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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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NASA NTRS1981

Remote detection of the maximum altitude of equatorial ionospheric plasma bubbles

Nearly 200 post-sunset low-altitude passes of the Alouette 2 and ISIS 1 satellites near the dip equator are studied in order to find the maximum ionospheric plasma bubble altitudes, which are determined by calculating the apex altitude of the magnetic field line passing through the satellite when it is immersed in a bubble. The calculations are made only upon the observation of conjugate hemisphere ionospheric echoes, which result from ducted HF sounder signals that are guided along field-aligned irregularities within the plasma depletion. The maximum bubble altitudes corresponding to the three longitude sectors centered on zero deg, 75 deg W, and 105 deg E, are found to often exceed 1000 km, but seldom 3000 km. The electron density depletions within these field-aligned bubbles, as measured at the point of satellite encounter with the topside ionosphere, are generally less than a factor of two but may exceed a factor of ten.

Benson, R. F.↗

NASA NTRS2006

The Echoes of Earth Science

NASA s Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS) acquires, archives, and manages data from all of NASA s Earth science satellites, for the benefit of the Space Agency and for the benefit of others, including local governments, first responders, the commercial remote sensing industry, teachers, museums, and the general public. EOSDIS is currently handling an extraordinary amount of NASA scientific data. To give an idea of the volume of information it receives, NASA s Terra Earth-observing satellite, just one of many NASA satellites sending down data, sends it hundreds of gigabytes a day, almost as much data as the Hubble Space Telescope acquires in an entire year, or about equal to the amount of information that could be found in hundreds of pickup trucks filled with books. To make EOSDIS data completely accessible to the Earth science community, NASA teamed up with private industry in 2000 to develop an Earth science "marketplace" registry that lets public users quickly drill down to the exact information they need. It also enables them to publish their research and resources alongside of NASA s research and resources. This registry is known as the Earth Observing System ClearingHOuse, or ECHO. The charter for this project focused on having an infrastructure completely independent from EOSDIS that would allow for more contributors and open up additional data access options. Accordingly, it is only fitting that the term ECHO is more than just an acronym; it represents the functionality of the system in that it can echo out and create interoperability among other systems, all while maturing with time as industry technologies and standards change and improve.

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NASA NTRS1991

Radar investigation of asteroids and planetary satellites

Radar reconnaissance of near-Earth asteroids, mainbelt asteroids, the Galilean satellites, the Martian satellites, and large Saturnian satellites, using the Arecibo 13-cm and the Goldstone 3.5-cm systems is discussed. Measurements of echo strength, polarization, delay/Doppler distribution of echo power provide information about dimensions, spin vector, large-scale topography, cm-to-m-scale morphology, and surface bulk density. The observations also yield refined estimates of target orbital elements.

Ostro, Steven J.↗

NASA NTRS1992

Planetary Radar

Planetary radar astronomy is the study of solar system entities (the moon, asteroids, and comets, as well as the major planets and their satellites and ring systems) by transmitting radio signals towards a target and receiving and analyzing the echoes.

Aliasing antenna gain circular polarization ratio ↗

NASA NTRS1975

Optical transfer function of Starlette retroreflector array

An optical transfer function was computed for the retroreflector array carried by the Starlette satellite (1975 10A). The range correction is given for extrapolating laser range measurements to the center of mass of the satellite. The gain function and active reflecting area of the array are computed for estimating laser-echo signal strengths.

Arnold, D. A.↗

NASA NTRS1961

Project Echo: System Calculations

The primary experimental objective of Project Echo was the transmission of radio communications between points on the earth by reflection from the balloon satellite. This paper describes system calculations made in preparation for the experiment and their adaptation to the problem of interpreting the results. The calculations include path loss computations, expected audio signal-to-noise ratios, and received signal strength based on orbital parameters.

Ruthroff, Clyde L.↗

NASA NTRS1961

Project Echo: FM Demodulators with Negative Feedback

The primary experimental objective of Project Echo was the transmission of radio communications between points on the earth by reflection from the balloon satellite. Owing to the large path losses from transmitter to receiver via the satellite, a wide-band frequency modulation technique was used in which bandwidth was traded for signal-to-noise ratio. This paper describes the FM receiving demodulators employed. Negative feedback applied to the local oscillator reduces the FM modulation index in the receiver IF amplifiers, resulting in threshold performance superior to that of conventional FM receivers.

Ruthroff, Clyde L.↗

NASA NTRS1999

Seasonal Characteristics of Non-Meteorological Radar Reflectivity Returns in Central Florida and Their Impact on TRMM Ground Validation

Radar data quality control is a major component to the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) Ground Validation (GV) effort. The quality control algorithm utilizes several adjustable height and reflectivity threshold parameters to remove non-precipitation echoes from ground-based radar data. Spurious radar reflectivity returns not removed during the quality control process may create biases in ground validation rainfall products used to evaluate rainfall measurements retrieved from aboard the TRMM satellite. To better evaluate the performance of the quality control algorithm, WSR-88D radar data from one primary GV site, Melbourne, Florida, are used to determine the seasonal characteristics of non-meteorological radar echoes in cast central Florida during the first year of the TRMM mission. It is demonstrated that unique spurious echo regimes develop throughout the year, leading to different levels of successful non-meteorological echo removal by the quality control algorithm. In addition to the type of non- precipitation echoes present, the success of the algorithm is also greatly dependent upon the amount of precipitation present. Less aggressive attempts to remove non-meteorological echoes must be employed when rain is observed so as not to remove these echoes as well. Therefore, precipitation statistics from ground validation monthly rainfall products will be utilized to further document the quality control algorithm performance. Moreover, these precipitation statistics will be used to demonstrate the relationship between dominant spurious echo regimes and rainfall amount. Finally, monthly statistics of contaminated ground validation radar data will be calculated and the effect on rainfall accumulation products will be discussed.

Robinson, Michael↗

NASA NTRS1989

NASA space communications R and D (Research and Development): Issues, derived benefits, and future directions

Space communication is making immense strides since ECHO was launched in 1962. It was a simple passive reflector of signals that demonstrated the concept. Today, satellites incorporating transponders, sophisticated high-gain antennas, and stabilization systems provide voice, video, and data communications to millions of people nationally and worldwide. Applications of emerging technology, typified by NASA's Advanced Communications Technology Satellite (ACTS) to be launched in 1992, will use newer portions of the frequency spectrum (the Ka-band at 30/20 GHz), along with antennas and signal-processing that could open yet new markets and services. Government programs, directly or indirectly, are responsible for many space communications accomplishments. They are sponsored and funded in part by NASA and the U.S. Department of Defense since the early 1950s. The industry is growing rapidly and is achieving international preeminence under joint private and government sponsorship. Now, however, the U.S. space communications industry - satellite manufacturers and users, launch services providers, and communications services companies - are being forced to adapt to a different environment. International competition is growing, and terrestrial technologies such as fiber optics are claiming markets until recently dominated by satellites. At the same time, advancing technology is opening up opportunities for new applications and new markets in space exploration, for defense, and for commercial applications of several types. Space communications research, development, and applications (RD and A) programs need to adjust to these realities, be better coordinated and more efficient, and be more closely attuned to commercial markets. The programs must take advantage of RD and A results in other agencies - and in other nations.

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NASA NTRS1990

The extraordinary radar echoes from Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto - A geological perspective

Electromagnetic echo-scattering models, empirical and theoretical considerations on regolith formation, and ice physics, are presently invoked in a geologic treatment of the anomalous radar properties of the icy Galilean satellites. These are held to arise because of the electrical differences between ice and silicates, and the absence of icy regoliths' ice-density structures in silicate regoliths. Icy regoliths may uniquely smooth out discontinuities between solid ejecta fragments and more porous surroundings, forming refraction-scattering 'lenses'; high-order multiple scatterings will thereby become more likely responsible for the echoes than low-order scattering.

Ostro, Steven J.↗

NASA NTRS2003

Objective Classification of Radar Profile Types, and Their Relationship to Lightning Occurrence

A cluster analysis technique is used to identify 16 "archetypal" vertical radar profile types from a large, globally representative sample of profiles from the TRMM Precipitation Radar. These include nine convective types (7 of these deep convective) and seven stratiform types (5 of these clearly glaciated). Radar profile classification provides an alternative to conventional deep convective storm metrics, such as 30 dBZ echo height, maximum reflectivity or VIL. As expected, the global frequency of occurrence of deep convective profile types matches satellite-observed total lightning production, including to very small scall local features. Each location's "mix" of profile types provides an objective description of the local convective spectrum, and in turn, is a first step in objectively classifying convective regimes. These classifiers are tested as inputs to a neural network which attempts to predict lightning occurrence based on radar-only storm observations, and performance is compared with networks using traditional radar metrics as inputs.

Boccippio, Dennis↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Comparing Tropopause-Penetrating Convection Identifications Derived from NEXRAD and GOES over the Contiguous United States

Overshooting cloud tops (OTs) are a result of powerful updrafts that rapidly transport air from the troposphere to the lower stratosphere. Aside from the well-known relationships between strong updrafts and severe weather, the boundaries of updrafts, including the OT, are turbulent, which leads to irreversible mixing of air between the stratosphere and troposphere, altering the composition of both layers. In order to better understand the impact of OTs, knowing precisely when and where they occur is vital. Within the last decade remote-sensing observations from satellites and radars have been used to identify OTs, but the results thus far have not been entirely consistent due to challenges with accurately identifying OTs with these sensor datasets. This study compares OTs identified using NEXRAD reflectivity data from the GridRad dataset with an approach that uses GOES infrared (IR) data. The GridRad method estimates the altitude of echo tops directly from the radar pointing geometry, merging a combination of radars that enables products every 5 mins, with 2 km spatial and 1 km vertical grid spacing. The GOES satellite method uses spatial patterns in tropopause-relative IR brightness temperature to derive an OT likelihood. The study region covers a large part of the contiguous United States during selected active convection dates in 2017 and includes data from GOES-13/16. A large sample of OTs observed by NEXRAD and GOES-13/16 satellites are analyzed to better understand NEXRAD and IR observations of OTs, quantify agreement between the OT detection methods, and demonstrate how the 4x increase in spatial resolution from GOES-13 to GOES-16 impacts OT algorithm detection performance. The results show that for nearly time-matched scenes, with many severe storms, GOES-13 and -16 detection accuracy is quite comparable; however, some missed detections are attributed to poorer GOES-13 image resolution. It was found that GOES-13 OT regions are ~2 K warmer than GOES-16 on average, but such differences exceed 5 K for the most intense OT regions. It is found that false GOES IR-based detections are unavoidable, given that cold cloud pixels significantly colder than the tropopause from nearby or recently decayed OTs can persist within anvils for 15 minutes or more.

John W. Cooney↗

NASA NTRS1992

Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto - New radar results from Arecibo and Goldstone

Observations of the icy Galilean satellites, performed during 1987-1991 with the Goldstone 3.5 cm system and the Arecibo 13 cm system, show significant enhancements in the knowledge of the satellite's radar properties. The most prominent radar features are tentatively identified with Galileo Regio and the Valhalla basin. Estimates of echo Doppler frequencies show Callisto to be lagging its ephemeris by 200 +/- 50 km.

Ostro, S. J.↗

NASA NTRS2003

Empirical Models of the Plasma Density in the Inner Magnetosphere

The radio plasma imager (RPI) on the IMAGE satellite performs radio sounding in the magnetosphere, transmitting coded signals stepping through the frequency range of interest and receiving the returned echoes. The measurements provide the echo amplitude as a function of frequency and echo delay time on a so-called plasmagram. A newly developed algorithm inverts THE echo traces on a plasmagram to electron density spatial distributions. Rased on these observed density distributions, an empirical model is constructed to describe the two-dimensional density distribution in the inner magnetosphere.

Huang, X.↗

NASA NTRS2013

The MJO Transition from Shallow to Deep Convection in CloudSat/CALIPSO Data and GISS GCM Simulations

The relationship between convective penetration depth and tropospheric humidity is central to recent theories of the Madden-Julian oscillation (MJO). It has been suggested that general circulation models (GCMs) poorly simulate the MJO because they fail to gradually moisten the troposphere by shallow convection and simulate a slow transition to deep convection. CloudSat and Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO) data are analyzed to document the variability of convection depth and its relation to water vapor during the MJO transition from shallow to deep convection and to constrain GCM cumulus parameterizations. Composites of cloud occurrence for 10MJO events show the following anticipatedMJO cloud structure: shallow and congestus clouds in advance of the peak, deep clouds near the peak, and upper-level anvils after the peak. Cirrus clouds are also frequent in advance of the peak. The Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for EarthObserving System (EOS) (AMSR-E) columnwater vapor (CWV) increases by;5 mmduring the shallow- deep transition phase, consistent with the idea of moisture preconditioning. Echo-top height of clouds rooted in the boundary layer increases sharply with CWV, with large variability in depth when CWV is between;46 and 68 mm. International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project cloud classifications reproduce these climatological relationships but correctly identify congestus-dominated scenes only about half the time. A version of the Goddard Institute for Space Studies Model E2 (GISS-E2) GCM with strengthened entrainment and rain evaporation that produces MJO-like variability also reproduces the shallow-deep convection transition, including the large variability of cloud-top height at intermediate CWV values. The variability is due to small grid-scale relative humidity and lapse rate anomalies for similar values of CWV. 1.

DelGenio, Anthony G.↗

NASA NTRS1991

Surface properties of Galilean satellites from bistatic radar experiments

The icy moons of Jupiter were the first to show unusual radar backscatter behavior in Earth-based experiments. Studies of Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto revealed strong echoes and a reversed sense of circular polarization. No explanations were entirely satisfactory because of the difficult constraints imposed by the existing data. The (scalar) bidirectional coherence model predicts an opposition effect, or enhancement in the backscatter direction, resulting from coherent addition of backscatter from identical (but oppositely directed) ray paths. The mode decoupling model yields a similar, vector result in which the observed polarization properties of the backscattered wave can also be obtained. The possibilities were considered for conducting such experiments using the Galileo spacecraft. Both conventional oblique-forward bistatic experiments (to determine basic electrical and physical properties of the surface material on centimeter-meter scales) and near-backscatter experiments (to sample the enhanced backscatter lobe) were considered.

Simpson, R. A.↗

NASA NTRS1984

Electron precipitation zones around major ground-based VLF signal sources

The spatial distribution of electron precipitation induced by VLF signals from ground-based transmitters is determined by using a test particle computer model of the gyroresonant wave-particle interaction (Inan et al., 1982). The results are presented as contours of energy flux on a map of the region around each transmitter. It is shown that the size of the precipitation zones is a strong function of the geographic location of the transmitter, as well as its radiated power and operating frequency. In general, the precipitation zones are much wider in longitude than in latitude and are oriented along lines of constant geomagnetic latitude. Assuming backscatter and/or wave echoing, precipitation zones around the points that are magnetically conjugate to the sources are also estimated. The results presented can be used to interpret satellite- or ground-based measurements of the precipitation induced by ground-based VLF transmitters.

Inan, U. S.↗

NASA NTRS1988

Assessment of satellite communications quality study. Addendum 1: Impact of propagation delay on data transmission

The single factor that irrevocably distinguishes geostationary satellite telephony transmission from terrestrial transmission is the greater propagation delay over satellite links. This difference has always provoked vigorous debate over the impact of delay on the subscribers using services incorporating satellite links. The issue is addressed from a variety of directions including human factors studies, laboratory subjective tests that evaluate delay with and without echo, and field tests that obtain data on the opinion of subscribers regarding the quality of service of operational circuits in both national U.S. domestic and international trans-Atlantic network. The tests involved the use of both echo suppressors and echo cancellers.

Campanella, S. J.↗