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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 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1985

Topographic mapping of the moon

Contour maps of the moon have been compiled by photogrammetric methods that use stereoscopic combinations of all available metric photographs from the Apollo 15, 16, and 17 missions. The maps utilize the same format as the existing NASA shaded-relief Lunar Planning Charts (LOC-1, -2, -3, and -4), which have a scale of 1:2,750,000. The map contour interval is 500 m. A control net derived from Apollo photographs by Doyle and others was used for the compilation. Contour lines and elevations are referred to the new topographic datum of the moon, which is defined in terms of spherical harmonics from the lunar gravity field. Compilation of all four LOC charts was completed on analytical plotters from 566 stereo models of Apollo metric photographs that cover approximately 20 percent of the moon. This is the first step toward compiling a global topographic map of the moon at a scale of 1:5,000,000.

Wu, S. S. C.↗
NASA NTRS1979

A review of earth-based radar mapping of the moon

Lunar radar mappings carried out in the late 1960s and 1970s have provided several valuable insights into lunar surface processes. These radar mappings used the delay-Doppler technique and needed the narrow antenna beams now available with large radio telescopes. Two-element radar interferometers have provided resolution of the delay-Doppler ambiguity at meter wavelengths and provided topographic information at centimeter wavelengths. These techniques have provided high resolution lunar radar maps at 3.8-cm, 70-cm, and 7.5-m wavelengths, a set of wavelengths which span the window available for earth-based radar mapping of the moon. These radar maps have been used along with other earth-based and Apollo orbital measurements to define surface units. The radar maps and these other data can describe physical properties such as small-scale blockiness and surface chemistry.

Thompson, T. W.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Magnetic field and remanent magnetization effects of basin-forming impacts on the moon

Maps of the distribution of lunar surface magnetic fields produced by the electron reflection method have shown that the largest observed concentrations of lunar crustal magnetization occur antipodal (diametrically opposite) to four relatively young large impact basins: Imbrium, Orientale, Serenitatis, and Crisium. A model is proposed here for the formation of these magnetization concentrations (or 'magcons') in which the partially ionized vapor cloud produced in a hypervelocity (greater than 10 km/s) basin-forming impact expands around the moon forcing a preexisting ambient magnetic field to be concentrated for a brief (less than 1 day) time period in the antipodal zone. Acquisition of magnetic remanence during the period of compressed field amplification may occur by one of several mechanisms, such as shock remanence by impact of solid secondaries ejected from the basin-forming event. The model implies that basin-forming impacts have played a major role in determining the large-scale distribution of crustal magnetization detectable from lunar orbit.

Hood, L. L.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Evaluation of infrared emission spectroscopy for mapping the Moon's surface composition from lunar orbit

Infrared thermal emission spectroscopy is evaluated for its possible application to compositional mapping of the Moon's surface from lunar orbit. Principles of the mid-IR (approximately 4-25 microns) technique, previous lunar ground-based observations, and laboratory studies of Moon samples are reviewed and summarized. A lunar thermal emission spectrometer experiment is described, patterned after a similar instrument on the Mars Observer spacecraft. Thermal emission spectrometry from a polar-orbiting lunar spacecraft could provide a valuable mapping tool to aid in exploration for lunar resources and help provide understanding of the origin of the Moon and history of lunar surface processes.

Nash, Douglas B.↗
NASA NTRS1987

High resolution radar map of the Moon

Previous radar mappings of the Moon at 70 cm wavelength in the late 1960's by Thompson have been replaced with a new set of observations using the 430 MHz radar at the Arecibo Observatory, Puerto Rico. Radar resolution was reduced to 2 to 5 km radar cell size and a beam-sweep, limb-to-limb calibration was conducted. Advances in computer technology provided the principle means of improving lunar radar mapping at this wavelength. Observation techniques and data processing are described and scattering differences found in the orthographic projection of the radar data are discussed.

Thompson, T. W.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Utilization of Geographic Information System in Lunar Mapping

Substantial digital remote sensing, lunar orbital photography, Earth-based remote sensing, and mapping of a variety of surficial lunar phenomena have occurred since the advent of the Space Age. This has led to a bewildering and quite disparate collection of archival sources insofar as this digital data and its cartographic representation can be found within many countries of the world. The importance of this mapping program in support of human expansion onto our nearest planetary neighbor has been recognized. A series of small scale maps of the Moon at 1 km to 1 cm, done with the support of Geographic Information System (GIS), would serve decision makers well in the process of accessing the development of manned occupance of the Moon. Maps and the data that they are derived from are the primary way in which people explore new environments and use previously discovered data to increase the bounties of any exploration. The inherent advantage of GIS is that it would allow immediate online access on the Moon of topographically represented data with analysis either on site or from Earth.

Mardon, A. A.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Mapping the Moon in Soft x Rays: Promises and Challenges

Recent ROSAT images reported by Schmitt et el. show that the sunlit part of the Moon is a significant source of very soft x rays. Stimulated by these observations, Edwards et al. have made an analysis of the response of the Moon to the solar soft x ray and EUV spectrum. They argue that much of the observed emission is in the form of discrete fluorescence lines in the energy range 25 to 100 eV, and that these lines are generally much stronger than the adjacent directly scattered solar background. On this basis they suggest that soft x ray fluorescence can be used to remotely obtain high-precision elemental maps of the lunar surface. Edwards et al. have continued to develop this idea and have suggested a system using soft x ray telescopes in lunar orbit, which could also obtain very good spatial resolution. This combination could be extremely valuable in furthering our understanding of lunar chemistry and potential resource distributions. High spatial resolution combined with the thin surface layer from which these soft x rays arise suggests the exciting possibility that x ray telescopes could map lunar volcanic volatiles from orbit.

Housley, R. M.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Galileo to Jupiter: Probing the Planet and Mapping Its Moons

The first project to use the space shuttle as an interplanetary launch vehicle, the Galileo mission is designed to obtain information about the origin and evolution of the solar system by studying large-scale phenomena on Jupiter and its satellites. Aimed towards Mars to obtain gravity assist, the orbiting spacecraft will deploy a probe, which penetrating the Jovian atmosphere, will transmit data for approximately an hour. The spacecraft itself will inspect the atmospheres, ionospheres, and surfaces of Ganymede, Io, Europa, and Callisto, as well as determine their magnetic and gravitational properties. The experiments to be conducted and their scientific objectives are described. Known facts about the Jovian system are reviewed.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1998

Multispectral Mapping of the Moon by Clementine

One of the chief scientific objectives of the Clementine mission at the Moon was to acquire global multispectral mapping. A global digital map of the Moon in 11 spectral bandpasses and at a scale of 100 m/pixel is being produced at the U.S. Geological Survey in Flagstaff Arizona Near-global coverage was acquired with the UVVIS camera (central wavelengths of 415, 750, 900, 950, and 1000 nm) and the NIR camera (1102, 1248, 1499, 1996, 2620, and 2792 nary). We expect to complete processing of the UVVIS mosaics before the fall of 1998, and to complete the NIR mosaics a year later. The purpose of this poster is to provide an update on the processing and to show examples of the products or perhaps even a wall-sized display of color products from the UVVIS mosaics.

Eliason, Eric M.↗
NASA NTRS2001

Space Radiation Effects in Advanced Flash Memories

Memory storage requirements in space systems have steadily increased, much like storage requirements in terrestrial systems. Large arrays of dynamic memories (DRAMs) have been used in solid-state recorders, relying on a combination of shielding and error-detection-and correction (EDAC) to overcome the extreme sensitivity of DRAMs to space radiation. For example, a 2-Gbit memory (with 4-Mb DRAMs) used on the Clementine mission functioned perfectly during its moon mapping mission, in spite of an average of 71 memory bit flips per day from heavy ions. Although EDAC worked well with older types of memory circuits, newer DRAMs use extremely complex internal architectures which has made it increasingly difficult to implement EDAC. Some newer DRAMs have also exhibited catastrophic latchup. Flash memories are an intriguing alternative to DRAMs because of their nonvolatile storage and extremely high storage density, particularly for applications where writing is done relatively infrequently. This paper discusses radiation effects in advanced flash memories, including general observations on scaling and architecture as well as the specific experience obtained at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in evaluating high-density flash memories for use on the NASA mission to Europa, one of Jupiter's moons. This particular mission must pass through the Jovian radiation belts, which imposes a very demanding radiation requirement.

Johnston, A. H.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Thermal design verification testing of the Clementine spacecraft: Quick, cheap, and useful

At this writing, Clementine had successfully fulfilled its moon-mapping mission; at this reading it will have also, with continued good fortune, taken a close look at the asteroid Geographos. The thermal design that made all this possible was indeed formidable in many respects, with very high ratios of requirements-to-available resources and performance-to-cost and mass. There was no question that a test verification of this quite unique and complex design was essential, but it had to be squeezed into an unyielding schedule and executed with bare-bones cost and manpower. After describing the thermal control subsystem's features, we report all the drama, close-calls, and cost-cutting, how objectives were achieved under severe handicap but (thankfully) with little management and documentation interference. Topics include the newly refurbished chamber (ready just in time), the reality level of the engineering model, using the analytical thermal model, the manner of environment simulation, the hand-scratched film heaters, functioning of all three types of heat pipes (but not all heat pipes), and the BMDO sensors' checkout through the chamber window. Test results revealed some surprises and much valuable data, resulting in thermal model and flight hardware refinements. We conclude with the level of correlation between predictions and both test temperatures and flight telemetry.

Kim, Jeong H.↗