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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2009

Synthetic Foveal Imaging Technology

Synthetic Foveal imaging Technology (SyFT) is an emerging discipline of image capture and image-data processing that offers the prospect of greatly increased capabilities for real-time processing of large, high-resolution images (including mosaic images) for such purposes as automated recognition and tracking of moving objects of interest. SyFT offers a solution to the image-data processing problem arising from the proposed development of gigapixel mosaic focal-plane image-detector assemblies for very wide field-of-view imaging with high resolution for detecting and tracking sparse objects or events within narrow subfields of view. In order to identify and track the objects or events without the means of dynamic adaptation to be afforded by SyFT, it would be necessary to post-process data from an image-data space consisting of terabytes of data. Such post-processing would be time-consuming and, as a consequence, could result in missing significant events that could not be observed at all due to the time evolution of such events or could not be observed at required levels of fidelity without such real-time adaptations as adjusting focal-plane operating conditions or aiming of the focal plane in different directions to track such events. The basic concept of foveal imaging is straightforward: In imitation of a natural eye, a foveal-vision image sensor is designed to offer higher resolution in a small region of interest (ROI) within its field of view. Foveal vision reduces the amount of unwanted information that must be transferred from the image sensor to external image-data-processing circuitry. The aforementioned basic concept is not new in itself: indeed, image sensors based on these concepts have been described in several previous NASA Tech Briefs articles. Active-pixel integrated-circuit image sensors that can be programmed in real time to effect foveal artificial vision on demand are one such example. What is new in SyFT is a synergistic combination of recent advances in foveal imaging, computing, and related fields, along with a generalization of the basic foveal-vision concept to admit a synthetic fovea that is not restricted to one contiguous region of an image.

Hoenk, Michael↗
NASA NTRS1989

Periodic behaviors in the observed vertical column abundances of atmospheric hydroxyl

The data base for the vertical column abundance of atmospheric hydroxyl (OH) for Fritz Peak Observatory, Colorado (40 N, 105 W), now extends from 1976 through 1988 and is composed of 8849 independent data sets, averaging about 15 percent uncertainty and 20-minute time resolution each. The dominant solar zenith angle (chi) dependence of the OH abundance is characterized by an empirical curve, N(88), which has been updated from N(82) to include all valid data from 1980 through 1988. The chi-dependence of the OH abundance has been, to a first order, removed from the data base by a normalization procedure in which each data point is divided by the N(88,AM) value for the corresponding solar zenith angle. The resulting normalized OH values may then be examined for other systematic effects, particularly for periodic variations. Observations have also been made at Boca Raton, Florida (26 N, 80 W) and at Truk, Federated States of Micronesia (7 N, 152 E). These data bases are much less extensive and, as such, are less amenable to analysis for periodic behaviors. Some comparisons with the Colorado data may be made, however.

Burnett, Elizabeth Beaver↗
NASA NTRS1999

Pulse Profiles, Accretion Column Dips and a Flare in GX 1+4 During a Faint State

The Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) spacecraft observed the X-ray GX 1+4 for it period of 34 hours on July 19/20 1996. The source faded front an intensity of approximately 20 mcrab to a minimum of <= 0.7 mcrab and then partially recovered towards the end of the observation. This extended minimum lasted approximately 40,000 seconds. Phase folded light curves at a barycentric rotation period of 124.36568 +/- 0.00020 seconds show that near the center of the extended minimum the source stopped pulsing in the traditional sense but retained a weak dip feature at the rotation period. Away from the extended minimum the dips are progressively narrower at higher energies and may be interpreted as obscurations or eclipses of the hot spot by the accretion column. The pulse profile changed from leading-edge bright before the extended minimum to trailing-edge bright after it. Data from the Burst and Transient Source Experiment (BATSE) show that a torque reversal occurred < 10 days after our observation. Our data indicate that the observed rotation departs from a constant period with a P/P value of approximately -1.5% per year at a 4.5sigma significance. We infer that we may have serendipitously obtained data, with high sensitivity and temporal resolution about the time of an accretion disk spin reversal. We also observed a rapid flare which had some precursor activity close to the center of the extended minimum.

Giles, A. B.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Pulse Profiles, Accretion Column and a flare in Gx 1+4 During a Faint State

The Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) spacecraft observed the X-ray pulsar GX 1+4 for a period of 34 hours on July 19/20 1996. The source faded from an intensity of approx. 20 mcrab to a minimum of less than or equal to 0.7 mcrab and then partially recovered towards the end of the observation. This extended minimum lasted approx. 40,000 seconds. Phase folded light curves at a barycentric rotation period of 124.36568 +/- 0.00020 seconds show that near the center of the extended minimum the source stopped pulsing in the traditional sense but retained a weak dip feature at the rotation period. Away from the extended minimum the dips are progressively narrower at higher energies and may be interpreted as obscurations or eclipses of the hot spot by the accretion column. The pulse profile changed from leading-edge bright before the extended minimum to trailing-edge bright after it. Data from the Burst and Transz'ent Source Experiment (BATSE) show that a torque reversal occurred less than 10 days after our observation. Our data indicate that the observed rotation departs from a constant period with a P/P value off approx. -5% per year at a 4.5(sigma) significance. We infer that we may have serendipitously obtained data. with high sensitivity and temporal resolution about the time of an accretion disk spin reversal. We also observed a rapid flare which had some precursor activity close to the center of the extended minimum.

Giles, A. B.↗
NASA NTRS2012

Effects of Real-Time NASA Vegetation Data on Model Forecasts of Severe Weather

The NASA Short-term Prediction Research and Transition (SPoRT) Center has developed a Greenness Vegetation Fraction (GVF) dataset, which is updated daily using swaths of Normalized Difference Vegetation Index data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data aboard the NASA-EOS Aqua and Terra satellites. NASA SPoRT started generating daily real-time GVF composites at 1-km resolution over the Continental United States beginning 1 June 2010. A companion poster presentation (Bell et al.) primarily focuses on impact results in an offline configuration of the Noah land surface model (LSM) for the 2010 warm season, comparing the SPoRT/MODIS GVF dataset to the current operational monthly climatology GVF available within the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) and Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) models. This paper/presentation primarily focuses on individual case studies of severe weather events to determine the impacts and possible improvements by using the real-time, high-resolution SPoRT-MODIS GVFs in place of the coarser-resolution NCEP climatological GVFs in model simulations. The NASA-Unified WRF (NU-WRF) modeling system is employed to conduct the sensitivity simulations of individual events. The NU-WRF is an integrated modeling system based on the Advanced Research WRF dynamical core that is designed to represents aerosol, cloud, precipitation, and land processes at satellite-resolved scales in a coupled simulation environment. For this experiment, the coupling between the NASA Land Information System (LIS) and the WRF model is utilized to measure the impacts of the daily SPoRT/MODIS versus the monthly NCEP climatology GVFs. First, a spin-up run of the LIS is integrated for two years using the Noah LSM to ensure that the land surface fields reach an equilibrium state on the 4-km grid mesh used. Next, the spin-up LIS is run in two separate modes beginning on 1 June 2010, one continuing with the climatology GVFs while the other uses the daily SPoRT/MODIS GVFs. Finally, snapshots of the LIS land surface fields are used to initialize two different simulations of the NU-WRF, one running with climatology LIS and GVFs, and the other running with experimental LIS and NASA/SPoRT GVFs. In this paper/presentation, case study results will be highlighted in regions with significant differences in GVF between the NCEP climatology and SPoRT product during severe weather episodes.

Case, Jonathan L.↗
NASA NTRS1980

The Lockheed OSO-8 program. Task 2: Analysis of data from the high resolution ultraviolet spectrometer experiment

The complete set of C 4 time sequences generated by the University of Colorado high resolution ultraviolet spectrometer experiment on OSO-8 were examined in a comprehensive and systematic fashion. As a result a new limit is placed on the acoustic flux passing through the transition zone of the Sun's atmosphere. It is found to be three orders of magnitude too small to heat the corona, and is consistent with zero. In collaborative efforts, the properties of transient C 4 brightenings were examined in considerable detail.

Bruner, E. C., Jr.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Topographic Quintet: Comparing Five Methods for Measuring Ultra-High Resolution Topography

We compare different methods for collecting ultra-high resolution topography data within an analog planetary, human landing site scale area. Our aim is to investigate the cost and benefits of different 3D terrain mapping techniques, their associated data collection methods, and how their different specifications (e.g., range, spatial resolution, scanning-time, mobility, operating constraints, GPS-Denied operation, etc.) might be applied to landing-site characterization and mission operations. We compare 3D terrain data collected during a field campaign in November 2021 from an outcrop at Kilbourne Hole in southern New Mexico using different Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) sensors on the ground and stereo-derived 3D data from framing cameras mounted on small uncrewed aerial systems (sUAS).Our foci for this experiment are ground-based, surveying, and autonomous vehicle-type 3D scanning sensors that might be used for planetary surface exploration from landed assets (e.g., lander, rover, astronaut-mounted sensors, decent imaging, hoppers, or drones).[e.g. 1]This test is not meant to benchmark these scanners against one another, nor provide a recommendation for a specific make or model. Rather, our goal is to quantify time, effort, resolution, and operational trade-offs that are important for selecting a topographic instrument/methodology for a given scope of terrain characterization. Our results indicate that each technique is capable of exceptional quality terrain characterization for planetary exploration and scientific inquiry, but we hypothesize the appropriate technique is highly dependent on the scope of operational specifications and science requirements.

P Whelley↗
NASA NTRS2012

Electron Micro Bursts as a Mechanism of Electron Loss Via Wave-Particle Interactions

Electron microbursts are rapid fluctuations of electron fluxes occurring on time scales of milliseconds. They are thought be due to scattering into the loss cone by plasma waves of various types from chorus to the recently observed large amplitude whistlers. They may be a major process of loss of realtivistic electrons from the Earth's outer radiation belts. One of the key issues that new mission s such as RBSP will address is to understand the loss of relativistic electrons. The SAMPEX mission launched in 1992 and still collecting data has the HILT sensor onboard with the capability of measuring> 1 MeV electrons with a high time resolution of 20 milliseconds suited admirably for the study of microbursts. We will use the data collected by the HILT for over a decade to characterize the relationship between electron microbursts and macroscopic electron decay lifetimes. With the launch of RBSP it is expected that SAMPEX will continue to collect data and overlap with RBSP. The latter will provide valuable information regarding plasma waves which coupled with low altitude measurements of microbursts may help elucidate details of the physics of electron loss from the radiation belt.

Kanekal, Shrikanth↗
NASA NTRS2013

The Utility of the Real-Time NASA Land Information System Data for Drought Monitoring Applications

Measurements of soil moisture are a crucial component for the proper monitoring of drought conditions. The large spatial variability of soil moisture complicates the problem. Unfortunately, in situ soil moisture observing networks typically consist of sparse point observations, and conventional numerical model analyses of soil moisture used to diagnose drought are of coarse spatial resolution. Decision support systems such as the U.S. Drought Monitor contain drought impact resolution on sub-county scales, which may not be supported by the existing soil moisture networks or analyses. The NASA Land Information System, which is run with 3 km grid spacing over the eastern United States, has demonstrated utility for monitoring soil moisture. Some of the more useful output fields from the Land Information System are volumetric soil moisture in the 0-10 cm and 40-100 cm layers, column-integrated relative soil moisture, and the real-time green vegetation fraction derived from MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) swath data that are run within the Land Information System in place of the monthly climatological vegetation fraction. While these and other variables have primarily been used in local weather models and other operational forecasting applications at National Weather Service offices, the use of the Land Information System for drought monitoring has demonstrated utility for feedback to the Drought Monitor. Output from the Land Information System is currently being used at NWS Huntsville to assess soil moisture, and to provide input to the Drought Monitor. Since feedback to the Drought Monitor takes place on a weekly basis, weekly difference plots of column-integrated relative soil moisture are being produced by the NASA Short-term Prediction Research and Transition Center and analyzed to facilitate the process. In addition to the Drought Monitor, these data are used to assess drought conditions for monthly feedback to the Alabama Drought Monitoring and Impact Group and the Tennessee Drought Task Force, which are comprised of federal, state, and local agencies and other water resources professionals.

White, Kristopher D.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Developments in electronic imaging techniques; Proceedings of the Seminar-in-Depth, San Mateo, Calif., October 16, 17, 1972.

Capabilities and limitations of infrared imaging systems are discussed, and a real-time simulator for image data systems is described. Ultrahigh resolution electronic imaging and storage with the return beam vidicon is treated, and a description is given of an electron-lens for opaque photocathodes. Ground surveillance with an active low light level TV, digital processing of Mariner 9 TV data, image enhancement by holography, and application of data compression techniques to spacecraft imaging systems are given attention. Individual items are announced in this issue.

Zirkind, R.↗
NASA NTRS1982

High-voltage spark atomic emission detector for gas chromatography

A dc-powered, double-gap, miniature nanosecond spark source for emission spectrochemical analysis of gas chromatographic effluents is described. The spark is formed between two thoriated tungsten electrodes by the discharge of a coaxial capacitor. The spark detector is coupled to the gas chromatograph by a heated transfer line. The gas chromatographic effluent is introduced into the heated spark chamber where atomization and excitation of the effluent occurs upon breakdown of the analytical gap. A microcomputer-controlled data acquisition system allows the implementation of time-resolution techniques to distinguish between the analyte emission and the background continuum produced by the spark discharge. Multiple sparks are computer averaged to improve the signal-to-noise ratio. The application of the spark detector for element-selective detection of metals and nonmetals is reported.

Calkin, C. L.↗
NASA NTRS1985

The charge-energy-mass spectrometer for 0.3-300 keV/e ions on the AMPTE CCE

The charge-energy-mass (CHEM) spectrometer on the Charge Composition Explorer (CCE) has the function to measure the energy spectra, pitch-angle distributions, and ionization states of ions in the earth's magnetosphere and magnetosheath in the energy range from 0.3 to 300 keV/charge with a time resolution of less than 1 min. The obtained data will provide essential information on outstanding problems related to ion sources and dynamical processes of space plasmas and of suprathermal ions. A description of the CHEM experiment is given, taking into account the principle of operation, the sensor, the electronics, instrument characteristics, specifications, and requirements. Questions of postlaunch performance are also discussed.

Gloeckler, G.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Thermal detectors for high resolution spectroscopy

Cryogenic microcalorimeters can be made sensitive enough to measure the energy deposited by a single particle or X-ray photon with an accuracy of about one electron volt. It may also be possible to construct detectors of several-kilograms mass whose resolution is only a few times worse than this. Data from relatively crude test devices are in good agreement with thermal performance calculations, and a total system noise of 11 eV FWHM has been obtained for a silicon detector operating at 98 mK. Observations of 35 eV FWHM for 6-keV X-rays with a different device have been made.

Mccammon, D.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Optical signal processing of spatially distributed sensor data in smart structures

Smart structures which contain dense two- or three-dimensional arrays of attached or embedded sensor elements inherently require signal multiplexing and processing capabilities to permit good spatial data resolution as well as the adequately short calculation times demanded by real time active feedback actuator drive circuitry. This paper reports the implementation of an in-line optical signal processor and its application in a structural sensing system which incorporates multiple discrete optical fiber sensor elements. The signal processor consists of an array of optical fiber couplers having tailored s-parameters and arranged to allow gray code amplitude scaling of sensor inputs. The use of this signal processor in systems designed to indicate the location of distributed strain and damage in composite materials, as well as to quantitatively characterize that damage, is described. Extension of similar signal processing methods to more complicated smart materials and structures applications are discussed.

Bennett, K. D.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Soft gamma rays from black holes versus neutron stars

The recent launches of GRANAT and GRO provide unprecedented opportunities to study compact collapsed objects from their hard x ray and gamma ray emissions. The spectral range above 100 keV can now be explored with much higher sensitivity and time resolution than before. The soft gamma ray spectral data is reviewed of black holes and neutron stars, radiation, and particle energization mechanisms and potentially distinguishing gamma ray signatures. These may include soft x ray excesses versus deficiencies, thermal versus nonthermal processes, transient gamma ray bumps versus power law tails, lines, and periodicities. Some of the highest priority future observations are outlines which will shed much light on such systems.

Liang, Edison P.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Properties of Langmuir wave bursts associated with magnetic holes

The radio and plasma wave receivers on the Ulysses spacecraft have detected thousands of short-duration bursts of waves at approximately the electron plasma frequency. These wave events believed to be Langmuir waves are usually less than approximately 5 minutes in duration. They occur in or at the boundaries of depletions in the magnetic field amplitude known as magnetic holes. Using the 16 sec time resolution provided by the plasma frequency receiver, it is possible to examine the density structure inside of magnetic holes. Even higher time resolutions are sometimes available from the radio receiver data. The Ulysses observations show that these wave bursts occur more frequently at high heliographic latitudes; the occurrence rates depend on both latitude and distance from the Sun. We review the statistics for the wave events, compare them to magnetic and plasma parameters, and review the reasons for the more frequent occurrence at high heliographic latitudes.

MacDowall, R. J.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Hurricane Georges' Landfall in the Dominican Republic: Detailed Airborne Doppler Radar Imagery

Current understanding of landfalling tropical cyclones is limited, especially with regard to convective scale processes. On 22 September 1998 Hurricane Georges made landfall on the island of Hispaniola, leaving behind a trail of death and devastation, largely the result of excessive rainfall, not sea level surge or wind. Detailed airborne measurements were taken as part of the Third Convection and Moisture Experiment (CAMEX-3). Of Particular interest are the ER-2 nadir X-band Doppler radar (EDOP) data, which provide a first-time high-resolution view of the precipitation and airflow changes as a hurricane interacts with mountainous terrain. The circulation of hurricane Georges underwent an obvious transition during landfall, evident in the rapid increase in minimum sea-level pressure, the subsidence of the eyewall anvil, and a decrease in average ice concentrations in the eyewall. The eye, as seen in satellite imagery, disappeared, but contrary to current understanding, this was not due to eyewall contraction but rather to convective eruption within the eye. The main convective event within the eye, with upper-level updraft magnitudes near 20 m/s and 89 GHz brightness temperatures below 100 K, occurred when the eye moved over the Cordillera Central, the island's main mountain chain. The location, intensity and evolution of this convection indicate that it was coupled to the surface orography. It is likely that surface rain rates increased during landfall, because of effective droplet collection, both in the convection and in the more widespread stratiform rainfall areas over the island. Evidence for this is the increase in radar reflectivity below the bright band of 1-2 dB/km down to ground-level. Such increase was absent offshore. Such low-level rain enhancement, which cannot be detected in satellite images of upwelling infrared or microwave radiation, must be due to the ascent of boundary-layer air over the topography.

Geerts, B.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Monitoring of Earth Rotation by VLBI

Monitoring Earth rotation with Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) has unique potential because of direct access to the Celestial Reference System (CRF and Terrestrial Reference System (TRF) and the feasibility of re-analyzing the entire data set. While formal precision of better than 0.045 mas for pole and 0.002 ms for UT 1 has been seen in the best 24-hr data, the accuracy of the Earth Orientation Parameter (EOP) time series as a whole is subject to logistical, operational, analytical and conceptual constraints. The current issues related to the VLBI data set and the CORE program for greater time resolution such as analysis consistency, network jitter and reference frame stability will be discussed.

Ma., Chopo↗