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At least 343 records · Page 19
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1974

GEOS-C altimeter attitude bias error correction

A pulse-limited split-gate-tracking radar altimeter was flown on Skylab and will be used aboard GEOS-C. If such an altimeter were to employ a hypothetical isotropic antenna, the altimeter output would be independent of spacecraft orientation. To reduce power requirements the gain of the altimeter antenna proposed is increased to the point where its beamwidth is only a few degrees. The gain of the antenna consequently varies somewhat over the pulse-limited illuminated region of the ocean below the altimeter, and the altimeter output varies with antenna orientation. The error introduced into the altimeter data is modeled empirically, but close agreements with the expected errors was not realized. The attitude error effects expected with the GEOS-C altimeter are modelled using a form suggested by an analytical derivation. The treatment is restricted to the case of a relatively smooth sea, where the height of the ocean waves are small relative to the spatial length (pulse duration times speed of light) of the transmitted pulse.

Marini, J. W.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Microwave scattering from the ocean surface

This paper is a review of current aircraft and satellite microwave remote sensing programs concerned with the measurement of ocean wave and surface wind conditions. These particular measurements have been identified by the user community as offering significant economic and technological benefits. Active microwave remote sensing techniques for these applications have been described theoretically and verified experimentally. The results of recent aircraft and satellite experimental programs are presented herein along with plans for the SeaSat-A Satellite Scatterometer.

Jones, W. L.↗
NASA NTRS1975

A SEASAT-A synthetic aperture imaging radar system

The SEASAT, a synthetic aperture imaging radar system is the first radar system of its kind designed for the study of ocean wave patterns from orbit. The basic requirement of this system is to generate continuous radar imagery with a 100 km swath with 25m resolution from an orbital altitude of 800 km. These requirements impose unique system design problems. The end to end data system described including interactions of the spacecraft, antenna, sensor, telemetry link, and data processor. The synthetic aperture radar system generates a large quantity of data requiring the use of an analog link with stable local oscillator encoding. The problems associated in telemetering the radar information with sufficient fidelity to synthesize an image on the ground is described as well as the selected solutions to the problems.

Jordan, R. L.↗
NASA NTRS1977

GSFC short pulse radar, JONSWAP-75

In September 1975, the Goddard Space Flight Center operated a short pulse radar during ocean wave measuring experiments off the coast of West Germany in the North Sea. The experiment was part of JONSWAP-75. The radar system and operations during the experiment are described along with examples of data.

Levine, D. M.↗
NASA NTRS1976

A Seasat-A Synthetic Aperture Imaging Radar System

The Seasat-A Synthetic Aperture Imaging Radar System is the first radar system of its kind designed for the study of ocean wave patterns from orbit. The basic requirement of this system is to generate continuous radar imagery with a 100-km swath with 25 m resolution from an orbital altitude of 800 km. These requirements impose unique system design problems and their solutions will be stated. The end to end data system will be described including interactions of the spacecraft, antenna, sensor, telemetry link, and data processor. The synthetic aperture radar system generates a large quantity of data (110 megabits per second) requiring the use of a dedicated data link. The data link selected for use with the synthetic aperture radar is an analog link with stable local oscillator encoding. The problems associated in telemetering the radar information with sufficient fidelity to synthesize an image on the ground will be described as well as the selected solutions to the problems.

Jordan, R. L.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Limitations on oceanographic use of beam-limited target-referenced radars

A general development is undertaken to determine the limitations on the use of beam-limited target-referenced radars in the measurement of ocean wave height. This class of radars is concerned only with the range extent of the target, not the range to the target. The nonzero range extent of a flat waveless sea and the compounding effect of pointing errors due to radar platform instability cause difficulty in measuring low wave heights and impose a maximum operating altitude on such systems. It is seen that it is impractical to obtain accurate measurements for wave heights of interest at altitudes above those used by commercial aircraft (10,000 m). Additionally, the typical ratio of dominant wavelength to significant wave height (SWH) of 30 for wind-driven gravity waves imposes an upper limit on the SWH measurable for a given altitude and beamwidth.

Walsh, E. J.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Surface roughness measuring system

Significant height information of ocean waves, or peaks of rough terrain is obtained by compressing the radar signal over different widths of the available chirp or Doppler bandwidths, and cross-correlating one of these images with each of the others. Upon plotting a fixed (e.g., zero) component of the cross-correlation values as the spacing is increased over some empirically determined range, the system is calibrated. To measure height with the system, a spacing value is selected and a cross-correlation value is determined between two intensity images at a selected frequency spacing. The measured height is the slope of the cross-correlation value used. Both electronic and optical radar signal data compressors and cross-correlations are disclosed for implementation of the system.

Jain, A.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Advances in laser technology for the atmospheric sciences; Proceedings of the Seminar, San Diego, Calif., August 25, 26, 1977

These papers deal with recent research, developments, and applications in laser and electrooptics technology, particularly with regard to atmospheric effects in imaging and propagation, laser instrumentation and measurements, and particle measurement. Specific topics include advanced imaging techniques, image resolution through atmospheric turbulence over the ocean, an efficient method for calculating transmittance profiles, a comparison of a corner-cube reflector and a plane mirror in folded-path and direct transmission through atmospheric turbulence, line-spread instrumentation for propagation measurements, scaling laws for thermal fluctuations in the layer adjacent to ocean waves, particle sizing by laser photography, and an optical Fourier transform analysis of satellite cloud imagery. Other papers discuss a subnanosecond photomultiplier tube for laser application, holography of solid propellant combustion, diagnostics of turbulence by holography, a camera for in situ photography of cloud particles from a hail research aircraft, and field testing of a long-path laser transmissometer designed for atmospheric visibility measurements.

Trolinger, J. D.↗
NASA NTRS1979

The reflection of impulses from a nonlinear random sea

A model of the reflection of radar impulses from the sea at near-vertical incidence is used to account for non-Gaussian ocean waves statistics. The joint probability density function (pdf), of wave height and slope, is calculated according to the theory of Longuet-Higgins (1963) on the distribution of variables in a 'weakly nonlinear' random era. The long-crested approximation is made, a Phillips wave spectrum is assumed, and the Gram-Charlier series is truncated after skewness terms. It is found that the height and height-slope skewness coefficients bear the ratio 1:2 and that the derived impulse response and conditional cross section versus wave height are in excellent agreement with previous observations. Finally, it is suggested that the empirically determined and theoretically predicted sea state bias be corrected for in the routine processing of satellite radar altimeter data.

Jackson, F. C.↗
NASA NTRS1980

The Seasat-A synthetic aperture radar system

The paper discusses the Seasat-A synthetic aperture radar system (SAR). The objective of this system was to detect ocean waves from orbital altitudes. A SAR system operating at 1275 MHz was designed to meet this objective; the choice of wavelength resulted from the imagery obtained by aircraft during 1972 to 1974 and the ease of implementation. The Seasat-A SAR system was turned-on in orbit on July 4, 1978, and gathered imagery until the spacecraft bus failed in orbit in Oct. 1978. The hardware including the antenna, the radar sensor, and data-link subsystem, and the SAR data processing subsystem are described; the radar performance including the SAR system error budget and various SAR imageries are presented, concluding that the performance of the Seasat-A SAR system met all of its parameters on at least some of the imagery.

Jordan, R. L.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Simulation studies of the application of SEASAT data in weather and state of sea forecasting models

The design and analysis of SEASAT simulation studies in which the error structure of conventional analyses and forecasts is modeled realistically are presented. The development and computer implementation of a global spectral ocean wave model is described. The design of algorithms for the assimilation of theoretical wind data into computers and for the utilization of real wind data and wave height data in a coupled computer system are presented.

Cardone, V. J.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Observation of the Earth by radar

Techniques and applications of radar observation from Earth satellites are discussed. Images processing and analysis of these images are discussed. Also discussed is radar imaging from aircraft. Uses of this data include ocean wave analysis, surface water evaluation, and topographic analysis.

Elachi, C.↗
NASA NTRS1982

An empirical determination of the effects of sea state bias on Seasat altimetry

A linear empirical model has been developed for the correction of sea state bias effects, in Seasat altimetry data altitude measurements, that are due to (1) electromagnetic bias caused by the fact that ocean wave troughs reflect the altimeter signal more strongly than the crests, shifting the apparent mean sea level toward the wave troughs, and (2) an independent instrument-related bias resulting from the inability of height corrections applied in the ground processor to compensate for simplifying assumptions made for the processor aboard Seasat. After applying appropriate corrections to the altimetry data, an empirical model for the sea state bias is obtained by differencing significant wave height and height measurements from coincident ground tracks. Height differences are minimized by solving for the coefficient of a linear relationship between height differences and wave height differences that minimize the height differences. In more than 50% of the 36 cases examined, 7% of the value of significant wave height should be subtracted for sea state bias correction.

Born, G. H.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Oceanography from space

Active and passive spaceborne instruments that can observe the sea are discussed. Attention is given to satellite observations of ocean surface temperature and heating, wind speed and direction, ocean currents, wave height, ocean color, and sea ice. Specific measurements now being made from space are described, the accuracy of various instruments is considered, and problems associated with the analysis of satellite data are examined. It is concluded that the satellites and techniques used by different nations should be sufficiently standard that data from one satellite can be directly compared with data from another and that accurate calibration and overlap of satellite data are necessary to confirm the continuity and homogeneity of the data.

Stewart, R. H.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Report on Satellite Radar for Detecting Ocean Currents

Good resolution and high signal/noise ratio anticipated. Report describes orbiting sidelooking radar that measures ocean currents in direction toward or away from it. Radar relies on relationship between Doppler shifts and lengths and frequencies of ocean waves.

Jain, A.↗
NASA NTRS1984

The dual-frequency scatterometer reexamined

The utility of dual frequency scatterometers in measuring ocean wave directional spectra can be increased by adding third frequency to the system. The background which effectively limits signal detectability in dual frequency operation can be made a part of the signal through the addition of this third frequency. Signal detectability is limited only by system thermal noise and space based operation becomes more feasible.

Plant, W. J.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Radar altimetry over sea ice

To study the sea-ice interactive region in the Bering and Greenland Seas a series of experimental compaigns, the Marginal Ice Zone Experiment (MIZEX) has been planned. A major objective of MIZEX is the development of a capability to relate the morphology and distribution of the sea ice to atmospheric and oceanographic parameters in an overall model. During the first part of the MIZEX, a 13.7 GHz microwave radar altimeter/scatterometer having a pulse length of 16 nanoseconds was flown over the Bering Sea Marginal ice zone. On the same aircraft were the NASA GSFC 19 GHz Electronically Scanning Microwave Radiometer (ESMR), scanning radiometers and an infrared, nadir pointing, temperature sounder. The altimeter/scatterometer was operated in nadir pointing and conically scanning modes to collect measurements of reflectivity and pulse shapes. These will be related to sea-ice classifications, ocean wave spectra and coincident microwave and infrared radiometric measurements and laser profilometer surface roughness estimates.

Powell, J.↗