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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
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1991

Project ARES 2: High-altitude battery-powered aircraft

A high-altitude, battery-powered, propeller-driven aircraft was designed and is being built by undergraduate students at California State University, Northridge. The aircraft will fly at an altitude of 104,000 ft at Mach 0.2 (190 ft/sec) and will be instrumented to record flight performance data, including low Reynolds number propeller and airfoil information. This project will demonstrate the feasibility of electric-powered flight in a low-density, low-temperature Earth environment that models the atmosphere of Mars. Data collected will be used to design a Mars aircraft to investigate the surface of Mars prior to manned missions. The instrumented payload and the mission profile for the high-altitude Earth flight were determined. Detailed aerodynamic and structural analyses were performed. Control, tracking, and data recording subsystems were developed. Materials were obtained and fabrication begun. The aircraft has a 32-ft wing span, a wing area of 105 sq ft, is 17.5 ft long, has a 12-in payload bay, and weighs 42 lb. It is composed primarily of lightweight materials, including Mylar, and composite materials, including graphite/epoxy and aramid core honeycomb sandwich. Low-altitude flight testing to check guidance and control systems and to calibrate data-gathering instruments will take place this summer, followed shortly by the 104,000-ft flight.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1991

Results of the recent precipitation static flight test program on the Navy P-3B antisubmarine aircraft

Severe precipitation static problems affecting the communication equipment onboard the P-3B aircraft were recently studied. The study was conducted after precipitation static created potential safety-of-flight problems on Naval Reserve aircraft. A specially designed flight test program was conducted in order to measure, record, analyze, and characterize potential precipitation static problem areas. The test program successfully characterized the precipitation static interference problems while the P-3B was flown in moderate to extreme precipitation conditions. Data up to 400 MHz were collected on the effects of engine charging, precipitation static, and extreme cross fields. These data were collected using a computer controlled acquisition system consisting of a signal generator, RF spectrum and audio analyzers, data recorders, and instrumented static dischargers. The test program is outlined and the computer controlled data acquisition system is described in detail which was used during flight and ground testing. The correlation of test results is also discussed which were recorded during the flight test program and those measured during ground testing.

Whitaker, Mike↗
NASA NTRS2016

Satellite Sea Ice Measurements in the Arctic Ocean

Satellite observations sustained since 1979 have been the primary source of information to reveal Arctic Ocean sea ice extent is diminishing rapidly. Sea ice is also thinning based on historical surface and near-surface records and more recent satellite retrievals. There is a new “normal” environment in the Arctic environment with substantial socio-economic impacts. A key question is: What are the spatial and temporal characteristics of the sea ice thickness distribution throughout the annual cycle, and what is the evolving inter-annual trend? Arctic Ocean sea ice conditions have been determined with passive microwave radiometer, active scatterometer and other satellite instrument measurements recorded by a continuing series of satellites. An important feature of the continuous time series measurements has been the overlap of each new satellite dataset with ongoing measurements so as to provide adequate time intervals for calibration and validation. Satellite instrument diversity has provided both coarse spatial resolution measurements over the entire Arctic Ocean for long-period time series and limited-duration fine spatial resolution data over selected regions for navigation and other applications. Satellite observations of Arctic Ocean sea ice will continue to increase in importance because predictability of sea ice is poor and societal interest is great. Unfortunately, however the sustainability of some critical elements of the current Arctic Ocean satellite measurement suite beyond 2020 remains uncertain, e.g., after the CryoSat-2 and ICESat-2 missions have concluded.

Halpern, David↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Assessment of Long-term Trends in the Collection 4 Total Ozone Record from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument

Long-term changes in total ozone affect the amount of harmful UV radiation reaching Earth’s surface and reflect progress made towards recovery of stratospheric ozone. Satellite total ozone data are also used to estimate long-term trends in tropospheric ozone, a reactive and potent greenhouse gas, by subtracting the stratospheric column timeseries from that of total ozone. For these scientific applications, the long-term stability should be better than 1%. Left unchecked, instrument calibration drift can produce a trend of this magnitude or greater. NASA has produced nearly twenty years of total ozone data from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) using the Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) algorithm. The drift in the OMI instrument as monitored by ice radiance calibration has been relatively slow, but it has reached a level of ~3% over the mission lifetime. This drift was corrected in the recently released Collection 4 OMI calibrated radiances, updating the Collection 3 calibration released in 2006. We have reprocessed the OMI total ozone record using the Collection 4 calibration and updates to the TOMS algorithm. We summarize these changes and evaluate their impact by comparing to the previous Collection 3 OMI dataset, the Suomi NPP Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite Nadir Mapper (OMPS-NM) and Solar Backscatter UV (SBUV) Merged Ozone Dataset (MOD) total ozone records and other independent satellite total ozone datasets. Climatological radiance residuals from OMI and OMPS-NM are calculated and compared to investigate differences in spectral calibration that can cause drifts in long-term total ozone trends. We also analyze the tropospheric ozone record produced using the Collection 4 OMI total ozone and stratospheric column ozone from MLS. Collection 3 OMI data processed with the TOMS algorithm show a positive drift relative to other satellite and ground-based data of 1-2 DU per decade. Initial results show that this drift is reduced in Collection 4 OMI, due to the updated OMI calibration. In this work we will quantify the improvements in Collection 4 OMI relative to independent data sources at both the ozone and radiance level

Collection 4 OMI Total Ozone↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

The Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment IV

Atmospheric composition continues to be a key Earth science focus for international space agencies and research organizations. The target constituent varies depending upon the topic area of interest such as monitoring the ozone layer and the efficacy of the Montreal Protocol, assessing the influence of volcanic eruptions and large wildfires on the atmosphere, improving our knowledge of transport processes, or evaluating the impacts of greenhouse gases on climate. Additionally, there is a growing need for measurement continuity of many trace gases both from an inability to properly assess long-term trends without it as well as the reliance of reanalyses and chemistry climate models on observational input. To this end, proper continuity requires continuous and overlapping multi-instrument data records of which spaceborne measurements are a critical component. However, most current satellite systems are well beyond their expected lifetimes, and so we look toward the future to develop the Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment (SAGE) IV as a future mission concept. Enabled by the NASA Earth Science Technology Office’s (ESTO) Instrument Incubator Program, the SAGE IV Pathfinder project has developed and validated a prototype demonstration that paves the way for a future SAGE IV spaceflight mission. Utilizing solar occultation imaging, SAGE IV will be capable of measuring key species in the stratosphere and upper troposphere with the same quality as previous SAGE instruments but with greatly improved pointing knowledge and extensibility to new science targets. Furthermore, current technological advancements allow SAGE IV to fit within a CubeSat framework and make use of commercial hardware, significantly reducing the size and cost when compared with traditional missions and enabling sustainability of future measurements.

Robert Damadeo↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

The Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment (SAGE) IV

Atmospheric composition continues to be a key Earth science focus for international space agencies and research organizations. The target constituent varies depending upon the topic area of interest such as monitoring the ozone layer and the efficacy of the Montreal Protocol, assessing the influence of volcanic eruptions and large wildfires on the atmosphere, improving our knowledge of transport processes, or evaluating the impacts of greenhouse gases on climate. Additionally, there is a growing need for measurement continuity of many trace gases both from an inability to properly assess long-term trends without it as well as the reliance of reanalyses and chemistry climate models on observational input. To this end, proper continuity requires continuous and overlapping multi-instrument data records of which spaceborne measurements are a critical component. However, most current satellite systems are well beyond their expected lifetimes, and so we look toward the future to develop the Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment (SAGE) IV as a future mission concept. Enabled by the NASA Earth Science Technology Office’s (ESTO) Instrument Incubator Program, the SAGE IV Pathfinder project developed and validated a prototype demonstration that paves the way for a future SAGE IV spaceflight mission. Utilizing solar occultation imaging, SAGE IV will be capable of measuring key species in the stratosphere and upper troposphere with the same quality as previous SAGE instruments but with greatly improved pointing knowledge and extensibility to new science targets. The precision and stability of a well-designed occultation instrument can act as a calibration reference standard for other spaceborne instruments, ensuring proper continuity of the desired science targets. Furthermore, current technological advancements allow SAGE IV to fit within a CubeSat framework and make use of commercial hardware, significantly reducing the size and cost when compared with traditional missions and enabling sustainability of future measurements.

Robert Damadeo↗
NASA NTRS1922

Pressure Measurements During Flight

The general idea was to record the air pressure on the spot, that is, without intervening tubes, by some simple automatic registering device. This was therefore made in such small dimensions that it could be inserted into the wing between the ribs and stand in direct connection with the pressure openings. The results of different experiments are presented along with the best locations for locating the instruments for recording the pressure.

Proll, A↗
NASA NTRS1987

Application of low-power, high-rate PCM telemetry in a helicopter instrumentation system

The use of low-power, high-rate pulse code modulation (PCM) in a helicopter instrumentation system is examined. A Helicopter Instrumentation and Recording System (HIARS) was developed to obtain main rotor blade measurements and fuselage performance measurements. The HIARS consists of a low-power PCM telemeter, a digital PCM system, an optical rotor position sensor, and a PCM decommutation unit; the components and functions of these subsystems are described. Flight tests were conducted to evaluate the ability of the HIARS to measure aircraft parameters. The test data reveal that the PCM telemetry is applicable to helicopter instrumentation systems.

Thomas, Mitchel E.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

A New, Efficient, and Consistent Method for Generating Climate Data Record from Operational Hyperspectral Sounder Instruments on AQUA, S-NPP and NOAA 20

Operational IR sounders such AIRS on NASA Aqua, CrIS on S-NPP and on NOAA 20 satellites provide high quality hyperspectral measurements for weather and climate applications. Climate products are typically derived by performing spatial and temporal averaging of level-2 products. It is a time-consuming process to generate level-2 data products since modern hyperspectral satellite sensors have millions of observations each day with thousands of spectral channels for each observation. Additionally, differences in level-2 retrieval algorithms for different satellite sensors can lead to errors in the climate products. We have developed a Climate Fingerprinting Sounder Product (ClimFiSP), which is derived from spatiotemporally averaged level-1 hyperspectral radiances directly. The ClimFiSP algorithm uses consistent radiative kernels and a robust spectral fingerprinting method. It can provide fast and accurate data fusion products from multiple satellite sensors. We have applied this method to both AIRS and CrIS (on SNPP and on NOAA 20) data and generated two decades climate data records for atmospheric temperature, water vapor, cloud, trace gases, and surface skin temperature. The ClimFiSP are being transitioned to NASA data centers for routine generations level-3 products.

Xu Liu↗
NASA NTRS1965

A slow-scan television film recorder.

Slow-scan television film recorder designed for Mariner Mars 1964 noting scope phosphors, film types and processing

PHOTOGRAPHIC RECORDING INSTRUMENT↗
NASA NTRS1966

Magnetic Tape Recording

NASA's contribution to tape recorder technology may appear to lie in such glamorous devices as the tape recorders of the Tiros and Nimbus satellites which receive signals carrying weather information during an orbit around the earth and then transmit those signals back to the ground when the satellite is in view of ground stations. These quite important recording devices are, however, only useful as members of a complex hierarchy of devices all of which participate in the ultimate process of obtaining information from NASA's efforts. Their existence and utility is based on the existence of many more prosaic recording devices which have been involved in the development of such spectacular units.

TAPE RECORDER↗