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NASA NTRS2011

ELaNa - Educational Launch of Nanosatellite Enhance Education Through Space Flight

One of NASA's missions is to attract and retain students in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. Creating missions or programs to achieve this important goal helps strengthen NASA and the nation's future work force as well as engage and inspire Americans and the rest of the world. During the last three years, in an attempt to revitalize educational space flight, NASA generated a new and exciting initiative. This initiative, NASA's Educational Launch of Nanosatellite (ELaNa), is now fully operational and producing exciting results. Nanosatellites are small secondary satellite payloads called CubeSats. One of the challenges that the CubeSat community faced over the past few years was the lack of rides into space. Students were building CubeSats but they just sat on the shelf until an opportunity arose. In some cases, these opportunities never developed and so the CubeSat never made it to orbit. The ELaNa initiative is changing this by providing sustainable launch opportunities for educational CubeSats. Across America, these CubeSats are currently being built by students in high school all the way through graduate school. Now students know that if they build their CubeSat, submit their proposal and are selected for an ELaNa mission, they will have the opportunity to fly their satellite. ELaNa missions are the first educational cargo to be carried on expendable launch vehicles (ELY) for NASA's Launch Services Program (LSP). The first ELaNa CubeSats were slated to begin their journey to orbit in February 2011 with NASA's Glory mission. Due to an anomaly with the launch vehicle, ELaNa II and Glory failed to reach orbit. This first ELaNa mission was comprised of three IU CubeSats built by students at Montana State University (Explorer Prime Flight 1), the University of Colorado (HERMES), and Kentucky Space, a consortium of state universities (KySat). The interface between the launch vehicle and the CubeSat, the Poly-Picosatellite Orbital Deployer (P-POD), was developed and built by students at California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly). Integrating a P-POD on a NASA ELV was not an easy task. The creation of new processes and requirements as well as numerous reviews and approvals were necessary within NASA before the first ELaNa mission could be attached to a NASA launch vehicle (LV). One of the key objectives placed on an ELaNa mission is that the CubeSat and PPOD does not increase the baseline risk to the primary mission and launch vehicle. The ELaNa missions achieve this objective by placing a rigorous management and engineering process on both the LV and CubeSat teams. So, what is the future of ELaNa? Currently there are 16 P-POD missions manifested across four launch vehicles to support educational CubeSats selected under the NASA CubeSat Initiative. From this initiative, a rigorous selection process produced 22-student CubeSat missions that are scheduled to fly before the end of 2012. For the initiative to continue, organizations need to submit proposals to the annual CubeSat initiative call so they have the opportunity to be manifested and launched.

Skrobot, Garrett Lee↗

NASA NTRS1977

Solar influence on meteor rates and atmospheric density variations at meteor heights

Lindblad (1967) has concluded that there was an inverse relation between meteor rates and the solar cycle brought about by an increase in atmospheric density gradient at the height of meteor ionization. The present paper investigates Lindblad's conclusion more fully by using three long series of continuous radar meteor data from New Zealand and Canada. The results confirm a clear variation of total rate from year to year, inversely correlated with the annual sunspot number. Although meteor rates call for a density gradient variation inversely related to the solar cycle, direct evidence for such a variation remains nonexistant. Possibly the effect is being obscured by other density changes occurring at these heights. Analysis of meteor rates within the same one-year period in the two hemispheres has established that seasonal rate changes brought about by the variation of the angle between the latitude of the observing station and the apex of the earth's way override change of density gradient in at least one of the hemispheres and possibly both in controlling meteor rates within the year.

Ellyett, C.↗

NASA NTRS2015

White Paper for Virtual Control Room

The Virtual Control Room (VCR) Proof of Concept (PoC) project is the result of an award given by the Fourth Annual NASA T&I Labs Challenge Project Call. This paper will outline the work done over the award period to build and enhance the capabilities of the Augmented/Virtual Reality (AVR) Lab at NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC) to create the VCR.

Virtual Reality↗

NASA NTRS1997

The Atlantic Meridional Transect: Spatially Extensive Calibration and Validation of Optical Properties and Remotely Sensed Measurements of Ocean Colour

Twice a year, the Royal Research Ship (RRS) James Clark Ross (JCR) steams a meridional transect of the atlantic Ocean between Grimsly (UK) and Stanley (Falkland Islands) with a port call in Montevideo (Uruguay), as part of the annual research activities of the British Antarctic Survey (BAS). In September, the JCR sails from the UK, and the following April it makes the return trip. The ship is operated by the BAS for the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). The Atlantic Meridional Transect (AMT) Program exploits the passage of the JCR from approximately 50 deg. N to 50 deg. S with a primary objective to investigate physical and biological processes, as well as to measure the mesi-to-basin-scale bio-optical properties of the atlantic Ocean. The calibration and validation of remotely sensed observations of ocean colour is an inherent objective of these studies: first, by relating in situ measurements of water leaving radiance to satellite measurement, and second, by measuring the bio-optically active constituents of the water.

Aiken, James↗

NASA NTRS1999

NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts

The purpose of NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts (NIAC) is to provide an independent, open forum for the external analysis and definition of space and aeronautics advanced concepts to complement the advanced concepts activities conducted within the NASA Enterprises. The NIAC will issue Calls for Proposals during each year of operation and will select revolutionary advanced concepts for grant or contract awards through a peer review process. Final selection of awards will be with the concurrence of NASA's Chief Technologist. The operation of the NIAC is reviewed biannually by the NIAC Science, Exploration and Technology Council (NSETC) whose members are drawn from the senior levels of industry and universities. The process of defining the technical scope of the initial Call for Proposals was begun with the NIAC "Grand Challenges" workshop conducted on May 21-22, 1998 in Columbia, Maryland. These "Grand Challenges" resulting from this workshop became the essence of the technical scope for the first Phase I Call for Proposals which was released on June 19, 1998 with a due date of July 31, 1998. The first Phase I Call for Proposals attracted 119 proposals. After a thorough peer review, prioritization by NIAC and technical concurrence by NASA, sixteen subgrants were awarded. The second Phase I Call for Proposals was released on November 23, 1998 with a due date of January 31, 1999. Sixty-three (63) proposals were received in response to this Call. On December 2-3, 1998, the NSETC met to review the progress and future plans of the NIAC. The next NSETC meeting is scheduled for August 5-6, 1999. The first Phase II Call for Proposals was released to the current Phase I grantees on February 3,1999 with a due date of May 31, 1999. Plans for the second year of the contract include a continuation of the sequence of Phase I and Phase II Calls for Proposals and hosting the first NIAC Annual Meeting and USRA/NIAC Technical Symposium in NASA HQ.

Cassanova, Robert A.↗

NASA NTRS1993

Marslink

The Marslink Project focuses on the development, dissemination, and evaluation of instructional materials about the composition, structure, and dynamics of the Martian atmosphere, surface, and interior. A multi-year effort is underway so that middle and high school students can follow a full Martian year of seasonal changes using data from NASA's Mars Observer spacecraft, and the Mars Observer Project has time to process and release the appropriate data sets. Monthly activity packets for students, teacher enhancement sessions, a teacher resource center, an on-call Mars data specialist, daily SPACELINK electronic bulletin board updates, and semi-annual NASA Select TV broadcasts will constitute the basis of the Marslink Project. Various aspects of the Marslink Project are briefly discussed.

Arvidson, R. E.↗

NASA NTRS2016

An Assessment of New Satellite Data Products for the Development of a Long-Term Global Solar Resource at 10-100 km

A project representing an effort to reprocess the NASA based solar resource data sets is reviewed. The effort represented a collaboration between NASA, NOAA, NREL and the SUNY-Albany and aimed to deliver a 10 km resolution, 3-hourly data set spanning from 1983 through near-present. Part of the project was to transition project capability to NREL for annual processing to extend data set. Due to delays in the key input project called ISCCP, we evaluate only Beta versions of this data set and also introduce the potential use of another NASA Langley based cloud data set for the CERES project. The CERES project uses these cloud properties to compute global top-of-atmosphere and surface fluxes at the 1x1 degree resolution. Here, we also briefly discuss these data sets in potential usage for solar resource benchmarking.

Stackhouse, Paul W., Jr.↗

NASA NTRS2021

Modelled land use and land cover change emissions – a spatio-temporal comparison of different approaches

Quantifying the net carbon flux from land use and land cover changes (fLULCC) is critical for understanding the global carbon cycle and, hence, to support climate change mitigation. However, large-scale fLULCC is not directly measurable and has to be inferred from models instead, such as semi-empirical bookkeeping models and process-based dynamic global vegetation models (DGVMs). By definition, fLULCC estimates are not directly comparable between these two different model types. As an important example, DGVM-based fLULCC in the annual global carbon budgets is estimated under transient environmental forcing and includes the so-called loss of additional sink capacity (LASC). The LASC results from the impact of environmental changes on land carbon storage potential of managed land compared to potential vegetation and accumulates over time, which is not captured in bookkeeping models. The fLULCC from transient DGVM simulations, thus, strongly depends on the timing of land use and land cover changes mainly because LASC accumulation is cut off at the end of the simulated period. To estimate the LASC, the fLULCC from pre-industrial DGVM simulations, which is independent of changing environmental conditions, can be used. Additionally, DGVMs using constant present-day environmental forcing enable an approximation of bookkeeping estimates. Here, we analyse these three DGVM-derived fLULCC estimations (under transient, pre-industrial, and present-day forcing) for 12 models within 18 regions and quantify their differences as well as climate- and CO2-induced components and compare them to bookkeeping estimates. Averaged across the models, we find a global fLULCC (under transient conditions) of 2.0±0.6 PgC/yr for 2009–2018, of which ∼40 % are attributable to the LASC (0.8±0.3 PgC/yr). From 1850 onward, the fLULCC accumulated to 189±56 PgC with 40±15 PgC from the LASC. Around 1960, the accumulating nature of the LASC causes global transient fLULCC estimates to exceed estimates under present-day conditions, despite generally increased carbon stocks in the latter. Regional hotspots of high cumulative and annual LASC values are found in the USA, China, Brazil, equatorial Africa, and Southeast Asia, mainly due to deforestation for cropland. Distinct negative LASC estimates in Europe (early reforestation) and from 2000 onward in the Ukraine (recultivation of post-Soviet abandoned agricultural land), indicate that fLULCC estimates in these regions are lower in transient DGVM compared to bookkeeping approaches. Our study unravels the strong dependence of fLULCC estimates on the time a certain land use and land cover change event happened to occur and on the chosen time period for the forcing of environmental conditions in the underlying simulations. We argue for an approach that provides an accounting of the fLULCC that is more robust against these choices, for example by estimating a mean DGVM ensemble fLULCC and LASC for a defined reference period and homogeneous environmental changes (CO2 only).

land use and land cover change↗

NASA NTRS2002

Virginia Space Grant Consortium Management of National General Aviation Design Competition

This report summarizes the management of the National General Aviation Design Competition on behalf of NASA, the FAA and the Air Force by the Virginia Space Grant Consortium (VSGC) for the time period October 1, 2000 through September 30, 2001. This was the VSGC's seventh and final year of managing the Competition, which the Consortium originally designed, developed and implemented for NASA and the FAA. The competition is now being managed in-house by NASA. Awards to winning university teams were presented at a ceremony held at AirVenture 2001, the Experimental Aircraft Association's Annual Convention and Fly-In at Oshkosh, Wis. by NASA and FAA officials. The competition called for individuals or teams of undergraduate and graduate students from U.S. engineering schools to participate in a major national effort to rebuild the U.S. general aviation sector. Participants were challenged to meet the engineering goals of the Advanced General Aviation Transport Experiment (AGATE) project. For the purpose of the contest, general aviation aircraft are typically defined as single or twin engine (turbine or piston), single-pilot, fixed-wing aircraft for 2 - 6 passengers. The competition seeks to raise student awareness of the importance of general aviation by having students address design challenges for a small aircraft transportation system. NASA, AFRL and the FAA hope to stimulate breakthroughs in technology and their application in the general aviation marketplace. National goals for revitalizing the industry offer excellent, open-ended design challenges with real world applications for the Innovative Design Category. Both individual and team submissions were encouraged. University faculty advisors and students consistently cite the value of this kind of educational experience for their engineering students. Eight proposals were submitted for the 2001 Competition for the Innovative Design Category. Eleven faculty members and 124 students participated. Since inception, more than 785 students and 60 faculty members have participated in the Competition. A review panel comprised of general aviation experts from the FAA, EAA, NASA and industry representatives reviewed the design packages and selected the winners. The VSGC coordinated marketing of the competition to a mailing list which included selected deans and department chairs from ABET-accredited institutions, Space Grant affiliates, faculty who had previously participated in or expressed interest in the Competition, and others.

Source record↗

NASA NTRS1998

On the Annual Frequency of Intense Hurricanes in Relation to the Extremes of ENSO and the Interludes Between Them

On the basis of Trenberth's quantitative definition for marking the occurrence of an El Nino, one can precisely identify some 15 El Nino and 10 La Nina events during the interval of 1950-1997. The statistical aspects of these identified extremes and the intervening periods between them (interludes) are determined. Also, a comparison of the appearances of these extremes and interludes with yearly hurricane seasons shows that of the last 48 hurricane seasons, 20 (42%) are El Nino-related (i.e., an El Nino was in progress during all, or part, of the yearly hurricane season - June-November), 13 (27%) are La Nina-related, and 15 (31%) are interlude - related. Combining the two subgroups of La Nino- and interlude - related seasons into a single grouping called non-El Nino-related seasons, one finds that the non-El Nino-related seasons have a mean annual frequency of intense hurricanes measuring 2.8, while the El Nino-related seasons have a mean annual frequency of intense hurricanes measuring 1.3, and the observed difference in the means is inferred to be statistically important at the 99.8% level of confidence. Therefore, during El Nino-related seasons, fewer intense hurricanes (typically, less than or equal to 2) should be expected, while durin(y non-El Nino-related seasons, more (typically, greater than or equal to 2) should be expected. Implications for the upcoming 1998 and future hurricane seasons are discussed.

Wilson, Robert M.↗

NASA NTRS1984

Comprehensive Understanding for Vegetated Scene Radiance Relationships

Directional reflectance distributions spanning the entire existent hemisphere were measured in two field studies; one using a Mark III 3-band radiometer and one using the rapid scanning bidirectional field instrument called PARABOLA. Surfaces measured included corn, soybeans, bare soils, grass lawn, orchard grass, alfalfa, cotton row crops, plowed field, annual grassland, stipa grass, hard wheat, salt plain shrubland, and irrigated wheat. Analysis of field data showed unique reflectance distributions ranging from bare soil to complete vegetation canopies. Physical mechanisms causing these trends were proposed. A 3-D model was developed and is unique in that it predicts: (1) the directional spectral reflectance factors as a function of the sensor's azimuth and zenith angles and the sensor's position above the canopy; (2) the spectral absorption as a function of location within the scene; and (3) the directional spectral radiance as a function of the sensor's location within the scene. Initial verification of the model as applied to a soybean row crop showed that the simulated directional data corresponded relatively well in gross trends to the measured data. The model was expanded to include the anisotropic scattering properties of leaves as a function of the leaf orientation distribution in both the zenith and azimuth angle modes.

Kimes, D. S.↗

NASA NTRS1984

Comprehensive Understanding for Vegetated Scene Radiance Relationships

The improvement of our fundamental understanding of the dynamics of directional scattering properties of vegetation canopies through analysis of field data and model simulation data is discussed. Directional reflectance distributions spanning the entire existance hemisphere were measured in two field studies; one using a Mark III 3-band radiometer and one using rapid scanning bidirectional field instrument called PARABOLA. Surfaces measured included corn, soybeans, bare soils, grass lawn, orchard grass, alfalfa, cotton row crops, plowed field, annual grassland, stipa grass, hard wheat, salt plain shrubland, and irrigated wheat. Some structural and optical measurements were taken. Field data show unique reflectance distributions ranging from bare soil to complete vegetation canopies. Physical mechanisms causing these trends are proposed based on scattering properties of soil and vegetation. Soil exhibited a strong backscattering peak toward the Sun. Complete vegetation exhibited a bowl distribution with the minimum reflectance near nadir. Incomplete vegetation canopies show shifting of the minimum reflectance off of nadir in the forward scattering direction because both the scattering properties or the vegetation and soil are observed.

Kimes, D. S.↗

NASA NTRS2001

National General Aviation Design Competition Project Report

Source record↗

NASA NTRS2001

Simulation Study of Effects of Solar Irradiance and Sea Surface Temperature on Monsoons and Global Circulation

A recent version of the GEOS 2 GCM was used to isolate the roles of the annual cycles of solar irradiation and/or sea-surface temperatures (SSTs) on the simulated circulation and rainfall. Four 4-year long integrations were generated with the GCM. The first integration, called Control Case, used daily-interpolated SSTs from a 30 year monthly SST climatology that was obtained from the analyzed SST-data, while the solar irradiation at the top of the atmosphere was calculated normally at hourly intervals. The next two cases prescribed the SSTs or the incoming solar irradiance at the top of the atmosphere at their annual mean values, respectively while everything else was kept the same as in the Control Case. In this way the influence of the annual cycles of both external forcings was isolated.

Sud, Y. C.↗

NASA NTRS1997

Sustainable Biosphere Initiative Project

The goal of the Advanced Technology in Ecological Sciences project is to gain broad participation within the environmental scientific community in developing a research agenda addressing the development and refinement of technologies instrumental to research that responds to these challenges (e.g. global climate change, unsustainable resource use, and threats to biological diversity). The following activities have been completed: (1) A listserve 'eco-tech was set up to serve as a clearinghouse of information about activities and events relating to advanced technologies; (2) A series of conference calls were organized on specific topics including data visualization and spatial analysis, and remote sensing; and (3) Two meetings were organized at the 19% ESA Annual Meeting in Providence, Rhode Island. Topics covered included concerns about tool and data sharing; interest in expanded development of ground-based remote sensing technologies for monitoring; issues involved in training for using new technologies and increasing data streams, and- associated implications of data processing capabilities; questions about how to develop appropriate standards (i.e. surface morphology classification standards) that facilitate the exchange and comparison of analytical results; and some thoughts about remote sensing platforms and vehicles.

Source record↗

NASA NTRS2017

Meteoroid Environment Modeling: the Meteoroid Engineering Model and Shower Forecasting

INTRODUCTION: The meteoroid environment is often divided conceptually into meteor showers and the sporadic meteor background. It is commonly but incorrectly assumed that meteoroid impacts primarily occur during meteor showers; instead, the vast majority of hazardous meteoroids belong to the sporadic complex. Unlike meteor showers, which persist for a few hours to a few weeks, sporadic meteoroids impact the Earth's atmosphere and spacecraft throughout the year. The Meteoroid Environment Office (MEO) has produced two environment models to handle these cases: the Meteoroid Engineering Model (MEM) and an annual meteor shower forecast. The sporadic complex, despite its year-round activity, is not isotropic in its directionality. Instead, their apparent points of origin, or radiants, are organized into groups called "sources". The speed, directionality, and size distribution of these sporadic sources are modeled by the Meteoroid Engineering Model (MEM), which is currently in its second major release version (MEMR2) [Moorhead et al., 2015]. MEM provides the meteoroid flux relative to a user-provided spacecraft trajectory; it provides the total flux as well as the flux per angular bin, speed interval, and on specific surfaces (ram, wake, etc.). Because the sporadic complex dominates the meteoroid flux, MEM is the most appropriate model to use in spacecraft design. Although showers make up a small fraction of the meteoroid environment, they can produce significant short-term enhancements of the meteoroid flux. Thus, it can be valuable to consider showers when assessing risks associated with vehicle operations that are brief in duration. To assist with such assessments, the MEO issues an annual forecast that reports meteor shower fluxes as a function of time and compares showers with the time-averaged total meteoroid flux. This permits missions to do quick assessments of the increase in risk posed by meteor showers.

Moorhead, Althea V.↗

NASA NTRS2017

Meteoroid Environment Modeling: The Meteoroid Engineering Model and Shower Forecasting

The meteoroid environment is often divided conceptually into meteor showers and the sporadic meteor background. It is commonly but incorrectly assumed that meteoroid impacts primarily occur during meteor showers; instead, the vast majority of hazardous meteoroids belong to the sporadic complex. Unlike meteor showers, which persist for a few hours to a few weeks, sporadic meteoroids impact the Earth's atmosphere and spacecraft throughout the year. The Meteoroid Environment Office (MEO) has produced two environment models to handle these cases: the Meteoroid Engineering Model (MEM) and an annual meteor shower forecast. The sporadic complex, despite its year-round activity, is not isotropic in its directionality. Instead, their apparent points of origin, or radiants, are organized into groups called "sources". The speed, directionality, and size distribution of these sporadic sources are modeled by the Meteoroid Engineering Model (MEM), which is currently in its second major release version (MEMR2) [Moorhead et al., 2015]. MEM provides the meteoroid flux relative to a user-provided spacecraft trajectory; it provides the total flux as well as the flux per angular bin, speed interval, and on specific surfaces (ram, wake, etc.). Because the sporadic complex dominates the meteoroid flux, MEM is the most appropriate model to use in spacecraft design. Although showers make up a small fraction of the meteoroid environment, they can produce significant short-term enhancements of the meteoroid flux. Thus, it can be valuable to consider showers when assessing risks associated with vehicle operations that are brief in duration. To assist with such assessments, the MEO issues an annual forecast that reports meteor shower fluxes as a function of time and compares showers with the time-averaged total meteoroid flux. This permits missions to do quick assessments of the increase in risk posed by meteor showers. Section II describes MEM in more detail and describes our current efforts to improve its characteristics for a future release. Section III describes the annual shower forecast and highlights recent improvements made to its algorithm and inputs.

Moorhead, Althea V.↗

NASA NTRS2017

Natural Environment Corrosion Testing at the Kennedy Space Center Beachside Atmospheric Corrosion Test Site

This presentation will provide an overview of how NASA has been conducting corrosion testing in the Natural Marine Environment at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, U.S. The following questions will be addressed: What factors should be considered when selecting and constructing a test site? What are the attributes of a good test site? Is more severe always better? What environmental parameters should be monitored? How frequently? What factors should be considered when designing test specimens? Are current test standards sufficient? How do diurnal, annual and other fluctuations in corrosivity influence tests? How are test results interpreted? Can they be quantified?

Corrosion↗