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Dinardo, Steven J.

Publications and source records attributed to Dinardo, Steven J..

7 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2012

Small Aircraft Data Distribution System

The CARVE Small Aircraft Data Distribution System acquires the aircraft location and attitude data that is required by the various programs running on a distributed network. This system distributes the data it acquires to the data acquisition programs for inclusion in their data files. It uses UDP (User Datagram Protocol) to broadcast data over a LAN (Local Area Network) to any programs that might have a use for the data. The program is easily adaptable to acquire additional data and log that data to disk. The current version also drives displays using precision pitch and roll information to aid the pilot in maintaining a level-level attitude for radar/radiometer mapping beyond the degree available by flying visually or using a standard gyro-driven attitude indicator. The software is designed to acquire an array of data to help the mission manager make real-time decisions as to the effectiveness of the flight. This data is displayed for the mission manager and broadcast to the other experiments on the aircraft for inclusion in their data files. The program also drives real-time precision pitch and roll displays for the pilot and copilot to aid them in maintaining the desired attitude, when required, during data acquisition on mapping lines.

Chazanoff, Seth L.↗
NASA NTRS2012

CARVE: The Carbon in Arctic Reservoirs Vulnerability Experiment

The Carbon in Arctic Reservoirs Vulnerability Experiment (CARVE) is a NASA Earth Ventures (EV-1) investigation designed to quantify correlations between atmospheric and surface state variables for the Alaskan terrestrial ecosystems through intensive seasonal aircraft campaigns, ground-based observations, and analysis sustained over a 5-year mission. CARVE bridges critical gaps in our knowledge and understanding of Arctic ecosystems, linkages between the Arctic hydrologic and terrestrial carbon cycles, and the feedbacks from fires and thawing permafrost. CARVE's objectives are to: (1) Directly test hypotheses attributing the mobilization of vulnerable Arctic carbon reservoirs to climate warming; (2) Deliver the first direct measurements and detailed maps of CO2 and CH4 sources on regional scales in the Alaskan Arctic; and (3) Demonstrate new remote sensing and modeling capabilities to quantify feedbacks between carbon fluxes and carbon cycle-climate processes in the Arctic (Figure 1). We describe the investigation design and results from 2011 test flights in Alaska.

Arctic Carbon Cycle↗
NASA NTRS2006

Performance Evaluation of the Geostationary Synthetic Thinned Array Radiometer (GeoSTAR) Demonstrator Instrument

The design, error budget, and preliminary test results of a 50-56 GHz synthetic aperture radiometer demonstration system are presented. The instrument consists of a fixed 24-element array of correlation interferometers, and is capable of producing calibrated images with 0.8 degree spatial resolution within a 17 degree wide field of view. This system has been built to demonstrate performance and a design which can be scaled to a much larger geostationary earth imager. As a baseline, such a system would consist of about 300 elements, and would be capable of providing contiguous, full hemispheric images of the earth with 1 Kelvin of radiometric precision and 50 km spatial resolution.

remote sensing↗
NASA NTRS2004

Prototype Development of a Geostationary Synthetic Thinned Aperture Radiometer, GeoSTAR

Preliminary details of a 2-D synthetic aperture radiometer prototype operating from 50 to 58 GHz will be presented. The instrument is being developed as a laboratory testbed, and the goal of this work is to demonstrate the technologies needed to do atmospheric soundings with high spatial resolution from Geostationary orbit. The concept is to deploy a large sparse aperture Y-array from a geostationary satellite, and to use aperture synthesis to obtain images of the earth without the need for a large mechanically scanned antenna. The laboratory prototype consists of a Y-array of 24 horn antennas, MMIC receivers, and a digital cross-correlation sub-system. System studies are discussed, including an error budget which has been derived from numerical simulations. The error budget defines key requirements, such as null offsets, phase calibration, and antenna pattern knowledge. Details of the instrument design are discussed in the context of these requirements.

aperture synthesis↗
NASA NTRS1997

Global Positioning System Antenna Fixed Height Tripod Adapter

An improved Global Positioning em antenna adaptor allows fixed antenna height measurements by removably attaching an adaptor plate to a conventional surveyor's tripod. Antenna height is controlled by an antenna boom which is a fixed length rod. The antenna is attached to one end of the boom. The opposite end of the boom tapers to a point sized to fit into a depression at the center of survey markers. The boom passes through the hollow center of a universal ball joint which is mounted at the center of the adaptor plate so that the point of the rod can be fixed in the marker's central depression. The mountains of the ball joint allow the joint to be moved horizontally in any direction relative to the tripod. When the ball joint is moved horizontally, the angle between the boom and the vertical changes because the boom's position is fixed at its lower end. A spirit level attached to the rod allows an operator to determine when the boom is plumb. The position of the ball joint is adjusted horizontally until the boom is plumb. At that time the antenna is positioned exactly over the center of the monument and the elevation of the antenna is precisely set by the length of the boom.

Dinardo, Steven J.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Positioning Fixture For Survey Antenna

Improved positioning fixture designed to simplify and accelerate accurate alignment of antenna for use in land survey aided by satellites of Global Positioning System. Holds antenna at fixed height and orientation over station monument so survey measurements made with accuracy and precision.

Dinardo, Steven J.↗