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At least 739 records · Page 41

Flight testing and frequency domain analysis for rotorcraft handling qualities characteristics

A demonstration of frequency domain flight testing techniques and analyses was performed on a U.S. Army OH-58D helicopter in support of the OH-58D Airworthiness and Flight Characteristics Evaluation and the Army's development and ongoing review of Aeronautical Design Standard 33C, Handling Qualities Requirements for Military Rotorcraft. Hover and forward flight (60 knots) tests were conducted in 1 flight hour by Army experimental test pilots. Further processing of the hover data generated a complete database of velocity, angular rate, and acceleration frequency responses to control inputs. A joint effort was then undertaken by the Airworthiness Qualification Test Directorate (AQTD) and the U.S. Army Aeroflightdynamics Directorate (AFDD) to derive handling qualities information from the frequency response database. A significant amount of information could be extracted from the frequency domain database using a variety of approaches. This report documents numerous results that have been obtained from the simple frequency domain tests; in many areas, these results provide more insight into the aircraft dynamics that affect handling qualities than to traditional flight tests. The handling qualities results include ADS-33C bandwidth and phase delay calculations, vibration spectral determinations, transfer function models to examine single axis results, and a six degree of freedom fully coupled state space model. The ability of this model to accurately predict aircraft responses was verified using data from pulse inputs. This report also documents the frequency-sweep flight test technique and data analysis used to support the tests.

Ham, Johnnie A.↗

Reliability measurement for operational avionics software

Quantitative measures of reliability for operational software in embedded avionics computer systems are presented. Analysis is carried out on data collected during flight testing and from both static and dynamic simulation testing. Failure rate is found to be a useful statistic for estimating software quality and recognizing reliability trends during the operational phase of software development.

Thacker, J.↗

Investigation of the application of HCMM thermal data to snow hydrology

All heat capacity mapping mission (HCMM) data needed for the investigation were received, including the imagery and CCT's for the April 1979 day/night registered data set for the Sierras study area. Three sets of excellent data for the Sierras study were received. Analysis of the earlier two sets (late May and mid July 1978) was completed. Initial examination of the latest imagery received indicates that the April 1979 data are the best quality HCMM day/night registered data of the three data sets. The thermal inertia imagery is particularly outstanding, appearing to contain much more detail and information than the earlier thermal inertia images.

Barnes, J. C.↗

Stratospheric temperatures during AASE - Results from STRATAN

Comparisons of temperatures from the research analysis STRATAN to radiosonde data, Meteorological Measurement System (MMS) data, and the National Meteorological Center (NMC) analyses are presented for the Airborne Arctic Stratospheric Expedition (AASE). The STRATAN analyses show consistent quality throughout AASE. The comparisons to MMS show that STRATAN more accurately represented low temperatures than NMC. This, coupled with forecast quality, show that STRATAN temperature fields are a valuable tool for diagnosing and forecasting polar stratospheric clouds.

Rood, Richard B.↗

Attitude Determination by Using Horizon and Sun Sensors

The Pointing and Alignment Workstation (PAWS) developed by Teledyne Brown Engineering (TBE) has successfully supported the first and second Atmospheric Laboratory for Applications and Science (ATLAS 1, 2) spacelab missions for NASA. The primary PAWS objective was to provide realtime pointing information to instruments whose line of-sight is dependent on Shuttle attitude and to study/quantify the causes and effects of Shuttle and payload pointing errors. In addition to Shuttle IMU attitude information, PAWS used atmospheric science sensors data to determine the spacecraft attitude. PAWS successfully achieved these goals by acquiring and processing data during the ATLAS 1, 2 mission. This paper presents the attitude determination algorithm real time processing, and results of post mission analysis. The findings of this study include the quality of the horizon sensor and IMU measurements as well as accuracy of attitude processor algorithm.

Huang, Allen K. H.↗

Interferometric Images of the Sunyaev - Zel'dovich Effect in Galaxy Clusters from z = 0.15 to z = 0.83

We describe the current results of a sensitive interferometric imaging survey of the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect towards distant galaxy clusters. Images of the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect -- a minute distortion imprinted on the cosmic microwave background radiation by scattering within the hot gaseous envelopes of galaxy clusters -- are obtained using 30 GHz receivers at the OVRO and BIMA millimeter interferometers; with these highly sensitive receivers and the interferometric method's natural suppression of many systematic errors, we have obtained high quality images of 18 clusters with redshifts ranging from Z = 0.l5 to 0.83, with a sensitivity of 25 microkelvin. When combined with x-ray imaging and spectroscopic data, analysis of these S-Z images provides an independent measurement of the cosmic distance scale Results from a joint analysis of the X-ray and S-Z data will be presented, and we will describe the constraints that S-Z effect measurements can ultimately place on Ho and Omega.

Joy, Marshall K.↗

Data Visualization and Analysis for Climate Studies using NASA Giovanni Online System

With many global earth observation systems and missions focused on climate systems and the associated large volumes of observational data available for exploring and explaining how climate is changing and why, there is an urgent need for climate services. Giovanni, the NASA GES DISC Interactive Online Visualization ANd ANalysis Infrastructure, is a simple to use yet powerful tool for analysing these data for research on global warming and climate change, as well as for applications to weather. air quality, agriculture, and water resources,

Rui, Hualan↗

Real-Time Parameter Estimation for Flexible Aircraft

A method for estimating aeroelastic stability and control derivatives for flexible aircraft is developed and demonstrated using flight test data for the X-56A subscale demonstrator. The method uses the equation-error approach with frequency-domain data, and can be applied post-flight or in real time during flight. The non-dimensional aeroelastic forces and moments and the explanatory variables (including generalized displacement, rate, and acceleration states for the vibration modes) are estimated using a finite element model and onboard sensor measurements in both a least squares and Kalman filtering framework. The data are then transformed into the frequency domain for parameter estimation using equation error. This method can result in a more efficient analysis than with other iterative methods, and can leverage existing statistical tools for model structure determination, data collinearity detection, combining multiple maneuvers or prior information, and others to improve model quality.

Grauer, Jared A.↗

An Overall Assessment of JPSS-2 VIIRS Radiometric Performance Based on Pre-Launch Testing

The Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) on-board the second Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) completed its sensor level testing in February 2018. The JPSS-2 (J2) mission is scheduled to launch in 2022 and will be very similar to its two predecessor missions, the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (SNPP) mission, launched on 28 October 2011 and JPSS-1 (renamed NOAA-20) launched on 18 November 2017. VIIRS instrument has 22 spectral bands covering the spectrum between 0.4 and 12.6 μm: 14 reflective solar bands (RSB), 7 thermal emissive bands (TEB) and one day-night band (DNB). It is a cross-track scanning radiometer capable of providing global measurements through observations at two spatial resolutions, 375 m and 750 m at nadir for the imaging bands and moderate bands, respectively. This paper will provide an overview of J2 VIIRS characterization methodologies and calibration performance during the pre-launch testing phases performed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) VIIRS Characterization Support Team (VCST) to evaluate the at-launch baseline radiometric performance and generate the parameters needed to populate the sensor data record (SDR) Look-Up-Tables (LUTs). Our analysis results confirmed the good performance of J2 VIIRS, in general as good as previous VIIRS instruments and all non-compliances are expected to have low impact on data quality. Key sensor performance metrics include the signal to noise ratio (SNR), radiance dynamic range, reflective and emissive bands calibration performance, polarization sensitivity, spectral performance, response versus scan-angle (RVS) and scattered light response. A set of performance metrics generated during the pre-launch testing program will be compared to both the SNPP and JPSS-1 VIIRS sensors.

Oudrari, Hassan↗

Comparison Analysis of the Eastern Range False Cape 915-MHz Doppler Radar Wind Profiler

The United States Space Force (USSF) is responsible for space vehicle launches at its Eastern Range (ER), which includes the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS). Multiple systems are used to measure the atmosphere at the ER, including suites of Doppler Radar Wind Profilers (DRWPs) operating at 915MHz that measure winds within the lowest few kilometers of the atmosphere. Observations of boundary layer winds can be used for multiple applications, including serving as input to toxic dispersion models and characterizing winds for low-level aborts. In fall 2020 the USSF requested NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) Natural Environments Branch (NE) to evaluate wind output from the False Cape(FC) DRWP system (MSFC NE 2021). In that analysis, it was found that data availability was low in the lowest few hundred meters of a profile, shown in Figure 1. To increase the available data, the USSF modified the quality control (QC) algorithm for the FCDRWP, which collected data from October 2020 to January 2021. In Fall 2021, the USSF requested NASA’s MSFC NE to evaluate the modified QC algorithm by comparing the data processed by the modified method (referred to as beam data) to data processed with the original QC method (referred to as original data). This report describes the system and the analyses that MSFC NE conducted to compare the availability and quality of data from the two QC methods

Maggire Fielder↗

Analysis of CO Transport from Australia Fires and Its Impact to Ozone, Water Vapor and Clouds Using CrIS Single-Field-of-View Sounder Products and Other Remote Sensing and MERRA-2 Reanalysis Data

Australia’s unprecedented fire disasters at the end of 2019 to early 2020 emitted huge amounts of carbon monoxide (CO) and fire aerosol particles, and the long-range transport of the smoke plumes poses great impact to climate change, such as altering the Antarctic ozone (O3) hole. Spaceborne observations from satellites have been proven successful in monitoring CO from wildfires in the past decade and can be used to examine the associated CO transport. The primary remote sensing data used in this study is the Single Field of View (SFOV) Sounder Atmospheric Product (SiFSAP) derived from the Cross-track Infrared Sounder (CrIS) on SNPP, a new product that will be generated at NASA and released to the public in a few months. SiFSAP has a high spatial resolution of ~14 km and includes atmospheric profiles of temperature, water vapor, CO, O3, as well as cloud products, and as the SiFSAP algorithm performs both day- and night-time retrievals, it provides an additional observation for night-time in comparison to the day-time-only solar polar satellite instruments such as MOPPIT, OMPS, and TROPOMI. Most recent significant improvements in the quality of this product plus its good spatial resolution (better than most global weather and climate models) enable us to conduct process-oriented analysis of CO transport, and the variation of water vapor, O3 and clouds (optical depth, effective radius and cloud height) within and around the fire plumes. The wind fields from MERRA-2 reanalysis will be used to help characterize the transport. Other remote sensing data, such as CO from AIRS, MOPPIT and TROPOMI, O3 from OMPS and TROPOMI, as well as the UV aerosol index from OMI and OMPS, will be used and compared with SiFSAP sounder products. Cross-validation of CO and O3 from these different sensors with the corresponding MERRA-2 products will also be carried out. Along the plume transport path, some enhancement of O3 and correlation between fire aerosol, cloud optical depth and water vapor have been found but need further investigation. Using the transport of fire plumes over the Southern Pacific Ocean as a unique testbed, this study will demonstrate the trace species monitoring capability of current satellite observations, in particular, for CO and O3, and hopefully, it will provide some insight on the impacts on fire emissions on air quality and climate.

Xiaozhen (Shawn) Xiong↗

The operational use of Landsat for lake quality assessment

A cooperative program between the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the University of Wisconsin for the assessment, with Landsat data, of the trophic status of all the significant inland lakes in Wisconsin is described. The analysis technique is a semiautomatic data acquisition and handling system which, in conjunction with an analytical categorization scheme, can be used for classifying inland lakes into one of seven categories of eutrophication and one of four problem types.

Scarpace, F. L.↗

Buckling tests of structural elements applicable to large erectable space trusses

Detailed data on columns and center a joint for completeness is presented. Buckling data for a tripod arrangement of these columns using a cluster joint is also presented. The objectives of these test are: (1) to gain insight into joint requirements for truss structure; (2) to assess the structural qualities of the column and center joint designs; (3) to investigate the restraint provided by octetruss core members (tripod) to the cluster joints; (4) to provide insight into the level of analysis required to predict buckling behavior of Gr/E nestable columns both as simple columns and in a tripod arrangement; and (5) to provide a data base for Gr/E nestable columns.

Heard, W. L., Jr.↗

Fractals and Spatial Methods for Mining Remote Sensing Imagery

The rapid increase in digital remote sensing and GIS data raises a critical problem -- how can such an enormous amount of data be handled and analyzed so that useful information can be derived quickly? Efficient handling and analysis of large spatial data sets is central to environmental research, particularly in global change studies that employ time series. Advances in large-scale environmental monitoring and modeling require not only high-quality data, but also reliable tools to analyze the various types of data. A major difficulty facing geographers and environmental scientists in environmental assessment and monitoring is that spatial analytical tools are not easily accessible. Although many spatial techniques have been described recently in the literature, they are typically presented in an analytical form and are difficult to transform to a numerical algorithm. Moreover, these spatial techniques are not necessarily designed for remote sensing and GIS applications, and research must be conducted to examine their applicability and effectiveness in different types of environmental applications. This poses a chicken-and-egg problem: on one hand we need more research to examine the usability of the newer techniques and tools, yet on the other hand, this type of research is difficult to conduct if the tools to be explored are not accessible. Another problem that is fundamental to environmental research are issues related to spatial scale. The scale issue is especially acute in the context of global change studies because of the need to integrate remote-sensing and other spatial data that are collected at different scales and resolutions. Extrapolation of results across broad spatial scales remains the most difficult problem in global environmental research. There is a need for basic characterization of the effects of scale on image data, and the techniques used to measure these effects must be developed and implemented to allow for a multiple scale assessment of the data before any useful process-oriented modeling involving scale-dependent data can be conducted. Through the support of research grants from NASA, we have developed a software module called ICAMS (Image Characterization And Modeling System) to address the need to develop innovative spatial techniques and make them available to the broader scientific communities. ICAMS provides new spatial techniques, such as fractal analysis, geostatistical functions, and multiscale analysis that are not easily available in commercial GIS/image processing software. By bundling newer spatial methods in a user-friendly software module, researchers can begin to test and experiment with the new spatial analysis methods and they can gauge scale effects using a variety of remote sensing imagery. In the following, we describe briefly the development of ICAMS and present application examples.

Lam, Nina↗

Use of the JPL Electronic Nose to detect leaks and spills in an enclosed environment

An electronic nose to be used as an air quality monitor in human habitats in space has been developed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. This device is capable of detecting, identifying and quantifying several organic and inorganic chemical species which might be present as contaminants in spacecraft air. The complete portable device, including sensors, electronics, and software for data analysis, has been extensively tested.

environmental monitoring↗

Sun and Sky Radiance Measurements and Data Analysis Protocols

This chapter is concerned with two types of radiometric measurements essential to verify atmospheric correction algorithms and to calibrate vicariously satellite ocean color sensors. The first type is a photometric measurement of the direct solar beam to determine the optical thickness of the atmosphere. The intensity of the solar beam can be measured directly, or obtained indirectly from measurements of diffuse global upper hemispheric irradiance. The second type is a measurement of the solar aureole and sky radiance distribution using a CCD camera, or a scanning radiometer viewing in and perpendicular to the solar principal plane. From the two types of measurements, the optical properties of aerosols, highly variable in space and time, can be derived. Because of the high variability, the aerosol properties should be known at the time of satellite overpass. Atmospheric optics measurements, however, are not easy to perform at sea, from a ship or any platform. This complicates the measurement protocols and data analysis. Some instrumentation cannot be deployed at sea, and is limited to island and coastal sites. In the following, measurement protocols are described for radiometers commonly used to measure direct atmospheric transmittance and sky radiance, namely standard sun photometers, fast-rotating shadow-band radiometers, automated sky scanning systems, and CCD cameras. Methods and procedures to analyze and quality control the data are discussed, as well as proper measurement strategies for evaluation of atmospheric correction algorithms and satellite-derived ocean color.

Frouin, Robert↗

A review of computer aided interpretation technology for the evaluation of radiographs of aluminum welds

Industrial radiography is a well established, reliable means of providing nondestructive structural integrity information. The majority of industrial radiographs are interpreted by trained human eyes using transmitted light and various visual aids. Hundreds of miles of radiographic information are evaluated, documented and archived annually. In many instances, there are serious considerations in terms of interpreter fatigue, subjectivity and limited archival space. Quite often it is difficult to quickly retrieve radiographic information for further analysis or investigation. Methods of improving the quality and efficiency of the radiographic process are being explored, developed and incorporated whenever feasible. High resolution cameras, digital image processing, and mass digital data storage offer interesting possibilities for improving the industrial radiographic process. A review is presented of computer aided radiographic interpretation technology in terms of how it could be used to enhance the radiographic interpretation process in evaluating radiographs of aluminum welds.

Lloyd, J. F., Sr.↗

Ground-based laser DIAL system for long-term measurements of stratospheric ozone

A ground-based differential absorption lidar system has been implemented to make long-term, precise measurements of stratospheric ozone concentration profiles from about 20 to 50 km altitude. This lidar is located at an elevation of 2300 m in the San Gabriel Mountains, Southern California, and has been in operation since January 1988. A high power (100-W) excimer laser system and a 90-cm diam telescope are used to achieve the desired performance levels. This paper describes the implementation of the system and its operation including the procedures for data analysis. Examples of ozone profiles measured, and intercomparisons with measurements made by other instruments, are presented which show that the lidar, in its present configuration, is capable of producing high quality ozone measurements from 20 km up to at least 45 km.

Mcdermid, Stuart I.↗