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At least 55 records · Page 3

Evaluation of the airborne imaging spectrometer for remote sensing of forest stand conditions

Five pairs of plots were established in forest stands with one of each pair trenched and covered to prevent precipitation from reaching the tree roots. High winds and falling limbs destroyed the covers on three of the plots. The two remaining plots were in a red pine plantation and in a natural stand of sugar maple. Trees in both plots developed levels of moisture stress more than nine bars higher than control trees on the dates of overflights with the Airborne Imaging Spectrometer (AIS) and the Collins' Airborne Spectroradiometer (CAS). Hemispherical reflectance from stressed and control trees was measured with a Beckman DK2A spectrophotometer. On the day of the AIS overflight, stressed maple foliage was less reflective than the control from 1000 to 1300 nm, but more reflective at wavelengths longer than 1300 nm. Pine foliage was less reflective than the control from 1000 to 1600 nm, but the difference was small at wavelengths longer than 1350 nm. AIS data collected showed brightness values for both maple and pine to be lower than for the controls from 1000 to 1300 nm. CAS data were used to determine the gain in species identification accuracy obtainable with high spectral resolution data.

Olson, Charles E., Jr.↗

Environmental monitoring for Space Station WP01

External contamination monitoring instrumentation for the Space Station work package one (WP01) elements, were imposed on the contractor as deliverable hardware. The monitoring instrumentation proposed by the WP01 contractor in response to the contract requirement includes both real time measurements and passive samples. Real time measurement instrumentation consists of quartz crystal microbalances for molecular deposition, ion gaseous species identification. Internal environmental contamination monitoring for particulates is included in both Lab and HAB modules. Passive samples consists of four sample mounting plates mounted external to the Space Station modules, two on the U.S. LAB, and two on the HAB module.

Zwiener, J. M.↗

Plasma observations near Neptune - Initial results from Voyager 2

The plasma science experiment on Voyager 2 made observations of the plasma environment in Neptune's magnetosphere and in the surrounding solar wind. Because of the large tilt of the magnetic dipole and fortuitous timing, Voyager entered Neptune's magnetosphere through the cusp region, the first cusp observations at an outer planet. Thus the transition from the magnetosheath to the magnetosphere observed by Voyager 2 was not sharp but rather appeared as a gradual decrease in plasma density and temperature. The maximum plasma density observed in the magnetosphere is inferred to be 1.4 per cubic centimeter (the exact value depends on the composition), the smallest observed by Voyager in any magnetosphere. The plasma has at least two components; light ions (mass, 1 to 5) and heavy ions (mass, 10 to 40), but more precise species identification is not yet available. Most of the plasma is concentrated in a plasma sheet or plasma torus and near closest approach to the planet. A likely source of the heavy ions is Triton's atmosphere or ionosphere, whereas the light ions probably escape from Neptune. The large tilt of Neptune's magnetic dipole produces a dynamic magnetosphere that changes configuration every 16 hours as the planet rotates.

Belcher, J. W.↗

The vibrational spectrum of H2O3: An ab initio investigation

Theoretically determined frequencies and absorption intensities are reported for the vibrational spectrum of the covalent HOOOH and hydrogen bonded HO---HOO intermediates that may form in the reaction of the hydroxyl and hydroperoxyl radicals. Basis sets of DZP quality, augmented by diffuse and second sets of polarization functions have been used with CASSCF wave functions. The calculated harmonic vibrational frequencies of HOOOH have been corrected with empirical factors and presented in the form of a 'stick' spectrum. The oxygen backbone vibrations, predicted to occur at 519, 760, and 870 cm(exp -1), are well separated from most interferences, and may be the most useful for the species' identification. In the case of the hydrogen bonded isomer, emphasis has been placed upon prediction of the shifts in the intramolecular vibrational frequencies that take place upon formation of the complex. In particular, the HO stretch and HOO bend of HO2 are predicted to have shifts of -59 and 53 cm(exp -1), respectively, which should facilitate their identification. It is also noted that the antisymmetric stretching frequency of the oxygen backbone in HOOOH exhibits a strong sensitivity to the degree of electron correlation, such as has been previously observed for the same mode in ozone.

Jackels, Charles F.↗

Exploratory investigations of hypervelocity intact capture spectroscopy

The ability to capture hypervelocity projectiles intact opens a new technique available for hypervelocity research. A determination of the reactions taking place between the projectile and the capture medium during the process of intact capture is extremely important to an understanding of the intact capture phenomenon, to improving the capture technique, and to developing a theory describing the phenomenon. The intact capture of hypervelocity projectiles by underdense media generates spectra, characteristic of the material species of projectile and capture medium involved. Initial exploratory results into real-time characterization of hypervelocity intact capture techniques by spectroscopy include ultra-violet and visible spectra obtained by use of reflecting gratings, transmitting gratings, and prisms, and recorded by photographic and electronic means. Spectrometry proved to be a valuable real-time diagnostic tool for hypervelocity intact capture events, offering understanding of the interactions of the projectile and the capture medium during the initial period and providing information not obtainable by other characterizations. Preliminary results and analyses of spectra produced by the intact capture of hypervelocity aluminum spheres in polyethylene (PE), polystyrene (PS), and polyurethane (PU) foams are presented. Included are tentative emission species identifications, as well as gray body temperatures produced in the intact capture process.

NASA Center JPL↗

Laboratory and field studies in rotational spectroscopy at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Rotational spectroscopy of atmospheric molecules has long been a hallmark of laboratory and field studies at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. in addition to maintenance of the millimeter and submillimeter spectral line catalog, the laboratory has actively purued the challenging laboratory tasks of quantitative linewidth measurements and transient species identification.

linewidths↗

Solutions Network Formulation Report. Integrating Salinity Measurements from Aquarius into the Harmful Algal Blooms Observing System

This Candidate Solution suggests the use of Aquarius sea surface salinity measurements to improve the NOAA/NCDDC (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration s National Coastal Data Development Center) HABSOS (Harmful Algal Blooms Observing System) DST (decision support tool) by enhancing development and movement forecasts of HAB events as well as potential species identification. In the proposed configuration, recurring salinity measurements from the Aquarius mission would augment HABSOS sea surface temperature and in situ ocean current measurements. Thermohaline circulation observations combined with in situ measurements increase the precision of HAB event movement forecasting. These forecasts allow coastal managers and public health officials to make more accurate and timely warnings to the public and to better direct science teams to event sites for collection and further measurements.

Anderson, Daniel↗

Technical Capability Upgrades to the NASA Langley Research Center 6 ft. by 6 ft. Thermal Vacuum Chamber

The 6 ft. by 6 ft. thermal vacuum chamber (TVAC), housed in Building 1250 at the NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC), and managed by the Systems Integration and Test Branch within the Engineering Directorate, has undergone several significant modifications to increase testing capability, safety, and quality of measurements of articles under environmental test. Significant modifications include: a new nitrogen thermal conditioning unit for controlling shroud temperatures from -150degC to +150degC; two horizontal auxiliary cold plates for independent temperature control from -150degC to +200degC; a suite of contamination monitoring sensors for outgassing measurements and species identification; signal and power feed-throughs; new pressure gauges; and a new data acquisition and control commanding system including safety interlocks. This presentation will provide a general overview of the LaRC 6 ft. by 6 ft. TVAC chamber, an overview of the new technical capabilities, and illustrate each upgrade in detail, in terms of mechanical design and predicted performance. Additionally, an overview of the scope of tests currently being performed in the chamber will be documented, and sensor plots from tests will be provided to show chamber temperature and pressure performance with actual flight hardware under test.

Thornblom, Mark N.↗

Technical Capability Upgrades to the NASA Langley Research Center 8 ft. by 15 ft. Thermal Vacuum Chamber

The 8 ft. by 15 ft. thermal vacuum chamber (TVAC), housed in Building 1250 at the NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC), and managed by the Systems Integration and Test Branch within the Engineering Directorate, has undergone several significant modifications to increase testing capability, safety, and quality of measurements of articles under environmental test. Significant modifications include: a new nitrogen distribution manifold for supplying the shroud and other cold surfaces to liquid nitrogen temperatures; a new power supply and distribution system for accurately controlling a quartz IR lamp suite; a suite of contamination monitoring sensors for outgassing measurements and species identification; a new test article support system; signal and power feed-throughs; elimination of unnecessary penetrations; and a new data acquisition and control commanding system including safety interlocks. This paper will provide a general overview of the LaRC 8 ft. by 15 ft. TVAC chamber, an overview of the new technical capabilities, and will illustrate each upgrade in detail, in terms of mechanical design and predicted performance. Additionally, an overview of the scope of tests currently being performed in the chamber will be documented, and sensor plots from tests will be provided to show chamber temperature and pressure performance with actual flight hardware under test.

Thornblom, Mark N.↗

FluidCam 1 & 2 - UAV-based Fluid Lensing Instruments for High-Resolution 3D Subaqueous Imaging and Automated Remote Biosphere Assessment of Reef Ecosystems

We present NASA ESTO FluidCam 1 & 2, Visible and NIR Fluid-Lensing-enabled imaging payloads for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). Developed as part of a focused 2014 earth science technology grant, FluidCam 1&2 are Fluid-Lensing-based computational optical imagers designed for automated 3D mapping and remote sensing of underwater coastal targets from airborne platforms. Fluid Lensing has been used to map underwater reefs in 3D in American Samoa and Hamelin Pool, Australia from UAV platforms at sub-cm scale, which has proven a valuable tool in modern marine research for marine biosphere assessment and conservation. We share FluidCam 1&2 instrument validation and testing results as well as preliminary processed data from field campaigns. Petabyte-scale aerial survey efforts using Fluid Lensing to image at-risk reefs demonstrate broad applicability to large-scale automated species identification, morphology studies and reef ecosystem characterization for shallow marine environments and terrestrial biospheres, of crucial importance to improving bathymetry data for physical oceanographic models and understanding climate change’s impact on coastal zones, global oxygen production, carbon sequestration.

Chirayath, Ved↗

Application of Lidar-Radar Combined Data Products during the IMPACTS 2020 Field Campaign

The Investigation of Microphysics and Precipitation for Atlantic Coast-Threatening Snowstorms (IMPACTS) is a three-year field campaign investigating the formation and lifecycle of banded, precipitation structures within intense wintertime cyclones impacting the highly-populated northeast United States. Unlike previous campaigns in the region, IMPACTS mission scientists have access to and coordinate the NASA ER-2 and P-3 aircraft to collect observations from both a remote sensing and in-situ perspective, respectively. For IMPACTS, the ER-2 aircraft was equipped with lidar (CPL), radar (CRS, HIWRAP, EXRAD), microwave radiometer (CoSMIR, AMPR) instruments, each with their own unique capabilities and limitations. Our on-going work effort aims to develop IMPACTS lidar and radar merged data products, which can be used to supplement the raw data sources, tease out additional aspects of the mechanisms underpinning wintertime cyclones, and enhance our understanding of microphysical properties in sensor overlap regions. Preliminary merged data products combine CPL lidar with any one of the NASA High Altitude Radar (HAR) radar products (CRS, HIWRAP, EXRAD) and represent these data as both normalized values and translated to reflectivity signal (dB). Continuing work will further refine our merged data product algorithm to provide additional information on hydrometeor species identification, ice crystal habit, and ice-water content, which will help IMPACTS achieve its mission goal of improving microphysical properties retrievals from both airborne and spaceborne platforms.

Stephen D. Nicholls↗

Acoustic space occupancy: Combining ecoacoustics and lidar to model biodiversity variation and detection bias across heterogeneous landscapes

There is global interest in quantifying changing biodiversity in human-modified landscapes. Ecoacoustics may offer a promising pathway for supporting multi-taxa monitoring, but its scalability has been hampered by the sonic complexity of biodiverse ecosystems and the imperfect detectability of animal-generated sounds. The acoustic signature of a habitat, or soundscape, contains information about multiple taxa and may circumvent species identification, but robust statistical technology for characterizing community-level attributes is lacking. Here, we present the Acoustic Space Occupancy Model, a flexible hierarchical framework designed to account for detection artifacts from acoustic surveys in order to model biologically relevant variation in acoustic space use among community assemblages. We illustrate its utility in a biologically and structurally diverse Amazon frontier forest landscape, a valuable test case for modeling biodiversity variation and acoustic attenuation from vegetation density. We use complementary airborne lidar data to capture aspects of 3D forest structure hypothesized to influence community composition and acoustic signal detection. Our novel analytic framework permitted us to model both the assembly and detectability of soundscapes using lidar-derived estimates of forest structure. Our empirical predictions were consistent with physical models of frequency-dependent attenuation, and we estimated that the probability of observing animal activity in the frequency channel most vulnerable to acoustic attenuation varied by over 60%, depending on vegetation density. There were also large differences in the biotic use of acoustic space predicted for intact and degraded forest habitats, with notable differences in the soundscape channels predominantly occupied by insects. This study advances the utility of ecoacoustics by providing a robust modeling framework for addressing detection bias from remote audio surveys while preserving the rich dimensionality of soundscape data, which may be critical for inferring biological patterns pertinent to multiple taxonomic groups in the tropics. Our methodology paves the way for greater integration of remotely sensed observations with high-throughput biodiversity data to help bring routine, multi-taxa monitoring to scale in dynamic and diverse landscapes.

Airborne lidar↗

The identification of excited species in arc jet flow

Spectrographic work done at the Atmospheric Reentry Material and Structures Facility (arc jet) located at the Johnson Space Center has led to the identification of several excited molecular and atomic states. The excited molecular states identified are: first positive nitrogen system, second positive nitrogen system, the first negative nitrogen system, the gamma system for nitric oxide, and the 306.4 nm system of OH. Excited atoms identified were nitrogen, oxygen, hydrogen, silicon, copper, sodium, barium, potassium, and calcium. The latter five are considered contaminants. Excited molecular states of oxygen were not seen, suggesting full dissociation of oxygen molecules to oxygen atoms within the arc column and nozzle. Further, evidence exists that O(-) may be present since a background continuum is seen, and because of the existence of positive species (first negative system of N2(+)). Interpretation of spectrographic plates was enhanced by the use of a microdensitometer, and by the application of a second order least squares routine which determined wavelength as a function of plate location. Results of this work will ultimately improve models used in the calculation of heat transfer rates to the space shuttle and the aerobraking orbit transfer vehicles.

Willey, Ronald J.↗

Identification of Carbonyl Species on Palladium Supported on Ceria in Complex Microenvironments

Herein, we present a systematic comparison between Pd carbonyl (Pd-CO) species, specifically over Pd/CeO 2 based catalysts, observed during isothermal adsorption and in several prototypical catalytic reactions to identify and understand CO adsorption on palladium-ceria based catalysts. Pd-CO is observed via DRIFTS to probe the gas-solid conditions, while ATR-IR is used to probe the affinity of Pd-CO under more complex solvated gas-solid-liquid conditions to discern the influence of the microenvironments for carbonyl adsorption. Here, we explore the presence of Pd-CO under several reactive environments, including CO adsorption, CO 2 + H 2 , CO + H 2 , CH 4 + CO 2 and CO under gas-solid-liquid media, highlighting reactions with notable Pd-CO formation. The differences between palladium carbonyls and carbonate species show that carbonyl species are much more affected via a shifting of the peak position than carbonates, which remain static irrespective of the immediate chemical environment. By following the rate of CO accumulation via K-M mode DRIFTS, we observe migration from linear, 2095 cm -1 , to bridge site, 1978 cm -1 , as a function of time under a static CO atmosphere. With the use of DFT, we discerned changes in Pd-carbonyl stretches due to both coverage effects of CO under simulated reaction conditions and temperature effects. Regardless of whether CO is formed as an intermediate or a reactant, the competitive adsorption of *H and *CO affects the binding strength of *CO at all temperatures, with low temperature favoring atop binding and high temperature favoring the more stable FCC Pd-CO site.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗