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At least 487 records · Page 27
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1973

Eolian deposits and dunes on Mars.

A complex of coalescing ridges and diverse marginal features observed in Mariner 9 pictures of the Hellespontus region of Mars is identified as a dune mass. Many other possible dune features are recognized in midlatitudes and polar latitudes, and regional differences in the appearance of cratered terrains are attributed to modification by dune deposits. The morphology and temporal behavior of some Martian albedo features can be explained by dune-forming saltation processes. Eolian activity seems to be widespread, if not ubiquitous, on Mars and appears to produce major regional variations in the surface environment.

Cutts, J. A.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Geology of Dione

Dione is one of the most geologically complex of the Saturnian satellites. Crater counts and surface morphology indicates the geologic units observed are of variable age and origin. In an attempt to understand the processes which have affected Dione, a geologic map was prepared. Several geologic units were identified; ancient heavily cratered terrain, two plains units: cratered plains and lightly cratered plains, lobate deposits, crater rim deposits and bright wispy materials.

Plescia, J. B.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Evolution of the Dharwar Craton: A terrain of early Archean crustal stability, long term orogenic cycles and large scale palaeobiological activity

Traceable history of the Dharwar Craton goes back to approximately 3400 m.y. old tonalitic to trondhjemitic fundamental gneiss whose REE composition indicates its derivation from a preexisting basalt which apparently had very short time of crustal residence. The fundamental gneiss is preserved only as rare relicts in the vast gneissic complex of the Indian Peninsula (the Peninsular Gneiss), and as pebbles in the conglomerates of the Archean Dharwar sequence. Study of these relicts, shows evidence of a deformation episode prior to the deposition of the high- and low-grade Dharwar supracrustal sequence. The Dharwar supracrustal sequence is briefly described. Geochemistry of the volcanic and sedimentary rocks of the Dharwar supracrustal belts are examined.

Srinivasan, R.↗
NASA NTRS2000

TE/TM Simulations of Interferometric Measurements

Interferometric synthetic aperture radar (IFSAR) measurements at X-, C-, L-, and P-band are used to derive ground topography at meter level resolution. Interpretation of the derived topography requires attention due to the complex interaction of the radar signal with ground cover. The presence of penetrable surfaces such as vegetation, and tree canopies poses a challenge since the depth of penetration depends on a number of parameters such as the operating radar frequency, polarization, incident angle, as well as terrain structure. The dependence of the reconstructed topography on polarization may lead to the characterization of the ground cover. Simulation of interferometric measurements is useful for interpretation of the derived topography (B. Houshmand, Proceedings of URSI, 314, 1997). In this talk , time domain simulations for interferometric measurement for TE- and TM- polarization are presented. Time domain simulation includes the effects of the surface material property as well geometry comparable the radar signal wavelength (B. Houshmand, Proceedings of the URSI, 25, 1998). The IFSAR simulation is carried out in two steps. First, the forward scattering data is generated based on full wave analysis. Next, the electromagnetic information is inverted to generate surface topography. This inversion is based on the well known IFSAR processing technique which is composed of signal compression, and formation of an interferogram. The full wave forward scattering data is generated by the scattered-field formulation of the FDTD algorithm. The simulation is carried out by exciting the computational domain by a radar signal. The scattered field is then computed and translated to the receiving interferometric antennas using the time-domain Huygen's principle. The inversion process starts by compressing the time-domain data. The range compressed data from both receivers are then coregistered to form an interferogram. The resulting interferogram is then related to the ground topography using the radar imaging geometry. In this talk, the simulation results are compared with the C-band TM IFSAR derived topography, and the TE/TM SAR images at L-Band.

Houshmand, Bijan↗
NASA NTRS2002

Impact Cratering Calculations

Many Martian craters are surrounded by ejecta blankets which appear to have been fluidized forming lobate and layered deposits terminated by one or more continuous distal scarps, or ramparts. One of the first hypotheses for the formation of so-called rampart ejecta features was shock-melting of subsurface ice, entrainment of liquid water into the ejecta blanket, and subsequent fluidized flow. Our work quantifies this concept. Rampart ejecta found on all but the youngest volcanic and polar regions, and the different rampart ejecta morphologies are correlated with crater size and terrain. In addition, the minimum diameter of craters with rampart features decreases with increasing latitude indicating that ice laden crust resides closer to the surface as one goes poleward on Mars. Our second goal in was to determine what strength model(s) reproduce the faults and complex features found in large scale gravity driven craters. Collapse features found in large scale craters require that the rock strength weaken as a result of the shock processing of rock and the later cratering shear flows. In addition to the presence of molten silicate in the intensely shocked region, the presence of water, either ambient, or the result of shock melting of ice weakens rock. There are several other mechanisms for the reduction of strength in geologic materials including dynamic tensile and shear induced fracturing. Fracturing is a mechanism for large reductions in strength. We found that by incorporating damage into the models that we could in a single integrated impact calculation, starting in the atmosphere produce final crater profiles having the major features found in the field measurements (central uplifts, inner ring, terracing and faulting). This was accomplished with undamaged surface strengths (0.1 GPa) and in depth strengths (1.0 GPa).

Ahrens, Thomas J.↗
NASA NTRS2005

Development of Software for a Lidar-Altimeter Processor

A report describes the development of software for a digital processor that operates in conjunction with a finite-impulse-response (FIR) chip in a spaceborne lidar altimeter. Processing is started by a laser-fire interrupt signal that is repeated at intervals of 25 ms. For the purpose of discriminating between returns from the ground and returns from such things as trees, buildings, and clouds, the software is required to scan digitized lidar-return data in reverse of the acquisition sequence in order to distinguish the last return pulse from within a commanded ground-return range window. The digitized waveform information within this range window is filtered through 6 matched filters, in the hardware electronics, in order to maximize the probability of finding echoes from sloped or rough terrain and minimize the probability of selecting cloud returns. From the data falling past the end of the range window, there is obtained a noise baseline that is used to calculate a threshold value for each filter. The data from each filter is analyzed by a complex weighting scheme and the filter with the greatest weight is selected. A region around the peak of the ground return pulse associated with the selected filter is placed in telemetry, as well as information on its location, height, and other characteristics. The software requires many uplinked parameters as input. Included in the report is a discussion of major software-development problems posed by the design of the FIR chip and the need for the software to complete its process within 20 ms to fit within the overall 25-ms cycle.

Rosenberg, Jacob S.↗
NASA NTRS2024

Investigating Sulfur-Rich Mercury Analogs Exposed to Simulated Micrometeoroid Bombardment in the Laboratory

Space weathering (SW) continually alters the spectral, microstructural, and chemical characteristics of the surface of airless bodies across the solar system. The effects of SW vary depending on the heliocentric distance and the initial composition of the target surface. While SW on the Moon and S-type asteroids is well documented, our understanding of how this process affects Mercury is at an early stage. Mercury’s interplanetary environment is harsh, with the surface of the planet experiencing an intense solar wind flux as well as a higher flux and velocity of micrometeoroid impactors compared to the Moon and S-type asteroids. In addition, Mercury is also a geochemical endmember, with a surface composition low in Fe (<2 wt.%) and enriched in volatile components, such as sulfur (up to 4 wt.% in the low reflectance material (LRM)). These volatile components are thought to play a major role in the formation of hollows via their sublimation. Sulfur has been hypothesized to occur at the surface of Mercury as sulfide minerals (MgS, CaS) based on its correlation with Mg and Ca in remote sensing data. However, recent observations of chaotic terrains in the north polar area of Mercury and of glacier-like features at lower latitudes indicated that octasulfur (S 8 , elemental sulfur) is another likely constituent of a volatile-rich layer in Mercury’s crust. Its behavior on Mercury may result in a complex cycle of enrichment and depletion. While S is often depleted on small body surfaces, Mercury’s gravity could result in ejected S subsequently returning to the surface and coating regolith grains. Further, the reaction of reduced S-rich gas with glasses of a Mercury-like composition also produced S-rich coatings. However, the precise behavior and evolution of S-rich species exposed to the harsh SW on Mercury remains poorly understood and needs to be further investigated in the laboratory. Here, we present the results of our analyses of the spectral, microstructural, and chemical characteristics of S-rich Mercury analogs irradiated by pulsed laser to simulate the short duration, high temperature events associated with micrometeoroid impacts.

N Bott↗
NASA NTRS2012

Free-Flight Terrestrial Rocket Lander Demonstration for NASA's Autonomous Landing and Hazard Avoidance Technology (ALHAT) System

The Autonomous Landing Hazard Avoidance Technology (ALHAT) Project is chartered to develop and mature to a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of six an autonomous system combining guidance, navigation and control with terrain sensing and recognition functions for crewed, cargo, and robotic planetary landing vehicles. The ALHAT System must be capable of identifying and avoiding surface hazards to enable a safe and accurate landing to within tens of meters of designated and certified landing sites anywhere on a planetary surface under any lighting conditions. Since its inception in 2006, the ALHAT Project has executed four field test campaigns to characterize and mature sensors and algorithms that support real-time hazard detection and global/local precision navigation for planetary landings. The driving objective for Government Fiscal Year 2012 (GFY2012) is to successfully demonstrate autonomous, real-time, closed loop operation of the ALHAT system in a realistic free flight scenario on Earth using the Morpheus lander developed at the Johnson Space Center (JSC). This goal represents an aggressive target consistent with a lean engineering culture of rapid prototyping and development. This culture is characterized by prioritizing early implementation to gain practical lessons learned and then building on this knowledge with subsequent prototyping design cycles of increasing complexity culminating in the implementation of the baseline design. This paper provides an overview of the ALHAT/Morpheus flight demonstration activities in GFY2012, including accomplishments, current status, results, and lessons learned. The ALHAT/Morpheus effort is also described in the context of a technology path in support of future crewed and robotic planetary exploration missions based upon the core sensing functions of the ALHAT system: Terrain Relative Navigation (TRN), Hazard Detection and Avoidance (HDA), and Hazard Relative Navigation (HRN).

Rutishauser, David K.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Thermobarometric studies on the Levack Gneisses: Footwall rocks to the Sudbury Igneous Complex

Granulite and amphibolite facies gneisses and migmatites of the Levack Gneiss Complex occupy a zone up to 8 km wide around the northern part of the Sudbury Igneous Complex (SIC). Orthopyroxene- and garnet-bearing tonalitic and semipelitic assemblages of granulite facies grade occur within 3 km of the SIC together with lenses of mafic and pyroxenitic rock compositions normally represented by an amphibole +/- cpx-rich assemblage; amphibolite facies assemblages dominate elsewhere in this terrain. These 2.711-Ga gneisses were introduced by (1) the Cartier Granite Batholith during late Archaean to early Proterozoic time and (2) the SIC, at 1.85 Ga, which produced a contact aureole 1-1.5 km wide in which pyroxene hornfelses are common within 200-300 m of the contact. A suite of 12 samples including both the opx-gt and amphibole-rich rock compositions have been studied. Garnets in the semipelitic gneisses are variably replaced by a plg-bio assemblage. Thermobarometric calculations using a variety of barometers and thermometers reported in the literature suggest that the granulite facies assemblages formed at depths in the 21-28 km range (6-8 kbar). Textures and mineral chemistry in the garnet-bearing semipelitic rocks indicate that this terrain underwent a second metamorphic event during uplift to depth in the 5-11 km range (2-3 kbar) and at temperatures as low as 500-550 C. This latter event is distinct from thermal recrystallization caused by the emplacement of the SIC; it probably represents metamorphism attributable to intrusion of the Cartier Granite Batholith. These data allow two interpretations for the crustal uplift of the Levack Gneisses: (1) The gneisses were tectonically uplifted prior to the Sudbury Event (due to intrusion of the Cartier Batholith); or (2) the gneisses were raised to epizonal levels as a result of meteorite impact at 1.85 Ga.

James, R. S.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Statistics of multi-look AIRSAR imagery: A comparison of theory with measurements

The intensity and amplitude statistics of SAR images, such as L-Band HH for SEASAT and SIR-B, and C-Band VV for ERS-1 have been extensively investigated for various terrain, ground cover and ocean surfaces. Less well-known are the statistics between multiple channels of polarimetric of interferometric SAR's, especially for the multi-look processed data. In this paper, we investigate the probability density functions (PDF's) of phase differences, the magnitude of complex products and the amplitude ratios, between polarization channels (i.e. HH, HV, and VV) using 1-look and 4-look AIRSAR polarimetric data. Measured histograms are compared with theoretical PDF's which were recently derived based on a complex Gaussian model.

Lee, J. S.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Regional rainfall climatologies derived from Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/I) data

Climatologies of convective precipitation were derived from passive microwave observations from the Special Sensor Microwave Imager using a scattering-based algorithm of Adler et al. Data were aggregated over periods of 3-5 months using data from 4 to 5 years. Data were also stratified by satellite overpass times (primarily 06 00 and 18 00 local time). Four regions (Mexico, Amazonia, western Africa, and the western equatorial Pacific Ocean (TOGA COARE area) were chosen for their meteorological interest and relative paucity of conventional observations. The strong diurnal variation over Mexico and the southern United States was the most striking aspect of the climatologies. Pronounced morning maxima occured offshore, often in concativities in the coastline, the result of the increased convergence caused by the coastline shape. The major feature of the evening rain field was a linear-shaped maximum along the western slope of the Sierra Madre Occidental. Topography exerted a strong control on the rainfall in other areas, particularly near the Nicaragua/Honduras border and in Guatemala, where maxima in excess of 700 mm/month were located adjacent to local maxima in terrain. The correlation between the estimates and monthly gage data over the southern United States was low (0.45), due mainly to poor temporal sampling in any month and an inadequate sampling of the diurnal cycle. Over the Amazon Basin the differences in morning versus evening rainfall were complex, with an alternating series of morning/evening maxima aligned southwest to northeast from the Andes to the northeast Brazilian coast. A real extent of rainfall in Amazonia was slightly higher in the evening, but a maximum in morning precipitation was found on the Amazon River just east of Manaus. Precipitation over the water in the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) north of Brazil was more pronounced in the morning, and a pronounced land-/sea-breeze circulation was found along the northeast coast of Brazil. Inter-comparison of four years revealed 1992 to be the driest over Amazonia, with about a 23% decrease in mean rate compared to the 4-year mean estimated rain rate.

Negri, Andrew J.↗
NASA NTRS2024

Coordinated Analysis of Phosphates in Samples From Asteroid (101955) Bennu

Asteroid (101955) Bennu is a B-type asteroid and a prime candidate for investigating the remnants of planet formation and enhancing our understanding of potential sources of crucial bio-essential elements for the early Earth. Remote observations of the surface of Bennu unveiled a terrain of boulders primarily composed of hydrated phyllosilicates, organic molecules, and carbonates. The hydrated nature of Bennu, the abundance of carbonates, and the presence of cm-scale carbonate veins provide clues to the nature of the building blocks of Bennu’s parent body and to its complex geological history. Here we present the first mineralogical, chemical, and isotopic results of analysis of phosphates in samples returned from Bennu by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission. We seek to test the hypothesis that heating of Bennu’s parent asteroid resulted in hydrothermal alteration in which melted ice reacted with the initial constituents.

J. J. Barnes↗
NASA NTRS2003

Comparisons and Contrasts Between Mediterranean Flood-Producing Orographic Storms and Tropical Cyclones Modified by Complex Orography

Often, late-year, flood-producing storms in the Mediterranean Alps region arise from baroclinic disturbances developing on westerly longwaves, with the incipient storm circulations appearing well west of the flood zone. Regardless of the genesis locations and before the storms begin their flow interactions with the orography of the Mediterranean Alps, a process which can produce intense long-lived rainfall over the mountainous terrain of Italy and France, most of their moisture is drawn from warm Mediterranean waters while important elements of their thermodynamic structure are derived from airmass properties originating in north Africa and the Mediterranean basin itself. In fact, because of strong thermodynamic contrasts between the baroclinic zone producing the incipient disturbance and high potential temperature air from the south advecting into and wrapping around the storm center, a Mediterranean storm whose origins are from an evolving shortwave baroclinic perturbation, can become a quasi-warm core hybrid in term of its energetics composition, a process somewhat akin to the development of polar lows. This process begs the question of whether there are similarities between the autumn-winter season flood producing storms of the Mediterranean Alps and warm core tropical cyclones which become altered dynamically and thermodynamically by landfall over steep orographic terrain. This study investigates, from a comparison and contrast perspective, how the similarities and differences between the two types of storms manifest themselves over their respective life cycles. Before the orographically-induced precipitation-release stage in which both types of storm have evolved to the same hydrometeorlogical conclusion, the two storm categories are transforming from entirely distinctive origins, i.e., the classic eastward traveling, baroclinic mid-latitude cyclone forming in western Europe, and the classic eastward-traveling, warm core tropical cyclone developing in the western Pacific. The analyses use high resolution, nonhydrostatic model simulations, satellite data, and various types of ground data to conduct the study. The flood events of Piemonte- 2000 in northern Italy and Typhoon Rusa-2002 in South Korea are selected to focus the analysis on well documented meteorological events.

Smith, Eric A.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Phase difference statistics related to sensor and forest parameters

The information content of ordinary synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data is principally contained in the radiometric polarization channels, i.e., the four Ihh, Ivv, Ihv and Ivh backscattered intensities. In the case of clutter, polarimetric information is given by the four complex degrees of coherence, from which the mean polarization phase differences (PPD), correlation coefficients or degrees of polarization can be deduced. For radiometric features, the polarimetric parameters are corrupted by multiplicative speckle noise and by some sensor effects. The PPD distribution is related to the sensor, speckle and terrain properties. Experimental results are given for the variation of the terrain hh/vv mean phase difference and magnitude of the degree of coherence observed on bare soil and on different pine forest stands.

Lopes, A.↗
NASA NTRS1998

Martian Polar Region Impact Craters: Topographical Perspectives from the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter

The Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) has acquired over 100 topographic cross-sections of impact landforms in the polar regions of Mars as part of Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Science Phasing Orbit observations during the period from April to July, 1998. These MOLA topographic profiles offer the first three-dimensional perspectives of high latitude craters on Mars yet available, and provide evidence of landform geometries not previously recognized. Indeed, the relatively poor quality of Viking Orbiter images of many high northern latitude regions has allowed the MOLA data to provide insights into the cavities and ejecta topologies of non-degraded impact landforms that have clearly experienced interactions with condensates, either as part of their formation, or as a post-modification stage effect. Here we report a preliminary summary of the results associated with topographic measurements for a statistically significant population of impact features all of which lie north of 60N latitude. MOLA sampled four impact features with frost-related interior deposits, including the 81 km (diameter) Korolev feature. In several cases, there is evidence from near-centerline MOLA cross-sections of crater interior features (i.e., central peak or ice-dust deposits) that are anomalously large relative to the crater cavity. Central structures that make up more than 50% of the volume of a crater cavity are observed, suggesting that either substantial accumulation of mantling materials has occurred, or that crater excavation triggered production of volume-enhancing materials (ice?). Pedestal craters sampled by MOLA also attest to enhanced production of ejecta materials in high latitude terrains. For example, many of the pedestal craters suggest a volume of ejecta (Ve) to volume of cavity (Vc) ratio far in excess of 1.0 (i.e., over 3.0), even in cases where the floor of the cavity appears unfilled. Finally, the well-defined transitions between simple and complex craters observed in MOLA data for non-polar latitude impact features is not preserved at high northern latitudes (for non-degraded craters). This further suggests the role of target materials (i.e., frozen volatiles?) in the cratering process on Mars in such regions.

Garvin, J. B.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

The Troupe System: an Autonomous Multi-Agent Rover Swarm

Autonomous cooperative robotic systems are the future of space exploration. The complexity of such systems makes their development, verification and assurance challenging. The Robust Software Engineering group at NASA Ames has developed the Troupe project that aims to explore the design and development of a swarm of autonomous rovers tasked to perform autonomous exploration and mapping of an unknown terrain. In this paper, we showcase the system design, and accompanying verification and validation tools integrated in the Troupe system development life-cycle.

TROUPE↗
NASA NTRS1978

The characteristics of evolving mesoscale systems over mountainous terrain as revealed by radar and PAM

The paper deals with measurements made within the South Park area (which is located near Denver, Colorado, and is a natural genesis area for cumulus clouds) in July and August 1977, using powered aircraft, sailplanes, rawinsondes, boundary layer profilers, acoustic sounders, micrometeorological towers, lidar, research radar, triple-Doppler radar, and a square grid of surface meteorological stations. Extensive analysis revealed a very complex picture of thunderstorm-scale, large-mesoscale, and synoptic-scale interactions.

George, R. L.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Performance evaluation of a quasi-microscope for planetary landers

Spatial resolutions achieved with cameras on lunar and planetary landers have been limited to about 1 mm, whereas microscopes of the type proposed for such landers could have obtained resolutions of about 1 um but were never accepted because of their complexity and weight. The quasi-microscope evaluated in this paper could provide intermediate resolutions of about 10 um with relatively simple optics that would augment a camera, such as the Viking lander camera, without imposing special design requirements on the camera of limiting its field of view of the terrain. Images of natural particulate samples taken in black and white and in color show that grain size, shape, and texture are made visible for unconsolidated materials in a 50- to 500-um size range. Such information may provide broad outlines of planetary surface mineralogy and allow inferences to be made of grain origin and evolution. The mineralogical descriptions of single grains would be aided by the reflectance spectra that could, for example, be estimated from the six-channel multispectral data of the Viking lander camera.

Burcher, E. E.↗