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Ross, D. S.

Publications and source records attributed to Ross, D. S..

Mass spectrometer calibration standard

Inert perfluorinated alkane and alkyl ethers mixture is used to calibrate mass spectrometer. Noncontaminating, commercially-available liquid provides series of reproducible reference peaks over broad mass spectrum that ranges over mass numbers from 1 to 200.

Ross, D. S.

A thermal vacuum-UV solar simulator test system for assessing microbiological viability

Microorganisms were exposed to a simulated space environment in order to assess the photobiological effect of broad spectrum, nonionizing solar electromagnetic radiation in terms of viability. A thermal vacuum chamber capable of maintaining a vacuum of 0.000133n/sq m and an ultraviolet rich solar simulator were the main ingredients of the test system. Results to date indicate the system to be capable of providing reliable microbiological data.

Ross, D. S.

Ocean water color assessment from ERTS-1 RBV and MSS imagery

The author has identified the following significant results. Photo-optical and electronic density slicing were applied to ERTS-1 E 1007-151651-4, 30 July 1972, an area in the Caribbean showing deep ocean water, and shallow areas on the Great Baham Bank ranging from 0.5 meter or less to 18 meters. The density slicing processes were adjusted to correlate water radiance to bathmetric contours shown on C and GS Chart 1112. A number of large areas corresponding to water depths of 2 meters or less, 5 to 10 meters, and 10 to about 20 meters were isolated by both processes. Where clear water and uniformly reflective bottom was found, clear of marine growths, the photo-optical and electronic image density slicing processes proved effective in delineating areas where the depth was in the order of 5 meters, plus or minus 1 meter.

Ross, D. S.

A unique method of leak-rate measurements.

Description of an acceptable method for precision helium leak-rate measurement, for rather large pressurized vessels. Precise leakage rates of gaseous helium were measured by adapting a nominal helium leak detector in such a way that the gas load of the vacuum system plus the test vessel could be handled by the augmented pumping equipment while still being traced through the incorporated mass spectrometer. The vacuum chamber used for this experiment was maintained in 100 ntorr pressure range with a foreline pressure of 4 microns. Although sensitivity of the leak detector was diminished by reason of the larger pumping system, this did not affect the overall result in the capture and measurement of a complete leakage rate.

Ross, D. S.

Experimental masking of RBV images to reduce stationary residual inaccuracies in radiometric correction

Return beam vidicon tube calibration data are used to correct spatially non-uniform radiance response in individual vidicons, during post-acquisition signal processing. However, examination of different ERTS-1 RBV-1, -2, and -3 image scenes showed stationary, repetitive residual inaccuracies in shading correction, large enough to affect qualitative and quantitative image analyses. Photographic masks designed to reduce residual shading were prepared from RBV-1, -2, and -3 images of a relatively cloud-free ocean scene of uniform reflectance. When applied to other RBV scenes, the masks enabled more closely corrected RBV images to be printed. Illustrations are given of RBV-1 image before and after correction, compared with an equivalent MSS spectral image of the same scene.

Ross, D. S.

Water depth estimation with ERTS-1 imagery

Contrast-enhanced 9.5 inch ERTS-1 images were produced for an investigation on ocean water color. Such images lend themselves to water depth estimation by photographic and electronic density contouring. MSS-4 and -5 images of the Great Bahama Bank were density sliced by both methods. Correlation was found between the MSS-4 image and a hydrographic chart at 1:467,000 scale, in a number of areas corresponding to water depth of less than 2 meters, 5 to 10 meters and 10 to about 20 meters. The MSS-5 image was restricted to depths of about 2 meters. Where reflective bottom and clear water are found, ERTS-1 MSS-4 images can be used with density contouring by electronic or photographic methods for estimating depths to 5 meters within about one meter.

Ross, D. S.

Practical utility of the blue spectral region

Some aspects of multispectral photography in the blue region are discussed briefly, and sample images are submitted to demonstrate the potential utility of the blue multispectral record for oceanography.

Ross, D. S.