hardness and, in the case of a partially cured adhesive, mechanical properties differences. Additionally, sectioning techniques cannot provide information about lateral solvent diffusion. Cross-section component mapping is an alternative method for measuring solvent migration in porous substrates that eliminates the issues associated with sectioning techniques. With cross-section mapping, the solvent-wiped substrate is sectioned perpendicular rather than parallel to the wiped surface, and the sectioned surface is analyzed for the solvent or solvent components of interest using a two-dimensional mapping or imaging technique. Solvent mapping can be performed using either direct or indirect methods. With a direct method, one or more solvent components are mapped using red or Raman spectroscopy together with a moveable sample stage and/or focal plane array detector. With an indirect method, an elemental "tag" not present in the substrate is added to the solvent before the substrate is wiped. Following cross sectioning, the tag element can then be mapped by its characteristic x-ray emission using either x-ray fluorescence, or electron-beam energy-and wavelength-dispersive x-ray spectrometry. The direct mapping techniques avoid issues of different diffusion or migration rates of solvents and elemental tags, while the indirect techniques avoid spectral resolution issues in cases where solvents and substrates have adjacent or overlapping peaks. In this study, cross-section component indirect mapping is being evaluated as a method for measuring migration of d-limonene based solvents in glass-cloth phenolic composite (GCP) prior to and during subsequent bonding and epoxy adhesive cure.

Wurth, Laura

Evaluation of the Effect of Silicone Contamination on Various Bond Systems and the Feasibility of Removing the Contamination

Silicone is a contaminant that can cause catastrophic failure of a bond system depending on the materials and processes used to fabricate the bond system. Unfortunately, more and more materials are fabricated using silicone. The purpose of this testing was to evaluate which bond systems are sensitive to silicone contamination and whether or not a cleaning process could be utilized to remove the silicone to bring the bond system performance back to baseline. Due to the extensive nature of the testing, attempts will be made to generalize the understanding within classes of substrates, bond systems, and surface preparation and cleaning methods. This study was done by contaminating various metal (steel, Inconel, and aluminum), phenolic (carbon-cloth phenolic [CCP] and glass-cloth phenolic [GCP]), and rubber (natural rubber, asbestos-silicone dioxide filled natural butyldiene rubber [ASNBR]; silica-filled ethylene propylenediene monomer [SFEPDM], and carbon-filled ethylene propylenediene monomer [CFEPDM]) substrates which were then bonded using various adhesives and coatings (epoxy-based adhesives, paints, ablative compounds, and Chemlok adhesives) to determine the effect silicone contamination has on a given bond system's performance. The test configurations depended on the bond system being evaluated. The study also evaluated the feasibility of removing the silicone contamination by cleaning the contaminated substrate prior to bonding. The cleaning processes also varied depending on bond system.

Stanley, Stephanie D.

ICESat Lidar and Global Digital Elevation Models: Application to DESDynI

Geodetic control is extremely important in the production and quality control of topographic data sets, enabling elevation results to be referenced to an absolute vertical datum. Global topographic data with improved geodetic accuracy achieved using global Ground Control Point (GCP) databases enable more accurate characterization of land topography and its change related to solid Earth processes, natural hazards and climate change. The multiple-beam lidar instrument that will be part of the NASA Deformation, Ecosystem Structure and Dynamics of Ice (DESDynI) mission will provide a comprehensive, global data set that can be used for geodetic control purposes. Here we illustrate that potential using data acquired by NASA's Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite (ICEsat) that has acquired single-beam, globally distributed laser altimeter profiles (+/-86deg) since February of 2003 [1, 2]. The profiles provide a consistently referenced elevation data set with unprecedented accuracy and quantified measurement errors that can be used to generate GCPs with sub-decimeter vertical accuracy and better than 10 m horizontal accuracy. Like the planned capability for DESDynI, ICESat records a waveform that is the elevation distribution of energy reflected within the laser footprint from vegetation, where present, and the ground where illuminated through gaps in any vegetation cover [3]. The waveform enables assessment of Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) with respect to the highest, centroid, and lowest elevations observed by ICESat and in some cases with respect to the ground identified beneath vegetation cover. Using the ICESat altimetry data we are developing a comprehensive database of consistent, global, geodetic ground control that will enhance the quality of a variety of regional to global DEMs. Here we illustrate the accuracy assessment of the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) DEM produced for Australia, documenting spatially varying elevation biases of several meters in magnitude.

Carabajal, Claudia C.

Evaluation of Matthews-WLR-CH4: A New Wetland, Lake, and Reservoir Methane Emissions Data Set

Methane (CH4) is emitted from a variety of sources, both natural and anthropogenic, and is the second most important greenhouse gas contributing to climate change. Natural wetlands are the largest single contributor to annual global CH4 emissions and other inland water sources, such as lakes and reservoirs, produce CH4 but have received less attention. These emission sources are among the most uncertain components of the global CH4 cycle. These uncertainties stem from numerous issues, including the vast variability in these ecosystems and the sensitivity of CH4 emissions to interannual climate variations. Existing CH4 emission models display large differences in wetland spatial extent and include simplified, or lack all together, wetland-type classifications. Furthermore, CH4 emissions from lakes and reservoirs are typically combined with wetlands, or ignored, on a regional and global scale. Our NASA Interdisciplinary Research in Earth Science (IDS) study is focused on developing a suite of data sets on wetlands, lakes, and reservoirs (WLR) including global distributions of types, CH4-centric classifications, and daily CH4 emission rates (hereafter Matthews-WLR-CH4). This project is unique in that it comprises source-independent emission data for WLR, the first spatially-explicit data set of lake and reservoir CH4 emissions, and wetland emissions comprising numerous different wetland-type classifications.The focus of this study is to perform the initial evaluation of the wetland and lake CH4 emissions data from Matthews-WLR-CH4. This evaluation will focus on the domain of North America and include: 1) estimates of the contribution of wetland and lake sources to total CH4 emissions and atmospheric mixing ratios, 2) comparisons of wetland fraction and CH4 emissions to a suite of existing models (e.g., Wetland and Wetland CH4 Inter-comparison of Models Project (WETCHIMP), Global Carbon Project (GCP)), and 3) an accuracy assessment with in situ airborne and tower-based atmospheric CH4 observations when the Matthews-WLR-CH4 emissions are implemented in forward and inverse CarbonTracker-Lagrange (CT-L) CH4 model simulations. Here we will present the new Matthews-WLR-CH4 wetland and lake CH4 emissions data, the initial evaluation of these products, and the path forward for our project.

Reservoir

SNPP and NOAA-20 VIIRS On-Orbit Geolocation Trending and Improvements

Two Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) sensors have been in operations for more than 8.5 and 2.5 years since they were launched in October 2011 on SNPP satellite and in November 2017 on NOAA-20 satellite, respectively. These are two satellites in the Join Polar Satellite System (JPSS) constellation, of which Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (SNPP) is a risk reduction satellite and NOAA-20 is the first of four JPSS satellites(JPSS-1 became NOAA-20 after launch). Accurate geolocation is a critical element in data calibration for accurate retrieval of global biogeophysical parameters. In this paper, we describe the latest trends in the continuously improved geolocation accuracy in VIIRS Collection-1 (C1) and C2 re-processing. We implemented a VIIRS instrument geometric model update (VIGMU)for both sensors that correct for geolocation error oscilations in the scan direction. We borrowed code from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) geolocation software to correct for time-dependent pointing variations, that are particularly acute in NOAA-20 VIIRS, and some pointing anomalies in SNPP VIIRS. We developed a Kalman Filter using gyrodata to correct for attitude errors due to the degradation of the star trackers performance from the SNPP satellite. We also present an improved ground control point matching (CPM) tool, in which the ground control point (GCP) chips library is refreshed using recently launched Landsat-8 images.

SNPP

Remote sensing images, DEM, and point clouds associated with “Accuracy evaluation of cost-effective 3D reconstruction approaches for hydrobiogeochemical processes in non-perennial stream riverbeds”

This data package is associated with the publication “Accuracy evaluation of cost-effective 3D reconstruction approaches for hydrobiogeochemical processes in non-perennial stream riverbeds” published in Frontiers in Environmental Science, Environmental Informatics and Remote Sensing (Bao et al., 2026; doi: 10.3389/fenvs.2026.1725258). This data package includes the drone photos for a section of Umtanum Creek in Washington, Unted States. The photos were used to reconstruct the 3-dimensional (3D) digital elevation model (DEM) of the riverbed for the investigated stream section. The reconstruction results from four approaches are provided: (1) unoccupied aerial vehicle (UAV, colloquially known as drone) imagery-based Structure-from-Motion (SfM), (2) a machine learning-based 3D reconstruction model, Visual Geometry Grounded Deep Structure from Motion (VGGSfM), (3) Visual Geometry Grounded Transformer for long sequence of images (VGGT-Long), and (4) handheld smartphone LiDAR scanning. The ground truth measurements by tripod-mounted optical level kit and ground control points GPS locations for evaluating the accuracy of the four reconstruction approaches are also provided in this data package. A preliminary version of this data package was published in October 2025 at the time of manuscript submission. It was updated in March 2026, at the time of manuscript acceptance, to include additional metadata (this readme, data dictionary, and file level metadata). The data did not change. For details on how to navigate data packages generated by this project, see https://data.ess-dive.lbl.gov/portals/PNNLRiverCorridorSFA/About. In addition to a readme, this data package also includes a file-level metadata (FLMD) file that describes each file and a data dictionary (DD) that describes all column/row headers and variable definitions. This dataset is comprised of (1) 8 folders; (2) the detailed flight configuration html files; (3) field metadata; (4) a readme; (5) a data dictionary; and (6) file-level metadata. The folders “2024_10_18_d01” and “2024_10_18_d02” contain the original drone photos for the two drone flights (d01 and d02) on October 18, 2024. The reconstruction results from each of the approaches are in the folders called “ODM_SfM”, “VGGSfM”, “VGGTLong”, and “LiDAR”. The ground truth measurements are in the folder called “optical_level_kit”. Lastly, results comparing the different approaches are in the folder called “comparisons”. All files are .csv, .html, .jpg, .obj, .txt, and .npy. For information on using the .obj and .npy files, see the readme files within the same folder as the files.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

Open Energy Data Initiative (OEDI) FY22-24 (Final Technical Report)

Final technical report for the Open Energy Data Initiative (OEDI) project covering fiscal years FY22 through FY24. The DOE Open Energy Data Initiative (OEDI) is a partnership between the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), and major cloud providers including Amazon, Microsoft, and Google to provide universal access to big data in the cloud. At the heart of OEDI is a centralized repository of high-value energy research datasets aggregated from the U.S. Department of Energy's Program Offices, National Laboratories and other collaborators. It aggregates smaller, domain-specific repositories, allows direct data submissions, and includes support for big data through its energy data lakes. OEDI's data lakes make high-value data universally accessible and help researchers, collaborators and the general public overcome many of the obstacles to accessing and using big data.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY