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At least 145 records · Page 8
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1973

Ecological effects of strip mining in Ohio

The author has identified the following significant results. ERTS-1 imagery has identified when reclamation has proved successful, when little lateral extension has occurred in the strip mine, when water has filled an impoundment (4 - 5 acres), and detected narrow contour mines. It has been proven that the CCT contains more information than the imagery received from NASA. A stream is visible in the band 7 digital printout that is not visible in the imagery. Also narrow bodies of water between the high wall and spoils bank and small impoundments (2 - 3 acres) are observed in the digital printout and not in the imagery. Disruption maps (water and bare earth within the mined area) can be made by statistically processing the CCT (decision imagery) or mapping the digital printout with a Bendix digitizer. Reclamation maps will be produced in the near future through decision imagery. There seems little doubt that the mapping of present stripping and the monitoring of the strip mine cycle for changes are practical. Disruption mapping is now an operational capability.

Chase, P. E.↗
NASA NTRS1973

ERTS-1 investigation of ecological effects of strip mining in eastern Ohio

Evidence is presented of ERTS capability to detect, map and monitor the effects of strip mining. Both enlarge ERTS imagery and statistically processed outline maps and imagery of stripped earth and standing water are compared to aerial photos of a strip mine near Coshocton, Ohio. The outline maps and decision imagery are at present limited to forming a disruption map of recently mined and unreclaimed earth and the resultant standing water within the mined area. It is planned to prepare a map of the reclaimed areas (reclamation map) within the stripped area and to detect and identify ecological effects such as vegetation kills and stream sedimentation external to the stripped areas.

Chase, P. E.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Automated strip mine and reclamation mapping from ERTS

In response to the urgent need for a faster and more economical means of generating strip mine and reclamation maps, a study was conducted to evaluate the suitability of using ERTS computer compatible tape for automatic mapping. The procedure uses computer target spectral recognition techniques as a basis for classification. The area encompassed by this investigation includes five counties in eastern Ohio that comprise nearly 7,500 square kilometers (3,000 square miles). The counties have been disrupted by coal mining since the early 1800's, and strip mining has been practiced in all of them. The environmental effects of strip mining are also discussed.

Pettyjohn, W. A.↗
NASA NTRS1975

LANDSAT inventory of surface-mined areas using extendible digital techniques

Multispectral analysis of LANDSAT imagery provides a rapid and accurate means of identification, classification, and measurement of strip-mined surfaces in Western Maryland. Four band analysis allows distinction of a variety of strip-mine associated classes, but has limited extendibility. A method for surface area measurement of strip mines, which is both geographically and temporally extendible, was developed using band-ratioed LANDSAT reflectance data. The accuracy of area measurement by this method, averaged over three LANDSAT scenes taken between September 1972 and July 1974, is greater than 93%. Total affected acreage of large (50 hectare/120 acre) mines can be measured to within 1.0%.

Anderson, A. T.↗
NASA NTRS1975

LANDSAT inventory of surface-mined areas using extendible digital techniques

Multispectral LANDSAT imagery was analyzed to provide a rapid and accurate means of identification, classification, and measurement of strip-mined surfaces in Western Maryland. Four band analysis allows distinction of a variety of strip-mine associated classes, but has limited extendibility. A method for surface area measurements of strip mines, which is both geographically and temporally extendible, has been developed using band-ratioed LANDSAT reflectance data. The accuracy of area measurement by this method, averaged over three LANDSAT scenes taken between September 1972 and July 1974, is greater than 93%. Total affected acreage of large (50 hectare/124 acre) mines can be measured to within 1.0%.

Anderson, A. T.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Landsat imagery for surface-mine inventory

The feasibility of using Landsat imagery for routine monitoring of surface mining and reclamation was tested in a two-county (1541 sq km) area of western Maryland. Two digital analysis methods were studied. The first, a four-band analysis distinguishing various strip mine associated classes and conditions, proved useful, but has limited extendibility over a seasonal or annual period. In the second approach, a band-ratio method was developed for measuring disturbed surface areas, and it proved to be both temporally and geographically extendible. For mines ranging between 31 and 244 acres, the measurement accuracy of total affected acreage was 92%. The use of Landsat satellite data together with multilevel sampling of aircraft and field verification inspections has shown that multispectral analysis of digital data is an effective means of monitoring the progress of surface mining operations.

Anderson, A. T.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Assessment of satellite and aircraft multispectral scanner data for strip-mine monitoring

The application of LANDSAT multispectral scanner data to describe the mining and reclamation changes of a hilltop surface coal mine in the rugged, mountainous area of eastern Kentucky is presented. Original single band satellite imagery, computer enhanced single band imagery, and computer classified imagery are presented for four different data sets in order to demonstrate the land cover changes that can be detected. Data obtained with an 11 band multispectral scanner on board a C-47 aircraft at an altitude of 3000 meters are also presented. Comparing the satellite data with color, infrared aerial photography, and ground survey data shows that significant changes in the disrupted area can be detected from LANDSAT band 5 satellite imagery for mines with more than 100 acres of disturbed area. However, band-ratio (bands 5/6) imagery provides greater contrast than single band imagery and can provide a qualitative level 1 classification of the land cover that may be useful for monitoring either the disturbed mining area or the revegetation progress. However, if a quantitative, accurate classification of the barren or revegetated classes is required, it is necessary to perform a detailed, four band computer classification of the data.

Spisz, E. W.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Remote sensing of surface mines - A comparative study of sensor systems

The application of remote sensing to the inventory of coal surface mines and to the monitoring of mine reclamation in the eastern United States was investigated. Data were acquired during spring and autumn by several sensor systems over study areas located within the bituminous coal fields of Pennsylvania. Data sources were the Landsat MSS, an airborne multispectral scanner (Daedalus DS-1260), the airborne Thematic Mapper Simulator, and high-altitude color and color infrared aerial photography. A comparison of the data sets was conducted by a quantitative assessment of area measurement accuracy. Landsat data were found most suitable for a synoptic inventory of mines on a regional basis. High-altitude aerial photography was considered the best source of the detailed information required for reclamation monitoring. Nine channels of data from the airborne scanner were evaluated to select the most useful spectral bands for discriminating among the land cover types associated with surface mines. Four bands were selected in the following order by a stepwise linear discriminant procedure: 0.60-0.65 micron, 0.92-1.10 microns, 0.80-0.89 micron, and 8-14 microns. The data corresponding to these four bands were used for the thematic mapping of land cover.

Irons, J. R.↗
NASA NTRS1987

The economics of mining the Martian moons

The costs for extracting and shipping volatiles such as water, carbon, and nitrogen that might be found on Phobos and Deimos are estimated. The costs are compared to the cost of shipping the same volatiles from earth, assuming the use of nuclear powered mining facilities and freighters. Mineral resources and possible products from the Martian moons, possible markets for these products, and the costs of transporting these resources to LEO or GEO or to transportation nodal points are examined. Most of the technology needed to mine the moons has already been developed. The need for extraterrestrial sources of propellants for ion propulsion systems and ways in which the mining of the moons would reduce the cost of space operations near earth are discussed. It is concluded that it would be commercially viable to mine the Martian moons, making a profit of at least a 10 percent return on capital.

Leonard, Raymond S.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Human factors model concerning the man-machine interface of mining crewstations

The U.S. Bureau of Mines is developing a computer model to analyze the human factors aspect of mining machine operator compartments. The model will be used as a research tool and as a design aid. It will have the capability to perform the following: simulated anthropometric or reach assessment, visibility analysis, illumination analysis, structural analysis of the protective canopy, operator fatigue analysis, and computation of an ingress-egress rating. The model will make extensive use of graphics to simplify data input and output. Two dimensional orthographic projections of the machine and its operator compartment are digitized and the data rebuilt into a three dimensional representation of the mining machine. Anthropometric data from either an individual or any size population may be used. The model is intended for use by equipment manufacturers and mining companies during initial design work on new machines. In addition to its use in machine design, the model should prove helpful as an accident investigation tool and for determining the effects of machine modifications made in the field on the critical areas of visibility and control reach ability.

Rider, James P.↗
NASA NTRS1992

To build a mine: Prospect to product

The terrestrial definition of ore is a quantity of earth materials containing a mineral that can be extracted at a profit. While a space-based resource-gathering operation may well be driven by other motives, such an operation should have the most favorable cost-benefit ratio possible. To this end, principles and procedures already tested by the stringent requirements of the profit motive should guide the selection, design, construction, and operation of a space-based mine. Proceeding from project initiation to a fully operational mine requires several interacting and overlapping steps, which are designed to facilitate the decision process and insure economic viability. The steps to achieve a fully operational mine are outlined. Presuming that the approach to developing nonterrestrial resources will parallel that for developing mineral resources on Earth, we can speculate on some of the problems associated with developing lunar and asteroidal resources. The baseline for our study group was a small lunar mine and oxygen extraction facility. The development of this facility is described in accordance with the steps outlined.

Gertsch, Richard E.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Transfer of terrestrial technology for lunar mining

The functions, operational procedures, and major items of equipment that comprise the terrestrial mining process are characterized. These data are used to synthesize a similar activity on the lunar surface. Functions, operations, and types of equipment that can be suitably transferred to lunar operation are identified. Shortfalls, enhancements, and technology development needs are described. The lunar mining process and what is required to adapt terrestrial equipment are highlighted. It is concluded that translation of terrestrial mining equipment and operational processes to perform similar functions on the lunar surface is practical. Adequate attention must be given to the harsh environment and logistical constraints of the lunar setting. By using earth-based equipment as a forcing function, near- and long-term benefits are derived (i.e., improved terrestrial mining in the near term vis-a-vis commercial production of helium-3 in the long term.

Hall, Robert A.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Lunar mining equipment

This document contains preliminary concepts for mining and beneficiation of lunar regolith from a 50 metric ton/day mine. Assumptions for the design are outlined below. Lunar regolith is the material to be mined. Since it is already a fine-grained material, the two steps of crushing and breakup from a rock surface are eliminated. The size of the operation was set at 50 metric tons of regolith/day for a three-year period. Operations will occur around the clock to make most efficient use of equipment, thus we assume 24 hr/day. For simplicity we have assumed that the lunar regolith has a uniform density of 1.68 and that it can be mined to a depth of 6 m. No research was done on power supply or distribution. It was left to others to consider the various trade-offs between nuclear and solar power and to design the needed utility system.

Bekkedahl, S.↗
NASA NTRS1996

A Note on Interfacing Object Warehouses and Mass Storage Systems for Data Mining Applications

Data mining is the automatic discovery of patterns, associations, and anomalies in data sets. Data mining requires numerically and statistically intensive queries. Our assumption is that data mining requires a specialized data management infrastructure to support the aforementioned intensive queries, but because of the sizes of data involved, this infrastructure is layered over a hierarchical storage system. In this paper, we discuss the architecture of a system which is layered for modularity, but exploits specialized lightweight services to maintain efficiency. Rather than use a full functioned database for example, we use light weight object services specialized for data mining. We propose using information repositories between layers so that components on either side of the layer can access information in the repositories to assist in making decisions about data layout, the caching and migration of data, the scheduling of queries, and related matters.

Grossman, Robert L.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Quantification of Operational Risk Using A Data Mining

What is Data Mining? - Data Mining is the process of finding actionable information hidden in raw data. - Data Mining helps find hidden patterns, trends, and important relationships often buried in a sea of data - Typically, automated software tools based on advanced statistical analysis and data modeling technology can be utilized to automate the data mining process

Perera, J. Sebastian↗
NASA NTRS2012

IT Data Mining Tool Uses in Aerospace

Data mining has a broad spectrum of uses throughout the realms of aerospace and information technology. Each of these areas has useful methods for processing, distributing, and storing its corresponding data. This paper focuses on ways to leverage the data mining tools and resources used in NASA's information technology area to meet the similar data mining needs of aviation and aerospace domains. This paper details the searching, alerting, reporting, and application functionalities of the Splunk system, used by NASA's Security Operations Center (SOC), and their potential shared solutions to address aircraft and spacecraft flight and ground systems data mining requirements. This paper also touches on capacity and security requirements when addressing sizeable amounts of data across a large data infrastructure.

Monroe, Gilena A.↗
NASA NTRS2009

Data Mining and Complex Problems: Case Study in Composite Materials

Data mining is defined as the discovery of useful, possibly unexpected, patterns and relationships in data using statistical and non-statistical techniques in order to develop schemes for decision and policy making. Data mining can be used to discover the sources and causes of problems in complex systems. In addition, data mining can support simulation strategies by finding the different constants and parameters to be used in the development of simulation models. This paper introduces a framework for data mining and its application to complex problems. To further explain some of the concepts outlined in this paper, the potential application to the NASA Shuttle Reinforced Carbon-Carbon structures and genetic programming is used as an illustration.

Rabelo, Luis↗
NASA NTRS2015

Atmospheric Mining in the Outer Solar System: Aerial Vehicle Mission and Design Issues

Atmospheric mining in the outer solar system has been investigated as a means of fuel production for high energy propulsion and power. Fusion fuels such as Helium 3 (3He) and deuterium can be wrested from the atmospheres of Uranus and Neptune and either returned to Earth or used in-situ for energy production. Helium 3 and deuterium were the primary gases of interest with hydrogen being the primary propellant for nuclear thermal solid core and gas core rocket-based atmospheric flight. A series of analyses were undertaken to investigate resource capturing aspects of atmospheric mining in the outer solar system. This included the gas capturing rate, storage options, and different methods of direct use of the captured gases. While capturing 3He, large amounts of hydrogen and 4He are produced. With these two additional gases, the potential for fueling small and large fleets of additional exploration and exploitation vehicles exists. The mining aerospacecraft (ASC) could fly through the outer planet atmospheres, for global weather observations, localized storm or other disturbance investigations, wind speed measurements, polar observations, etc. Analyses of orbital transfer vehicles (OTVs), landers, and in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) mining factories are included. Preliminary observations are presented on near-optimal selections of moon base orbital locations, OTV power levels, and OTV and lander rendezvous points.

orbital mechanics↗