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At least 631 records · Page 35

Submillimeter observations of planets

A new program of ground-based observations at submillimeter (about 400-micron) wavelengths has yielded observations of Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. We report here observations near planetary conjunctions, which have minimal corrections for atmospheric extinction: Mercury, 361 + or - 65 K; Venus, 231 + or - 35 K; and Saturn, 205 + or - 15 K (based upon the area of the planetary disk), using Jupiter (150 K) and Mars (220 K) as photometric standards. The Mercury observations show that the brightness temperature does not decrease at the submillimeter wavelengths, relative to observations at 3 mm; for Venus, however, the brightness temperature appears appreciably lower than at millimeter wavelengths. The results for Saturn indicate a strong and possibly optically thick contribution from the rings.

Hudson, H. S.↗

Thermal study of the unilluminated surface of the waning moon

A program of lunar infrared radiometry which uses large-area scanning is described. Procedures for atmospheric-attenuation correction and data reduction to temperature by relative radiometry are outlined. The scan data of the waning moon taken during ten evenings in the 10- to 12-micron window are presented as isothermal contour maps of the lunar disk. More than 160 areas of anomalous thermal emission have been found in the lunar dark-side data. These are tabulated and are also shown on an accompanying map. An error analysis, derived from accuracy estimates of the independent parameters, is included.

Raine, W. L.↗

Antenna pointing subsystem conscan implementation

The software of the computer that drives the tracking antennas in the DSN was modified to improve the pointing accuracy for tracking operations at X-band frequencies. The change implemented an improved model for atmospheric refraction correction and added a software tracking option that corrects any remaining pointing errors. The software tracking option that was added measures the actual pointing error and corrects the antenna position accordingly.

Tappan, R.↗

The preprocessing of multispectral data. II

It is pointed out that a correction of atmospheric effects is an important requirement for a full utilization of the possibilities provided by preprocessing techniques. The most significant characteristics of original and preprocessed data are considered, taking into account the solution of classification problems by means of the preprocessing procedure. Improvements obtainable with different preprocessing techniques are illustrated with the aid of examples involving Landsat data regarding an area in Colorado.

Quiel, F.↗

An investigation of the waters in the lower Chesapeake Bay area

Since October of 1972 the Langley Research Center and the Old Dominion University have been engaged in a cooperative effort to investigate the waters of the lower Chesapeake Bay area. During the first year an intensive effort was made to collect water data at the time of Landsat-1 overpasses. Bands 5 and 6 of the multispectral scanner (MSS) were shown to be useful for monitoring total particles, although a daily calibration was required. Band 5 had a high correlation with sediment and under some conditions an internal correction for atmospheric interference was possible. The relation of sediment to particles was established by using the MSS radiance values, since the two parameters were not monitored at the same stations. A contouring program was developed to display the sediment variation in the lower Bay at the time of the Jan. 26, 1973, overpass. Attenuation coefficients monitored continuously by ship along three baselines were cross-correlated with radiance values on three days. Evidence for tidal effects was obtained by showing that correlations improved when ship data collected during the nearest 'tidal time' instead of physical time were used

Bowker, D. E.↗

Satellite laser ranging work at the Goddard Space Flight Center

The paper describes the satellite laser ranging system at the Goddard Space Flight Center, its range and accuracy capabilities, and planned improvements for future systems. Major subsystems are described, including the laser, optical/mechanical, receiver, computer/software, timing, and laser data preprocessing subsystems. Operational considerations are examined, with attention given the mobile station layout, manpower requirements, and transportability. System performance is considered, with emphasis on system accuracy (calibration, stability, clock synchronization, atmospheric propagation correction) and range capability.

Mcgunigal, T. E.↗

Airframe noise of the DC-9

Airframe noise measurements are reported for the DC-9-31 aircraft flown at several speeds and with a number of flap, landing gear, and slat extension configurations. The data are corrected for atmospheric attenuation and spherical divergence, and are presented for an overhead position normalized to a 1-meter height. The sound pressure levels are found to vary approximately as the fifth power of flight velocity. Both lift and drag dipoles exist as a significant part of the airframe noise. The data are compared with airframe noise predictions using the drag element and the data analysis methods. Although some of the predictions are very good, further work is needed to refine these methods, particularly for the gear-down and flaps-down configurations.

Bauer, A. B.↗

Sharpening stellar images

A prototype telescope system with six movable elements has been used with sharpness detection procedures to observe objects as dim as fifth magnitude. The real-time image sharpening technique does not rely on the use of a reference star. By correcting for atmospherically induced phase perturbations, the sharpening system has permitted restoration of stellar images to the diffraction limit (in one dimension) for a 30-cm telescope. Application of the system to the separation of double stars is reported.

Buffington, A.↗

Large Area Crop Inventory Experiment (LACIE). Development of procedure M for multicrop inventory, with tests of a spring-wheat configuration

The author has identified the following significant results. An outgrowth of research and development activities in support of LACIE was a multicrop area estimation procedure, Procedure M. This procedure was a flexible, modular system that could be operated within the LACIE framework. Its distinctive features were refined preprocessing (including spatially varying correction for atmospheric haze), definition of field like spatial features for labeling, spectral stratification, and unbiased selection of samples to label and crop area estimation without conventional maximum likelihood classification.

Horvath, R.↗

Radar error statistics for the space shuttle

Radar error statistics of C-band and S-band that are recommended for use with the groundtracking programs to process space shuttle tracking data are presented. The statistics are divided into two parts: bias error statistics, using the subscript B, and high frequency error statistics, using the subscript q. Bias errors may be slowly varying to constant. High frequency random errors (noise) are rapidly varying and may or may not be correlated from sample to sample. Bias errors were mainly due to hardware defects and to errors in correction for atmospheric refraction effects. High frequency noise was mainly due to hardware and due to atmospheric scintillation. Three types of atmospheric scintillation were identified: horizontal, vertical, and line of sight. This was the first time that horizontal and line of sight scintillations were identified.

Lear, W. M.↗

Equivalence of airborne and ground-acquired wheat canopy temperatures

The relationship between airborne and ground-based measurements of soil and crop canopy temperatures is investigated for a partial crop canopy. Daily ground-based measurements using a wide-field-of-view radiometer oriented towards the nadir at a height of 1.5 m and airborne thermal imagery at two-week intervals were obtained throughout the entire growing season of a stand of wheat. When corrected for atmospheric effects, the airborne measurements were found to be virtually identical to ground-based measurements, with a regression line slope of 0.985, a standard deviation of 1.8 C and a correlation coefficient of 0.97.

Millard, J. P.↗

HCMM energy budget data as a model input for assessing regions of high potential groundwater pollution

The author has identified the following significant results. Day thermal data were analyzed to assess depth to groundwater in the test site. HCMM apparent temperature was corrected for atmospheric effects using lake temperature of the Oahe Reservoir in central South Dakota. Soil surface temperatures were estimated using an equation developed for ground studies. A significant relationship was found between surface soil temperature and depth to groundwater, as well as between the surface soil-maximum air temperature differential and soil water content (% of field capacity) in the 0 cm and 4 cm layer of the profile. Land use for the data points consisted of row crops, small grains, stubble, and pasture.

Moore, D. G.↗

Comparison of stack plume properties obtained from aircraft and spacecraft measurements

Landsat II imagery data and aircraft nephelometer measurements were analyzed to determine the quantitative properties of a stack plume emitted from a moderate-sized pulpmill. Aircraft measurements were obtained at several heights across the plume at 1.0, 3.0, and 6.5 km downwind from the stack, and for comparative purposes, the Landsat data were also analyzed at these same three locations and at 0.5 and 10.0 km. Overlapping, consecutive-day MSS data provided plume/no-plume radiances upwelling from the stack site. Imagery data from a 10- by 10 km region in the vicinity of the mill were normalized to correct for atmospheric, solar, and viewing angle differences for the 2 observation days, and cloud-shadow data were used to evaluate sky radiance. Particle concentrations, vertical and lateral dispersions, and plume heights determined from both the aircraft and spacecraft measurement techniques are in good agreement.

Staylor, W. F.↗

Hydrogen production rates from ground-based Fabry-Perot observations of comet Kohoutek

The only ground-based observations of a cometary hydrogen corona that have been obtained up to the present were carried out during the appearance of comet Kohoutek (1973 XII). Hydrogen Balmer alpha (H-alpha) emission from the gas cloud surrounding the comet was detected using a Fabry-Perot spectrometer at Kitt Peak National Observatory. These observations have been reexamined using (1) recently obtained solar full-disk Lyman beta emission line profiles, (2) a new calibration of the absolute sensitivity of the Fabry-Perot spectrometer based on comparison of NGC 7000 with standard stars and the planetary nebula NGC 7662, and (3) corrections for atmospheric extinction instead of the geocoronal H-alpha comparison method used previously to obtain comet H-alpha intensities. The new values for hydrogen production rates are in good agreement with results obtained from Lyman alpha observations of comet Kohoutek.

Scherb, F.↗

Solar spectrum from 170 to 3200 nanometers

The spectral irradiance of the Sun between 170 and 3200 nanometers was measured to determine accurately the solar constant, its possible variation with the solar cycle, and the wavelength range responsible for the observed variations. It is pointed out that measurements over very long time periods (10 years) involving flights of the same instrument on future Spacelab missions will be required. Few spectral solar irradiation measurements ranging from the near ultraviolet to the near infrared have been performed yet. The most extensive solar irradiation measurements were obtained by a spectrometer onboard an aircraft or from high altitude observatories. The full disk irradiation flux was measured, corrections for atmospheric absorption are applied in all of the measurements.

Thuiller, G.↗

Solar variability

The variability in the total radiant energy flux, or solar irradiance, is discussed. Direct techniques of measuring irradiance, including ground-based, balloon and rocket-borne, and spacecraft-based measurements are compared; the latter type has led to dramatic advances in accuracy since it eliminates the need for corrections for atmospheric absorption. Correlations of the measured irradiance with solar activity are described. Indirect techniques that monitor other solar parameters such as photospheric conditions or the solar diameter are reviewed, and theoretical studies which attempt to interpret the measurements are discussed. Physical mechanisms which can lead to changes in the solar luminosity are addressed, as is global time-dependent modeling of the response of the sun to structural perturbations. Finally, findings from all techniques are summarized, their weak and strong points are assessed, and suggestions for future research are made.

Sofia, S.↗

Evaluation of thermal data for geologic applications

Sensitivity studies using thermal models indicated sources of errors in the determination of thermal inertia from HCMM data. Apparent thermal inertia, with only simple atmospheric radiance corrections to the measured surface temperature, would be sufficient for most operational requirements for surface thermal inertia. Thermal data does have additional information about the nature of surface material that is not available in visible and near infrared reflectance data. Color composites of daytime temperature, nighttime temperature, and albedo were often more useful than thermal inertia images alone for discrimination of lithologic boundaries. A modeling study, using the annual heating cycle, indicated the feasibility of looking for geologic features buried under as much as a meter of alluvial material. The spatial resolution of HCMM data is a major limiting factor in the usefulness of the data for geologic applications. Future thermal infrared satellite sensors should provide spatial resolution comparable to that of the LANDSAT data.

Kahle, A. B.↗