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At least 703 records · Page 39
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2011

Low-Latency Lunar Surface Telerobotics from Earth-Moon Libration Points

Concepts for a long-duration habitat at Earth-Moon LI or L2 have been advanced for a number of purposes. We propose here that such a facility could also have an important role for low-latency telerobotic control of lunar surface equipment, both for lunar science and development. With distances of about 60,000 km from the lunar surface, such sites offer light-time limited two-way control latencies of order 400 ms, making telerobotic control for those sites close to real time as perceived by a human operator. We point out that even for transcontinental teleoperated surgical procedures, which require operational precision and highly dexterous manipulation, control latencies of this order are considered adequate. Terrestrial telerobots that are used routinely for mining and manufacturing also involve control latencies of order several hundred milliseconds. For this reason, an Earth-Moon LI or L2 control node could build on the technology and experience base of commercially proven terrestrial ventures. A lunar libration-point telerobotic node could demonstrate exploration strategies that would eventually be used on Mars, and many other less hospitable destinations in the solar system. Libration-point telepresence for the Moon contrasts with lunar telerobotic control from the Earth, for which two-way control latencies are at least six times longer. For control latencies that long, telerobotic control efforts are of the "move-and-wait" variety, which is cognitively inferior to near real-time control.

Lester, Daniel↗
NASA NTRS1973

The first Earth Resources Technology Satellite (ERTS-1)

The first Earth Resources Technology Satellite (ERTS-1) makes images of the earth's surface in four portions of the electromagnetic spectrum with sufficient spatial resolution and with a minimum of geometric distortions, so that these images may be applied experimentally to the study of geophysical processes relating to earth resources, to the exploration and conservation of these resources, and to the assessments of environmental stresses. During the first six months of operation, ERTS-1 has imaged 6.5 million square kilometers of the earth's surface every day, covering most major land masses and coastal zones as well as both polar regions of this planet. These images as well as the results of their analyses are available to all people throughout the world. Scientific investigators of all countries have been invited to participate in the utilization of ERTS-1 observations. Many of them have already demonstrated the great efficiency, economy, and reliability of making earth surveys from space.

Nordberg, W.↗
NASA NTRS2007

Observations of Lightning on Earth from the Lunar Surface

The NASA Optical Transient Detector (OTD) launched into a 70deg inclination orbit in April 1995 aboard the MicroLab-1 satellite and the Lightning Imaging Sensor (LIS) launched into a 35deg inclination orbit in November 1997 (and still operating today) aboard the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission have produced the most comprehensive global observations of lightning activity on Earth. The OTD collected data for 5-yr from an altitude of 740 km while the LIS, in its 10th year of operations, is still collecting data from its current altitude of 402 km. From these altitudes the OTD observes an individual storm within its field of view for approx.3 min and the LIS for approx.90 sec as the satellites orbit the earth. Figures 1-4 show the combined LIS/OTD distribution of lightning for day and night during the Northern Hemisphere warm season from April through August (Fig. 1,2) and the cool season from October through February (Fig. 3,4) as might be observed from the lunar surface (12-h daylight and 12-h nighttime observations). The day and night plots are for the twelve hour periods centered on local noon and midnight. The total viewtime of the global lightning activity is 200 hours or less, depending on latitude (Fig. 5). Most of the observed lightning occurs over the northern hemisphere land areas as reported in previous studies. More lightning activity is seen at the higher northern latitudes during the day. The greatest lightning maxima occurs in the southeastern US, during the day. The corresponding region at night shows much less lightning activity. In contrast, there is a maxima in lightning activity at night over the high Plains area of the U.S. This region had lower lightning rates during the daytime period. During the cold season, the southern hemisphere has significantly more lightning. The maxima in Central Africa is still present, and a secondary maxima is observed in South Africa. In South America, the maxima in Argentina occurs at night in association with large-scale mesoscale convective storm complexes. This is the region on the earth having the greatest frequency of extreme storms with flash rates exceeding 1000 flashes/min. daytime maxima is seen extending from Northern Argentina to Brazil. In the US., the Gulf of Mexico and the Gulf Coast states exhibit a maximum in lightning activity both day and night.

Goodman, S. J.↗
NASA NTRS1980

A model of CO-CH4 global transport/chemistry. II - Preliminary calculation by 1 dimensional model

Calculations of the one-dimensional CO-CH4 transport/chemistry model were performed to investigate the sensitivity of the OH vertical profile to various factors. The boundary conditions at the earth's surface and the tropopause are discussed. The results show that the liquid-phase or soil-phase resistance dominates the mass transfer of both CO and CH4 between the atmosphere and the earth's surface. At the tropopause, the CO and CH4 fluxes are set approximately equal to the value at the previous time step in the numerical calculation. Photolysis rate coefficients that increase with altitude modified the OH vertical profile so that the maximum value was at midtroposphere altitudes. Increasing the CO concentration caused a decrease of the OH concentration, and the OH profile was very sensitive to the NO(x) profiles. The calculated OH profiles are compared with those from other investigations and also with some available measurements. Although the available measurements of the OH profiles are limited, the calculated OH profiles agree fairly well with them.

Kitada, T.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Electric and magnetic fields measured during a sudden impulse

The electric field in the ionosphere and the magnetic field at the earth's surface in the mid-latitude region were both measured during a sudden impulse. Ionospheric conductivities deduced from this data were consistent with expectations, thus suggesting that the fluctuations in the magnetic field at the earth's surface were caused by overhead ionospheric currents that were driven by an electric field associated with the sudden impulse.

Schutz, S.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Beryllium-10 in Australasian tektites - Evidence for a sedimentary precursor

Each of seven Australasian tektites contains about 100 micron atoms of beryllium-10 (half-life, 1.53 million years) per gram. Cosmic-ray bombardment of the australites cannot have produced the measured amounts of beryllium-10 either at the earth's surface or in space. The beryllium-10 contents of these australites are consistent with a sedimentary precursor that adsorbed from precipitation beryllium-10 produced in the atmosphere. The sediments must have spent several thousand years at the earth's surface within a few million years of the tektite-producing event.

Pal, D. K.↗
NASA NTRS1981

The effects of surface evaporation parameterizations on climate sensitivity to solar constant variations

The effects of two different evaporation parameterizations on the sensitivity of simulated climate to solar constant variations are investigated by using a zonally averaged climate model. One parameterization is a nonlinear formulation in which the evaporation is nonlinearly proportional to the sensible heat flux, with the Bowen ratio determined by the predicted vertical temperature and humidity gradients near the earth's surface (model A). The other is the formulation of Saltzman (1968) with the evaporation linearly proportional to the sensible heat flux (model B). The computed climates of models A and B are in good agreement except for the energy partition between sensible and latent heat at the earth's surface. The difference in evaporation parameterizations causes a difference in the response of temperature lapse rate to solar constant variations and a difference in the sensitivity of longwave radiation to surface temperature which leads to a smaller sensitivity of surface temperature to solar constant variations in model A than in model B. The results of model A are qualitatively in agreement with those of the general circulation model calculations of Wetherald and Manabe (1975).

Chou, S.-H.↗
NASA NTRS1998

Investigation of EM Emissions by the Electrodynamic Tether, Inclusive of an Observational Program (EMET)

Our TSS-1/R investigation, which we shall refer to as EMET in this report, was an integral part of the effort by the TSS-1/R Investigators' Working Group (IWG) to come to an understanding of the complex interaction between the tethered satellite system and the ionosphere. All of the space-borne experiments were designed to collect data relevant to the local interaction. Only the ground- based experiments, EMET and its Italian counterpart Observations on the Earth's Surface of Electromagnetic Emissions (OESEE), held out any hope of characterizing the long range effects of the interaction. This was to be done by detecting electromagnetic waves generated by the system in the ionosphere, assuming the signal reached the Earth's surface with sufficient amplitude. As the type of plasma waves excited to carry charge away from the charge-exchange regions of the system at each end of the tether is one of the theoretical points about which there is greatest disagreement, a definitive identification of tether-generated waves could mark significant progress in the so-called current closure problem of electrodynamic tethers. Dr. Mario Grossi of the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO) initiated the investigation, and his experience in the field of ULF-ELF waves and their detection was invaluable throughout its course. Rice University had the responsibility of setting up the EMET ULF-VLF ground stations under a subcontract from SAO. Principal Investigator (PI) for the Rice effort was Prof. William E. Gordon, who was primary observer at the Arecibo Observatory during TSS-LR. Dr. Steve Noble handled major day-to-day operations, training, and planning for the ground-based measurements. Dr. James McCoy of NASA JSC, a member of the Mona/Arecibo team, was pilot for the numerous flights ferrying personnel and equipment between Puerto Rico and Mona Island. Final responsibility for the measurements rested with SAO, and the activities of field personnel and SAO investigators were closely co-ordinated during the mission. Dr. Enrico Lorenzini of SAO served as the eyes, ears, and brain of EMET in the Science Operations Area and PI table during the mission, whenever the PI was absent during the round-the-clock mission operations. The Rice University final report to SAO, which is included as an Appendix, contains details of the remote sites, means of communication, sensors, etc., as well as the affiliations of personnel involved in the data-gathering effort.

Estes, Robert D.↗
NASA NTRS2016

Interactive Computing and Processing of NASA Land Surface Observations Using Google Earth Engine

Google's Earth Engine offers a "big data" approach to processing large volumes of NASA and other remote sensing products. h\ps://earthengine.google.com/ Interfaces include a Javascript or Python-based API, useful for accessing and processing over large periods of record for Landsat and MODIS observations. Other data sets are frequently added, including weather and climate model data sets, etc. Demonstrations here focus on exploratory efforts to perform land surface change detection related to severe weather, and other disaster events.

earth engine↗
DOE OSTI2024

Curl up with a good B : detecting ultralight dark matter with differential magnetometry

Ultralight dark matter (such as kinetically mixed dark-photon dark matter or axionlike dark matter) can source an oscillating magnetic-field signal at the Earth’s surface, which can be measured by a synchronized array of ground-based magnetometers. The global signal of ultralight dark matter can be robustly predicted for low masses, when the wavelength of the dark matter is larger than the radius of the Earth, $λ_{DM}$ $\gg$ R. However, at higher masses, environmental effects, such as the Schumann resonances, can become relevant, making the global magnetic-field signal B difficult to reliably model. In this work, we show that ∇ × B is robust to global environmental details, and instead only depends on the local dark matter amplitude. We therefore propose to measure the local curl of the magnetic field at the Earth’s surface, as a means for detecting ultralight dark matter with $λ_{DM}$ ≲ R. As this measurement requires vertical gradients, it can be done near a hill/mountain. Our measurement scheme not only allows for a robust prediction, but also acts as a background rejection scheme for external noise sources. We show that our technique can be the most sensitive terrestrial probe of dark-photon dark matter for frequencies 10 Hz ≤ $f_{A'}$ ≤ 1 kHz (corresponding to masses 4 × 10 –14 eV ≤ $m_{A'}$ ≤ 4 × 10 –12 eV). It can also achieve sensitivities to axionlike dark matter comparable to the CAST helioscope, in the same frequency range.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
NASA NTRS1980

Inverting x,y grid coordinates to obtain latitude and longitude in the vanderGrinten projection

The latitude and longitude of a point on the Earth's surface are found from its x,y grid coordinates in the vanderGrinten projection. The latitude is a solution of a cubic equation and the longitude a solution of a quadratic equation. Also, the x,y grid coordinates of a point on the Earth's surface can be found if its latitude and longitude are known by solving two simultaneous quadratic equations.

Rubincam, D. P.↗
DOE OSTI2024

Urbanization exacerbates continental- to regional-scale warming

Urbanization is usually ignored when estimating past changes in large-scale climate and for future climate projections since cities historically covered a small fraction of the Earth’s surface. Here, by combining global land surface temperature observations with historical estimates of urban area, we demonstrate that the urban contribution to continental- to regional-scale warming has become non-negligible, especially for rapidly urbanizing regions and countries in Asia. Consequently, expected urban expansion over the next century suggests further increased urban influence on large-scale surface climate in the future (approximately 0.16 K for North America and Europe for high-emission scenario in 2100). Based on these results, also seen for air temperature, we argue that, in line with other forms of land use/land cover change, urbanization should be explicitly included in climate change assessments. This requires incorporation of dynamic urban extent and biophysics in current-generation Earth system models to quantify potential urban feedback on the climate system across scales.

Chakraborty, TC↗
NASA NTRS2009

Feature Detection Systems Enhance Satellite Imagery

In 1963, during the ninth orbit of the Faith 7 capsule, astronaut Gordon Cooper skipped his nap and took some photos of the Earth below using a Hasselblad camera. The sole flier on the Mercury-Atlas 9 mission, Cooper took 24 photos - never-before-seen images including the Tibetan plateau, the crinkled heights of the Himalayas, and the jagged coast of Burma. From his lofty perch over 100 miles above the Earth, Cooper noted villages, roads, rivers, and even, on occasion, individual houses. In 1965, encouraged by the effectiveness of NASA s orbital photography experiments during the Mercury and subsequent Gemini manned space flight missions, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) director William Pecora put forward a plan for a remote sensing satellite program that would collect information about the planet never before attainable. By 1972, NASA had built and launched Landsat 1, the first in a series of Landsat sensors that have combined to provide the longest continuous collection of space-based Earth imagery. The archived Landsat data - 37 years worth and counting - has provided a vast library of information allowing not only the extensive mapping of Earth s surface but also the study of its environmental changes, from receding glaciers and tropical deforestation to urban growth and crop harvests. Developed and launched by NASA with data collection operated at various times by the Agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Earth Observation Satellite Company (EOSAT, a private sector partnership that became Space Imaging Corporation in 1996), and USGS, Landsat sensors have recorded flooding from Hurricane Katrina, the building boom in Dubai, and the extinction of the Aral Sea, offering scientists invaluable insights into the natural and manmade changes that shape the world. Of the seven Landsat sensors launched since 1972, Landsat 5 and Landsat 7 are still operational. Though both are in use well beyond their intended lifespans, the mid-resolution satellites, which provide the benefit of images detailed enough to reveal large features like highways while still broad enough for global coverage, continue to scan the entirety of the Earth s surface. In 2012, NASA plans to launch the Landsat Data Continuity Mission (LDCM), or Landsat 8, to extend the Landsat program s contributions to cartography, water management, natural disaster relief planning, and more.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2009

REFAME: Rain Estimation Using Forward Adjusted-Advection of Microwave Estimates

Sensors flying on satellites provide the only practical means of estimating the precipitation that falls over the entire globe, particularly across the vast unpopulated expanses of Earth s oceans. The sensors that observe the Earth using microwave frequencies provide the best data, but currently these are mounted only on satellites flying in "low Earth orbit". Such satellites constantly move across the Earth s surface, providing snapshots of any given location every 12-36 hours. The entire constellation of low-orbit satellites numbers less than a dozen, and their orbits are not coordinated, so a location will frequently go two or more hours between snapshots. "Geosynchronous Earth orbit" (GEO) satellites continuously observe the same region of the globe, allowing them to provide very frequent pictures. For example, the "satellite movies" shown on television come from GEO satellites. However, the sensors available on GEO satellites cannot match the skill of the low-orbit microwave sensors in estimating precipitation. It is perhaps obvious that scientists should try to combine these very different kinds of data, taking advantage of the strengths of each, but this simple concept has proved to be a huge challenge. The scheme in this paper is "Lagrangian", meaning we follow the storm systems, rather than being tied to a fixed grid of boxes on the Earth s surface. Whenever a microwave snapshot occurs, we gladly use the resulting precipitation estimate. Then at all the times between the microwave snapshots we force the storm system to make a smooth transition from one snapshot s values to the next. We know that a lot more changes occur between the snapshots, but this smooth transition the best we can do with the microwave data alone. The key new contribution in this paper is that we also look at the relative variations in the GEO estimates during these in-between times and force the estimated changes in the precipitation to have similar variations. Preliminary testing shows that this approach has enough promise that it should be developed and studied.

Behrangi, Ali↗
NASA NTRS2022

Intrinsic Dimensionality as a Metric for the Impact of Mission Design Parameters

High-resolution space-based spectral imaging of the Earth's surface delivers critical information for monitoring changes in the Earth system as well as resource management and utilization. Orbiting spectrometers are built according to multiple design parameters, including ground sampling distance (GSD), spectral resolution, temporal resolution, and signal-to-noise ratio. Different applications drive divergent instrument designs, so optimization for wide-reaching missions is complex. The Surface Biology and Geology component of NASA's Earth System Observatory addresses science questions and meets applications needs across diverse fields, including terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, natural disasters, and the cryosphere. The algorithms required to generate the geophysical variables from the observed spectral imagery each have their own inherent dependencies and sensitivities, and weighting these objectively is challenging. Here, we introduce intrinsic dimensionality (ID), a measure of information content, as an applications-agnostic, data-driven metric to quantify performance sensitivity to various design parameters. ID is computed through the analysis of the eigenvalues of the image covariance matrix, and can be thought of as the number of significant principal components. This metric is extremely powerful for quantifying the information content in high-dimensional data, such as spectrally resolved radiances and their changes over space and time. We find that the ID decreases for coarser GSD, decreased spectral resolution and range, less frequent acquisitions, and lower signal-to-noise levels. This decrease in information content has implications for all derived products. ID is simple to compute, providing a single quantitative standard to evaluate combinations of design parameters, irrespective of higher-level algorithms, products, applications, or disciplines.

Intrinsic dimensionality↗
NASA NTRS1984

Potentials for change detection using Seasat synthetic aperture radar data

The use of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images for detecting change on the earth's surface is highly dependent on target orientation, azimuth angle, and sensor depression angle. SAR data can be used for change detection when consistency is maintained in radar wavelength, polarization, azimuth directions, and off-nadir depression angle. The interaction of these parameters and the imaged surface for change detection are shown in examples drawn from (1) Los Angeles, CA, (2) southern Florida, (3) Imperial Valley, CA, (4) a desert region west of Tucson, AZ, and (5) western Kansas. SAR imagery is used to emphasize the geometric form, and roughness, of the earth's surface. As changes in the roughness of the surface occur over time, temporal SAR images will indicate those differences. Several guidelines for change detection studies using imaging radar are derived from the examples.

Bryan, M. L.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Effects of hydrodynamics and thermal radiation in the atmosphere after comet impacts

Radiation phenomena in the atmosphere after impacts of cosmic bodies have special features in comparison with the surface nuclear explosions. First, initial concentration of energy after the impact is lower, and second, a wake after the passage of the meteoroid through the atmosphere has a dramatic effect on the atmospheric flow and radiation transfer. Consequently, scaling laws can not be employed for prediction of the flow in the atmosphere and the light flux on the Earth's surface. If a density of high-velocity impactor is low relative to the ground, as in a case of a comet impact on rocks, a major part of the kinetic energy is converted to internal energy of dense hot vapors. But radiation effects can be essential even for fairly low velocities of the impactor. To clarify this issue we have undertaken calculations of 100-Mt explosions at the Earth's surface caused by small comets with velocities from 10 to 70 km/sec. That is, the initial concentration of energy has been varied. The calculations have shown that for velocities of the comet greater or about 20 km/sec a portion of energy emitted from the fireball exceeds 20% of the total energy of the explosion and this quantity does not change very much with the velocity. Other aspects of this investigation are discussed.

Nemchinov, I. V.↗
DOE OSTI2020

Anions Enhance Rare Earth Adsorption at Negatively Charged Surfaces

Anions are expected to be repelled from negatively charged surfaces. At aqueous interfaces, however, ion-specific effects can dominate over direct electrostatic interactions. Using multiple in situ surface sensitive experimental techniques, we show in this study that surface affinities of SCN – anions are so strong that they can adsorb at a negatively charged floating monolayer at the air–aqueous interface. This extreme example of ion-specific effects may be very important for understanding complex processes at aqueous interfaces, such as chemical separations of rare earth metals. Adsorbed SCN – ions at the floating monolayer increase the overall negative charge density, leading to enhanced trivalent rare earth adsorption. Surface sensitive X-ray fluorescence measurements show that the surface coverage of Lu 3+ ions can be triple the apparent surface charge of the floating monolayer in the presence of SCN – . Comparison to NO 3 – samples shows that the effects are strongly dependent on the character of the anion, providing further evidence of ion-specific effects dominating over electrostatics.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗