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Mendell, W. W.

Publications and source records attributed to Mendell, W. W..

26 records · Page 2
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1975

Infrared orbital mapping of lunar features

A computer program has been developed which constructs second generation isothermal contour maps of the lunar surface from Apollo 17 Infrared Scanning Radiometer (ISR) data. The maps clearly show large-scale trends such as the lunar cooling curve and directionality of lunar emission. Direct evidence has been found for the downslope transport of lunar soil. Studies of features have led to a crater degradation sequence based on thermal contours. Unusual cold regions have been found which are not well understood.

Mendell, W. W.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Preliminary results of the Apollo 17 infrared scanning radiometer

The thermal emission of the lunar surface has been mapped by an infrared scanner from lunar orbit. Samples from approximately 250,000 scans reveal the full range of lunar temperatures from 80 to 400 K. The temperature resolution was 1 K with about plus or minus 2 K absolute precision. Spatial resolution was approximately 2 km over most of the horizon-to-horizon scan. The total mapped area amounted to approximately 30% of the lunar surface. The data currently available confirms the large population of nighttime thermal anomalies in western Oceanus Procellarum predicted by earth-based observations. Most of these 'hot spots' are associated with fresh impact features or boulder fields. Also seen in the data are 'cold spots' where the local nighttime temperature is depressed relative to the general soil background. Such regions exhibiting low surface conductivity are inferred to be relatively young, nonimpact features.

Mendell, W. W.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Resolution improvement of remote sensing data.

Discussion of the theory of a technique for image restoration in the reconstruction of a spatial input scene mapped by a line scanner. Special attention is given to the application of this technique in reducing the data telemetered from the Infrared Scanning Radiometer of the Apollo 17 spacecraft. The technique is based on the theory of splines and uses the results of optimal approximation studies by Colomb (1959), Sard (1967), and Anselone (1968). A recursive algorithm is also developed to improve the reconstruction. The study treats a one-dimensional case, but the treatment can be readily extended to multi-dimensional situations.

Caprihan, A.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Infrared scanning radiometer

The Apollo 17 infrared scanning radiometer (ISR) experiment for mapping lunar surface thermal emission is reported. The instrument, lunar surface coverage, and the data obtained are discussed.

Low, F. J.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Post-sunset cooling behavior of the lunar surface.

Differential IR flux scans at 22 microns have been made across the nighttime lunar surface over a range of phases before and after new moon. The differential chopping technique effectively cancels atmospheric emission in the beam path but records the flux difference between adjacent resolution elements on the lunar disk. The scans show that the brightness temperature gradient across the highlands after sunset is much greater than that across the western maria. The large gradients consistently disappear approximately 3.5 days after sunset. The postsunset enhancement could be due to surface roughness in the highlands or to a significant surface rock population with a mean size of approximately 0.5 m.

Mendell, W. W.↗