SEARCH · Engineering Papers
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.
Soil types were determined from the Soil Survey of Hand County, South Dakota. The soil types encountered on the soil moisture lines are summarized. The actual soil moisture data are presented. The data have been divided by range, township and section. The soil moisture data obtained in fields of winter wheat and spring wheat are briefly summarized.
Soil samples were taken in the field and carefully preserved in taped metal containers for later laboratory gravimetric analysis to determine soil-moisture content. The typical sampling pattern used in this mission is illustrated, and the soil types encountered on the soil-moisture lines are summarized. The actual soil-moisture data were tabulated by range, township and section. Soil-moisture data obtained in fields of winter wheat and spring wheat are briefly summarized.
Analyses of soil samples taken at three depths are presented in tables. Data include soil types, temperature, and moisture content.
The SAM-2 will fly aboard the Nimbus-G satellite for launch in the fall of 1978 and measure stratospheric vertical profiles of aerosol extinction in high latitude bands. The plan gives details of the location and times for the simultaneous satellite/correlative measurements for the nominal launch time, the rationale and choice of the correlative sensors, their characteristics and expected accuracies, and the conversion of their data to extinction profiles. The SAM-2 expected instrument performance and data inversion results are presented. Various atmospheric models representative of polar stratospheric aerosols are used in the SAM-2 and correlative sensor analyses.
There are no author-identified significant results in this report.
The paper examines optimal sampling techniques for obtaining accurate spatial averages of soil moisture, at various depths and for cell sizes in the range 2.5-40 acres, with a minimum number of samples. Both simple random sampling and stratified sampling procedures are used to reach a set of recommended sample sizes for each depth and for each cell size. Major conclusions from statistical sampling test results are that (1) the number of samples required decreases with increasing depth; (2) when the total number of samples cannot be prespecified or the moisture in only one single layer is of interest, then a simple random sample procedure should be used which is based on the observed mean and SD for data from a single field; (3) when the total number of samples can be prespecified and the objective is to measure the soil moisture profile with depth, then stratified random sampling based on optimal allocation should be used; and (4) decreasing the sensor resolution cell size leads to fairly large decreases in samples sizes with stratified sampling procedures, whereas only a moderate decrease is obtained in simple random sampling procedures.
There are no author-identified significant results in this report.
There are no author-identified significant results in this report.
Results of an airborne study of the waves in the Gulf Stream are presented. These results show that the active microwave sensors (high-flight radar and wind-wave radar) provide consistent and accurate estimates of significant wave height and surface wind speed, respectively. The correlation between the wave height measurements of the high-flight radar and a laser profilometer is excellent.
The visible/infrared spin scan radiometer (VISSR) atmospheric sounder (VAS) rawinsonde field program is discussed. Specific items covered include: planning, personnel requirements and training, operational requirement and procedures, sounding times and dates, methods of data processing, data inventory, and status of data processing.
Communications systems operating at frequencies in excess of 10 GHz are degraded significantly by rainfall. To provide the information needed for design of these millimeter wave systems, rain attentuation models were developed and data bases of propagation related information were accumulated. These data bases were developed based on the signal level measurements of geostationary satellite beacons at selected frequencies. Groundbased radar reflection measurements were able to develop data bases for system design. The rain attenuation models allow accurate correlation between the rain rate and the attenuation.
Rainfall which is regarded as one of the more important observations for the measurements of this most variable parameter was made continuously, across large areas and over the sea. Ships could not provide the needed resolution nor could available radars provide the needed breadth of coverage. Microwave observations from the Nimbus-5 satellite offered some hope. Another possibility was suggested by the results of many comparisons between rainfall and the clouds seen in satellite pictures. Sequences of pictures from the first geostationary satellites were employed and a general correspondence between rain and the convective clouds visible in satellite pictures was found. It was demonstrated that the agreement was best for growing clouds. The development methods to infer GATE rainfall from geostationary satellite images are examined.
Verification of suspected penetration by means of three dimensional information on the features in the SIR-B images will be investigated. The Great Alvar is a well documented area, especially in geology and ecology, and should provide a good opportunity to evaluate the data.
The comparatively low density of ship and XBT observations in large areas of the Southern Hemisphere and the tropics limits the extent to which satellite SST estimates can be validated on a global basis. These limitations are discussed, and some recommendations for correction are given.
Inversion of remote sensing data taken over a desert scrub surface in Texas with a multidirectionally viewing field radiometer, PARABOLA, yields the value of 0.12 for the protrusion parameter, s, (the projection on a vertical plane of plants per unit area) if isotropy (Lambert law) is assumed for the underlying soil. However, a significantly higher value of s, in the range 0.15 to 0.20, can be inferred if the soil is assumed anisotropic. It is concluded that in remote sensing of sparse vegetation, it is important to know the reflectance characteristics of the underlying soil. Other techniques that can be used to infer desert scrub vegetation structure include various photographic techniques, and measurements of reflected radiance from zenith for a range of solar elevation angles on a clear day.
Results generated over six months are covered in five manuscripts: (1) estimates of rain volume over the Peninsula of Florida during the summer season based upon the Manually Digitized Radar data; (2) the diurnal characteristics of rainfall over Florida and over the near shore waters; (3) convective rainfall as measured over the east coast of central Florida; (4) the spatial and temporal variability of rainfall over Florida; and (5) comparisons between the land based radar and an optical raingage onboard an anchored buoy 50 km offshore.
Field experiments with thermal imaging infrared radiometers were performed and a laboratory system was designed for controlled study of simulated ash clouds. Using AVHRR (Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer) thermal infrared bands 4 and 5, a radiative transfer method was developed to retrieve particle sizes, optical depth and particle mass involcanic clouds. A model was developed for measuring the same parameters using TIMS (Thermal Infrared Multispectral Scanner), MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer), and ASTER (Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer). Related publications are attached.
Based on consideration of the geological characteristics of Chryse Planitia, the requirements for Mars Pathfinder landing sites, the nature of the mission, the scale of the observations to be made, and the need to build outward from previous experience, a new mission to Chryse Planitia offers several advantages that are difficult to ignore as well as offering a low-gamble/high-return mission scenario. Considering the need to ensure a successful mission, and to ensure the continued health of planetary exploration, the reasons for a new mission to Chryse Planitia are compelling. Results of 1:500,000 mapping, operational benefits of Chryse Planitia, science benefits of Chryse Planitia, and conclusions and site recommendations are discussed.