Manned space flight network premission test aircraft systems description
Aircraft instrumentation systems for testing manned space flight network capability to support Gemini/Agena missions
MANNED SPACE FLIGHT NETWORK /MSFN/↗
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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.
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Instrumentation of sampling aircraft for measurement of launch vehicle effluents
An aircraft was selected and instrumented to measure effluents emitted from large solid propellant rockets during launch activities. The considerations involved in aircraft selection, sampling probes, and instrumentation are discussed with respect to obtaining valid airborne measurements. Discussions of the data acquisition system used, the instrument power system, and operational sampling procedures are included. Representative measurements obtained from an actual rocket launch monitoring activity are also presented.
Wornom, D. E.↗
Runway drainage characteristics related to tire friction performance
The capability of a runway pavement to rapidly drain water buildup during periods of precipitation is crucial to minimize tire hydroplaning potential and maintain adequate aircraft ground operational safety. Test results from instrumented aircraft, ground friction measuring vehicles, and NASA Langley's Aircraft Landing Dynamics Facility (ALDF) track have been summarized to indicate the adverse effects of pavement wetness conditions on tire friction performance. Water drainage measurements under a range of rainfall rates have been evaluated for several different runway surface treatments including the transversely grooved and longitudinally grinded concrete surfaces at the Space Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF) runway at NASA Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The major parameters influencing drainage rates and extent of flooding/drying conditions are identified. Existing drainage test data are compared to a previously derived empirical relationship and the need for some modification is indicated. The scope of future NASA Langley research directed toward improving empirical relationships to properly define runway drainage capability and consequently, enhance aircraft ground operational safety, is given.
Yager, Thomas J.↗
Activity of the 1998 Leonid Shower From the Video Records
Video observations of the Leonid shower aboard two aircraft in the 1998 Leonid multi-instrument aircraft campaign and from ground locations in China are presented. Observing at altitude proved particularly effective, with four times higher rates due to low extinction and low angular velocity at the horizon. The rates, derived from a total of 2500 Leonid meteors, trace at least two distinct dust components. One dominated the night of 1998 November 16/17. This two-day wide component was rich in bright meteors with r = N (m + 1)/N (m) approximately equal 1.5 (s = 1.4) and peaked at an influx of 3.1 +/- 0.4 x 10(exp -12) /sq m.s (for particles of mass < 7 x 10(exp -5) g) at solar longitude lambda(sub 0) approximately equal 234.52 (Eq. J2000). The other more narrow component peaked on 1998 November 17/18 at lambda(sub 0) = 235.31 +/- 0.01. Rates were elevated above the broad component between lambda(sub 0) = 235.15 and 235.40, symmetric around the current node of the parent comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle, peaking at 5.1 +/- 0.2 x 10(exp -12) /sq m.s. The population index was higher, r = 1.8 +/- 0.1 (s = 1.7), but not as high as in past Leonid storms (r = 3.0). The flux profile of this component has an unusual asymmetric shape, which implies a blend of contributions from at least two different but relatively recent epochs of ejection. The variation of r across the profile might be due to mass-dependent ejection velocities of the narrowest component. High rates of faint meteors occurred only in an isolated five-minute interval at lambda(sub 0) = 235.198, which is likely the result of a single meteoroid breakup in space.
Jenniskens, Peter↗
Instrumentation for measuring aircraft noise and sonic boom
Improved instrumentation suitable for measuring aircraft noise and sonic booms is described. An electric current proportional to the sound pressure level at a condenser microphone is produced and transmitted over a cable and amplified by a zero drive amplifier. The converter consists of a local oscillator, a dual-gate field-effect transistor mixer, and a voltage regulator/impedance translator. The improvements include automatic tuning compensation against changes in static microphone capacitance and means for providing a remote electrical calibration capability.
Zuckerwar, A. J.↗
Isokinetic Probe Total Water Content Measurements in the NASA Icing Research Tunnel with Supercooled Large Drop Conditions
An Isokinetic Total Water Content Evaporator (IKP2) was used to measure liquid water content (LWC) in the NASA Icing Research Tunnel (IRT) with spray conditions that ranged in LWC and cloud drop size spectra as characterized by the median volumetric diameter (MVD). The IKP2 measurements were made as part of an international collaborative effort to investigate the measurement of supercooled large drop (SLD) conditions in several icing wind tunnels. This report focuses on the IKP2 and background water vapor (BWV) measurements made within the NASA IRT during the October 2017 test entry. The IKP2 TWC results are compared to the IRT LWC calibration values for a range of LWC and MVD values. The IRT LWC calibration is based on measurements from a multi-element hot-wire probe. In general, the IKP2 TWC values were approximately 9% greater than the IRT LWC calibration values over a range of LWC from 0.4 g/m3 to 3.0 g/m3. The ratio of IKP2 TWC to IRT LWC calibration ranged from approximately 0.9 to 1.27 over a range of MVD from 15µm to 460 µm. Comparisons of this data set to IKP2 data from a 2014 IRT test entry show similar results in the regions where overlaps occurred. The results support the theory and observations of water mass loss from hot-wire TWC sensors when subjected to large MVD conditions.
Icing cloud instruments↗
Comparison of GOES-Retrieved and In Situ Measurements of Deep Convective Anvil Cloud Microphysical Properties During the Tropical Composition, Cloud and Climate Coupling Experiment (TC(sup 4))
One of the main goals of the Tropical Composition, Cloud and Climate Coupling Experiment (TC(sup 4)) during July and August 2007 was to gain a better understanding of the formation and life cycle of cirrus clouds in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere and how their presence affects the exchange of water vapor between these layers. Additionally, it is important to compare in situ measurements taken by aircraft instruments with products derived from satellite observations and find a meaningful way to interpret the results. In this study, cloud properties derived using radiance measurements from the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) imagers are compared to similar quantities from aircraft in situ observations and are examined for meaningful relationships. A new method using dual \angle satellite measurements is used to derive the ice water content (IWC) for the top portion of deep convective clouds and anvils. The results show the in situ and remotely sensed mean microphysical properties agree to within approx.10 microns in the top few kilometers of thick anvils despite the vastly different temporal and spatial resolutions of the aircraft and satellite instruments. Mean particle size and IWC are shown to increase with decreasing altitude in the top few kilometers of the cloud. Given these relationships, it may be possible to derive parameterizations for effective particle size and IWC as a function of altitude from satellite observations
Yost, Christoher R.↗
Microphysics and Radiative Properties of Cirrus: Instrumentation and Analysis
Work under this grant has involved further development of a new aircraft instrument (the cloudscope) for real time characterization of atmospheric particulates together with field observations of such particulates, both in the form of ice and also as nuclei responsible for nucleation of both ice and water cloud particles. Part of the work involving assessment of the frequency of ice crystal shapes has been carried out in collaboration with the Meteorological Service of Canada; part of the work in a field program with the NCAR C-130. Part of the work has been interpreted in terms of laboratory simulation of ice crystal growth under a wide variety of conditions carried out under a grant from Physical Meteorology Program, National Science Foundation.
Hallett, John↗
Analytic Solution to the Problem of Aircraft Electric Field Mill Calibration
It is by no means a simple task to retrieve storm electric fields from an aircraft instrumented with electric field mill sensors. The presence of the aircraft distorts the ambient field in a complicated way. Before retrievals of the storm field can be made, the field mill measurement system must be "calibrated". In other words, a relationship between impressed (i.e., ambient) electric field and mill output must be established. If this relationship can be determined, it is mathematically inverted so that ambient field can be inferred from the mill outputs. Previous studies have primarily focused on linear theories where the relationship between ambient field and mill output is described by a "calibration matrix" M. Each element of the matrix describes how a particular component of the ambient field is enhanced by the aircraft. For example the product M(sub ix), E(sub x), is the contribution of the E(sub x) field to the i(th) mill output. Similarly, net aircraft charge (described by a "charge field component" E(sub q)) contributes an amount M(sub iq)E(sub q) to the output of the i(th) sensor. The central difficulty in obtaining M stems from the fact that the impressed field (E(sub x), E(sub y), E(sub z), E(sub q) is not known but is instead estimated. Typically, the aircraft is flown through a series of roll and pitch maneuvers in fair weather, and the values of the fair weather field and aircraft charge are estimated at each point along the aircraft trajectory. These initial estimates are often highly inadequate, but several investigators have improved the estimates by implementing various (ad hoc) iterative methods. Unfortunately, none of the iterative methods guarantee absolute convergence to correct values (i.e., absolute convergence to correct values has not been rigorously proven). In this work, the mathematical problem is solved directly by analytic means. For m mills installed on an arbitrary aircraft, it is shown that it is possible to solve for a single 2m-vector that provides all other needed variables (i.e., the unknown fair weather field, the unknown aircraft charge, and the unknown matrix M). Numerical tests of the solution, effects of measurement errors, and studies of solution non-uniqueness are ongoing as of this writing.
Koshak, William↗
Application of Fiber Optic Instrumentation
Fiber optic sensing technology has emerged in recent years offering tremendous advantages over conventional aircraft instrumentation systems. The advantages of fiber optic sensors over their conventional counterparts are well established; they are lighter, smaller, and can provide enormous numbers of measurements at a fraction of the total sensor weight. After a brief overview of conventional and fiber-optic sensing technology, this paper presents an overview of the research that has been conducted at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center in recent years to advance this promising new technology. Research and development areas include system and algorithm development, sensor characterization and attachment, and real-time experimentally-derived parameter monitoring for ground- and flight-based applications. The vision of fiber optic smart structure technology is presented and its potential benefits to aerospace vehicles throughout the lifecycle, from preliminary design to final retirement, are presented.
Richards, William Lance↗
YO-3A acoustics research aircraft systems manual
The flight testing techniques, equipment, and procedures employed during air-to-air acoustic testing of helicopters using the NASA YO-3A Acoustic Research Aircraft are discussed. The research aircraft instrumentation system is described as well as hardware installation on the test aircraft and techniques used during the tests. Emphasis is placed on formation flying, position locations, test matrices, and test procedures.
Cross, J. L.↗
How well can we Measure the Vertical Profile of Tropospheric Aerosol Extinction?
The recent Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Aerosol Intensive Operations Period (MOP, May 2003) yielded one of the best measurement sets obtained to-date to assess our ability to measure the vertical profile of ambient aerosol extinction sigma(sub ep)(lambda) in the lower troposphere. During one month, a heavily instrumented aircraft with well characterized aerosol sampling ability carrying well proven and new aerosol instrumentation, devoted most of the 60 available flight hours to flying vertical profiles over the heavily instrumented ARM Southern Great Plains (SGP) Climate Research Facility (CRF). This allowed us to compare vertical extinction profiles obtained from 6 different instuments: airborne Sun photometer (AATS-14), airborne nephelometer/absorption photometer, airborne cavity ring-down system, ground-based Raman lidar and 2 ground-based elastic backscatter lidars. We find the in-situ measured sigma(sub ep)(lambda) to be lower than the AATS-14 derived values. Bias differences are 0.002 - 0.004 K/m equivalent to 12-17% in the visible, or 45% in the near-infrared. On the other hand, we find that with respect to AATS-14, the lidar sigma(sub ep)(lambda) are higher. An unnoticed loss of sensitivity of the Raman lidar had occurred leading up to AIOP and we expect better agreement from the recently restored system looking at the collective results from 6 field campaigns conducted since 1996, airborne in situ measurements of sigma(sub ep)(lambda) tend to be biased slightly low (17% at visible wavelengths) when compared to airborne Sun photometer sigma(sub ep)(lambda). On the other hand, sigma(sub ep)(lambda) values derived from lidars tend to have no or positive biases. From the bias differences we conclude that the typical systematic error associated with measuring the tropospheric vertical profile of the ambient aerosol extinction with current state of-the art instrumentation is 15-20% at visible wavelengths and potentially larger in the UV and near-infrared.
Schmid, Beat↗
Advanced Passive Microwave Radiometer Technology for GPM Mission
An interferometer-type passive microwave radiometer based on MMIC receiver technology and a thinned array antenna design is being developed under the Instrument Incubator Program (TIP) on a project entitled the Lightweight Rainfall Radiometer (LRR). The prototype single channel aircraft instrument will be ready for first testing in 2nd quarter 2003, for deployment on the NASA DC-8 aircraft and in a ground configuration manner; this version measures at 10.7 GHz in a crosstrack imaging mode. The design for a two (2) frequency preliminary space flight model at 19 and 35 GHz (also in crosstrack imaging mode) has also been completed, in which the design features would enable it to fly in a bore-sighted configuration with a new dual-frequency space radar (DPR) under development at the Communications Research Laboratory (CRL) in Tokyo, Japan. The DPR will be flown as one of two primary instruments on the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission's core satellite in the 2007 time frame. The dual frequency space flight design of the ERR matches the APR frequencies and will be proposed as an ancillary instrument on the GPM core satellite to advance space-based precipitation measurement by enabling better microphysical characterization and coincident volume data gathering for exercising combined algorithm techniques which make use of both radar backscatter and radiometer attenuation information to constrain rainrate solutions within a physical algorithm context. This talk will discuss the design features, performance capabilities, applications plans, and conical/polarametric imaging possibilities for the LRR, as well as a brief summary of the project status and schedule.
Smith, Eric A.↗
Development and characteristics of free convection in the clear air as seen by radar and aircraft
Observations of the development of a convective field in clear air were made simultaneously using radar and an instrumented aircraft. The growth of the field as seen by the radar was compared with the characteristics of the temperature and humidity measurements made by aircraft at various times and locations within the convective depth. Probability distributions of the temperature and mixing ratio fluctuations exhibit distinct, identifiable characteristics for different regions within the field. The altitude of the aircraft measurement, referenced to the maximum altitude of the convective field at the time of the measurement, was found to be a usable parameter in the comparison of aircraft data and in the characterization of convective field growth. Using the relative height parameter, it was found that the area covered by convective cells (modified air) varies linearly with height in the upper reaches of the convective field. The characteristics of individual cells as seen by the radar and as deduced from the aircraft measurements are also discussed.
Konrad, T. G.↗
Preliminary flight investigation of dynamic phenomena within air breathing propulsion systems of supersonic aircraft.
F-111A and XB-70A aircraft instrumentation systems used to investigate dynamic response within air breathing propulsion systems of supersonic aircraft
Bellman, D. R.↗
The Shuttle Imaging Spectrometer Experiment (SISEX)
The concept of the imaging spectrometer is becoming established as a major new thrust in remote sensing of the earth. For several years, JPL has operated the airborne imaging spectrometer on a NASA C-130; this instrument has demonstrated the direct identification of surface materials using imaging spectrometry. An advanced aircraft instrument, the airborne visible/infrared imaging spectrometer (AVIRIS), began operation on a NASA U-2 in 1987. The Shuttle Imaging Spectrometer Experiment (SISEX) was conceived as the next step in the sequence, and would provide a relatively inexpensive demonstration of the concept in earth orbit. This paper describes the design and development status of SISEX and the status of the enabling technology.
Herring, Mark↗
Development of a Two Dimensional Synthetic Aperture Radiometer at L-Band
A radiometer that uses aperture synthesis in two dimensions is being built as part of research under NASA's Instrument Incubator Program. The instrument development team consists of engineers at the Goddard Space Flight Center, the University of Massachusetts and Quadrant Engineering. This will be an aircraft instrument operating at L-band which builds on the heritage of ESTAR. The choice of L-band was made because the problem of achieving adequate resolution in space is most critical at this wavelength and because a polarimetric, conical scanning airborne radiometer for future experiments to validate soil moisture and ocean salinity retrieval algorithms is not currently available. The instrument will be designed to fly on the NASA P-3 aircraft in a nadir pointing mode, although other options are possible. The antenna will consist of an array of modules arranged in a rectangular grid. Each module will be comprised of a printed circuit dual-polarized patch and integrated receiver. The distribution of modules within the rectangular array will be adjustable so that several different imaging configurations (e.g. "+","Y", "T") can be employed. The integrated receiver will provide amplification and conversion to IF. The IF signal will be routed to a processor where the required correlations performed. The I and Q channels will be created digitally and the correlations will be done digitally in this processor. The digitization will be done with sufficient bits to study the effects of quantization on radiometer performance. A computer/controller will store the data for conversion to an image and will also perform temperature control and other data interfacing and housekeeping tasks. The instrument is currently in the bread boarding phase of development. A design of the critical components has been completed and hardware is being assembled to test the individual elements. It is expected that a complete 2-channel correlator will be tested by the summer of 2000 and that the complete instrument will be ready for flight tests the following summer (2001).
LeVine, D. M.↗
Development of a Two Dimensional Synthetic Aperture Radiometer at L-Band
A radiometer that uses aperture synthesis in two dimensions is being built as part of research under NASA's Instrument Incubator Program. The instrument development team consists of engineers at the Goddard Space Flight Center, the University of Massachusetts and Quadrant Engineering. This will be an aircraft instrument operating at L-band which builds on the heritage of Electronically Steered Thinned Array Radiometer (ESTAR). This instrument is a next step in the development of aperture synthesis (STAR technology) to meet the goal of a future mission to monitor soil moisture globally from space. The instrument will be designed to fly on the NASA P-3 aircraft in a nadir pointing mode, although other options are possible. The antenna will consist of an array of modules in a rectangular grid. Each module will be comprised of a printed circuit dual-polarized patch and integrated receiver. The distribution of modules within the rectangular array will be adjustable so that several different imaging configurations (e.g. '+', 'Y', 'T') can be employed. The integrated receiver will provide amplification and conversion to infrared (IF). The IF signal will be routed to a processor where the required correlations performed. The I and Q channels will be created digitally and the correlations will be done digitally in this processor. The digitization will be done with sufficient bits to study the effects of quantization on radiometer performance. A computer/controller will store the data for conversion to an image and will also perform temperature control and other data interfacing and housekeeping tasks. The design of critical components has been completed and hardware is being assembled to test the individual elements. It is expected that a complete two-channel correlator will be tested by the end of 2000 and that the complete instrument will be ready for flight tests the following summer (2001).
LeVine, D. M.↗