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NASA NTRS2016

Advanced Exploration Systems Atmosphere Resource Recovery and Environmental Monitoring

In September 2011, the Atmosphere Resource Recovery and Environmental Monitoring (ARREM) project was commissioned by NASA's Advanced Exploration Systems program to advance Atmosphere Revitalization Subsystem (ARS) and Environmental Monitoring Subsystem (EMS) technologies for enabling future crewed space exploration missions beyond low Earth orbit. The ARREM project's period of performance covered U.S. Government fiscal years 2012-2014. The ARREM project critically assessed the International Space Station (ISS) ARS and EMS architectures and process technologies as the foundation for an architecture suitable for deep space exploration vehicles. The project's technical content included technical tasks focused on improving the reliability and life cycle cost of ARS and EMS technologies as well as reducing future flight project developmental risk and design, development, test, and evaluation costs. Targeted technology development and maturation tasks, including key technical trade assessments, were accomplished and integrated ARS architectures were demonstrated. The ARREM project developed, demonstrated, and tested leading process technology candidates and subsystem architectures that met or exceeded key figures of merit, addressed capability gaps, and significantly improved the efficiency, safety, and reliability over the state-of-the-art ISS figures of merit. Promising EMS instruments were developed and functionally demonstrated in a simulated cabin environment. The project's technical approach and results are described and recommendations for continued development are provided.

Perry, J.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

The Doppler Wind and Temperature Sounder (DWTS) Flight Evaluation and Experiments (TES-16,17)

The Doppler Wind and Temperature Sounder instrument (DWTS) developed by Global Atmospheric Technologies and Sciences (GATS) is a simple yet powerful tool with the potential to become a new window through which the study of upper atmosphere dynamics can occur. Based around a defense-grade infrared camera peering through a static gas cell used as a scanning spectral filter, a DWTS instrument can infer wind velocities and kinetic temperatures throughout the stratosphere and lower thermosphere. The DWTS achieves this scanning by measuring the induced Doppler shift and Doppler broadening of emissions as they pass through the DWTS field of view (Gordley, Marshall, 2011). The DWTS holds promise in improving accuracy in weather determination among other terrestrial benefits, and the core technology can be easily adapted to study the dynamics of other planetary atmospheres. In partnership with GATS, NOAA, and other collaborators, NASA Ames and the Nano-Orbital Workshop (NOW) group have been working to evaluate the DWTS instrument on orbit and optimize it as a flexible payload for nanosatellites. The first mission selected for DWTS technical evaluation is preparing for flight in early 2024, which will be followed by a more capable science mission in 2025, with both missions being part of the TES-n/NOW heritage flight series. The first rapid technology demonstration flight, TES-16/DWTS-A, will demonstrate a single DWTS instrument in an approximately 2U payload volume. With an estimated power consumption of 50 watts, the instrument will maintain the imaging sensor plane at 80K during instrument performance evaluation periods using an integrated Stirling cryocooler. Data from DWTS will be captured and processed via a NOW-designed custom data interface unit before being transmitted via S-band radio back to select ground stations, with instrument command and control maintained via L-band global-coverage radio. The subsequent TES-17/DWTS-B mission will be a dedicated science mission tasked with validating the instrument’s full altitude coverage capabilities, currently estimated from 20 to 200 km during both day and night. This new atmospheric observational capability will come from a single small satellite equipped with three DWTS imagers, each hosting a different gas cell chemistry, to form a complete instrument. The intention of this flight series, and one of NASA’s interests in this instrument, is not only to advance Earth atmospheric dynamics, but to advance a Martian atmospheric study instrument as well (Colaprete, Gordley, et al) which, if successful, would greatly further understanding of Martian atmospheric dynamics. This document describes the flight series in detail, including challenges facing the TES-16 flight tests and the projected challenges and application of Mars study. Additional detail regarding the possible applications of a Cognitive Communication technique in current flight development by NOW collaborators at the NASA Glenn Research Center is also discussed, including the implications of using an automated User Initiated Service (UIS) protocol to maximize the data collected per orbit.

DWTS Nano-satellite TES-n↗
NASA NTRS2019

Future Planetary Instrument Capabilities Made Possible by Micro- and Nanotechnology

A number of new instrument capabilities are currently in maturation for future in situ use on planetary science missions. Moving beyond the impressive in situ instrumentation already operating in planetary environments beyond Earth will enable the next step in scientific discovery. The approach for developing beyond current instrumentation requires a careful assessment of science-driven capability advancement. To this end, two examples of instrument technology development efforts that are leading to new and important analytical capabilities for in situ planetary science will be discussed: (1) an instrument prototype enabling the interface between liquid separation techniques and laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry and (2) an addressable excitation source enabling miniaturized electron probe microanalysis for elemental mapping of light and heavy elements.

Getty, Stephanie A.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

The Doppler Wind Temperature Sensor (DWTS) Flight Evaluation and Experiments (TES-16, 17)

The Doppler Wind and Temperature Sounder instrument (DWTS), developed by Global Atmospheric Technologies and Sciences (GATS), is a simple but powerful tool that has the potential to become a new window through which to study the dynamics of the upper atmosphere. Based around a defense-grade infrared camera peering through a static gas cell used as a scanning spectral filter, the DWTS instrument infers wind velocities and kinetic temperatures through the stratosphere and lower thermosphere. The DWTS achieves this scanning by measuring the induced Doppler shift and Doppler broadening of emissions as they pass through the DWTS field of view (Gordley, et al., 2011). The DWTS holds promise in improving accuracy in weather determination , and the core technology can be adapted to study other planetary atmospheres. In partnership with GATS, NOAA, and other collaborators, NASA Ames and the Nano Orbital Workshop group have been working to evaluate the DWTS instrument on orbit and optimize it as a flexible nanosatellite payload. The first mission selected for DWTS evaluation is preparing for flight in early 2024, which will be followed by a more capable science mission in 2025, with both missions being part of the TES-n/NOW heritage flight series. The first rapid technology demonstration flight, TES-16/DWTS-A, will demonstrate a single DWTS instrument in an approximately 2U payload volume with the imaging aperture perpendicular to the flight velocity vector. With an estimated power consumption of 50 watts, supplied via a custom NOW-designed DC-DC converter, the instrument will maintain the imaging sensor plane at 80K during instrument evaluation periods using an integrated pulse-tube cryocooler. Data from DWTS will be captured and processed via a NOW-designed custom data interface unit before being transmitted via S-band radio back to select ground stations, with instrument command and control operated via L-band global-coverage radio. The subsequent TES-17/DWTS-B mission will be a dedicated science mission to obtain full altitude coverage from 20 to 200 km during both day and night, all from a single small-satellite equipped with three DWTS instruments, each hosting a different gas cell chemistry. The intention of this flight series, and one of NASA’s interests in this instrument, is to advance a Martian atmospheric instrument (Colaprete, Gordley, et al) which, if successful, would greatly further understanding of Martian atmospheric behavior. The proposed paper will review the flight series in detail, including challenges facing the TES-16 flight tests and the projected challenges and application to Mars study. Additional detail regarding the possible applications of a Cognitive Communication technique in current flight development by NOW collaborators at the NASA Glenn Research Center will also be discussed, including the implications of using an automated User Initiated Service (UIS) protocol to maximize the data collected per orbit.

nanosatellite↗
NASA NTRS2016

Snow and Water Imaging Spectrometer (SWIS): Development of a CubeSat-Compatible Instrument

The Snow and Water Imaging Spectrometer (SWIS) is a fast, high-uniformity, low-polarization sensitivity imaging spectrometer and telescope system designed for integration on a 6U CubeSat platform. Operating in the 350-1700 nm spectral region with 5.7 nm sampling, SWIS is capable of simultaneously addressing the demanding needs of coastal ocean science and snow and ice monitoring. New key technologies that facilitate the development of this instrument include a linear variable anti-reflection (LVAR) detector coating for stray light management, and a single drive on-board calibration mechanism utilizing a transmissive diffuser for solar calibration. We provide an overview of the SWIS instrument design, spacecraft configuration design, and potential science missions.

Dyson spectrometer↗
NASA NTRS1986

Strainmeters and tiltmeters

The techniques and instrument designs developed for continuously recording tiltmeters and strainmeters are reviewed. Consideration is given to short-base and long-base tiltmeters as well as to rod, wire, laser and borehole hydraulic strainmeters. Since a good design is difficult to achieve, it is necessary to select the goals an instrument must meet and be prepared to compromise on others. The importance of comparison tests is demonstrated, and it is concluded that good results cannot be gotten at low cost or without careful attention to details.

Agnew, D. C.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Development of the Double Etalon Fabry-Perot Interferometer for Determining Total and Tropospheric Ozone Concentrations

Measuring and understanding the distribution of ozone through the lower levels of Earth's atmosphere are high priorities in global change and climate research. Of particular interest now is the global distribution of ozone in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere. Global coverage of the stratospheric ozone is feasible only via remote sensing instruments on a space-based platform. And though extensive monitoring tropospheric ozone is possible using instruments flown aboard conventional aircraft, a space-based system would be significantly less costly and provide information over a much broader area and produce more uniform coverage. Here we describe the prototype of an instrument being developed to monitor, from an orbiting spacecraft, the ozone found in Earth's upper troposphere and lower stratosphere. Our new spectrometer is an infrared Fabry-Perot interferometer which uses two synchrounously tuned etalons: a high resolution narrow band device and a lower resolution broader band filtering etalon. The prototype is a scanning device making use of nearly collimated input radiation and a single element detector. As presently configured, it is capable of providing a resolution better than 0.07/cm with a spectral band width approximately 5/cm wide and centered at 1054.7/cm. For the future space-based emission device a modification of the the prototype was to be made to employ innovative circle-to-line detector optics, those developed or in development at UM/SPRL, and a focal plane array detector. These enhancements would enable a simultaneous recording of the entire spectral range of interest, but with simple detection electronics and a significant gain in signal-to-noise over that of the scanning version.

Cook, William↗
NASA NTRS2000

NASA's Design and Development of a Field Goniometer Instrument Using Solid Works

With NASA suffering severe funding cutbacks, engineers at NASA are required to produce state-of-the-art hardware with limited personnel and financial resources. In light of these constraints, the new NASA mandate is to build better, faster and cheaper. In April of 1998, Stennis Space Center's Commercial Remote Sensing Program contracted to the Systems Engineering Division at NASA Ames Research Center to develop a device known as a Field Goniometer. A Field Goniometer is a device that measures bi-directional reflectance of a target, such as vegetation, relative to the sun and an imaging system in an aircraft or spacecraft. The device is able to provide a spectral fingerprint of the surface it is measuring in wavelengths from 350nm-2500nm using a hyperspectral imager. To accomplish this project, several obstacles had to be overcome. First, the design had to be completed in less than four months. Second, due to the complexity of the design, the use of solid modeling was highly desirable but most of the group's solid modelers were assigned to other jobs. Third, the amount of funding available from the customer was one half to one third the funding typically expended for a job of this nature. Our choices for this project were to design with standard 2-D CAD systems currently used in-house or train additional engineers on our existing solids package or purchase a new solid model package. The use of a 2D CAD system was very undesirable due to the complexity of the design. Using our existing solids modeler would have required a learning curve for our engineers that would be incompatible with our schedule. Prior to this project, a member of our design group researched the solid modeling industry and decided to purchase SolidWorks. After examining the product for ease of use, modeling capability, training time required and cost, we decided our highest probability of success would be to design with Solidworks. During the design phase, our fabrication group was able to provide input at the very early stages, which added significant benefit to the final product. Fabrication cost and schedule savings have been realized by having complex part geometries translated directly from the SolidWorks design models to Surfcam and other computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) software. This direct model translation capability optimized the fabrication processes. The end result was that we were able to successfully complete the project on time and on budget. Other advantages of using SolidWorks, as cited by the design team, include a rapid negotiation of the initial learning curve, the ability to develop solid model hardware prototypes (used to communicate the design intent to both the customer and the fabricator), and the ability to work as a team collaborating on a large, complex model. These types of tools and efforts represent our response to NASA's challenge to produce higher quality products within shorter design and fabrication times.

Turner, Mark↗
NASA NTRS2009

Compact, Miniature MMIC Receiver Modules for an MMIC Array Spectrograph

A single-pixel prototype of a W-band detector module with a digital back-end was developed to serve as a building block for large focal-plane arrays of monolithic millimeter-wave integrated circuit (MMIC) detectors. The module uses low-noise amplifiers, diode-based mixers, and a WR10 waveguide input with a coaxial local oscillator. State-of-the-art InP HEMT (high electron mobility transistor) MMIC amplifiers at the front end provide approximately 40 dB of gain. The measured noise temperature of the module, at an ambient temperature of 300 K, was found to be as low as 450 K at 95 GHz. The modules will be used to develop multiple instruments for astrophysics radio telescopes, both on the ground and in space. The prototype is being used by Stanford University to characterize noise performance at cryogenic temperatures. The goal is to achieve a 30-50 K noise temperature around 90 GHz when cooled to a 20 K ambient temperature. Further developments include characterization of the IF in-phase (I) and quadrature (Q) signals as a function of frequency to check amplitude and phase; replacing the InP low-noise amplifiers with state-of-the-art 35-nm-gate-length NGC low-noise amplifiers; interfacing the front-end module with a digital back-end spectrometer; and developing a scheme for local oscillator and IF distribution in a future array. While this MMIC is being developed for use in radio astronomy, it has the potential for use in other industries. Applications include automotive radar (both transmitters and receivers), communication links, radar systems for collision avoidance, production monitors, ground-penetrating sensors, and wireless personal networks.

Kangaslahti, Pekka P.↗
NASA NTRS2002

Analytical/Operational Requirements for the In Situ Chemical Analysis of Cometary and Planetary Environments Using GC-IMS

Exobiology flight experiments require highly sensitive instrumentation for the in situ analysis of the volatile chemical species that occur in the atmospheres and surfaces of various bodies within the solar system. The complex mixtures encountered place a heavy burden on the analytical instrumentation to detect and identify all species present. The minimal resources available onboard for such missions mandate that the instruments provide maximum analytical capabilities with minimal requirements of volume, weight and consumables. The miniCIDEX instrument was developed for the chemical analysis of a cemetery environment. It combined a Gas Chromatograph (GC) with a helium based Ion Mobility Spectrometer (IMS) to fulfill the analytical requirements of a cemetery exobiology mission: universal response; ppb sensitivity; low mass, volume and consumable MiniCIDEX is now a candidate for the chemical analysis instrument of a Titan Aero-rover Mission. The complexity of the analyses will be similar to the comet application with a heavier emphasis on organic molecules. Because the Titan Aero-Rover will be a balloon powered rover, much more attention is placed on the total mass of the instrument package. The GC will likely be a Micro-Electro-Mechanical-System (MEMS) design, smaller than the initial miniCIDEX GC by a factor of ten (with a similar reduction in consumable use). Similar miniaturization of the helium-based IMS will be necessary while maintaining the analytical capabilities. The two mission applications, the analytical requirements, and the evolution of the IMS design to accommodate these requirements will be presented.

Kojiro, Daniel R.↗
NASA NTRS2009

Large Area Lunar Dust Flux Measurement Instrument

The instrument under development is designed to characterize the flux and size distribution of the lunar micrometeoroid and secondary ejecta environment. When deployed on the lunar surface, the data collected will benefit fundamental lunar science as well as enabling more reliable impact risk assessments for human lunar exploration activities. To perform this task, the instrument requirements are demanding. It must have as large a surface area as possible to sample the very sparse population of the larger potentially damage-inducing micrometeorites. It must also have very high sensitivity to enable it to measure the flux of small (<10 micron) micrometeorite and secondary ejecta dust particles. To be delivered to the lunar surface, it must also be very low mass, rugged and stow compactly. The instrument designed to meet these requirements is called FOMIS. It is a large-area thin film under tension (i.e. a drum) with multiple fiber optic displacement (FOD) sensors to monitor displacements of the film. This sensor was chosen since it can measure displacements over a wide dynamic range: 1 cm to sub-Angstrom. A prototype system was successfully demonstrated using the hypervelocity impact test facility at the University of Kent (Canterbury, UK). Based on these results, the prototype system can detect hypervelocity (approx.5 km/s) impacts by particles as small as 2 microns diameter. Additional tests using slow speeds find that it can detect secondary ejecta particles (which do not penetrate the film) with momentums as small as 15 pico-gram 100m/s, or nominally 5 microns diameter at 100 m/s.

Corsaro, R.↗
NASA NTRS2020

Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, Ocean Ecosystem (PACE) Mission Integration and Testing

This paper describes the plans, flows, key facilities, components and equipment necessary to fully integrate, functionally test and qualify the Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) Observatory. PACE is currently in the design phase of mission implementation. It is scheduled to launch in 2022, extending and improving NASA's twenty-year record of satellite observations of global ocean biology, aerosols and clouds. PACE will advance the assessment of ocean health by measuring the distribution of phytoplankton, which are small plants and algae that sustain the marine food web. It will also continue systematic records of key atmospheric variables associated with air quality and the Earth's climate. The PACE observatory is comprised of the spacecraft and three instruments, an Ocean Color Instrument (OCI) and two polarimeters, the Hyper-Angular Rainbow Polarimeter 2 (HARP2) and the Spectro-Polarimeter for Exploration (SPEXone). The spacecraft and the OCI, which is the primary instrument, are developed and integrated at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC). The OCI is a hyper-spectral scanning (HSS) radiometer designed to measure spectral radiances from the ultraviolet to shortwave infrared (SWIR) to enable advanced ocean color and heritage cloud and aerosol particle science. The HARP2 and SPEXone are secondary instruments on the PACE observatory, acquired outside of GSFC. The Hyper-Angular Rainbow Polarimeter instrument (HARP2) is a wide swath imaging polarimeter that is capable of characterizing atmospheric aerosols for purposes of sensor atmospheric correction as well as atmospheric science. The SPEXone provides atmospheric aerosol and cloud data at high temporal and spatial resolution. This paper will focus on the Integration and Test (I&T) activities for the PACE mission at NASA GSFC. This I&T phase consists of mechanical, electrical and thermal integration and test of all the spacecraft subsystems and the integration of the instruments with the spacecraft. The PACE observatory environmental tests include electromagnetic interference (EMI)/electromagnetic compatibility (EMC), vibration, acoustics, shock, thermal balance, thermal vacuum, mass properties and center of gravity. This paper will also discuss the observatory shipment to the launch site as well as the launch site processing.

Petro, Susanna↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Assessment of Artemis-1 Pogo Flight Instrumentation System

As the space industry continues to strive for more efficient launch vehicles, it must relyon increasingly accurate predictive models. Verification of models typically requires physical testing. Flight data measurements offer the most real and therefore the most accurate data for model correlation. As NASA prepares for the inaugural launch of Space Launch System(SLS), Artemis-1, they must rely heavily on predictive system models to ensure flight safety.NASA has implemented a Development Flight Instrumentation (DFI) system in hopes of recovering useful flight data to aid in model correlation. Historically, some of the most important flight measurements are those that monitor the potentially destructive dynamic interaction of the structural and propellant modes – a phenomenon known as pogo. Pogo is a dynamic instability that can occur on a launch vehicle during any phase of ascent. During this investigation an end-to-end assessment of the Artemis-I Pogo-related DFI was performed to identify any obstacles inherent in the current instrumentation system which may prevent successful measurement of the data necessary to validate the current predictive fluid-structural models. Input drive signals were approximated and applied to a state-space system model to derive predicted pressure and acceleration responses. These predicted responses were then fed through a simulation of the data acquisition process in order to recover predicted measurements. Finally, a mock Flight Data Analysis (FDA) was performed to assess the ability of these measurements to meet the Flight Test Objectives(FTO).

Adam Johnson↗
NASA NTRS1973

Development of trace gas detection instrumentation

Breadboard hardware was constructed to demonstrate detection of a gaseous species by the heterodyne principle. The characteristics of the component parts were investigated and preliminary measurements were made to establish the sensitivity and selectivity of the method for gas analysis of CO, CO2, and N2O. A prototype heterodyne gas analyzer was designed, built, and brought into operational condition. Performance parameters of the prototype analyzer were investigated and its sensitivity to CO2 measured. Further development was undertaken for both the optical bench and the electronic processor components. A three-gas prototype analyzer, capable of measuring the gases CO, CO2, and CH4 was also constructed and tested. Detailed descriptions of the work and results are presented.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1985

New Instrumentation for Phase Partitioning

Cells and molecules can be purified by partitioning between the two immiscible liquid phases formed by aqueous solutions of poly/ethylene glycol and dextran. Such purification can be more selective, higher yielding, and less destructive to sensitive biological materials than other available techniques. Earth's gravitational field is a hindering factor as it causes sedimentation of particles to be purified and shear-induced particle randomization. The present proposal is directed toward developing new instrumentation for performing phase partitioning both on Earth and in microgravity.

Harris, J. M.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Assessment of Artemis-1 Pogo Flight Instrumentation System

As the space industry continues to strive for more efficient launch vehicles, it must rely on increasingly accurate predictive models. Verification of models typically requires physical testing. Flight data measurements offer the most real and therefore the most accurate data for model correlation. As NASA prepares for the inaugural launch of Space Launch System (SLS), Artemis-1, they must rely heavily on predictive system models to ensure flight safety. NASA has implemented a Development Flight Instrumentation (DFI) system in hopes of recovering useful flight data to aid in model correlation. Historically, some of the most important flight measurements are those that monitor the potentially destructive dynamic interaction of the structural and propellant modes – a phenomenon known as pogo. Pogo is a dynamic instability that can occur on a launch vehicle during any phase of ascent. During this investigation an end-to-end assessment of the Artemis-I Pogo-related DFI was performed to identify any obstacles inherent in the current instrumentation system which may prevent successful measurement of the data necessary to validate the current predictive models of the Main Propulsion System (MPS). Input drive signals were approximated and applied to a system-level SLS state-space model to derive predicted pressure and acceleration responses. These predicted responses were then fed through a simulation of the data acquisition process in order to recover predicted measurements. Finally, a mock Flight Data Analysis (FDA) was performed to assess the ability of these measurements to meet the Flight Test Objectives (FTO).

Adam Johnson↗
NASA NTRS2015

Laser Remote Sensing From ISS: CATS Cloud and Aerosol Level 2 Data Products (Heritage Edition)

The Cloud-Aerosol Transport System (CATS) instrument was developed at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) and deployed to the International Space Station (ISS) on 10 January 2015. CATS is mounted on the Japanese Experiment Module's Exposed Facility (JEM_EF) and will provide near-continuous, altitude-resolved measurements of clouds and aerosols in the Earth's atmosphere. The CATS ISS orbit path provides a unique opportunity to capture the full diurnal cycle of cloud and aerosol development and transport, allowing for studies that are not possible with the lidar aboard the CALIPSO platform, which flies in the sun-synchronous A-Train orbit." " One of the primary science objectives of CATS is to continue the CALIPSO aerosol and cloud profile data record to provide continuity of lidar climate observations during the transition from CALIPSO to EarthCARE. To accomplish this, the CATS project at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) and the CALIPSO project at NASA's Langley Research Center (LaRC) are closely collaborating to develop and deliver a full suite of CALIPSO-like level 2 data products that will be produced using the newly acquired CATS level 1B data whenever CATS is operating in science modes 1. The CALIPSO mission is now well into its ninth year of on-orbit operations, and has developed a robust set of mature and well-validated science algorithms to retrieve the spatial and optical properties of clouds and aerosols from multi-wavelength lidar backscatter signals. By leveraging both new and existing NASA technical resources, this joint effort by the CATS and CALIPSO teams will deliver validated lidar data sets to the user community at the earliest possible opportunity. The science community will have access to two sets of CATS Level 2 data products. The "Operational" data products will be produced by the GSFC CATS team utilizing the new instrument capabilities (e.g., multiple FOVs and 1064 nm depolarization), while the "Heritage" data products created using the existing CALIPSO algorithms and the CATS 532 nm channels and the total 1064 nm channel. " Below is the development of the CATS "Heritage" level 2 software and data along with some initial results with operational data."

Rodier, Sharon↗
NASA NTRS1999

Development of a Portable, Ground-based Ozone Lidar Instrument for Tropospheric Ozone Research and Educational Training

The objective of this research project is to develop a portable, eye-safe, ground-based ozone lidar instrument specialized for ozone differential absorption lidar (DIAL) measurements in the troposphere. This research project directly supports the goal of NASA's Earth Science Enterprise to understand the distribution and budget of tropospheric ozone (objective 1.5 of the Earth Science Strategic Enterprise Plan, 1998-2002). It can participate in ground validation experiments for TES, a tropospheric ozone satellite mission due to be launched in 2002. It can also be utilized for correlative ground measurements in future GTE (Global Tropospheric Experiment) and space-based ozone lidar missions, such as ORACLE. Multiple ground-based ozone lidar systems would improve the data obtained through current ozone-sonde networks. This prototype instrument could to serve as the basic unit for these and other future monitoring projects requiring multi-instrument networks, such as that proposed for the Global Tropospheric Ozone Project (GTOP). GTOP is currently being formulated by a scientific panel of the International Global Atmospheric Chemistry Project to meet its goal to better understand the processes that control the global distribution of tropospheric ozone. In order for the lidar to be widely deployed in networks, it must be fairly easy to use and maintain as well as being cost-competitive with a ground station launching ozonesondes several times a day. A second 2-year grant to continue this effort with students participating in ground tests and system improvements has been awarded by the Office of Equal Employment Opportunities (OEOP). This project also supports existing NASA lidar missions through its development of advanced, compact lidar technology. Innovations in both transmitters and receivers have been made in this project. Finally, this system could be modified in the future to probe more deeply into the stratosphere. This could be accomplished by increasing the emitted energy or optimizing the wavelengths for this purpose. In addition to NASA, this system has applications to the EPA, NOAA, and the DOD. An AFOSR grant has been awarded based on the results of this effort to fund advanced transmitter development at medium (20-40 mJ) energies. A second proposal to the DOD with a letter of support from Air Force Research Laboratory, has been submitted to extend this uv laser technology to 100 mJ levels. Thus, this project has enabled students and faculty at Hampton University to begin to develop research efforts in support of the mission of the DOD. This instrument will be based at Hampton University (HU) to meet our educational goal to train students in lidar technology as well as atmospheric ozone data analysis and interpretation. It will be also available for off-site measurement campaigns and will serve as a test bed for further instrument development. Later development beyond this grant to extend the scientific usefulness of the instrument may include incorporation of an aerosol channel and upgrading the laser to make stratospheric ozone measurements. Seven undergraduates, three graduate students, and one postdoctoral. researcher (formerly an HU student) have been active participants in this research effort.

Chyba, Thomas↗