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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 163 records · Page 9
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NASA NTRS1991

Microstrip antenna developments at JPL

The in-house development of microstrip antennas, initiated in 1981, when a spaceborne lightweight and low-profile planar array was needed for a satellite communication system, is described. The work described covers the prediction of finite-ground-plane effects by the geometric theory of diffraction, higher-order-mode circularly polarized circular patch antennas, circularly polarized microstrip arrays with linearly polarized elements, an impedance-matching teardrop-shaped probe feed, a dual-polarized microstrip array with high isolation and low cross-polarization, a planar microstrip Yagi array, a microstrip reflectarray, a Ka-band MMIC array, and a series-fed linear arrays.

Huang, John↗
NASA NTRS1991

Dual-parameter radar rainfall measurement from space - A test result from an aircraft experiment

An aircraft experiment has been conducted with a dual-frequency (X/Ka-bands) radar to test various rainfall retrieval methods from space. The authors test a method to derive raindrop size distribution (DSD) parameters from the combination of a radar reflectivity profile and a path-integrated attenuation derived from surface return, which may be available from most spaceborne radars. The estimated DSD parameters are reasonable in that the values generally fall within the range of commonly measured ones and that shifts in DSD parameters appear to be correlated with changes in storm type. The validity of the estimation result is also demonstrated by a consistency check using the Ka-band reflectivity profile which is independent of the DSD estimation process. Although errors may occur in the cases of nonuniform beam filling, these test results indicate the feasibility of the dual-parameter radar measurement from space in achieving a better accuracy in quantitative rainfall remote measurements.

Kozu, Toshiaki↗
NASA NTRS1991

A portable Ku-band front-end test package for beam-waveguide antenna performance evaluation

A 34-m beam-waveguide (BWG) antenna has been built a Deep Space Station 13 (DDS 13) in the Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex. This antenna is designed to be efficient at X-, Ku-, and Ka-bands, and it is the first NASA tracking antenna to use a BWG design. The design of a Ku-band test package for the new BWG antenna at 11.7-12.2 GHz is presented. Results of linear polarization measurements with the test package on the ground are also presented. This report is the fifth in a series of articles concerned with test package design and performance.

Otoshi, T. Y.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Antennas for mobile satellite communications

A NASA sponsored program, called the Mobile Satellite (MSAT) system, has prompted the development of several innovative antennas at L-band frequencies. In the space segment of the MSAT system, an efficient, light weight, circularly polarized microstrip array that uses linearly polarized elements was developed as a multiple beam reflector feed system. In the ground segment, a low-cost, low-profile, and very efficient microstrip Yagi array was developed as a medium-gain mechanically steered vehicle antenna. Circularly shaped microstrip patches excited at higher-order modes were also developed as low-gain vehicle antennas. A more recent effort called for the development of a 20/30 GHz mobile terminal antenna for future-generation mobile satellite communications. To combat the high insertion loss encountered at 20/30 GHz, series-fed Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuit (MMIC) microstrip array antennas are currently being developed. These MMIC arrays may lead to the development of several small but high-gain Ka-band antennas for the Personal Access Satellite Service planned for the 2000s.

Huang, John↗
NASA NTRS1990

An alternative resource sharing scheme for land mobile satellite services

A preliminary comparison between the two competing channelization concepts for the Land Mobile Satellite Services (LMSS), namely frequency division (FD) and code division (CD), is presented. Both random access and demand-assigned approaches are considered under these concepts. The CD concept is compared with the traditional FD concept based on the system consideration and a projected traffic model. It is shown that CD is not particularly attractive for the first generation Mobile Satellite Services because of the spectral occupancy of the network bandwidth. However, the CD concept is a viable alternative for future systems such as the personal access satellite system (PASS) in the Ka-band spectrum where spectral efficiency is not of prime concern. The effects of power robbing and voice activity factor are incorporated. It was shown that the traditional rule of thumb of dividing the number of raw channels by the voice activity factor to obtain the effective number of channels is only valid asymptotically as the aggregated traffic approaches infinity.

Yan, Tsun-Yee↗
NASA NTRS1990

US development and commercialization of a North American mobile satellite service

U.S. policies promoting applications and commercialization of space technology for the 'benefit of mankind,' and emphasis on international competitiveness, formed the basis of NASA's Mobile Satellite (MSAT) R&D and user experiments program to develop a commercial U.S. Mobile Satellite Service. Exemplifying this philosophy, the MSAT program targets the reduction of technical, regulatory, market, and financial risks that inhibit commercialization. The program strategy includes industry and user involvement in developing and demonstrating advanced technologies, regulatory advocacy, and financial incentives to industry. Approximately two decades of NASA's satellite communications development and demonstrations have contributed to the emergence of a new multi-billion dollar industry for land, aeronautical, and maritime mobile communications via satellite. NASA's R&D efforts are now evolving from the development of 'enabling' ground technologies for VHF, UHF, and L-Band mobile terminals, to Ka-Band terminals offering additional mobility and user convenience.

Arnold, Ray J.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Proceedings of the Workshop on Advanced Network and Technology Concepts for Mobile, Micro, and Personal Communications

The Workshop on Advanced Network and Technology Concepts for Mobile, Micro, and Personal Communications was held at NASA's JPL Laboratory on 30-31 May 1991. It provided a forum for reviewing the development of advanced network and technology concepts for turn-of-the-century telecommunications. The workshop was organized into three main categories: (1) Satellite-Based Networks (L-band, C-band, Ku-band, and Ka-band); (2) Terrestrial-Based Networks (cellular, CT2, PCN, GSM, and other networks); and (3) Hybrid Satellite/Terrestrial Networks. The proceedings contain presentation papers from each of the above categories.

Paul, Lori↗
NASA NTRS1991

Personal communications via ACTS satellite HBR transponders

The concept of a fully meshed network of briefcase-sized terminals is presented for personal communications over Ka-band satellite transponders. In this concept, undesirable double-hop delays are avoided for voice communications. The bandwidth and power resources of the transponder are efficiently shared by users in a simple demand-assigned manner via code-division multiple access (CDMA). Voice, data, and facsimile are statistically multiplexed at each terminal. In order to minimize terminal costs, frequency-precorrected, and level-preadjusted continuous-wave tones are sent from the central network control station in each beam so that the terminals in each down-link beam can use these pilots as references for antenna acquisition and tracking, as reliable frequency sources, and as indicators of signal fade for up-link power control (ULPC). The potential CDMA 'near-far' problem due to up-link fades is mitigated by using ULPC. Quasi-burst mode transmission is employed to minimize the potential clock and pseudorandom number code synchronization.

Fang, Russell J. F.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Advanced Communications Technology Satellite (ACTS)

The NASA Advanced Communications Technology Satellite (ACTS) provides high risk technologies having the potential to dramatically enhance the capabilities of the satellite communications industry. This experimental satellite, which will be launched by NASA in 1993, will furnish the technology necessary for providing a range of services. Utilizing the ACTS very-high-gain-hopping spot-beam antennas with on-board routing and processing, Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) digital networks which provide on-demand, full-mesh-convectivity 1.544-MBPS services with only a single hop can be established. The high-gain spot-beam antenna at Ka-band permits wide area, flexible networks providing high data rate services between modest-size earth terminals.

Plecity, Mark S.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Evolution of the large Deep Space Network antennas

The evolution of the largest antenna of the US NASA Deep Space Network (DSN) is described. The design, performance analysis, and measurement techniques, beginning with its initial 64-m operation at S-band (2295 MHz) in 1966 and continuing through the present ka-band (32-GHz) operation at 70 m, is described. Although their diameters and mountings differ, these parabolic antennas all employ a Cassegrainian feed system, and each antenna dish surface is constructed of precision-shaped perforated-aluminum panels that are secured to an open steel framework

Imbriale, William A.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Multi-frequency, multi-polarization SAR and radiometer sea ice classification

Microwave remotely sensed data were acquired simultaneously in March 1988 over Beaufort, Chukchi, and Bering Sea ice using the JPL multifrequency, polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (SAR), and multifrequency dual-polarization GSFC radiometer. The experiment was conducted as a series of coordinated underflights of the DMSP SSM/I satellite radiometer to validate ice products derived from its radiance values. Concurrent flights by an NRL P-3 aircraft enabled overlapping high-resolution, single-frequency images to be acquired over the same surfaces using a Ka-band scanning microwave radiometer. Precise coregistration to an accuracy of 100 m, +/- 25 m enables comparison of temporally and spatially coincident active and passive microwave datasets. Three-channel polarimetric SAR data are compared with dual-polarized radiometer data at several SSM/I frequencies, showing backscatter signatures to be highly correlated with radiometric temperatures. Further comparisons are used to evaluate ice concentration retrievals and to show how multiparameter datasets can be used to resolve ambiguities present in identifying certain sea ice forms with a single microwave instrument.

Drinkwater, Mark R.↗
NASA NTRS1991

A video-aided study of sea spikes in radar backscatter at moderate incidence

Backscatter from a lake was measured at a 37-deg incidence angle using an FM-CW radar operating on X band and C band simultaneously. A limited amount of Ka-band data was also collected at 50 deg incidence. A video camera recorded the activity within the footprint looking upwind and crosswind. The video showed that breaking waves at all look directions and wedge-shaped waves when looking upwind consistently produced spikes in the radar time series. However, 62 percent to 90 percent of the spikes were not attributable to any surface structure visible on the video picture except wave crests. These spikes may be due to specular reflections or micro-scale breaking too small to be seen. Individual contributions to the backscattering coefficient were calculated for unattributed spikes, breaker spikes, and wedge spikes.

Bush, Daniel A.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Spacecraft-spacecraft very long baseline interferometry for planetary approach navigation

The study presents an error budget for Delta differential one-way range (Delta-DOR) measurements between two spacecraft. Such observations, made between a planetary orbiter (or lander) and another spacecraft approaching that planet, would provide a powerful target-relative angular tracking data type for approach navigation. Accuracies of about 5 nrad should be possible for a pair of X-band spacecraft incorporating 40-MHz DOR tone spacings, while accuracies approaching 1 nrad will be possible if the spacecraft incorporate Ka-band downlinks with DOR tone spacings of order 250 MHz. Operational advantages of this data type are discussed, and ground system requirements needed to enable S/C-S/C Delta-DOR observations are outlined. A covariance analysis is presented to examine the potential navigation improvement for this scenario. The results show factors of 2-3 improvement in spacecraft targeting over conventional Doppler, range, and quasar-relative VLBI, along with reduced sensitivity to ephemeris uncertainty and other systematic errors.

Edwards, Charles D., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Monolithic microwave integrated circuits for sensors, radar, and communications systems; Proceedings of the Meeting, Orlando, FL, Apr. 2-4, 1991

Consideration is given to MMICs for airborne phased arrays, monolithic GaAs integrated circuit millimeter wave imaging sensors, accurate design of multiport low-noise MMICs up to 20 GHz, an ultralinear low-noise amplifier technology for space communications, variable-gain MMIC module for space applications, a high-efficiency dual-band power amplifier for radar applications, a high-density circuit approach for low-cost MMIC circuits, coplanar SIMMWIC circuits, recent advances in monolithic phased arrays, and system-level integrated circuit development for phased-array antenna applications. Consideration is also given to performance enhancement in future communications satellites with MMIC technology insertion, application of Ka-band MMIC technology for an Orbiter/ACTS communications experiment, a space-based millimeter wave debris tracking radar, low-noise high-yield octave-band feedback amplifiers to 20 GHz, quasi-optical MESFET VCOs, and a high-dynamic-range mixer using novel balun structure.

Leonard, Regis F.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Estimation of raindrop size distribution parameters from a dual-parameter spaceborne radar measurement

A method to estimate raindrop size distribution (DSD) parameters from a combined Zm profile and path-integrated attenuation is shown, and a test result of the method using the data from an aircraft experiment is presented. The 'semi' dual-parameter (SDP) measurement is employed to estimate DSD parameters using the data obtained from an aircraft experiment conducted by Communications Research Laboratory, Tokyo, in conjunction with NASA. The validity of estimated DSD parameters is examined using measured Ka-band radar reflectivities. The estimated path-averaged N(0) is consistent with the Ka/X Ze ratio, and the use of estimated DSD shows excellent agreement between the rain rates estimated from the X-band and K-band Zes. The feasibility of estimating DSD parameters from space is confirmed.

Kozu, Toshiaki↗
NASA NTRS1991

The ACTS propagation program

The purpose of the Advanced Communications Technology Satellite (ACTS) is to demonstrate the feasibility of the Ka-band (20 and 30 GHz) spectrum for satellite communications, as well as to help maintain U.S. leadership in satellite communications. ACTS incorporates such innovative schemes as time division multiple access (TDMA), microwave and baseband switching, onboard regeneration, and adaptive application of coding during rain-fade conditions. The success or failure of the ACTS experiment will depend on how accurately the rain-fade statistics and fade dynamics can be predicted in order to derive an appropriate algorithm that will combat weather vagaries, specifically for links with small terminals, such as very small aperture terminals (VSAT's) where the power margin is a premium. This article describes the planning process and hardware development program that will comply with the recommendations of the ACTS propagation study groups.

Chakraborty, Dayamoy↗
NASA NTRS1990

Comparison of active and passive microwave signatures of Arctic sea ice

In March 1988, overlapping active and passive microwave instrument data were acquired over Arctic sea ice using the NASA DC-8 aircraft equipped with multifrequency, variable polarization SAR and radiometer. Flights were conducted as a series of coordinated underflights of the DMSP SSM/I satellite radiometer in order to validate ice products derived from the SSM/I radiances. Subsequent flights by an NRL P-3 aircraft enabled overlapping high-resolution, single frequency image data to be acquired over the same regions using a Ka-band scanning microwave radiometer. In this paper, techniques are discussed for the accurate coregistration of the three aircraft datasets. Precise coregistration to an accuracy of 100 m plus or minus 25 m has, for the first time, enabled the detailed comparison of temporally and spatially coincident active and passive airborne microwave datasets. Preliminary results from the intercomparisons indicate that the SAR has highly frequency- and polarization-dependent signatures, which at 5.3 GHz (C-band) show an extremely high correlation with the 37 GHz radiometric temperatures.

Drinkwater, M. R.↗
DOE OSTI2025

KAZR-based snowfall rates during SAIL

This data set provides KAZR radar based retrievals of snowfall rates for the two cold periods of the SAIL campaign (NOV 2021- APR 2022 and NOV 2022 - APR 2023).

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗