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At least 145 records · Page 8

Virtual Sensors: Using Data Mining Techniques to Efficiently Estimate Remote Sensing Spectra

Various instruments are used to create images of the Earth and other objects in the universe in a diverse set of wavelength bands with the aim of understanding natural phenomena. These instruments are sometimes built in a phased approach, with some measurement capabilities being added in later phases. In other cases, there may not be a planned increase in measurement capability, but technology may mature to the point that it offers new measurement capabilities that were not available before. In still other cases, detailed spectral measurements may be too costly to perform on a large sample. Thus, lower resolution instruments with lower associated cost may be used to take the majority of measurements. Higher resolution instruments, with a higher associated cost may be used to take only a small fraction of the measurements in a given area. Many applied science questions that are relevant to the remote sensing community need to be addressed by analyzing enormous amounts of data that were generated from instruments with disparate measurement capability. This paper addresses this problem by demonstrating methods to produce high accuracy estimates of spectra with an associated measure of uncertainty from data that is perhaps nonlinearly correlated with the spectra. In particular, we demonstrate multi-layer perceptrons (MLPs), Support Vector Machines (SVMs) with Radial Basis Function (RBF) kernels, and SVMs with Mixture Density Mercer Kernels (MDMK). We call this type of an estimator a Virtual Sensor because it predicts, with a measure of uncertainty, unmeasured spectral phenomena.

Srivastava, Ashok N.↗

Improvements in Virtual Sensors: Using Spatial Information to Estimate Remote Sensing Spectra

Various instruments are used to create images of the Earth and other objects in the universe in a diverse set of wavelength bands with the aim of understanding natural phenomena. Sometimes these instruments are built in a phased approach, with additional measurement capabilities added in later phases. In other cases, technology may mature to the point that the instrument offers new measurement capabilities that were not planned in the original design of the instrument. In still other cases, high resolution spectral measurements may be too costly to perform on a large sample and therefore lower resolution spectral instruments are used to take the majority of measurements. Many applied science questions that are relevant to the earth science remote sensing community require analysis of enormous amounts of data that were generated by instruments with disparate measurement capabilities. In past work [1], we addressed this problem using Virtual Sensors: a method that uses models trained on spectrally rich (high spectral resolution) data to "fill in" unmeasured spectral channels in spectrally poor (low spectral resolution) data. We demonstrated this method by using models trained on the high spectral resolution Terra MODIS instrument to estimate what the equivalent of the MODIS 1.6 micron channel would be for the NOAA AVHRR2 instrument. The scientific motivation for the simulation of the 1.6 micron channel is to improve the ability of the AVHRR2 sensor to detect clouds over snow and ice. This work contains preliminary experiments demonstrating that the use of spatial information can improve our ability to estimate these spectra.

Oza, Nikunj C.↗

In-Depth Modeling and Simulation Analysis of Artemis Missions Using the Impact Probabilistic Risk Assessment Tool

BACKGROUND The Artemis campaign is a Moon exploration program with a series of six planned missions, five of which will be crewed. These five crewed missions will contain a single mission segment (space flight), or multiple mission segments involving space flight (Orion), lunar landing (LTV) and/or space habitat (Gateway). Each crewed segment faces the risk of unique medical conditions, necessitating medical sets/kits tailored to those specificities. To support and enable a data-driven and evidence-based decision-making process through out a mission’s life cycle, a software tool called IMPACT was developed. Using probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) methodologies, IMPACT (Informing Mission Planning via Analysis of Complex Tradespaces) is a novel tool built for analyzing the possibility of encountering complex medical risks during space flight, and for identifying the medical resources and capabilities needed to treat those potential at-risk medical conditions. IMPACT achieves this by performing hundreds of thousands of Monte Carlo simulations of missions to build aggregate pictures of medical risk. During an extended simulation modeling phase, IMPACT generated analytical results for medical risks, and the medical resources and capabilities to address those risks, for every segment of every crewed Artemis mission. This presentation will highlight the reliability, consistency and validity of IMPACT’s computational modeling techniques and will showcase the library of analytical outcomes generated for the Artemis missions. OVERVIEW During the early stages of IMPACT’s design, architecture and technical requirements collection, “scenarios” (use cases) - achievement goals required for acceptance testing, were identified by stakeholders. IMPACT successfully completed the scenario testing requirements and undertook an extensive operational run phase utilizing a wide range of input combinations with a goal of delivering a cohesive, trustworthy, reliable, vast, and diverse body of evidence. The intent of these modeling runs was to validate consistency in output, ensure solidity of executable operations and to streamline processes by identifying areas requiring efficiency improvements. Using the many missions of Artemis, IMPACT ran variations of operational runs to assess the output for acceptable, as well as unusual characteristics. This rigorous long-term “shakedown” analysis was implemented to help build a collective body of evidence to aid in securing a high level of confidence, reliability, and validity in the output, whether from the applicational components of IMPACT, or the entirety of the operational process. ANTICIPATED ANALYSIS AND CONCLUSION This presentation will discuss the various categories of input criteria; the comparisons in the application of these input criteria to various Artemis missions; the preparation and collection of the body of evidence, and reliability of the computational modeling techniques. This paper serves as an initial analytical overview of IMPACT’s probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) medical risk outputs covering Artemis missions and is not intended to be deemed the official medical response for the Artemis campaign.

Crew Composition↗

Mitigation of tropospheric InSAR phase artifacts through differential multisquint processing

We propose a technique for mitigating tropospheric phase errors in repeat-pass interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR). The mitigation technique is based upon the acquisition of multisquint InSAR data. On each satellite pass over a target area, the radar instrument will acquire images from multiple squint (azimuth) angles, from which multiple interferograms can be formed. The diversity of viewing angles associated with the multisquint acquisition can be used to solve for two components of the 3-D surface displacement vector as well as for the differential tropospheric phase. We describe a model for the performance of the multisquint technique, and we present an assessment of the performance expected.

troposphere↗

The Open Data Repository's Data Publisher

We have quickly gathered a diverse set of databases that have significant activity. Researchers are using them on a daily basis from collection through all phases of research. Focus on: (1) Linked data and semantic web integration are fundamental to our long term plans. (2) Citation system is critical before our first full release. Snapshot-based citation generation for data sets or objects. As we expand our feature set, expect the system will: (1) Provide a very high level of provenance for any data housed in the software. (2) Make data management beneficial to the researcher throughout the research process. (3) Create living archives that allow citable snapshots of data and summaries of the changes since the snapshot was created.

Stone, N.↗

Testing and Application of Commercial Thermodynamics Software for Solid-Gas Equilibria in Planetary Science Applications

The ability to calculate chemical equilibria from thermochemical constants (e.g., H, S, Cp) or other experimental data is a tool widely employed by scientists. However, phase equilibria for planetary science problems is limited by easy access to libraries of thermochemical data, as well as the software to invert that data. Many academic software packages are focused on specific types of problems (e.g., aqueous solutions or melting and crystallization of magmas). This focus makes them excellent tools for specific uses, but poorer tools for other scenarios, especially those involving elements or chemical species that are less well-studied in that specific scientific field (e.g. NaCl vapor). Amongst the more general thermodynamic software tools, there are closed academic software packages, open-source options, as well as commercial software. We have explored the extent to which commercial chemistry/chemical engineering software may be able to satisfy the need for thermochemical modeling packages that can accommodate the diverse species and conditions of planetary science problems. Here we compare the output of software package HSC Chemistry™ (Metso Outotec) to published vapor-solid phase diagrams for a variety of major and minor elements. HSC Chemistry™ has been used in several recent geochemical studies of terrestrial volcanic systems [2- 4]. However, it has not to our knowledge been benchmarked against peer-reviewed model results for the conditions and compositions relevant to planetary science. We present one such comparison here, the low- pressure environment of the solar nebula, using literature data. In short, we find excellent agreement between HSC Chemistry™ and the well-regarded academic software package CONDOR. These preliminary results suggest that at least some commercial software packages are capable of robust thermochemical calculations for planetary science.

planetary science↗

From dwarfs to giants - Signposts of galaxy formation

A two-dimensional parametrization of galactic evolution from the primordial state involving mean surface density and velocity dispersion is presented. A dissipation diagram for large-scale structure is presented and its evolutionary significance explored while considering both the pancake and the hierarchical clustering models of galaxy formation. Gaseous dissipation is studied by assuming that individual clouds or turbulent elements of gas interact supersonically, producing strong shocks. It is found that many diverse properties of galaxies can be understood in terms of an evolutionary sequence operative during an early gas-rich protogalactic phase in which dissipation played a key role. Dwarf galaxies may be the fossilized link between primordial fluctuations and the giant galaxies observed today, relics of a past era of prolific galaxy formation.

Silk, J.↗

Floating the Ball: Advances in the Technology of Electrostatic Levitation

Electrostatic Levitation (ESL) is an emerging technology. The MSFC ESL is a NASA facility that supports investigations of refractory solids and melts. The facility can be used to process a wide variety of materials including metals, alloys, ceramics, glasses and semiconductors. Containerless processing via ESL provides a high-purity environment for the study of high temperature materials and access to metastable states. Scientific topics investigated in the facility include nucleation, undercooling, metastable state formation and metallic glass formation. Additionally, the MSFC ESL provides data for the determination of phase diagrams, time-temperature-transition diagrams, viscosity, surface tension, density, heat capacity and creep resistance. In order to support a diverse research community, the MSFC ESL facility has developed a number of technical capabilities, including a portable system for in situ studies of structural tran$hrmations during processing at the high-energy X-ray beamline at the Advanced Photon Source of Argonne National Laboratory. The capabilities of the MSFC ESL facilities will be discussed and selected results of materials processing and characterization studies will be presented.

Rogers, Jan R.↗

Acquisition of a Biomedical Database of Acute Responses to Space Flight during Commercial Personal Suborbital Flights

There is currently too little reproducible data for a scientifically valid understanding of the initial responses of a diverse human population to weightlessness and other space flight factors. Astronauts on orbital space flights to date have been extremely healthy and fit, unlike the general human population. Data collection opportunities during the earliest phases of space flights to date, when the most dynamic responses may occur in response to abrupt transitions in acceleration loads, have been limited by operational restrictions on our ability to encumber the astronauts with even minimal monitoring instrumentation. The era of commercial personal suborbital space flights promises the availability of a large (perhaps hundreds per year), diverse population of potential participants with a vested interest in their own responses to space flight factors, and a number of flight providers interested in documenting and demonstrating the attractiveness and safety of the experience they are offering. Voluntary participation by even a fraction of the flying population in a uniform set of unobtrusive biomedical data collections would provide a database enabling statistical analyses of a variety of acute responses to a standardized space flight environment. This will benefit both the space life sciences discipline and the general state of human knowledge.

Charles, John B.↗

Modeling bivalve diversification: the effect of interaction on a macroevolutionary system

The global diversification of the class Bivalvia has historically received two conflicting interpretations. One is that a major upturn in diversification was associated with, and a consequence of, the Lake Permian mass extinction. The other is that mass extinctions have had little influence and that bivalves have experienced slow but nearly steady exponential diversification through most of their history, unaffected by interactions with other clades. We find that the most likely explanation lies between these two interpretations. Through most of the Phanerozoic, the diversity of bivalves did indeed exhibit slow growth, which was not substantially altered by mass extinctions. However, the presence of "hyperexponential bursts" in diversification during the initial Ordovician radiation and following the Late Permian and Late Cretaceous mass extinctions suggests a more complex history in which a higher characteristic diversification rate was dampened through most of the Phanerozoic. The observed pattern can be accounted for with a two-phase coupled (i.e., interactive) logistic model, where one phase is treated as the "bivalves" and the other phase is treated as a hypothetical group of clades with which the "bivalves" might have interacted. Results of this analysis suggest that interactions with other taxa have substantially affected bivalve global diversity through the Phanerozoic.

NASA Discipline Exobiology↗

Rare earth element patterns in Archean high-grade metasediments and their tectonic significance

REE data on metasedimentary rocks from two different types of high-grade Archean terrains are presented and analyzed. The value of REEs as indicators of crustal evolution is explained; the three geologic settings (in North America, Southern Africa, and Australia) from which the samples were obtained are described; and the data are presented in extensive tables and graphs and discussed in terms of metamorphic effects, the role of accessory phases, provenance, and tectonic implications (recycling, the previous extent of high-grade terrains, and a model of Archean crustal growth). The diversity of REE patterns in shallow-shelf metasediments is attributed to local provenance, while the Eu-depleted post-Archean patterns are associated with K-rich plutons from small, stable early Archean terrains.

Taylor, Stuart Ross↗

Visible Color and Photometry of Bright Materials on Vesta

The Dawn Framing Camera (FC) collected images of the surface of Vesta at a pixel scale of ~70 m in the High Altitude Mapping Orbit (HAMO) phase through its clear and seven color filters spanning from 430 nm to 980 nm. The surface of Vesta displays a large diversity in its brightness and colors, evidently related to the diverse geology [1] and mineralogy [2]. Here we report a detailed investigation of the visible colors and photometric properties of the apparently bright materials on Vesta in order to study their origin. The global distribution and the spectroscopy of bright materials are discussed in companion papers [3, 4], and the synthesis results about the origin of Vestan bright materials are reported in [5].

Schroder, S. E.↗

X-Ray Amorphous Phases in Terrestrial Analog Volcanic Sediments: Implications for Amorphous Phases in Gale Crater, Mars

X-ray diffraction (XRD) amorphous phases have been found as major components (approx.15-60 wt%) of all rock and soil samples measured by the CheMin XRD instrument in Gale Crater, Mars. The nature of these phases is not well understood and could be any combination of primary (e.g., glass) and secondary (e.g., allophane) phases. Amorphous phases form in abundance during surface weathering on Earth. Yet, these materials are poorly characterized, and it is not certain how properties like composition and structure change with formation environment. The presence of poorly crystalline phases can be inferred from XRD patterns by the appearance of a low angle rise (< or approx.10deg 2(theta)) or broad peaks in the background at low to moderate 2(theta) angles (amorphous humps). CheMin mineral abundances combined with bulk chemical composition measurements from the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) have been used to estimate the abundance and composition of the XRD amorphous materials in soil and rock samples on Mars. Here we apply a similar approach to a diverse suite of terrestrial samples - modern soils, glacial sediments, and paleosols - in order to determine how formation environment, climate, and diagenesis affect the abundance and composition of X-ray amorphous phases.

Smith, R. J.↗

Enabling and Enhancing Space Mission Success and Reduction of Risk through the Application of an Integrated Data Architecture

The engineering phases of design, development, test, and evaluation (DDT and E) and subsequent planning, preparation, and operation (Ops) of space vehicles in a complex and distributed environment requires massive and continuous flows of information across the enterprise and across temporal stages of the vehicle lifecycle. The resulting capabilities at each subsequent stage depend in part on the capture, preparation, storage, and subsequent provision of information from prior stages. The United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is currently designing a fleet of new vehicles that will replace the Space Shuttle and expand space operations and exploration capabilities. This includes the 2 stage human rated lift vehicle Ares 1 and its associated crew vehicle the Orion, and a service module; the heavy lift cargo vehicle, Ares 5, and an associated cargo stage known as the Earth Departure Stage; and a Lunar Lander vehicle that contains a descent stage, and ascent stage, and a habitation module. A variety of concurrent assorted ground operations infrastructure including software and facilities are also being developed, assorted technology and assembly designs and development for equipment such as EVA suits, life support systems, command and control technologies are also in the pipeline. The development is occurring in a distributed manner, with project deliverables being contributed by a large and diverse assortment of vendors and most space faring nations. Critical information about all of the components, software, and procedures must be shared during the DDT and E phases and then made readily available to the mission operations staff for access during the planning, preparation, and operations phases, and also need to be readily available for system to system interactions. The Constellation Data Systems Project (CxDS) is identifying the needs, and designing and deploying systems and processes to support these needs. This paper details the steps and processes that NASA is applying within the Constellation Program to manage this data and information, and to insure that the correct information is available, correctly annotated, and can be provisioned digitally to enhance response times, and support engineering analysis and anomaly resolution.

Brummett, Robert C.↗

Examination of time-variable input effects in a nonlinear analogue magnetosphere model

The plasma physical analog model (an extension of the damped, harmonic-oscillator dripping faucet model) is employed to consider explicitly the effect of time-varying the inputs. This work is equivalent to considering the effects of northward and southward turnings of the interplanetary magnetic field for various periods of time. It is found that relatively extended episodes (not less than 2 hours) of turned-on input with shorter (about 1 hour) periods of turned-off input lead to model behavior much like the continuously driven case. Going to short input intervals with longer periods of zero input leads to highly irregular and dramatically fluctuating episodes of magnetotail unloading. These results give an insight into the diversity of apparent magnetospheric responses during relatively isolated substorm conditions. This work shows the absolutely critical interdependence (in a nonlinear dynamical system) of input phasing and internal magnetospheric response cycles.

Baker, D. N.↗

Using Field and Satellite Measurements to Improve Snow and Riming Processes in Cloud Resolving Models

The representation of clouds in climate and weather models is a driver in forecast uncertainty. Cloud microphysics parameterizations are challenged by having to represent a diverse range of ice species. Key characteristics of predicted ice species include habit and fall speed, and complex interactions that result from mixed-phased processes like riming. Our proposed activity leverages Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Mission ground validation studies to improve parameterizations

Colle, Brian A.↗

Forecasting Lightning Threat using Cloud-resolving Model Simulations

As numerical forecasts capable of resolving individual convective clouds become more common, it is of interest to see if quantitative forecasts of lightning flash rate density are possible, based on fields computed by the numerical model. Previous observational research has shown robust relationships between observed lightning flash rates and inferred updraft and large precipitation ice fields in the mixed phase regions of storms, and that these relationships might allow simulated fields to serve as proxies for lightning flash rate density. It is shown in this paper that two simple proxy fields do indeed provide reasonable and cost-effective bases for creating time-evolving maps of predicted lightning flash rate density, judging from a series of diverse simulation case study events in North Alabama for which Lightning Mapping Array data provide ground truth. One method is based on the product of upward velocity and the mixing ratio of precipitating ice hydrometeors, modeled as graupel only, in the mixed phase region of storms at the -15\dgc\ level, while the second method is based on the vertically integrated amounts of ice hydrometeors in each model grid column. Each method can be calibrated by comparing domainwide statistics of the peak values of simulated flash rate proxy fields against domainwide peak total lightning flash rate density data from observations. Tests show that the first method is able to capture much of the temporal variability of the lightning threat, while the second method does a better job of depicting the areal coverage of the threat. A blended solution is designed to retain most of the temporal sensitivity of the first method, while adding the improved spatial coverage of the second. Weather Research and Forecast Model simulations of selected North Alabama cases show that this model can distinguish the general character and intensity of most convective events, and that the proposed methods show promise as a means of generating quantitatively realistic fields of lightning threat. However, because models tend to have more difficulty in correctly predicting the instantaneous placement of storms, forecasts of the detailed location of the lightning threat based on single simulations can be in error. Although these model shortcomings presently limit the precision of lightning threat forecasts from individual runs of current generation models, the techniques proposed herein should continue to be applicable as newer and more accurate physically-based model versions, physical parameterizations, initialization techniques and ensembles of cloud-allowing forecasts become available.

McCaul, E. W., Jr.↗