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At least 1,405 records · Page 78

An investigation of the optimization of parameters affecting the implementation of fourier transform spectroscopy at 20-500 micron from the C-141 airborne infrared observatory

A program for 20-500 micron spectroscopy from the NASA flying C141 infrared observatory is being carried out with a Michelson interferometer. The parameters affecting the performance of the instrument are studied and an optimal configuration for high performance on the C-141 aircraft is recommended. As each parameter is discussed the relative merits of the two modes of mirror motion (rapid scan or step and integrate) are presented.

Thompson, R. I.↗

RTLS entry load relief parameter optimization

The results are presented of a study of a candidate load relief control law for use during the pullup phase of Return-to-Launch-Site (RTLS) abort entries. The control law parameters and cycle time which optimized performance of the normal load factor limiting phase (load relief phase) of an RTLS entry are examined. A set of control law gains, a smoothing parameter, and a normal force coefficient curve fit are established which resulted in good load relief performance considering the possible aerodynamic coefficient uncertainties defined. Also, the examination of various guidance cycle times revealed improved load relief performance with decreasing cycle time. A .5 second cycle provided smooth and adequate load relief in the presence of all the aerodynamic uncertainties examined.

Crull, T. J.↗

Correlation of chlorophyll, suspended matter, and related parameters of waters in the lower Chesapeake Bay area to LANDSAT-1 imagery

The author has identified the following significant results. An effort to relate water parameters of the lower Chesapeake Bay area to multispectral scanner images of LANDSAT 1 has shown that some spectral bands can be correlated to water parameters, and has demonstrated the feasibility of synoptic mapping of estuaries by satellite. Bands 5 and 6 were shown to be useful for monitoring total particles. Band 5 showed high correlation with suspended sediment concentration. Attenuation coefficients monitored continuously by ship along three baselines were cross correlated with radiance values on three days. Improved correlations resulted when tidal conditions were taken into consideration. A contouring program was developed to display sediment variation in the lower Chesapeake Bay from the MSS bands.

Fleischer, P.↗

Simulation verification techniques study. Task report 4: Simulation module performance parameters and performance standards

Shuttle simulation software modules in the environment, crew station, vehicle configuration and vehicle dynamics categories are discussed. For each software module covered, a description of the module functions and operational modes, its interfaces with other modules, its stored data, inputs, performance parameters and critical performance parameters is given. Reference data sources which provide standards of performance are identified for each module. Performance verification methods are also discussed briefly.

Source record↗

Diffusion in mixed solvents. II - The heat of mixing parameter

Correlation of second-order rate constants for many reactions involving electron transfer between organic molecules, solvated electron reactions, iodine diffusion coefficients, and triplet state electron transfer reactions has been made with the heat of mixing parameter (HMP) for the aqueous binary solvent systems. The aqueous binary solvents studied are those containing methanol or ethanol (type I solvent); 1-propanol or tert-butyl alcohol (type II solvent); or sucrose or glycerol (type III solvent). A plot of the HMP vs. the diffusion parameter for each reaction yields superimposable curves for these reactions in a particular solvent mixture over the entire solvent mixture range, irrespective of the value of the reaction's rate constant or diffusion coefficient in water.

Carapellucci, P. A.↗

Isothermal elastohydrodynamic lubrication of point contacts. II - Ellipticity parameter results

A numerical solution of the isothermal elastohydrodynamic problem for point contacts has been presented which reproduces all the essential features of the previously reported experimental observations based upon optical interferometry. In particular, the two 'side lobes' in which minimum film thickness regions occur are shown to emerge in the theoretical solutions. The influence of the ellipticity parameter upon solutions to the point contact problem has been explored in the present paper. The ellipticity parameter (k) was varied from one (a ball on a plate) to eight (a configuration approaching line contact), and it has been shown that both the central and minimum film thicknesses can be related to the well known line contact solutions by remarkably simple expressions involving either (k) or the effective radius of curvature ratio (Ry/Rx).

Hamrock, B. J.↗

Design parameters for a stereoptic television system based on direct vision depth perception cues

Remotely controlled systems which use television for visual feedback require that depth cues be available to the operator. A number of techniques have been developed to provide stereoptic video. An analysis of parameters of such systems as related to the depth cues of convergence and retinal disparity was carried out. Parameter requirements were determined for the provision of natural and exaggerated stereoptic cues and expressions were developed for range resolution limits based on the retinal disparity threshold. An empirical study was conducted using a stereoptic video system to determine threshold values

Shields, N. L., Jr.↗

Real gas scale effects on hypersonic laminar boundary-layer parameters including effects of entropy-layer swallowing

Inviscid and viscous (laminar boundary-layer) flow-field calculations under perfect gas hypersonic wind tunnel and equilibrium real gas flight conditions are presented for the windward centerline of the Rockwell International 139 Space Shuttle Orbiter at a 30-deg angle of attack. Correlation parameters for laminar boundary-layer edge quantities and surface heat transfer are developed which properly account for entropy-layer-swallowing effects under both real and perfect gas conditions. Some implications of the proposed correlation parameters on boundary-layer transition are discussed.

Adams, J. C., Jr.↗

Rotor Dynamic State and Parameter Identification from Hovering Transients

State and parameter identifications based on a form of the maximum likelihood method are applied to the problem of extracting linear perturbation models, including rotor dynamic inflow effects, from transient blade flapping measurements. The estimation method is first studied in computer simulations and then applied to cyclic pitch stirring transients generated with a four-bladed rotor model operating in hovering trim conditions. The analytical perturbation models extracted from the transient test results are compared with transient and frequency response tests not used in the state and parameter identification. The identified analytical perturbation model is also compared with a simple theory. The method that is applicable both to small scale and full scale dynamic rotor testing is being extended to perturbations from forward flight trim conditions.

Hohenemser, K. H.↗

Optically relevant turbulence parameters in the Marine boundary layer

Shipboard measurements of temperature and velocity fluctuations were performed to determine optical propagation properties of the marine boundary layer. Empirical expressions describing the temperature structure parameter in terms of the Richardson Number overland were used to analyze data obtained for open ocean conditions. Likewise, profiles of mean wind and velocity fluctuation spectra derived from shipboard observations were utilized to calculate associated boundary layer turbulence parameters. In general, there are considerable differences between the open-ocean results of this study and previously determined overland results.

Davidson, K. L.↗

An empirical study of scanner system parameters

The selection of the current combination of parametric values (instantaneous field of view, number and location of spectral bands, signal-to-noise ratio, etc.) of a multispectral scanner is a complex problem due to the strong interrelationship these parameters have with one another. The study was done with the proposed scanner known as Thematic Mapper in mind. Since an adequate theoretical procedure for this problem has apparently not yet been devised, an empirical simulation approach was used with candidate parameter values selected by the heuristic means. The results obtained using a conventional maximum likelihood pixel classifier suggest that although the classification accuracy declines slightly as the IFOV is decreased this is more than made up by an improved mensuration accuracy. Further, the use of a classifier involving both spatial and spectral features shows a very substantial tendency to resist degradation as the signal-to-noise ratio is decreased. And finally, further evidence is provided of the importance of having at least one spectral band in each of the major available portions of the optical spectrum.

Landgrebe, D.↗

Simulation of Thematic Mapper performance as a function of sensor scanning parameters

The investigation and results of the Thematic Mapper Instrument Performance Study are described. The Thematic Mapper is the advanced multispectral scanner initially planned for the Earth Observation Satellite and now planned for LANDSAT D. The use of existing digital airborne scanner data obtained with the Modular Multispectral Scanner (M2S) at Bendix provided an opportunity to simulate the effects of variation of design parameters of the Thematic Mapper. Analysis and processing of this data on the Bendix Multispectral Data Analysis System were used to empirically determine categorization performance on data generated with variations of the sampling period and scan overlap parameters of the Thematic Mapper. The Bendix M2S data, with a 2.5 milliradian instantaneous field of view and a spatial resolution (pixel size) of 10-m from 13,000 ft altitude, allowed a direct simulation of Thematic Mapper data with a 30-m resolution. The flight data chosen were obtained on 30 June 1973 over agricultural test sites in Indiana.

Johnson, R. H.↗

Vibroacoustic test plan evaluation: Parameter variation study

Statistical decision models are shown to provide a viable method of evaluating the cost effectiveness of alternate vibroacoustic test plans and the associated test levels. The methodology developed provides a major step toward the development of a realistic tool to quantitatively tailor test programs to specific payloads. Testing is considered at the no test, component, subassembly, or system level of assembly. Component redundancy and partial loss of flight data are considered. Most and probabilistic costs are considered, and incipient failures resulting from ground tests are treated. Optimums defining both component and assembly test levels are indicated for the modified test plans considered. modeling simplifications must be considered in interpreting the results relative to a particular payload. New parameters introduced were a no test option, flight by flight failure probabilities, and a cost to design components for higher vibration requirements. Parameters varied were the shuttle payload bay internal acoustic environment, the STS launch cost, the component retest/repair cost, and the amount of redundancy in the housekeeping section of the payload reliability model.

Stahle, C. V.↗

Filtering and smoothing techniques for parameter estimation

In this paper filtering and smoothing criteria for maximum-likelihood parameter estimation are described and compared. It is shown that the parameter estimate using the smoothing criterion may be obtained independently of the smoothed state estimate. Monte Carlo test results are presented comparing the efficiency of the estimation procedures.

Bach, R. E., Jr.↗

A simulation of air pollution model parameter estimation using data from a ground-based LIDAR remote sensor

One way to obtain estimates of the unknown parameters in a pollution dispersion model is to compare the model predictions with remotely sensed air quality data. A ground-based LIDAR sensor provides relative pollution concentration measurements as a function of space and time. The measured sensor data are compared with the dispersion model output through a numerical estimation procedure to yield parameter estimates which best fit the data. This overall process is tested in a computer simulation to study the effects of various measurement strategies. Such a simulation is useful prior to a field measurement exercise to maximize the information content in the collected data. Parametric studies of simulated data matched to a Gaussian plume dispersion model indicate the trade offs available between estimation accuracy and data acquisition strategy.

Kibler, J. F.↗

Surface and atmosphere parameter maps from earth-orbiting radiometers

Earlier studies have shown that an earth-orbiting electrically scanned microwave radiometer (ESMR) is capable of inferring the extent, concentration, and age of sea ice; the extent, concentration, and thickness of lake ice; rainfall rates over oceans; surface wind speeds over open water; particle size distribution in the deep snow cover of continental ice sheets; and soil moisture content in unvegetated fields. Most other features of the surface of the earth and its atmosphere require multispectral imaging techniques to unscramble the combined contributions of the atmosphere and the surface. Multispectral extraction of surface parameters is analyzed on the basis of a pertinent equation in terms of the observed brightness temperature, the emissivity of the surface which depends on wavelength and various parameters, the sensible temperature of the surface, and the total atmospheric opacity which is also wavelength dependent. Implementation of the multispectral technique is examined. Properties of the surface of the earth and its atmosphere to be determined from a scanning multichannel microwave radiometer are tabulated.

Gloersen, P.↗

Additional comments on 'Multistage least-squares parameter estimation'

The purpose of this correspondence is to call attention to other solutions to the problem addressed in the above paper, that of adding or deleting parameters or measurements from a given linear model. The solution algorithms proposed in the article are numerically ill-conditioned and are less efficient, in terms of both computational and storage requirements, than the methods described here. Several numerically stable, compact, flexible, and efficient algorithms for analyzing the parameter estimation problem are described and others are referenced.

Bierman, G. J.↗

Perfect decoupling of linear systems with discrete parameter uncertainties

A design procedure based on Gilbert's decoupling parameters for determining a fixed state feedback control law which decouples a linear system with discrete parameter uncertainties is described. Perfect decoupling conditions are established which involve a test for the existence of a solution to a system of linear equations. An actual solution of the linear equations yields the decoupling control law.

Dorato, P.↗