Results for “Radar Implementation” — Page 24

NASA NTRS2008

Simulation Results for Airborne Precision Spacing along Continuous Descent Arrivals

This paper describes the results of a fast-time simulation experiment and a high-fidelity simulator validation with merging streams of aircraft flying Continuous Descent Arrivals through generic airspace to a runway at Dallas-Ft Worth. Aircraft made small speed adjustments based on an airborne-based spacing algorithm, so as to arrive at the threshold exactly at the assigned time interval behind their Traffic-To-Follow. The 40 aircraft were initialized at different altitudes and speeds on one of four different routes, and then merged at different points and altitudes while flying Continuous Descent Arrivals. This merging and spacing using flight deck equipment and procedures to augment or implement Air Traffic Management directives is called Flight Deck-based Merging and Spacing, an important subset of a larger Airborne Precision Spacing functionality. This research indicates that Flight Deck-based Merging and Spacing initiated while at cruise altitude and well prior to the Terminal Radar Approach Control entry can significantly contribute to the delivery of aircraft at a specified interval to the runway threshold with a high degree of accuracy and at a reduced pilot workload. Furthermore, previously documented work has shown that using a Continuous Descent Arrival instead of a traditional step-down descent can save fuel, reduce noise, and reduce emissions. Research into Flight Deck-based Merging and Spacing is a cooperative effort between government and industry partners.

Barmore, Bryan E.↗

NASA NTRS1989

Low-pass spatial filtering of satellite radar data

Thirty-four low-pass spatial filter treatments were applied to a multi-angle SIR-B data set to reduce speckle effects and improve classification performance. These treatments were based on four algorithms: square mean, separable mean, square median, and separable recursive median. The filtered images were evaluated using both quantitative and qualitative techniques. It was determined that the square median algorithm implemented at two iterations with a window size of 3 by 3 produced the best overall results with the 28.5-m SIR-B data.

Mueller, Paul W.↗

NASA NTRS2002

Dual-low frequency radar for soil moisture under vegetation at at-depth

To address a key science research topic for the global water and energy cycle, namely measuring soil moisture under substantial vegetation canopies and to useful depths, we have developed a concept for a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) system operating simultaneously at UHF and VHF frequencies. We are currently prototyping key technology items that enable this concept under the NASA Earth Science Technology Office (ESTO) Instrument Incubator Program (IIP). This presentation describes the technological challenges and innovations we are addressing to enable the implementation of this instrument and its integration into a future Earth-orbiting mission.

soil moisture low-frequency SAR deployable mech du↗

NASA NTRS1977

Study to investigate and evaluate means of optimizing the Ku-band combined radar/communication functions for the space shuttle

The Ku band radar system on the shuttle orbiter operates in both a search and a tracking mode, and its transmitter and antennas share time with the communication mode in the integrated system. The power allocation properties and the Costa subloop subcarrier tracking performance associated with the baseline digital phase shift implementation of the three channel orbiter Ku band modulator are discussed.

Weber, C. L.↗

NASA NTRS1992

Airborne in situ computation of the wind shear hazard index

An algorithm for airborne in situ computation of the wind shear hazard index (F-factor) was developed and evaluated in simulation and verified in flight. The algorithm was implemented on NASA's B-737-100 airplane, and tested under severe maneuvering, nonhazardous wind conditions, and normal takeoffs and landings. The airplane was flown through actual microburst conditions in Orlando, FL, where the algorithm produced wind shear measurements which were confirmed by an independent, ground-based radar measurement. Flight test results indicated that the in situ F-factor algorithm correctly measured the effect of the wind environment on the airplane's performance, and produced no nuisance alerts.

Oseguera, Rosa M.↗

NASA NTRS1992

Radio and optical interferometric imaging

Since diffraction-limited imaging with a single aperture yields angular resolution approx. lambda/D, the attainment of high angular resolution with single apertures requires the construction of correspondingly large monolithic apertures, the whole surface of which must be figured to much less than a wavelength. At the longer wavelengths, it is impossible to build a sufficiently large single aperture: for example, at lambda 21 cm, arcsec resolution requires an aperture of diameter approx. 50 km. At the shorter wavelengths, the atmosphere imposes a natural limit in resolution of about one arcsec. However, another route is possible; that is, using synthetic apertures to image the sky. Synthetic apertures are now in use in many fields, e.g., radio interferometry, radar imaging, and magnetic-resonance imaging. Radio-interferometric techniques developed in radio astronomy over the past 40 years are now being applied to optical and IR astronomical imaging by a number of groups. Furthermore, the problem of figuring synthetic apertures is considerably simpler, and can be implemented in a computer: new 'self-calibration' techniques allow imaging even in the presence of phase errors due to the atmosphere.

Cornwell, Tim J.↗

NASA NTRS1998

Real Time Land-Surface Hydrologic Modeling Over Continental US

The land surface component of the hydrological cycle is fundamental to the overall functioning of the atmospheric and climate processes. Spatially and temporally variable rainfall and available energy, combined with land surface heterogeneity cause complex variations in all processes related to surface hydrology. The characterization of the spatial and temporal variability of water and energy cycles are critical to improve our understanding of land surface-atmosphere interaction and the impact of land surface processes on climate extremes. Because the accurate knowledge of these processes and their variability is important for climate predictions, most Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) centers have incorporated land surface schemes in their models. However, errors in the NWP forcing accumulate in the surface and energy stores, leading to incorrect surface water and energy partitioning and related processes. This has motivated the NWP to impose ad hoc corrections to the land surface states to prevent this drift. A proposed methodology is to develop Land Data Assimilation schemes (LDAS), which are uncoupled models forced with observations, and not affected by NWP forcing biases. The proposed research is being implemented as a real time operation using an existing Surface Vegetation Atmosphere Transfer Scheme (SVATS) model at a 40 km degree resolution across the United States to evaluate these critical science questions. The model will be forced with real time output from numerical prediction models, satellite data, and radar precipitation measurements. Model parameters will be derived from the existing GIS vegetation and soil coverages. The model results will be aggregated to various scales to assess water and energy balances and these will be validated with various in-situ observations.

Houser, Paul R.↗

NASA NTRS2003

New Sensor Gaining Interest on Industry Radar Screen

While radar is typically used to track large objects that are relatively far away, an Atlanta, Georgia-based start-up company is using the technology in a counter-intuitive way to track very small changes in displacement at close proximity. Radatec, Inc., a designer, manufacturer, and implementer of sensor systems for monitoring combustion-zone components in turbine engines, was formed in 2001 to commercialize the patented radio frequency vibrometer technology from the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech). In readying the technology for the commercial market, Radatec received assistance from NASA s Dryden Flight Research Center.

Source record↗

NASA NTRS2015

Combined Observational and Modeling Efforts to Better Understand Aerosol-Cloud-Precipitation Interactions Over Land: Preliminary Results from 7-SEAS/BASELInE 2013

This talk presents some of the detailed observations of low-level stratocumulus over northern Vietnam during 7-SEASBASELInE 2013 by SMARTLabs' ACHIEVE W-band cloud radar and other remote sensing instruments. These observations are the first of their kind for this region and will aid in ongoing studies of biomass-burning aerosol impacts on local and regional weather and climate. Preliminary results from simulations using the Goddard Cumulus Ensemble (GCE) with recently implemented triple-moment bulk microphysics to examine the sensitivity of low-level stratocumulus over land to aerosols are also presented. Recommendations for future observational activities in the 7-SEAS northern region in collaboration with international partners will also be discussed.

satellite remote sensing↗

NASA NTRS2019

UAVSAR real-time embedded GPU processor

Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) can provide high-resolution imagery regardless of cloud cover or lighting conditions. These qualities make SAR potentially well-suited for informing response efforts to natural and man-made disasters, but such applications require data products with minimal latency. To meet this challenge, we implemented a real-time SAR processor capable of producing 10 m imagery using an NVIDIA Jetson TX2 embedded GPU module. With its low mass (87 g module) and power consumption under 8 W, the system also holds promise for spaceborne applications.

Tung, Wayne↗

NASA NTRS2022

Benchmarking and Testing of Qualcomm Snapdragon System-on-Chip for JPL Space Applications and Missions

As some space missions become more challenging due to new environments, greater distances, or more limited size, weight, and power (SWaP) constraints, spacecraft avionics must adapt to allow the spacecraft to be more autonomous and agile---eliminating the Spacecraft-Earth-Spacecraft feedback loop whenever possible. Prime examples of such missions include Aerobots (such as Ingenuity with extremely low SWaP constraints and demanding signal/image processing during flight) and landers in possibly hostile environments (such as a Europa lander mission, with limited communication capacity, high latency, and constrained power budget). To address these challenges, JPL worked with Qualcomm to demonstrate the use of their Snapdragon 801 system-on-chip (SoC) onboard the Ingenuity Helicopter on Mars. The Qualcomm Snapdragon SoC contains various subsystems, including an ARM cluster, a Graphics processing unit, a Digital Signal Processing subsystem, a Neural Processing Engine, Image Signal Processing subsystem, among others. Since the success of Ingenuity, JPL is continuing to work with Qualcomm to address other applications of the Snapdragon SoC technology. This includes the deployment of two 855 Snapdragon development boards onboard the International Space Station (ISS) for successful in-situ benchmarking of applications in space (beyond those tested on Ingenuity). In this paper, we will examine the performance of various applications that have been identified to benefit from greater onboard computational capability. These applications include (among others): machine vision algorithms that are expected to be critical in autonomous entry-descent-and-landing scenarios and real-time Aerobot flight navigation; Hyperspectral compression algorithms; Synthetic Aperture Radar Processing along with various instrument processing algorithms. We discuss how the infusion of Qualcomm's Snapdragon SoC is capable of enabling missions that may not have been able to achieve their goals with traditional flight computing. In addition, we also show that for some algorithms, the software implementation on the Snapdragon SoC outperforms traditional FPGA implementations.

Cretu, Vlad↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Enhancing Radiative Transfer Models for Optimized Assimilation of Microwave and Radar Observations

Radiative transfer models are extensively used for the assimilation of satellite observations into NWP models as well as retrieving geophysical products from satellite measurements. The Community Radiative Transfer Model (CRTM) is a community model developed by NOAA JCSDA and widely used for different purposes requiring RT calculations. CRTM requires bulk optical properties of hydrometeors in the form of lookup tables in order to perform all-sky RT calculations. However, the current cloud scattering lookup tables in CRTM assume spherical shapes for all frozen hydrometeors, whereas actual clouds contain frozen particles with diverse shapes. The first part of this talk presents the implementation and validation of a comprehensive Discrete Dipole Approximation (DDA) cloud scattering database into CRTM, specifically targeting microwave frequencies. The DDA technique proves effective in simulating the optical properties of non-spherical hydrometeors in the microwave region. The original DDA database assumes total random orientation in calculating single scattering properties. To generate the required mass scattering parameters for CRTM, the single scattering properties and water content dependent particle size distributions are used. The evaluation of results involved a collocated dataset comprising short-term forecasts from the Integrated Forecast System of the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts and satellite microwave data. The findings demonstrate that the DDA lookup tables significantly reduce discrepancies between simulated and observed values when compared to the Mie tables. Passive instruments lack the ability to provide vertically resolved measurements of clouds and precipitation, which can be obtained by active radar instruments. However, incorporating these active measurements into data assimilation systems presents challenges due to the absence of fast forward radiative transfer models and difficulties in error modeling. The second part of the talk focuses on the development, evaluation, and sensitivity analysis of a forward radar model integrated into CRTM. The forward radar model utilizes scattering properties obtained from hydrometeor lookup tables generated using the discrete dipole approximation. By utilizing CRTM instrument-specific coefficients, the model can calculate both reflectivity and attenuated reflectivity for any given radar instrument and zenith angles. Evaluation using CloudSat measurements demonstrates a strong agreement between simulations and observations when the input profiles of hydrometeors align with the measured reflectivity profiles.

Isaac Moradi↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Assimilation of Spaceborne Microwave and Radar Observations

Radiative transfer models are extensively used for the assimilation of satellite observations into NWP models as well as retrieving geophysical products from satellite measurements. The Community Radiative Transfer Model (CRTM) is a community model developed by NOAA JCSDA and widely used for different purposes requiring RT calculations. CRTM requires bulk optical properties of hydrometeors in the form of lookup tables in order to perform all-sky RT calculations. However, the current cloud scattering lookup tables in CRTM assume spherical shapes for all frozen hydrometeors, whereas actual clouds contain frozen particles with diverse shapes. The first part of this talk presents the implementation and validation of a comprehensive Discrete Dipole Approximation (DDA) cloud scattering database into CRTM, specifically targeting microwave frequencies. The DDA technique proves effective in simulating the optical properties of non-spherical hydrometeors in the microwave region. The original DDA database assumes total random orientation in calculating single scattering properties. To generate the required mass scattering parameters for CRTM, the single scattering properties and water content dependent particle size distributions are used. The evaluation of results involved a collocated dataset comprising short-term forecasts from the Integrated Forecast System of the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts and satellite microwave data. The findings demonstrate that the DDA lookup tables significantly reduce discrepancies between simulated and observed values when compared to the Mie tables. Passive instruments lack the ability to provide vertically resolved measurements of clouds and precipitation, which can be obtained by active radar instruments. However, incorporating these active measurements into data assimilation systems presents challenges due to the absence of fast forward radiative transfer models and difficulties in error modeling. The second part of the talk focuses on the development, evaluation, and sensitivity analysis of a forward radar model integrated into CRTM. The forward radar model utilizes scattering properties obtained from hydrometeor lookup tables generated using the discrete dipole approximation. By utilizing CRTM instrument-specific coefficients, the model can calculate both reflectivity and attenuated reflectivity for any given radar instrument and zenith angles. Evaluation using CloudSat measurements demonstrates a strong agreement between simulations and observations when the input profiles of hydrometeors align with the measured reflectivity profiles.

Isaac Moradi↗

NASA NTRS1975

On-board data management study for EOPAP

The requirements, implementation techniques, and mission analysis associated with on-board data management for EOPAP were studied. SEASAT-A was used as a baseline, and the storage requirements, data rates, and information extraction requirements were investigated for each of the following proposed SEASAT sensors: a short pulse 13.9 GHz radar, a long pulse 13.9 GHz radar, a synthetic aperture radar, a multispectral passive microwave radiometer facility, and an infrared/visible very high resolution radiometer (VHRR). Rate distortion theory was applied to determine theoretical minimum data rates and compared with the rates required by practical techniques. It was concluded that practical techniques can be used which approach the theoretically optimum based upon an empirically determined source random process model. The results of the preceding investigations were used to recommend an on-board data management system for (1) data compression through information extraction, optimal noiseless coding, source coding with distortion, data buffering, and data selection under command or as a function of data activity, (2) for command handling, (3) for spacecraft operation and control, and (4) for experiment operation and monitoring.

Davisson, L. D.↗

NASA NTRS1987

High rate data systems

The characteristics of the high resolution imaging spectrometer (HIRIS) and the synthetic aperture radar (SAR) are described with consideration given to the source of their high data rates. A functional-level description of the end-to-end data flow for HIRIS and SAR is provided. Attention is also given to major technological challenges that must be met in achieving an implementation of the system. Management issues associated with high rate, high volume data are also discussed.

Miller, Richard B.↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Optimizing Assimilation of Microwave and Radar Observations in the NWP Models

Radiative transfer models are extensively used for the assimilation of satellite observations into NWP models as well as retrieving geophysical products from satellite measurements. The Community Radiative Transfer Model (CRTM) is a community model developed by NOAA JCSDA and widely used for different purposes requiring RT calculations. CRTM requires bulk optical properties of hydrometeors in the form of lookup tables in order to perform all-sky RT calculations. However, the current cloud scattering lookup tables in CRTM assume spherical shapes for all frozen hydrometeors, whereas actual clouds contain frozen particles with diverse shapes. The first part of this talk presents the implementation and validation of a comprehensive Discrete Dipole Approximation (DDA) cloud scattering database into CRTM, specifically targeting microwave frequencies. The DDA technique proves effective in simulating the optical properties of non-spherical hydrometeors in the microwave region. The original DDA database assumes total random orientation in calculating single scattering properties. To generate the required mass scattering parameters for CRTM, the single scattering properties and water content dependent particle size distributions are used. The evaluation of results involved a collocated dataset comprising short-term forecasts from the Integrated Forecast System of the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts and satellite microwave data. The findings demonstrate that the DDA lookup tables significantly reduce discrepancies between simulated and observed values when compared to the Mie tables. Passive instruments lack the ability to provide vertically resolved measurements of clouds and precipitation, which can be obtained by active radar instruments. However, incorporating these active measurements into data assimilation systems presents challenges due to the absence of fast forward radiative transfer models and difficulties in error modeling. The second part of the talk focuses on the development, evaluation, and sensitivity analysis of a forward radar model integrated into CRTM. The forward radar model utilizes scattering properties obtained from hydrometeor lookup tables generated using the discrete dipole approximation. By utilizing CRTM instrument-specific coefficients, the model can calculate both reflectivity and attenuated reflectivity for any given radar instrument and zenith angles. Evaluation using CloudSat measurements demonstrates a strong agreement between simulations and observations when the input profiles of hydrometeors align with the measured reflectivity profiles.

Isaac Moradi↗

NASA NTRS1978

C-band radar pulse Doppler error: Its discovery, modeling, and elimination

The discovery of a C Band radar pulse Doppler error is discussed and use of the GEOS 3 satellite's coherent transponder to isolate the error source is described. An analysis of the pulse Doppler tracking loop is presented and a mathematical model for the error was developed. Error correction techniques were developed and are described including implementation details.

Krabill, W. B.↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

The GEODYN Precision Orbit Determination Software

GEODYN-II is NASA’s state-of-the-art geodetic parameter estimation and precision orbit determination (POD) system, developed at Goddard Space Flight Center and maintained within the Geodesy and Geophysics Laboratory. GEODYN supports POD and geodetic parameter estimation for both Earth orbiting and planetary/planetary body missions. It implements a comprehensive set of high-fidelity force models for integrating satellite orbits. GEODYN supports approximately 100 measurement types, including support for Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), Satellite Laser Ranging (SLR), Doppler Orbitography and Radio positioning Integrated by Satellite (DORIS), Very Long Base Interferometry (VLBI), landmark (camera data), landmark crossovers, radar and laser direct altimeter ranging, and dynamic altimetry crossovers.

Joseph B Nicholas↗