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NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Forecasting with the GEOS-CF System and Other NASA Resources to Support Air Quality Management

Air quality (AQ) is a major and growing concern for public health around the world. Economic development, population growth, and climate change are all expected to exacerbate already poor AQ in many regions. Furthermore, AQ is often only sparsely monitored with reference-grade in-situ instruments. NASA resources and products have the potential to help in addressing this AQ data gap. The GEOS-CF (Goddard Earth Observing System – Composition Forecasting) global atmospheric composition modeling system is run each day at a global scale to provide recent estimates and five-day forecasts at hourly temporal resolution of atmospheric constituents relevant to AQ. NASA satellite missions (along with those of other space agencies) provide remotely-sensed estimates of atmospheric composition relevant to AQ. This paper gives a brief overview of these capabilities, and outlines the efforts underway to combine model forecasts, satellite retrievals, and surface-based measurements to provide more comprehensive and accurate estimates and forecasts of local AQ which will be broadly applicable and accessible globally.

GEOS-CF↗
NASA NTRS2023

Northeast Alaska Climate: Using Earth Observations to Evaluate Snow Variability through a Climatological Analysis to Support Ecological Monitoring in Northeast Alaska

Alaska is experiencing climate change at an unprecedented rate, with temperatures increasing twice as fast as the national average. The resulting changes to the landscape and ecosystems are significant, including shorter winters, declining snow depth, thawing permafrost, and rapidly receding glaciers. These changes are not only exacerbating the negative impacts of oil exploration but also affecting the food security of indigenous communities that rely on hunting as a subsistence food source. With the US Fish and Wildlife Service managing a potential tundra travel season for the first time in its history, adequate data on historic snow variables is essential to protect the unique habitat of the area. This project used NASA satellite and assimilation system data to inform and improve the current understanding of snow patterns in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and the National Petroleum Reserve – Alaska. The DEVELOP team used MODIS Normalized Difference Snow Index data to determine snow season duration, snow change frequency, and the first and last days of snow. The team also utilized the 2.1 Global Land Data Assimilation System and Daymet V4 products to study climatological trends in snow depth and snow water equivalent, respectively, across the study areas. The results of this study give users the capacity to visualize maps of multiple snow variables to monitor changes in snow conditions and proactively prepare for the ecological, cultural, and landscape impacts that changes in snow variability will cause in the future.

Remote Sensing↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

SatCORPS Global Cloud Composite (GCC): the Design and Delivery of A High Quality, High Resolution, Global Cloud Product Available in Near-Real Time

The NASA Satellite ClOud and Radiation Property retrieval System (SatCORPS) supports the development of an analysis ready and cloud-optimized data transformation pipeline and geospatial service enablement of a global cloud composite (GCC) product derived from global geostationary satellite imagery. This geospatial service will be available at high temporal and spatial resolution via the SatCORPS web mapping application for visualization and analysis as well as direct ingestion to common geospatial software and custom programming. The resulting global cloud composite products from the processing pipeline can then be geospatially-service enabled as ArcGIS Image Services and Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) Web Mapping/Coverage Services for visualization and analysis via a web mapping application and common geospatial software. Near real time global observations are created through the composition of five geostationary satellites that provides modelling and forecasting communities with the capability to provide high quality and timely information to start the projection process. The Global Cloud Composite product combines information from geostationary satellites, GOES-16, GOES-17, Himawari-8, Meteosat-11 and Meteosat-9 to create a single global composite netcdf file and images using the different products within the netcdf file. The SatCORPS team, though our Global Cloud Composite (GCC) product and web-based visualization tools including Geographical Information System (GIS) services provide near real time global cloud product information to both automated processes and traditional web users that is timely and high quality derived from geostationary satellites. The Global Cloud Composite product takes advantage of the scalable processing resources provided by the AWS batch service to provide new composites every thirty minutes. Because information from each of the low earth orbiting satellites is available on schedules tuned to the specific satellite, the processing algorithm temporally composites the final dataset as each satellite’s information becomes available. The SatCORPS team has leveraged our experience using Amazon Web Services (AWS) to build a low latency high availability tool that allows end users both human and automated to acquire high quality and high-resolution Geostationary Earth Orbiting (GEO) information at zero cost to the end user. This presentation will describe how we architected and implemented the service as well as lessons learned based on our experiences both developing and operating the system. The lessons learned include how we integrated multiple services including Amazon Batch, Amazon S3 and Amazon Lambda service to create a low cost but high-performance processing system that is capable of identifying and processing the most appropriate satellite overpass information into global cloud composites. We will also describe our web-based tools including our Geographic Information System that can be used for visualization and analysis. The products from the processing can be geospatially-service enabled as ArcGIS Image Services and Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) Web Mapping/Coverage Services for visualization and analysis via a web mapping application and common geospatial software. The SatCORPS Global Composite Cloud product provides sophisticated global composited cloud research products with very low latency that we see that as filling a rapidly growing need in the research and modelling community with no up-front nor ongoing costs associated with downloading or using the information.

AWS AMCE SMCE GCC SATCORPS GLOBAL CLOUD COMPOSITE ↗
NASA NTRS2023

Optimizing Altitude Sampling and Sensitivity with the Goldstone Orbital Debris Radar

The NASA Orbital Debris Program Office (ODPO) has used the Goldstone Orbital Debris Radar (Goldstone) since 1993 to characterize orbital debris (OD) in low Earth orbit too small to be tracked by the U.S. Space Surveillance Network. Operated by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Goldstone can measure OD as small as 3 mm at 1000 km altitude and lower. Goldstone is a bistatic radar that for 25 years used Deep Space Station (DSS)-14 as a transmitter and DSS-15 as a receiver. In early 2018, DSS-15 was decommissioned and replaced with DSS-25 (and occasionally DSS-26) of the Deep Space Network Apollo Cluster. The increased baseline between DSS-14 and DSS-25 significantly reduced the instantaneous altitude coverage of the bistatic beam overlap. Initial measurements in 2018 were focused around 800 km, which has approximately the highest flux of sub-centimeter debris. In 2019, DSS-14 was offline for maintenance, and the ODPO designed an annual survey observation plan to efficiently sample altitudes from 700 km to 1000 km, since many NASA satellites fly in this range. This paper discusses the observation plan, including the development of the pointings, a refinement of the altitudes of interest, and an analysis of the effects of random pointing errors on beam overlap. Additionally, results from measurements taken in 2020 and 2021 are presented, showing that not only is the observation plan effective at sampling 700 km to 1000 km altitude, but it is also producing the most sensitive terrestrial radar measurements at these altitudes to date.

James Murray↗
NASA NTRS2024

Forecasting with the GESO-CF System and Other NASA Resources to Support Air Quality Management

Air quality (AQ) is a major and growing concern for public health around the world. Economic development, population growth, and climate change are all expected to exacerbate already poor AQ in many regions. Further-more, AQ is often only sparsely monitored with reference-grade in-situ instruments. NASA resources and products have the potential to help in addressing this AQ data gap. The GEOS-CF (Goddard Earth Observing System –Composition Forecasting) global atmospheric composition modeling system is run each day at a global scale to provide recent estimates and five-day forecasts at hourly temporal resolution of atmospheric constituents relevant to AQ. NASA satellite missions (along with those of other space agencies) provide remotely-sensed estimates of atmospheric composition relevant to AQ. This paper gives a brief over-view of these capabilities, and outlines the efforts underway to combine model forecasts, satellite retrievals, and surface-based measurements to provide more comprehensive and accurate estimates and forecasts of local AQ which will be broadly applicable and accessible globally.

Forecasting↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Assessment of Quantum ML Applicability for Climate Actions: Comparison of the Variational Quantum Classifier and the Quantum Support Vector Classifier with Classical ML Models

Climate change refers to significant and long-term alterations in the Earth’s climate patterns, typically resulting from human activities that increase greenhouse gas emissions. Addressing climate change is not merely an option but a necessity, demanding creative solutions and efforts from individuals, researchers, communities, and governments. Despite the capabilities of machine learning (ML) with data-driven solutions promising to combat climate change-related problems, they face challenges stemming from traditional computational methods and prolonged training times, impeding their practical utility. Recent strides in quantum computing have permeated diverse domains, spanning from manufacturing engineering and pharmaceutical discovery to the latest frontier of detecting climate anomalies. With the potential to substantially reduce time and computational complexity, quantum computing shows promise in addressing climate change impacts. Its distinctive features will enable the concurrent exploration of expansive solution spaces, making it well-suited for analyzing extensive climate datasets, simulating intricate climate models, optimizing resource allocation, and discerning patterns in climate data for mitigation and adaptation endeavors. This study explores the potential of using Quantum machine learning (QML) techniques on climate and weather data obtained from NASA Giovannis. We used two QML algorithms, the Quantum Support Vector Classifier (QSVC) and the Variational Quantum Classifier (VQC) models, using the IBM Qiskit ML 0.7.2 ecosystem. We used an actual 127-Qubit IBM Quantum Computer (IBM 127-qubit Eagle) in this study. The methodology and results sections describe the experiences gained from applying and evaluating quantum ML results on climate and weather data obtained from NASA satellites as a novel practical application of quantum computing.

Earth Observational Data↗
NASA NTRS2005

NASA GES DISC DAAC Satellite Data for GIS

NASA's Goddard Earth Science (GES) Data and Information Services Center (DISC) Distributed Active Archive Center (DAAC) makes available a large and continually growing collection of spatially continuous global satellite observations of environmental parameters. These products include those from the MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) on both Terra and Aqua platforms, and the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM). These data products are well suited for use within Geographic Information Systems (GIS), as both backdrops to cartographic products as well as spatial analysis. However, data format, file size, and other issues have limited their widespread use by traditional GIS users. To address these data usability issues, the GES DISC DAAC recently updated tools and improved documentation of conversion procedures. In addition, the GES DISC DAAC has also been working with a major GIS software vendor to incorporate the ability to read the native Hierarchial Data Format (HDF), the format in which most of the NASA data is stored. The result is the enabling of GIS users to realize the benefit of GES DISC DAAC data without a substantial expenditure in resources to incorporate these data into their GIS. Several documents regarding the potential uses of GES DISC DAAC satellite data in GIS have recently been created. These show the combinations of concurrent data from different satellite products with traditional GIS vector products for given geographic areas. These map products include satellite imagery of Hurricane Isabel and the California wildfires, and can be viewed at http://daac.gsfc.nasa.gov/MODIS/GIS/.

Nickless, Darryl↗
NASA NTRS2022

Space-based Passive Aerosol Remote Sensing from the Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) Aboard NASA’s Terra Satellite

The Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) instrument has been acquiring multi-angle imagery of the Earth aboard NASA’s Terra satellite since February 2000, providing an ongoing record of atmosphere and surface properties more than two decades long. MISR offers a combination of moderately high spatial resolution imagery at nine view angles in each of four visible/near-infrared spectral bands, global coverage about once per week, and carefully maintained onboard radiometric calibration. Unique algorithms retrieve aerosol column-amount and constraints on particle microphysical and optical properties, as well as the heights and motion vectors of aerosol plumes from sources such as wildfires, volcanic eruptions, and dust storms. Applications of MISR aerosol data to climate and air quality are discussed here along with a summary of some key scientific findings enabled by the instrument’s unique measurement approach.

aerosols↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Compression of Solar Spectroscopic Observations: a Case Study of MgII k Spectral Line Profiles Observed by NASA’s IRIS Satellite

In this study we extract the deep features and investigate the compression of the MgII k spectral line profiles observed in quiet Sun regions by NASA’s IRIS satellite. The data set of line profiles used for the analysis was obtained on April 20th, 2020, at the center of the solar disc, and contains almost 300,000 individual MgII k line profiles after data cleaning. The data are separated into train and test subsets. The train subset was used to train the autoencoder of the varying embedding layer size. The early stopping criterion was implemented on the test subset to prevent the model from overfitting. Our results indicate that it is possible to compress the spectral line profiles more than 27 times (which corresponds to the reduction of the data dimensionality from 110 to 4) while having a 4DN average reconstruction error, which is comparable to the variations in the line continuum. The mean squared error and the reconstruction error of even statistical moments sharply decrease when the dimensionality of the embedding layer increases from 1 to 4 and almost stop decreasing for higher numbers. The observed occasional improvements in training for values higher than 4 indicate that a better compact embedding may potentially be obtained if other training strategies and longer training times are used. The features learned for the critical four-dimensional case can be interpreted. In particular, three of these four features mainly control the line width, line asymmetry, and line dip formation respectively. The presented results are the first attempt to obtain a compact embedding for spectroscopic line profiles and confirm the value of this approach, in particular for feature extraction, data compression, and denoising.

SMD↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Analyzing Federal Agency Earth Observation Needs: NASA’s 2022 Satellite Needs Working Group Assessment

Every two years, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) leads an assessment of Federal civilian agency Earth observation needs submitted through the Satellite Needs Working Group (SNWG) survey. Nearly 30 agencies participated in the 2022 SNWG survey, submitting 115 high-priority satellite data needs that span Earth Science and represent a wide variety of potential applications for Earth observation data. Analysis of multiple SNWG survey cycles reveals trends in agency needs toward more frequent, higher resolution data that can inform agency decision-making. NASA and partners at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) evaluated the agency surveys during an eight-month assessment period. Assessment teams comprised of subject matter experts, technology specialists, and agency managers conducted an in-depth interview with each submitting agency to fully understand the need and discuss relevant current and upcoming satellite missions. The teams then proposed over 100 potential solutions, or new activities that NASA, NOAA, and/or USGS could undertake to help meet agency needs. A few cross-cutting potential solutions that are projected to be most valuable to SNWG agencies are under consideration for implementation by NASA in the coming years.

Katrina Virts↗
NASA NTRS1974

The community satellite 1

NASA's Applications Technology Satellite-6 is being used to test a variety of new space communications concepts requiring the use of a geosynchronous-orbit spacecraft. These include broadcast of health and education television programs to small, low-cost ground receiving units in remote regions. Other studies to be conducted are related to aeronautical and maritime communications, position-location, and traffic-control techniques. Questions concerning spacecraft tracking and data relay are also investigated. The 1,402 kg spacecraft consists essentially of an Earth Viewing Module connected to a deployable reflector antenna. Details regarding the planned experiments and the spacecraft design are discussed and a brief history of the ATS program is presented.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1987

Instrument systems for the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite

The NASA Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite program for improving both methods needed to maintain the physical and chemical integrity of the upper atmosphere and techniques for the early detection of harmful changes in the ozone layer is discussed. Through satellite measurements, theoretical studies, and model analyses, the program will provide integrated global measurements of the chemistry, dynamics, and energetics of the stratosphere, mesosphere, and lower thermosphere. The 10 state-of-the-art instrument systems employed in the program are described, including the solar UV spectral irradiance monitor, the particle environment monitor, the cryogenic limb array etalon spectrometer, the wind imaging interferometer, and the active cavity radiometer irradiance monitor.

Arnold, Ray J.↗
NASA NTRS1987

The upper atmosphere research satellite

The NASA Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS), whose launch is scheduled for 1991, will compile the most extensive data base to date on the coupled chemistry, energetics, and dynamics of the upper atmosphere, thereby directly addressing questions as to the extent of ozone depletion as a result of stratospheric photodissociation of molecules by solar UV radiation. The research efforts undertaken will give attention to the poorly-understood 15-100 km altiture region. Nominal mission lifetime will be 18 months, due to the projected lifetime of the cryogen employed by the Cryogenic Limb-Scanning Atmospheric Emission Spectrometer.

Mcneal, Robert J.↗
NASA NTRS1984

NASA's mobile satellite communications program; ground and space segment technologies

This paper describes the Mobile Satellite Communications Program of the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The program's objectives are to facilitate the deployment of the first generation commercial mobile satellite by the private sector, and to technologically enable future generations by developing advanced and high risk ground and space segment technologies. These technologies are aimed at mitigating severe shortages of spectrum, orbital slot, and spacecraft EIRP which are expected to plague the high capacity mobile satellite systems of the future. After a brief introduction of the concept of mobile satellite systems and their expected evolution, this paper outlines the critical ground and space segment technologies. Next, the Mobile Satellite Experiment (MSAT-X) is described. MSAT-X is the framework through which NASA will develop advanced ground segment technologies. An approach is outlined for the development of conformal vehicle antennas, spectrum and power-efficient speech codecs, and modulation techniques for use in the non-linear faded channels and efficient multiple access schemes. Finally, the paper concludes with a description of the current and planned NASA activities aimed at developing complex large multibeam spacecraft antennas needed for future generation mobile satellite systems.

Naderi, F.↗
NASA NTRS1988

NASA's mobile satellite development program

A Mobile Satellite System (MSS) will provide data and voice communications over a vast geographical area to a large population of mobile users. A technical overview is given of the extensive research and development studies and development performed under NASA's mobile satellite program (MSAT-X) in support of the introduction of a U.S. MSS. The critical technologies necessary to enable such a system are emphasized: vehicle antennas, modulation and coding, speech coders, networking and propagation characterization. Also proposed is a first, and future generation MSS architecture based upon realized ground segment equipment and advanced space segment studies.

Rafferty, William↗
NASA NTRS2011

Development of a NASA 6-U Satellite

NASA/Wallops Flight Facility has focused on the development of new technologies for the advancement of 6 Unit (6U) small satellites. From the design of the structure and instrument support hardware to improvements in the deployer, NASA is concentrating on maximizing the potential of small satellites for the benefit of science. The telemetry system provides much higher data rates than typical I U UHF system. 6U provides up to several hundred kilobits per second and utilizes the existing NASA Ground Network for data reception. The guidance, navigation and control system keeps the satellite pointed within plus or minus 10 degrees of the sun and has knowledge of the sun vector within 1 degree. The 6U power design increased the options for different voltages and power switching capabilities and is capable of supporting instruments with higher power requirements. The Command & Data Handling (C&DH) system includes a low-power 520 MHz flight processor which provides more processing capability than existing I U processor technologies. These optimized technologies will offer the science community a greater opportunity for flying more sophisticated and complex instruments.

Thompson, Linda D.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Framework for NASA Space Relay Satellite Services over the Next Decade: Development and Demonstration of the Commercial Successors to TDRS

• NASA SCaN Program plans to pursue commercial services for communications with Spacecrafts in near-earth Orbit • The Communications Services Project (CSP) formulated at GRC to establish partnerships with commercial SATCOM companies to develop and demonstrate the feasibility of providing SATCOM capabilities that could be offered as a service for future spacecraft users • CSP pursued an Announcement of Proposals (AFP) in 2021 • Awarded 6 industry vendors out of 14 (~ $278 million) • Viasat, SES Government Solutions, SpaceX; Kuiper Government Solutions (KGS), Telesat U.S. Services, Inmarsat Government. (4 RF and 2 Optical) • AFP’s objectives to develop and demonstrate end-to-end operational capabilities that could meet the needs of Government and private sector customers and maximize interoperability between them. • NASA completed assessment and analysis of the 6 industry proposals. • Results identified optimal portfolio that best meet AFP’s Objectives when considering capability coverage, risk spread, levels of confidence, U.S. domestic market stimulation, price and NASA budget.

George Haddad↗