Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “RESOLUTION”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 973 records · Page 54
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1991

Determination of atmospheric moisture structure and infrared cooling rates from high resolution MAMS radiance data

This program has applied Multispectral Atmospheric Mapping Sensor (MAMS) high resolution data to the problem of monitoring atmospheric quantities of moisture and radiative flux at small spatial scales. MAMS, with 100-m horizontal resolution in its four infrared channels, was developed to study small scale atmospheric moisture and surface thermal variability, especially as related to the development of clouds, precipitation, and severe storms. High-resolution Interferometer Sounder (HIS) data has been used to develop a high spectral resolution retrieval algorithm for producing vertical profiles of atmospheric temperature and moisture. The results of this program are summarized and a list of publications resulting from this contract is presented. Selected publications are attached as an appendix.

Menzel, W. Paul↗
NASA NTRS1991

Theoretical computation of trace gases retrieval random error from measurements of high spectral resolution infrared sounder

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the trace gas profiling capabilities of future passive high spectral resolution (1 cm(exp -1) or better) infrared (600 to 2700 cm(exp -1)) satellite tropospheric sounders. These sounders, such as the grating spectrometer, Atmospheric InfRared Sounders (AIRS) (Chahine et al., 1990) and the interferometer, GOES High Resolution Interferometer Sounder (GHIS), (Smith et al., 1991) can provide these unique infrared spectra which enable us to conduct this analysis. In this calculation only the total random retrieval error component is presented. The systematic error components contributed by the forward and inverse model error are not considered (subject of further studies). The total random errors, which are composed of null space error (vertical resolution component error) and measurement error (instrument noise component error), are computed by assuming one wavenumber spectral resolution with wavenumber span from 1100 cm(exp -1) to 2300 cm(exp -1) (the band 600 cm(exp -1) to 1100 cm(exp -1) is not used since there is no major absorption of our three gases here) and measurement noise of 0.25 degree at reference temperature of 260 degree K. Temperature, water vapor, ozone and mixing ratio profiles of nitrous oxide, carbon monoxide and methane are taken from 1976 US Standard Atmosphere conditions (a FASCODE model). Covariance matrices of the gases are 'subjectively' generated by assuming 50 percent standard deviation of gaussian perturbation with respect to their US Standard model profiles. Minimum information and maximum likelihood retrieval solutions are used.

Huang, Hung-Lung↗
NASA NTRS1991

Prediction of high-resolution flowfields for rotorcraft aeroacoustics

A new approach to the vortex wake of a helicopter is described. This approach makes it possible to obtain highly accurate resolution of the flowfield experienced by the tail rotor with modest computational effort relative to alternative models. A full-span free wake model of the main rotor in a scheme is presented which reconstructs high resolution flow solutions from preliminary simulations with coarse resolution. A new reconstruction method uses local velocity correction terms to capture the steep velocity gradients characteristic of the the vortex-dominated incident flow. The approach is considered to be successful in capturing the high resolution flows necessary for analysis of rotor-wake/rotor interactions with substantially reduced computational cost.

Quackenbush, Todd R.↗
NASA NTRS1992

A technique for enhancing and matching the resolution of microwave measurements from the SSM/I instrument

A correction technique is presented for matching the resolution of all the frequencies of the satelliteborne Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I) to the about-25-km spatial resolution of the 37-GHz channel. This entails, on the one hand, the enhancement of the spatial resolution of the 19- and 22-GHz channels, and on the other, the degrading of that of the 85-GHz channel. The Backus and Gilbert (1970) approach is found to yield sufficient spatial resolution to render such a correction worthwhile.

Robinson, Wayne D.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Obtaining high resolution XUV coronal images

Photographs obtained during three flights of an 11 inch diameter normal incident soft X-ray (wavelength 63.5 A) telescope are analyzed and the data are compared to the results expected from tests of the mirror surfaces. Multilayer coated X ray telescopes have the potential for 0.01 arcsec resolution, and there is optimism that such high quality mirrors can be built. Some of the factors which enter into the performance actually achieved in practice are as follows: quality of the mirror substrate, quality of the multilayer coating, and number of photons collected. Measurements of multilayer mirrors show that the actual performance achieved in the solar X-ray images demonstrates a reduction in the scattering compared to that calculated from the topography of the top surface of the multilayer. In the brief duration of a rocket flight, the resolution is also limited by counting statistics from the number of photons collected. At X-ray Ultraviolet (XUV) wavelengths from 171 to 335 A the photon flux should be greater than 10(exp 10) ph/sec, so that a resolution better than 0.1 arcsec might be achieved, if mirror quality does not provide a limit first. In a satellite, a large collecting area will be needed for the highest resolution.

Golub, L.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Linear mixing model applied to coarse resolution satellite data

A linear mixing model typically applied to high resolution data such as Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer, Thematic Mapper, and Multispectral Scanner System is applied to the NOAA Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer coarse resolution satellite data. The reflective portion extracted from the middle IR channel 3 (3.55 - 3.93 microns) is used with channels 1 (0.58 - 0.68 microns) and 2 (0.725 - 1.1 microns) to run the Constrained Least Squares model to generate fraction images for an area in the west central region of Brazil. The derived fraction images are compared with an unsupervised classification and the fraction images derived from Landsat TM data acquired in the same day. In addition, the relationship betweeen these fraction images and the well known NDVI images are presented. The results show the great potential of the unmixing techniques for applying to coarse resolution data for global studies.

Holben, Brent N.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Cartography of asteroids and comet nuclei from low resolution data

High resolution images of non-spherical objects, such as Viking images of Phobos and the anticipated Galileo images of Gaspra, lend themselves to conventional planetary cartographic procedures: control network analysis, stereophotogrammetry, image mosaicking in 2D or 3D, and airbrush mapping. There remains the problem of a suitable map projection for bodies which are extremely elongated or irregular in shape. Many bodies will soon be seen at lower resolution (5-30 pixels across the disk) in images from speckle interferometry, the Hubble Space Telescope, ground-based radar, distinct spacecraft encounters, and closer images degraded by smear. Different data with similar effective resolutions are available from stellar occultations, radar or lightcurve convex hulls, lightcurve modeling of albedo variations, and cometary jet modeling. With such low resolution, conventional methods of shape determination will be less useful or will fail altogether, leaving limb and terminator topography as the principal sources of topographic information. A method for shape determination based on limb and terminator topography was developed. It has been applied to the nucleus of Comet Halley and the jovian satellite Amalthea. The Amalthea results are described to give an example of the cartographic possibilities and problems of anticipated data sets.

Stooke, Philip J.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Resolution-enhanced Mapping Spectrometer

A familiar mapping spectrometer implementation utilizes two dimensional detector arrays with spectral dispersion along one direction and spatial along the other. Spectral images are formed by spatially scanning across the scene (i.e., push-broom scanning). For imaging grating and prism spectrometers, the slit is perpendicular to the spatial scan direction. For spectrometers utilizing linearly variable focal-plane-mounted filters the spatial scan direction is perpendicular to the direction of spectral variation. These spectrometers share the common limitation that the number of spectral resolution elements is given by the number of pixels along the spectral (or dispersive) direction. Resolution enhancement by first passing the light input to the spectrometer through a scanned etalon or Michelson is discussed. Thus, while a detector element is scanned through a spatial resolution element of the scene, it is also temporally sampled. The analysis for all the pixels in the dispersive direction is addressed. Several specific examples are discussed. The alternate use of a Michelson for the same enhancement purpose is also discussed. Suitable for weight constrained deep space missions, hardware systems were developed including actuators, sensor, and electronics such that low-resolution etalons with performance required for implementation would weigh less than one pound.

Kumer, J. B.↗
NASA NTRS1993

MR-CDF: Managing multi-resolution scientific data

MR-CDF is a system for managing multi-resolution scientific data sets. It is an extension of the popular CDF (Common Data Format) system. MR-CDF provides a simple functional interface to client programs for storage and retrieval of data. Data is stored so that low resolution versions of the data can be provided quickly. Higher resolutions are also available, but not as quickly. By managing data with MR-CDF, an application can be relieved of the low-level details of data management, and can easily trade data resolution for improved access time.

Salem, Kenneth↗
NASA NTRS1992

Studies of the field-of-view resolution tradeoff in virtual-reality systems

Most virtual-reality systems use LCD-based displays that achieve a large field-of-view at the expense of resolution. A typical display will consist of approximately 86,000 pixels uniformly distributed over an 80-degree by 60-degree image. Thus, each pixel subtends about 13 minutes of arc at the retina; about the same as the resolvable features of the 20/200 line of a Snellen Eye Chart. The low resolution of LCD-based systems limits task performance in some applications. We have examined target-detection performance in a low-resolution virtual world. Our synthesized three-dimensional virtual worlds consisted of target objects that could be positioned at a fixed distance from the viewer, but at random azimuth and constrained elevation. A virtual world could be bounded by chromatic walls or by wire-frame, or it could be unbounded. Viewers scanned these worlds and indicated by appropriate gestures when they had detected the target object. By manipulating the viewer's field size and the chromatic and luminance contrast of annuli surrounding the field-of-view, we were able to assess the effect of field size on the detection of virtual objects in low-resolution synthetic worlds.

Piantanida, Thomas P.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Ultrahigh resolution photographic films for X-ray/EUV/FUV astronomy

The quest for ultrahigh resolution full-disk images of the sun at soft X-ray/EUV/FUV wavelengths has increased the demand for photographic films with broad spectral sensitivity, high spatial resolution, and wide dynamic range. These requirements were made more stringent by the recent development of multilayer telescopes and coronagraphs capable of operating at normal incidence at soft X-ray/EUV wavelengths. Photographic films are the only detectors now available with the information storage capacity and dynamic range such as is required for recording images of the solar disk and corona simultaneously with sub arc second spatial resolution. During the Stanford/MSFC/LLNL Rocket X-Ray Spectroheliograph and Multi-Spectral Solar Telescope Array (MSSTA) programs, we utilized photographic films to obtain high resolution full-disk images of the sun at selected soft X-ray/EUV/FUV wavelengths. In order to calibrate our instrumentation for quantitative analysis of our solar data and to select the best emulsions and processing conditions for the MSSTA reflight, we recently tested several photographic films. These studies were carried out at the NIST SURF II synchrotron and the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory. In this paper, we provide the results of those investigations.

Hoover, Richard B.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Kinematic functions for redundancy resolution using configuration control

The invention fulfills new goals for redundancy resolution based on manipulator dynamics and end-effector characteristics. These goals are accomplished by employing the recently developed configuration control approach. Redundancy resolution is achieved by controlling the joint inertia matrix of the end-effector mass matrix that affect the inertial torques or by reducing the joint torques due to gravity loading and payload. The manipulator mechanical-advantage and velocity-ratio are also used as performance measures to be improved by proper utilization of redundancy. Furthermore, end-effector compliance, sensitivity, and impulsive force at impact are introduced as redundancy resolution criteria. The new goals for redundancy resolution allow a more efficient utilization of the redundant joints based on the desired task requirements.

Seraji, Homayoun↗
NASA NTRS1994

Resolution requirements for velocity gradients in turbulence

Since high resolution numerical simulations of turbulent flows, or experiments at high Reynolds numbers, represent a substantial investment in resources, the estimation of the minimum resolution required for the study of a given property has been the subject of continued interest. Different properties require, in general, different resolutions, and the present paper is dedicated to the requirements for the measurement of the probability distribution functions of the velocity gradients and, in particular, of their low order moments. The deviation of these quantities from the values corresponding to a Gaussian distribution was one of the first indications of the presence of Reynolds number-dependent intermittency and has been the object of recent interest as numerical simulations have become able to explore the distribution of gradients in the low Reynolds number range, while new experiments have extended the range to increasingly high Reynolds numbers. We will use progressive filtering of the results of numerical simulations of isotropic turbulence as a model for the effect of a sensor of finite size. The numerical issues will be addressed first to ensure that the simulations are fully resolved from the point of view of the velocity gradients. This will also give us an estimate for the numerical resolution required for the different quantities.

Jimenez, Javier↗
NASA NTRS1995

MODTRAN3: An update and recent validations against airborne high resolution interferometer measurements

MODTRAN, the Moderate Resolution Atmospheric Radiance and Transmittance Model, encompasses all the capabilities of LOWTRAN 7, the widely used 20 cm(exp -1) resolution radiance code, but incorporates a much more sensitive molecular band model with 2 cm(exp -1) resolution. MODTRAN contains many important elements that other band model based radiative transfer codes do not incorporate. It shares with FASCODE: spherical geometry, single and multiple scattering default atmospheric profile descriptors (gases, aerosols, clouds, fogs, and rain), and molecular continua (H2O, CO2, O3, O2, N2). In addition, it can calculate the solar/lunar direct and scattered radiation. MODTRAN3 was released to the general public in November 1994. It has several important features that the previous version, MODTRAN2, does not have. Chloro-fluorocarbon (CFC) and related heavy molecules (whose spectroscopic properties first appear on the HITRAN92 data base as temperature-dependent cross sections) have been incorporated into pseudo-band models, with provision for using both default and user supplied profiles. The addition of SO2 and O2 in the UV, along with upgraded ozone Chappuis bands in the visible is also part of MODTRAN3. An improved multiple scattering algorithm, the DIScrete Ordinate Radiative Transfer (DISORT) has also been incorporated into MODTRAN3. MODTRAN is very fast: simple timing runs of MODTRAN3 vs. FASCOD3 show an improvement of more than a factor of 100 for a typical 500 cm(exp -1) spectral interval and comparable vertical layering. Speed is an important consideration in heating/cooling rates calculations, where a large number of radiative transfer calculations are needed. The MODTRAN3 used in this study is based on HITRAN92, but as mentioned, above, it will be upgraded to HITRAN94 upon its release at the end of 1994. MODTRAN has been adopted by: some researchers in the AVIRIS program as one radiative transfer code to derive surface reflectance from AVIRIS measurements. The accuracy of the code is very important because any errors in the radiative transfer calculation will directly translate into errors in the derived surface reflectance. In this paper, the new solar irradiance calculated by Kurucz, which is adopted in MODTRAN3, will be presented. Recent validations of MODTRAN3 with airborne high resolution interferometer measurements over ocean will be discussed. Good agreeement between model calculations and measurements was achieved.

Anderson, Gail P.↗
NASA NTRS1994

High-resolution mid-infrared observations of NGC 7469

We present a high-resolution 11.7 micrometer image of the starburst/Seyfert hybrid galaxy NGC 7469 using the Hale 5 m telescope at Palomar Observatory. Our map, with diffraction limited spatial resolution of 0.6 sec, shows a 3 sec diameter ring of emission around an unresolved nucleus. The map is similar to the Very Large Array (VLA) 6 cm map of this galaxy made with 0.4 sec resolution by Wilson et al. (1991). About half of the mid-infrared flux in our map emerges from the unresolved nucleus. We also present spatially resolved low resolution spectra that show that the 11.3 micrometer polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) feature comes from the circumnuclear ring but not from the nucleus of the galaxy.

Miles, J. W.↗
NASA NTRS1994

A statistical analysis of the dependency of closure assumptions in cumulus parameterization on the horizontal resolution

Simulated data from the UCLA cumulus ensemble model are used to investigate the quasi-universal validity of closure assumptions used in existing cumulus parameterizations. A closure assumption is quasi-universally valid if it is sensitive neither to convective cloud regimes nor to horizontal resolutions of large-scale/mesoscale models. The dependency of three types of closure assumptions, as classified by Arakawa and Chen, on the horizontal resolution is addressed in this study. Type I is the constraint on the coupling of the time tendencies of large-scale temperature and water vapor mixing ratio. Type II is the constraint on the coupling of cumulus heating and cumulus drying. Type III is a direct constraint on the intensity of a cumulus ensemble. The macroscopic behavior of simulated cumulus convection is first compared with the observed behavior in view of Type I and Type II closure assumptions using 'quick-look' and canonical correlation analyses. It is found that they are statistically similar to each other. The three types of closure assumptions are further examined with simulated data averaged over selected subdomain sizes ranging from 64 to 512 km. It is found that the dependency of Type I and Type II closure assumptions on the horizontal resolution is very weak and that Type III closure assumption is somewhat dependent upon the horizontal resolution. The influences of convective and mesoscale processes on the closure assumptions are also addressed by comparing the structures of canonical components with the corresponding vertical profiles in the convective and stratiform regions of cumulus ensembles analyzed directly from simulated data. The implication of these results for cumulus parameterization is discussed.

Xu, Kuan-Man↗
NASA NTRS1994

A high-resolution survey of interstellar Na I D1 lines

We present high-resolution (0.5 km/s) spectra, obtained with the McDonald Observatory 2.7 m coude echelle spectrograph, of interstellar Na I D1 absorption toward 38 bright stars. Numerous narrow, closely blended absorption components, showing resolved Na I hyperfine structure, are evident in these spectra; such narrow components appear in both low halo and quite local gas, as well as in gas toward more distant disk stars. We have used the method of profile fitting in an attempt to determine column densities, line widths, and velocities for the individual interstellar clouds contributing to the observed absorption lines. The resulting sample of 276 clouds is significantly larger, and likely more complete, than several previous samples of 'individual' interstellar clouds, and allows more precise investigation of various statistical properties. We find that the cloud column density (N) and line width parameter (b) are not correlated, for 0.3 km/s approximately less than b approximately less than 1.5 km/s and 10.0/sq cm approximately less than log (N(Na I)) approximately less than 11.6/sq cm. The median b is about 0.73 km/s, the median log N is about 11.09/sq cm, and the median separation between adjacent components is about 2.0 km/s. All these are overestimates of the true median values, however, due to our inability to completely resolve all the component structure present in some cases; even at a resolution of 0.5 km/s, we may have discerned only 60% of the full number of individual components actually present. The one-dimensional dispersion of component velocities, in the local standard of rest, is approximately 8.6 km/s; the distribution of velocities is broader and displaced to more negative velocities for the weaker components. If 80 K is a representative temperature for the interstellar clouds seen in Na I absorption, then at least 38% (and probably the majority) of the clouds have subsonic internal turbulent motions. The range in N(H I) observed at a given N(Na I) increases as N(Na I) decreases below about 10(exp 11)/sq cm, so that N(Na I) becomes a less reliable predictor of N(H I) at low column densities. These spectra will be quite useful in future detailed studies of these lines of sight with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Goddard High Resolution Spectrograph (GHRS) echelle -- to determine accurate velocities and to reveal the detailed interstellar component structures that cannot be discerned at the 3.5 km/s resolution available with the GHRS.

Welty, Daniel E.↗
NASA NTRS1995

The mesoscale forcing of a midlatitude upper-tropospheric jet streak by a simulated convective system. 2: Kinetic energy and resolution analysis

A kinetic energy (KE) analysis of the forcing of a mesoscale upper-tropospheric jet streak by organized diabatic processes within the simulated convective system (SCS) that was discussed in Part 1 is presented in this study. The relative contributions of the ageostrophic components of motion to the generation of KE of the convectively generated jet streak are compared, along with the KE generation by the rotational (nondivergent) and irrotational (divergent) mass transport. The sensitivity of the numerical simulations of SCS development to resolution is also briefly examined. Analysis within isentropic coordinates provides for an explicit determination of the influence of the diabatic processes on the generation of KE. The upper-level production of specific KE is due predominatly to the inertial advective ageostrophic component (IAD), and as such represents the primary process through which the KE of the convectively generated jet streak is realized. A secondary contribution by the inertial diabatic (IDI) term is observed. Partitioning the KE generation into its rotational and irrotational components reveals that the latter, which is directly linked to the diabatic heating within the SCS through isentropic continuity requirements, is the ultimate source of KE generation as the global area integral of generation by the rotational component vanishes. Comparison with an identical dry simulation reveals that the net generation of KE must be attributed to latent heating. Both the IAD and IDI ageostrophic components play important roles in this regard. Examination of results from simulations conducted at several resolutions supports the previous findings in that the effects of diabatic processes and ageostrophic motion on KE generation remain consistent. Resolution does impact the location and timing of SCS development, a result that has important implications in forecasting the onset of convection that develops from evolution of the large-scale flow and moisture transport. Marked differences are observed in the momentum field aloft subsequent to the life cycle of the SCS in the 1 deg, 30-level base case (MP130) simulation discussed in Part 1 versus its 2 deg counterparts in that the MP130 simulation with higher spatial resolution contains from 14% to 30% more total KE.

Wolf, Bart J.↗