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At least 883 records · Page 49

High accuracy pointing for earth observation experiments

An evaluation of mission requirements for postulated earth observation orbital payload experiments has indicated that high accuracy pointing and stabilization must be provided for adequate performance. A computer simulation has been conducted to determine the capabilities of an auxiliary pointing system which employs a combination of conventional gimbals and magnetic bearing actuators. This Annular Suspension and Pointing System (ASPS) is found to be a viable means of providing the high slew rates associated with landmark tracking from low orbit, while simultaneously achieving the high degree pointing and stabilization dictated by science payload requirements.

Keckler, C. R.↗

An assessment of the accuracy of orthotropic photoelasticity - Abbreviated report

A brief overview is presented of a comprehensive study whose aim was to assess the accuracy of orthotropic photoelasticity. Particular attention is given to calibration of the material, forward testing for global and local behavior, and backward testing for stress determination. The experimentally determined stresses were found to agree with the elasticity solution. It is concluded that orthotropic photoelasticity does not appear to have the resolution of its isotropic counterpart, this being a consequence of the inherent inhomogeneity of the material.

Hyer, M. W.↗

Obtaining One-Degree Accuracy With Shaft Encoders

Circuit converts output of 1-pulse-per-revolution shaft encoder to precise 360-pulses-per-revolution output. Circuit allows shaft angular position to be measured with 1-degree accuracy. With simple modifications, circuit provides higher or lower resolution from single- or multiple-pulse-perrevolution sources. Circuit used to synchronize aircraft beacon transponder-based plan-position indicator (PPI) display to remote host interrogator search antenna. Constructed using standard, commercially available components.

Franke, J. M.↗

Magnetic constraints on early lunar evolution revisited: Limits on accuracy imposed by methods of paleointensity measurements

It is impossible to carry out conventional paleointensity experiments requiring repeated heating and cooling to 770 C without chemical, physical or microstructural changes on lunar samples. Non-thermal methods of paleointensity determination have been sought: the two anhysteretic remanent magnetization (ARM) methods, and the saturation isothermal remanent magnetization (IRMS) method. Experimental errors inherent in these alternative approaches have been investigated to estimate the accuracy limits on the calculated paleointensities. Results are indicated in this report.

Banerjee, S. K.↗

Simulation Experiments on the Relative Accuracy of Inferred Atmospheric States from Idealized Wind and Temperature Profiling Systems

The First GARP Global Experiment (FGGE) led to the planning, design and implementation of a global observing system. Technologies as coherent CO2 LIDAR systems and highly sensitive IR detectors offer the potential of more accurate global spaceborne observation systems. The advent of super computers allows general circulation modeling and more sophisticated data analysis schemes. The consideration of advanced spaceborne systems better suited to meet the new emerging requirements are suggested. The Global Weather Experiment provides us with a new baseline to assess data accuracy and forecasting capabilities which is used for study of the incremental performance.

Halem, M.↗

Accuracy of System Step Response Roll Magnitude Estimation from Central and Peripheral Visual Displays and Simulator Cockpit Motion

An experiment to investigate visual roll attitude and roll rate perception is described. The experiment was also designed to assess the improvements of perception due to cockpit motion. After the onset of the motion, subjects were to make accurate and quick estimates of the final magnitude of the roll angle step response by pressing the appropriate button of a keyboard device. The differing time-histories of roll angle, roll rate and roll acceleration caused by a step response stimulate the different perception processes related the central visual field, peripheral visual field and vestibular organs in different, yet exactly known ways. Experiments with either of the visual displays or cockpit motion and some combinations of these were run to asses the roles of the different perception processes. Results show that the differences in response time are much more pronounced than the differences in perception accuracy.

Hosman, R. J. A. W.↗

The Accuracy of Radio Interferometric Measurements of Earth Rotation

The accuracy of very long base interferometry earth rotation (UT1) measurements is examined by intercomparing TEMPO and POLARIS data for 1982 and the first half of 1983. None of these data are simultaneous, and so a proper intercomparison requires accounting for the scatter introduced by the rapid, unpredictable, UT1 variations driven by exchanges of angular momentum with the atmosphere. A statistical model of these variations, based on meteorological estimates of the Atmospheric Angular Momentum is derived, and the optimal linear (Kalman) smoother for this model is constructed. The scatter between smoothed and independent raw data is consistent with the residual formal errors, which do not depend upon the actual scatter of the UT1 data. This represents the first time that an accurate prediction of the scatter between UT1 data sets were possible.

Eubanks, T. M.↗

Relative Accuracy Assessment of LANDSAT-4 MSS and TM Data for Level 1 Land Cover Inventory

Digital data for the Washington, DC scene simultaneously acquired by the LANDSAT-4 Multispectral Scanner (MSS) and the LANDSAT-4 thematic mapper (TM) was compared. Classification success for the TM and MSS data sets was determined by a per pixel comparison with digitized ground verification data (GVD). These GVD were comprised of Level 7 land cover (developed, agriculture, forest, water, wetlands, and barren) for four USGS 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle maps. The relative improvement in classification success for TM was between 11% and 14%, or about a factor of 1.3, for these data. This represents a meaningful improvement in accuracy for Level 7 land cover categorization for TM relative to MSS, particularly when errors of omission and commission were considered.

Middleton, E. M.↗

The accuracy of approximate solutions in the analysis of fracture of composites

This paper concerns the accuracy of three related mathematical models (developed by Hedgepeth, Eringen and Sendeckyj and Jones) used in the stress analysis and in fracture studies of continuous-fiber composites. These models have particular application in the investigation of fiber and matrix stresses in unidirectional composites in the region near a crack tip. The interest in such models is motivated by the desire to be able to simplify the equations of elasticity to the point that they can be solved in a relatively easy manner.

Goree, J. G.↗

Improved accuracy in solid isoparametric elements using selectively reduced integration

Currently COSMIC NASTRAN uses the same Gaussian integration order for every term in the stiffness matrix of the solid isoparametric elements. This results in overly stiff elements under some conditions. A modification to the CIHEXI, CIHEX2 and CIHEX3 elements is described which provides the user with the capability of controlling the order of integration for selected terms in the stiffness matrix. Examples of improved accuracy using selectively reduced integration be provided are provided.

Case, W. R.↗

On the accuracy of Cs beam primary frequency standards

A new and much more exact method for evaluation of the velocity distribution in 10 to the 15th power of the frequency of the clock. It seems feasible to improve the accuracy even further with better measurements. The evaluation of the C-field, however, is still limited to a few parts in 10 to the 14th power because of the uncertainties linked to the method used, and this uncertainty remains one of the major limitations of NRC's primary clocks.

Boulanger, J. S.↗

Accuracy of diagnostic heat and moisture budgets using SESAME-79 field data as revealed by observing system simulation experiments

Observing system simulation experiments are used to investigate the accuracy of diagnostic heat and moisture budgets which employ the AVE-SESAME 1979 data. The time-including, four-dimensional data set of a mesoscale model is used to simulate rawinsonde observations from AVE-SESAME 1979. The 5 C/day (heat budget) and 2 g/kg per day (moisture budget) magnitudes of error obtained indicate difficulties in the diagnosis of the heating rate in weak convective systems. The influences exerted by observational frequency, objective analysis, observational density, vertical interpolation, and observational errors on the budget are also studied, and it is found that the temporal and spatial resolution of the SESAME regional network is marginal for diagnosing convective effects on a horizontal time scale of 550 x 550 km.

Kuo, Y.-H.↗

Study of navigation accuracy for the proposed QUASAT mission

A covariance analysis has been performed for the proposed QUASAT, an earth orbiting radio telescope. Conventional (Doppler and range) and advanced (diifferenced and doubly differenced one-way range) radio metric data types are used to evaluate the navigation accuracy that can be achieved. It is found that the mission requirements are met by conventional data types, while advanced data types can provide an order of magnitude improvement with less measurements, provided the three NASA DSN stations are augmented by more closely spaced stations.

Jacobi, N.↗

On the accuracy of gravimetric geoids and the recovery of oceanographic signals from altimetry

The accuracy of measurements of gravity over the North Atlantic is assessed. The effect of errors due mainly to aliasing, of the distribution of available data, and of the unresolved geoid power on geoidal estimates is determined. A crude estimate of circulation in the North Atlantic is obtained by using the simplest of preconceptions: a reasonable rms value of zeta prime, the component of the surface expression of seawater motion corresponding to the general circulation.

Zlotnicki, V.↗

Radiometric accuracy of the Diffuse Infrared Background Experiment (DIRBE)

The Diffuse Infrared Background Experiment (DIRBE) is a cryogenically-cooled 10-band photometer with a large field-of-view (0.886 x 0.886 sq deg) which scans by rotation of the Cosmic Background Explorer about a spin axis. In-orbit calibration requires that the DIRBE detect and measure with precision the signatures of compact sources as they transit the field-of-view. Analysis of the conceptual optical design revealed that response of the 10 bands would vary significantly as a function of source position in the field-of-view, caused by anamorphic pupil distortion and field separation. The optical design reported in this paper is the result of changes which greatly improve the response uniformity and radiometric accuracy of the DIRBE.

Howell, B. J.↗

A new class of high accuracy TVD schemes for hyperbolic conservation laws

A new family of high accuracy Total Variation Diminishing (TVD) schemes has been developed. Members of the family include the conventional second-order TVD upwind scheme, various other second-order accurate TVD schemes with lower truncation error, and even a third-order accurate TVD approximation. All the schemes are defined with a five-point grid bandwidth. In this paper, the new algorithms are described for scalar equations, systems, and arbitrary coordinates. Selected numerical results are provided to illustrate the new algorithms and their properties.

Chakravarthy, S. R.↗

Accuracy of earth albedo estimates from wide-angle radiation measurements

The instantaneous resolution and accuracy that can be expected from two inversion techniques to be used in the Earth Radiation Budget Experiment (ERBE) are examined. It is shown that measurement errors are magnified by the numerical filter and that this magnification is a function of the magnitude of the inversion factor. By using singular value decomposition, these magnitudes can be reduced to improve the estimates. A simulation of the estimation process using an albedo field derived from scanning radiometer data shows that retaining 6 of the 13 singular values gives the best results. If there are no bidirectional model errors the medium-field-of-view data give the best estimates. However, when bidirectional model errors are considered, the wide-field-of-view measurements give better estimates since they are less sensitive to these errors.

Green, R. N.↗

The use of Landsat-4 MSS digital data in temporal data sets and the evaluation of scene-to-scene registration accuracy

The MSS sensor on Landsat 4 is, in certain performance aspects, diferent from those of Landsats 1 through 3. These differences created some concern in the NASA research community as to whether individual data sets can be registered accurately enough to produce acceptable data sets for multitemporal data analysis. The use of Landsat 4 MSS digital data in temporal data sets is examined and a method is presented for estimating temporal registration accuracy based on the use of an X-Y digitizer and grey tone electrostatic plots. Results indicate that the RMS temporal registration errors are not significantly different from the temporal data sets generated using Landsat 4 and Landsat 2 data (33.35 meters) and the temporal data set constructed from two Landsat 2 data sets (33.61 meters). A derivation of the model used to evaluate the temporal registration is included.

Anderson, J. E.↗