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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 541 records · Page 30
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2005

Second-order multiple-scattering theory associated with backscattering enhancement for a millimeter wavelength weather radar with a finite beam width

Effects of multiple scattering on reflectivity are studied for millimeter wavelength weather radars. A time-independent vector theory, including up to second-order scattering, is derived for a single layer of hydrometeors of a uniform density and a uniform diameter. In this theory, spherical waves with a Gaussian antenna pattern are used to calculate ladder and cross terms in the analytical scattering theory. The former terms represent the conventional multiple scattering, while the latter terms cause backscattering enhancement in both the copolarized and cross-polarized components. As the optical thickness of the hydrometeor layer increases, the differences from the conventional plane wave theory become more significant, and essentially, the reflectivity of multiple scattering depends on the ratio of mean free path to radar footprint radius. These results must be taken into account when analyzing radar reflectivity for use in remote sensing.

radar reflectivity↗
NASA NTRS1985

Mean winds of the upper middle atmosphere (60-110 km): A global distribution from radar systems (M.F., METEOR, VHF)

Since the development of the last CIRA in 1972, the number of radars providing winds in the upper middle atmosphere has increased significantly. These systems fill the data gap between 60 km and 110 km. The radars include medium frequency (MF) radars or partial reflection systems giving data from 60/70 to 100/110 km; meteor radars, 80 to 110 km, and M.S.T. radars operating as meteor radars. Data from 12 locations are shown, which represent a good Northern Hemispheric (NH) North American chain, an Oceanian chain which is mainly in the Southern Hemisphere (SH), and some Western Europe data. Generally tidal oscillations have been removed from days or groups of days, and the remaining mean winds and longer period oscillations plotted as height-time contours. Composite cross sections from the years 1978 to 1982 were formed where possible so that only the major temporal features remain.

Manson, A. H.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Airborne radar and radiometer experiment for quantitative remote measurements of rain

An aircraft experiment has been conducted with a dual-frequency (10 GHz and 35 GHz) radar/radiometer system and an 18-GHz radiometer to test various rain-rate retrieval algorithms from space. In the experiment, which took place in the fall of 1988 at the NASA Wallops Flight Facility, VA, both stratiform and convective storms were observed. A ground-based radar and rain gauges were also used to obtain truth data. An external radar calibration is made with rain gauge data, thereby enabling quantitative reflectivity measurements. Comparisons between path attenuations derived from the surface return and from the radar reflectivity profile are made to test the feasibility of a technique to estimate the raindrop size distribution from simultaneous radar and path-attenuation measurements.

Kozu, Toshiaki↗
NASA NTRS1980

Radar estimation of slant path rain attenuation at frequencies above 10 GHz and comparisons with measured multi-season results

Techniques and results pertaining to estimating Earth satellite path rain attenuation events and statistics using radar at nonattenuating wavelengths are presented. The radar formulation and beam scanning methods are described and the procedure for relating the radar measured Rayleigh reflectivity to the high frequency Mie attenuation coefficient are given. Examples of radar derived single terminal statistics and estimation criteria as they relate to path angle and frequency are reviewed. Radar derived space diversity statistics and their dependence on terminal spacing and frequency are described. Site diversity performance curves obtained by radar and radiometry are compared with each other demonstrating the utility of radar methods. Results of a multi-year experiment to test, refine, and establish accuracies of radar methods for arriving at estimates of rain attenuation along an Earth-satellite path are discussed. Comparisons of measured and radar estimated fade events are presented and found to be good. Comparisons of cumulative fade distributions show agreement to be excellent giving an rms deviation of 1 dB.

Goldhirsh, J.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Magellan

Of all the planets in the solar system, Venus is the most like our own Earth in size, mass, and distance from the Sun. The motions of our planetary "twin" were known to the ancients, and its apparent changes in shape, similar to the phases of the Moon, were first studied by Galileo more than four centuries ago. In the modern era, it is by far the most visited world in the solar system - more than 20 spacecraft from the Soviet Union and the United States have been sent there since the early 1960's. The clouds of Venus have been probed, the structure and composition of its atmosphere measured, its landscape photographed, and its rocks chemically analyzed by automated landers. Yet, for all our fascination with Venus, we have only a sketchy, general knowledge of the planet's surface. While the other three "terrestrial" worlds - Earth, Mercury, and Mars have long since been mapped, details of the face of Venus are still largely unknown, due to the planet's dense, constant cloud cover. The clouds prevent us from ever photographing the solid surface, even from space, with conventional cameras. Beginning in the early 1960s, scientists on Earth began to counter this problem by using radar waves, which, unlike visible light, are able to penetrate the Venusian clouds and reflect off the solid planet back to Earth. With the help of computer processing, these radar reflections can be turned into pictures of the Venus surface. Earth-based radar imaging is thus extremely valuable. but it also is limited-Venus always shows the same hemisphere to us when it is near enough in its orbit for high-resolution study, so only a fraction of the planet can be explored from Earth.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1991

The effect of ionospheric reflected noise on the performance of an orbital-debris radar system

An orbital-debris radar system was designed to detect the presence of small objects in low earth orbit by reflecting radio waves off the objects. The author provides a rigorous derivation of the ionospheric reflected noise power and provides an integration over the complete pulse period. Free electrons and ions contained in the ionosphere cause incoherent scatter of the radar signal. This ionospheric reflection tends to increase the noise at the terrestrial radar receiver. A parameter called the ionospheric scattering cross section per unit volume, which is a function of altitude, is useful for computing the power of the ionospheric reflection signal. The Doppler frequency speed of the ionospheric reflected signal is a function of altitude also. The ionospheric noise of a 9-GHz orbital-debris radar receiver is computed using these concepts. Annual and diurnal variations of the noise are included.

Bishop, Dennis F.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Radar Observations of Convective Systems from a High-Altitude Aircraft

Reflectivity data collected by the precipitation radar on board the tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite, orbiting at 350 km altitude, are compared to reflectivity data collected nearly simultaneously by a doppler radar aboard the NASA ER-2 flying at 19-20 km altitude, i.e. above even the deepest convection. The TRMM precipitation radar is a scanning device with a ground swath width of 215 km, and has a resolution of about a4.4 km in the horizontal and 250 m in the vertical (125 m in the core swath 48 km wide). The TRMM radar has a wavelength of 217 cm (13.8 GHz) and the Nadir mirror echo below the surface is used to correct reflectivity for loss by attenuation. The ER-2 Doppler radar (EDOP) has two antennas, one pointing to the nadir, 34 degrees forward. The forward pointing beam receives both the normal and the cross-polarized echos, so the linear polarization ratio field can be monitored. EDOP has a wavelength of 3.12 cm (9.6 GHz), a vertical resolution of 37.5 m and a horizontal along-track resolution of about 100 m. The 2-D along track airflow field can be synthesized from the radial velocities of both beams, if a reflectivity-based hydrometer fall speed relation can be assumed. It is primarily the superb vertical resolution that distinguishes EDOP from other ground-based or airborne radars. Two experiments were conducted during 1998 into validate TRMM reflectivity data over convection and convectively-generated stratiform precipitation regions. The Teflun-A (TEXAS-Florida Underflight) experiment, was conducted in April and May and focused on mesoscale convective systems mainly in southeast Texas. TEFLUN-B was conducted in August-September in central Florida, in coordination with CAMEX-3 (Convection and Moisture Experiment). The latter was focused on hurricanes, especially during landfall, whereas TEFLUN-B concentrated on central; Florida convection, which is largely driven and organized by surface heating and ensuing sea breeze circulations. Both TEFLUN-A and B were amply supported by surface data, in particular a dense raingauge network, a polarization radar, wind profilers, a mobile radiosonde system, a cloud physics aircraft penetrating the overflown storms, and a network of 10 cm Doppler radars(WSR-88D). This presentation will show some preliminary comparisons between TRMM, EDOP, and WSR-88D reflectivity fields in the case of an MCS, a hurricane, and less organized convection in central Florida. A validation of TRMM reflectivity is important, because TRMM's primary objective is to estimate the rainfall climatology with 35 degrees of the equator. Rainfall is estimated from the radar reflectivity, as well from TRMM's Microwave Imager, which measures at 10.7, 19.4, 21.3, 37, and 85.5 GHz over a broader swath (78 km). While the experiments lasted about three months the cumulative period of near simultaneous observations of storms by ground-based, airborne and space borne radars is only about an hour long. Therefore the comparison is case-study-based, not climatological. We will highlight fundamental differences in the typical reflectivity profiles in stratiform regions of MCS's, Florida convection and hurricanes and will explain why Z-R relationships based on ground-based radar data for convective systems over land should be different from those for hurricanes. These catastrophically intense rainfall from hurricane Georges in Hispaniola and from Mitch in Honduras highlights the importance of accurate Z-R relationships, It will be shown that a Z-R relationship that uses the entire reflectivity profile (rather than just a 1 level) works much better in a variety of cases, making an adjustment of the constants for different precipitation system categories redundant.

Heymsfield, G.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Summary of flight tests of an airborne lighting locator system and comparison with ground-based measurements of precipitation and turbulence

Data from an airborne lightning locator system and data relating to storm intensity obtained by ground-based Doppler radars and the S-band research radar are presented. When comparing lightning locations from the airborne lightning locator system with ground-based Doppler radar measurements of reflectivity and spectrum width, the lightning locations tended to be further from the aircraft position than the Doppler radar contours, but at the same relative bearing from the aircraft as the Doppler contours. The results also show that convective storms generate little or no lightning for a significant part of their life cycle, but can produce at least moderate turbulence. Therefore, it is concluded that a lack of lightning activity cannot be accepted as an inference of a corresponding lack of other hazards to the flight of aircraft through convective storms.

Fisher, B. D.↗
NASA NTRS1984

The MST Radar Technique

The coherent radar technique is reviewed with special emphasis to mesosphere-stratosphere-troposphere (MST) radars operating in the VHF band. Some basic introduction to Doppler radar measurements and the radar equation is followed by an outline of the characteristics of atmospheric turbulence, viewed from the scattering and reflection processes of radar signals. Radar signal acquisition and preprocessing, namely coherent detection, digital sampling, pre-integration and coding, is briefly discussed. The data analysis is represented in terms of the correlation and spectrum analysis, yielding the essential parameters: power, signal-to-noise ratio, average and fluctuating velocity and persistency. The techniques to measure wind velocities, viz. the different modes of the Doppler method as well as the space antenna method are surveyed and the feasibilities of the MST radar interferometer technique are elucidated. A general view on the criteria to design phased array antennas is given. An outline of the hardware of a typical MST radar system is presented.

Roettger, J.↗
NASA NTRS1977

K-band attenuation by rain at constant reflectivity

The paper considers a radar method of determining rain intensity which uses a dual wavelength system to measure both reflectivity Z and attenuation A and solving for the constants in an assumed exponential drop size distribution. Calculations are confined to the K-band, relations between A and the rain intensity R being determined for different values of Z for wavelengths of 0.86 and 1.24 cm. It is shown that measurements of reflectivity and attenuation by a dual wavelength radar can provide separate derivations of rain intensity. Available data on errors in an A-R relation indicate that the derivation from the attenuation measurement will be no better than from the Z-R relation.

Wexler, R.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Properties of echo spectra observed by MST radars

Turbulent scatter and Fresnel reflection are the fundamental echoing mechanisms to interpret the signals observed by Mesosphere-stratosphere-troposphere (MST) radars. Turbulent scattered echoes provide information about the turbulence structure and mean flow of the atmosphere. Observational results with VHF MST radars, however, show the importance of Fresnel reflection due to the infinite gradient of reflectivity at the edges of a scattering layer. This condition is excluded for the weak fluctuation models but it is still possible to include the observed aspect sensitivity by assuming an anisotropic structure of fluctuations. Another explanation of the aspect sensitivity observed by MST radars is advanced. Spectral estimates by the widely used periodogram were related to a four-dimensional spectrum of atmospheric fluctuations with anisotropic structure. Effects of the radar system such as antenna beam width, beam direction and Fast Fourier Transformations (FFT) data length were discussed for the anisotropic turbulent atmosphere. Echo parameters were also estimated.

Wakasugi, K.↗
NASA NTRS2008

Hail Size Distribution Mapping

A 3-D weather radar visualization software program was developed and implemented as part of an experimental Launch Pad 39 Hail Monitor System. 3DRadPlot, a radar plotting program, is one of several software modules that form building blocks of the hail data processing and analysis system (the complete software processing system under development). The spatial and temporal mapping algorithms were originally developed through research at the University of Central Florida, funded by NASA s Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission (TRMM), where the goal was to merge National Weather Service (NWS) Next-Generation Weather Radar (NEXRAD) volume reflectivity data with drop size distribution data acquired from a cluster of raindrop disdrometers. In this current work, we adapted these algorithms to process data from a cluster of hail disdrometers positioned around Launch Pads 39A or 39B, along with the corresponding NWS radar data. Radar data from all NWS NEXRAD sites is archived at the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC). That data can be readily accessed at . 3DRadPlot plots Level III reflectivity data at four scan elevations (this software is available at Open Channel Software, ). By using spatial and temporal interpolation/extrapolation based on hydrometeor fall dynamics, we can merge the hail disdrometer array data coupled with local Weather Surveillance Radar-1988, Doppler (WSR-88D) radial velocity and reflectivity data into a 4-D (3-D space and time) picture of hail size distributions. Hail flux maps can then be generated and used for damage prediction and assessment over specific surfaces corresponding to structures within the disdrometer array volume. Immediately following a hail storm, specific damage areas and degree of damage can be identified for inspection crews.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1990

Possible Martian brines - Radar observations and models

The 1971 and 1973 Goldstone 12.6-cm radar observations of Mars are separate data sets which include reflectivity as a function of latitude, longitude, and season. It has been argued that secular reflectivity variations of Mars' surface are indicated by the data and that shallow subsurface melting is the causal mechanism most compatible with the observations; however, the melting hypothesis conflicts with accepted notions of the state and distribution of water on Mars. The data are examined to identify temporal and spatial domains within which statistically significant changes in measured reflectivity are clustered. Brines which might satisfy the best supported reflectivity variations are out of equilibrium with the chemical megaenvironment. It is unclear whether such a brine, if emplaced in the Martian regolith at a depth shallow enough to affect the radar reflectivity, could survive even a single freeze-thaw cycle. Some combination of unique scattering properties or some as yet unidentified process other than melting is responsible for any genuine reflectivity variations.

Zent, Aaron P.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Contribution of Small-Scale Correlated Fluctuations of Microstructural Properties of a Spatially Extended Geophysical Target Under the Assessment of Radar Backscatter

The study of the collective effects of radar scattering from an aggregation of discrete scatterers randomly distributed in a space is important for better understanding the origin of the backscatter from spatially extended geophysical targets (SEGT). We consider the microstructure irregularities of a SEGT as the essential factor that affect radar backscatter. To evaluate their contribution this study uses the "slice" approach: particles close to the front of incident radar wave are considered to reflect incident electromagnetic wave coherently. The radar equation for a SEGT is derived. The equation includes contributions to the total backscatter from correlated small-scale fluctuations of the slice's reflectivity. The correlation contribution changes in accordance with an earlier proposed idea by Smith (1964) based on physical consideration. The slice approach applied allows parameterizing the features of the SEGT's inhomogeneities.

Yurchak, Boris S.↗
NASA NTRS2005

Development of High Altitude UAV Weather Radars for Hurricane Research

A proposed effort within NASA called (ASHE) over the past few years was aimed at studying the genesis of tropical disturbances off the east coast of Africa. This effort was focused on using an instrumented Global Hawk UAV with high altitude (%Ok ft) and long duration (30 h) capability. While the Global Hawk availability remains uncertain, development of two relevant instruments, a Doppler radar (URAD - UAV Radar) and a backscatter lidar (CPL-UAV - Cloud Physics Lidar), are in progress. The radar to be discussed here is based on two previous high-altitude, autonomously operating radars on the NASA ER-2 aircraft, the ER-2 Doppler Radar (EDOP) at X-band (9.6 GHz), and the Cloud Radar System (CRS) at W- band (94 GHz). The nadir-pointing EDOP and CRS radars profile vertical reflectivity structure and vertical Doppler winds in precipitation and clouds, respectively. EDOP has flown in all of the CAMEX flight series to study hurricanes over storms such as Hurricanes Bonnie, Humberto, Georges, Erin, and TS Chantal. These radars were developed at Goddard over the last decade and have been used for satellite algorithm development and validation (TRMM and Cloudsat), and for hurricane and convective storm research. We describe here the development of URAD that will measure wind and reflectivity in hurricanes and other weather systems from a top down, high-altitude view. URAD for the Global Hawk consists of two subsystems both of which are at X-band (9.3-9.6 GHz) and Doppler: a nadir fixed-beam Doppler radar for vertical motion and precipitation measurement, and a Conical scanning radar for horizontal winds in cloud and at the surface, and precipitation structure. These radars are being designed with size, weight, and power consumption suitable for the Global Hawk and other UAV's. The nadir radar uses a magnetron transmitter and the scanning radar uses a TWT transmitter. With conical scanning of the radar at a 35" incidence angle over an ocean surface in the absence of precipitation, the surface return over a single 360 degree sweep over -25 h-diameter region provides information on the surface wind speed and direction within the scan circle. In precipitation regions, the conical scan with appropriate mapping and analysis provides the 3D structure of reflectivity beneath the plane and the horizontal winds. The use of conical scanning in hurricanes has recently been demonstrated for measuring inner core winds with the IWRAP system flying on the NOAA P3's. In this presentation, we provide a description of the URAD system hardware, status, and future plans. In addition to URAD, NASA SBIR activity is supporting a Phase I study by Remote Sensing Solutions and the University of Massachusetts for a dual-frequency IWRAP for a high altitude UAV that utilizes solid state transmitters at 14 and 35 GHz, the same frequencies that are planned for the radar on the Global Precipitation System satellite. This will be discussed elsewhere at the meeting.

Heymsfield, Gerald↗
NASA NTRS2001

Overview and Scientific Agenda of Global Precipitation Mission

This paper addresses the status of the Global Precipitation Mission (GPM) currently planned for launch in the 2007-2008 time frame. The GPM notional design involves a 9-member satellite constellation, one of which wilt be an advanced TRMM-like "core" satellite carrying a dual-frequency Ku-Ka band radar (DFPR) and a TMI-like radiometer. The other eight members of the constellation will be considered daughters of the core satellite, each carrying some type of passive microwave radiometer measuring across the 10.7 - 85 GHz ,frequency range - likely to include a combination of lightweight satellites and co-existing operational/Experimental satellites carrying passive microwave radiometers (i.e., SSM/I and AMSR-E & -F). The constellation is designed to provide no worse than 3-hour sampling at any spot on the globe using sun-synchronous orbit architecture for the daughter satellites, with the core satellite providing relevant measurements on internal cloud-precipitation microphysical processes and the "training-calibrating" information for retrieval algorithms used on daughter satellite measurements. The GPM is organized internationally, currently involving a partnership between NASA in the US, NASDA in Japan, and ESA in Europe (representing the European community nations). The mission is expected to involve additional international participants, sister agencies to the mainstream space agencies, and a diverse collection scientists from academia, government, and the private sector, A critical element in understanding the scientific thinking which has motivated the GPM project is an understanding of what scientific problems TRMM has and has not been able to address and at what scales. The TRMM satellite broke important scientific ground because it carried to space an array of rain-sensitive instruments, two of which were specifically designed for physical precipitation retrieval. These were the 9-channel TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI) and the 13.8 GHz Precipitation Radar (PR). By the same token, because TRMM is a single satellite in a low inclination, low altitude, non-sun-synchronous orbit, it cannot provide global coverage or regular diurnal sampling. These features are essential for many current scientific inquiries involving physical processes of climate and the global water cycle, the modeling of hydrometeorological-biogeochemical cycling, and coupled land-atmosphere/ocean-atmosphere exchanges. Moreover, TRMM has not been able to retrieve explicit properties of the drop size distribution (DSD), a final major barrier to making accurate rain measurements, because the single frequency TRMM radar cannot measure differential reflectivity. which is a minimal requirement for attacking rain retrieval within the framework of extinction cross-section-dependency. GPM is expected to surmount much of the DSD retrieval problem because its core satellite wilt have the capacity to make differential reflectivity measurements with its Ku-Ka band radar (13.6 - 35 GHz) called DFPR - being developed by NASDA/CRL in Japan. This paper will provide an overview of the above issues as well as present a discussion on the expected measurement improvements.

Smith, Eric A.↗