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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 379 records · Page 21
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1998

Analysis of the pre-flight and post-flight calibration procedures performed on the Liulin space radiation dosimeter

Liulin, a dosimetry-radiometry system, was developed to satisfy the requirements for active flux and dose rate measurements for the flight of the second Bulgarian cosmonaut in 1988. The system consists of a compact battery-operated silicon solid state detector unit and a read/write microcomputer and telemetry unit. We describe the pre-flight calibrations with charged particles, using radioactive sources and accelerated 170 MeV/nucleon proton and alpha particles at the Dubna, Russia cyclotron. We discuss comparisons with data obtained on Mir with the French-built tissue equivalent LET spectrometer NAUSICAA. Lastly, we describe post-flight calibrations performed with 1 GeV/nucleon 56Fe ions at the Brookhaven National Laboratory AGS accelerator, where the instrument was mounted in tandem with several thin position-sensitive silicon detectors behind a stopping target. The silicon detectors provided an energy spectrum for the surviving charged nuclear fragments for which the flux and absorbed dose were recorded by Liulin.

long duration↗
NASA NTRS1993

Passive Microwave Remote Sensing for Land Resources

Spaceborne microwave radiometry is an important technique for obtaining global estimates of parameters important to Earth's hydrologic cycle, land resources, environmental monitoring, and climate. They key physical processes involved in these applications are the land-atmosphere exchanges of heat and moisture, and their status and variability on different time and space scales.

microwave radiometry hydrology land resources↗
NASA NTRS2014

Inter-Comparison of SMOS and Aquarius Sea Surface Salinity: Effects of the Dielectric Constant and Vicarious Calibration

Two spaceborne instruments share the scientific objective of mapping the global Sea Surface Salinity (SSS). ESA's Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) and NASA's Aquarius use L-band (1.4 GHz) radiometry to retrieve SSS. We find that SSS retrieved by SMOS is generally lower than SSS retrieved by Aquarius, except for very cold waters where SMOS SSS is higher overall. The spatial distribution of the differences in SSS is similar to the distribution of sea surface temperature. There are several differences in the retrieval algorithm that could explain the observed SSS differences. We assess the impact of the dielectric constant model and the ancillary sea surface salinity used by both missions for calibrating the radiometers and retrieving SSS. The differences in dielectric constant model produce differences in SSS of the order of 0.3 psu and exhibit a dependence on latitude and temperature. We use comparisons with the Argo in situ data to assess the performances of the model in various regions of the globe. Finally, the differences in the ancillary sea surface salinity products used to perform the vicarious calibration of both instruments are relatively small (0.1 psu), but not negligible considering the requirements for spaceborne remote sensing of SSS.

radiometry↗
NASA NTRS2015

Landsat-8 Sensor Characterization and Calibration

Landsat-8 was launched on 11 February 2013 with two new Earth Imaging sensors to provide a continued data record with the previous Landsats. For Landsat-8, pushbroom technology was adopted, and the reflective bands and thermal bands were split into two instruments. The Operational Land Imager (OLI) is the reflective band sensor and the Thermal Infrared Sensor (TIRS), the thermal. In addition to these fundamental changes, bands were added, spectral bandpasses were refined, dynamic range and data quantization were improved, and numerous other enhancements were implemented. As in previous Landsat missions, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and United States Geological Survey (USGS) cooperated in the development, launch and operation of the Landsat- 8 mission. One key aspect of this cooperation was in the characterization and calibration of the instruments and their data. This Special Issue documents the efforts of the joint USGS and NASA calibration team and affiliates to characterize the new sensors and their data for the benefit of the scientific and application users of the Landsat archive. A key scientific use of Landsat data is to assess changes in the land-use and land cover of the Earth's surface over the now 43-year record. In order to perform these analyses and avoid confusing sensor changes with Earth surface changes, a solid understanding of the sensors' performance, consistent geolocation and radiometry are essential. Particularly with the significant changes in the Landsat-8 sensors relative to previous Landsat missions, this characterization becomes all the more important.

Radiometry↗
NASA NTRS2017

Information Theoretic Evaluation of Satellite Soil Moisture Retrievals

Microwave radiometry has a long legacy of providing estimates of remotely sensed near surfacesoil moisture measurements over continental and global scales. A consistent assessment of theerrors and uncertainties associated with these retrievals is important for their effective utilization in modeling, data assimilation and end-use application environments. This article presents an evaluationof soil moisture retrieval products from AMSR-E, ASCAT, SMOS, AMSR2 and SMAPinstruments using information theory-based metrics. These metrics rely on time series analysis ofsoil moisture retrievals for estimating the measurement error, level of randomness (entropy) andregularity (complexity) of the data. The results of the study indicate that the measurement errors inthe remote sensing retrievals are significantly larger than that of the ground soil moisture measurements.The SMAP retrievals, on the other hand, were found to have reduced errors (comparable to Preprint submitted to Remote Sensing of Environment October 1, 2017those of in-situ datasets), particularly over areas with moderate vegetation. The SMAP retrievals also demonstrate high information content relative to other retrieval products, with higher levelsof complexity and reduced entropy. Finally, a joint evaluation of the entropy and complexity ofremotely sensed soil moisture products indicates that the information content of the AMSR-E, ASCAT,SMOS and AMSR2 retrievals is low, whereas SMAP retrievals show better performance. The use of information theoretic assessments is effective in quantifying the required levels of improvements needed in the remote sensing soil moisture retrievals to enhance their utility and information content.

Information theory↗
NASA NTRS2019

Remote Sensing of Sea Surface Salinity: Comparison of Satellite and In Situ Observations and Impact of Retrieval Parameters

Since 2009, three low frequency microwave sensors have been launched into space with the capability of global monitoring of sea surface salinity (SSS). The European Space Agency's (ESA's) Microwave Imaging Radiometer using Aperture Synthesis (MIRAS), onboard the Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity mission (SMOS), and National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA's) Aquarius and Soil Moisture Active Passive mission (SMAP) use L-band radiometry to measure SSS. There are notable differences in the instrumental approaches, as well as in the retrieval algorithms. We compare the salinity retrieved from these three spaceborne sensors to in situ observations from theArgo network of drifting floats, and we analyze some possible causes for the differences. We present comparisons of the long-term global spatial distribution, the temporal variability for a set of regions of interest and statistical distributions. We analyze some of the possible causes for the differences between the various satellite SSS products by reprocessing the retrievals from Aquarius brightness temperatures changing the model for the sea water dielectric constant and the ancillary product for the sea surface temperature. We quantify the impact of these changes on the differences in SSS between Aquarius and SMOS.We also identify the impact of the corrections for atmospheric effectsrecently modified in the Aquarius SSS retrievals. All three satellites exhibit SSS errors with a strong dependence on sea surface temperature, but this dependence varies significantly with the sensor. We show that these differences are first and foremost due to the dielectric constant model, then to atmospheric corrections and to a lesser extent to the ancillary product of the sea surface temperature.

SSS↗
NASA NTRS2022

Mapping Firn Saturation over Greenland using NASA’s Soil Moisture Active Passive Satellite

Mapping the spatial extent of recently identified englacial hydrological features (i.e., ice slabs and perennial firn aquifers) formed by meters-thick water-saturated firn layers over the percolation facies of the Greenland Ice Sheet using L-band microwave radiometry has recently been demonstrated. However, these initial maps are binary, and do not provide a parameter to estimate the spatial variability in the thickness and volumetric fraction of meltwater stored within the firn pore space. Here, we exploit enhanced-resolution vertical-polarization L-band brightness temperature (T^(B)_(V)) imagery (2015–2019) generated using observations collected over Greenland by NASA’s Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) satellite and a simple two-layer L-band brightness temperature model. We map water-saturated firn layers via a “firn saturation” parameter, and interpret our results together with ice slab and perennial firn aquifer spatial extents, estimates of snow accumulation simulated via the Regional Atmospheric Climate Model (RACMOp2.3), and airborne radar surveys collected via NASA’s Operation IceBridge (OIB) campaigns. We find that variable firn saturation parameter values are mapped in lower snow accumulation ice slab areas in western, northern, and northeastern Greenland, where firn is colder and water-saturated firn layers seasonally refreeze as solid-ice. Higher firn saturation parameter values are mapped in higher snow accumulation perennial firn aquifer areas in southeastern, southern, and northwestern Greenland, where firn is near the melting point, and meters-thick water-saturated firn layers exist. Our results have implications for identifying expansive englacial reservoirs that store significant volumes of meltwater in locations that are vulnerable to meltwater-induced hydrofracturing and accelerated outlet glacier flow year-round.

Greenland ice sheet↗
NASA NTRS2023

Simulated Inherent Optical Properties of Aquatic Particles Using the Equivalent Algal Populations (EAP) Model

Paired measurements of phytoplankton absorption and backscatter, the inherent optical properties central to the interpretation of ocean colour remote sensing data, are notoriously rare. We present a dataset of Chlorophyll a (Chl a) -specific phytoplankton absorption, scatter and backscatter for 17 different phytoplankton groups, derived from first principles using measured in vivo pigment absorption and a well-validated semi-analytical coated sphere model which simulates the full suite of biophysically consistent phytoplankton optical properties. The optical properties of each simulated phytoplankton cell are integrated over an entire size distribution and are provided at high spectral resolution. The model code is additionally included to enable user access to the complete set of wavelength-dependent, angularly resolved volume scattering functions. This optically coherent dataset of hyperspectral optical properties for a set of globally significant phytoplankton groups has potential for use in algorithm development towards the optimal exploitation of the new age of hyperspectral satellite radiometry.

Equivalent Algal Populations↗
NASA NTRS1969

Multilayer infrared beamsplitter film system

Multilayer infrared beamsplitter film system on a potassium bromide crystal substrate is operational over a wavelength range of 2.5 to 25 microns with nearly equal broadband reflectance and transmittance. It is useful in optical coating, vacuum deposition, radiometry, interferometry, and spectrometry.

Bastien, R. C.↗