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At least 199 records · Page 11
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2004

Verification of RSRM Nozzle Thermal Models With ETM-3 Aft Exit Cone In-depth Temperature Measurements

One of the goals of the Engineering Test Motor (ETM-3) static test was to verify analytical models through the use of instrumentation that provide real-time transient temperature response of ablating phenolic liners. Accurate measurement of in-depth temperature is critical for validating the analytical models and assessing design safety margins for nozzle insulation materials. Recent developments of in-depth thermocouple plugs have been made to more accurately measure temperature response of nozzle Liners. Thermocouple plugs were installed at two axial stations (four plugs circumferentially at each station) near the end of the ETM-3 nozzle aft exit cone to gather temperature histories during and after motor operation. The thermocouple plugs were placed at depths that bounded the reusable solid rocket motor nominal measured char depth in order to portray the carbon phenolic temperature response during the charring process. The data were used to verify the analytical models during motor operation and to better define char penetration during heat soak after motor burn out.

Maw, Joel F.↗
NASA NTRS2005

Depth-varying density and organization of chondrocytes in immature and mature bovine articular cartilage assessed by 3d imaging and analysis

Articular cartilage is a heterogeneous tissue, with cell density and organization varying with depth from the surface. The objectives of the present study were to establish a method for localizing individual cells in three-dimensional (3D) images of cartilage and quantifying depth-associated variation in cellularity and cell organization at different stages of growth. Accuracy of nucleus localization was high, with 99% sensitivity relative to manual localization. Cellularity (million cells per cm3) decreased from 290, 310, and 150 near the articular surface in fetal, calf, and adult samples, respectively, to 120, 110, and 50 at a depth of 1.0 mm. The distance/angle to the nearest neighboring cell was 7.9 microm/31 degrees , 7.1 microm/31 degrees , and 9.1 microm/31 degrees for cells at the articular surface of fetal, calf, and adult samples, respectively, and increased/decreased to 11.6 microm/31 degrees , 12.0 microm/30 degrees , and 19.2 microm/25 degrees at a depth of 0.7 mm. The methodologies described here may be useful for analyzing the 3D cellular organization of cartilage during growth, maturation, aging, degeneration, and regeneration.

Non-NASA Center↗
NASA NTRS2005

Comparison of Coincident Multiangle Imaging Spectroradiometer and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer Aerosol Optical Depths over Land and Ocean Scenes Containing Aerosol Robotic Network Sites

The Multiangle Imaging Spectroradiometer (MISR) and the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), launched on 18 December 1999 aboard the Terra spacecraft, are making global observations of top-of-atmosphere (TOA) radiances. Aerosol optical depths and particle properties are independently retrieved from these radiances using methodologies and algorithms that make use of the instruments corresponding designs. This paper compares instantaneous optical depths retrieved from simultaneous and collocated radiances measured by the two instruments at locations containing sites within the Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET). A set of 318 MISR and MODIS images, obtained during the months of March, June, and September 2002 at 62 AERONET sites, were used in this study. The results show that over land, MODIS aerosol optical depths at 470 and 660 nm are larger than those retrieved from MISR by about 35% and 10% on average, respectively, when all land surface types are included in the regression. The differences decrease when coastal and desert areas are excluded. For optical depths retrieved over ocean, MISR is on average about 0.1 and 0.05 higher than MODIS in the 470 and 660 nm bands, respectively. Part of this difference is due to radiometric calibration and is reduced to about 0.01 and 0.03 when recently derived band-to-band adjustments in the MISR radiometry are incorporated. Comparisons with AERONET data show similar patterns.

Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MOD↗
NASA NTRS2006

Sensitivity of Passive Microwave Snow Depth Retrievals to Weather Effects and Snow Evolution

Snow fall and snow accumulation are key climate parameters due to the snow's high albedo, its thermal insulation, and its importance to the global water cycle. Satellite passive microwave radiometers currently provide the only means for the retrieval of snow depth and/or snow water equivalent (SWE) over land as well as over sea ice from space. All algorithms make use of the frequency-dependent amount of scattering of snow over a high-emissivity surface. Specifically, the difference between 37- and 19-GHz brightness temperatures is used to determine the depth of the snow or the SWE. With the availability of the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer (AMSR-E) on the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Earth Observing System Aqua satellite (launched in May 2002), a wider range of frequencies can be utilized. In this study we investigate, using model simulations, how snow depth retrievals are affected by the evolution of the physical properties of the snow (mainly grain size growth and densification), how they are affected by variations in atmospheric conditions and, finally, how the additional channels may help to reduce errors in passive microwave snow retrievals. The sensitivity of snow depth retrievals to atmospheric water vapor is confirmed through the comparison with precipitable water retrievals from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit (AMSU-B). The results suggest that a combination of the 10-, 19-, 37-, and 89-GHz channels may significantly improve retrieval accuracy. Additionally, the development of a multisensor algorithm utilizing AMSR-E and AMSU-B data may help to obtain weather-corrected snow retrievals.

Markus, Thorsten↗
NASA NTRS2008

System and technique for retrieving depth information about a surface by projecting a composite image of modulated light patterns

A technique, associated system and program code, for retrieving depth information about at least one surface of an object. Core features include: projecting a composite image comprising a plurality of modulated structured light patterns, at the object; capturing an image reflected from the surface; and recovering pattern information from the reflected image, for each of the modulated structured light patterns. Pattern information is preferably recovered for each modulated structured light pattern used to create the composite, by performing a demodulation of the reflected image. Reconstruction of the surface can be accomplished by using depth information from the recovered patterns to produce a depth map/mapping thereof. Each signal waveform used for the modulation of a respective structured light pattern, is distinct from each of the other signal waveforms used for the modulation of other structured light patterns of a composite image; these signal waveforms may be selected from suitable types in any combination of distinct signal waveforms, provided the waveforms used are uncorrelated with respect to each other. The depth map/mapping to be utilized in a host of applications, for example: displaying a 3-D view of the object; virtual reality user-interaction interface with a computerized device; face--or other animal feature or inanimate object--recognition and comparison techniques for security or identification purposes; and 3-D video teleconferencing/telecollaboration.

Hassebrook, Laurence G.↗
NASA NTRS2009

Truncation Depth Rule-of-Thumb for Convolutional Codes

In this innovation, it is shown that a commonly used rule of thumb (that the truncation depth of a convolutional code should be five times the memory length, m, of the code) is accurate only for rate 1/2 codes. In fact, the truncation depth should be 2.5 m/(1 - r), where r is the code rate. The accuracy of this new rule is demonstrated by tabulating the distance properties of a large set of known codes. This new rule was derived by bounding the losses due to truncation as a function of the code rate. With regard to particular codes, a good indicator of the required truncation depth is the path length at which all paths that diverge from a particular path have accumulated the minimum distance of the code. It is shown that the new rule of thumb provides an accurate prediction of this depth for codes of varying rates.

Moision, Bruce↗
NASA NTRS2010

Lidar Ratios for Dust Aerosols Derived From Retrievals of CALIPSO Visible Extinction Profiles Constrained by Optical Depths from MODIS-Aqua and CALIPSO/CloudSat Ocean Surface Reflectance Measurements

CALIPSO's (Cloud Aerosol Lidar Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations) analysis algorithms generally require the use of tabulated values of the lidar ratio in order to retrieve aerosol extinction and optical depth from measured profiles of attenuated backscatter. However, for any given time or location, the lidar ratio for a given aerosol type can differ from the tabulated value. To gain some insight as to the extent of the variability, we here calculate the lidar ratio for dust aerosols using aerosol optical depth constraints from two sources. Daytime measurements are constrained using Level 2, Collection 5, 550-nm aerosol optical depth measurements made over the ocean by the MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) on board the Aqua satellite, which flies in formation with CALIPSO. We also retrieve lidar ratios from night-time profiles constrained by aerosol column optical depths obtained by analysis of CALIPSO and CloudSat backscatter signals from the ocean surface.

Young, Stuart A.↗
NASA NTRS2010

System and technique for retrieving depth information about a surface by projecting a composite image of modulated light patterns

A technique, associated system and program code, for retrieving depth information about at least one surface of an object, such as an anatomical feature. Core features include: projecting a composite image comprising a plurality of modulated structured light patterns, at the anatomical feature; capturing an image reflected from the surface; and recovering pattern information from the reflected image, for each of the modulated structured light patterns. Pattern information is preferably recovered for each modulated structured light pattern used to create the composite, by performing a demodulation of the reflected image. Reconstruction of the surface can be accomplished by using depth information from the recovered patterns to produce a depth map/mapping thereof. Each signal waveform used for the modulation of a respective structured light pattern, is distinct from each of the other signal waveforms used for the modulation of other structured light patterns of a composite image; these signal waveforms may be selected from suitable types in any combination of distinct signal waveforms, provided the waveforms used are uncorrelated with respect to each other. The depth map/mapping to be utilized in a host of applications, for example: displaying a 3-D view of the object; virtual reality user-interaction interface with a computerized device; face--or other animal feature or inanimate object--recognition and comparison techniques for security or identification purposes; and 3-D video teleconferencing/telecollaboration.

Hassebrook, Laurence G.↗
NASA NTRS2005

Depth-Penetrating Luminescence Thermography of Thermal- Barrier Coatings

A thermographic method has been developed for measuring temperatures at predetermined depths within dielectric material layers . especially thermal-barrier coatings. This method will help satisfy a need for noncontact measurement of through-the-thickness temperature gradients for evaluating the effectiveness of thermal- barrier coatings designed to prevent overheating of turbine blades, combustor liners, and other engine parts. Heretofore, thermography has been limited to measurement of surface and near-surface temperatures. In the thermographic method that is the immediate predecessor of the present method, a thermographic phosphor is applied to the outer surface of a thermal barrier coating, luminescence in the phosphor is excited by illuminating the phosphor at a suitable wavelength, and either the time dependence of the intensity of luminescence or the intensities of luminescence spectral lines is measured. Then an emissivity-independent surface-temperature value is computed by use of either the known temperature dependence of the luminescence decay time or the known temperature dependence of ratios between intensities of selected luminescence spectral lines. Until now, depth-penetrating measurements have not been possible because light of the wavelengths needed to excite phosphors could not penetrate thermal-barrier coating materials to useful depths. In the present method as in the method described above, one exploits the temperature dependence of luminescence decay time. In this case, the phosphor is incorporated into the thermal-barrier coat at the depth at which temperature is to be measured. To be suitable for use in this method, a phosphor must (1) exhibit a temperature dependence of luminescence decay time in the desired range, (2) be thermochemically compatible with the thermal-barrier coating, and (3) exhibit at least a minor excitation spectral peak and an emission spectral peak, both peaks being at wavelengths at which the thermal-barrier coating is transparent or at least translucent. Conventional thermographic phosphors are not suitable because they are most efficiently excited by ultraviolet light, which does not penetrate thermal- barrier coating materials. (Typical thermal-barrier coating materials include or consist of various formulations of yttria-stabilized zirconia.) Only a small fraction of phosphor candidates have significant excitation at wavelengths long enough (>500 nm) for sufficient penetration of thermal-barrier coatings. One suitable phosphor material . yttria doped with europium (Y2O3:Eu) . has a minor excitation peak at 532 nm and an emission peak at 611 nm. In experiments, this material was incorporated beneath a 100-microns-thick thermal-barrier coating and subjected to excitation and measurement by the luminescence-decay-time technique. These experiments were found to yield reliable temperature values up to 1,100 C. At the time of reporting the information for this article, a search for suitable phosphors other than (Y2O3:Eu) was continuing.

Eldridge, Jeffrey↗
NASA NTRS2014

Comparison of GEOS-5 AGCM Planetary Boundary Layer Depths Computed with Various Definitions

Accurate models of planetary boundary layer (PBL) processes are important for forecasting weather and climate. The present study compares seven methods of calculating PBL depth in the GEOS-5 atmospheric general circulation model (AGCM) over land. These methods depend on the eddy diffusion coefficients, bulk and local Richardson numbers, and the turbulent kinetic energy. The computed PBL depths are aggregated to the Koppen climate classes, and some limited comparisons are made using radiosonde profiles. Most methods produce similar midday PBL depths, although in the warm, moist climate classes, the bulk Richardson number method gives midday results that are lower than those given by the eddy diffusion coefficient methods. Additional analysis revealed that methods sensitive to turbulence driven by radiative cooling produce greater PBL depths, this effect being most significant during the evening transition. Nocturnal PBLs based on Richardson number are generally shallower than eddy diffusion coefficient based estimates. The bulk Richardson number estimate is recommended as the PBL height to inform the choice of the turbulent length scale, based on the similarity to other methods during the day, and the improved nighttime behavior.

AGCM↗
NASA NTRS2017

Aerosol Optical Depth as Observed by the Mars Science Laboratory REMS UV Photodiodes

Systematic observations taken by the REMS UV photodiodes on a daily basis throughout the landed Mars Science Laboratory mission provide a highly useful tool for characterizing aerosols above Gale Crater. Radiative transfer modeling is used to model the approximately two Mars Years of observations taken to date taking into account multiple scattering from aerosols and the extended field of view of the REMS UV photodiodes. The retrievals show in detail the annual cycle of aerosol optical depth, which is punctuated with numerous short timescale events of increased optical depth. Dust deposition onto the photodiodes is accounted for by comparison with aerosol optical depth derived from direct imaging of the Sun by Mastcam. The effect of dust on the photodiodes is noticeable, but does not dominate the signal. Cleaning of dust from the photodiodes was observed in the season around Ls=270deg, but not during other seasons. Systematic deviations in the residuals from the retrieval fit are indicative of changes in aerosol effective particle size, with larger particles present during periods of increased optical depth. This seasonal dependence of aerosol particle size is expected as dust activity injects larger particles into the air, while larger aerosols settle out of the atmosphere more quickly leading to a smaller average particle size over time. A full description of these observations, the retrieval algorithm, and the results can be found in Smith et al. (2016).

Aerosol↗
NASA NTRS2017

Constraining the Depth of Polar Ice Deposits and Evolution of Cold Traps on Mercury with Small Craters in Permanently Shadowed Regions

Earth-based radar observations revealed highly reflective deposits at the poles of Mercury [e.g., 1], which collocate with permanently shadowed regions (PSRs) detected from both imagery and altimetry by the MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging (MESSENGER) spacecraft [e.g., 2]. MESSENGER also measured higher hydrogen concentrations at the north polar region, consistent with models for these deposits to be composed primarily of water ice [3]. Enigmatic to the characterization of ice deposits on Mercury is the thickness of these radar-bright features. A current minimum bound of several meters exists from the radar measurements, which show no drop in the radar cross section between 13- and 70-cm wavelength observations [4, 5]. A maximum thickness of 300 m is based on the lack of any statistically significant difference between the height of craters that host radar-bright deposits and those that do not [6]. More recently, this upper limit on the depth of a typical ice deposit has been lowered to approximately 150 m, in a study that found a mean excess thickness of 50 +/- 35 m of radar-bright deposits for 6 craters [7]. Refining such a constraint permits the derivation of a volumetric estimate of the total polar ice on Mercury, thus providing insight into possible sources of water ice on the planet. Here, we take a different approach to constrain the thickness of water-ice deposits. Permanently shadowed surfaces have been resolved in images acquired with the broadband filter on MESSENGER's wide-angle camera (WAC) using low levels of light scattered by crater walls and other topography [8]. These surfaces are not featureless and often host small craters (less than a few km in diameter). Here we utilize the presence of these small simple craters to constrain the thickness of the radar-bright ice deposits on Mercury. Specifically, we compare estimated depths made from depth-to-diameter ratios and depths from individual Mercury Laser Altimeter (MLA) tracks to constrain the fill of material of small craters that lie within the permanently shadowed, radar bright deposits of 7 north polar craters.

Deutsch, Ariel N.↗
NASA NTRS2017

Kepler Planet Detection Metrics: Window and One-Sigma Depth Functions for Data Release 25

This document describes the window and one-sigma depth functions relevant to the Transiting Planet Search (TPS) algorithm in the Kepler pipeline (Jenkins 2002; Jenkins et al. 2017). The window function specifies the fraction of unique orbital ephemeris epochs over which three transits are observable as a function of orbital period. In this context, the epoch and orbital period, together, comprise the ephemeris of an orbiting companion, and ephemerides with the same period are considered equivalent if their epochs differ by an integer multiple of the period. The one-sigma depth function specifies the depth of a signal (in ppm) for a given light curve that results in a one-sigma detection of a transit signature as a function of orbital period when averaged over all unique orbital ephemerides. These planet detection metrics quantify the ability of TPS to detect a transiting planet signature on a star-by-star basis. They are uniquely applicable to a specific Kepler data release, since they are dependent on the details of the light curves searched and the functionality of the TPS algorithm used to perform the search. This document describes the window and one-sigma depth functions relevant to Kepler Data Release 25 (DR25), where the data were processed (Thompson et al. 2016) and searched (Twicken et al. 2016) with the SOC 9.3 pipeline. In Section 4, we describe significant differences from those reported in Kepler Data Release 24 (Burke Seader 2016) and document our verification method.

Planet Detection Metrics↗
NASA NTRS2016

Aerosol Optical Depth as Observed by the Mars Science Laboratory REMS UV Photodiodes

Systematic observations taken by the REMS (Rover Environmental Monitoring Station) UV (ultraviolet) photodiodes on a daily basis throughout the landed Mars Science Laboratory mission provide a highly useful tool for characterizing aerosols above Gale Crater. Radiative transfer modeling is used to model the approximately 1.75 Mars Years of observations taken to date taking into account multiple scattering from aerosols and the extended field of view of the REMS UV photodiodes. The retrievals show in detail the annual cycle of aerosol optical depth, which is punctuated with numerous short timescale events of increased optical depth. Dust deposition onto the photodiodes is accounted for by comparison with aerosol optical depth derived from direct imaging of the Sun by Mastcam. The effect of dust on the photodiodes is noticeable, but does not dominate the signal. Cleaning of dust from the photodiodes was observed in the season around solar longitude (Ls) equal to 270 degrees, but not during other seasons. Systematic deviations in the residuals from the retrieval fit are indicative of changes in aerosol effective particle size, with larger particles present during periods of increased optical depth. This seasonal dependence of aerosol particle size is expected as dust activity injects larger particles into the air, while larger aerosols settle out of the atmosphere more quickly leading to a smaller average particle size over time.

Smith, Michael D.↗
NASA NTRS2019

Snow Depth Variability in the Northern Hemisphere Mountains Observed from Space

Accurate snow depth observations are critical to assess water resources. More than a billion people rely on water from snow, most of which originates in the Northern Hemisphere mountain ranges. Yet, remote sensing observations of mountain snow depth are still lacking at the large scale. Here, we show the ability of Sentinel-1 to map the snow depth in the Northern Hemisphere mountains at 1 km² resolution using an empirical change detection approach. An evaluation with measurements from ~4,000 sites and reanalysis data demonstrates that the Sentinel-1 retrievals capture the spatial variability between and within mountain ranges, as well as their inter-annual differences. This is showcased with the contrasting snow depths between 2017 and 2018 in the US Sierra Nevada and European Alps. With Sentinel-1 continuity ensured until 2030 and likely beyond, these findings lay a foundation for quantifying the long-term vulnerability of mountain snow-water resources to climate change.

Hans Lievens↗
NASA NTRS2018

Smeared Impedence Model for Variable Depth Liners

Noise from modern aircraft engines has a significant broadband component, which has motivated the need for broadband acoustic engine liners. A promising broadband design, called a variable depth liner, is composed of groups of resonators tuned for different frequencies. The accuracy of commonly used smeared impedance models, however, has not been thoroughly assessed for this type of liner. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to assess, and if necessary develop, semi-analytical impedance models for variable depth designs. The impedance prediction is complicated by the fact that the radiation loading on individual resonators within the array can be different. While the radiation loading can be neglected on conventional engine liners that consist of a dense array of uniform resonators, the same is not true for variable depth liners. To better understand and model this effect, nine liner samples are tested in the NASA Langley normal incidence tube. Comparisons of predicted and measured data for relatively simple non-uniform samples confirm that the radiation loading can be approximated using mass end correction terms. Semi-analytical impedance models that incorporate the proposed end corrections provide favorable comparisons with measured impedance spectra for variable depth liner samples.

Schiller, Noah H.↗
NASA NTRS2020

Reconstructing Magma Storage Depths for the 2018 Kilauean Eruption from melt inclusion CO2 Contents: The importance of Vapor Bubbles

The 2018 Lower East Rift Zone (LERZ) eruption of Kīlauea Volcano and the accompanying collapse of the summit caldera marked the most destructive phase of activity on Hawai’i in the last 200 years. The integration of petrological data extracted from lava samples collected throughout the eruption with geodetic data examining the caldera collapse event, and estimates of the co-erupted flux of SO2 from the main eruptive fissure (Fissure 8), provides an exceptional opportunity to determine the reservoir geometry and magma transport paths supplying Kīlauea’s LERZ. The forsterite contents of erupted olivines and the degree of disequilibrium with their carrier melts indicate that two distinct olivine populations were erupted from Fissure 8. Melt inclusion entrapment pressures reveal that more evolved olivines (Fo<81.5) crystallized at ~2 km depth within the shallower Halema’uma’u reservoir, while more primitive olivines (Fo>81.5)crystallized within the deeper South Caldera reservoir at ~3–5 km depth. Crucially, primitive olivines experienced extensive post-entrapment crystallization, driving the growth of a vapor bubble. Raman spectroscopy reveals that this bubble contains up to 99% of the total inclusionCO2 budget (median=93%). Measurements of CO2 in only the glass phase would have underestimated entrapment depths by up to 60× (median=11×), and the importance of the SC reservoir as a source of magma to Fissure 8 would have been overlooked. Overall, we demonstrate that Raman measurements of bubbles, along with careful choice of suitably-calibrated H2O-CO2 solubility model, is vital to place accurate constraints on the depths of magma storage regions supplying volcanic eruptions.

SIMS↗
NASA NTRS2020

Arctic Snow Depth and Sea Ice Thickness From ICESat‐2 and CryoSat‐2 Freeboards: A First Examination

The snow layer atop Arctic sea ice is an important component of the climate system. In winter, the insulating effects of snow slow the rate of ice growth. In spring, the onset of ice surface melt is delayed until the highly reflective snow layer disappears. During summer, meltwater from snow collects in depressions to form melt ponds, which enhances the absorption of solar radiation leading to more rapid surface warming. Presently, there are no routine measurements of snow depth suitable for assessing the impact of climate changes on the precipitation and accumulation of snow on sea ice.Our current understanding of snow depth is limited and has been based on field measurements conducted in the middle of last century and from airborne surveys conducted over the last decade. In this paper, we combine the measurements from two altimetry missions (ICESat‐2 and CryoSat‐2) to calculate snow depth over the entire Arctic Ocean. ICESat‐2 (a lidar) and CryoSat‐2 (a radar) measure the heights to the top and bottom of the snow layer, respectively. Differencing the two heights provides an estimate of the thickness of the snow layer. This paper describes this novel approach and an assessment of the snow depth estimates.

R. Kwok↗