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At least 109 records · Page 6

Low-level gust gradient program and avialtion workshop effort

The Proceedings of the Workshop on Meteorological and Environmental Inputs to Aviation Systems, hosted by the University of Tennessee Space Institute, October 26-28, 1982, were prepared for publication. The Proceedings were submitted to FAA and will be distributed by August. Also, the proceedings of a one day workshop devoted specifically to wind shear and hosted during the same time frame were prepared and distributed. Plans for the 1983 workshop are proceeding extremely well. The workshop theme was established, the committee topics identified, and all ten committee chairmen contacted have agreed to accept their respective assignments. Additional logistics for the workshop are being carried out. The 1983 workshop is scheduled for October 26-28, 1983. Data gathered with the B-57B during the Joint Airport Weather Studies Project in Denver, Colorado, were analyzed. All runs for Flight 6 on July 16, 1982, were analyzed. Spectra, cross spectra and probability distributions were computed for each run. Also, Runs 10-14 of Flight 7 on July 15, 1982, were analyzed in similar detail.

Frost, W.↗

Recent results in the analysis of high-resolution infrared atmospheric transmission spectra

Long path atmospheric infrared spectra at 0.02 per cm resolution, as obtained by the University of Denver from balloon experiments will be presented. The spectra will be analysed in terms of quantifying atmospheric trace constituents. Identification of new atmospheric spectral lines will be demonstrated. Spectral regions which require further experimental and theoretical work for more accurate modeling of atmospheric transmission will be discussed.

Goldman, A.↗

Stratospheric N2O mixing ratio profile from high-resolution balloon-borne solar absorption spectra and laboratory spectra near 1880/cm

A nonlinear least-squares fitting procedure is used to derive the stratospheric N2O mixing ratio profile from balloon-borne solar absorption spectra and laboratory spectra near 1880/cm. The atmospheric spectra analyzed here were recorded during sunset from a float altitude of 33 km with the University of Denver's 0.02/cm resolution interferometer near Alamogordo, N.M. (33 deg N) on Oct. 10, 1979. The laboratory data are used to determine the N2O line intensities. The measurements suggest an N2O mixing ratio of 264 ppbv near 15 km, decreasing to 155 ppbv near 28 km.

Rinsland, C. P.↗

Applications of Doppler radar to aviation operations - JAWS experiences

The field phase of the Joint Airport Weather Studies (JAWS) Project was conducted in the vicinity of Denver's Stapleton International Airport from 15 May to 13 August 1982. The primary collection systems were three Doppler radars, a 27-station, closely spaced (4 km) network of surface stations, and five research aircraft. The program was specifically planned to observe wind shear phenomena with high time and space resolution that would be dangerous to aircraft operations. The program was successful in observing a large number of such events. Preliminary conclusions are presented on the effectiveness of several wind shear detection systems to warn of wind shear events critical to aviation safety.

Mccarthy, J.↗

An evaluation of Seasat SAR imagery for urban analysis

Digitally processed Seasat SAR imagery of the Denver, Colorado, area is analyzed with regard to the types of urban data that can be detected and/or inferred from satellite-borne L-band systems. Black-and-white images of the scene were generated at three scales to determine the advantages and detail discernible at each level of display. The large-scale imagery was density-sliced to evaluate the feasibility of producing a semiautomated land-cover classification from the SAR data. Gray level classes were assigned colors to aid interpretation and subsequently compared with the black-and-white images to assess the contribution of each technique and benefits of combining the data from both procedures.

Henderson, F. M.↗

Urban change detection procedures using Landsat digital data

Landsat multispectral scanner data was applied to an urban change detection problem in Denver, CO. A dichotomous key yielding ten stages of residential development at the urban fringe was developed. This heuristic model allowed one to identify certain stages of development which are difficult to detect when performing digital change detection using Landsat data. The stages of development were evaluated in terms of their spectral and derived textural characteristics. Landsat band 5 (0.6-0.7 micron) and texture data produced change detection maps which were approximately 81 percent accurate. Results indicated that the stage of development and the spectral/textural features affect the change in the spectral values used for change detection. These preliminary findings will hopefully prove valuable for improved change detection at the urban fringe.

Jensen, J. R.↗

NASA B-57B severe storms flight program

The B-57B Severe Storms Flight Program gathers data to characterize atmosphere anomalies such as wind shear, turbulence, and microbursts at altitudes up to 1000 feet (300 meters). These data are used to enhance the knowledge of atmospheric processes, to improve aviation safety, to develop systems technology and piloting technique for avoiding hazards and to increase the understanding of the causes of related aircraft accidents. The NASA Dryden Flight Research Facility B-57B aircraft has participated in several severe storms data collection programs such as the Joint Airport Weather Studies (JAWS) located in Denver, Colorado area, Operation Rough Rider located in the Norman, Oklahoma area with the National Severe Storms Laboratory, and Mountain and desert turbulence in the Edwards Air Force Base, California area. Flight data are presented from flights which encountered the wind shear, turbulence and microburst anomalies. These flight results are discussed and some conclusions are made relating to these atmospheric anomalies.

Painter, W. D.↗

Development of the L-1011 four-dimensional flight management system

The development of 4-D guidance and control algorithms for the L-1011 Flight Management System is described. Four-D Flight Management is a concept by which an aircraft's flight is optimized along the 3-D path within the constraints of today's ATC environment, while its arrival time is controlled to fit into the air traffic flow without incurring or causing delays. The methods developed herein were designed to be compatible with the time-based en route metering techniques that were recently developed by the Dallas/Fort Worth and Denver Air Route Traffic Control Centers. The ensuing development of the 4-D guidance algorithms, the necessary control laws and the operational procedures are discussed. Results of computer simulation evaluation of the guidance algorithms and control laws are presented, along with a description of the software development procedures utilized.

Lee, H. P.↗

NASA/MSFC ground-based Doppler lidar nocturnal boundary layer experiment (Noblex)

During the summer of 1982, NASA/MSFC's ground-based CO2 Doppler Lidar Velocimeter (DLV) was deployed at the Denver Stapleton Airport as part of NASA's participation in the JAWS (Joint Airport Weather Studies) program. Configured to measure the radial wind component within a 10 km radius, the conically scanning lidar was used to examine the evolution of a nocturnal boundary layer under the conditions of cloud free skies and rolling terrain. A valley drainage flow was detected and a two dimension flow visualization constructed. The depth of the gravity current was -700 meters while the depth of the creek valley was -150 meters. This deep drainage flow was detectable for distances of 30 to 40 km from the exit region of the valley. Although the sample period (2000 to 2300 CST) was short and only one nocturnal boundary layer case examined, the usefulness of the DLV was demonstrated as well as the care that must be exercised in interpreting lidar data taken in a stable boundary layer in the vicinity of subtle terrain features.

Emmitt, G. D.↗

On-orbit cryogenic fluid transfer

A number of future NASA and DOD missions have been identified that will require, or could benefit from resupply of cryogenic liquids in orbit. The most promising approach for accomplishing cryogenic fluid transfer in the weightlessness environment of space is to use the thermodynamic filling technique. This approach involves initially reducing the receiver tank temperature by using several charge hold vent cycles followed by filling the tank without venting. Martin Marietta Denver Aerospace, under contract to the NASA Lewis Research Center, is currently developing analytical models to describe the on orbit cryogenic fluid transfer process. A detailed design of a shuttle attached experimental facility, which will provide the data necessary to verify the analytical models, is also being performed.

Aydelott, J. C.↗

Capabilities and limitations of existing MST radars: Colorado wind profilers

The Wave Propagation Laboratory is developing a ground-based remote sensing system called PROFILER to measure troposphere parameters currently measured in operational meteorology by radiosondes. The prototype PROFILER uses two radars for wind sounding: a 6-m radar located at Platteville, Colorado, and a 33-cm radar located at Denver's Stapleton International Airport. In addition, a network of three 6-m wind-profiling radars is being installed in Colorado, and a fourth site is planned. The location of the five radars, their characteristics, and their limitations are described.

Strauch, R. G.↗

Stratospheric temperature profile from balloon-borne measurements of the 10.4-micron band of CO2

The technique of nonlinear least squares spectral curve fitting has been used to derive the stratospheric vertical temperature profile from balloon-borne measurements of the 10.4 micron band of CO2. The spectral data were obtained at sunset with the approximately 0.02 per cm resolution University of Denver interferometer system from a float altitude of 33.5 km near Alamogordo, New Mexico, on 23 March 1981. The r.m.s. deviation between the retrieved temperature profile and correlative radiosonde measurements is 2.2 K.

Rinsland, C. P.↗

NASA B-57B Severe Storms Flight Program

Plots of winds encountered in-flight are presented for a severe turbulence case from JAWS flight 7 (near Denver on the afternoon of July 15, 1982). During the flight the B-57B showed a 30-knot increase in airspeed over a distance of about 426 ft and then a more gradual decrease of 40 to 50 knots over a distance of about 3.2 miles. This suspected outflow feature was associated with downdraft in excess of 20 knots. The horizontal wind direction changed almost 180 deg during the pass through the feature, and the intensity of velocity differences decreased for all three components within the downdraft. Calculated probability density functions for u, v, and w showed a jagged character; and distributions for Delta-u, Delta-v, and Delta-w were distinctly non-Gaussian. Based on skewness and kurtosis values, the data could probably best be modeled by a Pearson type VII (Student's t) distribution.

Painter, W. D.↗

The Joint Airport Weather Studies Project - Current analysis highlights in the aviation safety context

The principal objective of the Joint Airport Weather Studies Project was to obtain high-resolution velocity, turbulence, and thermodynamic data on a convective outflow called a microburst, an intense downdraft and resulting horizontal outflow near the surface. Data collection occurred during the summer of 1982 near Denver, CO. Data sensors included three pulsed-microwave Doppler and two pulsed CO2 lidar radars, along with 27 Portable Automated Mesonet surface weather stations, the FAA's low-level-wind-shear alert system (LLWSAS), and five instrumented research aircraft. Convective storms occurred on 75 of 91 operational days, with Doppler data being collected on at least 70 microbursts. Analyses reported included a thorough examination of microburst-climatology statistics, the capability of the LLWSAS to detect adequately and accurately the presence of low-altitude wind shear danger to aircraft, the capability of a terminal Doppler radar system development to provide improved wind-shear detection and warning, and progress toward improved wind-shear training for pilots.

Mccarthy, J.↗

Simulated flight through JAWS wind shear - In-depth analysis results

The Joint Airport Weather Studies (JAWS) field experiment was carried out in 1982 near Denver. An analysis is presented of aircraft performance in the three-dimensional wind fields. The fourth dimension, time, is not considered. The analysis seeks to prepare computer models of microburst wind shear from the JAWS data sets for input to flight simulators and for research and development of aircraft control systems and operational procedures. A description is given of the data set and the method of interpolating velocities and velocity gradients for input to the six-degrees-of-freedom equations governing the motion of the aircraft. The results of the aircraft performance analysis are then presented, and the interpretation classifies the regions of shear as severe, moderate, or weak. Paths through the severe microburst of August 5, 1982, are then recommended for training and operational applications. Selected subregions of the flow field defined in terms of planar sections through the wind field are presented for application to simulators with limited computer storage capacity, that is, for computers incapable of storing the entire array of variables needed if the complete wind field is programmed.

Frost, W.↗

Airborne infrared low level wind shear predictor

The operating principles and test performance of an airborne IR (13-16 micron) temperature-sensing detection and warning system for low-level wind shear (LLWS) are presented. The physics of LLWS phenomena and of the IR radiometer are introduced. The cold density-current outflow or gust front related to LLWS is observed in the IR spectrum of CO2 by a radiometer with + or - 0.5-C accuracy at 0.5-Hz sampling rate; LLWS alerts are given on the basis of specific criteria. Test results from the JAWS experiments conducted at Denver in July 1982, are presented graphically and discussed. The feasibility of the passive IR system is demonstrated, with an average warning time of 51 sec, corresponding to a distance from touchdown of about 2 miles.

Kuhn, P. M.↗

Effect of perceived threat on avoidance maneuvers selected while viewing cockpit traffic displays

Ten airline pilots rated the collision danger of air traffic presented on cockpit displays of traffic information (CDTI) while they monitored simulated departures from Denver. They selected avoidance maneuvers when necessary for separation. Most evasive maneuvers were turns rather than vertical maneuvers. Evasive maneuvers chosen for encounters with low or moderate perceived collision danger were generally toward the intruding aircraft. This tendency lessened as the perceived threat level increased. In the highest threat situations pilots turned toward the intruder only at chance levels. Some of the implications of the pilots' turning-towards tendencies are discussed with respect to automatic collision avoidance systems and coordination of avoidance maneuvers of conflicting aircraft.

Smith, J. D.↗

On-orbit cryogenic fluid transfer

A number of future NASA and DOD missions have been identified that will require, or could benefit from resupply of cryogenic liquids in orbit. The most promising approach for accomplishing cryogenic fluid transfer in the weightlessness environment of space is to use the thermodynamic filling technique. This approach involves initially reducing the receiver tank temperature by using several charge hold vent cycles followed by filling the tank without venting. Martin Marietta Denver Aerospace, under contract to the NASA Lewis Research Center, is currently developing analytical models to describe the on orbit cryogenic fluid transfer process. A detailed design of a Shuttle attached experimental facility, which will provide the data necessary to verify the analytical models, is also being performed.

Aydelott, J. C.↗