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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 145 records · Page 8

Low-level water vapor fields from the VAS split-window channels at 11 and 12 microns

Originally, the VAS split window channels were designed to use the differential water vapor absorption between 11 and 12 microns to estimate sea surface temperature by correcting for the radiometric losses caused by atmospheric moisture. It is shown that it is possible to reverse the procedure in order to estimate the vertically integrated low level moisture content with the background surface (skin) temperature removed, even over the bright, complex background of the land. Because the lower troposphere's water vapor content is an important factor in convective instability, the derived fields are of considerable value to mesoscale meteorology. Moisture patterns are available as quantitative fields (centimeters of precipitable water) at full VAS resolution (as fine as 7 kilometers horizontal resolution every 15 minutes), and are readily converted to image format for false color movies. The technique, demonstrated with GOES-5, uses a sequence of split window radiances taken once every 3 hours from dawn to dusk over the Eastern and Central United States. The algorithm is calibrated with the morning radiosonde sites embedded within the first VAS radiance field; then, entire moisture fields are calculated at all five observation times. Cloud contamination is removed by rejecting any pixel having a radiance less than the atmospheric brightness determined at the radiosonde sites.

Chesters, D.↗

X-ray and microwave observations of active regions

Coordinated high-resolution (1-3 arcsec) observations of two active solar regions (H 421 and H 419) on November 16, 1979, are reported: soft-X-ray filtergrams from a sounding rocket flight, VLA total-intensity and circular-polarization microwave (6-cm) radio maps, KPNO full-disk photospheric magnetograms, and BBSO H-alpha data. The images were converted to 4.8-arcsec/mm-scale transparencies and coaligned on the basis of sunspot positions for comparison. The two active regions are characterized in detail, and intensity, size, and polarization data for the brightest microwave components (BMC) are listed. It is found that 19 of the 32 BMC are farther than 5 arcsec from any sunspot, and that X-ray-emitting structures only rarely correspond to sunspots, or BMC. About one third of the BMC are located at the feet or legs of coronal loops smaller than about 50,000 km. The limitations implied by these obervations for proposed thermal-bremsstrahlung, thermal-gyro-resonance, and nonthermal microwave-emission mechanisms are discussed.

Webb, D. F.↗

A compact Dopplergraph/magnetograph suitable for space-based measurements of solar oscillations and magnetic fields

A compact Dopplergraph/magnetograph placed in a continuous solar-viewing orbit will allow us to make major advancements in our understanding of solar internal structure and dynamics. An international program is currently being conducted at JPL and Mt. Wilson to develop such an instrument. By combining a unique magneto-optical resonance filter with CID and CCD cameras we have been able to obtain full- and partial-disk Dopplergrams and magnetograms. Time series of the velocity images are converted into k-omega power spectra which show clear- the solar nonradial p-mode oscilations. Magnetograms suitable for studying the long-term evolution of solar active regions have also been obtained with this instrument. A flight instrument based on this concept is being studied for possible inclusion in the SOHO mission.

Rhodes, E. J., Jr.↗

Acquisition, tracking, and pointing; Proceedings of the Meeting, Orlando, FL, Apr. 3, 4, 1986

The present conference discusses the effect of target signatures on active tracking, the high resolution obtainable with a two-degrees-of-freedom angle sensor having a high update rate, solar object tracking for the Hubble Space Telescope, scaled experiments for the assessment of precise active tracking, and large aperture high-accuracy satellite laser tracking. Also discussed are laboratory test results for the Spaceborne Geodynamic Ranging System's high speed optical tracking system, jitter stabilization for precise optical pointing, scan stabilization and jitter control for an airborne telescope, a simulation of the Solar Optical Telescope's pointing performance, a microprocessor-based dual-speed angle converter, and image localization for alignment by means of adaptive preprocessing.

Auelmann, Richard R.↗

Orbital navigation, docking and obstacle avoidance as a form of three dimensional model-based image understanding

Range imagery from a laser scanner can be used to provide sufficient information for docking and obstacle avoidance procedures to be performed automatically. Three dimensional model-based computer vision algorithms in development can perform these tasks even with targets which may not be cooperative (that is, objects without special targets or markers to provide unambiguous location points). Roll, pitch and yaw of the vehicle can be taken into account as image scanning takes place, so that these can be corrected when the image is converted from egocentric to world coordinates. Other attributes of the sensor, such as the registered reflectence and texture channels, provide additional data sources for algorithm robustness. Temporal fusion of sensor immages can take place in the work coordinate domain, allowing for the building of complex maps in three dimensional space.

Beyer, J.↗

Orbital navigation, docking and obstacle avoidance as a form of three dimensional model-based image understanding

Range imagery from a laser scanner can be used to provide sufficient information for docking and obstacle avoidance procedures to be performed automatically. Three dimensional model-based computer vision algorithms in development can perform these tasks even with targets which may not be cooperative (that is, objects without special targets or markers to provide unambiguous points). Role, pitch, and yaw of a vehicle can be taken into account as image scanning takes place, so that these can be correlated when the image is converted from egocentric to world coordinated. Other attributes of the sensor, such as the registered reflectance and texture channels, provide additional data sources for algorithm robustness.

Beyer, J.↗

Remote sensing of potential lunar resources. I - Near-side compositional properties

Using telescopic CCD multispectral images of the lunar near side and the results of 330-870 nm spectroscopy of selected regions, the compositional differences relevant to the locations of potential lunar resources (such as ilmenite, FeTiO3, and solar-wind-implanted He-3 and H) are estimated. The 400/560 nm CCD ratio images were converted to weight percent TiO2, and the values were used to construct a new TiO2 abundance map which can be used to estimate the areas potentially rich in ilmenite. A 950/560 nm CCD ratio mosaic of the full moon provides estimates of relative surface maturity. Since high He-3 concentrations correlate with mature ilmenite-rich soils, a combination of relative surface maturity maps and the TiO2 abundance maps can be used to estimate distributions of He-3 (and possibly H) on local scales.

Johnson, Jeffrey R.↗

The 94 GHz MMW imaging radar system

The 94 GHz MMW airborne radar system that provides a runway image in adverse weather conditions is now undergoing tests at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB). This system, which consists of a solid state FMCW transceiver, antenna, and digital signal processor, has an update rate of 10 times per second, 0.35x azimuth resolution and up to 3.5 meter range resolution. The radar B scope (range versus azimuth) image, once converted to C scope (elevation versus azimuth), is compatible with the standard TV presentation and can be displayed on the Head Up Display (HUD) or Head Down Display (HDD) to aid the pilot during landing and takeoff in limited visibility conditions.

Alon, Yair↗

Atmospheric attenuation calibrations of surface weather observations

A correlation between near-IR atmospheric attenuation measurements made by the Atmospheric Visibility Monitor (AVM) at the Table Mountain Facility and airport surface weather observations at Edwards Air Force Base has been performed. High correlations (over 0.93) exist between the simultaneous Edwards observed sky cover and the average AVM measured attenuations over the course of the 10 months analyzed. The statistical relationship between the data-sets allows the determination of coarse attenuation statistics from the surface observations, suggesting that such statistics may be extrapolated from any surface weather observation site, Furthermore, a superior technique for converting AVM images to attenuation values by way of MODTRAN predictions has been demonstrated.

laser propogation↗

Apparatus and method using a holographic optical element for converting a spectral distribution to image points

A holographic optical element transforms a spectral distribution of light to image points. The element comprises areas, each of which acts as a separate lens to image the light incident in its area to an image point. Each area contains the recorded hologram of a point source object. The image points can be made to lie in a line in the same focal plane so as to align with a linear array detector. A version of the element has been developed that has concentric equal areas to match the circular fringe pattern of a Fabry-Perot interferometer. The element has high transmission efficiency, and when coupled with high quantum efficiency solid state detectors, provides an efficient photon-collecting detection system. The element may be used as part of the detection system in a direct detection Doppler lidar system or multiple field of view lidar system.

McGill, Matthew J.↗

Electro-optical detector for use in a wide mass range mass spectrometer

An electro-optical detector is disclosed for use in a wide mass range mass spectrometer (MS), in the latter the focal plane is at or very near the exit end of the magnetic analyzer, so that a strong magnetic field of the order of 1000G or more is present at the focal plane location. The novel detector includes a microchannel electron multiplier array (MCA) which is positioned at the focal plane to convert ion beams which are focused by the MS at the focal plane into corresponding electron beams which are then accelerated to form visual images on a conductive phosphored surface. These visual images are then converted into images on the target of a vidicon camera or the like for electronic processing. Due to the strong magnetic field at the focal plane, in one embodiment of the invention, the MCA with front and back parallel ends is placed so that its front end forms an angle of not less than several degrees, preferably on the order of 10.degree.-20.degree., with respect to the focal plane, with the center line of the front end preferably located in the focal plane. In another embodiment the MCA is wedge-shaped, with its back end at an angle of about 10.degree.-20.degree. with respect to the front end. In this embodiment the MCA is placed so that its front end is located at the focal plane.

Giffin, Charles E.↗

Progress on Quantitative Infrared Thermography at the NASA Langley Aerothermodynamic Laboratory

A quantitative infrared thermography technique is being developed for accurate and high-resolution measurements of surface temperature and heat flux in the hypersonic wind tunnels at NASA Langley Research Center. A hemisphere test campaign was carried out in the Langley Aerothermodynamic Laboratory 20-Inch Mach 6 Air Tunnel to assess the current performance of the technique and to identify remaining challenges. Measurements were obtained for three different model materials over a range of freestream Reynolds numbers. The raw infrared images were converted to temperature via a radiometric calibration of the camera sensor. Corrections were made for losses due to test article emissivity and window transmissivity. A preliminary uncertainty analysis yielded an estimated accuracy within 4 K at moderate viewing angles, similar to that of a standard thermocouple. Surface heat flux was obtained from the measured surface temperatures via a finite-difference solution of the one-dimensional heat equation that modeled thermal variation of the material properties. Comparisons of the measured heating to both computational and theoretical predictions demonstrated agreement within the expected uncertainty of the technique. The heat transfer measurement near the stagnation point was found to be highly sensitive to the test article emissivity, which establishes the need for improved characterization of the wind tunnel model materials for high temperature applications.

infrared thermography↗

Entropy reduction via simplified image contourization

The process of contourization is presented which converts a raster image into a set of plateaux or contours. These contours can be grouped into a hierarchical structure, defining total spatial inclusion, called a contour tree. A contour coder has been developed which fully describes these contours in a compact and efficient manner and is the basis for an image compression method. Simplification of the contour tree has been undertaken by merging contour tree nodes thus lowering the contour tree's entropy. This can be exploited by the contour coder to increase the image compression ratio. By applying general and simple rules derived from physiological experiments on the human vision system, lossy image compression can be achieved which minimizes noticeable artifacts in the simplified image.

Turner, Martin J.↗

The effect of measurement errors and computational approximations on a perspective ILM radar image

The effect was examined of aircraft position and attitude, of measurement errors, and of computational approximations on the size, shape, and position of a perspective radar image of an airport runway as might be displayed by an independent landing monitor in transport aircraft. The effect on runway image geometry was examined for different aircraft attitudes and different aircraft positions relative to a standard three degree glide slope. Measurement errors investigated were errors in radar azimuth angle and range, and errors in those aircraft parameters supplied to the radar for use in converting the radar image into a perspective format (namely pitch, roll, and altitude). Also investigated were the effects of using certain mathematical approximations, such as small angle, in the coordinate transformation which converts the image to a perspective format.

Bundick, W. T.↗

Real time quantitative imaging for semiconductor crystal growth, control and characterization

A quantitative real time image processing system has been developed which can be software-reconfigured for semiconductor processing and characterization tasks. In thermal imager mode, 2D temperature distributions of semiconductor melt surfaces (900-1600 C) can be obtained with temperature and spatial resolutions better than 0.5 C and 0.5 mm, respectively, as demonstrated by analysis of melt surface thermal distributions. Temporal and spatial image processing techniques and multitasking computational capabilities convert such thermal imaging into a multimode sensor for crystal growth control. A second configuration of the image processing engine in conjunction with bright and dark field transmission optics is used to nonintrusively determine the microdistribution of free charge carriers and submicron sized crystalline defects in semiconductors. The IR absorption characteristics of wafers are determined with 10-micron spatial resolution and, after calibration, are converted into charge carrier density.

Wargo, Michael J.↗

Web Prep: How to Prepare NAS Reports For Publication on the Web

This document contains specific advice and requirements for NASA Ames Code IN authors of NAS reports. Much of the information may be of interest to other authors writing for the Web. WebPrep has a graphic Table of Contents in the form of a WebToon, which simulates a discussion between a scientist and a Web publishing consultant. In the WebToon, Frequently Asked Questions about preparing reports for the Web are linked to relevant text in the body of this document. We also provide a text-only Table of Contents. The text for this document is divided into chapters: each chapter corresponds to one frame of the WebToons. The chapter topics are: converting text to HTML, converting 2D graphic images to gif, creating imagemaps and tables, converting movie and audio files to Web formats, supplying 3D interactive data, and (briefly) JAVA capabilities. The last chapter is specifically for NAS staff authors. The Glossary-Index lists web related words and links to topics covered in the main text.

Walatka, Pamela↗

Real-time incoherent-to-coherent optical converter

Description of a real-time incoherent-to-coherent optical converter designed for application in image processing systems. The converter utilizes the photoconductivity effect of the compound Bi(12)SiO(20) for spatial modulation of electrical polarization in the compound. An optically absorbed write-in image is stored as an image polarization pattern in the device. Readout is effectuated electrooptically by using phase retardation in a polarized coherent light beam during the passage through the crystal. The operating mode required for achieving continuous image conversion with a high-speed recyclability is discussed. The performance characteristics of the converter are given and the fabrication technology is described.

Vohl, P.↗