Results for “Variational approach” — Page 16

NASA NTRS1976

Structural dynamics, stability, and control of helicopters

The dynamic synthesis of a helicopter is reported. The method of approach is a variation of the component mode synthesis in the sense that it regards the aircraft as an assemblage of interconnected substructures. The equations of motion are derived in general form by means of the Lagrangian formulation in conjunction with an orderly kinematical procedure that takes into account the superposition of motion of various substructures, thus circumventing constraint problems.

Meirovitch, L.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Development of upwind schemes for the Euler equations

Described are many algorithmic and computational aspects of upwind schemes and their second-order accurate formulations based on Total-Variation-Diminishing (TVD) approaches. An operational unification of the underlying first-order scheme is first presented encompassing Godunov's, Roe's, Osher's, and Split-Flux methods. For higher order versions, the preprocessing and postprocessing approaches to constructing TVD discretizations are considered. TVD formulations can be used to construct relaxation methods for unfactored implicit upwind schemes, which in turn can be exploited to construct space-marching procedures for even the unsteady Euler equations. A major part of the report describes time- and space-marching procedures for solving the Euler equations in 2-D, 3-D, Cartesian, and curvilinear coordinates. Along with many illustrative examples, several results of efficient computations on 3-D supersonic flows with subsonic pockets are presented.

Chakravarthy, Sukumar R.↗

NASA NTRS2002

Study of Fluid Flow Control In Protein Crystallization Using Strong Magnetic Fields

An important component in biotechnology, particularly in the area of protein engineering and rational drug design is the knowledge of the precise three-dimensional molecular structure of proteins. The quality of structural information obtained from X-ray diffraction methods is directly dependent on the degree of perfection of the protein crystals. As a consequence, the growth of high quality macromolecular crystals for diffraction analyses has been the central focus for biochemists, biologists, and bioengineers. Macromolecular crystals are obtained from solutions that contain the crystallizing species in equilibrium with higher aggregates, ions, precipitants, other possible phases of the protein, foreign particles, the walls of the container, and a likely host of other impurities. By changing transport modes in general, i.e., reduction of convection and sedimentation, as is achieved in 'microgravity', researchers have been able to dramatically affect the movement and distribution of macromolecules in the fluid, and thus their transport, formation of crystal nuclei, and adsorption to the crystal surface. While a limited number of high quality crystals from space flights have been obtained, as the recent National Research Council (NRC) review of the NASA microgravity crystallization program pointed out, the scientific approach and research in crystallization of proteins has been mainly empirical yielding inconclusive results. We postulate that we can reduce convection in ground-based experiments and we can understand the different aspects of convection control through the use of strong magnetic fields and field gradients. Whether this limited convection in a magnetic field will provide the environment for the growth of high quality crystals is still a matter of conjecture that our research will address. The approach exploits the variation of fluid magnetic susceptibility with concentration for this purpose and the convective damping is realized by appropriately positioning the crystal growth cell so that the magnetic susceptibility force counteracts terrestrial gravity. The general objective is to test the hypothesis of convective control using a strong magnetic field and magnetic field gradient and to understand the nature of the various forces that come into play. Specifically we aim to delineate causative factors and to quantify them through experiments, analysis and numerical modeling. Once the basic understanding is obtained, the study will focus on testing the hypothesis on proteins of pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC), proteins E1 and E3. Obtaining high crystal quality of these proteins is of great importance to structural biologists since their structures need to be determined.

Ramachandran, N.↗

NASA NTRS2002

Study of Fluid Flow Control in Protein Crystallization using Strong Magnetic Fields

An important component in biotechnology, particularly in the area of protein engineering and rational drug design is the knowledge of the precise three-dimensional molecular structure of proteins. The quality of structural information obtained from X-ray diffraction methods is directly dependent on the degree of perfection of the protein crystals. As a consequence, the growth of high quality macromolecular crystals for diffraction analyses has been the central focus for biochemists, biologists, and bioengineers. Macromolecular crystals are obtained from solutions that contain the crystallizing species in equilibrium with higher aggregates, ions, precipitants, other possible phases of the protein, foreign particles, the walls of the container, and a likely host of other impurities. By changing transport modes in general, i.e., reduction of convection and sedimentation, as is achieved in "microgravity", researchers have been able to dramatically affect the movement and distribution of macromolecules in the fluid, and thus their transport, formation of crystal nuclei, and adsorption to the crystal surface. While a limited number of high quality crystals from space flights have been obtained, as the recent National Research Council (NRC) review of the NASA microgravity crystallization program pointed out, the scientific approach and research in crystallization of proteins has been mainly empirical yielding inconclusive results. We postulate that we can reduce convection in ground-based experiments and we can understand the different aspects of convection control through the use of strong magnetic fields and field gradients. Whether this limited convection in a magnetic field will provide the environment for the growth of high quality crystals is still a matter of conjecture that our research will address. The approach exploits the variation of fluid magnetic susceptibility with concentration for this purpose and the convective damping is realized by appropriately positioning the crystal growth cell so that the magnetic susceptibility force counteracts terrestrial gravity. The general objective is to test the hypothesis of convective control using a strong magnetic field and magnetic field gradient and to understand the nature of the various forces that come into play. Specifically we aim to delineate causative factors and to quantify them through experiments, analysis and numerical modeling. Once the basic understanding is obtained, the study will focus on testing the hypothesis on proteins of pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC), proteins E1 and E3. Obtaining high crystal quality of these proteins is of great importance to structural biologists since their structures need to be determined. Specific goals for the investigation are: 1. To develop an understanding of convection control in diamagnetic fluids with concentration gradients through experimentation and numerical modeling. Specifically solutal buoyancy driven convection due to crystal growth will be considered. 2. To develop predictive measures for successful crystallization in a magnetic field using analyses and numerical modeling for use in future protein crystal growth experiments. This will establish criteria that can be used to estimate the efficacy of magnetic field flow damping on crystallization of candidate proteins. 3. To demonstrate the understanding of convection damping by high magnetic fields to a class of proteins that is of interest and whose structure is as yet not determined. 4. To compare quantitatively, the quality of the grown crystals with and without a magnetic field. X-ray diffraction techniques will be used for the comparative studies. In a preliminary set of experiments, we studied crystal dissolution effects in a 5 Tesla magnet available at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). Using a Schlieren setup, a 1mm crystal of Alum (Aluminum-Potassium Sulfate) was introduced in a 75% saturated solution and the resulting dissolution plume was observed. The experiment was conducted both in the presence and absence of a magnetic field gradient. The magnet produces a gradient field of approx. 1 Tesla2/cm. Image analysis of the recorded images indicated an enhanced plume velocity that was of the order of the measurement limit. For this experiment, both the gradient and gravity fields are in the same direction resulting in an enhanced effective gravity that tends to accelerate the observed plume velocity. While the results are not conclusive, pending further tests, it clearly points out the inadequacy of the MSFC magnet for conducting protein crystallization experiments and the need for a stronger magnet. In spacebased experiments, however, where the gravitational effects are small, only a weak magnetic field will be required to control or mitigate the effects of convective contamination.

Ramachandran, Narayanan↗

NASA NTRS2002

Thermal Imaging of Convecting Opaque Fluids using Ultrasound

An ultrasound technique has been developed to non-intrusively image temperature fields in small-scale systems of opaque fluids undergoing convection. Fluids such as molten metals, semiconductors, and polymers are central to many industrial processes, and are often found in situations where natural convection occurs, or where thermal gradients are otherwise important. However, typical thermal and velocimetric diagnostic techniques rely upon transparency of the fluid and container, or require the addition of seed particles, or require mounting probes inside the fluid, all of which either fail altogether in opaque fluids, or necessitate significant invasion of the flow and/or modification of the walls of the container to allow access to the fluid. The idea behind our work is to use the temperature dependence of sound velocity, and the ease of propagation of ultrasound through fluids and solids, to probe the thermal fields of convecting opaque fluids non-intrusively and without the use of seed particles. The technique involves the timing of the return echoes from ultrasound pulses, a variation on an approach used previously in large-scale systems.

Xu, Hongzhou↗

NASA NTRS2002

Countering Solutal Buoyant Convection with High Magnetic Fields

An important component in biotechnology, particularly in the area of protein engineering and rational drug design is the knowledge of the precise three-dimensional molecular structure of proteins. The quality of structural information obtained from X-ray diffraction methods is directly dependent on the degree of perfection of the protein crystals. As a consequence, the growth of high quality macromolecular crystals for diffraction analyses has been the central focus for biochemist, biologists, and bioengineers. Macromolecular crystals are obtained from solutions that contain the crystallizing species in equilibrium with higher aggregates, ions, precipitant, other possible phases of the protein, foreign particles, the walls of the container, and a likely host of other impurities. By changing transport modes in general, i.e., reduction of convection and sedimentation, as is achieved in microgravity, we have been able to dramatically effect the movement and distribution of macromolecules in the fluid, and thus their transport, formation of crystal nuclei, and adsorption to the crystal surface. While a limited number of high quality crystals from space flights have been obtained, as the recent National Research Council (NRC) review of the NASA microgravity crystallization program pointed out, the scientific approach and research in crystallization of proteins has been mainly empirical yielding inconclusive results. We postulate that we can reduce convection in ground-based experiments and we can understand the different aspects of convection control through the use of strong magnetic fields and field gradients. We postulate that limited convection in a magnetic field will provide the environment for the growth of high quality crystals. The approach exploits the variation of fluid magnetic susceptibility with concentration for this purpose and the convective damping is realized by appropriately positioning the crystal growth cell so that the magnetic susceptibility force counteracts terrestrial gravity. The general objective is to test the hypothesis of convective control using a strong magnetic field and magnetic field gradient and to understand the nature of the various forces that come into play. Specifically we aim to delineate causative factors and to quantify them through experiments, analysis and numerical modeling. The paper will report on the current status of the investigation and discuss results from the experimental and modeling efforts.

Ramachandran, N.↗

NASA NTRS2003

Using Strong Magnetic Fields to Control Solutal Convection

An important component in biotechnology, particularly in the area of protein engineering and rational drug design is the knowledge of the precise three-dimensional molecular structure of proteins. The quality of structural information obtained from X-ray diffraction methods is directly dependent on the degree of perfection of the protein crystals. As a consequence, the growth of high quality macromolecular crystals for diffraction analyses has been the central focus for biochemists, biologists, and bioengineers. Macromolecular crystals are obtained from solutions that contain the crystallizing species in equilibrium with higher aggregates, ions, precipitants, other possible phases of the protein, foreign particles, the walls of the container, and a likely host of other impurities. By changing transport modes in general, i.e., reduction of convection and sedimentation, as is achieved in microgravity , we have been able to dramatically affect the movement and distribution of macromolecules in the fluid, and thus their transport, formation of crystal nuclei, and adsorption to the crystal surface. While a limited number of high quality crystals from space flights have been obtained, as the recent National Research Council (NRC) review of the NASA microgravity crystallization program pointed out, the scientific approach and research in crystallization of proteins has been mainly empirical yielding inconclusive results. We postulate that we can reduce convection in ground-based experiments and we can understand the different aspects of convection control through the use of strong magnetic fields and field gradients. We postulate that limited convection in a magnetic field will provide the environment for the growth of high quality crystals. The approach exploits the variation of fluid magnetic susceptibility with concentration for this purpose and the convective damping is realized by appropriately positioning the crystal growth cell so that the magnetic susceptibility force counteracts terrestrial gravity. The general objective is to test the hypothesis of convective control using a strong magnetic field and magnetic field gradient and to understand the nature of the various forces that come into play. Specifically we aim to delineate causative factors and to quantify them through experiments, analysis and numerical modeling. The paper will report on the experimental results using paramagnetic salts and solutions in magnetic fields and compare them to analytical predictions.

Ramachandran, N.↗

NASA NTRS2004

Measured Fluid Flow in an Active H2O-CO2 Geothermal Well as an Analog to Fluid Flow in Fractures on Mars: Preliminary Report

Water in the Earth's crust generally contains dissolved gases such as CO2. Models for both 'Blue Mars' (H2O-driven processes) and 'White Mars' (CO2-driven processes) predict liquid H2O with dissolved CO2 at depth. The fate of dissolved CO2 as this mixture rises toward the surface has not been quantitatively explored. Our approach is a variation on NASA's 'Follow the Water' as we 'Follow the Fluid' from depth to the surface in hydrothermal areas on Earth and extrapolate our results to Mars. This is a preliminary report on a field study of fluid flow in a producing geothermal well. For proprietary reasons, the name and location of this well cannot be revealed, so we have named it 'Earth1' for this study.

Kieffer, Susan W.↗

NASA NTRS2004

Magnetic Control of Convection during Protein Crystallization

An important component in biotechnology, particularly in the area of protein engineering and rational drug design is the knowledge of the precise three-dimensional molecular structure of proteins. The quality of structural information obtained from X-ray diffraction methods is directly dependent on the degree of perfection of the protein crystals. As a consequence, the growth of high quality macromolecular Crystals for diffraction analyses has been the central focus for bio-chemists, biologists, and bioengineers. Macromolecular crystals are obtained from solutions that contain the crystallizing species in equilibrium with higher aggregates, ions, precipitants, other possible phases of the protein, foreign particles, the walls of container, and a likely host of other impurities. By changing transport modes in general, i.e., reduction of convection and Sedimentation as is achieved in "microgravity", we have been able to dramatically affect the movement and distribution of macromolecules in the fluid, and thus their transport, f o d o n of crystal nuclei, and adsorption to the crystal surface. While a limited number of high quality crystals from space flights have been obtained, as the recent National Research Council (NRC) review of the NASA microgravity crystallization program pointed out, the scientific approach and research in crystallization of proteins has been mainly empirical yielding inconclusive results. We postulate that we can reduce convection in ground-based experiments and we can understand the different aspects of convection control through the use of strong magnetic fields and field gradients. We postulate that limited convection in a magnetic field will provide the environment for the growth of high quality crystals. The approach exploits the variation of fluid magnetic susceptibility with counteracts on for this purpose and the convective damping is realized by appropriately positioning the crystal growth cell so that the magnetic susceptibility force counteract terrestrial gravity. The genera1 objective is to test the hypothesis of convective control using a strong magnetic field and magnetic field gradient and to understand the nature of the various forces that come into play. Specifically we aim to delineate causative factors and to quantify them through experiments, analysis and numerical modeling. The paper will report on the experimental results using paramagentic salts and solutions in magnetic fields and compare them to analyticalpr~ctions.

Ramachandran, N.↗

NASA NTRS2005

Palmer Quest: A Feasible Nuclear Fission "Vision Mission" to the Mars Polar Caps

We are engaged in a NASA Vision Mission study, called Palmer Quest after the American Antarctic explorer Nathaniel Palmer, to assess the presence of life and evaluate the habitability of the basal domain of the Mars polar caps. We address this goal through four objectives: 1. Determine the presence of amino acids, nutrients, and geochemical heterogeneity in the ice sheet. 2. Quantify and characterize the provenance of the amino acids in Mars ice. 3. Assess the stratification of outcropped units for indications of habitable zones. 4. Determine the accumulation of ice, mineralogic material, and amino acids in Mars ice caps over the present epoch. Because of the defined scientific goal for the vision mission, the Palmer Quest focus is astrobiological; however, the results of the study make us optimistic that aggressive multi-platform in-situ missions that address a wide range of objectives, such as climate change, can be supported by variations of the approach used on this mission. Mission Overview: The Palmer Quest baseline

Carsey, F. D.↗

NASA NTRS2014

Fine Particulate Matter Predictions Using High Resolution Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) Retrievals

To date, spatial-temporal patterns of particulate matter (PM) within urban areas have primarily been examined using models. On the other hand, satellites extend spatial coverage but their spatial resolution is too coarse. In order to address this issue, here we report on spatial variability in PM levels derived from high 1 km resolution AOD product of Multi-Angle Implementation of Atmospheric Correction (MAIAC) algorithm developed for MODIS satellite. We apply day-specific calibrations of AOD data to predict PM(sub 2.5) concentrations within the New England area of the United States. To improve the accuracy of our model, land use and meteorological variables were incorporated. We used inverse probability weighting (IPW) to account for nonrandom missingness of AOD and nested regions within days to capture spatial variation. With this approach we can control for the inherent day-to-day variability in the AOD-PM(sub 2.5) relationship, which depends on time-varying parameters such as particle optical properties, vertical and diurnal concentration profiles and ground surface reflectance among others. Out-of-sample "ten-fold" cross-validation was used to quantify the accuracy of model predictions. Our results show that the model-predicted PM(sub 2.5) mass concentrations are highly correlated with the actual observations, with out-of- sample R(sub 2) of 0.89. Furthermore, our study shows that the model captures the pollution levels along highways and many urban locations thereby extending our ability to investigate the spatial patterns of urban air quality, such as examining exposures in areas with high traffic. Our results also show high accuracy within the cities of Boston and New Haven thereby indicating that MAIAC data can be used to examine intra-urban exposure contrasts in PM(sub 2.5) levels.

aerosol optical depth↗

NASA NTRS2015

Orbit Stability of OSIRIS-REx in the Vicinity of Bennu Using a High-Fidelity Solar Radiation Model

Solar radiation pressure is one of the largest perturbing forces on the OSIRISRex trajectory as it orbits the asteroid Bennu. In this work, we investigate how forces due to solar radiation perturb the OSIRIS-REx trajectory in a high-fidelity model. The model accounts for Bennu's non-spherical gravity field, third-body gravity forces from the Sun and Jupiter, as well as solar radiation forces acting on a simplified spacecraft model. Such high-fidelity simulations indicate significant solar radiation pressure perturbations from the nominal orbit. Modifications to the initial design of the nominal orbit are found using a variation of parameters approach that reduce the perturbation in eccentricity by a factor of one-half.

Williams, Trevor W.↗

NASA NTRS2018

Insight and Evidence Motivating the Simplification of Dual-Analysis Hybrid Systems into Single-Analysis Hybrid Systems

Many hybrid data assimilation systems currently used for NWP employ some form of dual-analysis system approach. Typically a hybrid variational analysis is responsible for creating initial conditions for high-resolution forecasts, and an ensemble analysis system is responsible for creating sample perturbations used to form the flow-dependent part of the background error covariance required in the hybrid analysis component. In many of these, the two analysis components employ different methodologies, e.g., variational and ensemble Kalman filter. In such cases, it is not uncommon to have observations treated rather differently between the two analyses components; recentering of the ensemble analysis around the hybrid analysis is used to compensated for such differences. Furthermore, in many cases, the hybrid variational high-resolution system implements some type of four-dimensional approach, whereas the underlying ensemble system relies on a three-dimensional approach, which again introduces discrepancies in the overall system. Connected to these is the expectation that one can reliably estimate observation impact on forecasts issued from hybrid analyses by using an ensemble approach based on the underlying ensemble strategy of dual-analysis systems. Just the realization that the ensemble analysis makes substantially different use of observations as compared to their hybrid counterpart should serve as enough evidence of the implausibility of such expectation. This presentation assembles numerous anecdotal evidence to illustrate the fact that hybrid dual-analysis systems must, at the very minimum, strive for consistent use of the observations in both analysis sub-components. Simpler than that, this work suggests that hybrid systems can reliably be constructed without the need to employ a dual-analysis approach. In practice, the idea of relying on a single analysis system is appealing from a cost-maintenance perspective. More generally, single-analysis systems avoid contradictions such as having to choose one sub-component to generate performance diagnostics to another, possibly not fully consistent, component.

Todling, Ricardo↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Evaluation of Correction Methods for NASA GeneLab Transcriptomic Datasets

Conducting space biology experiments aboard the International Space Station, particularly those utilizing complex model organisms like mice, is expensive and difficult due to limited crew availability, hardware, and space. As a result, sample numbers from these studies are low, reducing the statistical power of any one experiment. Aggregating spaceflight datasets serves as a method to increase sample numbers, allowing for novel insights through bioinformatic analysis of ‘omics data from merged datasets. However, aggregating datasets can introduce unwanted variation including 1) differences in sample handling, processing, and sequencing platforms between datasets (technical variation) as well as 2) differences in experimental design between datasets such as sex or age of the model organism used. In the present study, NASA GeneLab-hosted RNAseq datasets from rodent liver tissues were used to evaluate several statistical methods to correct for this unwanted variation through two approaches, reference-based and standard. The following correction algorithms were applied with (reference-based) and/or without (standard) considering Universal Mouse RNA Reference samples: ComBat and ComBat_seq from the SVA package, median polish, empirical Bayes, and ANOVA-based algorithms from the MBatch package, and negative binomial regression normalization in the DESeq2 package. For each approach, after the correction algorithm was applied, differential gene expression (DGE) analysis of flight and ground control samples was performed with the combined data. The robustness of each tool was evaluated using BatchQC, to determine statistical differences between datasets before and after correction, Principal Component Analysis, to evaluate global gene expression in samples before and after correction, and by comparing DGE analysis of individual datasets and combined datasets before and after correction. The results showed that the reference-based approach introduced several additional (and likely artificial) DEGs when compared with the standard approach. Thus, the most robust standard correction will be implemented in the GeneLab Visualization 2.0 platform when datasets are combined.

GeneLab, RNA-seq, Batch Correction↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Evaluation of Correction Methods for NASA GeneLab Transcriptomic Datasets

Conducting space biology experiments aboard the International Space Station, particularly those utilizing complex model organisms like mice, is expensive and difficult due to limited crew availability, hardware, and space. As a result, sample numbers from these studies are low, reducing the statistical power of any one experiment. Aggregating spaceflight datasets serves as a method to increase sample numbers, allowing for novel insights through bioinformatic analysis of ‘omics data from merged datasets. However, aggregating datasets can introduce unwanted variation including 1) differences in sample handling, processing, and sequencing platforms between datasets (technical variation) as well as 2) differences in experimental design between datasets. In the present study, NASA GeneLab-hosted RNAseq datasets from mouse liver tissues were used to evaluate several statistical methods to correct for this unwanted variation through two approaches, reference-based and standard. The following correction algorithms were applied with (reference-based) and/or without (standard) considering Universal Mouse RNA Reference samples: ComBat and ComBat_seq from the SVA package, median polish, empirical Bayes, and ANOVA-based algorithms from the MBatch package, and negative binomial regression normalization in the DESeq2 package. For each approach, after the correction algorithm was applied, differential gene expression (DGE) analysis of flight and ground control samples was performed with the combined data. The robustness of each tool was evaluated using BatchQC to determine statistical differences between datasets before and after correction, Principal Component Analysis to evaluate global gene expression in samples before and after correction, and by comparing DGE analysis of individual datasets and combined datasets before and after correction. The results showed that the reference-based approach introduced several additional (and likely artificial) DEGs when compared with the respective standard approach. Of the methods tested, standard ComBat and DESeq2 were identified as the most robust correction methods for combining spaceflight mouse liver RNAseq datasets hosted on GeneLab.

GeneLab↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Combining RNA-SEQ Datasets from NASA GENELAB: An Evaluation of Correction Methods

Background: Conducting space biology experiments aboard the International Space Station, particularly those utilizing complex model organisms like mice, is expensive and difficult due to limited crew availability, hardware, and space. As a result, sample numbers from these studies are low, reducing the statistical power of any one experiment. Aggregating spaceflight datasets serves as a method to increase sample numbers, allowing for novel insights through bioinformatic analysis of ‘omics data from merged datasets. However, aggregating datasets can introduce unwanted variation including 1) differences in sample handling, processing, and sequencing platforms between datasets (technical variation) as well as 2) differences in experimental design between datasets. Methods: In the present study, NASA GeneLab-hosted RNAseq datasets from mouse liver tissues were used to evaluate several statistical methods to correct for this unwanted variation through two approaches, reference-based and standard. The following correction algorithms were applied with (reference-based) and/or without (standard) considering Universal Mouse RNA Reference samples: ComBat and ComBat_seq from the SVA package, the median polish, empirical Bayes, and ANOVA-based algorithms from the MBatch package, and negative binomial regression normalization in the DESeq2 package. For each approach, after the correction algorithm was applied, differential gene expression (DGE) analysis of flight and ground control samples was performed with the combined data. The robustness of each tool was evaluated using BatchQC to determine statistical differences between datasets before and after correction, Principal Component Analysis to evaluate global gene expression in samples before and after correction, and by comparing DGE analysis of individual datasets and combined datasets before and after correction. Results: The results showed that the reference-based approach introduced several additional (and likely artificial) differentially expressed genes when compared with the respective standard approach. Conclusions: Of the methods tested, standard ComBat_seq and DESeq2 were identified as the most robust correction methods for combining spaceflight mouse liver RNAseq datasets hosted on GeneLab.

Finsam Samson↗

NASA NTRS2022

The Joint Assimilation of Remotely Sensed Leaf Area Index and Surface Soil Moisture into a Land Surface Model

This work tests the hypothesis that jointly assimilating satellite observations of leaf area index and surface soil moisture into a land surface model improves the estimation of land vegetation and water variables. An Ensemble Kalman Filter is used to test such hypothesis across the Contiguous United States during April 2015 – December 2018. The performance of the proposed methodology is assessed for several modeled vegetation and water variables (evapotranspiration, net ecosystem exchange, and soil moisture) in terms of random errors and anomaly correlation coefficients against a set of independent validation datasets (i.e., Global Land Evaporation Amsterdam Model, FLUXCOM, and International Soil Moisture Network). Results show that the assimilation of leaf area index mostly improves the estimation of evapotranspiration and net ecosystem exchange, whereas the assimilation of surface soil moisture alone improves surface soil moisture content, especially in the western US, in terms of both root mean squared error and anomaly correlation coefficient. The joint assimilation of vegetation and soil moisture information combines the results of individual vegetation and soil moisture assimilations and reduces errors (and increases correlations with the reference datasets) in evapotranspiration, net ecosystem exchange, and surface soil moisture simulated by the land surface model. However, because soil moisture satellite observations only provide information on the water content in the top 5 cm of the soil column, the impact of the proposed data assimilation technique on root zone soil moisture is limited. This work moves one step forward in the direction of improving our estimation and understanding of land surface interactions using a multi-variate data assimilation approach, which can be particularly useful in regions of the world where ground observations are sparse or missing altogether.

Data assimilation↗

NASA NTRS2020

Missed Thrust Analysis and Design for Low Thrust Cislunar Transfers

This paper details the analysis of the missed thrust problem for low thrust cislunar transfers. Missed thrust analysis is completed for a reference NRHO to DRO transfer that is designed to maximize the final mass without consideration of robustness to unexpected loss of thrust. A new missed thrust design method is presented to include the robustness of the transfer as part of the optimization problem by including a minimal number of branching trajectories tied to the start of thrust arcs in the reference transfer and optimizing them all simultaneously. Results from variations of this approach are presented for and compared to the reference transfer designed without consideration for missed thrust. The results show that this new method can reduce the additional propellant required for recovery from an unexpected 7-day outage by up to 90% without significant increase to the propellant required to complete the reference transfer.

Grebow, Daniel J.↗