Engineering Papers⌕ Search

Engineering topics

Carlson, R.

Publications and source records attributed to Carlson, R..

72 records · Page 4
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1997

Hot Spots on Io: Initial Results From Galileo's Near Infrared Mapping Spectrometer

The Near-Infrared Mapping Spectrometer on Galileo has monitored the volcanic activity on Io since June 28, 1996. This paper presents preliminary analysis of NIMS thermal data for the first four orbits of the Galileo mission. NIMS has detected 18 new hot spots and 12 others which were previously known to be active. The distribution of the hot spots on Io's surface may not be random, as hot spots surround the two bright, SO2-rich regions of Bosphorus Regio and Colchis Regio. Most hot spots scan to be persistently active from orbit to orbit and 10 of those detected were active in 1979 during the Voyager encounters. We report the distribution of hot spot temperatures and find that they are consistent with silicate volcanism.

Lopes-Gautier, Rosaly↗
NASA NTRS1996

Near-Infrared Spectroscopy and Spectral Mapping of Jupiter and the Galilean Satellites: Results from Galileo's Initial Orbit

The Near Infrared Mapping Spectrometer performed spectral studies of Jupiter and the Galilean satellites during the June 1996 perijove pass of the Galileo spacecraft. Spectra fora5-micrometer hotspot on Jupiter are consistent with the absence of a significant watercloud above 8 bars and with a depletion of water compared to that predicted for solar composition, corroborating results from the Galileo probe. Great Red Spot (GRS) spectral images show that parts of this feature extend upward to 240 millibars, although considerable altitude-dependent structure is found within it. A ring of dense clouds surrounds the GRS and is lower than it by 3 to 7 kilometers. Spectra of Callisto and Ganymede reveal a feature at 4.25 micrometers, attributed to the presence of hydrated minerals or possibly carbon dioxide on their surfaces. Spectra of Europa's high latitudes imply that fine-grained water frost overlies larger grains. Several active volcanic regions were found on lo, with temperatures of 420 to 620 kelvin and projected areas of 5 to 70 square kilometers.

Carlson, R.↗
NASA NTRS1995

NIMS - Callisto Science Objectives and Observational Plans

The Galileo Near Infrared Spectrometer (NIMS) provides a combination of spectroscopic and imaging capabilities. For geological studies of Callisto, this instrument can perform regional mapping while simultaneously determining composition and mineralogy. This data can help determine the surface evolution. NIMS will search for hydroxilated silicates, opaque minerals, and organic material.

Galileo Callisto near infrared spectrometer planet↗
NASA NTRS1995

NIMS Science Objectives and Observational Plans for Ganymede during the Galileo Tour

The Galileo spacecraft will use a Near Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (NIMS) to study Jupiter s moon, Ganymede. Although the main goal is to study the chemical components in the various surface compositional units, terrain types, craters, polar effects, hemisphere differences, and the atmosphere also will be examined.

components compositional units terrain types crate↗
NASA NTRS1994

VESAT: The Venus Environmental Satellite Discovery Mission

The Venus Environmental Satellite (VESAT) is being developed by JPL, Ball Aerospace, the University of Wisconsin, and Oxford University as an inexpensive but effective means of assessing numerous and interrelated dynamical and chemical processes within the deep atmosphere of Venus. Utilizing a small array of remote-sensing instruments designed to take advantage of several unique characteristics of this alien environment, VESAT daily acquires quantitative three-dimensional global maps of Venus in key environmental field parameters such as windfields, atmosphere/surface temperature fields, and trace gas abundances. VESAT utilizes a 45-degree inclined, 30,000-km altitude circular orbit to achieve consistent, regular coverage of the entire globe with minimal day-to-day variations in spacecraft operations, allowing uplink/downlink operations to be conducted effectively and inexpensively in a university setting. An integrated hardware procurement approach, wherein a single contractor is responsible for the design, manufacture, and integration of the entire spacecraft, including the instrument payload, enables significant savings in spacecraft/payload cost and schedule.

VESAT↗
NASA NTRS1993

A search for life on Earth from the Galileo spacecraft

In its December 1990 fly-by of Earth, the Galileo spacecraft found evidence of abundant gaseous oxygen, a widely distributed surface pigment with a sharp absorption edge in the red part of the visible spectrum, and atmospheric methane in extreme thermodynamic disequilibrium; together, these are strongly suggestive of life on Earth. Moreover, the presence of narrow-band, pulsed, amplitude-modulated radio transmission seems uniquely attributable to intelligence. These observations constitute a control experiment for the serach for extraterrestrial life by modern interplanetary spacecraft.

Flight Experiment↗
NASA NTRS1975

A fully automated digitally controlled 30-inch telescope

A fully automated 30-inch (75-cm) telescope has been successfully designed and constructed from a military surplus Nike-Ajax radar mount. Novel features include: closed-loop operation between mountain telescope and campus computer 30 km apart via microwave link, a TV-type sensor which is photon shot-noise limited, a special lightweight primary mirror, and a stepping motor drive capable of slewing and settling one degree in one second or a radian in fifteen seconds.

Colgate, S. A.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Break-up characteristics of the Chena River watershed, Central Alaska

The snow melt for a small watershed (5130 sq km) in Central Alaska was successfully monitored with ERTS imagery. Aerial photography was used as supporting data for periods without satellite coverage. Comparison both with actual measurements and with a computer model showed good agreement.

Wendler, G.↗