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NASA NTRS2012

Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Mission: Overview and Status

The Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Mission is an international satellite mission specifically designed to unify and advance precipitation measurements from a constellation of research and operational microwave sensors. NASA and JAXA will deploy a Core Observatory in 2014 to serve as a reference satellite to unify precipitation measurements from the constellation of sensors. The GPM Core Observatory will carry a Ku/Ka-band Dual-frequency Precipitation Radar (DPR) and a conical-scanning multi-channel (10-183 GHz) GPM Microwave Radiometer (GMI). The DPR will be the first dual-frequency radar in space to provide not only measurements of 3-D precipitation structures but also quantitative information on microphysical properties of precipitating particles. The DPR and GMI measurements will together provide a database that relates vertical hydrometeor profiles to multi-frequency microwave radiances over a variety of environmental conditions across the globe. This combined database will be used as a common transfer standard for improving the accuracy and consistency of precipitation retrievals from all constellation radiometers. For global coverage, GPM relies on existing satellite programs and new mission opportunities from a consortium of partners through bilateral agreements with either NASA or JAXA. Each constellation member may have its unique scientific or operational objectives but contributes microwave observations to GPM for the generation and dissemination of unified global precipitation data products. In addition to the DPR and GMI on the Core Observatory, the baseline GPM constellation consists of the following sensors: (1) Special Sensor Microwave Imager/Sounder (SSMIS) instruments on the U.S. Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) satellites, (2) the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer-2 (AMSR-2) on the GCOM-W1 satellite of JAXA, (3) the Multi-Frequency Microwave Scanning Radiometer (MADRAS) and the multi-channel microwave humidity sounder (SAPHIR) on the French-Indian MeghaTropiques satellite, (4) the Microwave Humidity Sounder (MHS) on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)-19, (5) MHS instruments on MetOp satellites launched by the European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT), (6) the Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder (ATMS) on the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS) Preparatory Project (NPP), and (7) ATMS instruments on the NOAA-NASA Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) satellites. Data from Chinese and Russian microwave radiometers may also become available through international collaboration under the auspices of the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS) and Group on Earth Observations (GEO). The current generation of global rainfall products combines observations from a network of uncoordinated satellite missions using a variety of merging techniques. GPM will provide "next-generation" precipitation products characterized by: (1) more accurate instantaneous precipitation estimate (especially for light rain and cold-season solid precipitation), (2) intercalibrated microwave brightness temperatures from constellation radiometers within a consistent framework, and (3) unified precipitation retrievals from constellation radiometers using a common a priori hydrometeor database constrained by combined radar/radiometer measurements provided by the GPM Core Observatory. GPM is a science mission with integrated applications goals. GPM will provide a key measurement to improve understanding of global water cycle variability and freshwater availability in a changing climate. The DPR and GMI measurements will offer insights into 3-dimensional structures of hurricanes and midlatitude storms, microphysical properties of precipitating particles, and latent heat associated with precipitation processes. The GPM mission will also make data available in near realtime (within 3 hours of observations) forocietal applications ranging from position fixes of storm centers, numerical weather prediction, flood forecasting, freshwater management, landslide warning, crop prediction, to tracking of water-borne diseases. An overview of the GPM mission design, retrieval strategy, ground validation activities, and international science collaboration will be presented.

Hou, Arthur Y.↗
NASA NTRS1992

The VLBA correlator: Real-time in the distributed era

The correlator is the signal processing engine of the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA). Radio signals are recorded on special wideband (128 Mb/s) digital recorders at the 10 telescopes, with sampling times controlled by hydrogen maser clocks. The magnetic tapes are shipped to the Array Operations Center in Socorro, New Mexico, where they are played back simultaneously into the correlator. Real-time software and firmware controls the playback drives to achieve synchronization, compute models of the wavefront delay, control the numerous modules of the correlator, and record FITS files of the fringe visibilities at the back-end of the correlator. In addition to the more than 3000 custom VLSI chips which handle the massive data flow of the signal processing, the correlator contains a total of more than 100 programmable computers, 8-, 16- and 32-bit CPUs. Code is downloaded into front-end CPU's dependent on operating mode. Low-level code is assembly language, high-level code is C running under a RT OS. We use VxWorks on Motorola MVME147 CPU's. Code development is on a complex of SPARC workstations connected to the RT CPU's by Ethernet. The overall management of the correlation process is dependent on a database management system. We use Ingres running on a Sparcstation-2. We transfer logging information from the database of the VLBA Monitor and Control System to our database using Ingres/NET. Job scripts are computed and are transferred to the real-time computers using NFS, and correlation job execution logs and status flow back by the route. Operator status and control displays use windows on workstations, interfaced to the real-time processes by network protocols. The extensive network protocol support provided by VxWorks is invaluable. The VLBA Correlator's dependence on network protocols is an example of the radical transformation of the real-time world over the past five years. Real-time is becoming more like conventional computing. Paradoxically, 'conventional' computing is also adopting practices from the real-time world: semaphores, shared memory, light-weight threads, and concurrency. This appears to be a convergence of thinking.

Wells, D. C.↗
NASA NTRS2005

Investigation of Solar Radiation Properties at the Battleship Promontory Area, Antarctica

JPL scientists in January 2005 visited the unique Battleship Promontory Area of the Antarctic Dry Valleys at 76 deg. 54 min. S one of the few places on the Antarctic continent home to viable life. Cryptoendolithic microorganisms manage to survive on and inside rocks in Antarctica's harsh conditions of extreme dryness and cold that are not So different from the past and present conditions on Mars. We are investigating the physical properties of these biological creatures through analysis of optical spectra collected from a variety of rock samples over the deep UV, visible, and near-infrared regions with the intent of gaining key insights into the environmental factors that make such a habitat viable for life. The LabView programming environment is equipped with the tools necessary to create an interface to visualize, manipulate, and normalize extensive raw reflectance and corresponding incident spectral data. We are determining the meaning of the colors observed and their relationship to the ability to acquire energy and investigating differences between the photosynthetic processes in full sunlight and diffuse/shadow lighting. Comparisons between spectral data collected in the field and from returned samples in the lab validate the accuracy of our field collection methodology.

VanNortwick, Sara S.↗
NASA NTRS2024

ENLIGHTEN: Electrical Network Line Inspection Guided by High-Speed Technology & Electromagnetic Navigation

Natural disasters are a major cause of power outages, primarily due to their damage to power line infrastructure. As a result, the current state of power maintenance, with a heavy reliance on manual labor, is in trouble. Its lack of speed and autonomy must be addressed to ensure power security for households and institutions worldwide. This innovative approach explores how High-Speed Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (HSUAV) technology can inspect power line infrastructure rapidly in response to natural disaster scenarios. The HSUAV technology will be accompanied by enhanced sensory equipment including light detection and ranging (LiDAR), thermal imaging, and electromagnetic field (EMF) navigation. It would also be supplemented by innovative forms of machine learning models and recharging systems to efficiently detect anomalies in power line infrastructure. The proposed system, ENLIGHTEN, can help restore power in affected communities after a devastating natural disaster, greatly improving relief efforts. In the future, ENLIGHTEN can be expanded beyond the United States and shared worldwide, effectively mitigating the consequences on a larger scale.

UAV systems, Power line management, Natural disast↗
NASA NTRS2024

X-Plane Knowledge Capture Workshop Summary Report

The history of experimental aircraft research and development at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) provides a large body of work for current and future team members to learn from and apply. NASA values the knowledge it gains from all the research it performs and desires to have that knowledge grow with each new project, incrementally adding to the collective knowledge base. To support this knowledge growth and sharing, in May 2019, NASA convened over 60 engineers; researchers; and other personnel (internal and external to NASA) for the X-plane1 Knowledge Capture Workshop to discuss their over 50-years’ worth of experiences in developing, operating, and managing experimental aircraft. Over the course of a two-day workshop, the group not only focused, primarily, on current X-plane development but also discussed a wide range of topics about experimental aircraft and flight research. In addition to the discussions, senior NASA aeronautics leaders shared their personal lessons learned with the workshop audience. Broadly, these discussions centered around the topics of organizational and cultural practices, the project lifecycle, flight, and risk and safety. Many of the observations offered by participants are applicable to other NASA team-based projects, demonstrating the value in sharing lessons learned and best practices across projects regardless of their research focus. To share the most valuable lessons learned as broadly as possible, a summary of these discussions has been compiled into the following report. These discussions are mostly included in their entirety, with some light editing for clarity and privacy. NASA is sharing this knowledge internally and making it available to the public in hopes that others can learn from the experimental aircraft challenges and successes at NASA. Note: this document represents the perspectives, experiences, and opinions of others but does not necessarily represent the official view of NASA.

Steven R Hirshorn↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

NASA’s Moon Trek Portal: New Capabilities Supporting Mission Planning and Engagement

Introduction: NASA’s Moon Trek (https://trek.nasa.gov/moon/) is one of a growing number of interactive, browser-based, online portals for planetary data visualization and analysis produced by NASA’s Solar System Treks Project (SSTP). Moon Trek continues to be enhanced with new data and new capabilities enabling it to facilitate the planning and conducting of upcoming lunar missions by NASA, its commercial partners, and its international partners, as well as advancing its role as a valuable outreach tool. A Comprehensive Online Web Portal: Developed at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and managed as a project of NASA’s Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute (SSERVI) at NASA Ames Research Center, Moon Trek is a browser-based web portal. The portal provides easy-to-use tools for browsing, data layering, data product blending, and feature search among thousands of data products covering topography, mineralogy, elemental abundance, geology, and much more. Visualizations are provided in var-ious map projections, interactive 3D viewing, and in virtual reality. Using an in-house stereo workflow, SSTP is able to produce new NAC-based high-resolution mosaics and DEMs. Diverse Applications for Lunar Exploration: Baseline analytic tools available to all users include dis-tance measurement, elevation profiling, sun angle calculation, and 3D print file generation. More advanced account-level tools allow users to perform more computationally intensive analyses. These include ray-traced lighting analysis for user-specified areas over user-specified time/date ranges and time intervals, electro-static surface potential analysis, subsetting of large data products, slope analysis, and Lunar Laser Ranging geometry calculation. Artificial intelligence (AI) and ma-chine learning (ML) based tools have been implemented for crater detection and hazard analysis, boulder detection and hazard analysis, and rockfall detection. New Tools Facilitating Exploration: Additional, new tools have recently been added and others are in development, offering even greater functionality in con-ducting analyses of potential landing sites and areas of surface operations. The new Line-of-Sight tool facilitates communications planning between locations on the lunar surface, between any given site on the lunar surface and a specified ground station on the Earth, and between a site on the lunar surface and a relay asset in lunar orbit, all taking into account local lunar topography. The new Data Plotter tool provides both tabular and graphical representations of pixel values along a user specified path for a growing number of data products. The new NAC Finder tool will identify and pro-vide access to NAC images that intersect a user-defined path or bounded area. The SSTP development team is looking to leverage the capabilities of its existing AI and ML crater, boulder, and rockfall detection and analysis tools, and extend that technology to a generalized feature detector that can be trained on instances of specific types of landforms and then search the lunar surface for more examples of such features. New traverse planning tools are being developed with use cases in generalized concept studies and specific mission planning in mind. These will facilitate finding optimal traverse paths based on constraints such as slope, lighting, hazard avoidance, and communications. These will be complemented by new traverse visualization capabilities. Users will be able to interactively ride along with a rover, examining 3D views of the terrain while adjusting camera height and viewing angle along with selecting different data layer overlays to drape across the terrain. Engaging the Public: The capabilities being developed for mission planning are being leveraged to further enhance Moon Trek’s proven utility as a valuable public outreach resource. This includes providing multiple lev-els of engagement with different points of entry. At its simplest level, promoting understanding through visualization, media and the public will be able to easily visualize and conduct their own exploration of lunar sites targeted by NASA and its partners. For a more in-depth experience, we are working with our stakeholders to promote understanding through interaction by extend-ing our current landing site and traverse analysis capabilities, making simplified access to these tools available to those who want to explore more deeply key factors in planning a mission through interactive and possibly even gamified experiences. The highest degree of public outreach, focusing on engagement through scientific participation, could be achieved through our work with missions and the NASA Office of the Chief Scientist on Moon Trek’s extension as a tool with specialized capabilities for facilitating citizen science. In such scenarios, participants become members of extended mis-sion science teams, using dedicated and integrated interfaces to analyze mission data to help answer questions key to lunar science and exploration. We are work-ing with NASA’s Office of Communications, museums, planetariums, and the media to help them easily integrate accurate, detailed visualizations of NASA’s lunar destinations and exploration into their content/productions and to engage diverse audiences in diverse venues.

Moon Trek↗
NASA NTRS2004

NASA Tech Briefs, June 2004

Topics covered include: COTS MEMS Flow-Measurement Probes; Measurement of an Evaporating Drop on a Reflective Substrate; Airplane Ice Detector Based on a Microwave Transmission Line; Microwave/Sonic Apparatus Measures Flow and Density in Pipe; Reducing Errors by Use of Redundancy in Gravity Measurements; Membrane-Based Water Evaporator for a Space Suit; Compact Microscope Imaging System with Intelligent Controls; Chirped-Superlattice, Blocked-Intersubband QWIP; Charge-Dissipative Electrical Cables; Deep-Sea Video Cameras Without Pressure Housings; RFID and Memory Devices Fabricated Integrally on Substrates; Analyzing Dynamics of Cooperating Spacecraft; Spacecraft Attitude Maneuver Planning Using Genetic Algorithms; Forensic Analysis of Compromised Computers; Document Concurrence System; Managing an Archive of Images; MPT Prediction of Aircraft-Engine Fan Noise; Improving Control of Two Motor Controllers; Electro-deionization Using Micro-separated Bipolar Membranes; Safer Electrolytes for Lithium-Ion Cells; Rotating Reverse-Osmosis for Water Purification; Making Precise Resonators for Mesoscale Vibratory Gyroscopes; Robotic End Effectors for Hard-Rock Climbing; Improved Nutation Damper for a Spin-Stabilized Spacecraft; Exhaust Nozzle for a Multitube Detonative Combustion Engine; Arc-Second Pointer for Balloon-Borne Astronomical Instrument; Compact, Automated Centrifugal Slide-Staining System; Two-Armed, Mobile, Sensate Research Robot; Compensating for Effects of Humidity on Electronic Noses; Brush/Fin Thermal Interfaces; Multispectral Scanner for Monitoring Plants; Coding for Communication Channels with Dead-Time Constraints; System for Better Spacing of Airplanes En Route; Algorithm for Training a Recurrent Multilayer Perceptron; Orbiter Interface Unit and Early Communication System; White-Light Nulling Interferometers for Detecting Planets; and Development of Methodology for Programming Autonomous Agents.

Source record↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Clearance Sensitivity Mitigation in Small Core Compressors

As future aircraft become lighter and more aerodynamically efficient, thrust requirements will decrease, reducing the core size of the engine. Furthermore, in the pursuit of improved fuel burn, engine overall pressure ratio and bypass ratio will increase, further driving down engine core size. These drivers together mean that the core size, or corrected mass flow rate at the compressor exit, for future single-aisle aircraft applications will shrink below 3.0 lbm/s. Traditionally, this small core compressor size is in the domain of axi-centrifugal designs, machines that are typically less efficient and limited to pressure ratios of ~25 due to stress and thermomechanical fatigue in the centrifugal impeller. In this light, NASA, Pratt & Whitney and the Raytheon Technologies Research Center embarked upon a program to develop technologies to enable an all-axial high-pressure compressor with a core size below 3.0 lbm/s and an overall pressure ratio greater than 50. One of the challenges with an all-axial high-pressure compressor at this core size is the small span at the rear of the compressor. As core size is scaled down, the rotor tip clearances do not scale with span, leading to significant efficiency penalties. This paper documents a numerical and experimental effort to mitigate this penalty through design optimization and technology insertion, enabling an estimated 5 to 10% fuel burn reduction relative to 2020 best-in-class. The experimental program consisted of two builds of a high-speed rig: a baseline build and a second build to insert technology to manage large rotor tip gap/span ratios. The results demonstrated a reduction in the sensitivity of the compressor to large clearance ratios, which would be likely at the end-of-life of a small core application. The test campaign demonstrated that, with the insertion of technology, small core compressors can maintain a similar efficiency to current best-in-class large core size compressors. In addition to advancing the state-of-the-art of technology, the program also advanced the modeling standards for multistage compressors with large clearance-to-span ratios. The validation of this approach is described in the paper.

Axial Compressors↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Clearance Sensitivity Mitigation in Small Core Compressors

As future aircraft become lighter and more aerodynamically efficient, thrust requirements will decrease, reducing the core size of the engine. Furthermore, in the pursuit of improved fuel burn, engine overall pressure ratio and bypass ratio will increase, further driving down engine core size. These drivers together mean that the core size, or corrected mass flow rate at the compressor exit, for future single-aisle aircraft applications will shrink below 3.0 lb/s. Traditionally, this small core compressor size is in the domain of axi-centrifugal designs, machines that are typically less efficient and limited to pressure ratios of ~25 due to stress and thermomechanical fatigue in the centrifugal impeller. In this light, NASA, Pratt & Whitney and the Raytheon Technologies Research Center embarked upon a program to develop technologies to enable an all-axial high-pressure compressor with a core size below 3.0 lb/s and an overall pressure ratio greater than 50. One of the challenges with an all-axial high-pressure compressor at this core size is the small span at the rear of the compressor. As core size is scaled down, the rotor tip clearances do not scale with span, leading to significant efficiency penalties. This paper documents a numerical and experimental effort to mitigate this penalty through design optimization and technology insertion, enabling an estimated 5 to 10% fuel burn reduction relative to 2020 best-in-class. The experimental program consisted of two builds of a high-speed rig: a baseline build and a second build to insert technology to manage large rotor tip gap/span ratios. The results demonstrated a reduction in the sensitivity of the compressor to large clearance ratios, which would be likely at the end-of-life of a small core application. The test campaign demonstrated that, with the insertion of technology, small core compressors can maintain a similar efficiency to current best-in-class large core size compressors. In addition to advancing the state-of-the-art of technology, the program also advanced the modeling standards for multistage compressors with large clearance-to-span ratios. The validation of this approach is described in the paper.

Axial Compressors↗
NASA NTRS2005

Development of Ionic Liquid Monopropellants for In-Space Propulsion

A family of new, low toxicity, high energy monopropellants is currently being evaluated at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center for in-space rocket engine applications such as reaction control engines. These ionic liquid monopropellants, developed in recent years by the Air Force Research Laboratory, could offer system simplification, less in-flight thermal management, and reduced handling precautions, while increasing propellant energy density as compared to traditional storable in-space propellants such as hydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide. However, challenges exist in identifying ignition schemes for these ionic liquid monopropellants, which are known to burn at much hotter combustion temperatures compared to traditional monopropellants such as hydrazine. The high temperature combustion of these new monopropellants make the use of typical ignition catalyst beds prohibitive since the catalyst cannot withstand the elevated temperatures. Current research efforts are focused on monopropellant ignition and burn rate characterization, parameters that are important in the fundamental understanding of the monopropellant behavior and the eventual design of a thruster. Laboratory studies will be conducted using alternative ignition techniques such as laser-induced spark ignition and hot wire ignition. Ignition delay, defined as the time between the introduction of the ignition source and the first sign of light emission from a developing flame kernel, will be measured using Schlieren visualization. An optically-accessible liquid monopropellant burner, shown schematically in Figure 1 and similar in design to apparatuses used by other researchers to study solid and liquid monopropellants, will be used to determine propellant burn rate as a function of pressure and initial propellant temperature. The burn rate will be measured via high speed imaging through the chamber s windows.

Blevins, John A.↗
NASA NTRS2005

Development of Ionic Liquid Monopropellants for In-Space Propulsion

A family of new, low toxicity, high energy monopropellants is currently being evaluated at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center for in-space rocket engine applications such as reaction control engines. These ionic liquid monopropellants, developed in recent years by the Air Force Research Laboratory, could offer system simplification, less in-flight thermal management, and reduced handling precautions, while increasing propellant energy density as compared to traditional storable in-space propellants such as hydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide. However, challenges exist in identifying ignition schemes for these ionic liquid monopropellants, which are known to burn at much hotter combustion temperatures compared to traditional monopropellants such as hydrazine. The high temperature combustion of these new monopropellants make the use of typical ignition catalyst beds prohibitive since the catalyst cannot withstand the elevated temperatures. Current research efforts are focused on monopropellant ignition and burn rate characterization, parameters that are important in the fundamental understanding of the monopropellant behavior and the eventual design of a thruster. Laboratory studies will be conducted using alternative ignition techniques such as laser-induced spark ignition and hot wire ignition. Ignition delay, defined as the time between the introduction of the ignition source and the first sign of light emission from a developing flame kernel, will be measured using Schlieren visualization. An optically-accessible liquid monopropellant burner will be used to determine propellant burn rate as a function of pressure and initial propellant temperature. The burn rate will be measured via high speed imaging through the chamber s windows.

Blevins, John A.↗
NASA NTRS2015

Transformational Phenomena as Predictors of Aircraft Accidents: What Goes Around Comes Around

Flight crew confusion, excessive stressworkload, and ineffective Crew Resource Management among other issues arising from dependence on automated systems on the flight deck have been identified as major causal factors in multiple fatal accidents, significant incidents and near misses. Many Loss of Control events have been traced to display of erroneous flight data and auto-flight system mode status to the crew. Safety was compromised by not having sufficiently obvious and unambiguous information available in order to permit quick diagnosis of aircraft status and then appropriate action to regain control of the aircraft energy state or trajectory. Continually evolving training and operational requirements related to aircraft automation have also presented critical challenges to commercial aviation. During times of high demand and low supply of experienced pilots (which is today the case in South-East Asia, for instance), basic training in manual flight may be minimal and as low as a few hundred flight hours on light aircraft before beginning training on advanced, highly automated aircraft. Predominant use of automation may cause aircrew trained in this way to have trouble performing traditionally simple operations such as manually switching to other runways or overriding the autopilot in tight situations. Inadequate crew training andor experience coupled with attempted manual flight in highly automated airplanes may more easily lead to loss of aircraft control in unusual situations such as high-altitude stallsupsets, traffic avoidance or maneuvering. Loss of basic piloting skills through increasing dependence on automation may exacerbate this problem. Finally, design changes by nature take a long time and are very costly. Incorporating novel automated functionality into new aircraft designs is technically feasible and desirable. However, it may take many years for these changes to have a significant impact on tomorrows fleet, given the time it takes to develop a new aircraft and for these aircraft to become a significant fraction of the fleet. This paper will review and summarize the findings and recommendations from a 2004 study of the topic, Increasing reliance on flight deck automation conducted by the Future Aviation Safety Team at the behest of the Joint Safety Strategy Initiative (JSSI) within the Joint Aviation Authorities (JAA) organization that existed at the time. Although this study was conducted more than ten years ago, its findings and recommendations are as relevant now as then and into the future.

safety↗
NASA NTRS2004

ASK Magazine

In this issue, ASK writers explore ways to maintain their balance in their field of Project Management, and even what happens when they don't. From his own experiences. Colby Africa learned that pushing too hard can take a personal toll, even though his project was a success in the end. He looked back and asked himself. At what personal cost? Sometimes one of the most simple - and the most human way - of keeping oneself grounded is not to lose your sense of humor. Ray Morgan's story about a test flight gone bad tells how the sound of their model crashing to the ground was followed by the test team's hysterical laughter. The story, you will see, is much deeper. But the message in the example? Sometimes for no fault of our own. things just don t go as planned. One way of dealing with it is to be able to laugh at ourselves. Of course. a setback itself is not to be taken lightly, but a leader capable of lightening the moment is more likely to set a positive tone for the try, try again. Staying optimistic is important for team morale. specifically when a project is dealt a huge downsizing blow. After his project was cut significantly, Tom Sutliff was able to show his team that all was not lost and to help them focus on the fact that they still had a job to do. He had to balance the new project requirements with the fact that his team had been committed to the original prcject and would be personally affected. He stood back, got a new perspective. and upheld the positivity needed to lead them effectively. Even when you keep your chin up and work to the best of your ability, things still go wrong. It's human nature. People train for years to make it to the Olympics and blow their shot during one crucial second in the spotlight. For Marty Davis, his crucial second was when the contractor dropped his 3,000 pound spacecraft. Rather than point the finger at those around him. Marty stood up like a true leader and acknowledged what he could do better if ever in this situation again.

Laufer, Alexander↗
NASA NTRS2006

Space-Based Ornithology: On the Wings of Migration and Biophysics

Understanding bird migration and avian biodiversity is one of the most compelling and challenging problems of modern biology with major implications for human health and conservation biology. Migration and conservation efforts cross national boundaries and are subject to numerous international agreements and treaties. Public interest is high with concerns about avian flu, Katrina and its impacts, and the recent sightings of the ivory-billed woodpecker. Space based technology gives us new opportunities to shed light on the distribution and movement of organisms on the planet and their sensitivity to human disturbances and environmental changes. Together with the USGS and other agencies, we are creating ecological forecasting tools for science and application users to address the consequences of loss of wetlands, flooding, drought or other natural disasters such as hurricanes on avian biodiversity and bird migration. In our work, we use individual organism biophysical models of energy and water balance and drive these models with satellite measurements of spatio-temporal gradients in climate and habitat. Dynamic state variable modeling provides an additional tool for studying bird migration across multiple scales and can be linked to our mechanistic models describing the time and energy budget states of migrating birds. Such models yield an understanding of how a migratory flyway and its component habitats function as a whole and link stop-over ecology with biological conservation and management. We also build upon the canopy done by the Environmental Laboratory over the past few years.

Smith, James A.↗
NASA NTRS2009

Lunar Mapping and Modeling Project

The Lunar Mapping and Modeling Project (LMMP) has been created to manage the development of a suite of lunar mapping and modeling products that support the Constellation Program (CxP) and other lunar exploration activities, including the planning, design, development, test and operations associated with lunar sortie missions, crewed and robotic operations on the surface, and the establishment of a lunar outpost. The project draws on expertise from several NASA and non-NASA organizations (MSFC, ARC, GSFC, JPL, CRREL and USGS). LMMP will utilize data predominately from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, but also historical and international lunar mission data (e.g. Apollo, Lunar Orbiter, Kaguya, Chandrayaan-1), as available and appropriate, to meet Constellation s data needs. LMMP will provide access to this data through a single, common, intuitive and easy to use NASA portal that transparently accesses appropriately sanctioned portions of the widely dispersed and distributed collections of lunar data, products and tools. LMMP will provide such products as DEMs, hazard assessment maps, lighting maps and models, gravity models, and resource maps. We are working closely with the LRO team to prevent duplication of efforts and ensure the highest quality data products. While Constellation is our primary customer, LMMP is striving to be as useful as possible to the lunar science community, the lunar education and public outreach (E/PO) community, and anyone else interested in accessing or utilizing lunar data.

Noble, Sarah K.↗
NASA NTRS2024

Harmonizing Food Systems Emissions Accounting for More Effective Climate Action

Food systems—encompassing activities in food production, land-use change, supply chains and waste management—contribute significantly to climate change. Recent estimates indicate that food systems produce over 30% of annual anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (about 20% of CO 2 , 50% of CH 4 , and 75% of N 2 O), with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) estimating a notably broad range of 23%–42% of global GHG emissions. This paper synthesizes current research on the contributions of food systems to climate change, highlights challenges in quantifying their impact and proposes a harmonized accounting framework for more effective climate action. We recommend that an expert committee aligned with the IPCC develop guidance for food systems emissions accounting in four key areas, including: (1) defining system boundaries and nomenclature; (2) developing protocols to allocate broader sectoral emissions to food systems; (3) prioritizing critical areas for research into activity data and emissions factors; and (4) developing a balanced framework for evaluating the impact of mitigation interventions in light of other food systems imperatives. The committee should be integrated into two key international policy processes—the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the United Nations Food Systems Summit—to support coordinated action towards global net-zero goals. Guidance from the committee could significantly improve the ability of governments, companies, and researchers to estimate, report, monitor and ultimately reduce the climate impacts of food systems.

GHG accounting↗
NASA NTRS2008

An East to West Mineralogical Trend in Mars Exploration Rover Spirit Moessbauer Spectra of Home Plate

Home Plate is a light-toned plateau approx.90 m in diameter within the Inner Basin of the Columbia Hills in Gusev crater on Mars. It is the most extensive exposure of layered bedrock encountered by Spirit to date, and it is composed of clastic rocks of moderately altered alkali basalt composition, enriched in some highly volatile elements. Textural observations suggest an explosive origin and geochemical observations favor volcanism, probably a hydrovolcanic explosion [1]. Since it first arrived at Home Plate on sol 744, Spirit has circumnavigated the plateau (Fig. 1) and is now, since sol 1410, resting at its Winter Haven 3 location at the north end of Home Plate. Results: The MER Moessbauer spectrometers determine Fe oxidation states, identify Fe-bearing mineral phases and quantify the distribution of Fe among oxidation states and mineral phases [2]. Moessbauer spectra of Home Plate bedrock were obtained in five different locations from nine different targets (Fig. 1): Barnhill Ace, Posey Manager, and James Cool Papa Bell Stars at the northwest side of Home Plate; Pesapallo, June Emerson, and Elizabeth Emery on the east side; Texas Chili on the south side; Pecan Pie on the west side; and Chanute on the north side.

Schroder, C.↗
NASA NTRS2017

Point-Focus Concentration Compact Telescoping Array: Extreme Environments Solar Power Base Phase Final Report

Orbital ATK, in partnership with Mark ONeill LLC (MOLLC), has developed a novel solar array platform, PFC-CTA, which provides a significant advance in performance and cost reduction compared to all currently available space solar systems. PFC refers to the Point Focus Concentration of light provided by MOLLCs thin, flat Fresnel optics. These lenses focus light to a point of approximately 100 times the intensity of the ambient light, onto a solar cell of approximately 125th the size of the lens. CTA stands for Compact Telescoping Array, which is the solar array blanket structural platform originally devised by NASA and currently being advanced by Orbital ATK and partners under NASA and AFRL funding to a projected TRL 5+ by late-2018.The NASA Game Changing Development Extreme Environment Solar Power (EESP) Base Phase study has enabled Orbital ATK to refine component designs, perform component level and system performance analyses, and test prototype hardware of the key elements of PFC-CTA, and increased the TRL of PFC-specific technology elements to TRL 4. Key performance metrics currently projected are as follows: Scalability from 5 kW to 300 kW per wing (AM0); Specific Power 500 Wkg (AM0); Stowage Efficiency 100 kWm3; 5:1 margin on pointing tolerance vs. capability; 50 launched cost savings; Wide range of operability between Venus and Saturn by active andor passive thermal management.

McEachen, Michael E.↗