Sample records for nasa airborne topographic

  1. Basis and methods of NASA airborne topographic mapper lidar surveys for coastal studies

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Brock, John C.; Wright, C. Wayne; Sallenger, Asbury H.; Krabill, William B.; Swift, Robert N.

    2002-01-01

    This paper provides an overview of the basic principles of airborne laser altimetry for surveys of coastal topography, and describes the methods used in the acquisition and processing of NASA Airborne Topographic Mapper (ATM) surveys that cover much of the conterminous US coastline. This form of remote sensing, also known as "topographic lidar", has undergone extremely rapid development during the last two decades, and has the potential to contribute within a wide range of coastal scientific investigations. Various airborne laser surveying (ALS) applications that are relevant to coastal studies are being pursued by researchers in a range of Earth science disciplines. Examples include the mapping of "bald earth" land surfaces below even moderately dense vegetation in studies of geologic framework and hydrology, and determination of the vegetation canopy structure, a key variable in mapping wildlife habitats. ALS has also proven to be an excellent method for the regional mapping of geomorphic change along barrier island beaches and other sandy coasts due to storms or long-term sedimentary processes. Coastal scientists are adopting ALS as a basic method in the study of an array of additional coastal topics. ALS can provide useful information in the analysis of shoreline change, the prediction and assessment of landslides along seacliffs and headlands, examination of subsidence causing coastal land loss, and in predicting storm surge and tsunami inundation.

  2. Airborne Topographic Mapper Calibration Procedures and Accuracy Assessment

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Martin, Chreston F.; Krabill, William B.; Manizade, Serdar S.; Russell, Rob L.; Sonntag, John G.; Swift, Robert N.; Yungel, James K.

    2012-01-01

    Description of NASA Airborn Topographic Mapper (ATM) lidar calibration procedures including analysis of the accuracy and consistancy of various ATM instrument parameters and the resulting influence on topographic elevation measurements. The ATM elevations measurements from a nominal operating altitude 500 to 750 m above the ice surface was found to be: Horizontal Accuracy 74 cm, Horizontal Precision 14 cm, Vertical Accuracy 6.6 cm, Vertical Precision 3 cm.

  3. Using NASA`s Airborne Topographic Mapper IV to Quantify Geomorphic Change in Arid Southwestern Stream Systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Finnegan, D. C.; Krabill, W.; Lichvar, R. W.; Ericsson, M. P.; Frederick, E.; Manizade, S.; Yungel, J.; Sonntag, J.; Swift, R.

    2005-12-01

    Understanding how arid stream systems respond to individual climatic events is often difficult given the dynamic and `flashy' nature of most watersheds and the unpredictable nature of individual storm events. Until recently conventional methods for quantifying change dictated the use of stream gauge measurements coupled with periodic cross-section measurements to quantify changes in large-scale channel geometry. Using this approach to quantify change across large areas often proves to be impractical and unattainable given the laborious nature of most surveying techniques including modern GPS systems. Alternately, airborne laser technologies such as NASA's Airborne Topographic Mapper (ATM) are capable of quantifying small-scale changes (~5-10cm) across large-scale terrain rapidly and accurately. The ATM was developed at the NASA-GSFC Wallops Flight Facility. Its current version, ATM-4, measures topography 5,000 times per second across a 45-degree swath below the aircraft by transmitting a 532nm (green) laser pulse and receiving the backscattered signal in a high-speed waveform digitizer. The laser range measurements are combined with aircraft location from GPS and attitude from an inertial navigation system (INS) to provide a precise XYZ coordinate for each (~1-meter diameter) laser footprint on the ground. Our work focuses on the use of airborne laser altimetry to quantify the nature of individual surfaces and the geomorphic change that occurs within small arid stream systems during significant storm events. In September of 2003 and 2005 acquisition surveys using NASA's ATM-IV were flown over Mission Creek, a small arid stream system in Southern California's Mojave Desert with a relatively long gauging history (>40yrs), allowing us to quantify the geomorphic change occurring within the channel as a result of the record storm events during the winter of 2004-2005. Preliminary results associated with our work are encouraging and lead us to believe that when compared

  4. Evaluation of airborne topographic lidar for quantifying beach changes

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    2003-01-01

    A scanning airborne topographic lidar was evaluated for its ability to quantify beach topography and changes during the Sandy Duck experiment in 1997 along the North Carolina coast. Elevation estimates, acquired with NASA's Airborne Topographic Mapper (ATM), were compared to elevations measured with three types of ground-based mea- surements-1) differential GPS equipped all-terrain vehicle (ATV) that surveyed a 3-km reach of beach from the shoreline to the dune, 2) GPS antenna mounted on a stadia rod used to intensely survey a different 100 m reach of beach, and 3) a second GPS-equipped ATV that surveyed a 70-km-long transect along the coast. Over 40,000 individual intercomparisons between ATM and ground surveys were calculated. RMS vertical differences associated with the ATM when compared to ground measurements ranged from 13 to 19 cm. Considering all of the intercomparisons together, RMS ≃15 cm. This RMS error represents a total error for individual elevation estimates including uncertainties associated with random and mean errors. The latter was the largest source of error and was attributed to drift in differential GPS. The ≃15cm vertical accuracy of the ATM is adequate to resolve beach-change signals typical of the impact of storms. For example, ATM surveys of Assateague Island (spanning the border of MD and VA) prior to and immediately following a severe northeaster showed vertical beach changes in places greater than 2 m, much greater than expected errors associated with the ATM. A major asset of airborne lidar is the high spatial data density. Measurements of elevation are acquired every few m2 over regional scales of hundreds of kilometers. Hence, many scales of beach morphology and change can be resolved, from beach cusps tens of meters in wavelength to entire coastal cells com- prising tens to hundreds of kilometers of coast. Topographic lidars similar to the ATM are becoming increasingly available from commercial vendors and should, in the future

  5. Evaluation of airborne topographic lidar for quantifying beach changes

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Sallenger, A.H.; Krabill, W.B.; Swift, R.N.; Brock, J.; List, J.; Hansen, M.; Holman, R.A.; Manizade, S.; Sontag, J.; Meredith, A.; Morgan, K.; Yunkel, J.K.; Frederick, E.B.; Stockdon, H.

    2003-01-01

    A scanning airborne topographic lidar was evaluated for its ability to quantify beach topography and changes during the Sandy Duck experiment in 1997 along the North Carolina coast. Elevation estimates, acquired with NASA's Airborne Topographic Mapper (ATM), were compared to elevations measured with three types of ground-based measurements - 1) differential GPS equipped all-terrain vehicle (ATV) that surveyed a 3-km reach of beach from the shoreline to the dune, 2) GPS antenna mounted on a stadia rod used to intensely survey a different 100 m reach of beach, and 3) a second GPS-equipped ATV that surveyed a 70-km-long transect along the coast. Over 40,000 individual intercomparisons between ATM and ground surveys were calculated. RMS vertical differences associated with the ATM when compared to ground measurements ranged from 13 to 19 cm. Considering all of the intercomparisons together, RMS ??? 15 cm. This RMS error represents a total error for individual elevation estimates including uncertainties associated with random and mean errors. The latter was the largest source of error and was attributed to drift in differential GPS. The ??? 15 cm vertical accuracy of the ATM is adequate to resolve beach-change signals typical of the impact of storms. For example, ATM surveys of Assateague Island (spanning the border of MD and VA) prior to and immediately following a severe northeaster showed vertical beach changes in places greater than 2 m, much greater than expected errors associated with the ATM. A major asset of airborne lidar is the high spatial data density. Measurements of elevation are acquired every few m2 over regional scales of hundreds of kilometers. Hence, many scales of beach morphology and change can be resolved, from beach cusps tens of meters in wavelength to entire coastal cells comprising tens to hundreds of kilometers of coast. Topographic lidars similar to the ATM are becoming increasingly available from commercial vendors and should, in the future

  6. Airborne laser topographic mapping results from initial joint NASA/US Army Corps of Engineers experiment

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Krabill, W. B.; Collins, J. G.; Swift, R. N.; Butler, M. L.

    1980-01-01

    Initial results from a series of joint NASA/US Army Corps of Engineers experiments are presented. The NASA Airborne Oceanographic Lidar (AOL) was exercised over various terrain conditions, collecting both profile and scan data from which river basin cross sections are extracted. Comparisons of the laser data with both photogrammetry and ground surveys are made, with 12 to 27 cm agreement observed over open ground. Foliage penetration tests, utilizing the unique time-waveform sampling capability of the AOL, indicate 50 cm agreement with photogrammetry (known to have difficulty in foliage covered terrain).

  7. NASA airborne laser altimetry and ICESat-2 post-launch data validation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Brunt, K. M.; Neumann, T.; Studinger, M.; Hawley, R. L.; Markus, T.

    2016-12-01

    A series of NASA airborne lidars have made repeated surveys over an 11,000-m ground-based kinematic GPS traverse near Summit Station, Greenland. These ground-based data were used to assess the surface elevation bias and measurement precision of two airborne laser altimeters: Airborne Topographic Mapper (ATM) and Land, Vegetation, and Ice Sensor (LVIS). Data from the ongoing monthly traverses allowed for the assessment of 8 airborne lidar campaigns; elevation biases for these altimeters were less than 12.2 cm, while assessments of surface measurement precision were less than 9.1 cm. Results from the analyses of the Greenland ground-based GPS and airborne lidar data provide guidance for validation strategies for Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite 2 (ICESat-2) elevation and elevation-change data products. Specifically, a nested approach to validation is required, where ground-based GPS data are used to constrain the bias and measurement precision of the airborne lidar data; airborne surveys can then be designed and conducted on longer length-scales to provide the amount of airborne data required to make more statistically meaningful assessments of satellite elevation data. This nested validation approach will continue for the ground-traverse in Greenland; further, the ICESat-2 Project Science Office has plans to conduct similar coordinated ground-based and airborne data collection in Antarctica.

  8. Volumetric evolution of Surtsey, Iceland, from topographic maps and scanning airborne laser altimetry

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Garvin, J.B.; Williams, R.S.; Frawley, J.J.; Krabill, W.B.

    2000-01-01

    The volumetric evolution of Surtsey has been estimated on the basis of digital elevation models derived from NASA scanning airborne laser altimeter surveys (20 July 1998), as well as digitized 1:5,000-scale topographic maps produced by the National Land Survey of Iceland and by Norrman. Subaerial volumes have been computed from co-registered digital elevation models (DEM's) from 6 July 1968, 11 July 1975, 16 July 1993, and 20 July 1998 (scanning airborne laser altimetry), as well as true surface area (above mean sea level). Our analysis suggests that the subaerial volume of Surtsey has been reduced from nearly 0.100 km3 on 6 July 1968 to 0.075 km3 on 20 July 1998. Linear regression analysis of the temporal evolution of Surtsey's subaerial volume indicates that most of its subaerial surface will be at or below mean sea-level by approximately 2100. This assumes a conservative estimate of continuation of the current pace of marine erosion and mass-wasting on the island, including the indurated core of the conduits of the Surtur I and Surtur II eruptive vents. If the conduits are relatively resistant to marine erosion they will become sea stacks after the rest of the island has become a submarine shoal, and some portions of the island could survive for centuries. The 20 July 1998 scanning laser altimeter surveys further indicate rapid enlargement of erosional canyons in the northeastern portion of the partial tephra ring associated with Surtur I. Continued airborne and eventually spaceborne topographic surveys of Surtsey are planned to refine the inter-annual change of its subaerial volume.

  9. Airborne laser scanning for high-resolution mapping of Antarctica

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Csatho, Bea; Schenk, Toni; Krabill, William; Wilson, Terry; Lyons, William; McKenzie, Garry; Hallam, Cheryl; Manizade, Serdar; Paulsen, Timothy

    In order to evaluate the potential of airborne laser scanning for topographic mapping in Antarctica and to establish calibration/validation sites for NASA's Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite (ICESat) altimeter mission, NASA, the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) joined forces to collect high-resolution airborne laser scanning data.In a two-week campaign during the 2001-2002 austral summer, NASA's Airborne Topographic Mapper (ATM) system was used to collect data over several sites in the McMurdo Sound area of Antarctica (Figure 1a). From the recorded signals, NASA computed laser points and The Ohio State University (OSU) completed the elaborate computation/verification of high-resolution Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) in 2003. This article reports about the DEM generation and some exemplary results from scientists using the geomorphologic information from the DEMs during the 2003-2004 field season.

  10. Assessment of NASA airborne laser altimetry data using ground-based GPS data near Summit Station, Greenland

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Brunt, Kelly M.; Hawley, Robert L.; Lutz, Eric R.; Studinger, Michael; Sonntag, John G.; Hofton, Michelle A.; Andrews, Lauren C.; Neumann, Thomas A.

    2017-03-01

    A series of NASA airborne lidars have been used in support of satellite laser altimetry missions. These airborne laser altimeters have been deployed for satellite instrument development, for spaceborne data validation, and to bridge the data gap between satellite missions. We used data from ground-based Global Positioning System (GPS) surveys of an 11 km long track near Summit Station, Greenland, to assess the surface-elevation bias and measurement precision of three airborne laser altimeters including the Airborne Topographic Mapper (ATM), the Land, Vegetation, and Ice Sensor (LVIS), and the Multiple Altimeter Beam Experimental Lidar (MABEL). Ground-based GPS data from the monthly ground-based traverses, which commenced in 2006, allowed for the assessment of nine airborne lidar surveys associated with ATM and LVIS between 2007 and 2016. Surface-elevation biases for these altimeters - over the flat, ice-sheet interior - are less than 0.12 m, while assessments of measurement precision are 0.09 m or better. Ground-based GPS positions determined both with and without differential post-processing techniques provided internally consistent solutions. Results from the analyses of ground-based and airborne data provide validation strategy guidance for the Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite 2 (ICESat-2) elevation and elevation-change data products.

  11. Airborne laser mapping of Assateague National Seashore Beach

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Krabill, W.B.; Wright, C.W.; Swift, R.N.; Frederick, E.B.; Manizade, S.S.; Yungel, J.K.; Martin, C.F.; Sonntag, J.G.; Duffy, Mark; Hulslander, William; Brock, John C.

    2000-01-01

    Results are presented from topographic surveys of the Assateague Island National Seashore using an airborne scanning laser altimeter and kinematic Global Positioning System (GPS) technology. The instrument used was the Airborne Topographic Mapper (ATM), developed by the NASA Arctic Ice Mapping (AIM) group from the Goddard Space Flight Center's Wallops Flight Facility. In November, 1995, and again in May, 1996, these topographic surveys were flown as a functionality check prior to conducting missions to measure the elevation of extensive sections of the Greenland Ice Sheet as part of NASA's Global Climate Change program. Differences between overlapping portions of both surveys are compared for quality control. An independent assessment of the accuracy of the ATM survey is provided by comparison to surface surveys which were conducted using standard techniques. The goal of these projects is to make these measurements to an accuracy of ± 10 cm. Differences between the fall 1995 and 1996 surveys provides an assessment of net changes in the beach morphology over an annual cycle.

  12. Estimation of shoreline position and change using airborne topographic lidar data

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Stockdon, H.F.; Sallenger, A.H.; List, J.H.; Holman, R.A.

    2002-01-01

    A method has been developed for estimating shoreline position from airborne scanning laser data. This technique allows rapid estimation of objective, GPS-based shoreline positions over hundreds of kilometers of coast, essential for the assessment of large-scale coastal behavior. Shoreline position, defined as the cross-shore position of a vertical shoreline datum, is found by fitting a function to cross-shore profiles of laser altimetry data located in a vertical range around the datum and then evaluating the function at the specified datum. Error bars on horizontal position are directly calculated as the 95% confidence interval on the mean value based on the Student's t distribution of the errors of the regression. The technique was tested using lidar data collected with NASA's Airborne Topographic Mapper (ATM) in September 1997 on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Estimated lidar-based shoreline position was compared to shoreline position as measured by a ground-based GPS vehicle survey system. The two methods agreed closely with a root mean square difference of 2.9 m. The mean 95% confidence interval for shoreline position was ?? 1.4 m. The technique has been applied to a study of shoreline change on Assateague Island, Maryland/Virginia, where three ATM data sets were used to assess the statistics of large-scale shoreline change caused by a major 'northeaster' winter storm. The accuracy of both the lidar system and the technique described provides measures of shoreline position and change that are ideal for studying storm-scale variability over large spatial scales.

  13. Assessment of NASA Airborne Laser Altimetry Data Using Ground-Based GPS Data near Summit Station, Greenland

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Brunt, Kelly M.; Hawley, Robert L.; Lutz, Eric R.; Studinger, Michael; Sonntag, John G.; Hofton, Michelle A.; Andrews, Lauren C.; Neumann, Thomas A.

    2017-01-01

    A series of NASA airborne lidars have been used in support of satellite laser altimetry missions. These airbornelaser altimeters have been deployed for satellite instrument development, for spaceborne data validation, and to bridge the data gap between satellite missions. We used data from ground-based Global Positioning System (GPS) surveys of an 11 km long track near Summit Station, Greenland, to assess the surface elevation bias and measurement precision of three airborne laser altimeters including the Airborne Topographic Mapper (ATM), the Land, Vegetation, and Ice Sensor (LVIS), and the Multiple Altimeter Beam Experimental Lidar (MABEL). Ground-based GPS data from the monthly ground-based traverses, which commenced in 2006, allowed for the assessment of nine airborne lidar surveys associated with ATM and LVIS between 2007 and 2016. Surface elevation biases for these altimeters over the flat, ice-sheet interior are less than 0.12 m, while assessments of measurement precision are 0.09 m or better. Ground-based GPS positions determined both with and without differential post-processing techniques provided internally consistent solutions. Results from the analyses of ground-based and airborne data provide validation strategy guidance for the Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite 2 (ICESat-2) elevation and elevation-change data products.

  14. NASA's Student Airborne Research Program (2009-2013)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Schaller, E. L.; Shetter, R. E.

    2013-12-01

    The NASA Student Airborne Research Program (SARP) is a unique summer internship program for rising senior undergraduates majoring in any of the STEM disciplines. SARP participants acquire hands-on research experience in all aspects of an airborne research campaign, including flying onboard an major NASA resource used for studying Earth system processes. In summer 2013, thirty-two participants worked in four interdisciplinary teams to study surface, atmospheric, and oceanographic processes. Participants assisted in the operation of instruments onboard the NASA DC-8 aircraft where they sampled and measured atmospheric gases and imaged land and water surfaces in multiple spectral bands. Along with airborne data collection, students participated in taking measurements at field sites. Mission faculty and research mentors helped to guide participants through instrument operation, sample analysis, and data reduction. Over the eight-week program, each student developed an individual research project from the data collected and delivered a conference-style final presentation on his/her results. Several students will present the results of their research in science sessions at this meeting. We will discuss the results and effectiveness of the program over the past five summers and plans for the future.

  15. NASA Program of Airborne Optical Observations.

    PubMed

    Bader, M; Wagoner, C B

    1970-02-01

    NASA's Ames Research Center currently operates a Convair 990 four-engine jet transport as a National Facility for airborne scientific research (astronomy, aurora, airglow, meteorology, earth resources). This aircraft can carry about twelve experiments to 12 km for several hours. A second aircraft, a twin-engine Lear Jet, has been used on a limited basis for airborne science and can carry one experiment to 15 km for 1 h. Mobility and altitude are the principal advantages over ground sites, while large payload and personnel carrying capabilities, combined with ease of operations and relatively low cost, are the main advantages compared to balloons, rockets, or satellites. Typical airborne instrumentation and scientific results are presented.

  16. NASA's Student Airborne Research Program (SARP) 2009-2017

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Schaller, E. L.

    2017-12-01

    The NASA Student Airborne Research Program (SARP) is a unique summer internship program for rising senior undergraduates majoring in any of the STEM disciplines. SARP participants acquire hands-on research experience in all aspects of a NASA airborne campaign, including flying onboard NASA research aircraft while studying Earth system processes. Approximately thirty-two students are competitively selected each summer from colleges and universities across the United States. Students work in four interdisciplinary teams to study surface, atmospheric, and oceanographic processes. Participants assist in the operation of instruments onboard NASA aircraft where they sample and measure atmospheric gases and image land and water surfaces in multiple spectral bands. Along with airborne data collection, students participate in taking measurements at field sites. Mission faculty and research mentors help to guide participants through instrument operation, sample analysis, and data reduction. Over the eight-week program, each student develops an individual research project from the data collected and delivers a conference-style final presentation on their results. Each year, several students present the results of their SARP research projects in scientific sessions at this meeting. We discuss the results and effectiveness of the program over the past nine summers and plans for the future.

  17. NASA IceBridge: Scientific Insights from Airborne Surveys of the Polar Sea Ice Covers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Richter-Menge, J.; Farrell, S. L.

    2015-12-01

    The NASA Operation IceBridge (OIB) airborne sea ice surveys are designed to continue a valuable series of sea ice thickness measurements by bridging the gap between NASA's Ice, Cloud and Land Elevation Satellite (ICESat), which operated from 2003 to 2009, and ICESat-2, which is scheduled for launch in 2017. Initiated in 2009, OIB has conducted campaigns over the western Arctic Ocean (March/April) and Southern Oceans (October/November) on an annual basis when the thickness of sea ice cover is nearing its maximum. More recently, a series of Arctic surveys have also collected observations in the late summer, at the end of the melt season. The Airborne Topographic Mapper (ATM) laser altimeter is one of OIB's primary sensors, in combination with the Digital Mapping System digital camera, a Ku-band radar altimeter, a frequency-modulated continuous-wave (FMCW) snow radar, and a KT-19 infrared radiation pyrometer. Data from the campaigns are available to the research community at: http://nsidc.org/data/icebridge/. This presentation will summarize the spatial and temporal extent of the OIB campaigns and their complementary role in linking in situ and satellite measurements, advancing observations of sea ice processes across all length scales. Key scientific insights gained on the state of the sea ice cover will be highlighted, including snow depth, ice thickness, surface roughness and morphology, and melt pond evolution.

  18. NASA's Airborne Astronomy Program - Lessons For SOFIA

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Erickson, Edwin F.

    2007-07-01

    Airborne astronomy was pioneered and has evolved at NASA Ames Research Center near San Francisco, California, since 1965. Nowhere else in the world has a similar program been implemented. Its many unique features deserve description, especially for the benefit of planning the operation of SOFIA, the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, and in particular since NASA Headquarters’ recent decision to base SOFIA operations at Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards, California instead of at Ames. The history of Ames’ airborne astronomy program is briefly summarized. Discussed in more detail are the operations and organization of the 21-year Kuiper Airborne Observatory (KAO) program, which provide important lessons for SOFIA. The KAO program is our best prototype for planning effective SOFIA operations. Principal features of the KAO program which should be retained on SOFIA are: unique science, innovative new science instruments and technologies, training of young scientists, an effective education and public outreach program, flexibility, continuous improvement, and efficient operations with a lean, well integrated team. KAO program features which should be improved upon with SOFIA are: (1) a management structure that is dedicated primarily to safely maximizing scientific productivity for the resources available, headed by a scientist who is the observatory director, and (2) stimuli to assure prompt distribution and accessibility of data to the scientific community. These and other recommendations were recorded by the SOFIA Science Working Group in 1995, when the KAO was decommissioned to start work on SOFIA. Further operational and organizational factors contributing to the success of the KAO program are described. Their incorporation into SOFIA operations will help assure the success of this new airborne observatory. SOFIA is supported by NASA in the U.S. and DLR (the German Aerospace Center) in Germany.

  19. DC-8 Airborne Laboratory arrival at NASA Dryden

    NASA Image and Video Library

    1997-12-29

    NASA's DC-8 Airborne Science platform landed at Edwards Air Force Base, California, to join the fleet of aircraft at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center. The white aircraft with a blue stripe running horizontally from the nose to the tail is shown with its main landing gear just above the runway. The former airliner is a "dash-72" model and has a range of 5,400 miles. The craft can stay airborne for 12 hours and has an operational speed range between 300 and 500 knots. The research flights are made at between 500 and 41,000 feet. The aircraft can carry up to 30,000 lbs of research/science payload equipment installed in 15 mission-definable spaces.

  20. Airborne lidar experiments at the Savannah River Plant

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Krabill, William B.; Swift, Robert N.

    1985-01-01

    The results of remote sensing experiments at the Department of Energy (DOE) Savannah River Nuclear Facility utilizing the NASA Airborne Oceanographic Lidar (AOL) are presented. The flights were conducted in support of the numerous environmental monitoring requirements associated with the operation of the facility and for the purpose of furthering research and development of airborne lidar technology. Areas of application include airborne laser topographic mapping, hydrologic studies using fluorescent tracer dye, timber volume estimation, baseline characterization of wetlands, and aquatic chlorophyll and photopigment measurements. Conclusions relative to the usability of airborne lidar technology for the DOE for each of these remote sensing applications are discussed.

  1. NASA UAV Airborne Science Capabilities in Support of Water Resource Management

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Fladeland, Matthew

    2015-01-01

    This workshop presentation focuses on potential uses of unmanned aircraft observations in support of water resource management and agriculture. The presentation will provide an overview of NASA Airborne Science capabilities with an emphasis on past UAV missions to provide context on accomplishments as well as technical challenges. I will also focus on recent NASA Ames efforts to assist in irrigation management and invasive species management using airborne and satellite datasets.

  2. NASA Langley Airborne High Spectral Resolution Lidar Instrument Description

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Harper, David B.; Cook, Anthony; Hostetler, Chris; Hair, John W.; Mack, Terry L.

    2006-01-01

    NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) recently developed the LaRC Airborne High Spectral Resolution Lidar (HSRL) to make measurements of aerosol and cloud distribution and optical properties. The Airborne HSRL has undergone as series of test flights and was successfully deployed on the Megacity Initiative: Local and Global Research Observations (MILAGRO) field mission in March 2006 (see Hair et al. in these proceedings). This paper provides an overview of the design of the Airborne HSRL and descriptions of some key subsystems unique to this instrument.

  3. NASA Airborne Science Program: NASA Stratospheric Platforms

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Curry, Robert E.

    2010-01-01

    The National Aeronautics and Space Administration conducts a wide variety of remote sensing projects using several unique aircraft platforms. These vehicles have been selected and modified to provide capabilities that are particularly important for geophysical research, in particular, routine access to very high altitudes, long range, long endurance, precise trajectory control, and the payload capacity to operate multiple, diverse instruments concurrently. While the NASA program has been in operation for over 30 years, new aircraft and technological advances that will expand the capabilities for airborne observation are continually being assessed and implemented. This presentation will review the current state of NASA's science platforms, recent improvements and new missions concepts as well as provide a survey of emerging technologies unmanned aerial vehicles for long duration observations (Global Hawk and Predator). Applications of information technology that allow more efficient use of flight time and the ability to rapidly reconfigure systems for different mission objectives are addressed.

  4. Significant effect of topographic normalization of airborne LiDAR data on the retrieval of plant area index profile in mountainous forests

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liu, Jing; Skidmore, Andrew K.; Heurich, Marco; Wang, Tiejun

    2017-10-01

    As an important metric for describing vertical forest structure, the plant area index (PAI) profile is used for many applications including biomass estimation and wildlife habitat assessment. PAI profiles can be estimated with the vertically resolved gap fraction from airborne LiDAR data. Most research utilizes a height normalization algorithm to retrieve local or relative height by assuming the terrain to be flat. However, for many forests this assumption is not valid. In this research, the effect of topographic normalization of airborne LiDAR data on the retrieval of PAI profile was studied in a mountainous forest area in Germany. Results show that, although individual tree height may be retained after topographic normalization, the spatial arrangement of trees is changed. Specifically, topographic normalization vertically condenses and distorts the PAI profile, which consequently alters the distribution pattern of plant area density in space. This effect becomes more evident as the slope increases. Furthermore, topographic normalization may also undermine the complexity (i.e., canopy layer number and entropy) of the PAI profile. The decrease in PAI profile complexity is not solely determined by local topography, but is determined by the interaction between local topography and the spatial distribution of each tree. This research demonstrates that when calculating the PAI profile from airborne LiDAR data, local topography needs to be taken into account. We therefore suggest that for ecological applications, such as vertical forest structure analysis and modeling of biodiversity, topographic normalization should not be applied in non-flat areas when using LiDAR data.

  5. Airborne Satcom Terminal Research at NASA Glenn

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hoder, Doug; Zakrajsek, Robert

    2002-01-01

    NASA Glenn has constructed an airborne Ku-band satellite terminal, which provides wideband full-duplex ground-aircraft communications. The terminal makes use of novel electronically-steered phased array antennas and provides IP connectivity to and from the ground. The satcom terminal communications equipment may be easily changed whenever a new configuration is required, enhancing the terminal's versatility.

  6. Airborne Laser/GPS Mapping of Assateague National Seashore Beach

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kradill, W. B.; Wright, C. W.; Brock, John C.; Swift, R. N.; Frederick, E. B.; Manizade, S. S.; Yungel, J. K.; Martin, C. F.; Sonntag, J. G.; Duffy, Mark; hide

    1997-01-01

    Results are presented from topographic surveys of the Assateague Island National Seashore using recently developed Airborne Topographic Mapper (ATM) and kinematic Global Positioning System (GPS) technology. In November, 1995, and again in May, 1996, the NASA Arctic Ice Mapping (AIM) group from the Goddard Space Flight Center's Wallops Flight Facility conducted the topographic surveys as a part of technology enhancement activities prior to conducting missions to measure the elevation of extensive sections of the Greenland Ice Sheet as part of NASA's Global Climate Change program. Differences between overlapping portions of both surveys are compared for quality control. An independent assessment of the accuracy of the ATM survey is provided by comparison to surface surveys which were conducted using standard techniques. The goal of these projects is to mdke these measurements to an accuracy of +/- 10 cm. Differences between the fall 1995 and 1996 surveys provides an assessment of net changes in the beach morphology over an annual cycle.

  7. NASA's Earth Venture-1 (EV-1) Airborne Science Investigations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Guillory, A.; Denkins, T.; Allen, B. Danette; Braun, Scott A.; Crawford, James H.; Jensen, Eric J.; Miller, Charles E.; Moghaddam, Mahta; Maring, Hal

    2011-01-01

    In 2010, NASA announced the first Earth Venture (EV-1) selections in response to a recommendation made by the National Research Council for low-cost investigations fostering innovation in Earth science. The five EV-1 investigations span the Earth science focus areas of atmosphere, weather, climate, water and energy and, carbon and represent earth science researchers from NASA as well as other government agencies, academia and industry from around the world. The EV-1 missions are: 1) Airborne Microwave Observatory of Subcanopy and Subsurface (AirMOSS), 2) Airborne Tropical Tropopause Experiment (ATTREX), 3) Carbon in Arctic Reservoirs Vulnerability Experiment (CARVE), 4) Deriving Information on Surface Conditions from Column and Vertically Resolved Observations Relevant to Air Quality (DISCOVER-AQ), and 5) Hurricane And Severe Storm Sentinel (HS3). The Earth Venture missions are managed out of the Earth System Science Pathfinder (ESSP) Program Office (Allen, et. al. 2010b)

  8. Using Airborne Laser Altimetry to Detect Topographic Change at Long Valley Caldera, California

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hofton, M. A.; Minster, J.-B.; Ridgway, J. R.; Williams, N. P.; Blair, J.-B.; Rabine, D. L.; Bufton, J. L.

    1999-01-01

    The topography of the Long Valley caldera, California, was sampled using airborne laser altimetry in 1993, 1995, and 1997 to test the feasibility of using airborne laser altimetry for monitoring deformation of volcanic origin. Results show the laser altimeters are able to resolve subtle topographic features such as a gradual slope and to detect small transient changes in lake elevation. Crossover and repeat pass analyses of laser tracks indicate decimeter-level vertical precision is obtained over flat and low-sloped terrain for altimeter systems performing waveform digitization. Comparisons with complementary, ground-based GPS data at a site close to Bishop airport indicate that the laser and GPS-derived elevations agree to within the error inherent in the measurement and that horizontal locations agree to within the radius of the laser footprint. A comparison of the data at two sites, one where no change and the other where the maximum amount of vertical uplift is expected, indicates approximately 10 cm of relative uplift occurred 1993-1997, in line with predictions from continuous GPS measurements in the region. Extensive terrain mapping flights during the 1995 and 1997 missions demonstrate some of the unique abilities of laser altimetry; the straightforward creation of high resolution, high accuracy digital elevation models of overflown terrain, and the ability to determine ground topography in the presence of significant ground cover such as dense tree canopies. These capabilities make laser altimetry an attractive technique for quantifying topographic change of volcanic origin, especially in forested regions of the world where other remote sensing instruments have difficulty detecting the underlying topography.

  9. Using Airborne Laser Altimetry to Detect Topographic Change at Long Valley Caldera California

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hofton, M. A.; Minster, J.-B.; Ridgway, J. R.; Williams, N. P.; Blair, J. B.; Rabine, D. L.; Bufton, J. L.

    2000-01-01

    The topography of the Long Valley caldera, California, was sampled using airborne laser altimetry in 1993, 1995, and 1997 to test the feasibility of using airborne laser altimetry for monitoring deformation of volcanic origin. Results show the laser altimeters are able to resolve subtle topographic features such as a gradual slope and to detect small transient changes in lake elevation. Crossover and repeat pass analyses of laser tracks indicate decimeter-level vertical precision is obtained over flat and low-sloped terrain for altimeter systems performing waveform digitization. Comparisons with complementary, ground-based CPS data at a site close to Bishop airport indicate that the laser and GPS-derived elevations agree to within the error inherent in the measurement and that horizontal locations agree to within the radius of the laser footprint. A comparison of the data at two sites, one where no change and the other where the maximum amount of vertical uplift is expected, indicates approximately 10 cm of relative uplift occurred 1993-1997, in line with predictions from continuous CPS measurements in the region. Extensive terrain mapping flights during the 1995 and 1997 missions demonstrate some of the unique abilities of laser altimetry; the straightforward creation of high resolution, high accuracy digital elevation models of overflown terrain, and the ability to determine ground topography in the presence of significant ground cover such as dense tree canopies. These capabilities make laser altimetry an attractive technique for quantifying topographic change of volcanic origin, especially in forested regions of the world where other remote sensing instruments have difficulty detecting the underlying topography.

  10. Airborne Trailblazer: Two decades with NASA Langley's 737 flying laboratory

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wallace, Lane E.

    1994-01-01

    This book is the story of a very unique aircraft and the contributions it has made to the air transportation industry. NASA's Boeing 737-100 Transport Systems Research Vehicle started life as the prototype for Boeing's 737 series of aircraft. The airplane was acquired by LaRC in 1974 to conduct research into advanced transport aircraft technologies. In the twenty years that followed, the airplane participated in more than twenty different research projects, evolving from a research tool for a specific NASA program into a national airborne research facility. It played a critical role in developing and gaining acceptance for numerous significant transport technologies including 'glass cockpits,' airborne windshear detection systems, data links for air traffic control communications, the microwave landing system, and the satellite-based global positioning system (GPS).

  11. The Airborne Astronomy Ambassadors (AAA) Program and NASA Astrophysics Connections

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Backman, Dana Edward; Clark, Coral; Harman, Pamela

    2018-01-01

    The NASA Airborne Astronomy Ambassadors (AAA) program is a three-part professional development (PD) experience for high school physics, astronomy, and earth science teachers. AAA PD consists of: (1) blended learning via webinars, asynchronous content delivery, and in-person workshops, (2) a STEM immersion experience at NASA Armstrong’s B703 science research aircraft facility in Palmdale, California, including interactions with NASA astrophysics & planetary science Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) during science flights on SOFIA, and (3) continuing post-flight opportunities for teacher & student connections with SMEs.

  12. NASA Airborne Astronomy Ambassadors (AAA) Professional Development and NASA Connections

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Backman, D. E.; Clark, C.; Harman, P. K.

    2017-12-01

    NASA's Airborne Astronomy Ambassadors (AAA) program is a three-part professional development (PD) experience for high school physics, astronomy, and earth science teachers. AAA PD consists of: (1) blended learning via webinars, asynchronous content learning, and in-person workshops, (2) a STEM immersion experience at NASA Armstrong's B703 science research aircraft facility in Palmdale, California, and (3) ongoing opportunities for connection with NASA astrophysics and planetary science Subject Matter Experts (SMEs). AAA implementation in 2016-18 involves partnerships between the SETI Institute and seven school districts in northern and southern California. AAAs in the current cohort were selected by the school districts based on criteria developed by AAA program staff working with WestEd evaluation consultants. The selected teachers were then randomly assigned by WestEd to a Group A or B to support controlled testing of student learning. Group A completed their PD during January - August 2017, then participated in NASA SOFIA science flights during fall 2017. Group B will act as a control during the 2017-18 school year, then will complete their professional development and SOFIA flights during 2018. A two-week AAA electromagnetic spectrum and multi-wavelength astronomy curriculum aligned with the Science Framework for California Public Schools and Next Generation Science Standards was developed by program staff for classroom delivery. The curriculum (as well as the AAA's pre-flight PD) capitalizes on NASA content by using "science snapshot" case studies regarding astronomy research conducted by SOFIA. AAAs also interact with NASA SMEs during flight weeks and will translate that interaction into classroom content. The AAA program will make controlled measurements of student gains in standards-based learning plus changes in student attitudes towards STEM, and observe & record the AAAs' implementation of curricular changes. Funded by NASA: NNX16AC51

  13. Analysis of Auroral Data from Nasa's 1968 and 1969 Airborne Auroral Expedition

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1973-01-01

    Results of a methodical compilation, reduction, and correlated analysis of spectrophotometric data obtained by various scientific groups during NASA's 1968 and 1969 Airborne Auroral Expedition are presented.

  14. Airborne Measurements in Support of the NASA Atmospheric Carbon and Transport - America (ACT-America) Mission

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Meadows, Byron; Davis, Ken; Barrick, John; Browell, Edward; Chen, Gao; Dobler, Jeremy; Fried, Alan; Lauvaux, Thomas; Lin, Bing; McGill, Matt; hide

    2015-01-01

    NASA announced the research opportunity Earth Venture Suborbital -2 (EVS-2) mission in support of the NASA's science strategic goals and objectives in 2013. Penn State University, NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC), and other academic institutions, government agencies, and industrial companies together formulated and proposed the Atmospheric Carbon and Transport -America (ACT -America) suborbital mission, which was subsequently selected for implementation. The airborne measurements that are part of ACT-America will provide a unique set of remote and in-situ measurements of CO2 over North America at spatial and temporal scales not previously available to the science community and this will greatly enhance our understanding of the carbon cycle. ACT -America will consist of five airborne campaigns, covering all four seasons, to measure regional atmospheric carbon distributions and to evaluate the accuracy of atmospheric transport models used to assess carbon sinks and sources under fair and stormy weather conditions. This coordinated mission will measure atmospheric carbon in the three most important regions of the continental US carbon balance: Northeast, Midwest, and South. Data will be collected using 2 airborne platforms (NASA Wallops' C-130 and NASA Langley's B-200) with both in-situ and lidar instruments, along with instrumented ground towers and under flights of the Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO-2) satellite. This presentation provides an overview of the ACT-America instruments, with particular emphasis on the airborne CO2and backscatter lidars, and the, rationale, approach, and anticipated results from this mission.

  15. Recent Advancements in Atmospheric Measurements Made from NASA Airborne Science Platforms

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Schill, S.; Bennett, J.; Edmond, K.; Finch, P.; Rainer, S.; Schaller, E. L.; Stith, E.; Van Gilst, D.; Webster, A.; Yang, M. Y.

    2017-12-01

    Techniques for making atmospheric measurements are as wide-ranging as the atmosphere is complex. From in situ measurements made by land, sea, or air, to remote sensing data collected by satellites orbiting the Earth, atmospheric measurements have been paramount in advancing the combined understanding of our planet. To date, many of these advancements have been enabled by NASA Airborne Science platforms, which provide unique opportunities to make these measurements in remote regions, and to compare them with an ever-increasing archive of remote satellite data. Here, we discuss recent advances and current capabilities of the National Suborbital Research Center (NSRC) which provides comprehensive instrumentation and data system support on a variety of NASA airborne research platforms. Application of these methods to a number of diverse science missions, as well as upcoming project opportunities, will also be discussed.

  16. Connecting NASA Airborne Scientists, Engineers, and Pilots to K-12 Classrooms

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Schaller, E. L.

    2015-12-01

    The NASA Airborne Science Program (ASP) conducts Earth system science research missions with NASA aircraft all over the world. During ASP missions, NASA scientists, engineers and pilots are deployed to remote parts of the world such as Greenland, Antarctica, Chile, and Guam. These ASP mission personnel often have a strong desire to share the excitement of their mission with local classrooms near their deployment locations as well as classrooms back home in the United States. Here we discuss ongoing efforts to connect NASA scientists, engineers and pilots in the field directly with K-12 classrooms through both in-person interactions and remotely via live web-based chats.

  17. Snow Depth Depicted on Mt. Lyell by NASA Airborne Snow Observatory

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2013-05-02

    A natural color image of Mt. Lyell, the highest point in the Tuolumne River Basin top image is compared with a three-dimensional color composite image of Mt. Lyell from NASA Airborne Snow Observatory depicting snow depth bottom image.

  18. Landslides Identification Using Airborne Laser Scanning Data Derived Topographic Terrain Attributes and Support Vector Machine Classification

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pawłuszek, Kamila; Borkowski, Andrzej

    2016-06-01

    Since the availability of high-resolution Airborne Laser Scanning (ALS) data, substantial progress in geomorphological research, especially in landslide analysis, has been carried out. First and second order derivatives of Digital Terrain Model (DTM) have become a popular and powerful tool in landslide inventory mapping. Nevertheless, an automatic landslide mapping based on sophisticated classifiers including Support Vector Machine (SVM), Artificial Neural Network or Random Forests is often computationally time consuming. The objective of this research is to deeply explore topographic information provided by ALS data and overcome computational time limitation. For this reason, an extended set of topographic features and the Principal Component Analysis (PCA) were used to reduce redundant information. The proposed novel approach was tested on a susceptible area affected by more than 50 landslides located on Rożnów Lake in Carpathian Mountains, Poland. The initial seven PCA components with 90% of the total variability in the original topographic attributes were used for SVM classification. Comparing results with landslide inventory map, the average user's accuracy (UA), producer's accuracy (PA), and overall accuracy (OA) were calculated for two models according to the classification results. Thereby, for the PCA-feature-reduced model UA, PA, and OA were found to be 72%, 76%, and 72%, respectively. Similarly, UA, PA, and OA in the non-reduced original topographic model, was 74%, 77% and 74%, respectively. Using the initial seven PCA components instead of the twenty original topographic attributes does not significantly change identification accuracy but reduce computational time.

  19. NASA Goddards LiDAR, Hyperspectral and Thermal (G-LiHT) Airborne Imager

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cook, Bruce D.; Corp, Lawrence A.; Nelson, Ross F.; Middleton, Elizabeth M.; Morton, Douglas C.; McCorkel, Joel T.; Masek, Jeffrey G.; Ranson, Kenneth J.; Ly, Vuong; Montesano, Paul M.

    2013-01-01

    The combination of LiDAR and optical remotely sensed data provides unique information about ecosystem structure and function. Here, we describe the development, validation and application of a new airborne system that integrates commercial off the shelf LiDAR hyperspectral and thermal components in a compact, lightweight and portable system. Goddard's LiDAR, Hyperspectral and Thermal (G-LiHT) airborne imager is a unique system that permits simultaneous measurements of vegetation structure, foliar spectra and surface temperatures at very high spatial resolution (approximately 1 m) on a wide range of airborne platforms. The complementary nature of LiDAR, optical and thermal data provide an analytical framework for the development of new algorithms to map plant species composition, plant functional types, biodiversity, biomass and carbon stocks, and plant growth. In addition, G-LiHT data enhance our ability to validate data from existing satellite missions and support NASA Earth Science research. G-LiHT's data processing and distribution system is designed to give scientists open access to both low- and high-level data products (http://gliht.gsfc.nasa.gov), which will stimulate the community development of synergistic data fusion algorithms. G-LiHT has been used to collect more than 6,500 km2 of data for NASA-sponsored studies across a broad range of ecoregions in the USA and Mexico. In this paper, we document G-LiHT design considerations, physical specifications, instrument performance and calibration and acquisition parameters. In addition, we describe the data processing system and higher-level data products that are freely distributed under NASA's Data and Information policy.

  20. NASA Airborne Campaigns Focus on Climate Impacts in the Arctic

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2017-12-08

    This red plane is a DHC-3 Otter, the plane flown in NASA's Operation IceBridge-Alaska surveys of mountain glaciers in Alaska. Credit: Chris Larsen, University of Alaska-Fairbanks Over the past few decades, average global temperatures have been on the rise, and this warming is happening two to three times faster in the Arctic. As the region’s summer comes to a close, NASA is hard at work studying how rising temperatures are affecting the Arctic. NASA researchers this summer and fall are carrying out three Alaska-based airborne research campaigns aimed at measuring greenhouse gas concentrations near Earth’s surface, monitoring Alaskan glaciers, and collecting data on Arctic sea ice and clouds. Observations from these NASA campaigns will give researchers a better understanding of how the Arctic is responding to rising temperatures. The Arctic Radiation – IceBridge Sea and Ice Experiment, or ARISE, is a new NASA airborne campaign to collect data on thinning sea ice and measure cloud and atmospheric properties in the Arctic. The campaign was designed to address questions about the relationship between retreating sea ice and the Arctic climate. Arctic sea ice reflects sunlight away from Earth, moderating warming in the region. Loss of sea ice means more heat from the sun is absorbed by the ocean surface, adding to Arctic warming. In addition, the larger amount of open water leads to more moisture in the air, which affects the formation of clouds that have their own effect on warming, either enhancing or reducing it. Read more: www.nasa.gov/earthrightnow NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram

  1. NASA/ESA CV-990 airborne simulation of Spacelab

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mulholland, D.; Neel, C.; De Waard, J.; Lovelett, R.; Weaver, L.; Parker, R.

    1975-01-01

    The paper describes the joint NASA/ESA extensive Spacelab simulation using the NASA CV-990 airborne laboratory. The scientific payload was selected to conduct studies in upper atmospheric physics and infrared astronomy. Two experiment operators from Europe and two from the U.S. were selected to live aboard the aircraft along with a mission manager for a six-day period and operate the experiments in behalf of the principal scientists. The mission was successful and provided extensive data relevant to Spacelab objectives on overall management of a complex international payload; experiment preparation, testing, and integration; training for proxy operation in space; data handling; multiexperimenter use of common experimenter facilities (telescopes); and schedule requirements to prepare for such a Spacelab mission.

  2. The FOSTER Project: Teacher Enrichment Through Participation in NASA's Airborne Astronomy Program

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Koch, David; Hull, G.; Gillespie, C., Jr.; DeVore, E.; Witteborn, Fred C. (Technical Monitor)

    1995-01-01

    NASA's airborne astronomy program offers a unique opportunity for K-12 science teacher enrichment and for NASA to reach out and serve the educational community. Learning from a combination of summer workshops, curriculum supplement materials, training in Internet skills and ultimately flying on NASA's C-141 airborne observatory, the teachers are able to share the excitement of scientific discovery with their students and convey that excitement from first hand experience rather than just from reading about science in a textbook. This year the program has expanded to include teachers from the eleven western states served by NASA Ames Research Center's Educational Programs Office as well as teachers from communities from around the country where the scientist who fly on the observatory reside. Through teacher workshops and inservice presentations, the FOSTER (Flight Opportunities for Science Teacher EnRichment) teachers are sharing the resources and experiences with many hundreds of other teachers. Ultimately, the students are learning first hand about the excitement of science, the scientific method in practice, the team work involved, the relevance of science to their daily lives and the importance of a firm foundation in math and science in today's technologically oriented world.

  3. NASA three-laser airborne differential absorption lidar system electronics

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Allen, R. J.; Copeland, G. D.

    1984-01-01

    The system control and signal conditioning electronics of the NASA three laser airborne differential absorption lidar (DIAL) system are described. The multipurpose DIAL system was developed for the remote measurement of gas and aerosol profiles in the troposphere and lower stratosphere. A brief description and photographs of the majority of electronics units developed under this contract are presented. The precision control system; which includes a master control unit, three combined NASA laser control interface/quantel control units, and three noise pulse discriminator/pockels cell pulser units; is described in detail. The need and design considerations for precision timing and control are discussed. Calibration procedures are included.

  4. NASA SMD Airborne Science Capabilities for Development and Testing of New Instruments

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Fladeland, Matthew

    2015-01-01

    The SMD NASA Airborne Science Program operates and maintains a fleet of highly modified aircraft to support instrument development, satellite instrument calibration, data product validation and earth science process studies. This poster will provide an overview of aircraft available to NASA researchers including performance specifications and modifications for instrument support, processes for requesting aircraft time and developing cost estimates for proposals, and policies and procedures required to ensure safety of flight.

  5. The NASA Carbon Airborne Flux Experiment (CARAFE): instrumentation and methodology

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wolfe, Glenn M.; Kawa, S. Randy; Hanisco, Thomas F.; Hannun, Reem A.; Newman, Paul A.; Swanson, Andrew; Bailey, Steve; Barrick, John; Thornhill, K. Lee; Diskin, Glenn; DiGangi, Josh; Nowak, John B.; Sorenson, Carl; Bland, Geoffrey; Yungel, James K.; Swenson, Craig A.

    2018-03-01

    The exchange of trace gases between the Earth's surface and atmosphere strongly influences atmospheric composition. Airborne eddy covariance can quantify surface fluxes at local to regional scales (1-1000 km), potentially helping to bridge gaps between top-down and bottom-up flux estimates and offering novel insights into biophysical and biogeochemical processes. The NASA Carbon Airborne Flux Experiment (CARAFE) utilizes the NASA C-23 Sherpa aircraft with a suite of commercial and custom instrumentation to acquire fluxes of carbon dioxide, methane, sensible heat, and latent heat at high spatial resolution. Key components of the CARAFE payload are described, including the meteorological, greenhouse gas, water vapor, and surface imaging systems. Continuous wavelet transforms deliver spatially resolved fluxes along aircraft flight tracks. Flux analysis methodology is discussed in depth, with special emphasis on quantification of uncertainties. Typical uncertainties in derived surface fluxes are 40-90 % for a nominal resolution of 2 km or 16-35 % when averaged over a full leg (typically 30-40 km). CARAFE has successfully flown two missions in the eastern US in 2016 and 2017, quantifying fluxes over forest, cropland, wetlands, and water. Preliminary results from these campaigns are presented to highlight the performance of this system.

  6. Briefing to University of Porto on NASA Airborne Science Program and Ames UAVs

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Fladeland, Matthew

    2015-01-01

    NASA Ames is exploring a partnership with the University of Portugal to jointly develop and test new autonomous vehicle technologies. As part of the discussions I will be briefing the University of Portugal faculty on the NASA Airborne Science Program (ASP) and associated activities at NASA Ames Research Center. The presentation will communicate the requirements that drive the program, the assets available to NASA researchers, and discuss research projects that have used unmanned aircraft systems including MIZOPEX, Surprise Valley, and Florida Keys Coral Reef assessment. Other topics will include the SIERRA and Dragon Eye UAV projects operated at Ames.

  7. NASA Standard for Airborne Data: ICARTT Format ESDS-RFC-019

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Thornhill, A.; Brown, C.; Aknan, A.; Crawford, J. H.; Chen, G.; Williams, E. J.

    2011-12-01

    Airborne field studies generate a plethora of data products in the effort to study atmospheric composition and processes. Data file formats for airborne field campaigns are designed to present data in an understandable and organized way to support collaboration and to document relevant and important meta data. The ICARTT file format was created to facilitate data management during the International Consortium for Atmospheric Research on Transport and Transformation (ICARTT) campaign in 2004 that involved government-agencies and university participants from five countries. Since this mission the ICARTT format has been used in subsequent field campaigns such as Polar Study Using Aircraft Remote Sensing, Surface Measurements and Models of Climates, Chemistry, Aerosols, and Transport (POLARCAT) and the first phase of Deriving Information on Surface Conditions from COlumn and VERtically Resolved Observations Relevant to Air Quality (DISCOVER-AQ). The ICARTT file format has been endorsed as a standard format for airborne data by the Standard Process Group (SPG), one of the Earth Science Data Systems Working Groups (ESDSWG) in 2010. The detailed description of the ICARTT format can be found at http://www-air.larc.nasa.gov/missions/etc/ESDS-RFC-019-v1.00.pdf. The ICARTT data format is an ASCII, comma delimited format that was based on the NASA Ames and GTE file formats. The file header is detailed enough to fully describe the data for users outside of the instrument group and includes a description of the meta data. The ICARTT scanning tools, format structure, implementations, and examples will be presented.

  8. Airborne Wind Profiling Algorithms for the Pulsed 2-Micron Coherent Doppler Lidar at NASA Langley Research Center

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Beyon, Jeffrey Y.; Koch, Grady J.; Kavaya, Michael J.; Ray, Taylor J.

    2013-01-01

    Two versions of airborne wind profiling algorithms for the pulsed 2-micron coherent Doppler lidar system at NASA Langley Research Center in Virginia are presented. Each algorithm utilizes different number of line-of-sight (LOS) lidar returns while compensating the adverse effects of different coordinate systems between the aircraft and the Earth. One of the two algorithms APOLO (Airborne Wind Profiling Algorithm for Doppler Wind Lidar) estimates wind products using two LOSs. The other algorithm utilizes five LOSs. The airborne lidar data were acquired during the NASA's Genesis and Rapid Intensification Processes (GRIP) campaign in 2010. The wind profile products from the two algorithms are compared with the dropsonde data to validate their results.

  9. Airborne Polarimeter Intercomparison for the NASA Aerosols-Clouds-Ecosystems (ACE) Mission

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Knobelspiesse, Kirk; Redemann, Jens

    2014-01-01

    The Aerosols-Clouds-Ecosystems (ACE) mission, recommended by the National Research Council's Decadal Survey, calls for a multi-angle, multi-spectral polarimeter devoted to observations of atmospheric aerosols and clouds. In preparation for ACE, NASA funds the deployment of airborne polarimeters, including the Airborne Multi-angle SpectroPolarimeter Imager (AirMSPI), the Passive Aerosol and Cloud Suite (PACS) and the Research Scanning Polarimeter (RSP). These instruments have been operated together on NASA's ER-2 high altitude aircraft as part of field campaigns such as the POlarimeter DEfinition EXperiment (PODEX) (California, early 2013) and Studies of Emissions and Atmospheric Composition, Clouds and Climate Coupling by Regional Surveys (SEAC4RS, California and Texas, summer 2013). Our role in these efforts has been to serve as an assessment team performing level 1 (calibrated radiance, polarization) and level 2 (retrieved geophysical parameter) instrument intercomparisons, and to promote unified and generalized calibration, uncertainty assessment and retrieval techniques. We will present our progress in this endeavor thus far and describe upcoming research in 2015.

  10. NASA Stratospheric Observatory For Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) Airborne Astronomy Ambassador Program Evaluation Results To Date

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Harman, Pamela K.; Backman, Dana E.; Clark, Coral

    2015-08-01

    SOFIA is an airborne observatory, capable of making observations that are impossible for even the largest and highest ground-based telescopes, and inspires instrumention development.SOFIA is an 80% - 20% partnership of NASA and the German Aerospace Center (DLR), consisting of a modified Boeing 747SP aircraft carrying a diameter of 2.5 meters (100 inches) reflecting telescope. The SOFIA aircraft is based at NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center, Building 703, in Palmdale, California. The Science Program Office and Outreach Office is located at NASA Ames Research center. SOFIA is one of the programs in NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Astrophysics Division.SOFIA will be used to study many different kinds of astronomical objects and phenomena, including star birth and death, formation of new solar systems, identification of complex molecules in space, planets, comets and asteroids in our solar system, nebulae and dust in galaxies, and ecosystems of galaxies.Airborne Astronomy Ambassador Program:The SOFIA Education and Communications program exploits the unique attributes of airborne astronomy to contribute to national goals for the reform of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education, and to the elevation of public scientific and technical literacy.SOFIA’s Airborne Astronomy Ambassadors (AAA) effort is a professional development program aspiring to improve teaching, inspire students, and inform the community. To date, 55 educators from 21 states; in three cohorts, Cycles 0, 1 and 2; have completed their astronomy professional development and their SOFIA science flight experience. Cycle 3 cohort of 28 educators will be completing their flight experience this fall. Evaluation has confirmed the program’s positive impact on the teacher participants, on their students, and in their communities. Teachers have incorporated content knowledge and specific components of their experience into their curricula, and have given hundreds of presentations and

  11. NASA airborne Doppler lidar program: Data characteristics of 1981

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lee, R. W.

    1982-01-01

    The first flights of the NASA/Marshall airborne CO2 Doppler lidar wind measuring system were made during the summer of 1981. Successful measurements of two-dimensional flow fields were made to ranges of 15 km from the aircraft track. The characteristics of the data obtained are examined. A study of various artifacts introduced into the data set by incomplete compensation for aircraft dynamics is summarized. Most of these artifacts can be corrected by post processing, which reduces velocity errors in the reconstructed flow field to remarkably low levels.

  12. Collaboration Portals for NASA's Airborne Field Campaigns

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Conover, H.; Kulkarni, A.; Garrett, M.; Goodman, M.; Petersen, W. A.; Drewry, M.; Hardin, D. M.; He, M.

    2011-12-01

    The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), in collaboration with the Global Hydrology Resource Center, a NASA Earth Science Data Center, has provided information management for a number of NASA Airborne Field campaigns, both hurricane science investigations and satellite instrument validation. Effective field campaign management requires communication and coordination tools, including utilities for personnel to upload and share flight plans, weather forecasts, a variety of mission reports, preliminary science data, and personal photos. Beginning with the Genesis and Rapid Intensification Processes (GRIP) hurricane field campaign in 2010, we have provided these capabilities via a Drupal-based collaboration portal. This portal was reused and modified for the Midlatitude Continental Convective Clouds Experiment (MC3E), part of the Global Precipitation Measurement mission ground validation program. An end goal of these development efforts is the creation of a Drupal profile for field campaign management. This presentation will discuss experiences with Drupal in developing and using these collaboration portals. Topics will include Drupal modules used, advantages and disadvantages of working with Drupal in this context, and how the science teams used the portals in comparison with other communication and collaboration tools.

  13. Collaboration Portals for NASA's Airborne Field Campaigns

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Conover, Helen; Kulkami, Ajinkya; Garrett, Michele; Goodman, Michael; Peterson, Walter Arthur; Drewry, Marilyn; Hardin, Danny M.; He, Matt

    2011-01-01

    The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), in collaboration with the Global Hydrology Resource Center, a NASA Earth Science Data Center, has provided information management for a number of NASA Airborne Field campaigns, both hurricane science investigations and satellite instrument validation. Effective field campaign management requires communication and coordination tools, including utilities for personnel to upload and share flight plans, weather forecasts, a variety of mission reports, preliminary science data, and personal photos. Beginning with the Genesis and Rapid Intensification Processes (GRIP) hurricane field campaign in 2010, we have provided these capabilities via a Drupal-based collaboration portal. This portal was reused and modified for the Midlatitude Continental Convective Clouds Experiment (MC3E), part of the Global Precipitation Measurement mission ground validation program. An end goal of these development efforts is the creation of a Drupal profile for field campaign management. This presentation will discuss experiences with Drupal in developing and using these collaboration portals. Topics will include Drupal modules used, advantages and disadvantages of working with Drupal in this context, and how the science teams used the portals in comparison with other communication and collaboration tools.

  14. NASA's Airborne Science DC-8 displays new colors in a check flight over the Dryden Flight Research Center

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2004-02-24

    NASA's large Airborne Science research aircraft, a modified DC-8 airliner, displayed new colors in a check flight Feb. 24, 2004, over its home base, the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards AFB, California.

  15. Temporal changes in surface roughness around 88°S from repeat high-resolution Airborne Topographic Mapper laser altimetry

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Studinger, M.; Brunt, K. M.; Medley, B.; Casey, K.; Neumann, T.

    2017-12-01

    The southern convergence of all ICESat-2 and CryoSat-2 tracks at 88°S is in a region of relatively low accumulation and surface slope making it ideal for satellite altimetry calibration and validation. In order to evaluate the stability and surface characteristics of the area we have analyzed repeat airborne laser altimetry measurements acquired around 88°S during 2014 and 2016 by NASA's Airborne Topographic Mapper (ATM) as part of Operation IceBridge. ATM is a conical scanner that operates at a wavelength of 532 nm, with a footprint of 1 meter and a 250-m-wide swath on the ground. The ATM Level 2 ICESSN data product includes slope and roughness estimates in 80 m × 80 m platelets across the swath. The mean surface roughness around 88°S for the 2014 data is 9.4 ± 2.0 cm, with the repeat flights in 2016 showing 8.6 ± 2.8 cm. The 2014 data reveals several areas where surface roughness doubles over very short spatial scales of only a few hundred meters. These features are several tens of km wide and appear to be oriented parallel to the main sastrugi direction visible in ATM spot elevation data and Digital Mapping System (DMS) visual imagery collected simultaneously. The rougher surface features are also present in the CReSIS snow radar data collected at the same time. These areas of increased surface roughness disappear in 2016 or seem to be significantly reduced in amplitude with the sharpness of the edges significantly reduced. The combination of simultaneous altimetry, snow radar and visual imagery on a regional scale provides a unique data set to study small scale deposition and erosional processes and their temporal variability. Our long-term goal is to quantify the spatial variability in snow accumulation rates south of 86°S in support of past, current and future altimetry measurements and surface mass balance model evaluation.

  16. ARIES: NASA Langley's Airborne Research Facility

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wusk, Michael S.

    2002-01-01

    In 1994, the NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) acquired a B-757-200 aircraft to replace the aging B-737 Transport Systems Research Vehicle (TSRV). The TSRV was a modified B-737-100, which served as a trailblazer in the development of glass cockpit technologies and other innovative aeronautical concepts. The mission for the B-757 is to continue the three-decade tradition of civil transport technology research begun by the TSRV. Since its arrival at Langley, this standard 757 aircraft has undergone extensive modifications to transform it into an aeronautical research "flying laboratory". With this transformation, the aircraft, which has been designated Airborne Research Integrated Experiments System (ARIES), has become a unique national asset which will continue to benefit the U.S. aviation industry and commercial airline customers for many generations to come. This paper will discuss the evolution of the modifications, detail the current capabilities of the research systems, and provide an overview of the research contributions already achieved.

  17. Aerosol Profile Measurements from the NASA Langley Research Center Airborne High Spectral Resolution Lidar

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Obland, Michael D.; Hostetler, Chris A.; Ferrare, Richard A.; Hair, John W.; Roers, Raymond R.; Burton, Sharon P.; Cook, Anthony L.; Harper, David B.

    2008-01-01

    Since achieving first light in December of 2005, the NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) Airborne High Spectral Resolution Lidar (HSRL) has been involved in seven field campaigns, accumulating over 450 hours of science data across more than 120 flights. Data from the instrument have been used in a variety of studies including validation and comparison with the Cloud- Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO) satellite mission, aerosol property retrievals combining passive and active instrument measurements, aerosol type identification, aerosol-cloud interactions, and cloud top and planetary boundary layer (PBL) height determinations. Measurements and lessons learned from the HSRL are leading towards next-generation HSRL instrument designs that will enable even further studies of aerosol intensive and extensive parameters and the effects of aerosols on the climate system. This paper will highlight several of the areas in which the NASA Airborne HSRL is making contributions to climate science.

  18. Joint NASA/USAF Airborne Field Mill Program - Operation and safety considerations during flights of a Lear 28 airplane in adverse weather

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Fisher, Bruce D.; Phillips, Michael R.; Maier, Launa M.

    1992-01-01

    A NASA Langley Research Center Learjet 28 research airplane was flown in various adverse weather conditions in the vicinity of the NASA Kennedy Space Center from 1990-1992 to measure airborne electric fields during the Joint NASA/USAF Airborne Field Mill Program. The objective of this program was to characterize the electrical activity in various weather phenomena common to the NASA-Kennedy area in order to refine Launch Commit Criteria for natural and triggered lightning. The purpose of the program was to safely relax the existing launch commit criteria, thereby increasing launch availability and reducing the chance for weather holds and delays. This paper discusses the operational conduct of the flight test, including environmental/safety considerations, aircraft instrumentation and modification, test limitations, flight procedures, and the procedures and responsibilities of the personnel in the ground station. Airborne field mill data were collected for all the Launch Commit Criteria during two summer and two winter deployments. These data are now being analyzed.

  19. The NASA Airborne Astronomy Program: A perspective on its contributions to science, technology, and education

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Larson, Harold P.

    1995-01-01

    The scientific, educational, and instrumental contributions from NASA's airborne observatories are deduced from the program's publication record (789 citations, excluding abstracts, involving 580 authors at 128 institutions in the United States and abroad between 1967-1990).

  20. Noise Whitening in Airborne Wind Profiling With a Pulsed 2-Micron Coherent Doppler Lidar at NASA Langley Research Center

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Beyon, Jeffrey Y.; Arthur, Grant E.; Koch, Grady J.; Kavaya, Michael J.

    2012-01-01

    Two different noise whitening methods in airborne wind profiling with a pulsed 2-micron coherent Doppler lidar system at NASA Langley Research Center in Virginia are presented. In order to provide accurate wind parameter estimates from the airborne lidar data acquired during the NASA Genesis and Rapid Intensification Processes (GRIP) campaign in 2010, the adverse effects of background instrument noise must be compensated properly in the early stage of data processing. The results of the two methods are presented using selected GRIP data and compared with the dropsonde data for verification purposes.

  1. Probabilistic topographic maps from raw, full-waveform airborne LiDAR data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jalobeanu, A.; Gonçalves, G. R.

    2011-12-01

    The main goal of the AutoProbaDTM project is to derive new methodologies to measure the topography and terrain characteristics using the latest full-waveform airborne LiDAR technology. It includes algorithmic development, implementation, and validation over a large test area. In the long run, we wish to develop techniques that are scalable and applicable to future satellite missions such as LIST (NASA Decadal Survey), to help perform efficient and accurate large-scale mapping. One of the biggest challenges is to develop fast ways to process huge volumes of raw data without compromising the accuracy and the physical consistency of the result. Over the past decades, significant progress has been made in digital elevation model (DEM) extraction and user interaction has been much reduced, however most algorithms are still supervised. Topographic surveys currently play a central role in sensor calibration and full automation is still an unsolved problem. Moreover, very few existing methods are currently able to propose a quantitative error map with the reconstructed DEM. Traditional validation and quality control only allow to check the discrepancy between the product and a set of reference points, lacking the ability to predict the actual uncertainty related to elevations at chosen locations. We plan to provide fast and automated techniques to derive topographic maps and to compute error maps as well, based on a probabilistic approach to modeling terrains and data acquisition, solving inverse problems and handling uncertainty. Bayesian inference provides a rigorous framework for model reconstruction and error propagation, treating all quantities as random, and combining sources of information optimally. In the future, the uncertainty maps shall help scientists put error bars on quantities derived from the models. In June 2011, 200 km2 of data were acquired (100 GB of binary files, half a billion waveforms) in central Portugal, over an area of geomorphological and

  2. Management Approach for NASA's Earth Venture-1 (EV-1) Airborne Science Investigations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Guillory, Anthony R.; Denkins, Todd C.; Allen, B. Danette

    2013-01-01

    The Earth System Science Pathfinder (ESSP) Program Office (PO) is responsible for programmatic management of National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Science Mission Directorate's (SMD) Earth Venture (EV) missions. EV is composed of both orbital and suborbital Earth science missions. The first of the Earth Venture missions is EV-1, which are Principal Investigator-led, temporally-sustained, suborbital (airborne) science investigations costcapped at $30M each over five years. Traditional orbital procedures, processes and standards used to manage previous ESSP missions, while effective, are disproportionally comprehensive for suborbital missions. Conversely, existing airborne practices are primarily intended for smaller, temporally shorter investigations, and traditionally managed directly by a program scientist as opposed to a program office such as ESSP. In 2010, ESSP crafted a management approach for the successful implementation of the EV-1 missions within the constructs of current governance models. NASA Research and Technology Program and Project Management Requirements form the foundation of the approach for EV-1. Additionally, requirements from other existing NASA Procedural Requirements (NPRs), systems engineering guidance and management handbooks were adapted to manage programmatic, technical, schedule, cost elements and risk. As the EV-1 missions are nearly at the end of their successful execution and project lifecycle and the submission deadline of the next mission proposals near, the ESSP PO is taking the lessons learned and updated the programmatic management approach for all future Earth Venture Suborbital (EVS) missions for an even more flexible and streamlined management approach.

  3. Providing Data Management Support to NASA Airborne Field Studies through Streamlined Usability Design

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Beach, A. L., III; Northup, E. A.; Early, A. B.; Chen, G.

    2016-12-01

    Airborne field studies are an effective way to gain a detailed understanding of atmospheric processes for scientific research on climate change and air quality relevant issues. One major function of airborne project data management is to maintain seamless data access within the science team. This allows individual instrument principal investigators (PIs) to process and validate their own data, which requires analysis of data sets from other PIs (or instruments). The project's web platform streamlines data ingest, distribution processes, and data format validation. In May 2016, the NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) Atmospheric Science Data Center (ASDC) developed a new data management capability to help support the Korea U.S.-Air Quality (KORUS-AQ) science team. This effort is aimed at providing direct NASA Distributed Active Archive Center (DAAC) support to an airborne field study. Working closely with the science team, the ASDC developed a scalable architecture that allows investigators to easily upload and distribute their data and documentation within a secure collaborative environment. The user interface leverages modern design elements to intuitively guide the PI through each step of the data management process. In addition, the new framework creates an abstraction layer between how the data files are stored and how the data itself is organized(i.e. grouping files by PI). This approach makes it easy for PIs to simply transfer their data to one directory, while the system itself can automatically group/sort data as needed. Moreover, the platform is "server agnostic" to a certain degree, making deployment and customization more straightforward as hardware needs change. This flexible design will improve development efficiency and can be leveraged for future field campaigns. This presentation will examine the KORUS-AQ data portal as a scalable solution that applies consistent and intuitive usability design practices to support ingest and management of airborne

  4. Geospatial Education: Working with the NASA Airborne Science Program

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lockwood, C. M.; Handley, L.; Handley, N.

    2010-12-01

    WETMAAP (Wetland Education Through Maps and Aerial Photography) , a program of CNL World, supports the NASA Strategic Goals and Objectives for Education by providing classroom teachers and formal and informal educators with professional development. WETMAAP promotes science by inquiry through the use of a building-block process, comparative analysis, and analytical observations. Through the WETMAAP workshops and website, educators receive the concepts necessary to provide students with a basic understanding of maps, aerial photography, and satellite and airborne imagery that focus on the study of wetlands and wetland change. The program targets educators, Grades 5 - 12, in earth science, environmental science, biology, geography, and mathematics, and emphasizes a comprehensive curriculum approach.

  5. The NASA airborne astronomy program - A perspective on its contributions to science, technology, and education

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Larson, Harold P.

    1992-01-01

    The publication records from NASA's airborne observatories are examined to evaluate the contribution of the airborne astronomy program to technological development and scientific/educational progress. The breadth and continuity of program is detailed with reference to its publication history, discipline representation, literature citations, and to the ability of such a program to address nonrecurring and unexpected astronomical phenomena. Community involvement in the airborne-observation program is described in terms of the number of participants, institutional affiliation, and geographic distribution. The program utilizes instruments including heterodyne and grating spectrometers, high-speed photometers, and Fabry-Perot spectrometers with wide total spectral ranges, resolutions, and numbers of channels. The potential of the program for both astronomical training and further scientific, theoretical, and applied development is underscored.

  6. The NASA Airborne Tropical TRopopause EXperiment (ATTREX): High-Altitude Aircraft Measurements in the Tropical Western Pacific

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Jensen, Eric J.; Pfister, Leonhard; Jordan, David E.; Bui, Thaopaul V.; Ueyama, Rei; Singh, Hanwant B.; Thornberry, Troy; Rollins, Andrew W.; Gao, Ru-Shan; Fahey, David W.; hide

    2017-01-01

    The February through March 2014 deployment of the NASA Airborne Tropical TRopopause EXperiment (ATTREX) provided unique in situ measurements in the western Pacific Tropical Tropopause Layer (TTL). Six flights were conducted from Guam with the long-range, high-altitude, unmanned Global Hawk aircraft. The ATTREX Global Hawk payload provided measurements of water vapor, meteorological conditions, cloud properties, tracer and chemical radical concentrations, and radiative fluxes. The campaign was partially coincident with the CONTRAST and CAST airborne campaigns based in Guam using lower-altitude aircraft (see companion articles in this issue). The ATTREX dataset is being used for investigations of TTL cloud, transport, dynamical, and chemical processes as well as for evaluation and improvement of global-model representations of TTL processes. The ATTREX data is openly available at https:espoarchive.nasa.gov.

  7. NASA COAST and OCEANIA Airborne Missions Support Ecosystem and Water Quality Research in the Coastal Zone

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Guild, Liane; Kudela, Raphael; Hooker, Stanford; Morrow, John; Russell, Philip; Palacios, Sherry; Livingston, John M.; Negrey, Kendra; Torres-Perez, Juan; Broughton, Jennifer

    2014-01-01

    NASA has a continuing requirement to collect high-quality in situ data for the vicarious calibration of current and next generation ocean color satellite sensors and to validate the algorithms that use the remotely sensed observations. Recent NASA airborne missions over Monterey Bay, CA, have demonstrated novel above- and in-water measurement capabilities supporting a combined airborne sensor approach (imaging spectrometer, microradiometers, and a sun photometer). The results characterize coastal atmospheric and aquatic properties through an end-to-end assessment of image acquisition, atmospheric correction, algorithm application, plus sea-truth observations from state-of-the-art instrument systems. The primary goal is to demonstrate the following in support of calibration and validation exercises for satellite coastal ocean color products: 1) the utility of a multi-sensor airborne instrument suite to assess the bio-optical properties of coastal California, including water quality; and 2) the importance of contemporaneous atmospheric measurements to improve atmospheric correction in the coastal zone. The imaging spectrometer (Headwall) is optimized in the blue spectral domain to emphasize remote sensing of marine and freshwater ecosystems. The novel airborne instrument, Coastal Airborne In-situ Radiometers (C-AIR) provides measurements of apparent optical properties with high dynamic range and fidelity for deriving exact water leaving radiances at the land-ocean boundary, including radiometrically shallow aquatic ecosystems. Simultaneous measurements supporting empirical atmospheric correction of image data are accomplished using the Ames Airborne Tracking Sunphotometer (AATS-14). Flight operations are presented for the instrument payloads using the Center for Interdisciplinary Remotely-Piloted Aircraft Studies (CIRPAS) Twin Otter flown over Monterey Bay during the seasonal fall algal bloom in 2011 (COAST) and 2013 (OCEANIA) to support bio-optical measurements of

  8. Airborne Oceanographic Lidar (AOL) (Global Carbon Cycle)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    2003-01-01

    This bimonthly contractor progress report covers the operation, maintenance and data management of the Airborne Oceanographic Lidar and the Airborne Topographic Mapper. Monthly activities included: mission planning, sensor operation and calibration, data processing, data analysis, network development and maintenance and instrument maintenance engineering and fabrication.

  9. Progress in Airborne Polarimeter Inter Comparison for the NASA Aerosols-Clouds-Ecosystems (ACE) Mission

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Knobelspiesse, Kirk; Redemann, Jens

    2014-01-01

    The Aerosols-Clouds-Ecosystems (ACE) mission, recommended by the National Research Council's Decadal Survey, calls for a multi-angle, multi-spectral polarimeter devoted to observations of atmospheric aerosols and clouds. In preparation for ACE, NASA funds the deployment of airborne polarimeters, including the Airborne Multiangle SpectroPolarimeter Imager (AirMSPI), the Passive Aerosol and Cloud Suite (PACS) and the Research Scanning Polarimeter (RSP). These instruments have been operated together on NASA's ER-2 high altitude aircraft as part of field campaigns such as the POlarimeter DEfinition EXperiment (PODEX) (California, early 2013) and Studies of Emissions and Atmospheric Composition, Clouds and Climate Coupling by Regional Surveys (SEAC4RS, California and Texas, summer 2013). Our role in these efforts has been to serve as an assessment team performing level 1 (calibrated radiance, polarization) and level 2 (retrieved geophysical parameter) instrument intercomparisons, and to promote unified and generalized calibration, uncertainty assessment and retrieval techniques. We will present our progress in this endeavor thus far and describe upcoming research in 2015.

  10. NASA's DC-8 Airborne Science research aircraft, in new colors and markings, takes off Feb. 24, 2004

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2004-02-24

    NASA's DC-8 Airborne Science research aircraft, in new colors and markings, takes off Feb. 24, 2004. Dark panels on lower fuselage are synthetic aperture radar antennas enabling sophisticated studies of Earth features.

  11. NASA's DC-8 Airborne Science research aircraft, in new colors and markings, in flight Feb. 24, 2004

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2004-02-24

    NASA's DC-8 Airborne Science research aircraft, in new colors and markings, in flight Feb. 24, 2004. Dark panels on lower fuselage are synthetic aperture radar antennas enabling sophisticated studies of Earth features.

  12. Comparison of 16-Channel Laser Photoreceivers for Topographic Mapping

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Krainak, Michael A.; Yang, Guangning; Sun, XiaoIi; Lu, Wei; Bai, Xiaogang; Yuan, Ping; McDonald, Paul; Boisvert, Joseph; Woo, Robyn; Wan, Kam; hide

    2011-01-01

    Topographic mapping lidar instruments must be able to detect extremely weak laser return signals from high altitudes including orbital distance. The signals have a wide dynamic range caused by the variability in atmospheric transmission and surface reflectance under a fast moving spacecraft. Ideally, lidar detectors should be able to detect laser signal return pulses at the single photon level and produce linear output for multiple photon events. Silicon avalanche photodiode (APO) detectors have been used in most space lidar receivers to date. Their sensitivity is typically hundreds of photons per pulse, and is limited by the quantum efficiency, APO gain noise, dark current, and preamplifier noise. NASA is pursuing three approaches for a 16-channel laser photoreceiver for use on the next generation direct-detection airborne and spacebome lidars. We present our measurement results and a comparison of their performance.

  13. NASA's Airborne Science DC-8, displaying new colors in a check flight Feb. 24, 2004, over the Dryden Flight Research Center

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2004-02-24

    NASA's large Airborne Science research aircraft, a modified DC-8 airliner, displayed new colors in a check flight Feb. 24, 2004, over its home base, the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards AFB, California.

  14. An analysis of water in galactic infrared sources using the NASA Lear Airborne Observatory

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Smith, L. L.; Hilgeman, T.

    1979-01-01

    The Michelson interferometer system on the NASA Lear Jet Airborne Observatory is described as well as the data reduction procedures. The objects observed (standard stars, M stars, a nebula, planets, and the moon) are discussed and the observing parameters are listed for each flight date. The spectra obtained from these data flights are presented, grouped by class of object.

  15. Performance of the NASA Airborne Radar with the Windshear Database for Forward-Looking Systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Switzer, George F.; Britt, Charles L.

    1996-01-01

    This document describes the simulation approach used to test the performance of the NASA airborne windshear radar. An explanation of the actual radar hardware and processing algorithms provides an understanding of the parameters used in the simulation program. This report also contains a brief overview of the NASA airborne windshear radar experimental flight test results. A description of the radar simulation program shows the capabilities of the program and the techniques used for certification evaluation. Simulation of the NASA radar is comprised of three steps. First, the choice of the ground clutter data must be made. The ground clutter is the return from objects in or nearby an airport facility. The choice of the ground clutter also dictates the aircraft flight path since ground clutter is gathered while in flight. The second step is the choice of the radar parameters and the running of the simulation program which properly combines the ground clutter data with simulated windshear weather data. The simulated windshear weather data is comprised of a number of Terminal Area Simulation System (TASS) model results. The final step is the comparison of the radar simulation results to the known windshear data base. The final evaluation of the radar simulation is based on the ability to detect hazardous windshear with the aircraft at a safe distance while at the same time not displaying false alerts.

  16. Topographical Context of Phoenix Landing Region

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2007-08-02

    This area was designated Region D in the process of evaluating potential landing sites for NASA Phoenix Mars Lander. The topographical information is from the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter on NASA Mars Global Surveyor orbiter.

  17. Assessment of Satellite Albedos Using NASA-CAR Airborne Data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kharbouche, S.; Charles, G.; Muller, J. P.

    2016-12-01

    Airborne BRF (Bidirectional Reflectance Factor) data has been acquired at multiple altitudes by the NASA CAR (Cloud Absorption Radiometer) multi-spectral instrument since the late 1990s in order to study the reflectance over different types of landscapes depending upon wavelengths, view angles and spatial scales, and to assess derived BRFs from multispectral satellites. As the measured BRFs are taken over a very short period (< 2 minutes), we minimise the effects of solar angles and atmospheric effects. This allows the derivation of a dense set of BRFs which allow direct display of polar plots of the BRDF for different sites in the Arctic. Also, as the measurements have been taken at different flight heights, the upscaling issue can be addressed and detailed with concrete samples. The CAR instrument is well calibrated (back to NIST standards) and can be compared with some ground measurements on the ground. So the derived BRF data for this instrument are likely to be highly reliable and can be used in the validation of some satellites products like radiance, reflectance and albedo, as well as in the BRDF (Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function) modelling and in the development of new atmospheric correction techniques. The NASA-CAR, developed by NASA-GSFC can be carried and integrated into many experimental aircraft. So, CAR can be considered as an airborne multi-wavelength scanning radiometer that can measure radiance with instantaneous fields of view of 1°. Over targeted sites, the CAR flies circularly and scans through 180° from straight above, through the horizon to straight down. Data are recorded in 14 narrow spectral bands located in the ultraviolet, visible and near-infrared regions in the electromagnetic spectrum (0.340-2.301 mm). The ray or spot at nadir depends on the flight height. It varies from 1m (height=110m) to 48m (height=5500m). We will show in this presentation the accuracy of BRF, BRDF and Black-Sky-Albedo of MODIS, MISR, MERIS, VGT

  18. SOFIA Technology: The NASA Airborne Astronomy Ambassador (AAA) Experience and Online Resources

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Clark, C.; Harman, P. K.; Backman, D. E.

    2016-12-01

    SOFIA, an 80/20 partnership of NASA and the German Aerospace Center (DLR), consists of a modified Boeing 747SP carrying a reflecting telescope with an effective diameter of 2.5 meters. SOFIA is the largest airborne observatory in the world, capable of observations impossible for even the largest and highest ground-based telescopes. The SOFIA Program Office is at NASA ARC, Moffett Field, CA; the aircraft is based in Palmdale, CA. During its planned 20-year lifetime, SOFIA will foster development of new scientific instrumentation and inspire the education of young scientists and engineers. Astrophysicists are awarded time on SOFIA to study many kinds of astronomical objects and phenomena. Among the most interesting are: Star birth, evolution, and death Formation of new planetary systems Chemistry of complex molecules in space Planet and exoplanet atmospheres Galactic gas & dust "ecosystems" Environments around supermassive black holes SOFIA currently has eight instruments, five US-made and three German. The instruments — cameras, spectrometers, and a photometer,— operate at near-, mid- and far-infrared wavelengths, each spectral range being best suited to studying particular celestial phenomena. NASA's Airborne Astronomy Ambassadors' (AAAs) experience includes a STEM immersion component. AAAs are onboard during two overnight SOFIA flights that provide insight into the acquisition of scientific data as well as the interfaces between the telescope, instrument, & aircraft. AAAs monitor system performance and view observation targets from their dedicated workstation during flights. Future opportunities for school district partnerships leading to selection of future AAA cohorts will be offered in 2018-19. AAAs may access public archive data via the SOFIA Data Cycle System (DCS) https://dcs.sofia.usra.edu/. Additional SOFIA science and other resources are available at: www.sofia.usra.edu, including lessons that use photovoltaic circuits, and other technology for the

  19. Data products of NASA Goddard's LiDAR, hyperspectral, and thermal airborne imager (G-LiHT)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Corp, Lawrence A.; Cook, Bruce D.; McCorkel, Joel; Middleton, Elizabeth M.

    2015-06-01

    Scientists in the Biospheric Sciences Laboratory at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center have undertaken a unique instrument fusion effort for an airborne package that integrates commercial off the shelf LiDAR, Hyperspectral, and Thermal components. G-LiHT is a compact, lightweight and portable system that can be used on a wide range of airborne platforms to support a number of NASA Earth Science research projects and space-based missions. G-LiHT permits simultaneous and complementary measurements of surface reflectance, vegetation structure, and temperature, which provide an analytical framework for the development of new algorithms for mapping plant species composition, plant functional types, biodiversity, biomass, carbon stocks, and plant growth. G-LiHT and its supporting database are designed to give scientists open access to the data that are needed to understand the relationship between ecosystem form and function and to stimulate the advancement of synergistic algorithms. This system will enhance our ability to design new missions and produce data products related to biodiversity and climate change. G-LiHT has been operational since 2011 and has been used to collect data for a number of NASA and USFS sponsored studies, including NASA's Carbon Monitoring System (CMS) and the American ICESat/GLAS Assessment of Carbon (AMIGA-Carb). These acquisitions target a broad diversity of forest communities and ecoregions across the United States and Mexico. Here, we will discuss the components of G-LiHT, their calibration and performance characteristics, operational implementation, and data processing workflows. We will also provide examples of higher level data products that are currently available.

  20. NASA Airborne Astronomy Ambassadors (AAA)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Backman, D. E.; Harman, P. K.; Clark, C.

    2016-12-01

    NASA's Airborne Astronomy Ambassadors (AAA) is a three-part professional development (PD) program for high school physics and astronomy teachers. The AAA experience consists of: (1) blended-learning professional development composed of webinars, asynchronous content learning, and a series of hands-on workshops (2) a STEM immersion experience at NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center's B703 science research aircraft facility in Palmdale, California, and (3) ongoing participation in the AAA community of practice (CoP) connecting participants with astrophysics and planetary science Subject Matter Experts (SMEs). The SETI Institute (SI) is partnering with school districts in Santa Clara and Los Angeles Counties during the AAA program's "incubation" period, calendar years 2016 through 2018. AAAs will be selected by the school districts based on criteria developed during spring 2016 focus group meetings led by the program's external evaluator, WestEd.. Teachers with 3+ years teaching experience who are assigned to teach at least 2 sections in any combination of the high school courses Physics (non-AP), Physics of the Universe (California integrated model), Astronomy, or Earth & Space Sciences are eligible. Partner districts will select at least 48 eligible applicants with SI oversight. WestEd will randomly assign selected AAAs to group A or group B. Group A will complete PD in January - June of 2017 and then participate in SOFIA science flights during fall 2017 (SOFIA Cycle 5). Group B will act as a control during the 2017-18 school year. Group B will then complete PD in January - June of 2018 and participate in SOFIA science flights in fall 2018 (Cycle 6). Under the current plan, opportunities for additional districts to seek AAA partnerships with SI will be offered in 2018 or 2019. A nominal two-week AAA curriculum component will be developed by SI for classroom delivery that will be aligned with selected California Draft Science Framework Disciplinary Core Ideas

  1. Potential Application of Airborne Passive Microwave Observations for Monitoring Inland Flooding Caused by Tropical Cyclones

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hood, Robbie E.; Radley, C.D.; LaFontaine, F.J.

    2008-01-01

    Inland flooding from tropical cyclones can be a significant factor in storm-related deaths in the United States and other countries. Information collected during NASA tropical cyclone field studies suggest surface water and flooding induced by tropical cyclone precipitation can be detected and therefore monitored using passive microwave airborne radiometers. In particular, the 10.7 GHz frequency of the NASA Advanced Microwave Precipitation Radiometer (AMPR) flown on the NASA ER-2 has demonstrated high resolution detection of anomalous surface water and flooding in numerous situations. This presentation will highlight the analysis of three cases utilizing primarily satellite and airborne radiometer data. Radiometer data from the 1998 Third Convection and Moisture Experiment (CAMEX-3) are utilized to detect surface water during landfalling Hurricane Georges in both the Dominican Republic and Louisiana. A third case is landfalling Tropical Storm Gert in Eastern Mexico during the Tropical Cloud Systems and Processes (TCSP) experiment in 2005. AMPR data are compared to topographic data and vegetation indices to evaluate the significance of the surface water signature visible in the 10.7 GHz information. The results of this study suggest the benefit of an aircraft 10 GHz radiometer to provide real-time observations of surface water conditions as part of a multi-sensor flood monitoring network.

  2. NASA's Student Airborne Research Program as a model for effective professional development experience in Oceanography

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Palacios, S. L.; Kudela, R. M.; Clinton, N. E.; Atkins, N.; Austerberry, D.; Johnson, M.; McGonigle, J.; McIntosh, K.; O'Shea, J. J.; Shirshikova, Z.; Singer, N.; Snow, A.; Woods, R.; Schaller, E.; Shetter, R. E.

    2011-12-01

    With over half of the current earth and space science workforce expected to retire within the next 15 years, NASA has responded by cultivating young minds through programs such as the Student Airborne Research Program (SARP). SARP is a competitive internship that introduces upper-level undergraduates and early graduate students to Earth System Science research and NASA's Airborne Science Program. The program serves as a model for recruitment of very high caliber students into the scientific workforce. Its uniqueness derives from total vertical integration of hands-on experience at every stage of airborne science: aircraft instrumentation, flight planning, mission participation, field-work, analysis, and reporting of results in a competitive environment. At the conclusion of the program, students presented their work to NASA administrators, faculty, mentors, and the other participants with the incentive of being selected as best talk and earning a trip to the fall AGU meeting to present their work at the NASA booth. We hope lessons learned can inform the decisions of scientists at the highest levels seeking to broaden the appeal of research. In 2011, SARP was divided into three disciplinary themes: Oceanography, Land Use, and Atmospheric Chemistry. Each research group was mentored by an upper-level graduate student who was supervised by an expert faculty member. A coordinator managed the program and was supervised by a senior research scientist/administrator. The program is a model of knowledge transfer among the several levels of research: agency administration to the program coordinator, established scientific experts to the research mentors, and the research mentors to the pre-career student participants. The outcomes from this program include mission planning and institutional knowledge transfer from administrators and expert scientists to the coordinator and research mentors; personnel and project management from the coordinator and expert scientists to the

  3. Comparison of immersed liquid and air cooling of NASA's Airborne Information Management System

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hoadley, A. W.; Porter, A. J.

    1992-01-01

    The Airborne Information Management System (AIMS) is currently under development at NASA Dryden Flight Research Facility. The AIMS is designed as a modular system utilizing surface mounted integrated circuits in a high-density configuration. To maintain the temperature of the integrated circuits within manufacturer's specifications, the modules are to be filled with Fluorinert FC-72. Unlike ground based liquid cooled computers, the extreme range of the ambient pressures experienced by the AIMS requires the FC-72 be contained in a closed system. This forces the latent heat absorbed during the boiling to be released during the condensation that must take within the closed module system. Natural convection and/or pumping carries the heat to the outer surface of the AIMS module where the heat transfers to the ambient air. This paper will present an evaluation of the relative effectiveness of immersed liquid cooling and air cooling of the Airborne Information Management System.

  4. Comparison of immersed liquid and air cooling of NASA's Airborne Information Management System

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hoadley, A. W.; Porter, A. J.

    1992-07-01

    The Airborne Information Management System (AIMS) is currently under development at NASA Dryden Flight Research Facility. The AIMS is designed as a modular system utilizing surface mounted integrated circuits in a high-density configuration. To maintain the temperature of the integrated circuits within manufacturer's specifications, the modules are to be filled with Fluorinert FC-72. Unlike ground based liquid cooled computers, the extreme range of the ambient pressures experienced by the AIMS requires the FC-72 be contained in a closed system. This forces the latent heat absorbed during the boiling to be released during the condensation that must take within the closed module system. Natural convection and/or pumping carries the heat to the outer surface of the AIMS module where the heat transfers to the ambient air. This paper will present an evaluation of the relative effectiveness of immersed liquid cooling and air cooling of the Airborne Information Management System.

  5. The NASA Airborne Tropical TRopopause EXperiment (ATTREX):High-Altitude Aircraft Measurements in the Tropical Western Pacific

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Jensen, E. J.; Pfister, L.; Jordan, D. E.; Bui, T. V.; Ueyama, R.; Singh, H. B.; Lawson, P.; Thornberry, T.; Diskin, G.; McGill, M.; hide

    2016-01-01

    The February through March 2014 deployment of the NASA Airborne Tropical TRopopause EXperiment (ATTREX) provided unique in situ measurements in the western Pacific Tropical Tropopause Layer (TTL). Six flights were conducted from Guam with the long-range, high-altitude, unmanned Global Hawk aircraft. The ATTREX Global Hawk payload provided measurements of water vapor, meteorological conditions, cloud properties, tracer and chemical radical concentrations, and radiative fluxes. The campaign was partially coincident with the CONTRAST and CAST airborne campaigns based in Guam using lower-altitude aircraft The ATTREX dataset is being used for investigations of TTL cloud, transport, dynamical, and chemical processes as well as for evaluation and improvement of global-model representations of TTL processes.

  6. The SPEX-airborne multi-angle spectropolarimeter on NASA's ER-2 research aircraft: capabilities, data processing and data products

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rietjens, J.; Smit, M.; Hasekamp, O. P.; Grim, M.; Eggens, M.; Eigenraam, A.; Keizer, G.; van Loon, D.; Talsma, J.; van der Vlugt, J.; Wolfs, R.; van Harten, G.; Rheingans, B. E.; Snik, F.; Keller, C. U.; Smit, H.

    2016-12-01

    A multi-angle spectropolarimeter payload, "SPEX-airborne" has been developed for observing and characterizing aerosols from NASA's high-altitude research aircraft ER-2. SPEX-airborne provides autonomously multi-angle snapshot measurements of spectral radiance and degree of linear polarization over a 7 degree swath in the visible part of the optical spectrum. The instrument is unique in the sense that it combines 30 highly accurate polarimetric measurements with hyperspectral radiance measurements at 2.5 nm resolution simultaneously at nine fixed viewing angles and that it offers the possibility to include polarimetric measurements in absorption bands at lower accuracy. This combination of measurements holds great potential for present and new retrieval algorithms to derive aerosol microphysical properties during airborne campaigns. The opto-mechanical subsystem of SPEX-airborne is based on the Spectropolarimeter for Planetary EXploration (SPEX) prototype, which has been developed over recent years by a consortium of Dutch institutes and industry. The polarimetry technique used is spectral polarization modulation, which has been proven to enable high accuracy polarimetric measurements. In laboratory conditions, the SPEX prototype has a demonstrated polarimetric accuracy of 0.002 in the degree of linear polarization. The SPEX prototype has been made fit for autonomous operation on NASA's ER-2 high altitude platform. In this presentation we will present the design and main subsystems of the payload, and address the operational modes. An outline of the data processing chain including calibration data will be given and the foreseen capability and performance will be discussed. We will discuss the quality of the polarimetric measurement in the lab and as recorded during the maiden flight in 2016 when SPEX-airborne was flying together with JPL's AirMSPI imaging polarimeter. Finally, we will give an outlook on the processing of the data of land and ocean scenes, and on the

  7. Airborne measurements of reactive organic trace gases in the atmosphere - with a focus on PTR-MS measurements onboard NASA's flying laboratories

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wisthaler, Armin; Mikoviny, Tomas; Müller, Markus; Schiller, Sven Arne; Feil, Stefan; Hanel, Gernot; Jordan, Alfons; Mutschlechner, Paul; Crawford, James H.; Singh, Hanwant B.; Millet, Dylan

    2017-04-01

    Reactive organic gases (ROGs) play an important role in atmospheric chemistry as they affect the rates of ozone production, particle formation and growth, and oxidant consumption. Measurements of ROGs are analytically challenging because of their large variety and low concentrations in the Earth's atmosphere, and because they are easily affected by measurement artefacts. On aircraft, ROGs are typically measured by canister sampling followed by off-line analysis in the laboratory, fast online gas chromatography or online chemical ionization mass spectrometry. In this work, we will briefly sum up the state-of-the-art in this field before focusing on proton-transfer-reaction mass spectrometry (PTR-MS) and its deployment onboard NASA's airborne science laboratories. We will show how airborne PTR-MS was successfully used in NASA missions for characterizing emissions of ROGs from point sources, for following the photochemical evolution of ROGs in a biomass burning plume, for determining biosphere-atmosphere fluxes of selected ROGs and for validating satellite data. We will also present the airborne PTR-MS instrument in its most recent evolution which includes a radiofrequency ion funnel and ion guide combined with a compact time-of-flight mass spectrometer and discuss its superior performance characteristics. The development of the airborne PTR-MS instrument was supported by the Austrian Federal Ministry for Transport, Innovation and Technology (bmvit) through the Austrian Space Applications Programme (ASAP) of the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG) (grants #833451, #847967). This work was also partly supported by NASA under grant #NNX14AP89G.

  8. Airborne Submillimeter Spectroscopy

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Zmuidzinas, J.

    1998-01-01

    This is the final technical report for NASA-Ames grant NAG2-1068 to Caltech, entitled "Airborne Submillimeter Spectroscopy", which extended over the period May 1, 1996 through January 31, 1998. The grant was funded by the NASA airborne astronomy program, during a period of time after the Kuiper Airborne Observatory was no longer operational. Instead. this funding program was intended to help develop instrument concepts and technology for the upcoming SOFIA (Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy) project. SOFIA, which is funded by NASA and is now being carried out by a consortium lead by USRA (Universities Space Research Association), will be a 747 aircraft carrying a 2.5 meter diameter telescope. The purpose of our grant was to fund the ongoing development of sensitive heterodyne receivers for the submillimeter band (500-1200 GHz), using sensitive superconducting (SIS) detectors. In 1997 July we submitted a proposal to USRA to construct a heterodyne instrument for SOFIA. Our proposal was successful [1], and we are now continuing our airborne astronomy effort with funding from USRA. A secondary purpose of the NAG2-1068 grant was to continue the anaIN'sis of astronomical data collected with an earlier instrument which was flown on the NASA Kuiper Airborne Observatory (KAO). The KAO instrument and the astronomical studies which were carried out with it were supported primarily under another grant, NAG2-744, which extended over October 1, 1991 through Januarv 31, 1997. For a complete description of the astronomical data and its anailysis, we refer the reader to the final technical report for NAG2-744, which was submitted to NASA on December 1. 1997. Here we report on the SIS detector development effort for SOFIA carried out under NAG2-1068. The main result of this effort has been the demonstration of SIS mixers using a new superconducting material niobium titanium nitride (NbTiN), which promises to deliver dramatic improvements in sensitivity in the 700

  9. The ASP Sensor Network: Infrastructure for the Next Generation of NASA Airborne Science

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Myers, J. S.; Sorenson, C. E.; Van Gilst, D. P.; Duley, A.

    2012-12-01

    A state-of-the-art real-time data communications network is being implemented across the NASA Airborne Science Program core platforms. Utilizing onboard Ethernet networks and satellite communications systems, it is intended to maximize the science return from both single-platform missions and complex multi-aircraft Earth science campaigns. It also provides an open platform for data visualization and synthesis software tools, for use by the science instrument community. This paper will describe the prototype implementations currently deployed on the NASA DC-8 and Global Hawk aircraft, and the ongoing effort to expand the capability to other science platforms. Emphasis will be on the basic network architecture, the enabling hardware, and new standardized instrument interfaces. The new Mission Tools Suite, which provides an web-based user interface, will be also described; together with several example use-cases of this evolving technology.

  10. Erik Lindbergh unveils a plaque commemorating his grandfather to dedicate the 747 Clipper Lindbergh, a NASA airborne infrared observatory known as SOFIA

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2007-05-21

    Erik Lindbergh, grandson of aviator Charles Lindbergh, unveiled a plaque commemorating his grandfather on the 80th anniversary of Charles Lindbergh's transatlantic flight. The event was a dedication of the 747 Clipper Lindbergh, a NASA airborne infrared observatory that is beginning test flights in preparation for conducting world-class airborne astronomy. The project is known as the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, or SOFIA.

  11. High Energy 2-Micron Solid-State Laser Transmitter for NASA's Airborne CO2 Measurements

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Singh, Upendra N.; Yu, Jirong; Petros, Mulugeta; Bai, Yingxin

    2012-01-01

    A 2-micron pulsed, Integrated Path Differential Absorption (IPDA) lidar instrument for ground and airborne atmospheric CO2 concentration measurements via direct detection method is being developed at NASA Langley Research Center. This instrument will provide an alternate approach to measure atmospheric CO2 concentrations with significant advantages. A high energy pulsed approach provides high-precision measurement capability by having high signal-to-noise level and unambiguously eliminates the contamination from aerosols and clouds that can bias the IPDA measurement.

  12. An overview of Airborne Data for Assessing Models (ADAM): a web development effort to effectively disseminate airborne data products

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mangosing, D. C.; Chen, G.; Kusterer, J.; Rinsland, P.; Perez, J.; Sorlie, S.; Parker, L.

    2011-12-01

    One of the objectives of the NASA Langley Research Center's MEaSURES project, "Creating a Unified Airborne Database for Model Assessment", is the development of airborne Earth System Data Records (ESDR) for the regional and global model assessment and validation activities performed by the tropospheric chemistry and climate modeling communities. The ongoing development of ADAM, a web site designed to access a unified, standardized and relational ESDR database, meets this objective. The ESDR database is derived from publically available data sets, from NASA airborne field studies to airborne and in-situ studies sponsored by NOAA, NSF, and numerous international partners. The ADAM web development activities provide an opportunity to highlight a growing synergy between the Airborne Science Data for Atmospheric Composition (ASD-AC) group at NASA Langley and the NASA Langley's Atmospheric Sciences Data Center (ASDC). These teams will collaborate on the ADAM web application by leveraging the state-of-the-art service and message-oriented data distribution architecture developed and implemented by ASDC and using a web-based tool provided by the ASD-AC group whose user interface accommodates the nuanced perspective of science users in the atmospheric chemistry and composition and climate modeling communities.

  13. Development of the NASA High-Altitude Imaging Wind and Rain Airborne Profiler

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Li, Lihua; Heymsfield, Gerald; Carswell, James; Schaubert, Dan; McLinden, Matthew; Vega, Manuel; Perrine, Martin

    2011-01-01

    The scope of this paper is the development and recent field deployments of the High-Altitude Imaging Wind and Rain Airborne Profiler (HIWRAP), which was funded under the NASA Instrument Incubator Program (IIP) [1]. HIWRAP is a dual-frequency (Ka- and Ku-band), dual-beam (300 and 400 incidence angles), conical scanning, Doppler radar system designed for operation on the NASA high-altitude (65,000 ft) Global Hawk Unmanned Aerial System (UAS). It utilizes solid state transmitters along with a novel pulse compression scheme that results in a system with compact size, light weight, less power consumption, and low cost compared to radars currently in use for precipitation and Doppler wind measurements. By combining measurements at Ku- and Ka-band, HIWRAP is able to image winds through measuring volume backscattering from clouds and precipitation. In addition, HIWRAP is also capable of measuring surface winds in an approach similar to SeaWinds on QuikScat. To this end, HIWRAP hardware and software development has been completed. It was installed on the NASA WB57 for instrument test flights in March, 2010 and then deployed on the NASA Global Hawk for supporting the Genesis and Rapid Intensification Processes (GRIP) field campaign in August-September, 2010. This paper describes the scientific motivations of the development of HIWRAP as well as system hardware, aircraft integration and flight missions. Preliminary data from GRIP science flights is also presented.

  14. The TOPSAR interferometric radar topographic mapping instrument

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Zebker, Howard A.; Madsen, Soren N.; Martin, Jan; Alberti, Giovanni; Vetrella, Sergio; Cucci, Alessandro

    1992-01-01

    The NASA DC-8 AIRSAR instrument was augmented with a pair of C-band antennas displaced across track to form an interferometer sensitive to topographic variations of the Earth's surface. The antennas were developed by the Italian consortium Co.Ri.S.T.A., under contract to the Italian Space Agency (ASI), while the AIRSAR instrument and modifications to it supporting TOPSAR were sponsored by NASA. A new data processor was developed at JPL for producing the topographic maps, and a second processor was developed at Co.Ri.S.T.A. All the results presented below were processed at JPL. During the 1991 DC-8 flight campaign, data were acquired over several sites in the United States and Europe, and topographic maps were produced from several of these flight lines. Analysis of the results indicate that statistical errors are in the 2-3 m range for flat terrain and in the 4-5 m range for mountainous areas.

  15. Global Topographic Map of Titan

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2013-05-15

    Using data from NASA Cassini spacecraft, scientists have created the first global topographic map of Saturn moon Titan, giving researchers a 3-D tool for learning more about one of the most Earthlike and interesting worlds in the solar system.

  16. Photon-Counting Multikilohertz Microlaser Altimeters for Airborne and Spaceborne Topographic Measurements

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Degnan, John J.; Smith, David E. (Technical Monitor)

    2000-01-01

    We consider the optimum design of photon-counting microlaser altimeters operating from airborne and spaceborne platforms under both day and night conditions. Extremely compact Q-switched microlaser transmitters produce trains of low energy pulses at multi-kHz rates and can easily generate subnanosecond pulse-widths for precise ranging. To guide the design, we have modeled the solar noise background and developed simple algorithms, based on Post-Detection Poisson Filtering (PDPF), to optimally extract the weak altimeter signal from a high noise background during daytime operations. Practical technology issues, such as detector and/or receiver dead times, have also been considered in the analysis. We describe an airborne prototype, being developed under NASA's instrument Incubator Program, which is designed to operate at a 10 kHz rate from aircraft cruise altitudes up to 12 km with laser pulse energies on the order of a few microjoules. We also analyze a compact and power efficient system designed to operate from Mars orbit at an altitude of 300 km and sample the Martian surface at rates up to 4.3 kHz using a 1 watt laser transmitter and an 18 cm telescope. This yields a Power-Aperture Product of 0.24 W-square meter, corresponding to a value almost 4 times smaller than the Mars Orbiting Laser Altimeter (0. 88W-square meter), yet the sampling rate is roughly 400 times greater (4 kHz vs 10 Hz) Relative to conventional high power laser altimeters, advantages of photon-counting laser altimeters include: (1) a more efficient use of available laser photons providing up to two orders of magnitude greater surface sampling rates for a given laser power-telescope aperture product; (2) a simultaneous two order of magnitude reduction in the volume, cost and weight of the telescope system; (3) the unique ability to spatially resolve the source of the surface return in a photon counting mode through the use of pixellated or imaging detectors; and (4) improved vertical and

  17. Airborne lidar sensing of massive stony coral colonies on patch reefs in the northern Florida reef tract

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Brock, J.C.; Wright, C.W.; Kuffner, I.B.; Hernandez, R.; Thompson, P.

    2006-01-01

    In this study we examined the ability of the NASA Experimental Advanced Airborne Research Lidar (EAARL) to discriminate cluster zones of massive stony coral colonies on northern Florida reef tract (NFRT) patch reefs based on their topographic complexity (rugosity). Spatially dense EAARL laser submarine topographic soundings acquired in August 2002 were used to create a 1-m resolution digital rugosity map for adjacent NFRT study areas characterized by patch reefs (Region A) and diverse substratums (Region B). In both regions, sites with lidar-sensed rugosities above 1.2 were imaged by an along-track underwater videography system that incorporated the acquisition of instantaneous GPS positions. Subsequent manual interpretation of videotape segments was performed to identify substratum types that caused elevated lidar-sensed rugosity. Our study determined that massive coral colony formation, modified by subsequent physical and biological processes that breakdown patch reef framework, was the primary source of topographic complexity sensed by the EAARL in the NFRT. Sites recognized by lidar scanning to be topographically complex preferentially occurred around the margins of patch reefs, constituted a minor fraction of the reef system, and usually reflected the presence of massive coral colonies in cluster zones, or their derivatives created by mortality, bioerosion, and physical breakdown.

  18. Responses of Tree Growths to Tree Size, Competition, and Topographic Conditions in Sierra Nevada Forests Using Bi-temporal Airborne LiDAR Data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ma, Q.; Su, Y.; Tao, S.; Guo, Q.

    2016-12-01

    Trees in the Sierra Nevada (SN) forests are experiencing rapid changes due to human disturbances and climatic changes. An improved monitoring of tree growth and understanding of how tree growth responses to different impact factors, such as tree competition, forest density, topographic and hydrologic conditions, are urgently needed in tree growth modeling. Traditional tree growth modeling mainly relied on field survey, which was highly time-consuming and labor-intensive. Airborne Light detection and ranging System (ALS) is increasingly used in forest survey, due to its high efficiency and accuracy in three-dimensional tree structure delineation and terrain characterization. This study successfully detected individual tree growth in height (ΔH), crown area (ΔA), and crown volume (ΔV) over a five-year period (2007-2012) using bi-temporal ALS data in two conifer forest areas in SN. We further analyzed their responses to original tree size, competition indices, forest structure indices, and topographic environmental parameters at individual tree and forest stand scales. Our results indicated ΔH was strongly sensitive to topographic wetness index; whereas ΔA and ΔV were highly responsive to forest density and original tree sizes. These ALS based findings in ΔH were consistent with field measurements. Our study demonstrated the promising potential of using bi-temporal ALS data in forest growth measurements and analysis. A more comprehensive study over a longer temporal period and a wider range of forest stands would give better insights into tree growth in the SN, and provide useful guides for forest growth monitoring, modeling, and management.

  19. Airborne Science personnel Walter Klein and David Bushman at the Mission Manager's console onboard NASA's DC-8 during the AirSAR 2004 campaign

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2004-03-03

    Airborne Science personnel Walter Klein and David Bushman at the Mission Manager's console onboard NASA's DC-8 during the AirSAR 2004 campaign. AirSAR 2004 is a three-week expedition by an international team of scientists that will use an all-weather imaging tool, called the Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (AirSAR), in a mission ranging from the tropical rain forests of Central America to frigid Antarctica.

  20. NASA's SOFIA airborne observatory lands at Edwards AFB after being flown from Waco, Texas to NASA Dryden for systems installation, integration and flight test

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2007-05-31

    NASA's SOFIA airborne observatory lands at Edwards AFB after being flown from Waco, Texas to NASA Dryden for systems installation, integration and flight test. NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, or SOFIA, arrived at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. on May 31, 2007. The heavily modified Boeing 747SP was ferried to Dryden from Waco, Texas, where L-3 Communications Integrated Systems installed a German-built 2.5-meter infrared telescope and made other major modifications over the past several years. SOFIA is scheduled to undergo installation and integration of mission systems and a multi-phase flight test program at Dryden over the next three years that is expected to lead to a full operational capability to conduct astronomy missions in about 2010. During its expected 20-year lifetime, SOFIA will be capable of "Great Observatory" class astronomical science, providing astronomers with access to the visible, infrared and sub-millimeter spectrum with optimized performance in the mid-infrared to sub-millimeter range.

  1. NASA's P-3 at Sunrise

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2017-12-08

    NASA's P-3B airborne laboratory on the ramp at Thule Air Base in Greenland early on the morning of Mar. 21, 2013. Credit: NASA/Goddard/Christy Hansen NASA's Operation IceBridge is an airborne science mission to study Earth's polar ice. For more information about IceBridge, visit: www.nasa.gov/icebridge NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram

  2. Mission in the works promises precise global topographic data

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Farr, T.; Evans, D.; Zebker, H.; Harding, D.; Bufton, J.; Dixon, T.; Vetrella, S.; Gesch, D.B.

    1995-01-01

    Significant deficiencies in the quality of today's topographic data severely limit scientific applications. Very few available data sets meet the stringent requirements of 10–30 m for global digital topography and 5 m or better vertical accuracy, and existing satellite systems are unlikely to fulfill these requirements. The Joint Topographic Science Working Group, appointed by NASA and the Italian Space Agency, concluded that radar interferometry coupled with a laser altimeter would be the most promising approach for improving data quality. By providing its own illumination at a wavelength Ion g enough to (e.g., λ = 25 cm) to penetrate clouds and rain, the interferometer would provide a global, uniform high-quality topographic data set. One mission under study, TOPSAT, is well positioned to fill this niche and promises to pave the way toward a more standardized and precise topographic database. TOPSAT would be an international mission, designed to make use of recent technology advances in such programs as NASA's New Millennium. It could be ready to launch by the end of this decade.

  3. NASA Langley Atmospheric Science Data Center Toolsets for Airborne Data (TAD): Common Variable Naming Schema

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chen, G.; Early, A. B.; Peeters, M. C.

    2014-12-01

    NASA has conducted airborne tropospheric chemistry studies for about three decades. These field campaigns have generated a great wealth of observations, which are characterized by a wide range of trace gases and aerosol properties. The airborne observational data have often been used in assessment and validation of models and satellite instruments. One particular issue is a lack of consistent variable naming across field campaigns, which makes cross-mission data discovery difficult. The ASDC Toolset for Airborne Data (TAD) is being designed to meet the user community needs for manipulating aircraft data for scientific research on climate change and air quality relevant issues. As part of this effort, a common naming system was developed to provide a link between variables from different aircraft field studies. This system covers all current and past airborne in-situ measurements housed at the ASDC, as well as select NOAA missions. The TAD common variable naming system consists of 6 categories and 3 sub-levels. The top-level category is primarily defined by the physical characteristics of the measurement: e.g., aerosol, cloud, trace gases. The sub-levels were designed to organize the variables according to nature of measurement (e.g., aerosol microphysical and optical properties) or chemical structures (e.g., carbon compound). The development of the TAD common variable naming system was in consultation with staff from the Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) and referenced/expanded the existing Climate and Forecast (CF) variable naming conventions. The detailed structure of the TAD common variable naming convention and its application in TAD development will be presented.

  4. Aerosol Properties Derived from Airborne Sky Radiance and Direct Beam Measurements in Recent NASA and DoE Field Campaigns

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Redemann, J.; Flynn, C. J.; Shinozuka, Y.; Russell, P. B.; Kacenelenbogen, M.; Segal-Rosenheimer, M.; Livingston, J. M.; Schmid, B.; Dunagan, S. E.; Johnson, R. R.; hide

    2014-01-01

    The AERONET (AErosol RObotic NETwork) ground-based suite of sunphotometers provides measurements of spectral aerosol optical depth (AOD), precipitable water and spectral sky radiance, which can be inverted to retrieve aerosol microphysical properties that are critical to assessments of aerosol-climate interactions. Because of data quality criteria and sampling constraints, there are significant limitations to the temporal and spatial coverage of AERONET data and their representativeness for global aerosol conditions.The 4STAR (Spectrometer for Sky-Scanning, Sun-Tracking Atmospheric Research) instrument, jointly developed by NASA Ames and PNNL (Pacific Northwest National Laboratory) with NASA Goddard collaboration, combines airborne sun tracking and AERONET-like sky scanning with spectroscopic detection. Being an airborne instrument, 4STAR has the potential to fill gaps in the AERONET data set. The 4STAR instrument operated successfully in the SEAC4RS (Studies of Emissions and Atmospheric Composition, Clouds and Climate Coupling by Regional Surveys) experiment in Aug./Sep. 2013 aboard the NASA DC-8 and in the DoE (Department of Energy)-sponsored TCAP (Two Column Aerosol Project, July 2012 & Feb. 2013) experiment aboard the DoE G-1 aircraft. 4STAR provided direct beam measurements of hyperspectral AOD, columnar trace gas retrievals (H2O, O3, NO2), and the first ever airborne hyperspectral sky radiance scans, which can be inverted to yield the same products as AERONET ground-based observations. In this presentation, we provide an overview of the new 4STAR capabilities, with an emphasis on 26 high-quality sky radiance measurements carried out by 4STAR in SEAC4RS. We compare collocated 4STAR and AERONET sky radiances, as well as their retrievals of aerosol microphysical properties for a subset of the available case studies. We summarize the particle property and air-mass characterization studies made possible by the combined 4STAR direct beam and sky radiance

  5. Application of the NASA airborne oceanographic lidar to the mapping of chlorophyll and other organic pigments

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hoge, F. E.; Swift, R. N.

    1981-01-01

    Laser fluorosensing techniques used for the airborne measurement of chlorophyll a and other naturally occurring waterborne pigments are reviewed. Previous experiments demonstrating the utility of the airborne oceanographic lidar (AOL) for assessment of various marine parameters are briefly discussed. The configuration of the AOL during the NOAA/NASA Superflux experiments is described. The participation of the AOL in these experiments is presented and the preliminary results are discussed. The importance of multispectral receiving capability in a laser fluorosensing system for providing reproducible measurements over wide areas having spatial variations in water column transmittance properties is addressed. This capability minimizes the number of truthing points required and is usable even in shallow estuarine areas where resuspension of bottom sediment is common. Finally, problems encountered on the Superflux missions and the resulting limitations on the AOL data sets are addressed and feasible solutions to these problems are provided.

  6. Analysis of the NASA/MSFC airborne Doppler lidar results from San Gorgonio Pass, California

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cliff, W. C.; Skarda, J. R.; Renne, D. S.; Sandusky, W. F.

    1985-01-01

    The NASA/MSFC Airborne Doppler Lidar System was flown in July 1981 aboard the NASA/Ames Convair 990 on the east side of San Gorgonio Pass California, near Palm Springs, to measure and investigate the accelerated atmospheric wind field discharging from the pass. At this region, the maritime layer from the west coast accelerates through the pass and spreads out over the valley floor on the east side of the pass. The experiment was selected in order to study accelerated flow in and at the exit of the canyon. Ground truth wind data taken concurrently with the flight data were available from approximately 12 meteorological towers and 3 tala kites for limited comparison purposes. The experiment provided the first spatial data for ensemble averaging of spatial correlations to compute lateral and longitudinal length scales in the lateral and longitudinal directions for both components, and information on atmospheric flow in this region of interest from wind energy resource considerations.

  7. Topographic data requirements for EOS global change research

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Gesch, Dean B.

    1994-01-01

    This document is a result of Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS) Version 0 activities of the Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center at the U.S. Geological Survey's EROS Data Center. A relatively small part of the Version 0 funding provided by NASA is used to address topographic data issues related to EOS. These issues include identifying and improving access to existing sources of topographic data, data generation, facilitating the use of topographic data in global change research by demonstrating derivative products, and inventorying the specific topographic data requirements of EOS investigators. There is a clear need for global topographic data in EOSDIS. Only 10 percent of the global land surface is covered by high-resolution data that are available to the global change science community. Alternative sources for new data exist or have been proposed; however, none of them alone can fulfill the data requirements by the launch of the first EOS platform in 4 years. There is no operational provider of all the source data that are required. Even if appropriate global source data existed, a concerted production effort would be necessary to ensure the existence of the requisite topographic data before EOS launch. Additionally, no funding from NASA or any other agency has been appropriated for a new mapping mission or for other means of data acquisition. This effort to document requirements is an initial step toward understanding the severity of the data shortage. It is well beyond the scope of Version 0 funding and capabilities to provide the required data in the proper timeframe. The shortage of data and the lack of a plan for providing the necessary topographic data through EOSDIS in time for launch are issues that must be addressed by the EOS program.

  8. The NASA Airborne Earth Science Microwave Imaging Radiometer (AESMIR): A New Sensor for Earth Remote Sensing

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kim, Edward

    2003-01-01

    The Airborne Earth Science Microwave Imaging Radiometer (AESMIR) is a versatile new airborne imaging radiometer recently developed by NASA. The AESMIR design is unique in that it performs dual-polarized imaging at all standard passive microwave frequency bands (6-89 GHz) using only one sensor headscanner package, providing an efficient solution for Earth remote sensing applications (snow, soil moisture/land parameters, precipitation, ocean winds, sea surface temperature, water vapor, sea ice, etc.). The microwave radiometers themselves will incorporate state-of-the-art receivers, with particular attention given to instrument calibration for the best possible accuracy and sensitivity. The single-package design of AESMIR makes it compatible with high-altitude aircraft platforms such as the NASA ER-2s. The arbitrary 2-axis gimbal can perform conical and cross-track scanning, as well as fixed-beam staring. This compatibility with high-altitude platforms coupled with the flexible scanning configuration, opens up previously unavailable science opportunities for convection/precip/cloud science and co-flying with complementary instruments, as well as providing wider swath coverage for all science applications. By designing AESMIR to be compatible with these high-altitude platforms, we are also compatible with the NASA P-3, the NASA DC-8, C-130s and ground-based deployments. Thus AESMIR can provide low-, mid-, and high- altitude microwave imaging. Parallel filter banks allow AESMIR to simultaneously simulate the exact passbands of multiple satellite radiometers: SSM/I, TMI, AMSR, Windsat, SSMI/S, and the upcoming GPM/GMI and NPOESS/CMIS instruments --a unique capability among aircraft radiometers. An L-band option is also under development, again using the same scanner. With this option, simultaneous imaging from 1.4 to 89 GHz will be feasible. And, all receivers except the sounding channels will be configured for 4-Stokes polarimetric operation using high-speed digital

  9. An Overview of the NASA P-3B Airborne Laboratory

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Guillory, Anthony R.; Postell, George W.

    2009-01-01

    The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Wallops Flight Facility (WFF) P-3B Orion is a medium-lift, four engine turbo-prop aircraft that has been reconfigured from a military aircraft to an Earth Science research platform. The aircraft has a long history of supporting science missions, flying on average over 200 hours per year. Examples of research missions that have been flown aboard the aircraft are remote sensing flights to study geophysical parameters including ice-sheet topography and periodic change, soil moisture content, atmospheric aerosol constituents, and beach erosion. Missions are conducted for the purposes of calibration/validation of various NASA and international satellites that monitor climate change as well as process studies and the test of new prototype remote sensing instruments. In recent y ears the focus has been on ice surveys of the Arctic and Antarctic, soil moisture research, and measurements of atmospheric chemistry and radiation sciences. The aircraft has been conducting ice surveys of Greenland since 1993 for the purposes of topographic mapping of both the surface and basal topography. Another application of the aircraft has been for soil moisture research. Research has also been conducted using microwave radiometers and radars over various agricultural and forest lands. Recently, a mission was flown in the spring over the High-Arctic to collect air samples of haze and boreal forest fires in an effort to determine anthropogenic amounts and sources of pollution. This pa per will provide an overview of the P-3B platform and highlight recent science missions.

  10. Dr. Tom Mace, DFRC Director of Airborne Sciences, greets NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe as he enters the DC-8 aircraft during a stop-off on the AirSAR 2004 campaign

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2004-03-03

    Dr. Tom Mace, NASA DFRC Director of Airborne Sciences, greets NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe as he enters the DC-8 aircraft during a stop-off on the AirSAR 2004 Mesoamerica campaign. AirSAR 2004 Mesoamerica is a three-week expedition by an international team of scientists that will use an all-weather imaging tool, called the Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (AirSAR), in a mission ranging from the tropical rain forests of Central America to frigid Antarctica.

  11. The Glacier and Land Ice Surface Topography Interferometer: An Airborne Proof-of-concept Mapping Sensor

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Moller, D.; Hensley, S.; Chuang, C.; Fisher, C.; Muellerschoen, R.; Milligan, L.; Sadowy, G.; Rignot, E. J.

    2009-12-01

    In May 2009 a new radar technique for mapping ice surface topography was demonstrated in a Greenland campaign as part of the NASA International Polar Year activities. This was achieved by integrating a Ka-band single-pass interferometric synthetic radar on the NASA Dryden Gulfstream III for a coordinated deployment. Although the technique of using radar interferometry for mapping terrain has been demonstrated before, this is the first such application at millimeter-wave frequencies. This proof-of-concept demonstration was motivated by the Glacier and Land Ice Surface Topography Interferometer (GLISTIN) Instrument Incubator Program and furthermore, highly leveraged existing ESTO hardware and software assets (the Unmanned Airborne Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar (UAVSAR) and processor and the PR2 (precipitation radar 2) RF assembly and power amplifier). Initial Ka-band test flights occurred in March and April of 2009 followed by the Greenland deployment. Instrument performance indicates swath widths over the ice between 5-7km, with height precisions ranging from 30cm-3m at a posting of 3m x 3m. However, for this application the electromagnetic wave will penetrate an unknown amount into the snow cover thus producing an effective bias that must be calibrated. This penetration will be characterized as part of this program and is expected to vary as a function of snow wetness and radar incidence angle. To evaluate this, we flew a coordinated collection with the NASA Wallops Airborne Topographic Mapper on a transect from Greenland’s Summit its West coast. This flight included two field calibration sites at Colorado Institute for Research in Environmental Science’s Swiss Camp and the National Science Foundation’s Summit station. Additional collections entailed flying a grid over Jakobshavn glacier which were repeated after 6 days to reveal surface dynamics. In this time frame we were able to observe horizontal motion of over 1km on the glacier. While developed for

  12. NASA COAST and OCEANIA Airborne Missions in Support of Ecosystem and Water Quality Research in the Coastal Zone

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Guild, Liane S.; Hooker, Stanford B.; Kudela, Raphael; Morrow, John; Russell, Philip; Myers, Jeffrey; Dunagan, Stephen; Palacios, Sherry; Livingston, John; Negrey, Kendra; hide

    2015-01-01

    Worldwide, coastal marine ecosystems are exposed to land-based sources of pollution and sedimentation from anthropogenic activities including agriculture and coastal development. Ocean color products from satellite sensors provide information on chlorophyll (phytoplankton pigment), sediments, and colored dissolved organic material. Further, ship-based in-water measurements and emerging airborne measurements provide in situ data for the vicarious calibration of current and next generation satellite ocean color sensors and to validate the algorithms that use the remotely sensed observations. Recent NASA airborne missions over Monterey Bay, CA, have demonstrated novel above- and in-water measurement capabilities supporting a combined airborne sensor approach (imaging spectrometer, microradiometers, and a sun photometer). The results characterize coastal atmospheric and aquatic properties through an end-to-end assessment of image acquisition, atmospheric correction, algorithm application, plus sea-truth observations from state-of-the-art instrument systems. The primary goal of the airborne missions was to demonstrate the following in support of calibration and validation exercises for satellite coastal ocean color products: 1) the utility of a multi-sensor airborne instrument suite to assess the bio-optical properties of coastal California, including water quality; and 2) the importance of contemporaneous atmospheric measurements to improve atmospheric correction in the coastal zone. Utilizing an imaging spectrometer optimized in the blue to green spectral domain enables higher signal for detection of the relatively dark radiance measurements from marine and freshwater ecosystem features. The novel airborne instrument, Coastal Airborne In-situ Radiometers (C-AIR) provides measurements of apparent optical properties with high dynamic range and fidelity for deriving exact water leaving radiances at the land-ocean boundary, including radiometrically shallow aquatic

  13. Tom Mace and Walter Klein(far right) brief John Danilovich, US Ambassador to Costa Rica, and NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe onboard NASA's DC-8

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2004-03-03

    Dr. Tom Mace, NASA DFRC Director of Airborne Sciences, and Walter Klein(far right), NASA DFRC Airborne Science Mission Manager, brief John Danilovich, US Ambassador to Costa Rica, and NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe onboard NASA's DC-8 during a stop-off on the AirSAR 2004 Mesoamerica campaign. AirSAR 2004 Mesoamerica is a three-week expedition by an international team of scientists that will use an all-weather imaging tool, called the Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (AirSAR), in a mission ranging from the tropical rain forests of Central America to frigid Antarctica.

  14. Rapid topographic and bathymetric reconnaissance using airborne LiDAR

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Axelsson, Andreas

    2010-10-01

    Today airborne LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) systems has gained acceptance as a powerful tool to rapidly collect invaluable information to assess the impact from either natural disasters, such as hurricanes, earthquakes and flooding, or human inflicted disasters such as terrorist/enemy activities. Where satellite based imagery provides an excellent tool to remotely detect changes in the environment, the LiDAR systems, being active remote sensors, provide an unsurpassed method to quantify these changes. The strength of the active laser based systems is especially evident in areas covered by occluding vegetation or in the shallow coastal zone as the laser can penetrate the vegetation or water body to unveil what is below. The purpose of this paper is to address the task to survey complex areas with help of the state-of-the-art airborne LiDAR systems and also discuss scenarios where the method is used today and where it may be used tomorrow. Regardless if it is a post-hurricane survey or a preparation stage for a landing operation in unchartered waters, it is today possible to collect, process and present a dense 3D model of the area of interest within just a few hours from deployment. By utilizing the advancement in processing power and wireless network capabilities real-time presentation would be feasible.

  15. Generation of topographic terrain models utilizing synthetic aperture radar and surface level data

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Imhoff, Marc L. (Inventor)

    1991-01-01

    Topographical terrain models are generated by digitally delineating the boundary of the region under investigation from the data obtained from an airborne synthetic aperture radar image and surface elevation data concurrently acquired either from an airborne instrument or at ground level. A set of coregistered boundary maps thus generated are then digitally combined in three dimensional space with the acquired surface elevation data by means of image processing software stored in a digital computer. The method is particularly applicable for generating terrain models of flooded regions covered entirely or in part by foliage.

  16. Analysis of the NASA/MSFC Airborne Doppler Lidar results from San Gorgonio Pass, California

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cliff, W. C.; Skarda, J. R.; Renne, D. S.; Sandusky, W. F.

    1984-01-01

    Two days during July of 1981 the NASA/MSFC Airborne Doppler Lidar System (ADLS) was flown aboard the NASA/AMES Convair 990 on the east side of San Gorgonio Pass California, near Palm Springs, to measure and investigate the accelerated atmospheric wind field discharging from the pass. The vertical and horizontal extent of the fast moving atmospheric flow discharging from the San Gorgonio Pass were examined. Conventional ground measurements were also taken during the tests to assist in validating the ADLS results. This particular region is recognized as a high wind resource region and, as such, a knowledge of the horizontal and vertical extent of this flow was of interest for wind energy applications. The statistics of the atmospheric flow field itself as it discharges from the pass and then spreads out over the desert were also of scientific interests. This data provided the first spatial data for ensemble averaging of spatial correlations to compute longitudinal and lateral integral length scales in the longitudinal and lateral directions for both components.

  17. The NASA/NSERC Student Airborne Research Program Land Focus Group - a Paid Training Program in Multi-Disciplinary STEM Research for Terrestrial Remote Sensing

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kefauver, S. C.; Ustin, S.; Davey, S. W.; Furey, B. J.; Gartner, A.; Kurzweil, D.; Siebach, K. L.; Slawsky, L.; Snyder, E.; Trammell, J.; Young, J.; Schaller, E.; Shetter, R. E.

    2011-12-01

    The Student Airborne Research Program (SARP) of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the National Suborbital Education and Research Center (NSERC) is a unique six week multidisciplinary paid training program which directly integrates students into the forefront of airborne remote sensing science. Students were briefly trained with one week of lectures and laboratory exercises and then immediately incorporated into ongoing research projects which benefit from access to the DC-8 airborne platform and the MODIS-ASTER Airborne Simulator (MASTER) sensor. Students were split into three major topical categories of Land, Ocean, and Air for the data collection and project portions of the program. This poster details the techniques and structure used for the student integration into ongoing research, professional development, hypothesis building and results as developed by the professor and mentor of the Land focus group. Upon assignment to the Land group, students were issued official research field protocols and split into four field specialty groups with additional specialty reading assignments. In the field each group spent more time in their respective specialty, but also participated in all field techniques through pairings with UC Davis research team members using midday rotations. After the field campaign, each specialty group then gave summary presentations on the techniques, preliminary results, and significance to overall group objectives of their specialty. Then students were required to submit project proposals within the bounds of Land airborne remote sensing science and encouraging, but not requiring the use of the field campaign data. These proposals are then reviewed by the professor and mentor and students are met with one by one to discuss the skills of each student and objectives of the proposed research project. The students then work under the supervision of the mentor and benefit again from professor feedback in a formal

  18. The evolutionary trend in airborne and satellite radar altimeters

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Fedor, L. S.; Walsh, E. J.

    1984-01-01

    The manner in which airborne and satellite radar altimeters developed and where the trend is leading was investigated. The airborne altimeters have progressed from a broad beamed, narrow pulsed, nadir looking instrument, to a pulse compressed system that is computer controlled, to a scanning pencil beamed system which produce a topographic map of the surface beneath the aircraft in real time. It is suggested that the airborne systems lie in the use of multiple frequencies. The satellite altimeters evolve towards multifrequency systems with narrower effective pulses and higher pulse compression ratios to reduce peak transmitted power while improving resolution. Applications indicate wide swath systems using interferometric techniques or beam limited systems using 100 m diameter antennas.

  19. Operational overview of NASA GTE/CITE 2 airborne instrument intercomparisons - Nitrogen dioxide, nitric acid, and peroxyacetyl nitrate

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hoell, James M., Jr.; Gregory, Gerald L.; Beck, Sherwin M.; Bendura, Richard J.; Drewry, Joseph W.; Albritton, Daniel L.; Mcneal, Robert J.

    1990-01-01

    This paper provides the rationale, objectives, approach, and a brief description of the instrumentation included in the second airborne Chemical Instrumentation Test and Evaluation (CITE 2) mission conducted on NASA's Electra aircraft. CITE 2 intercompared data from instruments measuring NO2, HNO3, and PAN in the troposphere. This study, conducted in August 1986, encountered marine and continental air with free tropospheric mixing ratios of NO2, HNO3, and PAN typically less than 120, 150, and 200 parts per trillion by volume, respectively.

  20. Coordinated analysis of various auroral measurements made during NASA's 1968 and 1969 airborne auroral expeditions

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Sivjee, G. G.

    1976-01-01

    Auroral optical measurements made aboard NASA's CV 990 were analyzed. The measurements analyzed form a small part of extensive spectroscopic, photometric and photographic data gathered during the 1968 and 1969 Airborne Auroral Expeditions. Simultaneous particle measurements from ESRO IA satellite were used in the analysis. Information about magnetospheric boundaries, interaction between magnetosheath particles and the terrestrial ionosphere, the polar bulge in helium abundance and excitation mechanisms of the triplet state of atmospheric N2 in auroras was obtained. Further analysis of the data is required to elucidate the relation between 3466 and 5200 A emissions of NI and the excitation of 3726-3729 A emissions from atomic oxygen ions in auroras.

  1. Validation of CALIPSO Lidar Observations Using Data From the NASA Langley Airborne High Spectral Resolution Lidar

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hostetler, Chris; Hair, Johnathan; Liu, Zhaoyan; Ferrare, Rich; Harper, David; Cook, Anthony; Vaughan, Mark; Trepte, Chip; Winker, David

    2006-01-01

    This poster focuses on preliminary comparisons of data from the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP) instrument on the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO) spacecraft with data acquired by the NASA Langley Airborne High Spectral Resolution Lidar (HSRL). A series of 20 aircraft validation flights was conducted from 14 June through 27 September 2006, under both day and night lighting conditions and a variety of aerosol and cloud conditions. This poster presents comparisons of CALIOP measurements of attenuated backscatter at 532 and 1064 nm and depolarization at 532 nm with near coincident measurements from the Airborne HSRL as a preliminary assessment of CALIOP calibration accuracy. Note that the CALIOP data presented here are the pre-release version. These data have known artifacts in calibration which have been corrected in the December 8 CALIPSO data release which was not available at the time the comparisons were conducted for this poster. The HSRL data are also preliminary. No artifacts are known to exist; however, refinements in calibration and algorithms are likely to be implemented before validation comparisons are made final.

  2. Operational overview of the NASA GTE/CITE 3 airborne instrument intercomparisons for sulfur dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, carbonyl sulfide, dimethyl sulfide, and carbon disulfide

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hoell, James M., Jr.; Davis, Douglas D.; Gregory, Gerald L.; Mcneal, Robert J.; Bendura, Richard J.; Drewry, Joseph W.; Barrick, John D.; Kirchhoff, Volker W. J. H.; Motta, Adauto G.; Navarro, Roger L.

    1993-01-01

    This paper reports the overall experimental design and gives a brief overview of results from the third airborne Chemical Instrumentation Test and Evaluation (CITE 3) mission conducted as part of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Global Tropospheric Experiment. The primary objective of CITE 3 was to evaluate the capability of instrumentation for airborne measurements of ambient concentrations of SO2, H2S, CS, dimethyl sulfide, and carbonyl sulfide. Ancillary measurements augmented the intercomparison data in order to address the secondary objective of CITE 3 which was to address specific issues related to the budget and photochemistry of tropospheric sulfur species. The CITE 3 mission was conducted on NASA's Wallops Flight Center Electra aircraft and included a ground-based intercomparison of sulfur standards and intercomparison/sulfur science flights conducted from the NASA Wallops Flight Facility, Wallops Island, Virginia, followed by flights from Natal, Brazil. Including the transit flights, CITE 3 included 16 flights encompassing approximately 96 flight hours.

  3. Mixed Layer Heights Derived from the NASA Langley Research Center Airborne High Spectral Resolution Lidar

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Scarino, Amy J.; Burton, Sharon P.; Ferrare, Rich A.; Hostetler, Chris A.; Hair, Johnathan W.; Obland, Michael D.; Rogers, Raymond R.; Cook, Anthony L.; Harper, David B.; Fast, Jerome; hide

    2012-01-01

    The NASA airborne High Spectral Resolution Lidar (HSRL) has been deployed on board the NASA Langley Research Center's B200 aircraft to several locations in North America from 2006 to 2012 to aid in characterizing aerosol properties for over fourteen field missions. Measurements of aerosol extinction (532 nm), backscatter (532 and 1064 nm), and depolarization (532 and 1064 nm) during 349 science flights, many in coordination with other participating research aircraft, satellites, and ground sites, constitute a diverse data set for use in characterizing the spatial and temporal distribution of aerosols, as well as properties and variability of the Mixing Layer (ML) height. We describe the use of the HSRL data collected during these missions for computing ML heights and show how the HSRL data can be used to determine the fraction of aerosol optical thickness within and above the ML, which is important for air quality assessments. We describe the spatial and temporal variations in ML heights found in the diverse locations associated with these experiments. We also describe how the ML heights derived from HSRL have been used to help assess simulations of Planetary Boundary Layer (PBL) derived using various models, including the Weather Research and Forecasting Chemistry (WRF-Chem), NASA GEOS-5 model, and the ECMWF/MACC models.

  4. Airborne forest fire research

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mattingly, G. S.

    1974-01-01

    The research relating to airborne fire fighting systems is reviewed to provide NASA/Langley Research Center with current information on the use of aircraft in forest fire operations, and to identify research requirements for future operations. A literature survey, interview of forest fire service personnel, analysis and synthesis of data from research reports and independent conclusions, and recommendations for future NASA-LRC programs are included.

  5. The ESA/NASA Multi-Aircraft ATV-1 Re-Entry Campaign: Analysis of Airborne Intensified Video Observations from the NASA/JSC Experiment

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Barker, Ed; Maley, Paul; Mulrooney, Mark; Beaulieu, Kevin

    2009-01-01

    In September 2008, a joint ESA/NASA multi-instrument airborne observing campaign was conducted over the Southern Pacific ocean. The objective was the acquisition of data to support detailed atmospheric re-entry analysis for the first flight of the European Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV)-1. Skilled observers were deployed aboard two aircraft which were flown at 12.8 km altitude within visible range of the ATV-1 re-entry zone. The observers operated a suite of instruments with low-light-level detection sensitivity including still cameras, high speed and 30 fps video cameras, and spectrographs. The collected data has provided valuable information regarding the dynamic time evolution of the ATV-1 re-entry fragmentation. Specifically, the data has satisfied the primary mission objective of recording the explosion of ATV-1's primary fuel tank and thereby validating predictions regarding the tanks demise and the altitude of its occurrence. Furthermore, the data contains the brightness and trajectories of several hundred ATV-1 fragments. It is the analysis of these properties, as recorded by the particular instrument set sponsored by NASA/Johnson Space Center, which we present here.

  6. NASA Langley Atmospheric Science Data Center Toolsets for Airborne Data (TAD): User Interface Design and Development

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Beach, A. L., III; Early, A. B.; Chen, G.; Parker, L.

    2014-12-01

    NASA has conducted airborne tropospheric chemistry studies for about three decades. These field campaigns have generated a great wealth of observations, which are characterized by a wide range of trace gases and aerosol properties. The airborne observational data have often been used in assessment and validation of models and satellite instruments. The ASDC Toolset for Airborne Data (TAD) is being designed to meet the user community needs for manipulating aircraft data for scientific research on climate change and air quality relevant issues. Given the sheer volume of data variables across field campaigns and instruments reporting data on different time scales, this data is often difficult and time-intensive for researchers to analyze. The TAD web application is designed to provide an intuitive user interface (UI) to facilitate quick and efficient discovery from a vast number of airborne variables and data. Users are given the option to search based on high-level parameter groups, individual common names, mission and platform, as well as date ranges. Experienced users can immediately filter by keyword using the global search option. Once the user has chosen their required variables, they are given the option to either request PI data files based on their search criteria or create merged data, i.e. geo-located data from one or more measurement PIs. The purpose of the merged data feature is to allow users to compare data from one flight, as not all data from each flight is taken on the same time scale. Time bases can be continuous or based on the time base from one of the measurement time scales and intervals. After an order is submitted and processed, an ASDC email is sent to the user with a link for data download. The TAD user interface design, application architecture, and proposed future enhancements will be presented.

  7. The Laser Vegetation Imaging Sensor: a medium-altitude, digitisation-only, airborne laser altimeter for mapping vegetation and topography

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Blair, J. Bryan; Rabine, David L.; Hofton, Michelle A.

    The Laser Vegetation Imaging Sensor (LVIS) is an airborne, scanning laser altimeter, designed and developed at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC). LVIS operates at altitudes up to 10 km above ground, and is capable of producing a data swath up to 1000 m wide nominally with 25-m wide footprints. The entire time history of the outgoing and return pulses is digitised, allowing unambiguous determination of range and return pulse structure. Combined with aircraft position and attitude knowledge, this instrument produces topographic maps with dm accuracy and vertical height and structure measurements of vegetation. The laser transmitter is a diode-pumped Nd:YAG oscillator producing 1064 nm, 10 ns, 5 mJ pulses at repetition rates up to 500 Hz. LVIS has recently demonstrated its ability to determine topography (including sub-canopy) and vegetation height and structure on flight missions to various forested regions in the US and Central America. The LVIS system is the airborne simulator for the Vegetation Canopy Lidar (VCL) mission (a NASA Earth remote sensing satellite due for launch in year 2000), providing simulated data sets and a platform for instrument proof-of-concept studies. The topography maps and return waveforms produced by LVIS provide Earth scientists with a unique data set allowing studies of topography, hydrology, and vegetation with unmatched accuracy and coverage.

  8. Analysis of remote sensing data collected for detection and mapping of oil spills: Reduction and analysis of multi-sensor airborne data of the NASA Wallops oil spill exercise of November 1978

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1982-01-01

    Airborne, remotely sensed data of the NASA Wallops controlled oil spill were corrected, reduced and analysed. Sensor performance comparisons were made by registering data sets from different sensors, which were near-coincident in time and location. Multispectral scanner images were, in turn, overlayed with profiles of correlation between airborne and laboratory-acquired fluorosensor spectra of oil; oil-thickness contours derived (by NASA) from a scanning fluorosensor and also from a two-channel scanning microwave radiometer; and synthetic aperture radar X-HH images. Microwave scatterometer data were correlated with dual-channel (UV and TIR) line scanner images of the oil slick.

  9. On the impact of a refined stochastic model for airborne LiDAR measurements

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bolkas, Dimitrios; Fotopoulos, Georgia; Glennie, Craig

    2016-09-01

    Accurate topographic information is critical for a number of applications in science and engineering. In recent years, airborne light detection and ranging (LiDAR) has become a standard tool for acquiring high quality topographic information. The assessment of airborne LiDAR derived DEMs is typically based on (i) independent ground control points and (ii) forward error propagation utilizing the LiDAR geo-referencing equation. The latter approach is dependent on the stochastic model information of the LiDAR observation components. In this paper, the well-known statistical tool of variance component estimation (VCE) is implemented for a dataset in Houston, Texas, in order to refine the initial stochastic information. Simulations demonstrate the impact of stochastic-model refinement for two practical applications, namely coastal inundation mapping and surface displacement estimation. Results highlight scenarios where erroneous stochastic information is detrimental. Furthermore, the refined stochastic information provides insights on the effect of each LiDAR measurement in the airborne LiDAR error budget. The latter is important for targeting future advancements in order to improve point cloud accuracy.

  10. a Standardized Approach to Topographic Data Processing and Workflow Management

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wheaton, J. M.; Bailey, P.; Glenn, N. F.; Hensleigh, J.; Hudak, A. T.; Shrestha, R.; Spaete, L.

    2013-12-01

    An ever-increasing list of options exist for collecting high resolution topographic data, including airborne LIDAR, terrestrial laser scanners, bathymetric SONAR and structure-from-motion. An equally rich, arguably overwhelming, variety of tools exists with which to organize, quality control, filter, analyze and summarize these data. However, scientists are often left to cobble together their analysis as a series of ad hoc steps, often using custom scripts and one-time processes that are poorly documented and rarely shared with the community. Even when literature-cited software tools are used, the input and output parameters differ from tool to tool. These parameters are rarely archived and the steps performed lost, making the analysis virtually impossible to replicate precisely. What is missing is a coherent, robust, framework for combining reliable, well-documented topographic data-processing steps into a workflow that can be repeated and even shared with others. We have taken several popular topographic data processing tools - including point cloud filtering and decimation as well as DEM differencing - and defined a common protocol for passing inputs and outputs between them. This presentation describes a free, public online portal that enables scientists to create custom workflows for processing topographic data using a number of popular topographic processing tools. Users provide the inputs required for each tool and in what sequence they want to combine them. This information is then stored for future reuse (and optionally sharing with others) before the user then downloads a single package that contains all the input and output specifications together with the software tools themselves. The user then launches the included batch file that executes the workflow on their local computer against their topographic data. This ZCloudTools architecture helps standardize, automate and archive topographic data processing. It also represents a forum for discovering and

  11. Ceres Topographic Globe Animation

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2015-07-28

    This frame from an animation shows a color-coded map from NASA Dawn mission revealing the highs and lows of topography on the surface of dwarf planet Ceres. The color scale extends 3.7 miles (6 kilometers) below the surface in purple to 3.7 miles (6 kilometers) above the surface in brown. The brightest features (those appearing nearly white) -- including the well-known bright spots within a crater in the northern hemisphere -- are simply reflective areas, and do not represent elevation. The topographic map was constructed from analyzing images from Dawn's framing camera taken from varying sun and viewing angles. The map was combined with an image mosaic of Ceres and projected onto a 3-D shape model of the dwarf planet to create the animation. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA19605

  12. Aerosol Optical Depth Measurements by Airborne Sun Photometer in SOLVE II: Comparisons to SAGE III, POAM III and Airborne Spectrometer Measurements

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Russell, P.; Livingston, J.; Schmid, B.; Eilers, J.; Kolyer, R.; Redemann, J.; Ramirez, S.; Yee, J-H.; Swartz, W.; Shetter, R.

    2004-01-01

    The 14-channel NASA Ames Airborne Tracking Sunphotometer (AATS-14) measured solar-beam transmission on the NASA DC-8 during the Second SAGE III Ozone Loss and Validation Experiment (SOLVE II). This paper presents AATS-14 results for multiwavelength aerosol optical depth (AOD), including its spatial structure and comparisons to results from two satellite sensors and another DC-8 instrument. These are the Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment III (SAGE III), the Polar Ozone and Aerosol Measurement III (POAM III) and the Direct beam Irradiance Airborne Spectrometer (DIAS).

  13. Proceedings of the 11th JPL Airborne Earth Science Workshop

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Green, Robert O.

    2002-01-01

    This publication contains the proceedings of the JPL Airborne Earth Science Workshop forum held to report science research and applications results with spectral images measured by the NASA Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS). These papers were presented at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory from March 5-8, 2001. Electronic versions of these papers may be found at the A VIRIS Web http://popo.jpl.nasa.gov/pub/docs/workshops/aviris.proceedings.html

  14. A Comparison of Snow Depth on Sea Ice Retrievals Using Airborne Altimeters and an AMSR-E Simulator

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cavalieri, D. J.; Marksu, T.; Ivanoff, A.; Miller, J. A.; Brucker, L.; Sturm, M.; Maslanik, J. A.; Heinrichs, J. F.; Gasiewski, A.; Leuschen, C.; hide

    2011-01-01

    A comparison of snow depths on sea ice was made using airborne altimeters and an Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for the Earth Observing System (AMSR-E) simulator. The data were collected during the March 2006 National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Arctic field campaign utilizing the NASA P-3B aircraft. The campaign consisted of an initial series of coordinated surface and aircraft measurements over Elson Lagoon, Alaska and adjacent seas followed by a series of large-scale (100 km ? 50 km) coordinated aircraft and AMSR-E snow depth measurements over portions of the Chukchi and Beaufort seas. This paper focuses on the latter part of the campaign. The P-3B aircraft carried the University of Colorado Polarimetric Scanning Radiometer (PSR-A), the NASA Wallops Airborne Topographic Mapper (ATM) lidar altimeter, and the University of Kansas Delay-Doppler (D2P) radar altimeter. The PSR-A was used as an AMSR-E simulator, whereas the ATM and D2P altimeters were used in combination to provide an independent estimate of snow depth. Results of a comparison between the altimeter-derived snow depths and the equivalent AMSR-E snow depths using PSR-A brightness temperatures calibrated relative to AMSR-E are presented. Data collected over a frozen coastal polynya were used to intercalibrate the ATM and D2P altimeters before estimating an altimeter snow depth. Results show that the mean difference between the PSR and altimeter snow depths is -2.4 cm (PSR minus altimeter) with a standard deviation of 7.7 cm. The RMS difference is 8.0 cm. The overall correlation between the two snow depth data sets is 0.59.

  15. A Reevaluation of Airborne HO(x) Observations from NASA Field Campaigns

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Olson, Jennifer; Crawford, James H.; Chen, Gao; Brune, William H.; Faloona, Ian C.; Tan, David; Harder, Hartwig; Martinez, Monica

    2006-01-01

    In-situ observations of tropospheric HO(x) (OH and HO2) obtained during four NASA airborne campaigns (SUCCESS, SONEX, PEM-Tropics B and TRACE-P) are reevaluated using the NASA Langley time-dependent photochemical box model. Special attention is given to previously diagnosed discrepancies between observed and predicted HO2 which increase with higher NO(x) levels and at high solar zenith angles. This analysis shows that much of the model discrepancy at high NO(x) during SUCCESS can be attributed to modeling observations at time-scales too long to capture the nonlinearity of HO(x) chemistry under highly variable conditions for NO(x). Discrepancies at high NO(x) during SONEX can be moderated to a large extent by complete use of all available precursor observations. Differences in kinetic rate coefficients and photolysis frequencies available for previous studies versus current recommendations also explain some of the disparity. Each of these causes is shown to exert greater influence with increasing NO(x) due to both the chemical nonlinearity between HO(x) and NO(x) and the increased sensitivity of HO(x) to changes in sources at high NO(x). In contrast, discrepancies at high solar zenith angles will persist until an adequate nighttime source of HO(x) can be identified. It is important to note that this analysis falls short of fully eliminating the issue of discrepancies between observed and predicted HO(x) for high NO(x) environments. These discrepancies are not resolved with the above causes in other data sets from ground-based field studies. Nevertheless, these results highlight important considerations in the application of box models to observationally based predictions of HO(x) radicals.

  16. Aerial radiometric and magnetic survey: Lander National Topographic Map, Wyoming

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Not Available

    1979-01-01

    The results of analyses of the airborne gamma radiation and total magnetic field survey flown for the region identified as the Lander National Topographic Map NK12-6 are presented. The airborne data gathered are reduced by ground computer facilities to yield profile plots of the basic uranium, thorium and potassium equivalent gamma radiation intensities, ratios of these intensities, aircraft altitude above the earth's surface, total gamma ray and earth's magnetic field intensity, correlated as a function of geologic units. The distribution of data within each geologic unit, for all surveyed map lines and tie lines, has been calculated and is included.more » Two sets of profiled data for each line are included, with one set displaying the above-cited data. The second set includes only flight line magnetic field, temperature, pressure, altitude data plus magnetic field data as measured at a base station. A general description of the area, including descriptions of the various geologic units and the corresponding airborne data, is included also.« less

  17. Cross-Calibration of Ground and Airborne TIR and VSWIR Instruments for NASA's SnowEx 2017 Grand Mesa Campaign

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Crawford, C. J.; Chickadel, C. C.; Hall, D. K.; Jennings, D. E.; Jhabvala, M. D.; Kim, E. J.; Jessica, L.; Lunsford, A.

    2017-12-01

    The NASA Terrestrial Hydrology Program sponsored a ground and airborne snow experiment (SnowEx) to the Grand Mesa area and Senator Beck Basin in western Colorado during February 2017. This communication summarizes efforts to develop traceable instrument calibration requirements for SnowEx Grand Mesa in support of thermal infrared (TIR) and visible-to-shortwave infrared (VSWIR) snow measurement science. Cross-calibration outcomes for TIR instruments (7-10 µm and 8-14 µm response functions) indicate that an at-sensor measurement accuracy of within 1.5 degrees Celsius was achieved across ground and airborne sensors using laboratory and field blackbody sources. A cross-calibration assessment of VSWIR spectrometers (0.35 to 2.5 µm response functions) using a National Institutes of Standard Technology (NIST) traceable source indicates an at-sensor measurement accuracy of within 5% for visible-near infrared spectral radiance (W/cm-2/sr-1/nm) and irradiance (W/m-2/nm), and within 20% for shortwave infrared measurements before a radiometric cross-calibration correction was applied. Additional validation is undertaken to assess the ground and airborne SnowEx Grand Mesa TIR and VSWIR instrument cross-calibration quality by benchmarking against on-orbit image acquisitions of the snow surface on February 14th and 15th, 2017 from Landsat Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+), Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER), and Sentinel-2A Multi-Spectral Instrument (MSI).

  18. Airborne Systems Technology Application to the Windshear Threat

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Arbuckle, P. Douglas; Lewis, Michael S.; Hinton, David A.

    1996-01-01

    The general approach and products of the NASA/FAA Airborne Windshear Program conducted by NASA Langley Research Center are summarized, with references provided for the major technical contributions. During this period, NASA conducted 2 years of flight testing to characterize forward-looking sensor performance. The NASA/FAA Airborne Windshear Program was divided into three main elements: Hazard Characterization, Sensor Technology, and Flight Management Systems. Simulation models developed under the Hazard Characterization element are correlated with flight test data. Flight test results comparing the performance and characteristics of the various Sensor Technologies (microwave radar, lidar, and infrared) are presented. Most of the activities in the Flight Management Systems element were conducted in simulation. Simulation results from a study evaluating windshear crew procedures and displays for forward-looking sensor-equipped airplanes are discussed. NASA Langley researchers participated heavily in the FAA process of generating certification guidelines for predictive windshear detection systems. NASA participants felt that more valuable technology products were generated by the program because of this interaction. NASA involvement in the process and the resulting impact on products and technology transfer are discussed in this paper.

  19. Geodetic Imaging Lidar: Applications for high-accuracy, large area mapping with NASA's upcoming high-altitude waveform-based airborne laser altimetry Facility

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Blair, J. B.; Rabine, D.; Hofton, M. A.; Citrin, E.; Luthcke, S. B.; Misakonis, A.; Wake, S.

    2015-12-01

    Full waveform laser altimetry has demonstrated its ability to capture highly-accurate surface topography and vertical structure (e.g. vegetation height and structure) even in the most challenging conditions. NASA's high-altitude airborne laser altimeter, LVIS (the Land Vegetation, and Ice Sensor) has produced high-accuracy surface maps over a wide variety of science targets for the last 2 decades. Recently NASA has funded the transition of LVIS into a full-time NASA airborne Facility instrument to increase the amount and quality of the data and to decrease the end-user costs, to expand the utilization and application of this unique sensor capability. Based heavily on the existing LVIS sensor design, the Facility LVIS instrument includes numerous improvements for reliability, resolution, real-time performance monitoring and science products, decreased operational costs, and improved data turnaround time and consistency. The development of this Facility instrument is proceeding well and it is scheduled to begin operations testing in mid-2016. A comprehensive description of the LVIS Facility capability will be presented along with several mission scenarios and science applications examples. The sensor improvements included increased spatial resolution (footprints as small as 5 m), increased range precision (sub-cm single shot range precision), expanded dynamic range, improved detector sensitivity, operational autonomy, real-time flight line tracking, and overall increased reliability and sensor calibration stability. The science customer mission planning and data product interface will be discussed. Science applications of the LVIS Facility include: cryosphere, territorial ecology carbon cycle, hydrology, solid earth and natural hazards, and biodiversity.

  20. Topographic Distributions of Emergent Trees in Tropical Forests of the Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Balzotti, C.; Asner, G. P.; Taylor, P.; Cole, R. J.; Osborne, B. B.; Cleveland, C. C.; Porder, S.; Townsend, A. R.

    2015-12-01

    Tropical rainforests are reservoirs of terrestrial carbon and biodiversity. Large and often emergent trees store disproportionately large amounts of aboveground carbon and greatly influence the structure and functioning of tropical rainforests. Despite their importance, controls on the abundance and distribution of emergent trees are largely unknown across tropical landscapes. Conventional field approaches are limited in their ability to characterize patterns in emergent trees across vast landscapes with varying environmental conditions and floristic composition. Here we used a high-resolution light detection and ranging (LiDAR) sensor, aboard the Carnegie Airborne Observatory Airborne Taxonomic Mapping System (CAO-AToMS), to examine the abundance and distribution of tall emergent tree canopies (ETC) relative to surrounding tree canopies (STC), across the Osa Peninsula, a geologically and topographically diverse region of Costa Rica. The abundance of ETC was clearly influenced by fine-scale topographic variation, with distribution patterns that held across a variety of geologic substrates. Specifically, the density of ETC was much greater on lower slopes and in valleys, compared to upper slopes and ridges. Furthermore, using the CAO high-fidelity imaging spectrometer, ETC had a different spectral signature than that of the STC. Most notably, ETC had lower foliar N than STC, which was verified with an independent field survey of canopy leaf chemistry. The underlying mechanisms to explain the topographic-dependence of ETCs and linkages to canopy N are unknown, and remain an important area of research.

  1. NASA 1990 Multisensor Airborne Campaigns (MACs) for ecosystem and watershed studies

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wickland, Diane E.; Asrar, Ghassem; Murphy, Robert E.

    1991-01-01

    The Multisensor Airborne Campaign (MAC) focus within NASA's former Land Processes research program was conceived to achieve the following objectives: to acquire relatively complete, multisensor data sets for well-studied field sites, to add a strong remote sensing science component to ecology-, hydrology-, and geology-oriented field projects, to create a research environment that promotes strong interactions among scientists within the program, and to more efficiently utilize and compete for the NASA fleet of remote sensing aircraft. Four new MAC's were conducted in 1990: the Oregon Transect Ecosystem Research (OTTER) project along an east-west transect through central Oregon, the Forest Ecosystem Dynamics (FED) project at the Northern Experimental Forest in Howland, Maine, the MACHYDRO project in the Mahantango Creek watershed in central Pennsylvania, and the Walnut Gulch project near Tombstone, Arizona. The OTTER project is testing a model that estimates the major fluxes of carbon, nitrogen, and water through temperate coniferous forest ecosystems. The focus in the project is on short time-scale (days-year) variations in ecosystem function. The FED project is concerned with modeling vegetation changes of forest ecosystems using remotely sensed observations to extract biophysical properties of forest canopies. The focus in this project is on long time-scale (decades to millenia) changes in ecosystem structure. The MACHYDRO project is studying the role of soil moisture and its regulating effects on hydrologic processes. The focus of the study is to delineate soil moisture differences within a basin and their changes with respect to evapotranspiration, rainfall, and streamflow. The Walnut Gulch project is focused on the effects of soil moisture in the energy and water balance of arid and semiarid ecosystems and their feedbacks to the atmosphere via thermal forcing.

  2. Airborne Research Experience for Educators

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Costa, V. B.; Albertson, R.; Smith, S.; Stockman, S. A.

    2009-12-01

    The Airborne Research Experience for Educators (AREE) Program, conducted by the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center Office of Education in partnership with the AERO Institute, NASA Teaching From Space Program, and California State University Fullerton, is a complete end-to-end residential research experience in airborne remote sensing and atmospheric science. The 2009 program engaged ten secondary educators who specialize in science, technology, engineering or mathematics in a 6-week Student Airborne Research Program (SARP) offered through NSERC. Educators participated in collection of in-flight remote sensor data during flights aboard the NASA DC-8 as well as in-situ research on atmospheric chemistry (bovine emissions of methane); algal blooms (remote sensing to determine location and degree of blooms for further in-situ analysis); and crop classification (exploration of how drought conditions in Central California have impacted almond and cotton crops). AREE represents a unique model of the STEM teacher-as-researcher professional development experience because it asks educators to participate in a research experience and then translate their experiences into classroom practice through the design, implementation, and evaluation of instructional materials that emphasize the scientific research process, inquiry-based investigations, and manipulation of real data. Each AREE Master Educator drafted a Curriculum Brief, Teachers Guide, and accompanying resources for a topic in their teaching assignment Currently, most professional development programs offer either a research experience OR a curriculum development experience. The dual nature of the AREE model engaged educators in both experiences. Educators’ content and pedagogical knowledge of STEM was increased through the review of pertinent research articles during the first week, attendance at lectures and workshops during the second week, and participation in the airborne and in-situ research studies, data

  3. Aerial radiometric and magnetic survey: Aztec National Topographic Map, New Mexico

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Not Available

    1979-01-01

    The results of analyses of the airborne gamma radiation and total magnetic field survey flown for the region identified as the Aztec National Topographic Map NJ13-10 are presented. The airborne data gathered are reduced by ground computer facilities to yield profile plots of the basic uranium, thorium and potassium equivalent gamma radiation intensities, ratios of these intensities, aircraft altitude above the earth's surface, total gamma ray and earth's magnetic field intensity, correlated as a function of geologic units. The distribution of data within each geologic unit, for all surveyed map lines and tie lines, has been calculated and is included.more » Two sets of profiled data for each line are included, with one set displaying the above-cited data. The second set includes only flight line magnetic field, temperature, pressure, altitude data plus magnetic field data as measured at a base station. A general description of the area, including descriptions of the various geologic units and the corresponding airborne data, is included also.« less

  4. Topographic mapping of the Moon

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Wu, S.S.C.

    1985-01-01

    Contour maps of the Moon have been compiled by photogrammetric methods that use stereoscopic combinations of all available metric photographs from the Apollo 15, 16, and 17 missions. The maps utilize the same format as the existing NASA shaded-relief Lunar Planning Charts (LOC-1, -2, -3, and -4), which have a scale of 1:2 750 000. The map contour interval is 500m. A control net derived from Apollo photographs by Doyle and others was used for the compilation. Contour lines and elevations are referred to the new topographic datum of the Moon, which is defined in terms of spherical harmonics from the lunar gravity field. Compilation of all four LOC charts was completed on analytical plotters from 566 stereo models of Apollo metric photographs that cover approximately 20% of the Moon. This is the first step toward compiling a global topographic map of the Moon at a scale of 1:5 000 000. ?? 1985 D. Reidel Publishing Company.

  5. Airborne Hyperspectral Imaging of Seagrass and Coral Reef

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Merrill, J.; Pan, Z.; Mewes, T.; Herwitz, S.

    2013-12-01

    This talk presents the process of project preparation, airborne data collection, data pre-processing and comparative analysis of a series of airborne hyperspectral projects focused on the mapping of seagrass and coral reef communities in the Florida Keys. As part of a series of large collaborative projects funded by the NASA ROSES program and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and administered by the NASA UAV Collaborative, a series of airborne hyperspectral datasets were collected over six sites in the Florida Keys in May 2012, October 2012 and May 2013 by Galileo Group, Inc. using a manned Cessna 172 and NASA's SIERRA Unmanned Aerial Vehicle. Precise solar and tidal data were used to calculate airborne collection parameters and develop flight plans designed to optimize data quality. Two independent Visible and Near-Infrared (VNIR) hyperspectral imaging systems covering 400-100nm were used to collect imagery over six Areas of Interest (AOIs). Multiple collections were performed over all sites across strict solar windows in the mornings and afternoons. Independently developed pre-processing algorithms were employed to radiometrically correct, synchronize and georectify individual flight lines which were then combined into color balanced mosaics for each Area of Interest. The use of two different hyperspectral sensor as well as environmental variations between each collection allow for the comparative analysis of data quality as well as the iterative refinement of flight planning and collection parameters.

  6. A Methodological Intercomparison of Topographic and Aerial Photographic Habitat Survey Techniques

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bangen, S. G.; Wheaton, J. M.; Bouwes, N.

    2011-12-01

    A severe decline in Columbia River salmonid populations and subsequent Federal listing of subpopulations has mandated both the monitoring of populations and evaluation of the status of available habitat. Numerous field and analytical methods exist to assist in the quantification of the abundance and quality of in-stream habitat for salmonids. These methods range from field 'stick and tape' surveys to spatially explicit topographic and aerial photographic surveys from a mix of ground-based and remotely sensed airborne platforms. Although several previous studies have assessed the quality of specific individual survey methods, the intercomparison of competing techniques across a diverse range of habitat conditions (wadeable headwater channels to non-wadeable mainstem channels) has not yet been elucidated. In this study, we seek to enumerate relative quality (i.e. accuracy, precision, extent) of habitat metrics and inventories derived from an array of ground-based and remotely sensed surveys of varying degrees of sophistication, as well as quantify the effort and cost in conducting the surveys. Over the summer of 2010, seven sample reaches of varying habitat complexity were surveyed in the Lemhi River Basin, Idaho, USA. Complete topographic surveys were attempted at each site using rtkGPS, total station, ground-based LiDaR and traditional airborne LiDaR. Separate high spatial resolution aerial imagery surveys were acquired using a tethered blimp, a drone UAV, and a traditional fixed-wing aircraft. Here we also developed a relatively simplistic methodology for deriving bathymetry from aerial imagery that could be readily employed by instream habitat monitoring programs. The quality of bathymetric maps derived from aerial imagery was compared with rtkGPS topographic data. The results are helpful for understanding the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches in specific conditions, and how a hybrid of data acquisition methods can be used to build a more complete

  7. Airborne Remote Sensing

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1992-01-01

    NASA imaging technology has provided the basis for a commercial agricultural reconnaissance service. AG-RECON furnishes information from airborne sensors, aerial photographs and satellite and ground databases to farmers, foresters, geologists, etc. This service produces color "maps" of Earth conditions, which enable clients to detect crop color changes or temperature changes that may indicate fire damage or pest stress problems.

  8. Airborne Separation Assurance and Traffic Management: Research of Concepts and Technology

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ballin, Mark G.; Wing, David J.; Hughes, Monica F.; Conway, Sheila R.

    1999-01-01

    To support the need for increased flexibility and capacity in the future National Airspace System, NASA is pursuing an approach that distributes air traffic separation and management tasks to both airborne and ground-based systems. Details of the distributed operations and the benefits and technical challenges of such a system are discussed. Technology requirements and research issues are outlined, and NASA s approach for establishing concept feasibility, which includes development of the airborne automation necessary to support the concept, is described.

  9. CLASS: Coherent Lidar Airborne Shear Sensor. Windshear avoidance

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Targ, Russell

    1991-01-01

    The coherent lidar airborne shear sensor (CLASS) is an airborne CO2 lidar system being designed and developed by Lockheed Missiles and Space Company, Inc. (LMSC) under contract to NASA Langley Research Center. The goal of this program is to develop a system with a 2- to 4-kilometer range that will provide a warning time of 20 to 40 seconds, so that the pilot can avoid the hazards of low-altitude wind shear under all weather conditions. It is a predictive system which will warn the pilot about a hazard that the aircraft will experience at some later time. The ability of the system to provide predictive warnings of clear air turbulence will also be evaluated. A one-year flight evaluation program will measure the line-of-sight wind velocity from a wide variety of wind fields obtained by an airborne radar, an accelerometer-based reactive wind-sensing system, and a ground-based Doppler radar. The success of the airborne lidar system will be determined by its correlation with the windfield as indicated by the onboard reactive system, which indicates the winds actually experienced by the NASA Boeing 737 aircraft.

  10. Derivation of Ground Surface and Vegetation in a Coastal Florida Wetland with Airborne Laser Technology

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Raabe, Ellen A.; Harris, Melanie S.; Shrestha, Ramesh L.; Carter, William E.

    2008-01-01

    The geomorphology and vegetation of marsh-dominated coastal lowlands were mapped from airborne laser data points collected on the Gulf Coast of Florida near Cedar Key. Surface models were developed using low- and high-point filters to separate ground-surface and vegetation-canopy intercepts. In a non-automated process, the landscape was partitioned into functional landscape units to manage the modeling of key landscape features in discrete processing steps. The final digital ground surface-elevation model offers a faithful representation of topographic relief beneath canopies of tidal marsh and coastal forest. Bare-earth models approximate field-surveyed heights by + 0.17 m in the open marsh and + 0.22 m under thick marsh or forest canopy. The laser-derived digital surface models effectively delineate surface features of relatively inaccessible coastal habitats with a geographic coverage and vertical detail previously unavailable. Coastal topographic details include tidal-creek tributaries, levees, modest topographic undulations in the intertidal zone, karst features, silviculture, and relict sand dunes under coastal-forest canopy. A combination of laser-derived ground-surface and canopy-height models and intensity values provided additional mapping capabilities to differentiate between tidal-marsh zones and forest types such as mesic flatwood, hydric hammock, and oak scrub. Additional derived products include fine-scale shoreline and topographic profiles. The derived products demonstrate the capability to identify areas of concern to resource managers and unique components of the coastal system from laser altimetry. Because the very nature of a wetland system presents difficulties for access and data collection, airborne coverage from remote sensors has become an accepted alternative for monitoring wetland regions. Data acquisition with airborne laser represents a viable option for mapping coastal topography and for evaluating habitats and coastal change on marsh

  11. Airborne oceanographic lidar system

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1975-01-01

    Specifications and preliminary design of an Airborne Oceanographic Lidar (AOL) system, which is to be constructed for installation and used on a NASA Wallops Flight Center (WFC) C-54 research aircraft, are reported. The AOL system is to provide an airborne facility for use by various government agencies to demonstrate the utility and practicality of hardware of this type in the wide area collection of oceanographic data on an operational basis. System measurement and performance requirements are presented, followed by a description of the conceptual system approach and the considerations attendant to its development. System performance calculations are addressed, and the system specifications and preliminary design are presented and discussed.

  12. NASA Global Hawk: Project Overview and Future Plans

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Naftel, J. Chris

    2011-01-01

    The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Global Hawk Project became operational in 2009 and began support of Earth science in 2010. Thus far, the NASA Global Hawk has completed three Earth science campaigns and preparations are under way for two extensive multi-year campaigns. One of the most desired performance capabilities of the Global Hawk aircraft is very long endurance: the Global Hawk aircraft can remain airborne longer than almost all other jet-powered aircraft currently flying, and longer than all other aircraft available for airborne science use. This paper describes the NASA Global Hawk system, payload accommodations, concept of operations, and the scientific data-gathering campaigns.

  13. Airborne Polarimetric, Two-Color Laser Altimeter Measurements of Lake Ice Cover: A Pathfinder for NASA's ICESat-2 Spaceflight Mission

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Harding, David; Dabney, Philip; Valett, Susan; Yu, Anthony; Vasilyev, Aleksey; Kelly, April

    2011-01-01

    The ICESat-2 mission will continue NASA's spaceflight laser altimeter measurements of ice sheets, sea ice and vegetation using a new measurement approach: micropulse, single photon ranging at 532 nm. Differential penetration of green laser energy into snow, ice and water could introduce errors in sea ice freeboard determination used for estimation of ice thickness. Laser pulse scattering from these surface types, and resulting range biasing due to pulse broadening, is assessed using SIMPL airborne data acquired over icecovered Lake Erie. SIMPL acquires polarimetric lidar measurements at 1064 and 532 nm using the micropulse, single photon ranging measurement approach.

  14. Toolsets for Airborne Data (TAD): Enhanced Airborne Data Merging Functionality through Spatial and Temporal Subsetting

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Early, A. B.; Chen, G.; Beach, A. L., III; Northup, E. A.

    2016-12-01

    NASA has conducted airborne tropospheric chemistry studies for over three decades. These field campaigns have generated a great wealth of observations, including a wide range of the trace gases and aerosol properties. The Atmospheric Science Data Center (ASDC) at NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton Virginia originally developed the Toolsets for Airborne Data (TAD) web application in September 2013 to meet the user community needs for manipulating aircraft data for scientific research on climate change and air quality relevant issues. The analysis of airborne data typically requires data subsetting, which can be challenging and resource intensive for end users. In an effort to streamline this process, the TAD toolset enhancements will include new data subsetting features and updates to the current database model. These will include two subsetters: temporal and spatial, and vertical profile. The temporal and spatial subsetter will allow users to both focus on data from a specific location and/or time period. The vertical profile subsetter will retrieve data collected during an individual aircraft ascent or descent spiral. This effort will allow for the automation of the typically labor-intensive manual data subsetting process, which will provide users with data tailored to their specific research interests. The development of these enhancements will be discussed in this presentation.

  15. Validating MODIS above-cloud aerosol optical depth retrieved from "color ratio" algorithm using direct measurements made by NASA's airborne AATS and 4STAR sensors

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jethva, Hiren; Torres, Omar; Remer, Lorraine; Redemann, Jens; Livingston, John; Dunagan, Stephen; Shinozuka, Yohei; Kacenelenbogen, Meloe; Segal Rosenheimer, Michal; Spurr, Rob

    2016-10-01

    We present the validation analysis of above-cloud aerosol optical depth (ACAOD) retrieved from the "color ratio" method applied to MODIS cloudy-sky reflectance measurements using the limited direct measurements made by NASA's airborne Ames Airborne Tracking Sunphotometer (AATS) and Spectrometer for Sky-Scanning, Sun-Tracking Atmospheric Research (4STAR) sensors. A thorough search of the airborne database collection revealed a total of five significant events in which an airborne sun photometer, coincident with the MODIS overpass, observed partially absorbing aerosols emitted from agricultural biomass burning, dust, and wildfires over a low-level cloud deck during SAFARI-2000, ACE-ASIA 2001, and SEAC4RS 2013 campaigns, respectively. The co-located satellite-airborne matchups revealed a good agreement (root-mean-square difference < 0.1), with most matchups falling within the estimated uncertainties associated the MODIS retrievals (about -10 to +50 %). The co-retrieved cloud optical depth was comparable to that of the MODIS operational cloud product for ACE-ASIA and SEAC4RS, however, higher by 30-50 % for the SAFARI-2000 case study. The reason for this discrepancy could be attributed to the distinct aerosol optical properties encountered during respective campaigns. A brief discussion on the sources of uncertainty in the satellite-based ACAOD retrieval and co-location procedure is presented. Field experiments dedicated to making direct measurements of aerosols above cloud are needed for the extensive validation of satellite-based retrievals.

  16. Validating MODIS Above-Cloud Aerosol Optical Depth Retrieved from Color Ratio Algorithm Using Direct Measurements Made by NASA's Airborne AATS and 4STAR Sensors

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Jethva, Hiren; Torres, Omar; Remer, Lorraine; Redemann, Jens; Livingston, John; Dunagan, Stephen; Shinozuka, Yohei; Kacenelenbogen, Meloe; Segal Rozenhaimer, Michal; Spurr, Rob

    2016-01-01

    We present the validation analysis of above-cloud aerosol optical depth (ACAOD) retrieved from the color ratio method applied to MODIS cloudy-sky reflectance measurements using the limited direct measurements made by NASAs airborne Ames Airborne Tracking Sunphotometer (AATS) and Spectrometer for Sky-Scanning, Sun-Tracking Atmospheric Research (4STAR) sensors. A thorough search of the airborne database collection revealed a total of five significant events in which an airborne sun photometer, coincident with the MODIS overpass, observed partially absorbing aerosols emitted from agricultural biomass burning, dust, and wildfires over a low-level cloud deck during SAFARI-2000, ACE-ASIA 2001, and SEAC4RS 2013 campaigns, respectively. The co-located satellite-airborne match ups revealed a good agreement (root-mean-square difference less than 0.1), with most match ups falling within the estimated uncertainties associated with the MODIS retrievals (about -10 to +50 ). The co-retrieved cloud optical depth was comparable to that of the MODIS operational cloud product for ACE-ASIA and SEAC4RS, however, higher by 30-50% for the SAFARI-2000 case study. The reason for this discrepancy could be attributed to the distinct aerosol optical properties encountered during respective campaigns. A brief discussion on the sources of uncertainty in the satellite-based ACAOD retrieval and co-location procedure is presented. Field experiments dedicated to making direct measurements of aerosols above cloud are needed for the extensive validation of satellite based retrievals.

  17. SOFIA's Airborne Astronomy Ambassadors: An External Evaluation of Cycle 1

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Phillips, Michelle

    2015-01-01

    The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) represents a partnership between NASA and the German Aerospace Center (DLR). The observatory itself is a Boeing 747 SP that has been modified to serve as the world's largest airborne research observatory. The SOFIA Airborne Astronomy Ambassadors (AAA) program is a component of SOFIA's…

  18. Typical Applications of Airborne LIDAR Technolagy in Geological Investigation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zheng, X.; Xiao, C.

    2018-05-01

    The technology of airborne light detection and ranging (LiDAR), also referred to as Airborne Laser Scanning, is widely used for high-resolution topographic data acquisition (even under forest cover) with sub-meter planimetric and vertical accuracy. This contribution constructs the real digital terrain model to provide the direct observation data for the landscape analysis in geological domains. Based on the advantage of LiDAR, the authors mainly deal with the applications of LiDAR data to such fields as surface land collapse, landslide and fault structure extraction. The review conclusion shows that airborne LiDAR technology is becoming an indispensable tool for above mentioned issues, especially in the local and large scale investigations of micro-topography. The technology not only can identify the surface collapse, landslide boundary and subtle faulted landform, but also be able to extract the filling parameters of collapsed surface, the geomorphic parameters of landslide stability evaluation and cracks. This technology has extensive prospect of applications in geological investigation.

  19. NASA Astrophysics E/PO Impact: NASA SOFIA AAA Program Evaluation Results

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Harman, Pamela; Backman, Dana E.; Clark, Coral; Inverness Research Sofia Aaa Evaluation Team, Wested Sofia Aaa Evaluation Team

    2015-01-01

    SOFIA is an airborne observatory, studying the universe at infrared wavelengths, capable of making observations that are impossible for even the largest and highest ground-based telescopes. SOFIA also inspires the development of new scientific instrumentation and fosters the education of young scientists and engineers.SOFIA is an 80% - 20% partnership of NASA and the German Aerospace Center (DLR), consisting of an extensively modified Boeing 747SP aircraft carrying a reflecting telescope with an effective diameter of 2.5 meters (100 inches). The SOFIA aircraft is based at NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center, Building 703, in Palmdale, California. The Science Program and Outreach Offices are located at NASA Ames Research center. SOFIA is a program in NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Astrophysics Division.Data will be collected to study many different kinds of astronomical objects and phenomena, including star cycles, solar system formation, identification of complex molecules in space, our solar system, galactic dust, nebulae and ecosystems.Airborne Astronomy Ambassador (AAA) Program:The SOFIA Education and Communications program exploits the unique attributes of airborne astronomy to contribute to national goals for the reform of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education, and to elevate public scientific and technical literacy.The AAA effort is a professional development program aspiring to improve teaching, inspire students, and inform the community. To date, 55 educators from 21 states; Cycles 0, 1 and 2; have completed their astronomy professional development and their SOFIA science flight experience. Evaluation has confirmed the program's positive impact on the teacher participants, on their students, and in their communities. The inspirational experience has positively impacted their practice and career trajectory. AAAs have incorporated content knowledge and specific components of their experience into their curricula, and have given

  20. Topographic Science

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Poppenga, Sandra K.; Evans, Gayla; Gesch, Dean; Stoker, Jason M.; Queija, Vivian R.; Worstell, Bruce; Tyler, Dean J.; Danielson, Jeff; Bliss, Norman; Greenlee, Susan

    2010-01-01

    The mission of U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center Topographic Science is to establish partnerships and conduct research and applications that facilitate the development and use of integrated national and global topographic datasets. Topographic Science includes a wide range of research and applications that result in improved seamless topographic datasets, advanced elevation technology, data integration and terrain visualization, new and improved elevation derivatives, and development of Web-based tools. In cooperation with our partners, Topographic Science is developing integrated-science applications for mapping, national natural resource initiatives, hazards, and global change science. http://topotools.cr.usgs.gov/.

  1. NASA Ames 2016 Highlights

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2016-12-28

    2016 presented the opportunity for NASA's Ames Research Center to meet its challenges and opportunities head on. Projects ranged from testing the next generation of air traffic control software to studying the stars of our galaxy. From developing life science experiments that flew aboard the International Space Station to helping protect our planet through airborne Earth observation campaigns. NASA's missions and programs are challenging and the people at NASA Ames Research Center continue to reach new heights and reveal the unknown for the benefit of all humankind!

  2. Aerosol Optical Thickness comparisons between NASA LaRC Airborne HSRL and AERONET during the DISCOVER-AQ field campaigns

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Scarino, A. J.; Ferrare, R. A.; Burton, S. P.; Hostetler, C. A.; Hair, J. W.; Rogers, R. R.; Berkoff, T.; Cook, A. L.; Harper, D. B.; Hoff, R. M.; Holben, B. N.; Schafer, J.; McGill, M. J.; Yorks, J. E.; Lantz, K. O.; Michalsky, J. J.; Hodges, G.

    2013-12-01

    The first- and second-generation NASA airborne High Spectral Resolution Lidars (HSRL-1 and HSRL-2) have been deployed on board the NASA Langley Research Center King Air aircraft during the Deriving Information on Surface Conditions from Column and VERtically Resolved Observations Relevant to Air Quality (DISCOVER-AQ) field campaigns. These included deployments during July 2011 over Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, MD and during January and February 2013 over the San Joaquin Valley (SJV) of California and also a scheduled deployment during September 2013 over Houston, TX. Measurements of aerosol extinction, backscatter, and depolarization are available from both HSRL-1 and HSRL-2 in coordination with other participating research aircraft and ground sites. These measurements constitute a diverse data set for use in characterizing the spatial and temporal distribution of aerosols, aerosol optical thickness (AOT), as well as the Mixing Layer Height (MLH). HSRL AOT is compared to AOT measured by the Distributed Regional Aerosol Gridded Observation Networks (DRAGON) and long-term AERONET sites. For the 2011 campaign, comparisons of AOT at 532nm between HSRL-1 and AERONET showed excellent agreement (r = 0.98, slope = 1.01, intercept = 0.037) when the King Air flights were within 2.5 km of the ground site and 10 min from the retrieval time. The comparison results are similar for the 2013 DISCOVER-AQ campaign in the SJV. Additional ground-based (MPL) and airborne (CPL) lidar data were used to help screen for clouds in the AERONET observations during the SJV portion. AOT values from a Multi-Filter Rotating Shadowband Radiometer (MFRSR) located at the Porterville, CA site during the SJV campaign are also compared to HSRL-2 AOT. Lastly, using the MLH retrieved from HSRL aerosol backscatter profiles, we describe the distribution of AOT relative to the MLH.

  3. An approach to evaluating reactive airborne wind shear systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Gibson, Joseph P., Jr.

    1992-01-01

    An approach to evaluating reactive airborne windshear detection systems was developed to support a deployment study for future FAA ground-based windshear detection systems. The deployment study methodology assesses potential future safety enhancements beyond planned capabilities. The reactive airborne systems will be an integral part of planned windshear safety enhancements. The approach to evaluating reactive airborne systems involves separate analyses for both landing and take-off scenario. The analysis estimates the probability of effective warning considering several factors including NASA energy height loss characteristics, reactive alert timing, and a probability distribution for microburst strength.

  4. A Multi-Use Airborne Research Facility

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Poellot, Michael R.

    2003-01-01

    Much of our progress in understanding the Earth system comes from measurements made in the atmosphere. Aircraft are widely used to collect in situ measurements of the troposphere and lower stratosphere, and they also serve as platforms for many remote sensing instruments. Airborne field measurement campaigns require a capable aircraft, a specially trained support team, a suite of basic instrumentation, space and power for new instruments, and data analysis and processing capabilities (e.g. Veal et al., 1977). However, these capabilities are expensive and there is a need to reduce costs while maintaining the capability to perform this type of research. To this end, NASA entered a Cooperative Agreement with the University of North Dakota (UND) to help support the operations of the UND Cessna Citation research aircraft. This Cooperative Agreement followed in form and substance a previous agreement. The Cooperative Agreement has benefited both NASA and UND. In part because of budget reductions, the NASA Airborne Science Office has elected to take advantage of outside operators of science research platforms to off-load some science requirements (Huning, 1996). UND has worked with NASA to identify those requirements that could be met more cost effectively with the UND platform. This has resulted in significant cost savings to NASA while broadening the base of researchers in the NASA science programs. At the same time, the Agreement has provided much needed support to UND to help sustain the Citation research facility. In this report, we describe the work conducted under this Cooperative Agreement.

  5. Radar Image with Color as Height, Sman Teng, Temple, Cambodia

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2002-10-11

    This image, taken by NASA Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar AIRSAR in 2002, is of Cambodia Angkor region revealing a temple upper-right not depicted on early 19th Century French archeological survey maps and American topographic maps.

  6. Supporting NASA Facilities Through GIS

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ingham, Mary E.

    2000-01-01

    The NASA GIS Team supports NASA facilities and partners in the analysis of spatial data. Geographic Information System (G[S) is an integration of computer hardware, software, and personnel linking topographic, demographic, utility, facility, image, and other geo-referenced data. The system provides a graphic interface to relational databases and supports decision making processes such as planning, design, maintenance and repair, and emergency response.

  7. Upgrade of the NASA 4STAR (Spectrometer for Sky-Scanning, Sun-Tracking Atmospheric Research) to its Full Science Capability of Sun-Sky-Cloud-Trace Gas Spectrometry in Airborne Science Deployments

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Johnson, Roy R.; Russell, P.; Dunagan, S.; Redemann, J.; Shinozuka, Y.; Segal-Rosenheimer, M.; LeBlanc, S.; Flynn, C.; Schmid, B.; Livingston, J.

    2014-01-01

    The objectives of this task in the AITT (Airborne Instrument Technology Transition) Program are to (1) upgrade the NASA 4STAR (Spectrometer for Sky-Scanning, Sun-Tracking Atmospheric Research) instrument to its full science capability of measuring (a) direct-beam sun transmission to derive aerosol optical depth spectra, (b) sky radiance vs scattering angle to retrieve aerosol absorption and type (via complex refractive index spectra, shape, and mode-resolved size distribution), (c) zenith radiance for cloud properties, and (d) hyperspectral signals for trace gas retrievals, and (2) demonstrate its suitability for deployment in challenging NASA airborne multiinstrument campaigns. 4STAR combines airborne sun tracking, sky scanning, and zenith pointing with diffraction spectroscopy to improve knowledge of atmospheric constituents and their links to air pollution, radiant energy budgets (hence climate), and remote measurements of Earth's surfaces. Direct beam hyperspectral measurement of optical depth improves retrievals of gas constituents and determination of aerosol properties. Sky scanning enhances retrievals of aerosol type and size distribution. 4STAR measurements are intended to tighten the closure between satellite and ground-based measurements. 4STAR incorporates a modular sun-tracking/sky-scanning optical head with fiber optic signal transmission to rack mounted spectrometers, permitting miniaturization of the external optical head, and future detector evolution. 4STAR test flights, as well as science flights in the 2012-13 TCAP (Two-Column Aerosol Project) and 2013 SEAC4RS (Studies of Emissions and Atmospheric Composition, Clouds and Climate Coupling by Regional Surveys) have demonstrated that the following are essential for 4STAR to achieve its full science potential: (1) Calibration stability for both direct-beam irradiance and sky radiance, (2) Improved light collection and usage, and (3) Improved flight operability and reliability. A particular challenge

  8. First results from the NASA WB-57 airborne observations of the Great American 2017 Total Solar Eclipse

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Caspi, Amir; Tsang, Constantine; DeForest, Craig; Seaton, Daniel B.; Bryans, Paul; Tomczyk, Steven; Burkepile, Joan; Judge, Phil; DeLuca, Edward E.; Golub, Leon; Gallagher, Peter T.; Zhukov, Andrei; West, Matthew; Durda, Daniel D.; Steffl, Andrew J.

    2017-08-01

    Total solar eclipses present rare opportunities to study the complex solar corona, down to altitudes of just a few percent of a solar radius above the surface, using ground-based and airborne observatories that would otherwise be dominated by the intense solar disk and high sky brightness. Studying the corona is critical to gaining a better understanding of physical processes that occur on other stars and astrophysical objects, as well as understanding the dominant driver of space weather that affects human assets at Earth and elsewhere. For example, it is still poorly understood how the corona is heated to temperatures of 1-2 MK globally and up to 5-10 MK above active regions, while the underlying chromosphere is 100 times cooler; numerous theories abound, but are difficult to constrain due to the limited sensitivities and cadences of prior measurements. The origins and stability of coronal fans, and the extent of their reach to the middle and outer corona, are also not well known, limited in large part by sensitivities and fields of view of existing observations.Airborne observations during the eclipse provide unique advantages; by flying in the stratosphere at altitudes of 50 kft or higher, they avoid all weather, the seeing quality is enormously improved, and additional wavelengths such as near-IR also become available due to significantly reduced water absorption. For an eclipse, an airborne observatory can also follow the shadow, increasing the total observing time by 50% or more.We present the first results from airborne observations of the 2017 Great American Total Solar Eclipse using two of NASA's WB-57 research aircraft, each equipped with two 8.7" telescopes feeding high-sensitivity visible (green-line) and near-IR (3-5 µm) cameras operating at high cadence (30 Hz) with ~3 arcsec/pixel platescale and ±3 R_sun fields of view. The aircraft will fly along the eclipse path, separated by ~90 km, to observe a summed ~8 minutes of totality in both visible and

  9. Current and future use of TOPSAR digital topographic data for volcanological research

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mouginis-Mark, Peter J.; Rowland, Scott K.; Garbeil, Harold

    1993-01-01

    In several investigations of volcanoes, high quality digital elevation models (DEM's) are required to study either the geometry of the volcano or to investigate temporal changes in relief due to eruptions. Examples include the analysis of volume changes of a volcanic dome, the prediction of flow paths for pyroclastic flows, and the quantitative investigation of the geometry of valleys carved by volcanic mudflows. Additionally, to provide input data for models of lava flow emplacement, accurate measurements are needed of the thickness of lava flows as a function of distance from the vent and local slope. Visualization of volcano morphology is also aided by the ability to view a DEM from oblique perspectives. Until recently, the generation of these DEM's has required either high resolution stereo air photographs or extensive field surveying using the Global Positioning System (GPS) and other field techniques. Through the use of data collected by the NASA/JPL TOPSAR system, it is now possible to remotely measure the topography of volcanoes using airborne radar interferometry. TOPSAR data can be collected day or night under any weather conditions, thereby avoiding the problems associated with the derivation of DEM's from air photographs that may often contain clouds. Here we describe some of our initial work on volcanoes using TOPSAR data for Mt. Hekla (Iceland) and Vesuvius (Italy). We also outline various TOPSAR topographic studies of volcanoes in the Galapagos and Hawaii that will be conducted in the near future, describe how TOPSAR complements the volcanology investigations to be conducted with orbital radars (SIR-C/X-SAR, JERS-1 and ERS-1), and place these studies into the broader context of NASA's Global Change Program.

  10. Lidar measurements of the column CO2 mixing ratio made by NASA Goddard's CO2 Sounder during the NASA ASCENDS 2014 Airborne campaign.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ramanathan, A. K.; Mao, J.; Abshire, J. B.; Kawa, S. R.

    2015-12-01

    Remote sensing measurements of CO2 from space can help improve our understanding of the carbon cycle and help constrain the global carbon budget. However, such measurements need to be sufficiently accurate to detect small (1 ppm) changes in the CO2 mixing ratio (XCO2) against a large background (~ 400 ppm). Satellite measurements of XCO2 using passive spectrometers, such as those from the Japanese GOSAT (Greenhouse gas Observing Satellite) and the NASA OCO-2 (Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2) are limited to daytime sunlit portions of the Earth and are susceptible to biases from clouds and aerosols. For this reason, NASA commissioned the formulation study of ASCENDS a space-based lidar mission. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center's CO2 Sounder lidar is one candidate approach for the ASCENDS mission. The NASA GSFC CO2 Sounder measures the CO2 mixing ratio using a pulsed multi-wavelength integrated path differential absorption (IPDA) approach. The CO2 Sounder has flown in the 2011, 2013 and 2014 ASCENDS airborne campaigns over the continental US, and has produced measurements in close agreement with in situ measurements of the CO2 column. In 2014, the CO2 Sounder upgraded its laser with a precision step-locked diode laser source to improve the lidar wavelength position accuracy. It also improved its optical receiver with a low-noise, high efficiency, HgCdTe avalanche photo diode detector. The combination of these two technologies enabled lidar XCO2 measurements with unprecedented accuracy. In this presentation, we show analysis from the ASCENDS 2014 field campaign, exploring: (1) Horizontal XCO2 gradients measured by the lidar, (2) Comparisons of lidar XCO2 measurements against the Parameterized Chemistry Transport Model (PCTM), and (3) Lidar column water vapor measurements using a HDO absorption line that occurs next to the CO2 absorption line. This can reduce the uncertainty in the dry air column used in XCO2 retrievals.

  11. Topographic Map of Chryse Planitia with Location of Possible Buried Basin

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    2005-01-01

    This topographic map, based on data from the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter, shows the ground track of the 1,892nd and the 1,903rd orbits of Mars Express and the arc structures detected by that orbiter's Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionospheric Sounding (MARSIS). The arc structures are interpreted to be part of a buried impact basin about 250 kilometers (155 miles) in diameter.

    The topographic relief represented in the image is 1 kilometer (0.6 mile), from low (purple) to high (red). The projected arcs are shown in red for orbit 1892 and white for orbit 1903. There is no obvious feature in the surface topography that corresponds to the buried feature identified with MARSIS data.

    NASA and the Italian Space Agency jointly funded the MARSIS instrument on the European Space Agency's Mars Express orbiter. The Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter is an instrument on NASA's Mars Global Surveyor orbiter.

  12. Topographic representation using DEMs and its applications to active tectonics research

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Oguchi, T.; Lin, Z.; Hayakawa, Y. S.

    2016-12-01

    Identifying topographic deformations due to active tectonics has been a principal issue in tectonic geomorphology. It provides useful information such as whether a fault has been active during the recent past. Traditionally, field observations, conventional surveying, and visual interpretation of topographic maps, aerial photos, and satellite images were the main methods for such geomorphological investigations. However, recent studies have been utilizing digital elevation models (DEMs) to visualize and quantitatively analyze landforms. There are many advantages to the use of DEMs for research in active tectonics. For example, unlike aerial photos and satellite images, DEMs show ground conditions without vegetation and man-made objects such as buildings, permitting direct representation of tectonically deformed landforms. Recent developments and advances in airborne LiDAR also allow the fast creation of DEMs even in vegetated areas such as forested lands. In addition, DEMs enable flexible topographic visualization based on various digital cartographic and computer-graphic techniques, facilitating identification of particular landforms such as active faults. Further, recent progress in morphometric analyses using DEMs can be employed to quantitatively represent topographic characteristics, and objectively evaluate tectonic deformation and the properties of related landforms. This paper presents a review of DEM applications in tectonic geomorphology, with attention to historical development, recent advances, and future perspectives. Examples are taken mainly from Japan, a typical tectonically active country. The broader contributions of DEM-based active tectonics research to other fields, such as fluvial geomorphology and geochronology, will also be discussed.

  13. Fire Island National Seashore

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Brock, John C.; Wright, C. Wayne; Patterson, Matt; Nayagandhi, Amar; Patterson, Judd

    2007-01-01

    These lidar-derived topographic maps were produced as a collaborative effort between the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Coastal and Marine Geology Program, the National Park Service (NPS), Northeast Coastal and Barrier Network, Inventory and Monitoring Program, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Wallops Flight Facility. The aims of the partnership that created this product are to develop advanced survey techniques for mapping barrier island geomorphology and habitats, and to enable the monitoring of ecological and geological change within National Seashores. This product is based on data from an innovative airborne lidar instrument under development at the NASA Wallops Flight Facility, the NASA Experimental Advanced Airborne Research Lidar (EAARL).

  14. Identification and extraction of the seaward edge of terrestrial vegetation using digital aerial photography

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Harris, Melanie; Brock, John C.; Nayegandhi, A.; Duffy, M.; Wright, C.W.

    2006-01-01

    This report is created as part of the Aerial Data Collection and Creation of Products for Park Vital Signs Monitoring within the Northeast Region Coastal and Barrier Network project, which is a joint project between the National Park Service Inventory and Monitoring Program (NPS-IM), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Observational Sciences Branch, and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Center for Coastal and Watershed Studies (CCWS). This report is one of a series that discusses methods for extracting topographic features from aerial survey data. It details step-by-step methods used to extract a spatially referenced digital line from aerial photography that represents the seaward edge of terrestrial vegetation along the coast of Assateague Island National Seashore (ASIS). One component of the NPS-IM/USGS/NASA project includes the collection of NASA aerial surveys over various NPS barrier islands and coastal parks throughout the National Park Service's Northeast Region. These aerial surveys consist of collecting optical remote sensing data from a variety of sensors, including the NASA Airborne Topographic Mapper (ATM), the NASA Experimental Advanced Airborne Research Lidar (EAARL), and down-looking digital mapping cameras.

  15. Airborne water vapor DIAL research: System development and field measurements

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Higdon, Noah S.; Browell, Edward V.; Ponsardin, Patrick; Chyba, Thomas H.; Grossmann, Benoist E.; Butler, Carolyn F.; Fenn, Marta A.; Mayor, Shane D.; Ismail, Syed; Grant, William B.

    1992-01-01

    This paper describes the airborne differential absorption lidar (DIAL) system developed at the NASA Langley Research Center for remote measurement of water vapor (H2O) and aerosols in the lower atmosphere. The airborne H2O DIAL system was flight tested aboard the NASA Wallops Flight Facility (WFF) Electra aircraft in three separate field deployments between 1989 and 1991. Atmospheric measurements were made under a variety of atmospheric conditions during the flight tests, and several modifications were implemented during this development period to improve system operation. A brief description of the system and major modifications will be presented, and the most significant atmospheric observations will be described.

  16. NASA/ESA CV-990 spacelab simulation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1975-01-01

    Due to interest in the application of simplified techniques used to conduct airborne science missions at NASA's Ames Research Center, a joint NASA/ESA endeavor was established to conduct an extensive Spacelab simulation using the NASA CV-990 airborne laboratory. The scientific payload was selected to perform studies in upper atmospheric physics and infrared astronomy with principal investigators from France, the Netherlands, England, and several groups from the United States. Communication links between the 'Spacelab' and a ground based mission operations center were limited consistent with Spacelab plans. The mission was successful and provided extensive data relevant to Spacelab objectives on overall management of a complex international payload; experiment preparation, testing, and integration; training for proxy operation in space; data handling; multiexperimenter use of common experimenter facilities (telescopes); multiexperiment operation by experiment operators; selection criteria for Spacelab experiment operators; and schedule requirements to prepare for such a Spacelab mission.

  17. A Study of Reflected Sonic Booms Using Airborne Measurements

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kantor, Samuel R.; Cliatt, Larry J.

    2017-01-01

    In support of ongoing efforts to bring commercial supersonic flight to the public, the Sonic Booms in Atmospheric Turbulence (SonicBAT) flight test conducted at NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center. During this test, airborne sonic boom measurements were made using an instrumented TG-14 motor glider, called the Airborne Acoustic Measurement Platform (AAMP).During the flight program, the AAMP was consistently able to measure the sonic boom wave that was reflected off of the ground, in addition to the incident wave, resulting in the creation of a completely unique data set of airborne sonic boom reflection measurements.

  18. Quantifying monthly to decadal subsidence and assessing collapse potential near the Wink sinkholes, west Texas, using airborne lidar, radar interferometry, and microgravity

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Paine, J. G.; Collins, E.; Yang, D.; Andrews, J. R.; Averett, A.; Caudle, T.; Saylam, K.

    2014-12-01

    We are using airborne lidar and satellite-based radar interferometry (InSAR) to quantify short-term (months to years) and longer-term (decades) subsidence in the area surrounding two large (100- to 200-m diameter) sinkholes that formed above Permian bedded salt in 1980 and 2002 in the Wink area, west Texas. Radar interferograms constructed from synthetic aperture radar data acquired between 2008 and 2011 with the ALOS PALSAR L-band satellite-borne instrument reveal local areas that are subsiding at rates that reach a few cm per month. Subsiding areas identified on radar interferograms enable labor-intensive ground investigations (such as microgravity surveys) to focus on areas where subsidence is occurring and shallow-source mass deficits might exist that could be sites of future subsidence or collapse. Longer-term elevation changes are being quantified by comparing digital elevation models (DEMs) constructed from high-resolution airborne lidar data acquired over a 32-km2 area in 2013 with older, lower-resolution DEMs constructed from data acquired during the NASA- and NGA-sponsored Shuttle Radar Topographic Mission in February 2000 and from USGS aerial photogrammetry-derived topographic data from the 1960s. Total subsidence reaches more than 10 m over 45 years in some areas. Maximum rates of subsidence measured on annual (from InSAR) and decadal (from lidar) time scales are about 0.25 m/yr. In addition to showing the extent and magnitude of subsidence at the 1980 and 2002 sinkholes, comparison of the 2013 lidar-derived DEM with the 1960s photogrammetry-derived DEM revealed other locations that have undergone significant (more than 1 m) elevation change since the 1960s, but show no evidence of recent (2008 to 2011) ground motion from satellite radar interferograms. Regional coverage obtained by radar interferometry and local coverage obtained with airborne lidar show that areas of measurable subsidence are all within a few km of the 1980 and 2002 sinkholes.

  19. Airborne MAX-DOAS Measurements Over California: Testing the NASA OMI Tropospheric NO2 Product

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Oetjen, Hilke; Baidar, Sunil; Krotkov, Nickolay A.; Lamsal, Lok N.; Lechner, Michael; Volkamer, Rainer

    2013-01-01

    Airborne Multi-AXis Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy (AMAX-DOAS) measurements of NO2 tropospheric vertical columns were performed over California for two months in summer 2010. The observations are compared to the NASA Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) tropospheric vertical columns (data product v2.1) in two ways: (1) Median data were compared for the whole time period for selected boxes, and the agreement was found to be fair (R = 0.97, slope = 1.4 +/- 0.1, N= 10). (2) A comparison was performed on the mean of coincident AMAX-DOAS measurements within the area of the corresponding OMI pixels with the tropospheric NASA OMI NO2 assigned to that pixel. The effects of different data filters were assessed. Excellent agreement and a strong correlation (R = 0.85, slope = 1.05 +/- 0.09, N= 56) was found for (2) when the data were filtered to eliminate large pixels near the edge of the OMI orbit, the cloud radiance fraction was<50%, the OMI overpass occurred within 2 h of the AMAX-DOAS measurements, the flight altitude was>2 km, and a representative sample of the footprint was taken by the AMAX-DOAS instrument. The AMAX-DOAS and OMI data sets both show a reduction of NO2 tropospheric columns on weekends by 38 +/- 24% and 33 +/- 11%, respectively. The assumptions in the tropospheric satellite air mass factor simulations were tested using independent measurements of surface albedo, aerosol extinction, and NO2 profiles for Los Angeles for July 2010 indicating an uncertainty of 12%.

  20. Topographic Structure from Motion

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fonstad, M. A.; Dietrich, J. T.; Courville, B. C.; Jensen, J.; Carbonneau, P.

    2011-12-01

    The production of high-resolution topographic datasets is of increasing concern and application throughout the geomorphic sciences, and river science is no exception. Consequently, a wide range of topographic measurement methods have evolved. Despite the range of available methods, the production of high resolution, high quality digital elevation models (DEMs) generally requires a significant investment in personnel time, hardware and/or software. However, image-based methods such as digital photogrammetry have steadily been decreasing in costs. Initially developed for the purpose of rapid, inexpensive and easy three dimensional surveys of buildings or small objects, the "structure from motion" photogrammetric approach (SfM) is a purely image based method which could deliver a step-change if transferred to river remote sensing, and requires very little training and is extremely inexpensive. Using the online SfM program Microsoft Photosynth, we have created high-resolution digital elevation models (DEM) of rivers from ordinary photographs produced from a multi-step workflow that takes advantage of free and open source software. This process reconstructs real world scenes from SfM algorithms based on the derived positions of the photographs in three-dimensional space. One of the products of the SfM process is a three-dimensional point cloud of features present in the input photographs. This point cloud can be georeferenced from a small number of ground control points collected via GPS in the field. The georeferenced point cloud can then be used to create a variety of digital elevation model products. Among several study sites, we examine the applicability of SfM in the Pedernales River in Texas (USA), where several hundred images taken from a hand-held helikite are used to produce DEMs of the fluvial topographic environment. This test shows that SfM and low-altitude platforms can produce point clouds with point densities considerably better than airborne LiDAR, with

  1. Airborne derivation of microburst alerts from ground-based Terminal Doppler Weather Radar information: A flight evaluation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hinton, David A.

    1993-01-01

    An element of the NASA/FAA windshear program is the integration of ground-based microburst information on the flight deck, to support airborne windshear alerting and microburst avoidance. NASA conducted a windshear flight test program in the summer of 1991 during which airborne processing of Terminal Doppler Weather Radar (TDWR) data was used to derive microburst alerts. Microburst information was extracted from TDWR, transmitted to a NASA Boeing 737 in flight via data link, and processed to estimate the windshear hazard level (F-factor) that would be experienced by the aircraft in each microburst. The microburst location and F-factor were used to derive a situation display and alerts. The situation display was successfully used to maneuver the aircraft for microburst penetrations, during which atmospheric 'truth' measurements were made. A total of 19 penetrations were made of TDWR-reported microburst locations, resulting in 18 airborne microburst alerts from the TDWR data and two microburst alerts from the airborne reactive windshear detection system. The primary factors affecting alerting performance were spatial offset of the flight path from the region of strongest shear, differences in TDWR measurement altitude and airplane penetration altitude, and variations in microburst outflow profiles. Predicted and measured F-factors agreed well in penetrations near microburst cores. Although improvements in airborne and ground processing of the TDWR measurements would be required to support an airborne executive-level alerting protocol, the practicality of airborne utilization of TDWR data link data has been demonstrated.

  2. Kids as Airborne Mission Scientists: Designing PBL To Inspire Kids.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Koszalka, Tiffany A.; Grabowski, Barbara L.; Kim, Younghoon

    Problem-based learning (PBL) has great potential for inspiring K-12 learning. KaAMS, a NASA funded project and an example of PBL, was designed to help teachers inspire middle school students to learn science. The students participate as scientists investigating environmental problems using NASA airborne remote sensing data. Two PBL modules were…

  3. NASA's Applied Sciences: Natural Disasters Program

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kessler, Jason L.

    2010-01-01

    Fully utilize current and near-term airborne and spaceborne assets and capabilities. NASA spaceborne instruments are for research but can be applied to natural disaster response as appropriate. NASA airborne instruments can be targeted specifically for disaster response. Could impact research programs. Better flow of information improves disaster response. Catalog capability, product, applicable disaster, points of contact. Ownership needs to come from the highest level of NASA - unpredictable and irregular nature of disasters requires contingency funding for disaster response. Build-in transfer of applicable natural disaster research capabilities to operational functionality at other agencies (e.g., USFS, NOAA, FEMA...) at the outset, whenever possible. For the Decadal Survey Missions, opportunities exist to identify needs and requirements early in the mission design process. Need to understand additional needs and commitments for meeting the needs of the disaster community. Opportunity to maximize disaster response and mitigation from the Decadal Survey Missions. Additional needs or capabilities may require agency contributions.

  4. Comparison of High and Low Density Airborne LIDAR Data for Forest Road Quality Assessment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kiss, K.; Malinen, J.; Tokola, T.

    2016-06-01

    Good quality forest roads are important for forest management. Airborne laser scanning data can help create automatized road quality detection, thus avoiding field visits. Two different pulse density datasets have been used to assess road quality: high-density airborne laser scanning data from Kiihtelysvaara and low-density data from Tuusniemi, Finland. The field inventory mainly focused on the surface wear condition, structural condition, flatness, road side vegetation and drying of the road. Observations were divided into poor, satisfactory and good categories based on the current Finnish quality standards used for forest roads. Digital Elevation Models were derived from the laser point cloud, and indices were calculated to determine road quality. The calculated indices assessed the topographic differences on the road surface and road sides. The topographic position index works well in flat terrain only, while the standardized elevation index described the road surface better if the differences are bigger. Both indices require at least a 1 metre resolution. High-density data is necessary for analysis of the road surface, and the indices relate mostly to the surface wear and flatness. The classification was more precise (31-92%) than on low-density data (25-40%). However, ditch detection and classification can be carried out using the sparse dataset as well (with a success rate of 69%). The use of airborne laser scanning data can provide quality information on forest roads.

  5. Detecting Small-Scale Topographic Changes and Relict Geomorphic Features on Barrier Islands Using SAR

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Gibeaut, James C.; Crawford, Melba M.; Gutierrez, Roberto; Slatton, K. Clint; Neuenschwander, Amy L.; Ricard, Michael R.

    1997-01-01

    The shapes and elevations of barrier islands may change dramatically over a short period of time during a storm. Coastal scientists and engineers, however, are currently unable to measure these changes occurring over an entire barrier island at once. This three-year project, which is funded by NASA and jointly conducted by the Bureau of Economic Geology and the Center for Space Research at The University of Texas at Austin, is designed to overcome this problem by developing the use of interferometry from airborne synthetic aperture radar (AIRSAR) to measure coastal topography and to detect storm-induced changes in topography. Surrogate measures of topography observed in multiband, fully polarimetric AIRSAR (This type of data are now referred to as POLSAR data.) are also being investigated. Digital elevation models (DEM) of Galveston Island and Bolivar Peninsula, Texas obtained with Topographic SAR (TOPSAR) are compared with measurements by Global Positioning System (GPS) ground surveys and electronic total station surveys. In addition to topographic mapping, this project is evaluating the use of POLSAR to detect old features such as storm scarps, storm channels, former tidal inlets, and beach ridges that have been obscured by vegetation, erosion, deposition, and artificial filling. We have also expanded the work from the original proposal to include the mapping of coastal wetland vegetation and depositional environments. Methods developed during this project will provide coastal geologists with an unprecedented tool for monitoring and understanding barrier island systems. This understanding will improve overall coastal management policies and will help reduce the effects of natural and man-induced coastal hazards. This report summarizes our accomplishments during the second year of the study. Also included is a discussion of our planned activities for year 3 and a revised budget.

  6. Prediction of topographic and bathymetric measurement performance of airborne low-SNR lidar systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cossio, Tristan

    Low signal-to-noise ratio (LSNR) lidar (light detection and ranging) is an alternative paradigm to traditional lidar based on the detection of return signals at the single photoelectron level. The objective of this work was to predict low altitude (600 m) LSNR lidar system performance with regards to elevation measurement and target detection capability in topographic (dry land) and bathymetric (shallow water) scenarios. A modular numerical sensor model has been developed to provide data for further analysis due to the dearth of operational low altitude LSNR lidar systems. This simulator tool is described in detail, with consideration given to atmospheric effects, surface conditions, and the effects of laser phenomenology. Measurement performance analysis of the simulated topographic data showed results comparable to commercially available lidar systems, with a standard deviation of less than 12 cm for calculated elevation values. Bathymetric results, although dependent largely on water turbidity, were indicative of meter-scale horizontal data spacing for sea depths less than 5 m. The high prevalence of noise in LSNR lidar data introduces significant difficulties in data analysis. Novel algorithms to reduce noise are described, with particular focus on their integration into an end-to-end target detection classifier for both dry and submerged targets (cube blocks, 0.5 m to 1.0 m on a side). The key characteristic exploited to discriminate signal and noise is the temporal coherence of signal events versus the random distribution of noise events. Target detection performance over dry earth was observed to be robust, reliably detecting over 90% of targets with a minimal false alarm rate. Comparable results were observed in waters of high clarity, where the investigated system was generally able to detect more than 70% of targets to a depth of 5 m. The results of the study show that CATS, the University of Florida's LSNR lidar prototype, is capable of high fidelity

  7. Collaboration During the NASA ABoVE Airborne SAR Campaign: Sampling Strategies Used by NGEE Arctic and Other Partners in Alaska and Western Canada

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wullschleger, S. D.; Charsley-Groffman, L.; Baltzer, J. L.; Berg, A. A.; Griffith, P. C.; Jafarov, E. E.; Marsh, P.; Miller, C. E.; Schaefer, K. M.; Siqueira, P.; Wilson, C. J.; Kasischke, E. S.

    2017-12-01

    There is considerable interest in using L- and P-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data to monitor variations in aboveground woody biomass, soil moisture, and permafrost conditions in high-latitude ecosystems. Such information is useful for quantifying spatial heterogeneity in surface and subsurface properties, and for model development and evaluation. To conduct these studies, it is desirable that field studies share a common sampling strategy so that the data from multiple sites can be combined and used to analyze variations in conditions across different landscape geomorphologies and vegetation types. In 2015, NASA launched the decade-long Arctic-Boreal Vulnerability Experiment (ABoVE) to study the sensitivity and resilience of these ecosystems to disturbance and environmental change. NASA is able to leverage its remote sensing strengths to collect airborne and satellite observations to capture important ecosystem properties and dynamics across large spatial scales. A critical component of this effort includes collection of ground-based data that can be used to analyze, calibrate and validate remote sensing products. ABoVE researchers at a large number of sites located in important Arctic and boreal ecosystems in Alaska and western Canada are following common design protocols and strategies for measuring soil moisture, thaw depth, biomass, and wetland inundation. Here we elaborate on those sampling strategies as used in the 2017 summer SAR campaign and address the sampling design and measurement protocols for supporting the ABoVE aerial activities. Plot size, transect length, and distribution of replicates across the landscape systematically allowed investigators to optimally sample a site for soil moisture, thaw depth, and organic layer thickness. Specific examples and data sets are described for the Department of Energy's Next-Generation Ecosystem Experiments (NGEE Arctic) project field sites near Nome and Barrow, Alaska. Future airborne and satellite

  8. Analysis of Radar and Optical Space Borne Data for Large Scale Topographical Mapping

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tampubolon, W.; Reinhardt, W.

    2015-03-01

    Normally, in order to provide high resolution 3 Dimension (3D) geospatial data, large scale topographical mapping needs input from conventional airborne campaigns which are in Indonesia bureaucratically complicated especially during legal administration procedures i.e. security clearance from military/defense ministry. This often causes additional time delays besides technical constraints such as weather and limited aircraft availability for airborne campaigns. Of course the geospatial data quality is an important issue for many applications. The increasing demand of geospatial data nowadays consequently requires high resolution datasets as well as a sufficient level of accuracy. Therefore an integration of different technologies is required in many cases to gain the expected result especially in the context of disaster preparedness and emergency response. Another important issue in this context is the fast delivery of relevant data which is expressed by the term "Rapid Mapping". In this paper we present first results of an on-going research to integrate different data sources like space borne radar and optical platforms. Initially the orthorectification of Very High Resolution Satellite (VHRS) imagery i.e. SPOT-6 has been done as a continuous process to the DEM generation using TerraSAR-X/TanDEM-X data. The role of Ground Control Points (GCPs) from GNSS surveys is mandatory in order to fulfil geometrical accuracy. In addition, this research aims on providing suitable processing algorithm of space borne data for large scale topographical mapping as described in section 3.2. Recently, radar space borne data has been used for the medium scale topographical mapping e.g. for 1:50.000 map scale in Indonesian territories. The goal of this on-going research is to increase the accuracy of remote sensing data by different activities, e.g. the integration of different data sources (optical and radar) or the usage of the GCPs in both, the optical and the radar satellite data

  9. Airborne UV DIAL Measurements of Ozone and Aerosols

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Grant, William B.; Browell, Edward V.

    2000-01-01

    The NASA Langley Research Center's airborne UV Differential Absorption Lidar (DIAL) system measures vertical profiles of ozone and aerosols above and below the aircraft along its flight track. This system has been used in over 20 airborne field missions designed to study the troposphere and stratosphere since 1980. Four of these missions involved tropospheric measurement programs in the Pacific Ocean with two in the western North Pacific and two in the South Pacific. The UV DIAL system has been used in these missions to study such things as pollution outflow, long-range transport, and stratospheric intrusions; categorize the air masses encountered; and to guide the aircraft to altitudes where interesting features can be studied using the in situ instruments. This paper will highlight the findings with the UV DIAL system in the Pacific Ocean field programs and introduce the mission planned for the western North Pacific for February-April 2001. This will be an excellent opportunity for collaboration between the NASA airborne mission and those with ground-based War systems in Asia Pacific Rim countries to make a more complete determination of the transport of air from Asia to the western Pacific.

  10. Technology transfer of NASA microwave remote sensing system

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Akey, N. D.

    1981-01-01

    Viable techniques for effecting the transfer from NASA to a user agency of state-of-the-art airborne microwave remote sensing technology for oceanographic applications were studied. A detailed analysis of potential users, their needs and priorities; platform options; airborne microwave instrument candidates; ancillary instrumentation; and other, less obvious factors that must be considered were studied. Conclusions and recommendations for the development of an orderly and effective technology transfer of an airborne microwave system that could meet the specific needs of the selected user agencies are reported.

  11. Topographic mapping

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    ,

    2008-01-01

    The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) produced its first topographic map in 1879, the same year it was established. Today, more than 100 years and millions of map copies later, topographic mapping is still a central activity for the USGS. The topographic map remains an indispensable tool for government, science, industry, and leisure. Much has changed since early topographers traveled the unsettled West and carefully plotted the first USGS maps by hand. Advances in survey techniques, instrumentation, and design and printing technologies, as well as the use of aerial photography and satellite data, have dramatically improved mapping coverage, accuracy, and efficiency. Yet cartography, the art and science of mapping, may never before have undergone change more profound than today.

  12. NASA Global Hawk: A New Tool for Earth Science Research

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Naftel, J. Chris

    2009-01-01

    Scientists have eagerly anticipated the performance capability of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Global Hawk for over a decade. In 2009 this capability becomes operational. One of the most desired performance capabilities of the Global Hawk aircraft is very long endurance. The Global Hawk aircraft can remain airborne longer than almost all other jet-powered aircraft currently flying, and longer than all other aircraft available for airborne science use. This paper describes the NASA Global Hawk system, payload accommodations, concept of operations, and the first scientific data-gathering mission: Global Hawk Pacific 2009.

  13. NASA's DC-8 flying laboratory takes off from Juan Santamaria International Airport in San Jose, Costa Rica, on NASA's AirSAR 2004 campaign

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2004-03-06

    NASA's DC-8 flying laboratory takes off from Juan Santamaria International Airport in San Jose, Costa Rica, on NASA's AirSAR 2004 campaign. AirSAR 2004 Mesoamerica is a three-week expedition by an international team of scientists that uses an all-weather imaging tool, called the Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (AirSAR) which is located onboard NASA's DC-8 airborne laboratory. Scientists from many parts of the world including NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory are combining ground research done in several areas in Central America with NASA's AirSAR technology to improve and expand on the quality of research they are able to conduct. The radar, developed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, can penetrate clouds and also collect data at night. Its high-resolution sensors operate at multiple wavelengths and modes, allowing AirSAR to see beneath treetops, through thin sand, and dry snow pack. AirSAR's 2004 campaign is a collaboration of many U.S. and Central American institutions and scientists, including NASA; the National Science Foundation; the Smithsonian Institution; National Geographic; Conservation International; the Organization of Tropical Studies; the Central American Commission for Environment and Development; and the Inter-American Development Bank.

  14. Assessment of the CALIPSO Lidar 532 nm Attenuated Backscatter Calibration Using the NASA LaRC Airborne High Spectral Resolution Lidar

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Rogers, Raymond R.; Hostetler, Chris A.; Hair, Johnathan W.; Ferrare, Richard A.; Liu, Zhaoyan; Obland, Michael D.; Harper, David B.; Cook, Anthony L.; Powell, Kathleen A.; Vaughan, Mark A.; hide

    2011-01-01

    The Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP) instrument on the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO) spacecraft has provided global, high-resolution vertical profiles of aerosols and clouds since it became operational on 13 June 2006. On 14 June 2006, the NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) High Spectral Resolution Lidar (HSRL) was deployed aboard the NASA Langley B-200 aircraft for the first of a series of 86 underflights of the CALIPSO satellite to provide validation measurements for the CALIOP data products. To better assess the range of conditions under which CALIOP data products are produced, these validation flights were conducted under both daytime and nighttime lighting conditions, in multiple seasons, and over a large range of latitudes and aerosol and cloud conditions. This paper presents a quantitative assessment of the CALIOP 532 nm calibration (through the 532 nm total attenuated backscatter) using an internally calibrated airborne HSRL underflight data and is the most extensive study of CALIOP 532 nm calibration. Results show that average HSRL and CALIOP 532 nm total attenuated backscatter agree on average within 2.7% +/- 2.1% (CALIOP lower) at night and within 2.9 % +/- 3.9% (CALIOP lower) during the day., demonstrating the accuracy of the CALIOP 532 nm calibration algorithms. Additionally, comparisons with HSRL show consistency of the CALIOP calibration before and after the laser switch in 2009 as well as improvements in the daytime version 3 calibration scheme compared with the version 2 calibration scheme. Potential systematic uncertainties in the methodology relevant to validating satellite lidar measurements with an airborne lidar system are discussed and found to be less than 3.7% for this validation effort with HSRL. Results from this study are also compared to those from prior assessments of CALIOP calibration and attenuated backscatter.

  15. Mapping Above- and Below-Ground Carbon Pools in Boreal Forests: The Case for Airborne Lidar

    PubMed Central

    Kristensen, Terje; Næsset, Erik; Ohlson, Mikael; Bolstad, Paul V.; Kolka, Randall

    2015-01-01

    A large and growing body of evidence has demonstrated that airborne scanning light detection and ranging (lidar) systems can be an effective tool in measuring and monitoring above-ground forest tree biomass. However, the potential of lidar as an all-round tool for assisting in assessment of carbon (C) stocks in soil and non-tree vegetation components of the forest ecosystem has been given much less attention. Here we combine the use airborne small footprint scanning lidar with fine-scale spatial C data relating to vegetation and the soil surface to describe and contrast the size and spatial distribution of C pools within and among multilayered Norway spruce (Picea abies) stands. Predictor variables from lidar derived metrics delivered precise models of above- and below-ground tree C, which comprised the largest C pool in our study stands. We also found evidence that lidar canopy data correlated well with the variation in field layer C stock, consisting mainly of ericaceous dwarf shrubs and herbaceous plants. However, lidar metrics derived directly from understory echoes did not yield significant models. Furthermore, our results indicate that the variation in both the mosses and soil organic layer C stock plots appears less influenced by differences in stand structure properties than topographical gradients. By using topographical models from lidar ground returns we were able to establish a strong correlation between lidar data and the organic layer C stock at a stand level. Increasing the topographical resolution from plot averages (~2000 m2) towards individual grid cells (1 m2) did not yield consistent models. Our study demonstrates a connection between the size and distribution of different forest C pools and models derived from airborne lidar data, providing a foundation for future research concerning the use of lidar for assessing and monitoring boreal forest C. PMID:26426532

  16. Mapping Above- and Below-Ground Carbon Pools in Boreal Forests: The Case for Airborne Lidar.

    PubMed

    Kristensen, Terje; Næsset, Erik; Ohlson, Mikael; Bolstad, Paul V; Kolka, Randall

    2015-01-01

    A large and growing body of evidence has demonstrated that airborne scanning light detection and ranging (lidar) systems can be an effective tool in measuring and monitoring above-ground forest tree biomass. However, the potential of lidar as an all-round tool for assisting in assessment of carbon (C) stocks in soil and non-tree vegetation components of the forest ecosystem has been given much less attention. Here we combine the use airborne small footprint scanning lidar with fine-scale spatial C data relating to vegetation and the soil surface to describe and contrast the size and spatial distribution of C pools within and among multilayered Norway spruce (Picea abies) stands. Predictor variables from lidar derived metrics delivered precise models of above- and below-ground tree C, which comprised the largest C pool in our study stands. We also found evidence that lidar canopy data correlated well with the variation in field layer C stock, consisting mainly of ericaceous dwarf shrubs and herbaceous plants. However, lidar metrics derived directly from understory echoes did not yield significant models. Furthermore, our results indicate that the variation in both the mosses and soil organic layer C stock plots appears less influenced by differences in stand structure properties than topographical gradients. By using topographical models from lidar ground returns we were able to establish a strong correlation between lidar data and the organic layer C stock at a stand level. Increasing the topographical resolution from plot averages (~2000 m2) towards individual grid cells (1 m2) did not yield consistent models. Our study demonstrates a connection between the size and distribution of different forest C pools and models derived from airborne lidar data, providing a foundation for future research concerning the use of lidar for assessing and monitoring boreal forest C.

  17. Validating Above-cloud Aerosol Optical Depth Retrieved from MODIS using NASA Ames Airborne Sun-Tracking Photometric and Spectrometric (AATS and 4STAR) Measurements

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jethva, H. T.; Torres, O.; Remer, L. A.; Redemann, J.; Dunagan, S. E.; Livingston, J. M.; Shinozuka, Y.; Kacenelenbogen, M. S.; Segal-Rosenhaimer, M.

    2014-12-01

    Absorbing aerosols produced from biomass burning and dust outbreaks are often found to overlay the lower level cloud decks as evident in the satellite images. In contrast to the cloud-free atmosphere, in which aerosols generally tend to cool the atmosphere, the presence of absorbing aerosols above cloud poses greater potential of exerting positive radiative effects (warming) whose magnitude directly depends on the aerosol loading above cloud, optical properties of clouds and aerosols, and cloud fraction. In recent years, development of algorithms that exploit satellite-based passive measurements of ultraviolet (UV), visible, and polarized light as well as lidar-based active measurements constitute a major breakthrough in the field of remote sensing of aerosols. While the unprecedented quantitative information on aerosol loading above cloud is now available from NASA's A-train sensors, a greater question remains ahead: How to validate the satellite retrievals of above-cloud aerosols (ACA)? Direct measurements of ACA such as carried out by the NASA Ames Airborne Tracking Sunphotometer (AATS) and Spectrometer for Sky-Scanning, Sun-Tracking Atmospheric Research (4STAR) can be of immense help in validating ACA retrievals. In this study, we validate the ACA optical depth retrieved using the 'color ratio' (CR) method applied to the MODIS cloudy-sky reflectance by using the airborne AATS and 4STAR measurements. A thorough search of the historic AATS-4STAR database collected during different field campaigns revealed five events where biomass burning, dust, and wildfire-emitted aerosols were found to overlay lower level cloud decks observed during SAFARI-2000, ACE-ASIA 2001, and SEAC4RS-2013, respectively. The co-located satellite-airborne measurements revealed a good agreement (root-mean-square-error<0.1 for Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) at 500 nm) with most matchups falling within the estimated uncertainties in the MODIS retrievals (-10% to +50%). An extensive validation of

  18. An Overview of the Challenges with and Proposed Solutions for the Ingest and Distribution Processes For Airborne Data Management

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Northup, E. A.; Beach, A. L., III; Early, A. B.; Kusterer, J.; Quam, B.; Wang, D.; Chen, G.

    2015-12-01

    The current data management practices for NASA airborne field projects have successfully served science team data needs over the past 30 years to achieve project science objectives, however, users have discovered a number of issues in terms of data reporting and format. The ICARTT format, a NASA standard since 2010, is currently the most popular among the airborne measurement community. Although easy for humans to use, the format standard is not sufficiently rigorous to be machine-readable, and there lacks a standard variable naming convention among the many airborne measurement variables. This makes data use and management tedious and resource intensive, and also create problems in Distributed Active Archive Center (DAAC) data ingest procedures and distribution. Further, most DAACs use metadata models that concentrate on satellite data observations, making them less prepared to deal with airborne data. There also exists a substantial amount of airborne data distributed by websites designed for science team use that are less friendly to users unfamiliar with operations of airborne field studies. A number of efforts are underway to help overcome the issues with airborne data discovery and distribution. The ICARTT Refresh Earth Science Data Systems Working Group (ESDSWG) was established to enable a platform for atmospheric science data providers, users, and data managers to collaborate on developing new criteria for the file format in an effort to enhance airborne data usability. In addition, the NASA Langley Research Center Atmospheric Science Data Center (ASDC) has developed the Toolsets for Airborne Data (TAD) to provide web-based tools and centralized access to airborne in situ measurements of atmospheric composition. This presentation will discuss the aforementioned challenges and attempted solutions in an effort to demonstrate how airborne data management can be improved to streamline data ingest and discoverability to a broader user community.

  19. Topographic Ceres Map With Crater Names

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2015-07-28

    This color-coded map from NASA Dawn mission shows the highs and lows of topography on the surface of dwarf planet Ceres. It is labeled with names of features approved by the International Astronomical Union. Occator, the mysterious crater containing Ceres' mysterious bright spots, is named after the Roman agriculture deity of harrowing, a method of leveling soil. They retain their bright appearance in this map, although they are color-coded in the same green elevation of the crater floor in which they sit. The color scale extends about 5 miles (7.5 kilometers) below the surface in indigo to 5 miles (7.5 kilometers) above the surface in white. The topographic map was constructed from analyzing images from Dawn's framing camera taken from varying sun and viewing angles. The map was combined with an image mosaic of Ceres and projected as an simple cylindrical projection. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA19606

  20. Personnel viewing posters showing how NASA activities have made an impact on Costa Rican people

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2004-03-03

    L-R; Jorge Andres Diaz, Director of the Costa Rican National Hangar for Airborne Research division of the National Center for High Technology(CENAT); NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe; and Fernando Gutierrez, Costa Rican Minister of Science and Technology(MICIT), viewing posters showing how NASA activities have made an impact on Costa Rican people. Mr. O'Keefe was in Costa Rica to participate in the AirSAR 2004 Mesoamerica campaign, which used NASA DFRC's DC-8 airborne laboratory aircraft. AirSAR 2004 is a three-week expedition by an international team of scientists that will use an all-weather imaging tool, called the Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (AirSAR), in a mission ranging from the tropical rain forests of Central America to frigid Antarctica.

  1. Comparison of Water Vapor Measurements by Airborne Sun Photometer and Diode Laser Hygrometer on the NASA DC-8

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Livingston, J. M.; Schmid, Beat; Russell, P. B.

    In January-February 2003 the 14-channel NASA Ames Airborne Tracking Sunphotometer 30 (AATS) and the NASA Langley/Ames Diode Laser Hygrometer (DLH) were flown on the NASA DC-8 aircraft. AATS measured column water vapor on the aircraft-to-sun path, while DLH measured local water vapor in the free stream between the aircraft fuselage and an outboard engine cowling. The AATS and DLH measurements were compared for two DC-8 vertical profiles by differentiating the AATS column measurement and/or integrating the DLH local measurement over the altitude range of each profile (7.7-10 km and 1.2-12.5 km). These comparisons extend, for the first time, tests ofmore » AATS water vapor retrievals to altitudes >~6 km and column contents <0.1 g cm-2. To our knowledge this is the first time suborbital spectroscopic water vapor measurements using the 940-nm band have been tested in conditions so high and dry. For both profiles layer water vapor (LWV) from AATS and DLH were highly correlated, with r2 0.998, rms difference 7.2% and bias (AATS minus DLH) 0.9%. For water vapor densities AATS and DLH had r2 0.968, rms difference 27.6%, and bias (AATS minus DLH) -4.2%. These results compare favorably with previous comparisons of AATS water vapor to in situ results for altitudes <~6 km, columns ~0.1 to 5 g cm-2 and densities ~0.1 to 17 g m-3.« less

  2. Progress Report on the Airborne Metadata and Time Series Working Groups of the 2016 ESDSWG

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Evans, K. D.; Northup, E. A.; Chen, G.; Conover, H.; Ames, D. P.; Teng, W. L.; Olding, S. W.; Krotkov, N. A.

    2016-12-01

    NASA's Earth Science Data Systems Working Groups (ESDSWG) was created over 10 years ago. The role of the ESDSWG is to make recommendations relevant to NASA's Earth science data systems from users' experiences. Each group works independently focusing on a unique topic. Participation in ESDSWG groups comes from a variety of NASA-funded science and technology projects, including MEaSUREs and ROSS. Participants include NASA information technology experts, affiliated contractor staff and other interested community members from academia and industry. Recommendations from the ESDSWG groups will enhance NASA's efforts to develop long term data products. The Airborne Metadata Working Group is evaluating the suitability of the current Common Metadata Repository (CMR) and Unified Metadata Model (UMM) for airborne data sets and to develop new recommendations as necessary. The overarching goal is to enhance the usability, interoperability, discovery and distribution of airborne observational data sets. This will be done by assessing the suitability (gaps) of the current UMM model for airborne data using lessons learned from current and past field campaigns, listening to user needs and community recommendations and assessing the suitability of ISO metadata and other standards to fill the gaps. The Time Series Working Group (TSWG) is a continuation of the 2015 Time Series/WaterML2 Working Group. The TSWG is using a case study-driven approach to test the new Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) TimeseriesML standard to determine any deficiencies with respect to its ability to fully describe and encode NASA earth observation-derived time series data. To do this, the time series working group is engaging with the OGC TimeseriesML Standards Working Group (SWG) regarding unsatisfied needs and possible solutions. The effort will end with the drafting of an OGC Engineering Report based on the use cases and interactions with the OGC TimeseriesML SWG. Progress towards finalizing

  3. Calibration and Validation of Airborne LiDAR at McMurdo Station, Antarctica for Operation IceBridge

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sonntag, J. G.

    2014-12-01

    Airborne LiDAR flight operations based at McMurdo Station, Antarctica, present unusual challenges for calibrating and validating the sensor measurements at the level of a few centimeters. NASA's Airborne Topographic Mapper (ATM) team prefers to perform regular, near-daily calibrations of range and angular biases of our sensor for the lengthy field deployments typical for Operation IceBridge (OIB). For the fall 2013 OIB deployment to McMurdo, we had to adapt our usual technique of regular overflights of an independently-surveyed airport parking ramp to deal with the fact that the McMurdo airfield was located on tidally-influenced sea ice, and that very few nearby durable surfaces were free of variable-depth snow during the OIB deployment. We detail our approach for dealing with these challenges, which included multiple GPS/vehicle surveys of the sea ice runway to quantify surface changes due to grooming operations, combined with GPS tide-gauge measurements of the runway's tidal motion. We also conducted a remote GPS/vehicle survey of a mostly snow-free road on Black Island, and included both sites during near-daily overflights with the ATM. We discuss the quantitative results of these surveys and the associated ATM overflights, and present conclusions for future deployments. Finally we discuss a related validation effort in which we compare ATM results from overflights of snow-free areas in the Dry Valleys with ATM surveys of the same area from a 2001 effort there.

  4. DC-8 Airborne Laboratory in flight

    NASA Image and Video Library

    1998-02-20

    NASA's DC-8 Airborne Science platform shown against a background of a dark blue sky on February 20, 1998. The aircraft is shown from the right rear, slightly above its plane, with the right wing in the foreground and the left wing and horizontal tail in the background. The former airliner is a "dash-72" model and has a range of 5,400 miles. The craft can stay airborne for 12 hours and has an operational speed range between 300 and 500 knots. The research flights are made at between 500 and 41,000 feet. The aircraft can carry up to 30,000 lbs of research/science payload equipment installed in 15 mission-definable spaces.

  5. NASA-Langley Research Center's Aircraft Condition Analysis and Management System Implementation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Frye, Mark W.; Bailey, Roger M.; Jessup, Artie D.

    2004-01-01

    This document describes the hardware implementation design and architecture of Aeronautical Radio Incorporated (ARINC)'s Aircraft Condition Analysis and Management System (ACAMS), which was developed at NASA-Langley Research Center (LaRC) for use in its Airborne Research Integrated Experiments System (ARIES) Laboratory. This activity is part of NASA's Aviation Safety Program (AvSP), the Single Aircraft Accident Prevention (SAAP) project to develop safety-enabling technologies for aircraft and airborne systems. The fundamental intent of these technologies is to allow timely intervention or remediation to improve unsafe conditions before they become life threatening.

  6. Comparison of Topographic Effects between the Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Matsushita, B.; Yang, W.; Chen, J.; Onda, Y.

    2007-12-01

    Vegetation indices play an important role in monitoring variations in vegetation. The Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) proposed by the MODIS Land Discipline Group and the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) are both global-based vegetation indices aimed at providing consistent spatial and temporal information regarding global vegetation. However, many environmental factors such as atmospheric conditions and soil background may produce errors in these indices. The topographic effect is another very important factor, especially when the indices are used in areas of rough terrain. In this paper, we analyzed differences in the topographic effect between the EVI and the NDVI based on a non-Lambertian model and using two airborne-based images with a spatial resolution of 1.5m acquired from a mountainous area covered by a homogeneous Japanese cypress plantation. The results indicate that the soil adjustment factor "L" in the EVI makes it more sensitive to topographic conditions than is the NDVI. Based on these results, we strongly recommend that the topographic effect be removed from the EVI--as well as from other vegetation indices that similarly include a term without a band ratio format (e.g., the PVI and SAVI)--when these indices are used in conjunction with a high spatial resolution image of an area of rough terrain, where the topographic effect on the vegetarian indices having only a band ratio format (e.g., the NDVI) can usually be ignored.

  7. NASA's DC-8 Desert Shadow

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2017-12-08

    The DC-8 research aircraft casting its shadow on the ground in California's Mojave Desert during an IceBridge instrument check flight. Prior to field campaigns, IceBridge instrument and aircraft teams run the aircraft through a series of tests to ensure that everything is operating at peak condition. Credit: NASA / Jim Yungel NASA's Operation IceBridge is an airborne science mission to study Earth's polar ice. For more information about IceBridge, visit: www.nasa.gov/icebridge NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram

  8. SLAPex Freeze/Thaw 2015: The First Dedicated Soil Freeze/Thaw Airborne Campaign

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kim, Edward; Wu, Albert; DeMarco, Eugenia; Powers, Jarrett; Berg, Aaron; Rowlandson, Tracy; Freeman, Jacqueline; Gottfried, Kurt; Toose, Peter; Roy, Alexandre; hide

    2016-01-01

    Soil freezing and thawing is an important process in the terrestrial water, energy, and carbon cycles, marking the change between two very different hydraulic, thermal, and biological regimes. NASA's Soil Moisture Active/Passive (SMAP) mission includes a binary freeze/thaw data product. While there have been ground-based remote sensing field measurements observing soil freeze/thaw at the point scale, and airborne campaigns that observed some frozen soil areas (e.g., BOREAS), the recently-completed SLAPex Freeze/Thaw (F/T) campaign is the first airborne campaign dedicated solely to observing frozen/thawed soil with both passive and active microwave sensors and dedicated ground truth, in order to enable detailed process-level exploration of the remote sensing signatures and in situ soil conditions. SLAPex F/T utilized the Scanning L-band Active/Passive (SLAP) instrument, an airborne simulator of SMAP developed at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, and was conducted near Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, in October/November, 2015. Future soil moisture missions are also expected to include soil freeze/thaw products, and the loss of the radar on SMAP means that airborne radar-radiometer observations like those that SLAP provides are unique assets for freeze/thaw algorithm development. This paper will present an overview of SLAPex F/T, including descriptions of the site, airborne and ground-based remote sensing, ground truth, as well as preliminary results.

  9. Preliminary Evaluation of AIS Spectra Along a Topographic/moisture Gradient in the Nebraska Sandhills

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Runquist, D. C.

    1985-01-01

    Six spectral plots, each summarizing single-pixel reflectance for 128 channels of Airborne Imaging Spectrometer (AIS) data, were examined. The six sample pixels were located along a topographic/moisture gradient from lake surface to dune top in the Nebraska Sandhills. AIS spectra for various moisture regimes/vegetative zones appear quite logical, with a general positive relationship between increasing elevation (i.e., decreasing access of plant roots to water) and increasing reflectance in the spectral regions diagnostic of leaf-water content (i.e., bands centered on 1.65 and 2.20 microns).

  10. Toolsets for Airborne Data - URS and New Documentation

    Atmospheric Science Data Center

    2015-03-23

    ... geolocated) files based on a user’s choice of time base. In addition, the TAD merge feature allows users to generate standard deviations ... NASA airborne missions. We are currently focused on in situ measurements and we would like to hear from you about the need for other ...

  11. ISRO's dual frequency airborne SAR pre-cursor to NISAR

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ramanujam, V. Manavala; Suneela, T. J. V. D.; Bhan, Rakesh

    2016-05-01

    The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) have jointly embarked on NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) operating in L-band and S-band, which will map Earth's surface every 12 days. As a pre-cursor to the NISAR mission, ISRO is planning an airborne SAR (L&S band) which will deliver NISAR analogue data products to the science community. ISRO will develop all the hardware with the aim of adhering to system design aspects of NISAR to the maximum extent possible. It is a fully polarimetric stripmap SAR and can be operated in single, dual, compact, quasi-quad and full polarimetry modes. It has wide incidence angle coverage from 24°-77° with swath coverage from 5.5km to 15 km. Apart from simultaneous imaging operations, this system can also operate in standalone L/S SAR modes. This system is planned to operate from an aircraft platform with nominal altitude of 8000meters. Antenna for this SAR will be rigidly mounted to the aircraft, whereas, motion compensation will be implemented in the software processor to generate data products. Data products for this airborne SAR will be generated in slant & ground range azimuth dimension and geocoded in HDF5/Geotiff formats. This airborne SAR will help to prepare the Indian scientific community for optimum utilization of NISAR data. In-order to collect useful science data, airborne campaigns are planned from end of 2016 onwards.

  12. Airborne Synthetic Aperature Radar (AIRSAR) on left rear fuselage of DC-8 Airborne Laboratory

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1998-01-01

    A view of the Airborne Synthetic Aperature Radar (AIRSAR) antenna on the left rear fuselage of the DC-8. The AIRSAR captures images of the ground from the side of the aircraft and can provide precision digital elevation mapping capabilities for a variety of studies. The AIRSAR is one of a number of research systems that have been added to the DC-8. NASA is using a DC-8 aircraft as a flying science laboratory. The platform aircraft, based at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, Calif., collects data for many experiments in support of scientific projects serving the world scientific community. Included in this community are NASA, federal, state, academic and foreign investigators. Data gathered by the DC-8 at flight altitude and by remote sensing have been used for scientific studies in archeology, ecology, geography, hydrology, meteorology, oceanography, volcanology, atmospheric chemistry, soil science and biology.

  13. The Road to NASA

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Meyers, Valerie

    2010-01-01

    This slide presentation describes the career path and projects that the author worked on during her internship at NASA. As a Graduate Student Research Program (GSRP) participant the assignments that were given include: Human Mesenchymal Stem Cell Research, Spaceflight toxicology, Lunar Airborne Dust Toxicity Advisory Group (LADTAG) and a special study at Devon Island.

  14. ICESat-2 simulated data from airborne altimetery

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Brunt, K. M.; Neumann, T.; Markus, T.; Brenner, A. C.; Barbieri, K.; Field, C.; Sirota, M.

    2010-12-01

    Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2) is scheduled to launch in 2015 and will carry onboard the Advanced Topographic Laser Altimeter System (ATLAS), which represents a new approach to spaceborne determination of surface elevations. Specifically, the current ATLAS design is for a micropulse, multibeam, photon-counting laser altimeter with lower energy, a shorter pulse width, and a higher repetition rate relative to the Geoscience Laser Altimeter (GLAS), the instrument that was onboard ICESat. Given the new and untested technology associated with ATLAS, airborne altimetry data is necessary (1) to test the proposed ATLAS instrument geometry, (2) to validate instrument models, and (3) to assess the atmospheric effects on multibeam altimeters. We present an overview of the airborne instruments and datasets intended to address the ATLAS instrument concept, including data collected over Greenland (July 2009) using an airborne SBIR prototype 100 channel, photon-counting, terrain mapping altimeter, which addresses the first of these 3 scientific concerns. Additionally, we present the plan for further simulator data collection over vegetated and ice covered regions using Multiple Altimeter Beam Experimental Lidar (MABEL), intended to address the latter two scientific concerns. As the ICESAT-2 project is in the design phase, the particular configuration of the ATLAS instrument may change. However, we expect this work to be relevant as long as ATLAS pursues a photon-counting approach.

  15. Airborne Lidar Measurements of Surface Topography and Structure in Arctic-Boreal Ecosystems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hofton, M. A.; Blair, J. B.; Rabine, D.; Cornejo, H.; Story, S.

    2017-12-01

    In June-July 2017, NASA's Land, Vegetation and Ice Sensor (LVIS) Facility was deployed to sites in northern Canada and Alaska as part of NASA's Arctic-Boreal Vulnerability Experiment (ABoVE) 2017 airborne campaign. ABoVE is a large-scale, multi-year study of environmental change and its implications for social-ecological systems, and involves multiple airborne sensors flying both field-based and larger scale sampling sites. During the 4 week deployment of LVIS-F, a total of 15 flights were flown over diverse science targets based out of multiple airports in Canada and Alaska. LVIS-F is NASA's high-altitude airborne lidar sensor, collecting a nominal 2km wide swath of data from 10km altitude above the ground. Footprints are continguous both along and across track and for ABoVE operations, were 6m in diameter. Full waveform data are collected for every footprint and georeferenced to provide a true 3 dimensional view of overflown terrain. Along with precise positioning and pointing information, the LVIS laser range and waveform data are processed to provide high-quality measurements of surface structure including ground elevation, canopy height and canopy volume metrics. Information on data coverage and examples of level1b and level2 data products at science target sites will be shown along with initial results for data precision and accuracy. All AboVe LVIS data products will be available to investigators via a NASA DAAC.

  16. The NASA participation in the 1980 EPA PEPE/NEROS field measurements program

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Remsberg, E.; Bendura, R.

    1982-01-01

    The Persistent Elevated Pollution Episode (PEPE)/Northeast Regional Oxidant Study (NEROS) Project consisted of a series of field measurements sponsored by the EPA during July and August, 1980. NASA participation in the Project had several purposes: (1) use remote sensing to help determine mixed layer height and ozone profiles regionally; and (2) provide opportunity for development, testing and evaluation of several NASA 'emerging' airborne remote sensing systems. NASA also provided information on the hazy pollution episodes throughout the summer of 1980 with satellite imagery. This paper describes findings on atmospheric aerosols, ozone profile and ozone column and discusses the instruments (airborne and ground-based sensors) and techniques used to obtain the relevant data. Associated archived data is also discussed.

  17. NASA ER-2 Flies over Southern California Wildfires

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2017-12-11

    NASA pilot Tim Williams flies the ER-2 high altitude airborne science platform carrying Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s AVIRIS spectral instrument over the Southern California wildfires on December 7, 2017.

  18. Far-Infrared Astronomy with The Kuiper Airborne Observatory

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hildebrand, Roger, H.

    1997-01-01

    This report summarizes work made possible by NASA's Kuiper Airborne Observatory. The results of the work have appeared in over 80 papers. The publications fall in three main areas: instrumentation, observations, and analysis. Although there is considerable overlap between these categories it will be convenient to group them separately.

  19. Derive Arctic Sea-ice Freeboard and Thickness from NASA's LVIS Observations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yi, D.; Hofton, M. A.; Harbeck, J.; Cornejo, H.; Kurtz, N. T.

    2015-12-01

    The sea-ice freeboard and thickness are derived from the six sea-ice flights of NASA's IceBridge Land, Vegetation, and Ice Sensor (LVIS) over the Arctic from 2009 to 2013. The LVIS is an airborne scanning laser altimeter. It can operate at an altitude up to 10 km above the ground and produce a data swath up to 2 km wide with 20-m wide footprints. The laser output wavelength is 1064 nm and pulse repetition rate is 1000 Hz. The LVIS L2 geolocated surface elevation product and Level-1b waveform product (http://nsidc.org/data/ilvis2.html and http://nsidc.org/data/ilvis1b.html) at National Snow and Ice Data Center, USA (NSIDC) are used in this study. The elevations are referenced to a geoid with tides and dynamic atmospheric corrections applied. The LVIS waveforms were fitted with Gaussian curves to calculate pulse width, peak location, pulse amplitude, and signal baseline. For each waveform, the centroid, skewness, kurtosis, and pulse area were also calculated. The waveform parameters were calibrated based on laser off pointing angle and laser channels. Calibrated LVIS waveform parameters show a coherent response to variations in surface features along their ground tracks. These parameters, combined with elevation, can be used to identify leads, enabling the derivation of sea-ice freeboard and thickness without relying upon visual images. Preliminary results show that the elevations in some of the LVIS campaigns may vary with laser incident angle; this can introduce an elevation bias if not corrected. Further analysis of the LVIS data shown that the laser incident angle related elevation bias can be removed empirically. The sea-ice freeboard and thickness results from LVIS are compared with NASA's Airborne Topographic Mapper (ATM) for an April 20, 2010 flight, when both LVIS and ATM sensors were on the same aircraft and made coincidental measurements along repeat ground tracks.

  20. Develop advanced nonlinear signal analysis topographical mapping system

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Jong, Jen-Yi

    1993-01-01

    This study will provide timely assessment of SSME component operational status, identify probable causes of malfunction, and indicate feasible engineering solutions. The final result of this program will yield an advanced nonlinear signal analysis topographical mapping system (ATMS) of nonlinear and nonstationary spectral analysis software package integrated with the Compressed SSME TOPO Data Base (CSTDB) on the same platform. This system will allow NASA engineers to retrieve any unique defect signatures and trends associated with different failure modes and anomalous phenomena over the entire SSME test history across turbopump families.

  1. Overview of the NASA tropospheric environmental quality remote sensing program

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Allario, F.; Ayers, W. G.; Hoell, J. M.

    1979-01-01

    This paper will summarize the current NASA Tropospheric Environmental Quality Remote Sensing Program for studying the global and regional troposphere from space, airborne and ground-based platforms. As part of the program to develop remote sensors for utilization from space, NASA has developed a series of passive and active remote sensors which have undergone field test measurements from airborne and ground platforms. Recent measurements with active lidar and passive gas filter correlation and infrared heterodyne techniques will be summarized for measurements of atmospheric aerosols, CO, SO2, O3, and NH3. These measurements provide the data base required to assess the sensitivity of remote sensors for applications to urban and regional field measurement programs. Studies of Earth Observation Satellite Systems are currently being performed by the scientific community to assess the capability of satellite imagery to detect regions of elevated pollution in the troposphere. The status of NASA sponsored research efforts in interpreting satellite imagery for determining aerosol loadings over land and inland bodies of water will be presented, and comments on the potential of these measurements to supplement in situ and airborne remote sensors in detecting regional haze will be made.

  2. NASA multipurpose airborne DIAL system and measurements of ozone and aerosol profiles. [DIfferential Absorption Lidar

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Browell, E. V.; Carter, A. F.; Shipley, S. T.; Siviter, J. H., Jr.; Hall, W. M.; Allen, R. J.; Butler, C. F.; Mayo, M. N.

    1983-01-01

    The hardware, operational characteristics, data processing system, and applications of the NASA airborne differential absorption lidar (DIAL) system are described. DIAL functions by assessing the average gas concentration over a specified range interval by analyzing the difference in lidar backscatter signals for laser wavelengths tuned on and off of the molecular absorption line of a gas under investigation. The system comprises two frequency-doubled Nd:YAG lasers pumping two high conversion efficiency tunable dye lasers emitting pulses separated by 100 microsec or less. The return signals are digitized and stored on magnetic tape. The signal collector consists of photomultiplier tubes implanted in a cassegrain telescope. Flight tests of the system involved on-measurements at 285.95 nm and off-measurements at 299.40 nm, which yielded a differential cross section of 1.74 x 10 to the -16th sq cm. In situ measurements with another plane at a nominal altitude of 3.2 km for comparison purposes showed accuracy to within 10% in and above the boundary layer. The system is considered as a test apparatus for more developed versions to be flown on the Shuttle

  3. Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer and Airborne Emission Spectrometer

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Glavich, T.; Beer, R.

    1996-01-01

    The Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES) is an instrument being developed for the NASA Earth Observing System Chemistry Platform. TES will measure the distribution of ozone and its precursors in the lower atmosphere. The Airborne Emission Spectrometer (AES) is an aircraft precursor to TES. Applicable descriptions are given of instrument design, technology challenges, implementation and operations for both.

  4. Publication of topographic atlas and control network of Mars

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wu, Sherman S. C.; Billideau, Jennifer S.; Spare, Beth A.

    1991-01-01

    To aid planetary studies and the planning of future Mars missions, the Topographic Atlas and Control Network for Mars will be submitted by the end of fiscal year 1992 for publication as a NASA Special Publication. It will consist of reduced versions of 108 1:2 million-scale photomosaics that show contour lines from topographic maps at the same scale, as well as precisely located control points. The control points are from the planetwide network, which is not only instrumental in the compilation of maps at various scales, but is also widely used in other research such as studies of Mars' gravity and atmosphere. An example, a combination of MC 8-NW and -SW, of the photomosaics to be included in the atlas is presented. Contour lines in the figure are at 1-km intervals. The final adjusted ground coordinates and elevations of the 77 control points shown are given in table form. The last column in the table lists the topographic datum (zero elevation) that can be used to compute the solid radius of the control point from the center of mass of Mars. The atlas will also include information such as the adjusted C-matrices of each image, descriptions of the methods used, and their accuracy, and guidelines for users.

  5. Assessing biomass accumulation in second growth forests of Puerto Rico using airborne lidar

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Martinuzzi, S.; Cook, B.; Corp, L. A.; Morton, D. C.; Helmer, E.; Keller, M.

    2017-12-01

    Degraded and second growth tropical forests provide important ecosystem services, such as carbon sequestration and soil stabilization. Lidar data measure the three-dimensional structure of forest canopies and are commonly used to quantify aboveground biomass in temperate forest landscapes. However, the ability of lidar data to quantify second growth forest biomass in complex, tropical landscapes is less understood. Our goal was to evaluate the use of airborne lidar data to quantify aboveground biomass in a complex tropical landscape, the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico provides an ideal place for studying biomass accumulation because of the abundance of second growth forests in different stages of recovery, and the high ecological heterogeneity. Puerto Rico was almost entirely deforested for agriculture until the 1930s. Thereafter, agricultural abandonment resulted in a mosaic of second growth forests that have recovered naturally under different types of climate, land use, topography, and soil fertility. We integrated forest plot data from the US Forest Service, Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) Program with recent lidar data from NASA Goddard's Lidar, Hyperspectral, and Thermal (G-LiHT) airborne imager to quantify forest biomass across the island's landscape. The G-LiHT data consisted on targeted acquisitions over the FIA plots and other forested areas representing the environmental heterogeneity of the island. To fully assess the potential of the lidar data, we compared the ability of lidar-derived canopy metrics to quantify biomass alone, and in combination with intensity and topographic metrics. The results presented here are a key step for improving our understanding of the patterns and drivers of biomass accumulation in tropical forests.

  6. A review of NASA international programs

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1979-01-01

    A synoptic overview of NASA's international activities to January 1979 is presented. The cooperating countries and international organizations are identified. Topics covered include (1) cooperative arrangements for ground-based, spaceborne, airborne, rocket-borne, and balloon-borne ventures, joint development, and aeronautical R & D; (2) reimbursable launchings; (3) tracking and data acquisition; and (4) personnel exchanges. International participation in NASA's Earth resources investigations is summarized in the appendix. A list of automatic picture transmission stations is included.

  7. Lidar vegetation mapping in national parks: Gulf Coast Network

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Brock, John C.; Palaseanu-Lovejoy, Monica; Segura, Martha

    2011-01-01

    Airborne lidar (Light Detection and Ranging) is an active remote sensing technique used to collect accurate elevation data over large areas. Lidar provides an extremely high level of regional topographic detail, which makes this technology an essential component of U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) science strategy. The USGS Coastal and Marine Geology Program (CMGP) has collaborated with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the National Park Service (NPS) to acquire dense topographic lidar data in a variety of coastal environments.

  8. A Fast-Time Simulation Environment for Airborne Merging and Spacing Research

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bussink, Frank J. L.; Doble, Nathan A.; Barmore, Bryan E.; Singer, Sharon

    2005-01-01

    As part of NASA's Distributed Air/Ground Traffic Management (DAG-TM) effort, NASA Langley Research Center is developing concepts and algorithms for merging multiple aircraft arrival streams and precisely spacing aircraft over the runway threshold. An airborne tool has been created for this purpose, called Airborne Merging and Spacing for Terminal Arrivals (AMSTAR). To evaluate the performance of AMSTAR and complement human-in-the-loop experiments, a simulation environment has been developed that enables fast-time studies of AMSTAR operations. The environment is based on TMX, a multiple aircraft desktop simulation program created by the Netherlands National Aerospace Laboratory (NLR). This paper reviews the AMSTAR concept, discusses the integration of the AMSTAR algorithm into TMX and the enhancements added to TMX to support fast-time AMSTAR studies, and presents initial simulation results.

  9. Airborne Tactical Intent-Based Conflict Resolution Capability

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wing, David J.; Vivona, Robert A.; Roscoe, David A.

    2009-01-01

    Trajectory-based operations with self-separation involve the aircraft taking the primary role in the management of its own trajectory in the presence of other traffic. In this role, the flight crew assumes the responsibility for ensuring that the aircraft remains separated from all other aircraft by at least a minimum separation standard. These operations are enabled by cooperative airborne surveillance and by airborne automation systems that provide essential monitoring and decision support functions for the flight crew. An airborne automation system developed and used by NASA for research investigations of required functionality is the Autonomous Operations Planner. It supports the flight crew in managing their trajectory when responsible for self-separation by providing monitoring and decision support functions for both strategic and tactical flight modes. The paper focuses on the latter of these modes by describing a capability for tactical intent-based conflict resolution and its role in a comprehensive suite of automation functions supporting trajectory-based operations with self-separation.

  10. The NASA Langley High Altitude Lidar Observatory (HALO) - Advancements in Airborne DIAL Measurements of CH4 and H2O

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nehrir, A. R.; Hair, J. W.; Ferrare, R. A.; Hostetler, C. A.; Notari, A.; Collins, J. E., Jr.; Hare, R. J.; Harper, D. B.; Antill, C.; Cook, A. L.; Young, J.; Chuang, T.; Welch, W.

    2016-12-01

    Atmospheric methane (CH4) has the second largest radiative forcing of the long-lived greenhouse gasses (GHG) after carbon dioxide. However, methane's much shorter atmospheric lifetime and much stronger warming potential make its radiative forcing equivalent to that for CO2 over a 20-year time horizon which makes CH4 a particularly attractive target for mitigation strategies. Similar to CH4, water vapor (H2O) is the most dominant of the short-lived GHG in the atmosphere and plays a key role in many atmospheric processes. Atmospheric H2O concentrations span over four orders of magnitude from the planetary boundary layer where high impact weather initiates to lower levels in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere where water vapor has significant and long term impacts on the Earth's radiation budget. Active remote sensing employing the differential absorption lidar (DIAL) technique enables scientific assessments of both natural and anthropogenic sources and sinks of CH4 with high accuracy and precision as well as and its impacts on the climate. The DIAL technique also allows for profiling of tropospheric water vapor for weather and climate applications with unprecedented spatial and temporal resolution. NASA Langley is developing the High Altitude Lidar Observatory (HALO) lidar system to address the observational needs of NASA's weather, climate, carbon cycle, and atmospheric composition focus areas. HALO is a multi-function airborne lidar being developed to measure atmospheric H2O and CH4 mixing ratios and aerosol and cloud optical properties using the DIAL and High Spectral Resolution Lidar (HSRL) techniques, respectively. HALO is designed as an airborne simulator for future space based DIAL missions and will serve as test bed for risk reduction of key technologies required of future space based GHG DIAL missions. A system level overview and up-to-date progress of the HALO lidar will be presented. Simulations on the expected accuracy and precision of HALO CH4

  11. Topographic mapping using a monopulse SAR system

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Zink, M.; Oettl, H.; Freeman, A.

    1993-01-01

    Terrain height variations in mountainous areas cause two problems in the radiometric correction of SAR images: the first being that the wrong elevation angle may be used in correcting for the radiometric variation of the antenna pattern; the second that the local incidence angle used in correcting the projection of the pixel area from slant range to ground range coordinates may vary from that given by the flat earth assumption. We propose a novel design of a SAR system which exploits the monopulse principle to determine the elevation angle and thus the height at the different parts of the image. The key element of such a phase monopulse system is an antenna, which can be divided into a lower and upper half in elevation using a monopulse comparator. In addition to the usual sum pattern, the elevation difference pattern can be generated by a -pi phase shift on one half of the antenna. From the ratios of images radiometrically modulated by the difference and sum antenna pattern in cross-track direction, we can derive the appropriate elevation angle at any point in the image. Together with the slant range we can calculate the height of the platform above this point using information on the antenna pointing and the platform attitude. This operation, repeated at many locations throughout the image, allows us to build up a topographic map of the height of the aircraft above each location. Inversion of this map, using the precisely determined aircraft altitude and the accurate flight path, leads to the actual topography of the imaged surface. The precise elevation of one point in the image could also be used to convert the height map to a topographic map. In this paper, we present design considerations for a corresponding airborne SAR system in X-Band and give estimates of the error due to system noise and azimuth ambiguities as well as the expected performance and precision in topographic mapping.

  12. Assessment of Satellite-Derived Surface Reflectances by NASA's CAR Airborne Radiometer over Railroad Valley, Nevada

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kharbouche, Said; Muller, Jan-Peter; Gatebe, Charles K.; Scanlon, Tracy; Banks, Andrew C.

    2017-01-01

    CAR (Cloud Absorption Radiometer) is a multi-angular and multi-spectral airborne radiometer instrument, whose radiometric and geometric characteristics are well calibrated and adjusted before and after each flight campaign. CAR was built by NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) in 1984. On 16 May 2008, a CAR flight campaign took place over the well-known calibration and validation site of Railroad Valley in Nevada (38.504 deg N, 115.692 deg W).The campaign coincided with the overpasses of several key EO (Earth Observation) satellites such as Landsat-7, Envisat and Terra. Thus, there are nearly simultaneous measurements from these satellites and the CAR airborne sensor over the same calibration site. The CAR spectral bands are close to those of most EO satellites. CAR has the ability to cover the whole range of azimuth view angles and a variety of zenith angles depending on altitude and, as a consequence, the biases seen between satellite and CAR measurements due to both unmatched spectral bands and unmatched angles can be significantly reduced. A comparison is presented here between CARs land surface reflectance (BRF or Bidirectional Reflectance Factor) with those derived from Terra/MODIS (MOD09 and MAIAC), Terra/MISR, Envisat/MERIS and Landsat-7. In this study, we utilized CAR data from low altitude flights (approx. 180 m above the surface) in order to minimize the effects of the atmosphere on these measurements and then obtain a valuable ground-truth data set of surface reflectance. Furthermore, this study shows that differences between measurements caused by surface heterogeneity can be tolerated, thanks to the high homogeneity of the study site on the one hand, and on the other hand, to the spatial sampling and the large number of CAR samples. These results demonstrate that satellite BRF measurements over this site are in good agreement with CAR with variable biases across different spectral bands. This is most likely due to residual aerosol

  13. Verification and Updating of the Database of Topographic Objects with Geometric Information About Buildings by Means of Airborne Laser Scanning Data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mendela-Anzlik, Małgorzata; Borkowski, Andrzej

    2017-06-01

    Airborne laser scanning data (ALS) are used mainly for creation of precise digital elevation models. However, it appears that the informative potential stored in ALS data can be also used for updating spatial databases, including the Database of Topographic Objects (BDOT10k). Typically, geometric representations of buildings in the BDOT10k are equal to their entities in the Land and Property Register (EGiB). In this study ALS is considered as supporting data source. The thresholding method of original ALS data with the use of the alpha shape algorithm, proposed in this paper, allows for extraction of points that represent horizontal cross section of building walls, leading to creation of vector, geometric models of buildings that can be then used for updating the BDOT10k. This method gives also the possibility of an easy verification of up-to-dateness of both the BDOT10k and the district EGiB databases within geometric information about buildings. For verification of the proposed methodology there have been used the classified ALS data acquired with a density of 4 points/m2. The accuracy assessment of the identified building outlines has been carried out by their comparison to the corresponding EGiB objects. The RMSE values for 78 buildings are from a few to tens of centimeters and the average value is about 0,5 m. At the same time for several objects there have been revealed huge geometric discrepancies. Further analyses have shown that these discrepancies could be resulted from incorrect representations of buildings in the EGiB database.

  14. NASA Photo One

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ross, James C.

    2013-01-01

    This is a photographic record of NASA Dryden flight research aircraft, spanning nearly 25 years. The author has served as a Dryden photographer, and now as its chief photographer and airborne photographer. The results are extraordinary images of in-flight aircraft never seen elsewhere, as well as pictures of aircraft from unusual angles on the ground. The collection is the result of the agency required documentation process for its assets.

  15. Historical Topographic Map Collection bookmark

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Fishburn, Kristin A.; Allord, Gregory J.

    2017-06-29

    The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Geospatial Program is scanning published USGS 1:250,000-scale and larger topographic maps printed between 1884, the inception of the topographic mapping program, and 2006. The goal of this project, which began publishing the historical scanned maps in 2011, is to provide a digital repository of USGS topographic maps, available to the public at no cost. For more than 125 years, USGS topographic maps have accurately portrayed the complex geography of the Nation. The USGS is the Nation’s largest producer of printed topographic maps, and prior to 2006, USGS topographic maps were created using traditional cartographic methods and printed using a lithographic printing process. As the USGS continues the release of a new generation of topographic maps (US Topo) in electronic form, the topographic map remains an indispensable tool for government, science, industry, land management planning, and leisure.

  16. NASA IKONOS Radiometric Characterization

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Pagnutti, Mary; Frisbee, Troy; Zanoni, Vicki; Blonski, Slawek; Daehler, Erik; Grant, Brennan; Holekamp, Kara; Ryan, Robert; Sellers, Richard; Smith, Charles

    2002-01-01

    The objective of this program: Perform radiometric vicarious calibrations of IKQNOS imagery and compare with Space Imaging calibration coefficients The approach taken: utilize multiple well-characterized sites which are widely used by the NASA science community for radiometric characterization of airborne and spaceborne sensors; and to Perform independent characterizations with independent teams. Each team has slightly different measurement techniques and data processing methods.

  17. Turbulence and Mountain Wave Conditions Observed with an Airborne 2-Micron Lidar

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Teets, Edward H., Jr.; Ehernberger, Jack; Bogue, Rodney; Ashburn, Chris

    2007-01-01

    Joint efforts by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Department of Defense, and industry partners are enhancing the capability of airborne wind and turbulence detection. The Airborne Coherent Lidar for Advanced In-Flight Measurements (ACLAIM) was flown on three series of flights to assess its capability over a range of altitudes, air mass conditions, and gust phenomena. This paper describes the observation of mountain waves and turbulence induced by mountain waves over the Tehachapi and Sierra Nevada mountain ranges in southern California by lidar onboard the NASA Airborne Science DC-8 airplane. The examples in this paper compare lidar-predicted mountain waves and wave-induced turbulence to subsequent aircraft-measured true airspeed. Airplane acceleration data is presented describing the effects of the wave-induced turbulence on the DC-8 airplane. Highlights of the lidar-predicted airspeed from the two flights show increases of 12 m/s at the mountain wave interface and peak-to-peak airspeed changes of 10 m/s and 15 m/s in a span of 12 s in moderate turbulence.

  18. Turbulence and mountain wave conditions observed with an airborne 2-micron lidar

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Teets, Edward H., Jr.; Ashburn, Chris; Ehernberger, Jack; Bogue, Rodney

    2006-01-01

    Joint efforts by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Department of Defense, and industry partners are enhancing the capability of airborne wind and turbulence detection. The Airborne Coherent Lidar for Advanced In-Flight Measurements (ACLAIM) was flown on three series of flights to assess its capability over a range of altitudes, air mass conditions, and gust phenomena. This paper describes the observation of mountain waves and turbulence induced by mountain waves over the Tehachapi and Sierra Nevada mountain ranges (California, USA) by lidar onboard the NASA Airborne Science DC-8 airplane. The examples in this paper compare lidar-predicted mountain waves and wave-induced turbulence to subsequent aircraft-measured true airspeed. Airplane acceleration data is presented describing the effects of the wave-induced turbulence on the DC-8 airplane. Highlights of the lidar-predicted airspeed from the two flights show increases of 12 meters per second (m/s) at the mountain wave interface and peak-to-peak airspeed changes of 10 m/s and 15 m/s in a span of 12 seconds in moderate turbulence.

  19. NASA Cold Land Processes Experiment (CLPX 2002/03): Airborne remote sensing

    Treesearch

    Don Cline; Simon Yueh; Bruce Chapman; Boba Stankov; Al Gasiewski; Dallas Masters; Kelly Elder; Richard Kelly; Thomas H. Painter; Steve Miller; Steve Katzberg; Larry Mahrt

    2009-01-01

    This paper describes the airborne data collected during the 2002 and 2003 Cold Land Processes Experiment (CLPX). These data include gamma radiation observations, multi- and hyperspectral optical imaging, optical altimetry, and passive and active microwave observations of the test areas. The gamma observations were collected with the NOAA/National Weather Service Gamma...

  20. Positional Accuracy of Airborne Integrated Global Positioning and Inertial Navigation Systems for Mapping in Glen Canyon, Arizona

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Sanchez, Richard D.; Hothem, Larry D.

    2002-01-01

    High-resolution airborne and satellite image sensor systems integrated with onboard data collection based on the Global Positioning System (GPS) and inertial navigation systems (INS) may offer a quick and cost-effective way to gather accurate topographic map information without ground control or aerial triangulation. The Applanix Corporation?s Position and Orientation Solutions for Direct Georeferencing of aerial photography was used in this project to examine the positional accuracy of integrated GPS/INS for terrain mapping in Glen Canyon, Arizona. The research application in this study yielded important information on the usefulness and limits of airborne integrated GPS/INS data-capture systems for mapping.

  1. EAARL topography: Fire Island National Seashore

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Brock, John C.; Wright, C. Wayne; Patterson, Matt; Nayagandhi, Amar; Patterson, Judd

    2007-01-01

    This Web site contains 31 LIDAR-derived first return topography maps and GIS files for Fire Island National Seashore. These lidar-derived topographic maps were produced as a collaborative effort between the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Coastal and Marine Geology Program, the National Park Service (NPS), Northeast Coastal and Barrier Network, Inventory and Monitoring Program, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Wallops Flight Facility. The aims of the partnership that created this product are to develop advanced survey techniques for mapping barrier island geomorphology and habitats, and to enable the monitoring of ecological and geological change within National Seashores. This product is based on data from an innovative airborne lidar instrument under development at the NASA Wallops Flight Facility, the NASA Experimental Advanced Airborne Research Lidar (EAARL).

  2. MARA (Multimode Airborne Radar Altimeter) system documentation. Volume 1: MARA system requirements document

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Parsons, C. L. (Editor)

    1989-01-01

    The Multimode Airborne Radar Altimeter (MARA), a flexible airborne radar remote sensing facility developed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, is discussed. This volume describes the scientific justification for the development of the instrument and the translation of these scientific requirements into instrument design goals. Values for key instrument parameters are derived to accommodate these goals, and simulations and analytical models are used to estimate the developed system's performance.

  3. Development of an Airborne Triple-Pulse 2-Micron Integrated Path Differential Absorption Lidar (IPDA) for Simultaneous Airborne Column Measurements of Carbon Dioxide and Water Vapor in the Atmosphere

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Singh, Upendra N.; Petros, Mulugeta; Refaat, Tamer F.; Yu, Jirong; Antill, Charles W.; Remus, Ruben

    2016-01-01

    This presentation will provide status and details of an airborne 2-micron triple-pulse integrated path differential absorption (IPDA) lidar being developed at NASA Langley Research Center with support from NASA ESTO Instrument Incubator Program. The development of this active optical remote sensing IPDA instrument is targeted for measuring both atmospheric carbon dioxide and water vapor in the atmosphere from an airborne platform. This presentation will focus on the advancement of the 2-micron triple-pulse IPDA lidar development. Updates on the state-of-the-art triple-pulse laser transmitter will be presented including the status of seed laser locking, wavelength control, receiver and detector upgrades, laser packaging and lidar integration. Future plan for IPDA lidar system for ground integration, testing and flight validation will also be presented.

  4. NASA Research For Instrument Approaches To Closely Spaced Parallel Runways

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Elliott, Dawn M.; Perry, R. Brad

    2000-01-01

    Within the NASA Aviation Systems Capacity Program, the Terminal Area Productivity (TAP) Project is addressing airport capacity enhancements during instrument meteorological condition (IMC). The Airborne Information for Lateral Spacing (AILS) research within TAP has focused on an airborne centered approach for independent instrument approaches to closely spaced parallel runways using Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) and Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) technologies. NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC), working in partnership with Honeywell, Inc., completed in AILS simulation study, flight test, and demonstration in 1999 examining normal approaches and potential collision scenarios to runways with separation distances of 3,400 and 2,500 feet. The results of the flight test and demonstration validate the simulation study.

  5. The alpine Swiss-French airborne gravity survey

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Verdun, Jérôme; Klingelé, Emile E.; Bayer, Roger; Cocard, Marc; Geiger, Alain; Kahle, Hans-Gert

    2003-01-01

    ground topographic corrections over the highest mountains, results in significantly reducing the differences between airborne and ground upward-continued Bouguer anomalies, which shows that some of the misfit stems from errors in the ground data.

  6. Dryden's David Bushman explains the capabilities of the Altus UAV to NASA Langley's Charles Hudgins

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2003-05-27

    David Bushman, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) mission manager in NASA Dryden's Airborne Science Program, explains the capabilities of the Altus UAV to Charles Hudgins of NASA Langley's Chemistry and Dynamics Branch.

  7. Design and Development of a Scanning Airborne Direct Detection Doppler Lidar System

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Gentry, Bruce; McGill, Matthew; Schwemmer, Geary; Hardesty, Michael; Brewer, Alan; Wilkerson, Thomas; Atlas, Robert; Sirota, Marcos; Lindemann, Scott

    2006-01-01

    In the fall of 2005 we began developing an airborne scanning direct detection molecular Doppler lidar. The instrument is being built as part of the Tropospheric Wind Lidar Technology Experiment (TWiLiTE), a three year project selected by the NASA Earth Sun Technology Office under the Instrument Incubator Program. The TWiLiTE project is a collaboration involving scientists and engineers from NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, NOAA ESRL, Utah State University Space Dynamics Lab, Michigan Aerospace Corporation and Sigma Space Corporation. The TWiLiTE instrument will leverage significant research and development investments made by NASA Goddard and it's partners in the past several years in key lidar technologies and sub-systems (lasers, telescopes, scanning systems, detectors and receivers) required to enable spaceborne global wind lidar measurement. These sub-systems will be integrated into a complete molecular direct detection Doppler wind lidar system designed for autonomous operation on a high altitude aircraft, such as the NASA WB57. The WB57 flies at an altitude of 18 km and from this vantage point the nadir viewing Doppler lidar will be able to profile winds through the full troposphere. The TWiLiTE integrated airborne Doppler lidar instrument will be the first demonstration of a airborne scanning direct detection Doppler lidar and will serve as a critical milestone on the path to a future spaceborne tropospheric wind system. In addition to being a technology testbed for space based tropospheric wind lidar, when completed the TWiLiTE high altitude airborne lidar will be used for studying mesoscale dynamics and storm research (e.g. winter storms, hurricanes) and could be used for calibration and validation of satellite based wind systems such as ESA's Aeolus Atmospheric Dynamics Mission. The TWiLiTE Doppler lidar will have the capability to profile winds in clear air from the aircraft altitude of 18 km to the surface with 250 m vertical resolution and < 2mls

  8. Airborne Wind Shear Detection and Warning Systems. Second Combined Manufacturers' and Technologists' Conference, part 1

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Spady, Amos A., Jr. (Compiler); Bowles, Roland L. (Compiler); Schlickenmaier, Herbert (Compiler)

    1990-01-01

    The Second Combined Manufacturers' and Technologists' Conference hosted jointly by NASA Langley (LaRC) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) was held in Williamsburg, Virginia, on October 18 to 20, 1988. The purpose of the meeting was to transfer significant, ongoing results gained during the second year of the joint NASA/FAA Airborne Wind Shear Program to the technical industry and to pose problems of current concern to the combined group. It also provided a forum for manufacturers to review forward-look technology concepts and for technologists to gain an understanding of the problems encountered by the manufacturers during the development of airborne equipment and the FAA certification requirements.

  9. VIP tour of NASA DFRC's DC-8 during the AirSAR 2004 Mesoamerica campaign

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2004-03-03

    VIP tour of NASA DFRC's DC-8 airborne laboratory during the AirSAR 2004 Mesoamerica campaign given by Craig Dobson, NASA Program Manager for AirSAR, L-R: Dr. Sonia Marta Mora, President of the Costa Rican National Rector’s Council; NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe; Fernando Gutierrez, Costa Rican Minister of Science and Technology(MICIT); Mr. John Danilovich, US Ambassador to Costa Rica; and Dobson. AirSAR 2004 Mesoamerica is a three-week expedition by an international team of scientists that will use an all-weather imaging tool, called the Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (AirSAR), in a mission ranging from the tropical rain forests of Central America to frigid Antarctica.

  10. A penguin near Punta Arena, Chile, photographed in its natural summer habitat during NASA's AirSAR 2004 campaign

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2004-03-13

    A penguin near Punta Arena, Chile, photographed in its natural summer habitat during NASA's AirSAR 2004 campaign. AirSAR 2004 is a three-week expedition in Central and South America by an international team of scientists that is using an all-weather imaging tool, called the Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (AirSAR), located onboard NASA's DC-8 airborne laboratory. Scientists from many parts of the world are combining ground research with NASA's AirSAR technology to improve and expand on the quality of research they are able to conduct.

  11. Integrating bathymetric and topographic data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Teh, Su Yean; Koh, Hock Lye; Lim, Yong Hui; Tan, Wai Kiat

    2017-11-01

    The quality of bathymetric and topographic resolution significantly affect the accuracy of tsunami run-up and inundation simulation. However, high resolution gridded bathymetric and topographic data sets for Malaysia are not freely available online. It is desirable to have seamless integration of high resolution bathymetric and topographic data. The bathymetric data available from the National Hydrographic Centre (NHC) of the Royal Malaysian Navy are in scattered form; while the topographic data from the Department of Survey and Mapping Malaysia (JUPEM) are given in regularly spaced grid systems. Hence, interpolation is required to integrate the bathymetric and topographic data into regularly-spaced grid systems for tsunami simulation. The objective of this research is to analyze the most suitable interpolation methods for integrating bathymetric and topographic data with minimal errors. We analyze four commonly used interpolation methods for generating gridded topographic and bathymetric surfaces, namely (i) Kriging, (ii) Multiquadric (MQ), (iii) Thin Plate Spline (TPS) and (iv) Inverse Distance to Power (IDP). Based upon the bathymetric and topographic data for the southern part of Penang Island, our study concluded, via qualitative visual comparison and Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) assessment, that the Kriging interpolation method produces an interpolated bathymetric and topographic surface that best approximate the admiralty nautical chart of south Penang Island.

  12. Multi-center Airborne Coherent Atmospheric Wind Sensor (MACAWS)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Rhothermel, Jeffry; Jones, W. D.; Dunkin, J. A.; Mccaul, E. W., Jr.

    1993-01-01

    This effort involves development of a calibrated, pulsed coherent CO2 Doppler lidar, followed by a carefully-planned and -executed program of multi-dimensional wind velocity and aerosol backscatter measurements from the NASA DC-8 research aircraft. The lidar, designated as the Multi-center Airborne Coherent Atmospheric Wind Sensor (MACAWS), will be applicable to two research areas. First, MACAWS will enable specialized measurements of atmospheric dynamical processes in the planetary boundary layer and free troposphere in geographic locations and over scales of motion not routinely or easily accessible to conventional sensors. The proposed observations will contribute fundamentally to a greater understanding of the role of the mesoscale, helping to improve predictive capabilities for mesoscale phenomena and to provide insights into improving model parameterizations of sub-grid scale processes within large-scale circulation models. As such, it has the potential to contribute uniquely to major, multi-institutional field programs planned for the mid 1990's. Second, MACAWS measurements can be used to reduce the degree of uncertainty in performance assessments and algorithm development for NASA's prospective Laser Atmospheric Wind Sounder (LAWS), which has no space-based instrument heritage. Ground-based lidar measurements alone are insufficient to address all of the key issues. To minimize costs, MACAWS is being developed cooperatively by the lidar remote sensing groups of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NOAA Wave Propagation Laboratory, and MSFC using existing lidar hardware and manpower resources. Several lidar components have already been exercised in previous airborne lidar programs (for example, MSFC Airborne Doppler Lidar System (ADLS) used in 1981,4 Severe Storms Wind Measurement Program; JPL Airborne Backscatter Lidar Experiment (ABLE) used in 1989,90 Global Backscatter Experiment Survey Missions). MSFC has been given responsibility for directing the overall

  13. Handling Trajectory Uncertainties for Airborne Conflict Management

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Barhydt, Richard; Doble, Nathan A.; Karr, David; Palmer, Michael T.

    2005-01-01

    Airborne conflict management is an enabling capability for NASA's Distributed Air-Ground Traffic Management (DAG-TM) concept. DAGTM has the goal of significantly increasing capacity within the National Airspace System, while maintaining or improving safety. Under DAG-TM, autonomous aircraft maintain separation from each other and from managed aircraft unequipped for autonomous flight. NASA Langley Research Center has developed the Autonomous Operations Planner (AOP), an onboard decision support system that provides airborne conflict management (ACM) and strategic flight planning support for autonomous aircraft pilots. The AOP performs conflict detection, prevention, and resolution from nearby traffic aircraft and area hazards. Traffic trajectory information is assumed to be provided by Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast (ADS-B). Reliable trajectory prediction is a key capability for providing effective ACM functions. Trajectory uncertainties due to environmental effects, differences in aircraft systems and performance, and unknown intent information lead to prediction errors that can adversely affect AOP performance. To accommodate these uncertainties, the AOP has been enhanced to create cross-track, vertical, and along-track buffers along the predicted trajectories of both ownship and traffic aircraft. These buffers will be structured based on prediction errors noted from previous simulations such as a recent Joint Experiment between NASA Ames and Langley Research Centers and from other outside studies. Currently defined ADS-B parameters related to navigation capability, trajectory type, and path conformance will be used to support the algorithms that generate the buffers.

  14. Airborne Mission Concept for Coastal Ocean Color and Ecosystems Research

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Guild, Liane S.; Hooker, Stanford B.; Morrow, John H.; Kudela, Raphael M.; Palacios, Sherry L.; Torres Perez, Juan L.; Hayashi, Kendra; Dunagan, Stephen E.

    2016-01-01

    NASA airborne missions in 2011 and 2013 over Monterey Bay, CA, demonstrated novel above- and in-water calibration and validation measurements supporting a combined airborne sensor approach (imaging spectrometer, microradiometers, and a sun photometer). The resultant airborne data characterize contemporaneous coastal atmospheric and aquatic properties plus sea-truth observations from state-of-the-art instrument systems spanning a next-generation spectral domain (320-875 nm). This airborne instrument suite for calibration, validation, and research flew at the lowest safe altitude (ca. 100 ft or 30 m) as well as higher altitudes (e.g., 6,000 ft or 1,800 m) above the sea surface covering a larger area in a single synoptic sortie than ship-based measurements at a few stations during the same sampling period. Data collection of coincident atmospheric and aquatic properties near the sea surface and at altitude allows the input of relevant variables into atmospheric correction schemes to improve the output of corrected imaging spectrometer data. Specific channels support legacy and next-generation satellite capabilities, and flights are planned to within 30 min of satellite overpass. This concept supports calibration and validation activities of ocean color phenomena (e.g., river plumes, algal blooms) and studies of water quality and coastal ecosystems. The 2011 COAST mission flew at 100 and 6,000 ft on a Twin Otter platform with flight plans accommodating the competing requirements of the sensor suite, which included the Coastal-Airborne In-situ Radiometers (C-AIR) for the first time. C-AIR (Biospherical Instruments Inc.) also flew in the 2013 OCEANIA mission at 100 and 1,000 ft on the Twin Otter below the California airborne simulation of the proposed NASA HyspIRI satellite system comprised of an imaging spectrometer and thermal infrared multispectral imager on the ER-2 at 65,000 ft (20,000 m). For both missions, the Compact-Optical Profiling System (Biospherical

  15. The Waypoint Planning Tool: Real Time Flight Planning for Airborne Science

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    He, Yubin; Blakeslee, Richard; Goodman, Michael; Hall, John

    2010-01-01

    NASA Earth science research utilizes both spaceborne and airborne real time observations in the planning and operations of its field campaigns. The coordination of air and space components is critical to achieve the goals and objectives and ensure the success of an experiment. Spaceborne imagery provides regular and continual coverage of the Earth and it is a significant component in all NASA field experiments. Real time visible and infrared geostationary images from GOES satellites and multi-spectral data from the many elements of the NASA suite of instruments aboard the TRMM, Terra, Aqua, Aura, and other NASA satellites have become norm. Similarly, the NASA Airborne Science Program draws upon a rich pool of instrumented aircraft. The NASA McDonnell Douglas DC-8, Lockheed P3 Orion, DeHavilland Twin Otter, King Air B200, Gulfstream-III are all staples of a NASA's well-stocked, versatile hangar. A key component in many field campaigns is coordinating the aircraft with satellite overpasses, other airplanes and the constantly evolving, dynamic weather conditions. Given the variables involved, developing a good flight plan that meets the objectives of the field experiment can be a challenging and time consuming task. Planning a research aircraft mission within the context of meeting the science objectives is complex task because it is much more than flying from point A to B. Flight plans typically consist of flying a series of transects or involve dynamic path changes when "chasing" a hurricane or forest fire. These aircraft flight plans are typically designed by the mission scientists then verified and implemented by the navigator or pilot. Flight planning can be an arduous task requiring frequent sanity checks by the flight crew. This requires real time situational awareness of the weather conditions that affect the aircraft track. Scientists at the University of Alabama-Huntsville and the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center developed the Waypoint Planning Tool, an

  16. Expanded science and management utllity of SWE and albedo data from the NASA/JPL Airborne Snow Observatory

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Painter, T. H.; Deems, J. S.; Marks, D. G.; Hedrick, A. R.; Bormann, K.; Skiles, S. M.; Boardman, J. W.; Graham, C. B.; McGurk, B. J.; Gehrke, F.; Berisford, D. F.; Ferraz, A.; Saatchi, S.; Schimel, D.

    2016-12-01

    The NASA Airborne Snow Observatory (ASO), an imaging spectrometer and imaging LiDAR system, to quantify snow water equivalent and snow albedo, provide unprecedented knowledge of snow properties, and provide complete, robust inputs to snowmelt runoff models, water management models, and systems of the future. This talk presents results from the fourth year of the ASO program, 2016, and the now four years of data record in the Western United States. Following on the heels of the most intense, sustained drought in California history, 2016 held promise of a large snowfall year due to an intense El Nino anomaly. Ultimately, the year had approximately 85% of average peak SWE. In the Sierra Nevada, ASO measured 10x greater SWE than near peak in the dramatic 2015 drought year, and twice that of the more moderate drought year of 2013. Water managers in the Sierra were using these data regularly and extending the dynamic range of newly established relationships between accumulated runoff (circa April through July runoff) and ASO total basin SWE acquisitions. ASO also participated in the NASA OLYMPEX project by flying the entire snow-covered reghions of the Olympic Peninsula for distributed SWE. These data are now being used to validate snowfall estimates from modeling and accumulation patterns as inferred from the NASA Global Precipitation Measurement mission (GPM). The ASO snow program expanded to acquire data in the McKenzie and Deschutes Rivers of Oregon in participation with university and state/federal agencies; Sagehen and Lee Vining basins in the Sierra Nevada, California; the Reynolds Creek Experimental Watershed in Idaho; and the East River, in the Colorado River Basin. These regions extend the existing program flying the Tuolumne, Merced, Lakes, Rush Creek, and Middle+South Forks of Kings River Basins in the California Sierra Nevada and the Upper Rio Grande, Conejos, and Uncompahgre Basins in the Colorado Rocky Mountains.The ASO SWE and albedo data are now being

  17. Airborne Precision Spacing (APS) Dependent Parallel Arrivals (DPA)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Smith, Colin L.

    2012-01-01

    The Airborne Precision Spacing (APS) team at the NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) has been developing a concept of operations to extend the current APS concept to support dependent approaches to parallel or converging runways along with the required pilot and controller procedures and pilot interfaces. A staggered operations capability for the Airborne Spacing for Terminal Arrival Routes (ASTAR) tool was developed and designated as ASTAR10. ASTAR10 has reached a sufficient level of maturity to be validated and tested through a fast-time simulation. The purpose of the experiment was to identify and resolve any remaining issues in the ASTAR10 algorithm, as well as put the concept of operations through a practical test.

  18. A Decade of High-Resolution Arctic Sea Ice Measurements from Airborne Altimetry

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Duncan, K.; Farrell, S. L.; Connor, L. N.; Jackson, C.; Richter-Menge, J.

    2017-12-01

    Satellite altimeters carried on board ERS-1,-2, EnviSat, ICESat, CryoSat-2, AltiKa and Sentinel-3 have transformed our ability to map the thickness and volume of the polar sea ice cover, on seasonal and decadal time-scales. The era of polar satellite altimetry has coincided with a rapid decline of the Arctic ice cover, which has thinned, and transitioned from a predominantly multi-year to first-year ice cover. In conjunction with basin-scale satellite altimeter observations, airborne surveys of the Arctic Ocean at the end of winter are now routine. These surveys have been targeted to monitor regions of rapid change, and are designed to obtain the full snow and ice thickness distribution, across a range of ice types. Sensors routinely deployed as part of NASA's Operation IceBridge (OIB) campaigns include the Airborne Topographic Mapper (ATM) laser altimeter, the frequency-modulated continuous-wave snow radar, and the Digital Mapping System (DMS). Airborne measurements yield high-resolution data products and thus present a unique opportunity to assess the quality and characteristics of the satellite observations. We present a suite of sea ice data products that describe the snow depth and thickness of the Arctic ice cover during the last decade. Fields were derived from OIB measurements collected between 2009-2017, and from reprocessed data collected during ad-hoc sea ice campaigns prior to OIB. Our bespoke algorithms are designed to accommodate the heterogeneous sea ice surface topography, that varies at short spatial scales. We assess regional and inter-annual variability in the sea ice thickness distribution. Results are compared to satellite-derived ice thickness fields to highlight the sensitivities of satellite footprints to the tails of the thickness distribution. We also show changes in the dynamic forcing shaping the ice pack over the last eight years through an analysis of pressure-ridge sail-height distributions and surface roughness conditions

  19. An Overview of the Challenges With and Proposed Solutions for the Ingest and Distribution Processes for Airborne Data Management

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Beach, Aubrey; Northup, Emily; Early, Amanda; Wang, Dali; Kusterer, John; Quam, Brandi; Chen, Gao

    2015-01-01

    The current data management practices for NASA airborne field projects have successfully served science team data needs over the past 30 years to achieve project science objectives, however, users have discovered a number of issues in terms of data reporting and format. The ICARTT format, a NASA standard since 2010, is currently the most popular among the airborne measurement community. Although easy for humans to use, the format standard is not sufficiently rigorous to be machine-readable. This makes data use and management tedious and resource intensive, and also create problems in Distributed Active Archive Center (DAAC) data ingest procedures and distribution. Further, most DAACs use metadata models that concentrate on satellite data observations, making them less prepared to deal with airborne data.

  20. Tropospheric Airborne Meteorological Data Reporting (TAMDAR) Sensor Development

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Daniels, Taumi S.

    2002-01-01

    In response to recommendations from the National Aviation Weather Program Council, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is working with industry to develop an electronic pilot reporting capability for small aircraft. This paper describes the Tropospheric Airborne Meteorological Data Reporting (TAMDAR) sensor development effort. NASA is working with industry to develop a sensor capable of measuring temperature, relative humidity, magnetic heading, pressure, icing, and average turbulence energy dissipation. Users of the data include National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) forecast modelers, air traffic controllers, flight service stations, airline operation centers, and pilots. Preliminary results from flight tests are presented.

  1. Measurements of Ocean Surface Scattering Using an Airborne 94-GHz Cloud Radar: Implication for Calibration of Airborne and Spaceborne W-band Radars

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Li, Li-Hua; Heymsfield, Gerald M.; Tian, Lin; Racette, Paul E.

    2004-01-01

    Scattering properties of the Ocean surface have been widely used as a calibration reference for airborne and spaceborne microwave sensors. However, at millimeter-wave frequencies, the ocean surface backscattering mechanism is still not well understood, in part, due to the lack of experimental measurements. During the Cirrus Regional Study of Tropical Anvils and Cirrus Layers-Florida Area Cirrus Experiment (CRYSTAL-FACE), measurements of ocean surface backscattering were made using a 94-GHz (W-band) cloud radar onboard a NASA ER-2 high-altitude aircraft. The measurement set includes the normalized Ocean surface cross section over a range of the incidence angles under a variety of wind conditions. Analysis of the radar measurements shows good agreement with a quasi-specular scattering model. This unprecedented dataset enhances our knowledge about the Ocean surface scattering mechanism at 94 GHz. The results of this work support the proposition of using the Ocean surface as a calibration reference for airborne millimeter-wave cloud radars and for the ongoing NASA CloudSat mission, which will use a 94-GHz spaceborne cloud radar for global cloud measurements.

  2. NASA AVIRIS Aids in Gulf Oil Spill Response

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2010-05-27

    This image from NASA Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer instrument AVIRIS was collected on May 17, 2010, over the site of the Deepwater Horizon BP oil spill disaster. In the image, crude oil on the surface appears orange to brown.

  3. James Ross Island captured by NASA photographer James Ross, from NASA's DC-8 aircraft during an AirSAR 2004 mission over the Antarctic Peninsula

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2004-03-16

    James Ross Island captured by NASA photographer James Ross(no relation), from NASA's DC-8 aircraft during an AirSAR 2004 mission over the Antarctic Peninsula. James Ross Island, named for 19th century British polar explorer Sir James Clark Ross, is located at the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula. The island is about 1500 m high and 40-60 km wide. In recent decades, the area has experienced significant atmospheric warming (about 2 degrees C since 1950), which has triggered a vast and spectacular retreat of its floating ice shelves, glacier reduction, a decrease in permanent snow cover and a lengthening of the melt season. AirSAR 2004 is a three-week expedition in Central and South America by an international team of scientists that is using an all-weather imaging tool, called the Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (AirSAR), located onboard NASA's DC-8 airborne laboratory. Scientists from many parts of the world are combining ground research with NASA's AirSAR technology to improve and expand on the quality of research they are able to conduct. These photos are from the DC-8 aircraft while flying an AirSAR mission over Antarctica. The Antarctic Peninsula is more similar to Alaska and Patagonia than to the rest of the Antarctic continent. It is drained by fast glaciers, receives abundant precipitation, and melts significantly in the summer months. This region is being studied by NASA using a DC-8 equipped with the Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar developed by scientists from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. AirSAR will provide a baseline model and unprecedented mapping of the region. This data will make it possible to determine whether the warming trend is slowing, continuing or accelerating. AirSAR will also provide reliable information on ice shelf thickness to measure the contribution of the glaciers to sea level.

  4. Comparisons of Airborne HSRL and Modeled Aerosol Profiles

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ferrare, R. A.; Burton, S. P.; Hostetler, C. A.; Hair, J. W.; Ismail, S.; Rogers, R. R.; Notari, A.; Berkoff, T.; Butler, C. F.; Collins, J. E., Jr.; Fenn, M. A.; Scarino, A. J.; Clayton, M.; Mueller, D.; Chemyakin, E.; Fast, J. D.; Berg, L. K.; Randles, C. A.; Colarco, P. R.; daSilva, A.

    2014-12-01

    Aerosol profiles derived from a regional and a global model are compared with aerosol profiles acquired by NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) airborne High Spectral Resolution Lidars (HSRLs) during recent field missions. We compare simulated aerosol profiles obtained from the WRF-Chem regional model with those measured by the airborne HSRL-2 instrument over the Atlantic Ocean east of Cape Cod in July 2012 during the Department of Energy Two-Column Aerosol Project (TCAP). While deployed on the LaRC King Air during TCAP, HSRL-2 acquired profiles of aerosol extinction at 355 and 532 nm, as well as aerosol backscatter and depolarization at 355, 532, and 1064 nm. Additional HSRL-2 data products include profiles of aerosol type, mixed layer depth, and aerosol microphysical parameters (e.g. effective radius, concentration). The HSRL-2 and WRF-Chem aerosol profiles are compared along the aircraft flight tracks. HSRL-2 profiles acquired during the NASA Deriving Information on Surface Conditions from COlumn and VERtically Resolved Observations Relevant to Air Quality (DISCOVER-AQ) mission over Houston during September 2013 are compared with the NASA Goddard Earth Observing System global model, version 5 (GEOS-5) profiles. In addition to comparing backscatter and extinction profiles, the fraction of aerosol extinction and optical thickness from various aerosol species from GEOS-5 are compared with aerosol extinction and optical thickness contributed by aerosol types derived from HSRL-2 data. We also compare aerosol profiles modeled by GEOS-5 with those measured by the airborne LaRC DIAL/HSRL instrument during August and September 2013 when it was deployed on the NASA DC-8 for the Studies of Emissions and Atmospheric Composition, Clouds and Climate Coupling by Regional Surveys (SEAC4RS) mission. DIAL/HSRL measured extinction (532 nm), backscatter (532 and 1064 nm), and depolarization profiles (532 and 1064 nm) in both nadir and zenith directions during long transects over the

  5. Airborne Wind Shear Detection and Warning Systems: First Combined Manufacturers' and Technologists' Conference

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Spady, Amos A., Jr. (Compiler); Bowles, Roland L. (Compiler); Schlickenmaier, Herbert (Compiler)

    1988-01-01

    The purpose of the meeting was to transfer significant, ongoing results gained during the first year of the joint NASA/FAA Airborne Wind Shear Program to the technical industry and to pose problems of current concern to the combined group. It also provided a forum for manufacturers to review forward-looking technology concepts and for technologists to gain an understanding of FAA certification requirements and the problems encountered by the manufacturers during the development of airborne equipment.

  6. Pilot Preference, Compliance, and Performance With an Airborne Conflict Management Toolset

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Doble, Nathan A.; Barhydt, Richard; Krishnamurthy, Karthik

    2005-01-01

    A human-in-the-loop experiment was conducted at the NASA Ames and Langley Research Centers, investigating the En Route Free Maneuvering component of a future air traffic management concept termed Distributed Air/Ground Traffic Management (DAG-TM). NASA Langley test subject pilots used the Autonomous Operations Planner (AOP) airborne toolset to detect and resolve traffic conflicts, interacting with subject pilots and air traffic controllers at NASA Ames. Experimental results are presented, focusing on conflict resolution maneuver choices, AOP resolution guidance acceptability, and performance metrics. Based on these results, suggestions are made to further improve the AOP interface and functionality.

  7. Characterizing Arctic Sea Ice Topography Using High-Resolution IceBridge Data

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Petty, Alek; Tsamados, Michel; Kurtz, Nathan; Farrell, Sinead; Newman, Thomas; Harbeck, Jeremy; Feltham, Daniel; Richter-Menge, Jackie

    2016-01-01

    We present an analysis of Arctic sea ice topography using high resolution, three-dimensional, surface elevation data from the Airborne Topographic Mapper, flown as part of NASA's Operation IceBridge mission. Surface features in the sea ice cover are detected using a newly developed surface feature picking algorithm. We derive information regarding the height, volume and geometry of surface features from 2009-2014 within the Beaufort/Chukchi and Central Arctic regions. The results are delineated by ice type to estimate the topographic variability across first-year and multi-year ice regimes.

  8. A Watered-Down Topographic Map. Submarine Ring of Fire--Grades 6-8. Topographic and Bathymetric Maps.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (DOC), Rockville, MD.

    This activity is designed to teach about topographic maps and bathymetric charts. Students are expected to create a topographic map from a model landform, interpret a simple topographic map, and explain the difference between topographic and bathymetric maps. The activity provides learning objectives, a list of needed materials, key vocabulary…

  9. Initial Retrieval Validation from the Joint Airborne IASI Validation Experiment (JAIVEx)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Zhou, Daniel K.; Liu, Xu; Smith, WIlliam L.; Larar, Allen M.; Taylor, Jonathan P.; Revercomb, Henry E.; Mango, Stephen A.; Schluessel, Peter; Calbet, Xavier

    2007-01-01

    The Joint Airborne IASI Validation Experiment (JAIVEx) was conducted during April 2007 mainly for validation of the Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI) on the MetOp satellite, but also included a strong component focusing on validation of the Atmospheric InfraRed Sounder (AIRS) aboard the AQUA satellite. The cross validation of IASI and AIRS is important for the joint use of their data in the global Numerical Weather Prediction process. Initial inter-comparisons of geophysical products have been conducted from different aspects, such as using different measurements from airborne ultraspectral Fourier transform spectrometers (specifically, the NPOESS Airborne Sounder Testbed Interferometer (NAST-I) and the Scanning-High resolution Interferometer Sounder (S-HIS) aboard the NASA WB-57 aircraft), UK Facility for Airborne Atmospheric Measurements (FAAM) BAe146-301 aircraft insitu instruments, dedicated dropsondes, radiosondes, and ground based Raman Lidar. An overview of the JAIVEx retrieval validation plan and some initial results of this field campaign are presented.

  10. Airborne Turbulence Detection and Warning ACLAIM Flight Test Results

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hannon, Stephen M.; Bagley, Hal R.; Soreide, Dave C.; Bowdle, David A.; Bogue, Rodney K.; Ehernberger, L. Jack

    1999-01-01

    The Airborne Coherent Lidar for Advanced Inflight Measurements (ACLAIM) is a NASA/Dryden-lead program to develop and demonstrate a 2 micrometers pulsed Doppler lidar for airborne look-ahead turbulence detection and warning. Advanced warning of approaching turbulence can significantly reduce injuries to passengers and crew aboard commercial airliners. The ACLAIM instrument is a key asset to the ongoing Turbulence component of NASA's Aviation Safety Program, aimed at reducing the accident rate aboard commercial airliners by a factor of five over the next ten years and by a factor of ten over the next twenty years. As well, the advanced turbulence warning capability can prevent "unstarts" in the inlet of supersonic aircraft engines by alerting the flight control computer which then adjusts the engine to operate in a less fuel efficient, and more turbulence tolerant, mode. Initial flight tests of the ACLAIM were completed in March and April of 1998. This paper and presentation gives results from these initial flights, with validated demonstration of Doppler lidar wind turbulence detection several kilometers ahead of the aircraft.

  11. Airborne Infrared Spectroscopy of 1994 Western Wildfires

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Worden, Helen; Beer, Reinhard; Rinsland, Curtis P.

    1997-01-01

    In the summer of 1994 the 0.07/ cm resolution infrared Airborne Emission Spectrometer (AES) acquired spectral data over two wildfires, one in central Oregon on August 3 and the other near San Luis Obispo, California, on August 15. The spectrometer was on board a NASA DC-8 research aircraft, flying at an altitude of 12 km. The spectra from both fires clearly show features due to water vapor, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, ammonia, methanol, formic acid, and ethylene at significantly higher abundance and temperature than observed in downlooking spectra of normal atmospheric and ground conditions. Column densities are derived for several species, and molar ratios are compared with previous biomass fire measurements. We believe that this is the first time such data have been acquired by airborne spectral remote sensing.

  12. Assessment of NASA's Physiographic and Meteorological Datasets as Input to HSPF and SWAT Hydrological Models

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Alacron, Vladimir J.; Nigro, Joseph D.; McAnally, William H.; OHara, Charles G.; Engman, Edwin Ted; Toll, David

    2011-01-01

    This paper documents the use of simulated Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer land use/land cover (MODIS-LULC), NASA-LIS generated precipitation and evapo-transpiration (ET), and Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) datasets (in conjunction with standard land use, topographical and meteorological datasets) as input to hydrological models routinely used by the watershed hydrology modeling community. The study is focused in coastal watersheds in the Mississippi Gulf Coast although one of the test cases focuses in an inland watershed located in northeastern State of Mississippi, USA. The decision support tools (DSTs) into which the NASA datasets were assimilated were the Soil Water & Assessment Tool (SWAT) and the Hydrological Simulation Program FORTRAN (HSPF). These DSTs are endorsed by several US government agencies (EPA, FEMA, USGS) for water resources management strategies. These models use physiographic and meteorological data extensively. Precipitation gages and USGS gage stations in the region were used to calibrate several HSPF and SWAT model applications. Land use and topographical datasets were swapped to assess model output sensitivities. NASA-LIS meteorological data were introduced in the calibrated model applications for simulation of watershed hydrology for a time period in which no weather data were available (1997-2006). The performance of the NASA datasets in the context of hydrological modeling was assessed through comparison of measured and model-simulated hydrographs. Overall, NASA datasets were as useful as standard land use, topographical , and meteorological datasets. Moreover, NASA datasets were used for performing analyses that the standard datasets could not made possible, e.g., introduction of land use dynamics into hydrological simulations

  13. DC-8 Airborne Laboratory in flight over Mint Canyon near the San Gabriel Mountains

    NASA Image and Video Library

    1998-02-20

    NASA DC-8 airborne laboratory flying over Mint Canyon near the snow-covered San Gabriel Mountains of California. The mostly white aircraft is silhouetted against the darker mountains in the background.

  14. NASA Launches Eighth Year of Antarctic Ice Change Airborne Survey

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2017-12-08

    At the southern end of the Earth, a NASA plane carrying a team of scientists and a sophisticated instrument suite to study ice is returning to surveying Antarctica. For the past eight years, Operation IceBridge has been on a mission to build a record of how polar ice is evolving in a changing environment. The information IceBridge has gathered in the Antarctic, which includes data on the thickness and shape of snow and ice, as well as the topography of the land and ocean floor beneath the ocean and the ice, has allowed scientists to determine that the West Antarctic Ice Sheet may be in irreversible decline. Researchers have also used IceBridge data to evaluate climate models of Antarctica and map the bedrock underneath Antarctic ice. Read more:http://go.nasa.gov/2dxczkd NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram

  15. NASA's DC-8 flying laboratory takes off from Juan Santamaria International Airport in San Jose, Costa Rica, on NASA's AirSAR 2004 campaign

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2004-03-03

    NASA's DC-8 flying laboratory takes off from Juan Santamaria International Airport in San Jose, Costa Rica, on NASA's AirSAR 2004 campaign. AirSAR 2004 is a three-week expedition by an international team of scientists that will use an all-weather imaging tool, called the Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (AirSAR), in a mission ranging from the tropical rain forests of Central America to frigid Antarctica.

  16. Operational overview of NASA GTE/CITE 1 airborne instrument intercomparisons - Carbon monoxide, nitric oxide, and hydroxyl instrumentation. [Global Tropospheric Experiment/Chemical Instrumentation Test and Evaluation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Beck, Sherwin M.; Bendura, Richard J.; Mcdougal, David S.; Hoell, James M., Jr.; Gregory, Gerald L.; Sachse, Glen W.; Hill, Gerald F.; Curfman, Howard J., Jr.; Torres, Arnold L.; Condon, Estelle P.

    1987-01-01

    An overview of the airborne intercomparisons of CO, NO, and OH instrumentation is presented in this first paper of the series on the NASA Global Tropospheric Experiment/Chemical Instrumentation Test and Evaluation (GTE/CITE 1). This paper provides the reader with background information about several important characteristics of the project. These include the overall objectives and approach, the measurements taken, the intercomparison protocol, aircraft platform, profiles of each aircraft flight, and the participants. A synopsis of the overall results of the CO, NO, and OH instrument intercomparisons is also included. Companion papers discuss the detailed results of the CO and NO intercomparison tests as well as pertinent scientific findings.

  17. Description and availability of airborne Doppler radar data

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Harrah, S. D.; Bracalente, E. M.; Schaffner, P. R.; Baxa, E. G.

    1993-01-01

    An airborne, forward-looking, pulse, Doppler radar has been developed in conjunction with the joint FAA/NASA Wind Shear Program. This radar represents a first in an emerging technology. The radar was developed to assess the applicability of an airborne radar to detect low altitude hazardous wind shears for civil aviation applications. Such a radar must be capable of looking down into the ground clutter environment and extracting wind estimates from relatively low reflectivity weather targets. These weather targets often have reflectivities several orders of magnitude lower than the surrounding ground clutter. The NASA radar design incorporates numerous technological and engineering achievements in order to accomplish this task. The basic R/T unit evolved from a standard Collins 708 weather radar, which supports specific pulse widths of 1-7 microns and Pulse Repetition Frequencies (PRF) of less than 1-10 kHz. It was modified to allow for the output of the first IF signal, which fed a NASA developed receiver/detector subsystem. The NASA receiver incorporated a distributed, high-speed digital attenuator, producing a range bin to range bin automatic gain control system with 65 dB of dynamic range. Using group speed information supplied by the aircraft's navigation system, the radar signal is frequency demodulated back to base band (zero Doppler relative to stationary ground). The In-phase & Quadrature-phase (I/Q) components of the measured voltage signal are then digitized by a 12-bit A-D converter (producing an additional 36 dB of dynamic range). The raw I/Q signal for each range bin is then recorded (along with the current radar & aircraft state parameters) by a high-speed Kodak tape recorder.

  18. A Simulation Testbed for Airborne Merging and Spacing

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Santos, Michel; Manikonda, Vikram; Feinberg, Art; Lohr, Gary

    2008-01-01

    The key innovation in this effort is the development of a simulation testbed for airborne merging and spacing (AM&S). We focus on concepts related to airports with Super Dense Operations where new airport runway configurations (e.g. parallel runways), sequencing, merging, and spacing are some of the concepts considered. We focus on modeling and simulating a complementary airborne and ground system for AM&S to increase efficiency and capacity of these high density terminal areas. From a ground systems perspective, a scheduling decision support tool generates arrival sequences and spacing requirements that are fed to the AM&S system operating on the flight deck. We enhanced NASA's Airspace Concept Evaluation Systems (ACES) software to model and simulate AM&S concepts and algorithms.

  19. 47 CFR 73.312 - Topographic data.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ... 47 Telecommunication 4 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Topographic data. 73.312 Section 73.312... Broadcast Stations § 73.312 Topographic data. (a) In the preparation of the profile graphs previously... question, the next best topographic information should be used. Topographic data may sometimes be obtained...

  20. 47 CFR 73.312 - Topographic data.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ... 47 Telecommunication 4 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Topographic data. 73.312 Section 73.312... Broadcast Stations § 73.312 Topographic data. (a) In the preparation of the profile graphs previously... question, the next best topographic information should be used. Topographic data may sometimes be obtained...

  1. 47 CFR 73.312 - Topographic data.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ... 47 Telecommunication 4 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Topographic data. 73.312 Section 73.312... Broadcast Stations § 73.312 Topographic data. (a) In the preparation of the profile graphs previously... question, the next best topographic information should be used. Topographic data may sometimes be obtained...

  2. 47 CFR 73.312 - Topographic data.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... Broadcast Stations § 73.312 Topographic data. (a) In the preparation of the profile graphs previously... 47 Telecommunication 4 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Topographic data. 73.312 Section 73.312... question, the next best topographic information should be used. Topographic data may sometimes be obtained...

  3. 47 CFR 73.312 - Topographic data.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... 47 Telecommunication 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Topographic data. 73.312 Section 73.312... Broadcast Stations § 73.312 Topographic data. (a) In the preparation of the profile graphs previously... question, the next best topographic information should be used. Topographic data may sometimes be obtained...

  4. NASA Radar Images Show Continued Deformation from Mexico Quake

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2010-08-04

    This image shows a UAVSAR interferogram swath overlaid atop a Google Earth image. New NASA airborne radar images show the continuing deformation in Earth surface resulting from the magnitude 7.2 temblor in Baja California on April 4, 2010.

  5. The SOFIA flight crew descends the stairs after ferrying the 747SP airborne observatory from Waco, TX, to NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center in California

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2007-05-31

    The SOFIA flight crew, consisting of Co-pilot Gordon Fullerton; DFRC, Pilot Bill Brocket; DFRC, Test Conductor Marty Trout; DFRC, Test Engineer Don Stonebrook; L-3, and Flight Engineer Larry Larose; JSC, descend the stairs after ferrying the 747SP airborne observatory from Waco, Texas, to its new home at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center in California. NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, or SOFIA, arrived at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. on May 31, 2007. The heavily modified Boeing 747SP was ferried to Dryden from Waco, Texas, where L-3 Communications Integrated Systems installed a German-built 2.5-meter infrared telescope and made other major modifications over the past several years. SOFIA is scheduled to undergo installation and integration of mission systems and a multi-phase flight test program at Dryden over the next three years that is expected to lead to a full operational capability to conduct astronomy missions in about 2010. During its expected 20-year lifetime, SOFIA will be capable of "Great Observatory" class astronomical science, providing astronomers with access to the visible, infrared and sub-millimeter spectrum with optimized performance in the mid-infrared to sub-millimeter range.

  6. Airborne Wind Shear Detection and Warning Systems. Second Combined Manufacturers' and Technologists' Conference, part 2

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Spady, Amos A., Jr. (Compiler); Bowles, Roland L. (Compiler); Schlickenmaier, Herbert (Compiler)

    1990-01-01

    The Second Combined Manufacturers' and Technologists' Conference was hosted jointly by NASA Langley (LaRC) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in Williamsburg, Virginia, on October 18 to 20, 1988. The meeting was co-chaired by Dr. Roland Bowles of LaRC and Herbrt Schlickenmaier of the FAA. The purpose of the meeting was to transfer significant, ongoing results gained during the second year of the joint NASA/FAA Airborne Wind Shear Program to the technical industry and to pose problems of current concern to the combined group. It also provided a forum for manufacturers to review forward-look technology concepts and for technologists to gain an understanding of the problems encountered by the manufacturers during the development of airborne equipment and the FAA certification requirements.

  7. Progress Report on the Airborne Composition Standard Variable Name and Time Series Working Groups of the 2017 ESDSWG

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Evans, K. D.; Early, A. B.; Northup, E. A.; Ames, D. P.; Teng, W. L.; Olding, S. W.; Krotkov, N. A.; Arctur, D. K.; Beach, A. L., III; Silverman, M. L.

    2017-12-01

    The role of NASA's Earth Science Data Systems Working Groups (ESDSWG) is to make recommendations relevant to NASA's Earth science data systems from users' experiences and community insight. Each group works independently, focusing on a unique topic. Progress of two of the 2017 Working Groups will be presented. In a single airborne field campaign, there can be several different instruments and techniques that measure the same parameter on one or more aircraft platforms. Many of these same parameters are measured during different airborne campaigns using similar or different instruments and techniques. The Airborne Composition Standard Variable Name Working Group is working to create a list of variable standard names that can be used across all airborne field campaigns in order to assist in the transition to the ICARTT Version 2.0 file format. The overall goal is to enhance the usability of ICARTT files and the search ability of airborne field campaign data. The Time Series Working Group (TSWG) is a continuation of the 2015 and 2016 Time Series Working Groups. In 2015, we started TSWG with the intention of exploring the new OGC (Open Geospatial Consortium) WaterML 2 standards as a means for encoding point-based time series data from NASA satellites. In this working group, we realized that WaterML 2 might not be the best solution for this type of data, for a number of reasons. Our discussion with experts from other agencies, who have worked on similar issues, identified several challenges that we would need to address. As a result, we made the recommendation to study the new TimeseriesML 1.0 standard of OGC as a potential NASA time series standard. The 2016 TSWG examined closely the TimeseriesML 1.0 and, in coordination with the OGC TimeseriesML Standards Working Group, identified certain gaps in TimeseriesML 1.0 that would need to be addressed for the standard to be applicable to NASA time series data. An engineering report was drafted based on the OGC Engineering

  8. Progress Report on the Airborne Composition Standard Variable Name and Time Series Working Groups of the 2017 ESDSWG

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Evans, Keith D.; Early, Amanda; Northup, Emily; Ames, Dan; Teng, William; Archur, David; Beach, Aubrey; Olding, Steve; Krotkov, Nickolay A.

    2017-01-01

    The role of NASA's Earth Science Data Systems Working Groups (ESDSWG) is to make recommendations relevant to NASA's Earth science data systems from users' experiences and community insight. Each group works independently, focusing on a unique topic. Progress of two of the 2017 Working Groups will be presented. In a single airborne field campaign, there can be several different instruments and techniques that measure the same parameter on one or more aircraft platforms. Many of these same parameters are measured during different airborne campaigns using similar or different instruments and techniques. The Airborne Composition Standard Variable Name Working Group is working to create a list of variable standard names that can be used across all airborne field campaigns in order to assist in the transition to the ICARTT Version 2.0 file format. The overall goal is to enhance the usability of ICARTT files and the search ability of airborne field campaign data. The Time Series Working Group (TSWG) is a continuation of the 2015 and 2016 Time Series Working Groups. In 2015, we started TSWG with the intention of exploring the new OGC (Open Geospatial Consortium) WaterML 2 standards as a means for encoding point-based time series data from NASA satellites. In this working group, we realized that WaterML 2 might not be the best solution for this type of data, for a number of reasons. Our discussion with experts from other agencies, who have worked on similar issues, identified several challenges that we would need to address. As a result, we made the recommendation to study the new TimeseriesML 1.0 standard of OGC as a potential NASA time series standard. The 2016 TSWG examined closely the TimeseriesML 1.0 and, in coordination with the OGC TimeseriesML Standards Working Group, identified certain gaps in TimeseriesML 1.0 that would need to be addressed for the standard to be applicable to NASA time series data. An engineering report was drafted based on the OGC Engineering

  9. From Mars to Greenland: Charting gravity with space and airborne instruments - Fields, tides, methods, results

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Colombo, Oscar L. (Editor)

    1992-01-01

    This symposium on space and airborne techniques for measuring gravity fields, and related theory, contains papers on gravity modeling of Mars and Venus at NASA/GSFC, an integrated laser Doppler method for measuring planetary gravity fields, observed temporal variations in the earth's gravity field from 16-year Starlette orbit analysis, high-resolution gravity models combining terrestrial and satellite data, the effect of water vapor corrections for satellite altimeter measurements of the geoid, and laboratory demonstrations of superconducting gravity and inertial sensors for space and airborne gravity measurements. Other papers are on airborne gravity measurements over the Kelvin Seamount; the accuracy of GPS-derived acceleration from moving platform tests; airborne gravimetry, altimetry, and GPS navigation errors; controlling common mode stabilization errors in airborne gravity gradiometry, GPS/INS gravity measurements in space and on a balloon, and Walsh-Fourier series expansion of the earth's gravitational potential.

  10. Airborne direct-detection and coherent wind lidar measurements over the North Atlantic in 2015 supporting ESA's aeolus mission

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Marksteiner, Uwe; Reitebuch, Oliver; Lemmerz, Christian; Lux, Oliver; Rahm, Stephan; Witschas, Benjamin; Schäfler, Andreas; Emmitt, Dave; Greco, Steve; Kavaya, Michael J.; Gentry, Bruce; Neely, Ryan R.; Kendall, Emma; Schüttemeyer, Dirk

    2018-04-01

    The launch of the Aeolus mission by the European Space Agency (ESA) is planned for 2018. The satellite will carry the first wind lidar in space, ALADIN (Atmospheric Laser Doppler INstrument). Its prototype instrument, the ALADIN Airborne Demonstrator (A2D), was deployed during several airborne campaigns aiming at the validation of the measurement principle and optimization of algorithms. In 2015, flights of two aircraft from DLR & NASA provided the chance to compare parallel wind measurements from four airborne wind lidars for the first time.

  11. Airborne Four-Dimensional Flight Management in a Time-based Air Traffic Control Environment

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Williams, David H.; Green, Steven M.

    1991-01-01

    Advanced Air Traffic Control (ATC) systems are being developed which contain time-based (4D) trajectory predictions of aircraft. Airborne flight management systems (FMS) exist or are being developed with similar 4D trajectory generation capabilities. Differences between the ATC generated profiles and those generated by the airborne 4D FMS may introduce system problems. A simulation experiment was conducted to explore integration of a 4D equipped aircraft into a 4D ATC system. The NASA Langley Transport Systems Research Vehicle cockpit simulator was linked in real time to the NASA Ames Descent Advisor ATC simulation for this effort. Candidate procedures for handling 4D equipped aircraft were devised and traffic scenarios established which required time delays absorbed through speed control alone or in combination with path stretching. Dissimilarities in 4D speed strategies between airborne and ATC generated trajectories were tested in these scenarios. The 4D procedures and FMS operation were well received by airline pilot test subjects, who achieved an arrival accuracy at the metering fix of 2.9 seconds standard deviation time error. The amount and nature of the information transmitted during a time clearance were found to be somewhat of a problem using the voice radio communication channel. Dissimilarities between airborne and ATC-generated speed strategies were found to be a problem when the traffic remained on established routes. It was more efficient for 4D equipped aircraft to fly trajectories with similar, though less fuel efficient, speeds which conform to the ATC strategy. Heavy traffic conditions, where time delays forced off-route path stretching, were found to produce a potential operational benefit of the airborne 4D FMS.

  12. DC-8 Airborne Laboratory in flight over snow-capped Sierra Nevada mountain range

    NASA Image and Video Library

    1998-02-25

    NASA's DC-8 Airborne Laboratory during a flight over the snow-covered Sierra Nevada Mountains. Over the past several years the DC-8 has conducted research missions in such diverse places as the Pacific in spring and Sweden in winter.

  13. Recognition of fiducial surfaces in lidar surveys of coastal topography

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Brock, J.C.; Sallenger, A.H.; Krabill, W.B.; Swift, R.N.; Wright, C.W.

    2001-01-01

    A new method for the recognition and mapping of surfaces in coastal landscapes that provide accurate and low variability topographic measurements with respect to airborne lidar surveys is described and demonstrated in this paper. Such surfaces are herein termed "fiducial" because they can represent reference baseline morphology in Studies of coastal change due to natural or anthropogenic causes. Non-fiducial surfaces may also be identified in each separate lidar survey to be used in a given geomorphic change analysis. Sites that are non-fiducial in either or both lidar surveys that bracket the time period under investigation may be excluded from consideration in subsequent calculations of survey-to-survey elevation differences to eliminate spurious indications of landscape change. This new analysis method, or lidar fiducial surface recognition (LFSR) algorithm, is intended to more fully enable the non-ambiguous Use of topographic lidar in a range of coastal investigations. The LFSR algorithm may be widely applied, because it is based solely on the information inherent in the USGS/NASA/NOAA airborne topographic lidar coverage that exists for most of the contiguous U.S. coastline.

  14. Flight Test of Composite Model Reference Adaptive Control (CMRAC) Augmentation Using NASA AirSTAR Infrastructure

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Gregory, Irene M.; Gadient, ROss; Lavretsky, Eugene

    2011-01-01

    This paper presents flight test results of a robust linear baseline controller with and without composite adaptive control augmentation. The flight testing was conducted using the NASA Generic Transport Model as part of the Airborne Subscale Transport Aircraft Research system at NASA Langley Research Center.

  15. Column CO2 Measurement From an Airborne Solid-State Double-Pulsed 2-Micron Integrated Path Differential Absorption Lidar

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Singh, U. N.; Yu, J.; Petros, M.; Refaat, T. F.; Remus, R.; Fay, J.; Reithmaier, K.

    2014-01-01

    NASA LaRC is developing and integrating a double-Pulsed 2-micron direct detection IPDA lidar for CO2 column measurement from an airborne platform. The presentation will describe the development of the 2-micrometers IPDA lidar system and present the airborne measurement of column CO2 and will compare to in-situ measurement for various ground target of different reflectivity.

  16. Airborne Arctic Stratospheric Expedition II: An overview

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Anderson, James G.; Toon, Owen B.

    1993-11-01

    The sudden onset of ozone depletion in the antarctic vortex set a precedent for both the time scale and the severity of global change. The Airborne Antarctic Ozone Experiment (AAOE), staged from Punta Arenas, Chile, in 1987, established that CFCs, halons, and methyl bromide, the dominant sources of chlorine and bromine radicals in the stratosphere, control the rate of ozone destruction over the Antarctic; that the vortex is depleted in reactive nitrogen and water vapor; and that diabatic cooling during the Antarctic winter leads to subsidence within the vortex core, importing air from higher altitudes and lower latitudes. This last conclusion is based on observed dramatic distortion in the tracer fields, most notably N2O.In 1989, the first Airborne Arctic Stratospheric Expedition (AASE-I), staged from Stavanger, Norway, and using the same aircraft employed for AAOE (the NASA ER-2 and the NASA DC-8), discovered that while NOx and to some degree NOy were perturbed within the arctic vortex, there was little evidence for desiccation. Under these (in contrast to the antarctic) marginally perturbed conditions, however, ClO was found to be dramatically enhanced such that a large fraction of the available (inorganic) chlorine resided in the form of ClO and its dimer ClOOCl.This leaves two abiding issues for the northern hemisphere and the mission of the second Airborne Arctic Stratospheric Expedition (AASE-II): (1) Will significant ozone erosion occur within the arctic vortex in the next ten years as chlorine loading in the stratosphere exceeds four parts per billion by volume? (2) Which mechanisms are responsible for the observed ozone erosion poleward of 30°N in the winter/spring northern hemisphere reported in satellite observations?

  17. NASA's Suborbital Missions Teach Engineering and Technology: Goddard Space Flight Center's Wallops Flight Facility

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Winterton, Joyce L.

    2016-01-01

    A 50 minute-workshop based on NASA publicly available information will be conducted at the International Technology and Engineering Educator Association annual conference. Attendees will include middle and high school teachers and university teacher educators. Engineering and technology are essential to NASA's suborbital missions including sounding rockets, scientific balloon and airborne science. The attendees will learn how to include NASA information on these missions in their teaching.

  18. Update on the NASA GEOS-5 Aerosol Forecasting and Data Assimilation System

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Colarco, Peter; da Silva, Arlindo; Aquila, Valentina; Bian, Huisheng; Buchard, Virginie; Castellanos, Patricia; Darmenov, Anton; Follette-Cook, Melanie; Govindaraju, Ravi; Keller, Christoph; hide

    2017-01-01

    GEOS-5 is the Goddard Earth Observing System model. GEOS-5 is maintained by the NASA Global Modeling and Assimilation Office. Core development is within GMAO,Goddard Atmospheric Chemistry and Dynamics Laboratory, and with external partners. Primary GEOS-5 functions: Earth system model for studying climate variability and change, provide research quality reanalyses for supporting NASA instrument teams and scientific community, provide near-real time forecasts of meteorology,aerosols, and other atmospheric constituents to support NASA airborne campaigns.

  19. Airborne Tropical TRopopause EXperiment (ATTREX) 2014 Western Pacific Campaign

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Jensen, E.; Pfister, L.

    2014-01-01

    The NASA Airborne Tropical TRopopause EXperiment (ATTREX) is a series of airborne campaigns focused on understanding physical processes in the Tropical Tropopause Layer (TTL) and their role in atmospheric chemistry and climate. ATTREX is using the high-altitude, long-duration NASA Global Hawk Unmanned Air System to make in situ and remote-sensing measurements spanning the Pacific. A particular ATTREX emphasis is to better understand the dehydration of air as it passes through the cold tropical tropopause region. The ATTREX payload contains 12 in situ and remote sensing instruments that measure water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nonmethane hydrocarbons, sulfur hexafluoride, chlorofluorocarbons, nitrous oxide), reactive chemical compounds (ozone, bromine, nitrous oxide), meteorological parameters, and radiative fluxes. During January-March, 2014, the Global Hawk was deployed to Guam for ATTREX flights. Six science flights were conducted from Guam (in addition to the transits across the Pacific), resulting in over 100 hours of Western Pacific TTL sampling and about 180 vertical profiles through the TTL. I will provide an overview of the dataset, with examples of the measurements including meteorological parameters, clouds and water vapor, and chemical tracers.

  20. Airborne Measurements of Atmospheric Methane Using Pulsed Laser Transmitters

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Numata, Kenji; Riris, Haris; Wu, Stewart; Gonzalez, Brayler; Rodriguez, Michael; Hasselbrack, William; Fahey, Molly; Yu, Anthony; Stephen, Mark; Mao, Jianping; hide

    2016-01-01

    Atmospheric methane (CH4) is the second most important anthropogenic greenhouse gas with approximately 25 times the radiative forcing of carbon dioxide (CO2) per molecule. At NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) we have been developing a laser-based technology needed to remotely measure CH4 from orbit. We report on our development effort for the methane lidar, especially on our laser transmitters and recent airborne demonstration. Our lidar transmitter is based on an optical parametric process to generate near infrared laser radiation at 1651 nanometers, coincident with a CH4 absorption. In an airborne flight campaign in the fall of 2015, we tested two kinds of laser transmitters --- an optical parametric amplifier (OPA) and an optical parametric oscillator (OPO). The output wavelength of the lasers was rapidly tuned over the CH4 absorption by tuning the seed laser to sample the CH4 absorption line at several wavelengths. This approach uses the same Integrated Path Differential Absorption (IPDA) technique we have used for our CO2 lidar for ASCENDS. The two laser transmitters were successfully operated in the NASAs DC-8 aircraft, measuring methane from 3 to 13 kilometers with high precision.

  1. A fox at Torres del Paine National Park in Chile during NASA's AirSAR 2004 campaign

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2004-03-11

    A fox at Torres del Paine National Park in Chile during NASA's AirSAR 2004 campaign. AirSAR 2004 is a three-week expedition in Central and South America by an international team of scientists that is using an all-weather imaging tool, called the Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (AirSAR), located onboard NASA's DC-8 airborne laboratory. Scientists from many parts of the world are combining ground research with NASA's AirSAR technology to improve and expand on the quality of research they are able to conduct. Founded in 1959, Torres del Paine National Park encompasses 450,000 acres in the Patagonia region of Chile. This region is being studied by NASA using a DC-8 equipped with an Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (AirSAR) developed by scientists from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. This is a very sensitive region that is important to scientists because the temperature has been consistently rising causing a subsequent melting of the region’s glaciers. AirSAR will provide a baseline model and unprecedented mapping of the region. This data will make it possible to determine whether the warming trend is slowing, continuing or accelerating. AirSAR will also provide reliable information on ice shelf thickness to measure the contribution of the glaciers to sea level.

  2. Utilizing NASA Airborne Data to Investigate the Influence of Fuel Type on Biomass Burning Aerosol Properties

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Odwuor, A.; Corr, C.; Griffin, R. J.; Pusede, S.; Anderson, B.; Beyersdorf, A. J.; Campuzano Jost, P.; Chen, G.; Day, D. A.; Diskin, G. S.; Jimenez, J. L.; Moore, R.; Nault, B.; Schwarz, J. P.; Shook, M.; Thornhill, K. L., II; Winstead, E.; Armin, W.; Ziemba, L. D.

    2017-12-01

    Climate models and satellite aerosol classification retrievals rely on well-characterized aerosol optical properties (e.g., scattering and absorption coefficients) that vary with aerosol type. However, generalized parameterizations of aerosol optical properties are weakened by actual variability in aerosol chemical and physical properties that arises from factors independent of aerosol source (e.g., meteorology). This is particularly true for biomass burning (BB) aerosol, which can vary in composition and size depending on burn conditions (e.g., smoldering versus flaming) and fuel. This work investigates the relationships between BB aerosol chemical, physical, and optical properties and fuel. We compare BB aerosol measured in fire plumes associated with distinct fuel types sampled during three NASA airborne research campaigns: boreal forest fires during the Arctic Research of the Troposphere from Aircraft and Satellites (ARCTAS) mission in Saskatchewan, Canada in July 2008; agricultural fires during the Studies of Emissions and Atmospheric Composition, Clouds, and Climate Coupling by Regional Surveys (SEAC4RS) over the continental U.S. in August/September 2013; and scrubland fires during the Student Airborne Research Program (SARP) mission in Southern California, U.S. in June 2016. Mean modified combustion efficiency values between 0.9 and 0.92 for the agricultural plumes and between 0.92 and 0.99 for the boreal and scrubland plumes indicate a significant flaming component to these fires. Despite similarities in burn conditions, SSA at 550nm was consistently lower for the agricultural and scrubland fires ( 0.92) compared to the boreal forest ( 0.96). While the ratio of black carbon to organic aerosol (OA) was similar among fires, differences in the OA were noted; f44/f60 ratios derived from Aerosol Mass Spectrometer OA measurements were consistently higher (>5) in scrubland and agricultural fires compared to boreal forest fires (<5). This suggests the amount of

  3. MODIS technical report series. Volume 3: MODIS airborne simulator level 1B data user's guide

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Gumley, Liam E.; Hubanks, Paul A.; Masuoka, Edward J.

    1994-01-01

    The purpose of this document is to describe the characteristics of moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) airborne simulator level 1B data, the calibration and geolocation methods used in processing, the structure and format of the level 1B data files, and methods for accessing the data. The MODIS airborne simulator is a scanning spectrometer which flies on a NASA ER-2 and provides spectral information similar to that which will be provided by the MODIS.

  4. Sensitivity of the Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) to Topographic Effects: A Case Study in High-density Cypress Forest.

    PubMed

    Matsushita, Bunkei; Yang, Wei; Chen, Jin; Onda, Yuyichi; Qiu, Guoyu

    2007-11-05

    Vegetation indices play an important role in monitoring variations in vegetation.The Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) proposed by the MODIS Land Discipline Groupand the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) are both global-based vegetationindices aimed at providing consistent spatial and temporal information regarding globalvegetation. However, many environmental factors such as atmospheric conditions and soilbackground may produce errors in these indices. The topographic effect is another veryimportant factor, especially when the indices are used in areas of rough terrain. In thispaper, we theoretically analyzed differences in the topographic effect on the EVI and theNDVI based on a non-Lambertian model and two airborne-based images acquired from amountainous area covered by high-density Japanese cypress plantation were used as a casestudy. The results indicate that the soil adjustment factor "L" in the EVI makes it moresensitive to topographic conditions than is the NDVI. Based on these results, we stronglyrecommend that the topographic effect should be removed in the reflectance data beforethe EVI was calculated-as well as from other vegetation indices that similarly include a term without a band ratio format (e.g., the PVI and SAVI)-when these indices are used in the area of rough terrain, where the topographic effect on the vegetation indices having only a band ratio format (e.g., the NDVI) can usually be ignored.

  5. Chilean Air Force Captain Saez and Dr. Tom Mace discuss airborne science during a DC-8 ferry flight from Santiago to Punta Arenas, Chile

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2004-03-10

    Chilean Air Force Captain Saez and Dr. Tom Mace, DFRC Director of Airborne Sciences, discuss airborne science during a DC-8 ferry flight from Santiago to Punta Arenas, Chile. AirSAR 2004 is a three-week expedition by an international team of scientists that uses an all-weather imaging tool, called the Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (AirSAR) which is located onboard NASA's DC-8 airborne laboratory. Scientists from many parts of the world including NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory are combining ground research done in several areas in Central and South America with NASA's AirSAR technology to improve and expand on the quality of research they are able to conduct. In South America and Antarctica, AirSAR collected imagery and data to help determine the contribution of Southern Hemisphere glaciers to sea level rise due to climate change. In Patagonia, researchers found this contribution had more than doubled from 1995 to 2000, compared to the previous 25 years. AirSAR data will make it possible to determine whether that trend is continuing or accelerating. AirSAR will also provide reliable information on ice shelf thickness to measure the contribution of the glaciers to sea level.

  6. Design of an Airborne L-Band Cross-Track Scanning Scatterometer

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hilliard, Lawrence M. (Technical Monitor)

    2002-01-01

    In this report, we describe the design of an airborne L-band cross-track scanning scatterometer suitable for airborne operation aboard the NASA P-3 aircraft. The scatterometer is being designed for joint operation with existing L-band radiometers developed by NASA for soil moisture and ocean salinity remote sensing. In addition, design tradeoffs for a space-based radar system have been considered, with particular attention given to antenna architectures suitable for sharing the antenna between the radar and radiometer. During this study, we investigated a number of imaging techniques, including the use of real and synthetic aperture processing in both the along track and cross-track dimensions. The architecture selected will permit a variety of beamforming algorithms to be implemented, although real aperture processing, with hardware beamforming, provides better sidelobe suppression than synthetic array processing and superior signal-to-noise performance. In our discussions with the staff of NASA GSFC, we arrived at an architecture that employs complete transmit/receive modules for each subarray. Amplitude and phase control at each of the transmit modules will allow a low-sidelobe transmit pattern to be generated over scan angles of +/- 50 degrees. Each receiver module will include all electronics necessary to downconvert the received signal to an IF offset of 30 MHz where it will be digitized for further processing.

  7. Twenty Five Years of Airborne Observations of Ozone-Depleting and Climate-Related Gases in the Upper Troposphere and Lower Stratosphere.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Elkins, J. W.; Moore, F. L.; Hintsa, E. J.; Dutton, G. S.; Nance, J. D.; Hall, B. D.

    2016-12-01

    NOAA scientists started in situ airborne measurements of two strong ozone-depleting gases or chlorofluorocarbons, CFC-11 and CFC-113 in 1991 on the NASA ER-2 aircraft with a two-channel gas chromatograph, Airborne Chromatograph for Atmospheric Trace Species (ACATS). We broaden our list of gases to include more ozone-depleting and other climate-related gases. An improved 4-channel gas chromatograph that included N2O, SF6, CFC-11, -12, -113, halon-1211, CCl4, CH3CCl3, CH4, CO, and H2 was added to the ER-2 aircraft in 1994. As CFC replacements took hold, we add a gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer system, PAN and other Trace Hydro-halocarbon Experiment (PANTHER), to examine shorter-lived gases mainly in the upper troposphere. These airborne measurements were to complement of ground-based flask and in situ measurements from the NOAA Halocarbon and other Trace Species Network. This talk will show results from a tropical study, Airborne Tropical Tropopause Experiment (ATTREX) on the NASA Global Hawk aircraft and preliminary results from the Atmospheric Tomography Mission (ATom) conducted in August 2016 on the NASA DC-8 aircraft. A detrended, gridded, latitudinal distribution of SF6 is shown in the figure below for the years of 1994 through 2014. Such a plot may be useful to atmospheric modelers trying to capture transport or calculate emissions.

  8. The Waypoint Planning Tool: Real Time Flight Planning for Airborne Science

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    He, M.; Goodman, H. M.; Blakeslee, R.; Hall, J. M.

    2010-12-01

    NASA Earth science research utilizes both spaceborne and airborne real time observations in the planning and operations of its field campaigns. The coordination of air and space components is critical to achieve the goals and objectives and ensure the success of an experiment. Spaceborne imagery provides regular and continual coverage of the Earth and it is a significant component in all NASA field experiments. Real time visible and infrared geostationary images from GOES satellites and multi-spectral data from the many elements of the NASA suite of instruments aboard the TRMM, Terra, Aqua, Aura, and other NASA satellites have become norm. Similarly, the NASA Airborne Science Program draws upon a rich pool of instrumented aircraft. The NASA McDonnell Douglas DC-8, Lockheed P3 Orion, DeHavilland Twin Otter, King Air B200, Gulfstream-III are all staples of a NASA’s well-stocked, versatile hangar. A key component in many field campaigns is coordinating the aircraft with satellite overpasses, other airplanes and the constantly evolving, dynamic weather conditions. Given the variables involved, developing a good flight plan that meets the objectives of the field experiment can be a challenging and time consuming task. Planning a research aircraft mission within the context of meeting the science objectives is complex task because it is much more than flying from point A to B. Flight plans typically consist of flying a series of transects or involve dynamic path changes when “chasing” a hurricane or forest fire. These aircraft flight plans are typically designed by the mission scientists then verified and implemented by the navigator or pilot. Flight planning can be an arduous task requiring frequent sanity checks by the flight crew. This requires real time situational awareness of the weather conditions that affect the aircraft track. Scientists at the University of Alabama-Huntsville and the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center developed the Waypoint Planning Tool

  9. Water depth measurement using an airborne pulsed neon laser system

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hoge, F. E.; Swift, R. N.; Frederick, E. B.

    1980-01-01

    The paper presents the water depth measurement using an airborne pulsed neon laser system. The results of initial base-line field test results of NASA airborne oceanographic lidar in the bathymetry mode are given, with water-truth measurements of depth and beam attenuation coefficients by boat taken at the same time as overflights to aid in determining the system's operational performance. The nadir-angle tests and field-of-view data are presented; this laser bathymetry system is an improvement over prior models in that (1) the surface-to-bottom pulse waveform is digitally recorded on magnetic tape, and (2) wide-swath mapping data may be routinely acquired using a 30 deg full-angle conical scanner.

  10. High Definition Sounding System Test and Integration with NASA Atmospheric Science Program Aircraft

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2013-09-30

    of the High Definition Sounding System (HDSS) on NASA high altitude Airborne Science Program platforms, specifically the NASA P-3 and NASA WB-57. When...demonstrate the system reliability in a Global Hawk’s 62000’ altitude regime of thin air and very cold temperatures. APPROACH: Mission Profile One or more WB...57 test flights will prove airworthiness and verify the High Definition Sounding System (HDSS) is safe and functional at high altitudes , essentially

  11. Instant snapshot of the internal structure of Unzen lava dome, Japan with airborne muography

    PubMed Central

    Tanaka, Hiroyuki K. M.

    2016-01-01

    An emerging elementary particle imaging technique called muography has increasingly been used to resolve the internal structures of volcanoes with a spatial resolution of less than 100 m. However, land-based muography requires several days at least to acquire satisfactory image contrast and thus, it has not been a practical tool to diagnose the erupting volcano in a real time manner. To address this issue, airborne muography was implemented for the first time, targeting Heisei-Shinzan lava dome of Unzen volcano, Japan. Obtained in 2.5 hours, the resultant image clearly showed the density contrast inside the dome, which is essential information to predict the magnitude of the dome collapse. Since airborne muography is not restricted by topographic conditions for apparatus placements, we anticipate that the technique is applicable to creating images of this type of lava dome evolution from various angles in real time. PMID:28008978

  12. An Accurate Co-registration Method for Airborne Repeat-pass InSAR

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dong, X. T.; Zhao, Y. H.; Yue, X. J.; Han, C. M.

    2017-10-01

    Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) technology plays a significant role in topographic mapping and surface deformation detection. Comparing with spaceborne repeat-pass InSAR, airborne repeat-pass InSAR solves the problems of long revisit time and low-resolution images. Due to the advantages of flexible, accurate, and fast obtaining abundant information, airborne repeat-pass InSAR is significant in deformation monitoring of shallow ground. In order to getting precise ground elevation information and interferometric coherence of deformation monitoring from master and slave images, accurate co-registration must be promised. Because of side looking, repeat observing path and long baseline, there are very different initial slant ranges and flight heights between repeat flight paths. The differences of initial slant ranges and flight height lead to the pixels, located identical coordinates on master and slave images, correspond to different size of ground resolution cells. The mismatching phenomenon performs very obvious on the long slant range parts of master image and slave image. In order to resolving the different sizes of pixels and getting accurate co-registration results, a new method is proposed based on Range-Doppler (RD) imaging model. VV-Polarization C-band airborne repeat-pass InSAR images were used in experiment. The experiment result shows that the proposed method leads to superior co-registration accuracy.

  13. Delineation of peatland lagg boundaries from airborne LiDAR

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Langlois, Melanie N.; Richardson, Murray C.; Price, Jonathan S.

    2017-09-01

    In Canada, peatlands are the most common type of wetland, but boundary delineation in peatland complexes has received little attention in the scientific literature. Typically, peatland boundaries are mapped as crisp, absolute features, and the transitional lagg zone—the ecotone found between a raised bog and the surrounding mineral land—is often overlooked. In this study, we aim (1) to advance existing approaches for detecting and locating laggs and lagg boundaries using airborne LiDAR surveys and (2) to describe the spatial distribution of laggs around raised bog peatlands. Two contrasting spatial analytical approaches for lagg detection were tested using five LiDAR-derived topographic and vegetation indices: topography, vegetation height, topographic wetness index, the standard deviation of the vegetation's height (as a proxy for the complexity of the vegetation's structure), and local indices of elevation variance. Using a dissimilarity approach (edge-detection, split-moving window analysis), no one variable accurately depicted both the lagg-mineral land and bog-lagg boundaries. Some indicators were better at predicting the bog-lagg boundary (i.e., vegetation height) and others at finding the lagg-mineral land boundary (i.e., topography). Dissimilarity analysis reinforces the usefulness of derived variables (e.g., wetness indices) in locating laggs, especially for those with weak topographic and vegetation gradients. When the lagg was confined between the bog and the adjacent upland, it took a linear form, parallel to the peatland's edge and was easier to predict. When the adjacent mineral land was flat or sloping away from the peatland, the lagg was discontinuous and intermittent and more difficult to predict.

  14. Airborne Astronomy Symposium on the Galactic Ecosystem: From Gas to Stars to Dust, volume 73

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Haas, Michael R. (Editor); Davidson, Jacqueline A. (Editor); Erickson, Edwin F. (Editor)

    1995-01-01

    This symposium was organized to review the science related to NASA's Airborne Astronomy Program on the occasion of the twentieth anniversary of the Kuiper Airborne Observatory (KAO). The theme selected, 'The Galactic Ecosystem: From Gas to Stars to Dust,' was considered to capture the underlying commonality of much of the research discussed. The 8 sessions were as follows: The Interstellar Medium; The Life Cycle of the ISM in Other Galaxies; Star and Planetary System Formation; Our Planetary System: The Solar System; The Enrichment of the Interstellar Medium; The Galactic Center: A Unique Region of the Galactic Ecosystem; Instrumentation for Airborne Astronomy; KAO History and Education; and Missions and the Future of Infrared Astronomy.

  15. The influence of topographic structures on night-time surface temperatures: Evaluation of a satellite thermal image of the upper Rhine plain and the surrounding highlands. [Germany and Switzerland

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Gossmann, H. (Principal Investigator)

    1980-01-01

    The author has identified the following significant results. Satellite data supplied the same information as aerial IR registrations with corresponding averaging for all studies requiring a survey of the thermal pattern within an area measuring 10 km x 10 km ore more, provided that sufficiently precise control points could be established for the purpose of geometric rectification in the surroundings of the area observed. Satellite thermal data are more comprehensive than aircraft data for studies on a regional, rather than a local scale, since airborne images often obscure the basic correlation in thermal patterns because of a variety of irrelevant topographical detail. The satellite data demonstrate the dependence of surface temperature on relief more clearly than comparable airborne imagery.

  16. Arctic Research NASA's Cryospheric Sciences Program

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Waleed, Abdalati; Zukor, Dorothy J. (Technical Monitor)

    2001-01-01

    Much of NASA's Arctic Research is run through its Cryospheric Sciences Program. Arctic research efforts to date have focused primarily on investigations of the mass balance of the largest Arctic land-ice masses and the mechanisms that control it, interactions among sea ice, polar oceans, and the polar atmosphere, atmospheric processes in the polar regions, energy exchanges in the Arctic. All of these efforts have been focused on characterizing, understanding, and predicting, changes in the Arctic. NASA's unique vantage from space provides an important perspective for the study of these large scale processes, while detailed process information is obtained through targeted in situ field and airborne campaigns and models. An overview of NASA investigations in the Arctic will be presented demonstrating how the synthesis of space-based technology, and these complementary components have advanced our understanding of physical processes in the Arctic.

  17. Topographic Map and Compass Use. Student Manual.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Taylor, Michael

    This student manual is designed to introduce students to topographic maps and compass use. The first of five units included in the manual is an introduction to topographic maps. Among the topics discussed in this unit are uses, sources, and care and maintenance of topographic maps. Unit 2 discusses topographic map symbols and colors and provides a…

  18. Airborne Wind Shear Detection and Warning Systems. Fourth Combined Manufacturers' and Technologists' Conference, part 2

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Vicroy, Dan D. (Compiler); Bowles, Roland L. (Compiler); Passman, Robert H. (Compiler)

    1992-01-01

    The Fourth Combined Manufacturers' and Technologists' Conference was hosted jointly by NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in Williamsburg, Virginia, on April 14-16, 1992. The meeting was co-chaired by Dr. Roland Bowles of LaRC and Bob Passman of the FAA. The purpose of the meeting was to transfer significant ongoing results of the NASA/FAA Joint Airborne Wind Shear Program to the technical industry and to pose problems of current concern to the combined group. It also provided a forum for manufacturers to review forward-look technology concepts and for technologists to gain an understanding of the problems encountered by the manufacturers during the development of airborne equipment and the FAA certification requirements. The present document has been compiled to record the essence of the technology updates and discussions which follow each.

  19. The cloud radiation impact from optics simulation and airborne observation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Melnikova, Irina; Kuznetsov, Anatoly; Gatebe, Charles

    2017-02-01

    The analytical approach of inverse asymptotic formulas of the radiative transfer theory is used for solving inverse problems of cloud optics. The method has advantages because it does not impose strict constraints, but it is tied to the desired solution. Observations are accomplished in extended stratus cloudiness, above a homogeneous ocean surface. Data from NASA`s Cloud Absorption Radiometer (CAR) during two airborne experiments (SAFARI-2000 and ARCTAS-2008) were analyzed. The analytical method of inverse asymptotic formulas was used to retrieve cloud optical parameters (optical thickness, single scattering albedo and asymmetry parameter of the phase function) and ground albedo in all 8 spectral channels independently. The method is free from a priori restrictions and there is no links to parameters, and it has been applied to data set of different origin and geometry of observations. Results obtained from different airborne, satellite and ground radiative experiments appeared consistence and showed common features of values of cloud parameters and its spectral dependence (Vasiluev, Melnikova, 2004; Gatebe et al., 2014). Optical parameters, retrieved here, are used for calculation of radiative divergence, reflected and transmitted irradiance and heating rates in cloudy atmosphere, that agree with previous observational data.

  20. Towards a Multi-Mission, Airborne Science Data System Environment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Crichton, D. J.; Hardman, S.; Law, E.; Freeborn, D.; Kay-Im, E.; Lau, G.; Oswald, J.

    2011-12-01

    NASA earth science instruments are increasingly relying on airborne missions. However, traditionally, there has been limited common infrastructure support available to principal investigators in the area of science data systems. As a result, each investigator has been required to develop their own computing infrastructures for the science data system. Typically there is little software reuse and many projects lack sufficient resources to provide a robust infrastructure to capture, process, distribute and archive the observations acquired from airborne flights. At NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), we have been developing a multi-mission data system infrastructure for airborne instruments called the Airborne Cloud Computing Environment (ACCE). ACCE encompasses the end-to-end lifecycle covering planning, provisioning of data system capabilities, and support for scientific analysis in order to improve the quality, cost effectiveness, and capabilities to enable new scientific discovery and research in earth observation. This includes improving data system interoperability across each instrument. A principal characteristic is being able to provide an agile infrastructure that is architected to allow for a variety of configurations of the infrastructure from locally installed compute and storage services to provisioning those services via the "cloud" from cloud computer vendors such as Amazon.com. Investigators often have different needs that require a flexible configuration. The data system infrastructure is built on the Apache's Object Oriented Data Technology (OODT) suite of components which has been used for a number of spaceborne missions and provides a rich set of open source software components and services for constructing science processing and data management systems. In 2010, a partnership was formed between the ACCE team and the Carbon in Arctic Reservoirs Vulnerability Experiment (CARVE) mission to support the data processing and data management needs

  1. NASA DC-8 airborne research laboratory

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Degreef, Leo H.

    1991-01-01

    Since the summer of 1987, NASA Ames Research Center has been operating a DC-8 equipped with CFM 56 engines as a flying research laboratory. In this relatively short time, the DC-8, with its tremendous capabilities, has made significant contributions to numerous scientific fields. Capable of staying aloft for over 12 hours, the DC-8 has flown directly over both the North and South Poles, gathering data relating to the ozone hole. Operating from a few thousand feet to over 40,000 feet above sea level the interchangeable payload capability of the DC-8 has made it a versatile scientific tool. The DC-8 also plays a vital role in the development of new satellite-borne sensors as very often those sensors are test-flown on the DC-8 before they are launched into space. The tremendous range and instrument carrying capability make the DC-8 an ideal flying laboratory. A few of the programs the DC-8 has participated in as well as a sampling of the instruments carried are outlined.

  2. The Cuernos del Paine mountains in Torres del Paine National Park, Chile, during NASA's AirSAR 2004 campaign

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2004-03-11

    The Cuernos del Paine mountains in Torres del Paine National Park, Chile, during NASA's AirSAR 2004 campaign. AirSAR 2004 is a three-week expedition in Central and South America by an international team of scientists that is using an all-weather imaging tool, called the Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (AirSAR), located onboard NASA's DC-8 airborne laboratory. Scientists from many parts of the world are combining ground research with NASA's AirSAR technology to improve and expand on the quality of research they are able to conduct. Founded in 1959, Torres del Paine National Park encompasses 450,000 acres in the Patagonia region of Chile. This region is being studied by NASA using a DC-8 equipped with an Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (AirSAR) developed by scientists from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. This is a very sensitive region that is important to scientists because the temperature has been consistently rising causing a subsequent melting of the region’s glaciers. AirSAR will provide a baseline model and unprecedented mapping of the region. This data will make it possible to determine whether the warming trend is slowing, continuing or accelerating. AirSAR will also provide reliable information on ice shelf thickness to measure the contribution of the glaciers to sea level.

  3. Cyberinfrastructure for Airborne Sensor Webs

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Freudinger, Lawrence C.

    2009-01-01

    Since 2004 the NASA Airborne Science Program has been prototyping and using infrastructure that enables researchers to interact with each other and with their instruments via network communications. This infrastructure uses satellite links and an evolving suite of applications and services that leverage open-source software. The use of these tools has increased near-real-time situational awareness during field operations, resulting in productivity improvements and the collection of better data. This paper describes the high-level system architecture and major components, with example highlights from the use of the infrastructure. The paper concludes with a discussion of ongoing efforts to transition to operational status.

  4. UAV photogrammetry for topographic monitoring of coastal areas

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gonçalves, J. A.; Henriques, R.

    2015-06-01

    Coastal areas suffer degradation due to the action of the sea and other natural and human-induced causes. Topographical changes in beaches and sand dunes need to be assessed, both after severe events and on a regular basis, to build models that can predict the evolution of these natural environments. This is an important application for airborne LIDAR, and conventional photogrammetry is also being used for regular monitoring programs of sensitive coastal areas. This paper analyses the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) to map and monitor sand dunes and beaches. A very light plane (SwingletCam) equipped with a very cheap, non-metric camera was used to acquire images with ground resolutions better than 5 cm. The Agisoft Photoscan software was used to orientate the images, extract point clouds, build a digital surface model and produce orthoimage mosaics. The processing, which includes automatic aerial triangulation with camera calibration and subsequent model generation, was mostly automated. To achieve the best positional accuracy for the whole process, signalised ground control points were surveyed with a differential GPS receiver. Two very sensitive test areas on the Portuguese northwest coast were analysed. Detailed DSMs were obtained with 10 cm grid spacing and vertical accuracy (RMS) ranging from 3.5 to 5.0 cm, which is very similar to the image ground resolution (3.2-4.5 cm). Where possible to assess, the planimetric accuracy of the orthoimage mosaics was found to be subpixel. Within the regular coastal monitoring programme being carried out in the region, UAVs can replace many of the conventional flights, with considerable gains in the cost of the data acquisition and without any loss in the quality of topographic and aerial imagery data.

  5. NASA/MSFC FY-84 Atmospheric Processes Research Review

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Vaughan, W. W. (Compiler); Porter, F. (Compiler)

    1984-01-01

    The two main areas of focus for NASA/MSFC's atmospheric research program are: (1) global scale processes (geophysical fluid processes, satellite Doppler lidar wind profiler, and satellite data analyses) and (2) mesoscale processes (atmospheric electricity (lightning), ground/airborne Doppler lidar wind measurements, and mesoscale analyses and space sensors). Topics within these two general areas are addressed.

  6. Airborne Management of Traffic Conflicts in Descent With Arrival Constraints

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Doble, Nathan A.; Barhydt, Richard; Krishnamurthy, Karthik

    2005-01-01

    NASA is studying far-term air traffic management concepts that may increase operational efficiency through a redistribution of decisionmaking authority among airborne and ground-based elements of the air transportation system. One component of this research, En Route Free Maneuvering, allows trained pilots of equipped autonomous aircraft to assume responsibility for traffic separation. Ground-based air traffic controllers would continue to separate traffic unequipped for autonomous operations and would issue flow management constraints to all aircraft. To evaluate En Route Free Maneuvering operations, a human-in-the-loop experiment was jointly conducted by the NASA Ames and Langley Research Centers. In this experiment, test subject pilots used desktop flight simulators to resolve conflicts in cruise and descent, and to adhere to air traffic flow constraints issued by test subject controllers. Simulators at NASA Langley were equipped with a prototype Autonomous Operations Planner (AOP) flight deck toolset to assist pilots with conflict management and constraint compliance tasks. Results from the experiment are presented, focusing specifically on operations during the initial descent into the terminal area. Airborne conflict resolution performance in descent, conformance to traffic flow management constraints, and the effects of conflicting traffic on constraint conformance are all presented. Subjective data from subject pilots are also presented, showing perceived levels of workload, safety, and acceptability of autonomous arrival operations. Finally, potential AOP functionality enhancements are discussed along with suggestions to improve arrival procedures.

  7. First results from the Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Vane, Gregg

    1987-01-01

    After engineering flights aboard the NASA U-2 research aircraft in the winter of 1986 to 1987 and spring of 1987, extensive data collection across the United States was begun with the Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) in the summer of 1987 in support of a NASA data evaluation and technology assessment program. This paper presents some of the first results obtained from AVIRIS. Examples of spectral imagery acquired over Mountain View and Mono Lake, California, and the Cuprite Mining District in western Nevada are presented. Sensor performance and data quality are described, and in the final section of this paper, plans for the future are discussed.

  8. Assessment of Airborne Instrument Uncertainty via Measurement Comparisons Conducted During the DC3 and SEAC4RS Field Campaigns

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Silverman, M. L.; Chen, G.; Shook, M.

    2016-12-01

    Airborne field campaigns have long understood the importance of well-defined measurement uncertainties and their impact on scientific research. Measurement comparisons are an effective way to assess the uncertainty of different techniques as well as gain insight into instrument performance. As part of the NASA DC3 (Deep Convective Clouds and Chemistry) airborne field campaign, there were several wing-tip-to-wing-tip formation flight segments designed for measurement comparison of the instruments onboard the NASA DC-8 and NSF/NCAR Gulfstream-V aircraft. This provides the opportunity to evaluate the consistency between multiple measurements of the same species/parameters on different platforms and based on different measurement techniques. The DC-8 aircraft was also instrumented with duplicate measurements of the same species, allowing for intraplatform comparisons. The NASA DC-8 was also used during the NASA SEAC4RS (Studies of Emission and Atmospheric Composition, Clouds, and Climate Coupling by Regional Surveys) airborne field campaign. While no wing-tip to wing-tip flights were flown, several instruments measuring the same species were aboard the DC-8 providing intraplatform comparisons. Time series and correlations are produced to show the relative agreement between the measurements both on a daily basis and over the course of the five inter-comparison days. We have also used a data-driven approach to analyze the instrument precisions as an important part of measurement uncertainty assessment. By conducting these analyses we provide insight to users on the quality of the measurements.

  9. Airborne Radar Interferometric Repeat-Pass Processing

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hensley, Scott; Michel, Thierry R.; Jones, Cathleen E.; Muellerschoen, Ronald J.; Chapman, Bruce D.; Fore, Alexander; Simard, Marc; Zebker, Howard A.

    2011-01-01

    Earth science research often requires crustal deformation measurements at a variety of time scales, from seconds to decades. Although satellites have been used for repeat-track interferometric (RTI) synthetic-aperture-radar (SAR) mapping for close to 20 years, RTI is much more difficult to implement from an airborne platform owing to the irregular trajectory of the aircraft compared with microwave imaging radar wavelengths. Two basic requirements for robust airborne repeat-pass radar interferometry include the ability to fly the platform to a desired trajectory within a narrow tube and the ability to have the radar beam pointed in a desired direction to a fraction of a beam width. Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar (UAVSAR) is equipped with a precision auto pilot developed by NASA Dryden that allows the platform, a Gulfstream III, to nominally fly within a 5 m diameter tube and with an electronically scanned antenna to position the radar beam to a fraction of a beam width based on INU (inertial navigation unit) attitude angle measurements.

  10. A topographic feature taxonomy for a U.S. national topographic mapping ontology

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Varanka, Dalia E.

    2013-01-01

    Using legacy feature lists from the U.S. National Topographic Mapping Program of the twentieth century, a taxonomy of features is presented for purposes of developing a national topographic feature ontology for geographic mapping and analysis. After reviewing published taxonomic classifications, six basic classes are suggested; terrain, surface water, ecological regimes, built-up areas, divisions, and events. Aspects of ontology development are suggested as the taxonomy is described.

  11. Validation of Airborne Visible-Infrared Imaging Spectrometer Data at Ray Mine, AZ

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lang, H.; Baloga, S.

    1999-01-01

    We validate 1997 Airborne Visible-Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) reflectance spectra covering 0.4 meu - 2.4 meu from a stable, flat mineralogically characterized man-made target at Ray Mine, AZ, the site for an EPA/NASA assessment of the utility of remote sensing for monitoring acid drainage from an active open pit mine.

  12. An Information NEXUS: The NASA Global Hawk Link Module

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Sullivan, D. V.

    2012-01-01

    The Link Module described in this paper was first developed for the NASA Global Hawk Pacific Mission (GloPAC), four flights of 30 hour duration, supporting the Aura Validation Experiment (AVE). Its second use was during the Genesis and Rapid Intensification Processes (GRIP) experiment, a NASA Earth Science field experiment to better understand how tropical storms form and develop into major hurricanes. In these missions, the Link module negotiated all communication over the high bandwidth Ku satellite link, archived al the science data from onboard experiments in a spatially enable database, routed command and control of the instruments from the Global Hawk Operations Center, and retransmitted select data sets directly to experimenters control and analysis systems. The availability of aggregated information from collections of sensors, and remote control capabilities, in real-time, is revolutionizing the way Airborne Science is being conducted. Also described is the next generation Link Module now being designed and tested to support the NASA Earth Venture missions, the Hurricane and Severe Storm Sentinel (HS3) mission, and Airborne Tropical Tropopause Experiment (ATTREX) mission. Advanced data fusion technologies being developed will further advance the Scientific productivity, flexibility and robustness of these systems. Historically, the Link module evolved from the instrument and communication interface controller used by NASA's Pathfinder and Pathfinder plus solar powered UAS's in the late 1990's. It later was expanded for use in the AIRDAS four channel scanner flown on the NASA Altus UAS, and then again to a module in the AMS twelve channel multispectral scanner flying on the NASA (Predator-b) Ikhana UAS. The current system is the next step in the evolution, a multi board system packaged in a Curtiss Wright MIL-spec, flight qualified enclosure.

  13. DC-8 Airborne Laboratory in flight

    NASA Image and Video Library

    1998-02-20

    The NASA DC-8 in a right bank over the rugged Sierra Nevada Mountains. The former airliner is a "dash-72" model and has a range of 5,500 miles. The craft can stay airborne for 12 hours and has an operational speed range between 300 and 500 knots. The research flights are made at between 500 and 41,000 feet. The aircraft can carry up to 30,000 lbs of research/science payload equipment installed in 15 mission-definable spaces. In this photo, the aircraft is shown in flight from below, with the DC-8 silhouetted against a blue sky.

  14. Unveiling topographical changes using LiDAR mapping capability: case study of Belaga in Sarawak, East-Malaysia

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ganendra, T. R.; Khan, N. M.; Razak, W. J.; Kouame, Y.; Mobarakeh, E. T.

    2016-06-01

    The use of Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) remote sensing technology to scan and map landscapes has proven to be one of the most popular techniques to accurately map topography. Thus, LiDAR technology is the ultimate method of unveiling the surface feature under dense vegetation, and, this paper intends to emphasize the diverse techniques that can be utilized to elucidate topographical changes over the study area, using multi-temporal airborne full waveform LiDAR datasets collected in 2012 and 2014. Full waveform LiDAR data offers access to an almost unlimited number of returns per shot, which enables the user to explore in detail topographical changes, such as vegetation growth measurement. The study also found out topography changes at the study area due to earthwork activities contributing to soil consolidation, soil erosion and runoff, requiring cautious monitoring. The implications of this study not only concurs with numerous investigations undertaken by prominent researchers to improve decision making, but also corroborates once again that investigations employing multi-temporal LiDAR data to unveil topography changes in vegetated terrains, produce more detailed and accurate results than most other remote sensing data.

  15. Fast-Time Evaluations of Airborne Merging and Spacing in Terminal Arrival Operations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Krishnamurthy, Karthik; Barmore, Bryan; Bussink, Frank; Weitz, Lesley; Dahlene, Laura

    2005-01-01

    NASA researchers are developing new airborne technologies and procedures to increase runway throughput at capacity-constrained airports by improving the precision of inter-arrival spacing at the runway threshold. In this new operational concept, pilots of equipped aircraft are cleared to adjust aircraft speed to achieve a designated spacing interval at the runway threshold, relative to a designated lead aircraft. A new airborne toolset, prototypes of which are being developed at the NASA Langley Research Center, assists pilots in achieving this objective. The current prototype allows precision spacing operations to commence even when the aircraft and its lead are not yet in-trail, but are on merging arrival routes to the runway. A series of fast-time evaluations of the new toolset were conducted at the Langley Research Center during the summer of 2004. The study assessed toolset performance in a mixed fleet of aircraft on three merging arrival streams under a range of operating conditions. The results of the study indicate that the prototype possesses a high degree of robustness to moderate variations in operating conditions.

  16. Advanced Antenna Design for NASA's EcoSAR Instrument

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Du Toit, Cornelis F.; Deshpande, Manohar; Rincon, Rafael F.

    2016-01-01

    Advanced antenna arrays were designed for NASA's EcoSAR airborne radar instrument. EcoSAR is a beamforming synthetic aperture radar instrument designed to make polarimetric and "single pass" interferometric measurements of Earth surface parameters. EcoSAR's operational requirements of a 435MHz center frequency with up to 200MHz bandwidth, dual polarization, high cross-polarization isolation (> 30 dB), +/- 45deg beam scan range and antenna form-factor constraints imposed stringent requirements on the antenna design. The EcoSAR project successfully developed, characterized, and tested two array antennas in an anechoic chamber. EcoSAR's first airborne campaign conducted in the spring of 2014 generated rich data sets of scientific and engineering value, demonstrating the successful operation of the antennas.

  17. Airborne Wind Shear Detection and Warning Systems: Fourth Combined Manufacturers' and Technologists' Conference, part 1

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Vicroy, Dan D. (Compiler); Bowles, Roland L. (Compiler); Passman, Robert H. (Compiler)

    1992-01-01

    The purpose of the meeting was to transfer significant ongoing results of the NASA/FAA joint Airborne Wind Shear Program to the technical industry and to pose problems of current concern to the combined group. It also provided a forum for manufacturers to review forward-look technology concepts and for technologists to gain an understanding of the problems encountered by the manufacturers during the development of airborne equipment and the FAA certification requirements. The present document was compiled to record the essence of the technology updates and discussions which follow each.

  18. Airborne Wind Shear Detection and Warning Systems: Third Combined Manufacturers' and Technologists' Conference, part 2

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Vicroy, Dan D. (Compiler); Bowles, Roland L. (Compiler); Schlickenmaier, Herbert (Compiler)

    1991-01-01

    The Third Combined Manufacturers' and Technologists' Conference was held in Hampton, Va., on October 16-18, 1990. The purpose of the meeting was to transfer significant on-going results of the NASA/FAA joint Airborne Wind Shear Program to the technical industry and to pose problems of current concern to the combined group. It also provided a forum for manufacturers to review forward-look technology concepts and for technologists to gain an understanding of the problems encountered by the manufacturers during the development of airborne equipment and the FAA certification requirements.

  19. Airborne radar radiometer measurements of tropical storms

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kumagai, H.; Meneghini, R.; Kozu, T.; Okamoto, K.

    1992-01-01

    The results from an airborne radar radiometer experiment of rainfall measurement in tropical storms are presented. The experiment was conducted in the Western Pacific in September 1990 with the NASA/DC-8 aircraft which was equipped with a nadir-loking dual-frequency rain radar operating at X band and Ka band, and several channels of microwave radiometers. The X-band radar has a capability of dual-polarization reception which enables the measurements of Linear Depolarization Ratio (LDR). The data of the microwave radiometers are compared with the radar data.

  20. Glacier Grey view from Lago Grey (Grey Lake), photographed during NASA's AirSAR 2004 campaign in Chile

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2004-03-11

    Glacier Grey view from Lago Grey (Grey Lake), photographed during NASA's AirSAR 2004 campaign in Chile. Land visible in this photo was covered by glacier just 6 years earlier. AirSAR 2004 is a three-week expedition in Central and South America by an international team of scientists that is using an all-weather imaging tool, called the Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (AirSAR), located onboard NASA's DC-8 airborne laboratory. Scientists from many parts of the world are combining ground research with NASA's AirSAR technology to improve and expand on the quality of research they are able to conduct. Founded in 1959, Torres del Paine National Park encompasses 450,000 acres in the Patagonia region of Chile. This region is being studied by NASA using a DC-8 equipped with an Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (AirSAR) developed by scientists from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. This is a very sensitive region that is important to scientists because the temperature has been consistently rising causing a subsequent melting of the region’s glaciers. AirSAR will provide a baseline model and unprecedented mapping of the region. This data will make it possible to determine whether the warming trend is slowing, continuing or accelerating. AirSAR will also provide reliable information on ice shelf thickness to measure the contribution of the glaciers to sea level.

  1. Lidar measurements of ozone and aerosol distributions during the 1992 airborne Arctic stratospheric expedition

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Browell, Edward V.; Butler, Carolyn F.; Fenn, Marta A.; Grant, William B.; Ismail, Syed; Carter, Arlen F.

    1994-01-01

    The NASA Langley airborne differential absorption lidar system was operated from the NASA Ames DC-8 aircraft during the 1992 Airborne Arctic Stratospheric Expedition to investigate the distribution of stratospheric aerosols and ozone (O3) across the Arctic vortex from January to March 1992. Aerosols from the Mt. Pinatubo eruption were found outside and inside the Arctic vortex with distinctly different scattering characteristics and spatial distributions in the two regions. The aerosol and O3 distributions clearly identified the edge of the vortex and provided additional information on vortex dynamics and transport processes. Few polar stratospheric clouds were observed during the AASE-2; however, those that were found had enhanced scattering and depolarization over the background Pinatubo aerosols. The distribution of aerosols inside the vortex exhibited relatively minor changes during the AASE-2. Ozone depletion inside the vortex as limited to less than or equal to 20 percent in the altitude region from 15-20 km.

  2. Pulsed Airborne Lidar Measurements of C02 Column Absorption

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Abshire, James B.; Riris, Haris; Allan, Graham R.; Weaver, Clark J.; Mao, Jianping; Sun, Xiaoli; Hasselbrack, William E.; Rodriquez, Michael; Browell, Edward V.

    2011-01-01

    We report on airborne lidar measurements of atmospheric CO2 column density for an approach being developed as a candidate for NASA's ASCENDS mission. It uses a pulsed dual-wavelength lidar measurement based on the integrated path differential absorption (IPDA) technique. We demonstrated the approach using the CO2 measurement from aircraft in July and August 2009 over four locations. The results show clear CO2 line shape and absorption signals, which follow the expected changes with aircraft altitude from 3 to 13 km. The 2009 measurements have been analyzed in detail and the results show approx.1 ppm random errors for 8-10 km altitudes and approx.30 sec averaging times. Airborne measurements were also made in 2010 with stronger signals and initial analysis shows approx. 0.3 ppm random errors for 80 sec averaging times for measurements at altitudes> 6 km.

  3. Western Rainier Seismic Zone Airborne Laser Swath Mapping

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Harding, David J.; Haugerud, Ralph A.; Johnson, Samuel Y.; Scott, Kevin M.; Weaver, Craig S.; Martinez, Diana M.; Zeigler, John C.; Latypov, Damir

    2003-01-01

    Airborne laser swath mapping (ALSM) of the Puget Lowland conducted by TerraPoint LLC for the Purget Sound Lidar Concortium (PSLC), has been successful in revealing Holocene fault scarps and lendsliders hidden beneath the dense, temperate rain forest cover and in quantifying shoreline terrace uplift. Expanding the PSLC efforts, NASA-USGS collaboration is now focusing on topographic mapping of seismogenic zones adjacent to volcanois in the western Cascades range in order to assess the presence of active faulting and tectonic deformation, better define the extend of lahars and understand their flow processes, and characterize landslide occurrence. Mapping of the western Rainier zone (WRZ) was conducted by TerraPoint in late 2002, after leaf fall and before snow accumulation. The WRZ is a NNW-trending, approx. 30 km-long zone of seismicity west of Mount Rainier National Park. The Puget Lowland ALSM methods were modified to accommodate challenges posed by the steep, high relief terrian. The laser data, acquired with a density of approx. 2 pulses /sq m, was filtered to identify returns from the ground from which a bare Earth digital elevation model (DEM) was produced with a grid size of 1.8 m. The RMS elevation accuracy of the DEM in flat, unvegetated areas is approx. 10cm based on consistency between overlapping flight swaths and comparisons to ground control points. The resulting DEM substantially improves upon Shuttle Radar Topography Mission and USGS photogrammetric mapping. For example, the DEM defines the size and spatial distribution of flood erratics left by the Electron lahar and of megaclasts within the Round Pass lahar, important for characterizing the lahar hydraulics. A previously unknown lateral levee on the Round Pass lahar is also revealed. In addition, to illustrating geomorfic feature within the WRZ, future plans for laser mapping of the Saint Helens and Darrington seismic zones will be described.

  4. An Assessment of the Need for Standard Variable Names for Airborne Field Campaigns

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Beach, A. L., III; Chen, G.; Northup, E. A.; Kusterer, J.; Quam, B. M.

    2017-12-01

    The NASA Earth Venture Program has led to a dramatic increase in airborne observations, requiring updated data management practices with clearly defined data standards and protocols for metadata. An airborne field campaign can involve multiple aircraft and a variety of instruments. It is quite common to have different instruments/techniques measure the same parameter on one or more aircraft platforms. This creates a need to allow instrument Principal Investigators (PIs) to name their variables in a way that would distinguish them across various data sets. A lack of standardization of variables names presents a challenge for data search tools in enabling discovery of similar data across airborne studies, aircraft platforms, and instruments. This was also identified by data users as one of the top issues in data use. One effective approach for mitigating this problem is to enforce variable name standardization, which can effectively map the unique PI variable names to fixed standard names. In order to ensure consistency amongst the standard names, it will be necessary to choose them from a controlled list. However, no such list currently exists despite a number of previous efforts to establish a sufficient list of atmospheric variable names. The Atmospheric Composition Variable Standard Name Working Group was established under the auspices of NASA's Earth Science Data Systems Working Group (ESDSWG) to solicit research community feedback to create a list of standard names that are acceptable to data providers and data users This presentation will discuss the challenges and recommendations of standard variable names in an effort to demonstrate how airborne metadata curation/management can be improved to streamline data ingest, improve interoperability, and discoverability to a broader user community.

  5. NASA DC-8 Airborne Scanning Lidar Sensor Development

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Nielsen, Norman B.; Uthe, Edward E.; Kaiser, Robert D.; Tucker, Michael A.; Baloun, James E.; Gorordo, Javier G.

    1996-01-01

    The NASA DC-8 aircraft is used to support a variety of in-situ and remote sensors for conducting environmental measurements over global regions. As part of the atmospheric effects of aviation program (AEAP) the DC-8 is scheduled to conduct atmospheric aerosol and gas chemistry and radiation measurements of subsonic aircraft contrails and cirrus clouds. A scanning lidar system is being developed for installation on the DC-8 to support and extend the domain of the AEAP measurements. Design and objectives of the DC-8 scanning lidar are presented.

  6. A Study of Reflected Sonic Booms Using Airborne Measurements

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kantor, Samuel R.; Cliatt, Larry J., II

    2017-01-01

    In support of ongoing efforts to bring commercial supersonic flight to the public, the Sonic Booms in Atmospheric Turbulence (SonicBAT) flight test was conducted at NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center. During this test, airborne sonic boom measurements were made using an instrumented TG-14 motor glider, called the Airborne Acoustic Measurement Platform (AAMP).During the flight program, the AAMP was consistently able to measure the sonic boom wave that was reflected off of the ground, in addition to the incident wave, resulting in the creation of a completely unique data set of airborne sonic boom reflection measurements. This paper focuses on using this unique data set to investigate the ability of sonic boom modeling software to calculate sonic boom reflections. Because the algorithms used to model sonic boom reflections are also used to model the secondary carpet and over the top booms, the use of actual flight data is vital to improving the understanding of the effects of sonic booms outside of the primary carpet. Understanding these effects becomes especially important as the return of commercial supersonic approaches, as well as ensuring the accuracy of mission planning for future experiments.

  7. Comparison of Aerosol Optical Properties and Water Vapor Among Ground and Airborne Lidars and Sun Photometers During TARFOX

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ferrare, R.; Ismail, S.; Browell, E.; Brackett, V.; Clayton, M.; Kooi, S.; Melfi, S. H.; Whiteman, D.; Schwemmer, G.; Evans, K.

    2000-01-01

    We compare aerosol optical thickness (AOT) and precipitable water vapor (PWV) measurements derived from ground and airborne lidars and sun photometers during the Tropospheric Aerosol Radiative Forcing Observational Experiment. Such comparisons are important to verify the consistency between various remote sensing measurements before employing them in any assessment of the impact of aerosols on the global radiation balance. Total scattering ratio and extinction profiles measured by the ground-based NASA Goddard Space Flight Center scanning Raman lidar system, which operated from Wallops Island, Virginia (37.86 deg N, 75.51 deg W); are compared with those measured by the Lidar Atmospheric Sensing Experiment (LASE) airborne lidar system aboard the NASA ER-2 aircraft. Bias and root-mean-square differences indicate that these measurements generally agreed within about 10%. Aerosol extinction profiles and estimates of AOT are derived from both lidar measurements using a value for the aerosol extinction/backscattering ratio S(sub a) = 60 sr for the aerosol extinction/backscattering ratio, which was determined from the Raman lidar measurements. The lidar measurements of AOT are found to be generally within 25% of the AOT measured by the NASA Ames Airborne Tracking Sun Photometer (AATS-6). However, during certain periods the lidar and Sun photometer measurements of AOT differed significantly, possibly because of variations in the aerosol physical characteristics (e.g., size, composition) which affect S(sub a). Estimates of PWV, derived from water vapor mixing ratio profiles measured by LASE, are within 5-10% of PWV derived from the airborne Sun photometer. Aerosol extinction profiles measured by both lidars show that aerosols were generally concentrated in the lowest 2-3 km.

  8. NASA Sea Ice and Snow Validation Program for the DMSP SSM/I: NASA DC-8 flight report

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cavalieri, D. J.

    1988-01-01

    In June 1987 a new microwave sensor called the Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/I) was launched as part of the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP). In recognition of the importance of this sensor to the polar research community, NASA developed a program to acquire the data, to convert the data into sea ice parameters, and finally to validate and archive both the SSM/I radiances and the derived sea ice parameters. Central to NASA's sea ice validation program was a series of SSM/I aircraft underflights with the NASA DC-8 airborne Laboratory. The mission (the Arctic '88 Sea Ice Mission) was completed in March 1988. This report summarizes the mission and includes a summary of aircraft instrumentation, coordination with participating Navy aircraft, flight objectives, flight plans, data collected, SSM/I orbits for each day during the mission, and lists several piggyback experiments supported during this mission.

  9. Data System for HS3 Airborne Field Campaign

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Maskey, M.; Mceniry, M.; Berendes, T.; Bugbee, K.; Conover, H.; Ramachandran, R.

    2014-12-01

    Hurricane and Severe Storm Sentinel (HS3) is a NASA airborne field campaign aimed at better understanding the physical processes that control hurricane intensity change. HS3 will help answer questions related to the roles of environmental conditions and internal storm structures to storm intensification. Due to the nature of the questions that HS3 mission is addressing, it involves a variety of in-situ, satellite observations, airborne data, meteorological analyses, and simulation data. This variety of datasets presents numerous data management challenges for HS3. The methods used for airborne data management differ greatly from the methods used for space-borne data. In particular, metadata extraction, spatial and temporal indexing, and the large number of instruments and subsequent variables are a few of the data management challenges unique to airborne missions. A robust data system is required to successfully help HS3 scientist achieve their mission goals. Furthermore, the data system also needs to provide for data management that assists in broader use of HS3 data to enable future research activities. The Global Hydrology Resource Center (GHRC) is considering all these needs and designing a data system for HS3. Experience with past airborne field campaign puts GHRC in a good position to address HS3 needs. However, the scale of this mission along with science requirements separates HS3 from previous field campaigns. The HS3 data system will include automated services for geo-location, metadata extraction, discovery, and distribution for all HS3 data. To answer the science questions, the data system will include a visual data exploration tool that is fully integrated into the data catalog. The tool will allow visually augmenting airborne data with analyses and simulations. Satellite data will provide contextual information during such data explorations. All HS3 tools will be supported by an enterprise service architecture that will allow scaling, easy integration

  10. SOFIA: The future of airborne astronomy

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Erickson, Edwin F.; Davidson, Jacqueline A.

    1995-01-01

    For the past 20 years, the 91 cm telescope in NASA's Kuiper Airborne Observatory (KAO) has enabled scientists to observe infrared sources which are obscured by the earth's atmosphere at ground-based sites, and to observe transient astronomical events from anywhere in the world. To augment this capability, the United States and German Space Agencies (NASA and DARA) are collaborating in plans to replace the KAO with a 2.5 meter telescope installed in a Boeing 747 aircraft: SOFIA - The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy. SOFIA's large aperture, wide wavelength coverage, mobility, accessibility, and sophisticated instruments will permit a broad range of scientific studies, some of which are described here. Its unique features complement the capabilities of other future space missions. In addition, SOFIA has important potential as a stimulus for development of new technology and as a national resource for education of K-12 teachers. If started in 1996, SOFIA will be flying in the year 2000.

  11. Topographical maps as complex networks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    da Fontoura Costa, Luciano; Diambra, Luis

    2005-02-01

    The neuronal networks in the mammalian cortex are characterized by the coexistence of hierarchy, modularity, short and long range interactions, spatial correlations, and topographical connections. Particularly interesting, the latter type of organization implies special demands on developing systems in order to achieve precise maps preserving spatial adjacencies, even at the expense of isometry. Although the object of intensive biological research, the elucidation of the main anatomic-functional purposes of the ubiquitous topographical connections in the mammalian brain remains an elusive issue. The present work reports on how recent results from complex network formalism can be used to quantify and model the effect of topographical connections between neuronal cells over the connectivity of the network. While the topographical mapping between two cortical modules is achieved by connecting nearest cells from each module, four kinds of network models are adopted for implementing intramodular connections, including random, preferential-attachment, short-range, and long-range networks. It is shown that, though spatially uniform and simple, topographical connections between modules can lead to major changes in the network properties in some specific cases, depending on intramodular connections schemes, fostering more effective intercommunication between the involved neuronal cells and modules. The possible implications of such effects on cortical operation are discussed.

  12. Fourth Airborne Geoscience Workshop

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1991-01-01

    The focus of the workshop was on how the airborne community can assist in achieving the goals of the Global Change Research Program. The many activities that employ airborne platforms and sensors were discussed: platforms and instrument development; airborne oceanography; lidar research; SAR measurements; Doppler radar; laser measurements; cloud physics; airborne experiments; airborne microwave measurements; and airborne data collection.

  13. Topographic Change at Mt. Pinatubo, Philippines, from SRTM and TOPSAR Observations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mouginis-Mark, P. J.; Garbeil, H.; Torres, R.

    2001-12-01

    Data from the Shuttle Radar Topographic Mission (SRTM) will permit extensive analysis of volcanoes and volcanic processes in many parts of the world that are infrequently studied by field volcanologists. In preparation for the release of the SRTM data, we have been studying Mt. Pinatubo volcano in the Philippines, using digital elevation data collected from the TOPSAR airborne interferometric radar. We report here on our results from these preparatory studies, and suggest how SRTM observations may enhance future work on Mt. Pinatubo and other volcanoes. The 1991 eruption of Mt. Pinatubo, Philippines, provides a unique opportunity to study the effects of a large eruption in part because it took place after the advent of satellite-based observations. Using five SPOT multispectral satellite images (obtained 4/88, 12/91, 12/94, 2/96 and 12/98), we have documented the drainage evolution on the "Western Fan", which is a large (>100 km2) ignimbrite deposit extending from O'Donnell Valley in the north to Marella Valley in the SW. Detailed knowledge of topography and slopes is important for documenting these changes, and are relevant for the study of the evolving "sediment budget" (near-summit sediments eroded during storms and deposited at lower elevations) which controls lahar production. These lahars can result in extensive damage downstream even years after the eruption. Our topographic studies have so far relied on the morphologic analysis of TOPSAR data of the western fan collected during the 1996 and 2000 PacRim deployments. Co-registering the TOPSAR and SPOT data enables the degree of erosion to be assessed over the 5 year 4 month period between the eruption and TOPSAR data collection. A maximum of >50 m of erosion has been identified in areas buried by the eruption. Numerous small (10 - 15 m deep) new canyons have also been measured. Because they were obtained in the same year as PacRim 2 data, the SRTM observations promise to provide the regional context for these

  14. Operations Manager Tim Miller checks out software for the Airborne Synthetic Aperature Radar (AIRSAR

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1998-01-01

    Tim Miller checks out software for the Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (AIRSAR). He was the AIRSAR operations manager for NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The AIRSAR produces imaging data for a range of studies conducted by the DC-8. NASA is using a DC-8 aircraft as a flying science laboratory. The platform aircraft, based at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, Calif., collects data for many experiments in support of scientific projects serving the world scientific community. Included in this community are NASA, federal, state, academic and foreign investigators. Data gathered by the DC-8 at flight altitude and by remote sensing have been used for scientific studies in archeology, ecology, geography, hydrology, meteorology, oceanography, volcanology, atmospheric chemistry, soil science and biology.

  15. Airborne lidar measurements of the soufriere eruption of 17 april 1979.

    PubMed

    Fuller, W H; Sokol, S; Hunt, W H

    1982-06-04

    At the time of the Soufriere, St. Vincent, volcanic eruption of 17 April 1979, a NASA P-3 aircraft with an uplooking lidar (light detection and ranging) system onboard was airborne 130 kilometers east of the island. Lidar measurements of the fresh volcanic ash were made approximately 2 hours after the eruption, 120 kilometers to the northeast and east. On the evening of 18 April, the airborne lidar, on a southerly flight track, detected significant amounts of stratospheric material in layers at 16, 17, 18, and 19.5 kilometers. These data, and measurements to the north on 19 April, indicate that the volcanic plume penetrated the stratosphere to an altitude of about 20 kilometers and moved south during the first 48 hours after the eruption.

  16. Airborne lidar measurements of the Soufriere eruption of 17 April 1979

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Fuller, W. H., Jr.; Sokol, S.; Hunt, W. H.

    1982-01-01

    At the time of the Soufriere, St. Vincent, volcanic eruption of April 17, 1979, a NASA P-3 aircraft with an uplooking lidar (light detection and ranging) system onboard was airborne 130 kilometers east of the island. Lidar measurements of the fresh volcanic ash were made approximately 2 hours after the eruption, 120 kilometers to the northeast and east. On the evening of April 18, the airborne lidar, on a southerly flight track, detected significant amounts of stratospheric material in layers at 16, 17, 18, and 19.5 kilometers. These data, and measurements to the north on April 19, indicate that the volcanic plume penetrated the stratosphere to an altitude of about 20 kilometers and moved south during the first 48 hours after the eruption.

  17. NASA's DC-8 flying laboratory seen at sunset after a flight supporting the AirSAR 2004 Mesoamerica campaign

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2004-03-06

    NASA's DC-8 flying laboratory seen at sunset after a flight supporting the AirSAR 2004 Mesoamerica campaign. AirSAR 2004 Mesoamerica is a three-week expedition by an international team of scientists that uses an all-weather imaging tool, called the Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (AirSAR) which is located onboard NASA's DC-8 airborne laboratory. Scientists from many parts of the world including NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory are combining ground research done in several areas in Central America with NASA's AirSAR technology to improve and expand on the quality of research they are able to conduct. The radar, developed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, can penetrate clouds and also collect data at night. Its high-resolution sensors operate at multiple wavelengths and modes, allowing AirSAR to see beneath treetops, through thin sand, and dry snow pack. AirSAR's 2004 campaign is a collaboration of many U.S. and Central American institutions and scientists, including NASA; the National Science Foundation; the Smithsonian Institution; National Geographic; Conservation International; the Organization of Tropical Studies; the Central American Commission for Environment and Development; and the Inter-American Development Bank.

  18. The Way Point Planning Tool: Real Time Flight Planning for Airborne Science

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    He, Yubin; Blakeslee, Richard; Goodman, Michael; Hall, John

    2012-01-01

    Airborne real time observation are a major component of NASA's Earth Science research and satellite ground validation studies. For mission scientist, planning a research aircraft mission within the context of meeting the science objective is a complex task because it requires real time situational awareness of the weather conditions that affect the aircraft track. Multiple aircraft are often involved in the NASA field campaigns the coordination of the aircraft with satellite overpasses, other airplanes and the constantly evolving dynamic weather conditions often determine the success of the campaign. A flight planning tool is needed to provide situational awareness information to the mission scientist and help them plan and modify the flight tracks successfully. Scientists at the University of Alabama Huntsville and the NASA Marshal Space Flight Center developed the Waypoint Planning Tool (WPT), an interactive software tool that enables scientist to develop their own flight plans (also known as waypoints), with point and click mouse capabilities on a digital map filled with time raster and vector data. The development of this Waypoint Planning Tool demonstrates the significance of mission support in responding to the challenges presented during NASA field campaigns. Analyses during and after each campaign helped identify both issues and new requirements, initiating the next wave of development. Currently the Waypoint Planning Tool has gone through three rounds of development and analysis processes. The development of this waypoint tool is directly affected by the technology advances on GIS/Mapping technologies. From the standalone Google Earth application and simple KML functionalities to the Google Earth Plugin and Java Web Start/Applet on web platform, as well as to the rising open source GIS tools with new JavaScript frameworks, the Waypoint planning Tool has entered its third phase of technology advancement. The newly innovated, cross-platform, modular designed

  19. Airborne Dust Monitoring Activities at the National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Service

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Stephens, G.; McNamara, D.; Taylor, J.

    2002-12-01

    Wind blown dust can be a hazard to transportation, industrial, and military operations, and much work has been devoted to its analysis and prediction from a meteorological viewpoint. The detection and forecasting of dust outbreaks in near real time is difficult, particularly in remote desert areas with sparse observation networks. The Regional Haze Regulation, passed by Congress in 1999, mandates a reduction in man made inputs to haze in 156 Class I areas (national parks and wilderness areas). Studies have demonstrated that satellite data can be useful in detection and tracking of dust storms. Environmental satellites offer frequent coverage of large geographic areas. The National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS) of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) operates a system of polar orbiting and geostationary environmental satellites, which sense data in two visible and three infrared channels. Promising results in the detection of airborne dust have been obtained using multispectral techniques to combine information from two or more channels to detect subtle spectral differences. One technique, using a ratio of two thermal channels, detects the presence of airborne dust, and discriminates it from both underlying ground and meteorological clouds. In addition, NESDIS accesses and is investigating for operational use data from several other satellites. The Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer on board NASA's Earth Probe mission provides an aerosol index product which can detect dust and smoke, and the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer on NASA's Terra and Aqua satellites provide several channels which can detect aerosols in multispectral channel combinations. NESDIS, in cooperation with NOAA's Air Resources Laboratory, produces a daily smoke transport forecast, combining satellite derived smoke source points with a mathematical transport prediction model; such a scheme could be applied to other aerosol

  20. Airborne Two-Micron Double-Pulse IPDA Lidar Validation for Carbon Dioxide Measurements Over Land

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Refaat, Tamer F.; Singh, Upendra N.; Yu, Jirong; Petros, Mulugeta; Remus, Ruben; Ismail, Syed

    2018-04-01

    An airborne double-pulse 2-μm Integrated Path Differential Absorption (IPDA) lidar has been developed at NASA LaRC for measuring atmospheric CO2. IPDA was validated using NASA B-200 aircraft over land and ocean under different conditions. IPDA evaluation for land vegetation returns, during full day background conditions, are presented. IPDA CO2 measurements compare well with model results driven from on-board insitu sensor data. These results also indicate that CO2 measurement bias is consistent with that from ocean surface returns.

  1. Measurements with an airborne, autotracking, external-head sunphotometer

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Russell, P. B.; Matsumoto, T.; Banta, V. J.; Mina, C.; Colburn, D. S.; Pueschel, R. F.; Livingston, J. M.

    1986-01-01

    Design and performance features and sample results from use of a NASA airborne tracking sunphotometer (ATS) are described. The ATS was devised to obtain continuous vertical profiles of the optical depth and transmissivity, first from a CV-990 aircraft and then from a modified DC-8 aircraft. Sample results are presented from a 1985 flight as part of the SAGE-II calibration mission, which featured detectors frequencies of 380, 450, 600, 860, 940, and 1020 microns and covered flight altitudes from ground to 10 km.

  2. Career Profile: Flight Operations Engineer (Airborne Science) Robert Rivera

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2015-05-14

    Operations engineers at NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center help to advance science, technology, aeronautics, and space exploration by managing operational aspects of a flight research project. They serve as the governing authority on airworthiness related to the modification, operation, or maintenance of specialized research or support aircraft so those aircraft can be flown safely without jeopardizing the pilots, persons on the ground or the flight test project. With extensive aircraft modifications often required to support new research and technology development efforts, operations engineers are key leaders from technical concept to flight to ensure flight safety and mission success. Other responsibilities of an operations engineer include configuration management, performing systems design and integration, system safety analysis, coordinating flight readiness activities, and providing real-time flight support. This video highlights the responsibilities and daily activities of NASA Armstrong operations engineer Robert Rivera during the preparation and execution of the Global Hawk airborne missions under NASA's Science Mission Directorate.

  3. Environmental Public Health Survelliance for Exposure to Respiratory Health Hazards: A Joint NASA/CDC Project to Use Remote Sensing Data for Estimating Airborne Particulate Matter Over the Atlanta, Georgia Metropolitan Area

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Quattrochi, Dale A.; Rickman, Douglas; Mohammad, Al-Hamdan; Crosson, William; Estes, Maurice, Jr.; Limaye, Ashutosh; Qualters, Judith

    2008-01-01

    Describes the public health surveillance efforts of NASA, in a joint effort with the Center for Disease Control (CDC). NASA/MSFC and the CDC are partners in linking nvironmental and health data to enhance public health surveillance. The use of NASA technology creates value - added geospatial products from existing environmental data sources to facilitate public health linkages. The venture sought to provide remote sensing data for the 5-country Metro-Atlanta area and to integrate this environmental data with public health data into a local network, in an effort to prevent and control environmentally related health effects. Remote sensing data used environmental data (Environmental Protection Agency [EPA] Air Quality System [AQS] ground measurements and MODIS Aerosol Optical Depth [AOD]) to estimate airborne particulate matter over Atlanta, and linked this data with health data related to asthma. The study proved the feasibility of linking environmental data (MODIS particular matter estimates and AQS) with health data (asthma). Algorithms were developed for QC, bias removal, merging MODIS and AQS particulate matter data, as well as for other applications. Additionally, a Business Associate Agreement was negotiated for a health care provider to enable sharing of Protected Health Information.

  4. Lidar measurements of polar stratospheric clouds during the 1989 airborne Arctic stratospheric expedition

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ismail, Syed; Browell, Edward V.

    1991-01-01

    The Airborne Arctic Stratospheric Expedition (AASE) was conducted during January to February 1989 from the Sola Air Station, Norway. As part of this expedition, the NASA Langley Research Center's multiwavelength airborne lidar system was flown on the NASA Ames Research Center's DC-8 aircraft to measure ozone (O3) and aerosol profiles in the region of the polar vortex. The lidar system simultaneously transmitted laser beams at 1064, 603, 311, and 301.5 nm to measure atmospheric scattering, polarization and O3 profiles. Long range flights were made between Stavanger, Norway, and the North Pole, and between 40 deg W and 20 deg E meridians. Eleven flights were made, each flight lasting an average of 10 hours covering about 8000 km. Atmospheric scattering ratios, aerosol polarizations, and aerosol scattering ratio wavelength dependences were derived from the lidar measurements to altitudes above 27 km. The details of the aerosol scattering properties of lidar observations in the IR, VIS, and UV regions are presented along with correlations with the national meteorological Center's temperature profiles.

  5. Comparison of Airborne and Ground-Based Function Allocation Concepts for NextGen Using Human-In-The-Loop Simulations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wing, David J.; Prevot, Thomas; Murdoch, Jennifer L.; Cabrall, Christopher D.; Homola, Jeffrey R.; Martin, Lynne H.; Mercer, Joey S.; Hoadley, Sherwood T.; Wilson, Sara R.; Hubbs, Clay E.; hide

    2010-01-01

    This paper presents an air/ground functional allocation experiment conducted by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) using two human-in-the-Loop simulations to compare airborne and ground-based approaches to NextGen separation assurance. The approaches under investigation are two trajectory-based four-dimensional (4D) concepts; one referred to as "airborne trajectory management with self-separation" (airborne) the other as "ground-based automated separation assurance" (ground-based). In coordinated simulations at NASA's Ames and Langley Research Centers, the primary operational participants -controllers for the ground-based concept and pilots for the airborne concept - manage the same traffic scenario using the two different 4D concepts. The common scenarios are anchored in traffic problems that require a significant increase in airspace capacity - on average, double, and in some local areas, close to 250% over current day levels - in order to enable aircraft to safely and efficiently traverse the test airspace. The simulations vary common independent variables such as traffic density, sequencing and scheduling constraints, and timing of trajectory change events. A set of common metrics is collected to enable a direct comparison of relevant results. The simulations will be conducted in spring 2010. If accepted, this paper will be the first publication of the experimental approach and early results. An initial comparison of safety and efficiency as well as operator acceptability under the two concepts is expected.

  6. Spatial variability of oceanic phycoerythrin spectral types derived from airborne laser-induced fluorescence emissions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hoge, Frank E.; Wright, C. Wayne; Kana, Todd M.; Swift, Robert N.; Yungel, James K.

    1998-07-01

    We report spatial variability of oceanic phycoerythrin spectral types detected by means of a blue spectral shift in airborne laser-induced fluorescence emission. The blue shift of the phycoerythrobilin fluorescence is known from laboratory studies to be induced by phycourobilin chromophore substitution at phycoerythrobilin chromophore sites in some strains of phycoerythrin-containing marine cyanobacteria. The airborne 532-nm laser-induced phycoerythrin fluorescence of the upper oceanic volume showed distinct segregation of cyanobacterial chromophore types in a flight transect from coastal water to the Sargasso Sea in the western North Atlantic. High phycourobilin levels were restricted to the oceanic (oligotrophic) end of the flight transect, in agreement with historical ship findings. These remotely observed phycoerythrin spectral fluorescence shifts have the potential to permit rapid, wide-area studies of the spatial variability of spectrally distinct cyanobacteria, especially across interfacial regions of coastal and oceanic water masses. Airborne laser-induced phytoplankton spectral fluorescence observations also further the development of satellite algorithms for passive detection of phytoplankton pigments. Optical modifications to the NASA Airborne Oceanographic Lidar are briefly described that permitted observation of the fluorescence spectral shifts.

  7. Airborne Remote sensing of the OH tropospheric column with an Integrated Path Differential LIDAR.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hanisco, T. F.; Liang, Q.; Nicely, J. M.; Brune, W. H.; Miller, D. O.; Thames, A. B.

    2017-12-01

    The Hydroxyl radical, OH, is central to the photochemistry that controls tropospheric oxidation including the removal of atmospheric methane. Measurements of this important species are thus critical to testing our understanding and for constraining model results. Until now, tropospheric measurements have been limited to airborne or ground-based in situ instruments best suited to test photochemical box models. However, because of the growing recognition of the importance of the global methane abundance, we have a growing need to better quantify OH at the regional to global scales that are best sampled with airborne or space-based remote sensing instruments. To address this need, we have developed an instrument concept and have begun work on a laser transmitter for an airborne integrated path differential absorption LIDAR for the detection of OH. We will describe the instrument and present the expected performance characteristics. As a demonstration, we will use measurements from the recent ATOM-1 NASA airborne campaign to show measured OH columns can be used to constrain regional and global models.

  8. Elements of the Chicxulub Impact Structure as Revealed in SRTM and Surface GPS Topographic Data

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kinsland, Gary L.; Sanchez, Gary; Kobrick, Michael; Cardador, Manuel Hurtado

    2003-01-01

    Pope et al. [1] utilized the elevations from the Petroleos Mexicanos (PEMEX) gravity data files to show that the main component of the surface expression of the Chicxulub Impact Structure is a roughly semi-circular, lowrelief depression about 90 km in diameter. They also identified other topographic features and the elements of the buried impact, which possibly led to the development of these features. These are summarized in Table 1. Kinsland et al. [2] presented a connection between these topographic anomalies, small gravity anomalies and buried structure of the impact. Very recently we have acquired digital topography data from NASA s Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM). Our subset covers 6 square degrees from 20deg N 91degW to 22deg N 88degW (corner to corner) with a pixel size of about 90m. This area includes all of the identified portion of the crater on land.

  9. The airborne Laser Absorption Spectrometer - A new instrument of remote measurement of atmospheric trace gases

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Shumate, M. S.; Menzies, R. T.

    1978-01-01

    The Laser Absorption Spectrometer is a portable instrument developed by JPL for remote measurement of trace gases from an aircraft platform. It contains two carbon dioxide lasers, two optical heterodyne receivers, appropriate optics to aim the lasers at the ground and detect the backscattered energy, and signal processing and recording electronics. Operating in the differential-absorption mode, it is possible to monitor one atmospheric gas at a time and record the data in real time. The system can presently measure ozone, ethylene, water vapor, and chlorofluoromethanes with high sensitivity. Airborne measurements were made in early 1977 from the NASA/JPL twin-engine Beechcraft and in May 1977 from the NASA Convair 990 during the ASSESS-II Shuttle Simulation Study. These flights resulted in measurements of ozone concentrations in the lower troposphere which were compared with ground-based values provided by the Air Pollution Control District. This paper describes the details of the instrument and results of the airborne measurements.

  10. Technology-enabled Airborne Spacing and Merging

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hull, James; Barmore, Bryan; Abbott, Tetence

    2005-01-01

    Over the last several decades, advances in airborne and groundside technologies have allowed the Air Traffic Service Provider (ATSP) to give safer and more efficient service, reduce workload and frequency congestion, and help accommodate a critically escalating traffic volume. These new technologies have included advanced radar displays, and data and communication automation to name a few. In step with such advances, NASA Langley is developing a precision spacing concept designed to increase runway throughput by enabling the flight crews to manage their inter-arrival spacing from TRACON entry to the runway threshold. This concept is being developed as part of NASA s Distributed Air/Ground Traffic Management (DAG-TM) project under the Advanced Air Transportation Technologies Program. Precision spacing is enabled by Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B), which provides air-to-air data exchange including position and velocity reports; real-time wind information and other necessary data. On the flight deck, a research prototype system called Airborne Merging and Spacing for Terminal Arrivals (AMSTAR) processes this information and provides speed guidance to the flight crew to achieve the desired inter-arrival spacing. AMSTAR is designed to support current ATC operations, provide operationally acceptable system-wide increases in approach spacing performance and increase runway throughput through system stability, predictability and precision spacing. This paper describes problems and costs associated with an imprecise arrival flow. It also discusses methods by which Air Traffic Controllers achieve and maintain an optimum interarrival interval, and explores means by which AMSTAR can assist in this pursuit. AMSTAR is an extension of NASA s previous work on in-trail spacing that was successfully demonstrated in a flight evaluation at Chicago O Hare International Airport in September 2002. In addition to providing for precision inter-arrival spacing, AMSTAR

  11. TOPSAT: Global space topographic mission

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Vetrella, Sergio

    1993-01-01

    Viewgraphs on TOPSAT Global Space Topographic Mission are presented. Topics covered include: polar region applications; terrestrial ecosystem applications; stereo electro-optical sensors; space-based stereoscopic missions; optical stereo approach; radar interferometry; along track interferometry; TOPSAT-VISTA system approach; ISARA system approach; topographic mapping laser altimeter; and role of multi-beam laser altimeter.

  12. Topographic Mapmaking.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Meunier, Tony K.

    1980-01-01

    The making of topographic maps is described as a sequence of the following steps: establishment of control, photogrammetry and field operations, annotation of photographs, stereoplatting, editing, preparation of color-separation plates, and printing. Precise standards are emphasized. (Author/SA)

  13. Thermal airborne multispectral aster simulator and its preliminary results

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mills, F.; Kannari, Y.; Watanabe, H.; Sano, M.; Chang, S. H.

    1994-03-01

    An Airborne ASTER Simulator (AAS) is being developed for the Japan Resources Observation System Organization (JAROS) by the Geophysical Environmental Research (GER) Corporation. The first test flights of the AAS were over Cuprite, Nevada; Long Valley, California; and Death Valley, California, in December 1991. Preliminary laboratory tests at NASA's Stennis Space Center (SSC) were completed in April 1992. The results of the these tests indicate the AAS can discriminate between silicate and non-silicate rocks. The improvements planned for the next two years may give a spectral Full-Width at Half-Maximum (FWHM) of 0.3 μm and NEΔT of 0.2 - 0.5°K. The AAS has the potential to become a good tool for airborne TIR research and can be used for simulations of future satellite-borne TIR sensors. Flight tests over Cuprite, Nevada, and Castaic Lake, California, are planned for October-December 1992.

  14. UAS-Borne Photogrammetry for Surface Topographic Characterization: A Ground-Truth Baseline for Future Change Detection and Refinement of Scaled Remotely-Sensed Datasets

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Coppersmith, R.; Schultz-Fellenz, E. S.; Sussman, A. J.; Vigil, S.; Dzur, R.; Norskog, K.; Kelley, R.; Miller, L.

    2015-12-01

    While long-term objectives of monitoring and verification regimes include remote characterization and discrimination of surficial geologic and topographic features at sites of interest, ground truth data is required to advance development of remote sensing techniques. Increasingly, it is desirable for these ground-based or ground-proximal characterization methodologies to be as nimble, efficient, non-invasive, and non-destructive as their higher-altitude airborne counterparts while ideally providing superior resolution. For this study, the area of interest is an alluvial site at the Nevada National Security Site intended for use in the Source Physics Experiment's (Snelson et al., 2013) second phase. Ground-truth surface topographic characterization was performed using a DJI Inspire 1 unmanned aerial system (UAS), at very low altitude (< 5-30m AGL). 2D photographs captured by the standard UAS camera payload were imported into Agisoft Photoscan to create three-dimensional point clouds. Within the area of interest, careful installation of surveyed ground control fiducial markers supplied necessary targets for field collection, and information for model georectification. The resulting model includes a Digital Elevation Model derived from 2D imagery. It is anticipated that this flexible and versatile characterization process will provide point cloud data resolution equivalent to a purely ground-based LiDAR scanning deployment (e.g., 1-2cm horizontal and vertical resolution; e.g., Sussman et al., 2012; Schultz-Fellenz et al., 2013). In addition to drastically increasing time efficiency in the field, the UAS method also allows for more complete coverage of the study area when compared to ground-based LiDAR. Comparison and integration of these data with conventionally-acquired airborne LiDAR data from a higher-altitude (~ 450m) platform will aid significantly in the refinement of technologies and detection capabilities of remote optical systems to identify and detect

  15. California Drought Effects on Sierra Trees Mapped by NASA

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2016-06-27

    California, reveals the devastating effect of California's ongoing drought on Sierra Nevada conifer forests. The map will be used to help the U.S. Forest Service assess and respond to the impacts of increased tree mortality caused by the drought, particularly where wildlands meet urban areas within the Sierra National Forest. After several years of extreme drought, the highly stressed conifers (trees or bushes that produce cones and are usually green year-round) of the Sierra Nevada are now more susceptible to bark beetles (Dendroctonus spp.). While bark beetles killing trees in the Sierra Nevada is a natural phenomenon, the scale of mortality in the last couple of years is far greater than previously observed. The U.S. Forest Service is using recent airborne spectroscopic measurements from NASA's Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) instrument aboard NASA's ER-2 aircraft, together with new advanced algorithms, to quantify this impact over this large region of rugged terrain. The high-altitude ER-2 aircraft is based at NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center, Edwards, California. The image was created by scientists at the USFS's Pacific Southwest Region Remote Sensing Lab, McClellan, California, by performing a time series analysis of AVIRIS images. Scientists evaluated baseline tree mortality on public lands in the summer of 2015 using a machine learning algorithm called "random forest." This algorithm classifies the AVIRIS measurements as dominated by either shrubs, healthy trees or newly dead conifer trees. To quantify how much the amount of dead vegetation increased during the fall of 2015, the Forest Service scientists conducted an advanced spectral mixture analysis. This analysis evaluates each spectrum to determine the fraction of green vegetation, dead vegetation and soil. The full spectral range of AVIRIS is important to separate the signatures of soil and dead vegetation. To produce this comprehensive Sierra National Forest tree

  16. Airborne High Spectral Resolution Lidar Aerosol Measurements during MILAGRO and TEXAQS/GOMACCS

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ferrare, Richard; Hostetler, Chris; Hair, John; Cook Anthony; Harper, David; Burton, Sharon; Clayton, Marian; Clarke, Antony; Russell, Phil; Redemann, Jens

    2007-01-01

    Two1 field experiments conducted during 2006 provided opportunities to investigate the variability of aerosol properties near cities and the impacts of these aerosols on air quality and radiative transfer. The Megacity Initiative: Local and Global Research Observations (MILAGRO) /Megacity Aerosol Experiment in Mexico City (MAX-MEX)/Intercontinental Chemical Transport Experiment-B (INTEX-B) joint experiment conducted during March 2006 investigated the evolution and transport of pollution from Mexico City. The Texas Air Quality Study (TEXAQS)/Gulf of Mexico Atmospheric Composition and Climate Study (GoMACCS) (http://www.al.noaa.gov/2006/) conducted during August and September 2006 investigated climate and air quality in the Houston/Gulf of Mexico region. During both missions, the new NASA Langley airborne High Spectral Resolution Lidar (HSRL) was deployed on the NASA Langley B200 King Air aircraft and measured profiles of aerosol extinction, backscattering, and depolarization to: 1) characterize the spatial and vertical distributions of aerosols, 2) quantify aerosol extinction and optical thickness contributed by various aerosol types, 3) investigate aerosol variability near clouds, 4) evaluate model simulations of aerosol transport, and 5) assess aerosol optical properties derived from a combination of surface, airborne, and satellite measurements.

  17. NASA/ESACV-990 spacelab simulation. Appendix B: Experiment development and performance

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Reller, J. O., Jr.; Neel, C. B.; Haughney, L. C.

    1976-01-01

    Eight experiments flown on the CV-990 airborne laboratory during the NASA/ESA joint Spacelab simulation mission are described in terms of their physical arrangement in the aircraft, their scientific objectives, developmental considerations dictated by mission requirements, checkout, integration into the aircraft, and the inflight operation and performance of the experiments.

  18. Development of NASA's Next Generation L-Band Digital Beamforming Synthetic Aperture Radar (DBSAR-2)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Rincon, Rafael; Fatoyinbo, Temilola; Osmanoglu, Batuhan; Lee, Seung-Kuk; Ranson, K. Jon; Marrero, Victor; Yeary, Mark

    2014-01-01

    NASA's Next generation Digital Beamforming SAR (DBSAR-2) is a state-of-the-art airborne L-band radar developed at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC). The instrument builds upon the advanced architectures in NASA's DBSAR-1 and EcoSAR instruments. The new instrument employs a 16-channel radar architecture characterized by multi-mode operation, software defined waveform generation, digital beamforming, and configurable radar parameters. The instrument has been design to support several disciplines in Earth and Planetary sciences. The instrument was recently completed, and tested and calibrated in a anechoic chamber.

  19. Airborne Precision Spacing for Dependent Parallel Operations Interface Study

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Volk, Paul M.; Takallu, M. A.; Hoffler, Keith D.; Weiser, Jarold; Turner, Dexter

    2012-01-01

    This paper describes a usability study of proposed cockpit interfaces to support Airborne Precision Spacing (APS) operations for aircraft performing dependent parallel approaches (DPA). NASA has proposed an airborne system called Pair Dependent Speed (PDS) which uses their Airborne Spacing for Terminal Arrival Routes (ASTAR) algorithm to manage spacing intervals. Interface elements were designed to facilitate the input of APS-DPA spacing parameters to ASTAR, and to convey PDS system information to the crew deemed necessary and/or helpful to conduct the operation, including: target speed, guidance mode, target aircraft depiction, and spacing trend indication. In the study, subject pilots observed recorded simulations using the proposed interface elements in which the ownship managed assigned spacing intervals from two other arriving aircraft. Simulations were recorded using the Aircraft Simulation for Traffic Operations Research (ASTOR) platform, a medium-fidelity simulator based on a modern Boeing commercial glass cockpit. Various combinations of the interface elements were presented to subject pilots, and feedback was collected via structured questionnaires. The results of subject pilot evaluations show that the proposed design elements were acceptable, and that preferable combinations exist within this set of elements. The results also point to potential improvements to be considered for implementation in future experiments.

  20. High Resolution Airborne Digital Imagery for Precision Agriculture

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Herwitz, Stanley R.

    1998-01-01

    The Environmental Research Aircraft and Sensor Technology (ERAST) program is a NASA initiative that seeks to demonstrate the application of cost-effective aircraft and sensor technology to private commercial ventures. In 1997-98, a series of flight-demonstrations and image acquisition efforts were conducted over the Hawaiian Islands using a remotely-piloted solar- powered platform (Pathfinder) and a fixed-wing piloted aircraft (Navajo) equipped with a Kodak DCS450 CIR (color infrared) digital camera. As an ERAST Science Team Member, I defined a set of flight lines over the largest coffee plantation in Hawaii: the Kauai Coffee Company's 4,000 acre Koloa Estate. Past studies have demonstrated the applications of airborne digital imaging to agricultural management. Few studies have examined the usefulness of high resolution airborne multispectral imagery with 10 cm pixel sizes. The Kodak digital camera integrated with ERAST's Airborne Real Time Imaging System (ARTIS) which generated multiband CCD images consisting of 6 x 106 pixel elements. At the designated flight altitude of 1,000 feet over the coffee plantation, pixel size was 10 cm. The study involved the analysis of imagery acquired on 5 March 1998 for the detection of anomalous reflectance values and for the definition of spectral signatures as indicators of tree vigor and treatment effectiveness (e.g., drip irrigation; fertilizer application).

  1. NASA Dryden DC-8 maintenance crew members inspect the aircraft prior to take-off for an AirSAR 2004 flight

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2004-03-06

    NASA Dryden DC-8 maintenance crew members inspect the aircraft prior to take-off. L-R; Scott Silver, Paul Ristrim and Mike Lakowski. AirSAR 2004 Mesoamerica is a three-week expedition by an international team of scientists that uses an all-weather imaging tool, called the Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (AirSAR) which is located onboard NASA's DC-8 airborne laboratory. Scientists from many parts of the world including NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory are combining ground research done in several areas in Central America with NASA's AirSAR technology to improve and expand on the quality of research they are able to conduct. The radar, developed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, can penetrate clouds and also collect data at night. Its high-resolution sensors operate at multiple wavelengths and modes, allowing AirSAR to see beneath treetops, through thin sand, and dry snow pack. AirSAR's 2004 campaign is a collaboration of many U.S. and Central American institutions and scientists, including NASA; the National Science Foundation; the Smithsonian Institution; National Geographic; Conservation International; the Organization of Tropical Studies; the Central American Commission for Environment and Development; and the Inter-American Development Bank.

  2. NASA Dryden Mission Manager Walter Klein poses with school children that visited the airport during AirSAR 2004

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2004-03-08

    NASA Dryden Mission Manager Walter Klein poses with school children that visited the airport during AirSAR 2004. In spanish, he explained to them the mission of the DC-8 AirSAR 2004 Mesoamerican campaign in Costa Rica. AirSAR 2004 Mesoamerica is a three-week expedition by an international team of scientists that uses an all-weather imaging tool, called the Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (AirSAR) which is located onboard NASA's DC-8 airborne laboratory. Scientists from many parts of the world including NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory are combining ground research done in several areas in Central America with NASA's AirSAR technology to improve and expand on the quality of research they are able to conduct. The radar, developed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, can penetrate clouds and also collect data at night. Its high-resolution sensors operate at multiple wavelengths and modes, allowing AirSAR to see beneath treetops, through thin sand, and dry snow pack. AirSAR's 2004 campaign is a collaboration of many U.S. and Central American institutions and scientists, including NASA; the National Science Foundation; the Smithsonian Institution; National Geographic; Conservation International; the Organization of Tropical Studies; the Central American Commission for Environment and Development; and the Inter-American Development Bank.

  3. Developing Toolsets for AirBorne Data (TAD): Overview of Design Concept

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Parker, L.; Perez, J.; Chen, G.; Benson, A.; Peeters, M. C.

    2013-12-01

    NASA has conducted airborne tropospheric chemistry studies for about three decades. These field campaigns have generated a great wealth of observations, including a wide range of the trace gases and aerosol properties. Even though the spatial and temporal coverage is limited, the aircraft data offer high resolution and comprehensive simultaneous coverage of many variables, e.g. ozone precursors, intermediate photochemical species, and photochemical products. The recent NASA Earth Venture Program has generated an unprecedented amount of aircraft observations in terms of the sheer number of measurements and data volume. The ASDC Toolset for Airborne Data (TAD) is being designed to meet the user community needs for aircraft data for scientific research on climate change and air quality relevant issues, particularly: 1) Provide timely access to a broad user community, 2) Provide an intuitive user interface to facilitate quick discovery of the variables and data, 3) Provide data products and tools to facilitate model assessment activities, e.g., merge files and data subsetting capabilities, 4) Provide simple utility 'calculators', e.g., unit conversion and aerosol size distribution processing, and 5) Provide Web Coverage Service capable tools to enhance the data usability. The general strategy and design of TAD will be presented.

  4. Modelling of Singapore's topographic transformation based on DEMs

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Tao; Belle, Iris; Hassler, Uta

    2015-02-01

    Singapore's topography has been heavily transformed by industrialization and urbanization processes. To investigate topographic changes and evaluate soil mass flows, historical topographic maps of 1924 and 2012 were employed, and basic topographic features were vectorized. Digital elevation models (DEMs) for the two years were reconstructed based on vector features. Corresponding slope maps, a surface difference map and a scatter plot of elevation changes were generated and used to quantify and categorize the nature of the topographic transformation. The surface difference map is aggregated into five main categories of changes: (1) areas without significant height changes, (2) lowered-down areas where hill ranges were cut down, (3) raised-up areas where valleys and swamps were filled in, (4) reclaimed areas from the sea, and (5) new water-covered areas. Considering spatial proximity and configurations of different types of changes, topographic transformation can be differentiated as either creating inland flat areas or reclaiming new land from the sea. Typical topographic changes are discussed in the context of Singapore's urbanization processes. The two slope maps and elevation histograms show that generally, the topographic surface of Singapore has become flatter and lower since 1924. More than 89% of height changes have happened within a range of 20 m and 95% have been below 40 m. Because of differences in land surveying and map drawing methods, uncertainties and inaccuracies inherent in the 1924 topographic maps are discussed in detail. In this work, a modified version of a traditional scatter plot is used to present height transformation patterns intuitively. This method of deriving categorical maps of topographical changes from a surface difference map can be used in similar studies to qualitatively interpret transformation. Slope maps and histograms were also used jointly to reveal additional patterns of topographic change.

  5. Close-up view of Grey Glacier from Lago Grey (Grey Lake), taken during NASA's AirSAR 2004 campaign in Chile

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2004-03-11

    Close-up view of Grey Glacier from Lago Grey (Grey Lake), taken during NASA's AirSAR 2004 campaign in Chile. AirSAR 2004 is a three-week expedition in Central and South America by an international team of scientists that is using an all-weather imaging tool, called the Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (AirSAR), located onboard NASA's DC-8 airborne laboratory. Scientists from many parts of the world are combining ground research with NASA's AirSAR technology to improve and expand on the quality of research they are able to conduct. Founded in 1959, Torres del Paine National Park encompasses 450,000 acres in the Patagonia region of Chile. This region is being studied by NASA using a DC-8 equipped with an Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (AirSAR) developed by scientists from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. This is a very sensitive region that is important to scientists because the temperature has been consistently rising causing a subsequent melting of the region’s glaciers. AirSAR will provide a baseline model and unprecedented mapping of the region. This data will make it possible to determine whether the warming trend is slowing, continuing or accelerating. AirSAR will also provide reliable information on ice shelf thickness to measure the contribution of the glaciers to sea level.

  6. A cave in Glacier Grey in Torres del Paine National Park, seen during NASA's AirSAR 2004 campaign in Chile

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2004-03-11

    A cave in Glacier Grey in Torres del Paine National Park, seen during NASA's AirSAR 2004 campaign in Chile. AirSAR 2004 is a three-week expedition in Central and South America by an international team of scientists that is using an all-weather imaging tool, called the Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (AirSAR), located onboard NASA's DC-8 airborne laboratory. Scientists from many parts of the world are combining ground research with NASA's AirSAR technology to improve and expand on the quality of research they are able to conduct. Founded in 1959, Torres del Paine National Park encompasses 450,000 acres in the Patagonia region of Chile. This region is being studied by NASA using a DC-8 equipped with an Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (AirSAR) developed by scientists from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. This is a very sensitive region that is important to scientists because the temperature has been consistently rising causing a subsequent melting of the region’s glaciers. AirSAR will provide a baseline model and unprecedented mapping of the region. This data will make it possible to determine whether the warming trend is slowing, continuing or accelerating. AirSAR will also provide reliable information on ice shelf thickness to measure the contribution of the glaciers to sea level.

  7. The Cuernos del Paine mountains in Torres del Paine National Park in Chile, photographed during NASA's AirSAR 2004 campaign

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2004-03-11

    The Cuernos del Paine mountains in Torres del Paine National Park in Chile, photographed during NASA's AirSAR 2004 campaign. AirSAR 2004 is a three-week expedition in Central and South America by an international team of scientists that is using an all-weather imaging tool, called the Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (AirSAR), located onboard NASA's DC-8 airborne laboratory. Scientists from many parts of the world are combining ground research with NASA's AirSAR technology to improve and expand on the quality of research they are able to conduct. Founded in 1959, Torres del Paine National Park encompasses 450,000 acres in the Patagonia region of Chile. This region is being studied by NASA using a DC-8 equipped with an Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (AirSAR) developed by scientists from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. This is a very sensitive region that is important to scientists because the temperature has been consistently rising causing a subsequent melting of the region’s glaciers. AirSAR will provide a baseline model and unprecedented mapping of the region. This data will make it possible to determine whether the warming trend is slowing, continuing or accelerating. AirSAR will also provide reliable information on ice shelf thickness to measure the contribution of the glaciers to sea level.

  8. Application of remote thermal scanning to the NASA energy conservation program

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bowman, R. L.; Jack, J. R.

    1977-01-01

    Airborne thermal scans of all NASA centers were made during 1975 and 1976. The remotely sensed data were used to identify a variety of heat losses, including those from building roofs and central heating system distribution lines. Thermal imagery from several NASA centers is presented to demonstrate the capability of detecting these heat losses remotely. Many heat loss areas located by the scan data were verified by ground surveys. At this point, at least for such energy-intensive areas, thermal scanning is an excellent means of detecting many possible energy losses.

  9. An airborne remote sensing system for urban air quality

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Duncan, L. J.; Friedman, E. J.; Keitz, E. L.; Ward, E. A.

    1974-01-01

    Several NASA sponsored remote sensors and possible airborne platforms were evaluated. Outputs of dispersion models for SO2 and CO pollution in the Washington, D.C. area were used with ground station data to establish the expected performance and limitations of the remote sensors. Aircraft/sensor support requirements are discussed. A method of optimum flight plan determination was made. Cost trade offs were performed. Conclusions about the implementation of various instrument packages as parts of a comprehensive air quality monitoring system in Washington are presented.

  10. NASA Turbulence Technologies In-Service Evaluation: Delta Air Lines Report-Out

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Amaral, Christian; Dickson, Steve; Watts, Bill

    2007-01-01

    Concluding an in-service evaluation of two new turbulence detection technologies developed in the Turbulence Prediction and Warning Systems (TPAWS) element of the NASA Aviation Safety and Security Program's Weather Accident Prevention Project (WxAP), this report documents Delta's experience working with the technologies, feedback gained from pilots and dispatchers concerning current turbulence techniques and procedures, and Delta's recommendations regarding directions for further efforts by the research community. Technologies evaluated included an automatic airborne turbulence encounter reporting technology called the Turbulence Auto PIREP System (TAPS), and a significant enhancement to the ability of modern airborne weather radars to predict and display turbulence of operational significance, called E-Turb radar.

  11. Subsetting Tools for Enabling Easy Access to International Airborne Chemistry Data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Northup, E. A.; Chen, G.; Quam, B. M.; Beach, A. L., III; Silverman, M. L.; Early, A. B.

    2017-12-01

    In response to the Research Opportunities in Earth and Space Science (ROSES) 2015 release announcement for Advancing Collaborative Connections for Earth System Science (ACCESS), researchers at NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) proposed to extend the capabilities of the existing Toolsets for Airborne Data (TAD) to include subsetting functionality to allow for easier access to international airborne field campaign data. Airborne field studies are commonly used to gain a detailed understanding of atmospheric processes for scientific research on international climate change and air quality issues. To accommodate the rigorous process for manipulating airborne field study chemistry data, and to lessen barriers for researchers, TAD was created with the ability to geolocate data from various sources measured on different time scales from a single flight. The analysis of airborne chemistry data typically requires data subsetting, which can be challenging and resource-intensive for end users. In an effort to streamline this process, new data subsetting features and updates to the current database model will be added to the TAD toolset. These will include two subsetters: temporal and spatial, and vertical profile. The temporal and spatial subsetter will allow users to both focus on data from a specific location and/or time period. The vertical profile subsetter will retrieve data collected during an individual aircraft ascent or descent spiral. These new web-based tools will allow for automation of the typically labor-intensive manual data subsetting process, which will provide users with data tailored to their specific research interests. The system has been designed to allow for new in-situ airborne missions to be added as they become available, with only minor pre-processing required. The development of these enhancements will be discussed in this presentation.

  12. Airborne wireless communication systems, airborne communication methods, and communication methods

    DOEpatents

    Deaton, Juan D [Menan, ID; Schmitt, Michael J [Idaho Falls, ID; Jones, Warren F [Idaho Falls, ID

    2011-12-13

    An airborne wireless communication system includes circuitry configured to access information describing a configuration of a terrestrial wireless communication base station that has become disabled. The terrestrial base station is configured to implement wireless communication between wireless devices located within a geographical area and a network when the terrestrial base station is not disabled. The circuitry is further configured, based on the information, to configure the airborne station to have the configuration of the terrestrial base station. An airborne communication method includes answering a 911 call from a terrestrial cellular wireless phone using an airborne wireless communication system.

  13. Through the Looking Glass: Droughtorama to Snowpocalypse in the Sierra Nevada as studied with the NASA Airborne Snow Observatory

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Painter, T. H.; Bormann, K.; Deems, J. S.; Hedrick, A. R.; Marks, D. G.; Skiles, M.; Stock, G. M.

    2017-12-01

    Across the last five years, the Sierra Nevada has seen increasing drought and then an abrupt return to a top five snowpack. Fortunately, the NASA Airborne Snow Observatory has been flying the Central Sierra Nevada since the spring of 2013, quantifying critical mountain basins' snow water equivalent and snow albedo. The huge variation of snowpack years captured by the NASA ASO is of enormous benefit to water cycle science, ecosystem science, and water management utilization of ASO data and its modeling. It allows a much broader understanding of mountain basin snow season cases for understanding snowmelt runoff, snow/rain mixes, snowfall distribution, evapotranspiration, soil moisture, and glacier mass balance. For water management, trust in empirical and physically-based modeling from the ASO data for application anywhere in the range of snow years is greatly improved by having consistency in that modeling with the span of years ASO has characterized. The NASA ASO was designed to characterize mountain snowpack and fill this void in water cycle science. Our original conversations with partner California Department of Water Resources in 2011 focused on the utility of ASO for flood risk mitigation, given the large snowfall of that year. However, from 2012 through 2016, California snowpacks expressed horrible drought, reaching the nadir in 2015 with the lowest snowpack on record. The 2016 snowpack was nearly normal according to snow pillows and snow courses (ASO's record is too short to define a `normal' year). However, 2017 had enormous snowfall in January and February, keeping snow pillows on track with the largest year on record, 1982-83. However, March backed off and the record year was lost. Still, accumulation was enormous. In parts of the San Joaquin basin, snow depths were > 30 m. The sum of near April 1 ASO total basin SWE for 2013 through 2016 in the Tuolumne Basin was only 92% of the near April 1, 2017 acquisition. In addition to the large accumulation of

  14. A spider photographed during NASA's AirSAR 2004 Mesoamerica campaign in the La Selva region of the Costa Rican rain forest

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2004-03-04

    A spider photographed during NASA's AirSAR 2004 Mesoamerica campaign in the La Selva region of the Costa Rican rain forest. AirSAR 2004 Mesoamerica is a three-week expedition by an international team of scientists that uses an all-weather imaging tool, called the Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (AirSAR) which is located onboard NASA's DC-8 airborne laboratory. Scientists from many parts of the world including NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory are combining ground research done in several areas in Central America with NASA's AirSAR technology to improve and expand on the quality of research they are able to conduct. The radar, developed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, can penetrate clouds and also collect data at night. Its high-resolution sensors operate at multiple wavelengths and modes, allowing AirSAR to see beneath treetops, through thin sand, and dry snow pack. AirSAR's 2004 campaign is a collaboration of many U.S. and Central American institutions and scientists, including NASA; the National Science Foundation; the Smithsonian Institution; National Geographic; Conservation International; the Organization of Tropical Studies; the Central American Commission for Environment and Development; and the Inter-American Development Bank.

  15. Preliminary Assessment of Operational Hazards and Safety Requirements for Airborne Trajectory Management (ABTM) Roadmap Applications

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cotton, William B.; Hilb, Robert; Koczo, Stefan, Jr.; Wing, David J.

    2016-01-01

    A set of five developmental steps building from the NASA TASAR (Traffic Aware Strategic Aircrew Requests) concept are described, each providing incrementally more efficiency and capacity benefits to airspace system users and service providers, culminating in a Full Airborne Trajectory Management capability. For each of these steps, the incremental Operational Hazards and Safety Requirements are identified for later use in future formal safety assessments intended to lead to certification and operational approval of the equipment and the associated procedures. Two established safety assessment methodologies that are compliant with the FAA's Safety Management System were used leading to Failure Effects Classifications (FEC) for each of the steps. The most likely FEC for the first three steps, Basic TASAR, Digital TASAR, and 4D TASAR, is "No effect". For step four, Strategic Airborne Trajectory Management, the likely FEC is "Minor". For Full Airborne Trajectory Management (Step 5), the most likely FEC is "Major".

  16. NASA Dryden's UAS Service Capabilities

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bauer, Jeff

    2007-01-01

    The vision of NASA s Dryden Flight Research Center is to "fly what others only imagine." Its mission is to advance technology and science through flight. Objectives supporting the mission include performing flight research and technology integration to revolutionize aviation and pioneer aerospace technology, validating space exploration concepts, conducting airborne remote sensing and science missions, and supporting operations of the Space Shuttle and the International Space Station. A significant focus of effort in recent years has been on Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), both in support of the Airborne Science Program and as research vehicles to advance the state of the art in UAS. Additionally, the Center has used its piloted aircraft in support of UAS technology development. In order to facilitate greater access to the UAS expertise that exists at the Center, that expertise has been organized around three major capabilities. The first is access to high-altitude, long-endurance UAS. The second is the establishment of a test range for small UAS. The third is safety case assessment support.

  17. Crosscutting Airborne Remote Sensing Technologies for Oil and Gas and Earth Science Applications

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Aubrey, A. D.; Frankenberg, C.; Green, R. O.; Eastwood, M. L.; Thompson, D. R.; Thorpe, A. K.

    2015-01-01

    Airborne imaging spectroscopy has evolved dramatically since the 1980s as a robust remote sensing technique used to generate 2-dimensional maps of surface properties over large spatial areas. Traditional applications for passive airborne imaging spectroscopy include interrogation of surface composition, such as mapping of vegetation diversity and surface geological composition. Two recent applications are particularly relevant to the needs of both the oil and gas as well as government sectors: quantification of surficial hydrocarbon thickness in aquatic environments and mapping atmospheric greenhouse gas components. These techniques provide valuable capabilities for petroleum seepage in addition to detection and quantification of fugitive emissions. New empirical data that provides insight into the source strength of anthropogenic methane will be reviewed, with particular emphasis on the evolving constraints enabled by new methane remote sensing techniques. Contemporary studies attribute high-strength point sources as significantly contributing to the national methane inventory and underscore the need for high performance remote sensing technologies that provide quantitative leak detection. Imaging sensors that map spatial distributions of methane anomalies provide effective techniques to detect, localize, and quantify fugitive leaks. Airborne remote sensing instruments provide the unique combination of high spatial resolution (<1 m) and large coverage required to directly attribute methane emissions to individual emission sources. This capability cannot currently be achieved using spaceborne sensors. In this study, results from recent NASA remote sensing field experiments focused on point-source leak detection, will be highlighted. This includes existing quantitative capabilities for oil and methane using state-of-the-art airborne remote sensing instruments. While these capabilities are of interest to NASA for assessment of environmental impact and global climate

  18. Soil Moisture Retrieval with Airborne PALS Instrument over Agricultural Areas in SMAPVEX16

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Colliander, Andreas; Jackson, Thomas J.; Cosh, Mike; Misra, Sidharth; Bindlish, Rajat; Powers, Jarrett; McNairn, Heather; Bullock, P.; Berg, A.; Magagi, A.; hide

    2017-01-01

    NASA's SMAP (Soil Moisture Active Passive) calibration and validation program revealed that the soil moisture products are experiencing difficulties in meeting the mission requirements in certain agricultural areas. Therefore, the mission organized airborne field experiments at two core validation sites to investigate these anomalies. The SMAP Validation Experiment 2016 included airborne observations with the PALS (Passive Active L-band Sensor) instrument and intensive ground sampling. The goal of the PALS measurements are to investigate the soil moisture retrieval algorithm formulation and parameterization under the varying (spatially and temporally) conditions of the agricultural domains and to obtain high resolution soil moisture maps within the SMAP pixels. In this paper the soil moisture retrieval using the PALS brightness temperature observations in SMAPVEX16 is presented.

  19. Simulation of a weather radar display for over-water airborne radar approaches

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Clary, G. R.

    1983-01-01

    Airborne radar approach (ARA) concepts are being investigated as a part of NASA's Rotorcraft All-Weather Operations Research Program on advanced guidance and navigation methods. This research is being conducted using both piloted simulations and flight test evaluations. For the piloted simulations, a mathematical model of the airborne radar was developed for over-water ARAs to offshore platforms. This simulated flight scenario requires radar simulation of point targets, such as oil rigs and ships, distributed sea clutter, and transponder beacon replies. Radar theory, weather radar characteristics, and empirical data derived from in-flight radar photographs are combined to model a civil weather/mapping radar typical of those used in offshore rotorcraft operations. The resulting radar simulation is realistic and provides the needed simulation capability for ongoing ARA research.

  20. Topographic Steering of Enhanced Ice Flow at the Bottleneck Between East and West Antarctica

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Winter, Kate; Ross, Neil; Ferraccioli, Fausto; Jordan, Tom A.; Corr, Hugh F. J.; Forsberg, René; Matsuoka, Kenichi; Olesen, Arne V.; Casal, Tania G.

    2018-05-01

    Hypothesized drawdown of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet through the "bottleneck" zone between East and West Antarctica would have significant impacts for a large proportion of the Antarctic Ice Sheet. Earth observation satellite orbits and a sparseness of radio echo sounding data have restricted investigations of basal boundary controls on ice flow in this region until now. New airborne radio echo sounding surveys reveal complex topography of high relief beneath the southernmost Weddell/Ross ice divide, with three subglacial troughs connecting interior Antarctica to the Foundation and Patuxent Ice Streams and Siple Coast ice streams. These troughs route enhanced ice flow through the interior of Antarctica but limit potential drawdown of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet through the bottleneck zone. In a thinning or retreating scenario, these topographically controlled corridors of enhanced flow could however drive ice divide migration and increase mass discharge from interior West Antarctica to the Southern Ocean.

  1. Airborne tests of an OAWL Doppler lidar: Results and potential for space deployment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hardesty, Michael; Tucker, Sara; Baidar, Sunil; Beubien, Mark

    2018-04-01

    The 532 nm Green Optical Covariance Wind Lidar (GrOAWL) was flown on a NASA WB-57 research aircraft during the summer of 2016 to validate the instrument design and evaluate wind measurement capability and sensitivity. Comparisons with dropsondes and atmospheric models showed good agreement, demonstrating that a GrOAWL type instrument could provide high-value wind measurements from both airborne and space-based platforms

  2. Comparison of Ground-Based and Airborne Function Allocation Concepts for NextGen Using Human-In-The-Loop Simulations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wing, David J.; Prevot, Thomas; Murdoch, Jennifer L.; Cabrall, Christopher D.; Homola, Jeffrey R.; Martin, Lynne H.; Mercer, Joey S.; Hoadley, Sherwood T.; Wilson, Sara R.; Hubbs, Clay E.; hide

    2010-01-01

    Investigation of function allocation for the Next Generation Air Transportation System is being conducted by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). To provide insight on comparability of different function allocations for separation assurance, two human-in-the-loop simulation experiments were conducted on homogeneous airborne and ground-based approaches to four-dimensional trajectory-based operations, one referred to as ground-based automated separation assurance (groundbased) and the other as airborne trajectory management with self-separation (airborne). In the coordinated simulations at NASA s Ames and Langley Research Centers, controllers for the ground-based concept at Ames and pilots for the airborne concept at Langley managed the same traffic scenarios using the two different concepts. The common scenarios represented a significant increase in airspace demand over current operations. Using common independent variables, the simulations varied traffic density, scheduling constraints, and the timing of trajectory change events. Common metrics were collected to enable a comparison of relevant results. Where comparisons were possible, no substantial differences in performance or operator acceptability were observed. Mean schedule conformance and flight path deviation were considered adequate for both approaches. Conflict detection warning times and resolution times were mostly adequate, but certain conflict situations were detected too late to be resolved in a timely manner. This led to some situations in which safety was compromised and/or workload was rated as being unacceptable in both experiments. Operators acknowledged these issues in their responses and ratings but gave generally positive assessments of the respective concept and operations they experienced. Future studies will evaluate technical improvements and procedural enhancements to achieve the required level of safety and acceptability and will investigate the integration of

  3. The NRL 2011 Airborne Sea-Ice Thickness Campaign

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Brozena, J. M.; Gardner, J. M.; Liang, R.; Ball, D.; Richter-Menge, J.

    2011-12-01

    In March of 2011, the US Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) performed a study focused on the estimation of sea-ice thickness from airborne radar, laser and photogrammetric sensors. The study was funded by ONR to take advantage of the Navy's ICEX2011 ice-camp /submarine exercise, and to serve as a lead-in year for NRL's five year basic research program on the measurement and modeling of sea-ice scheduled to take place from 2012-2017. Researchers from the Army Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL) and NRL worked with the Navy Arctic Submarine Lab (ASL) to emplace a 9 km-long ground-truth line near the ice-camp (see Richter-Menge et al., this session) along which ice and snow thickness were directly measured. Additionally, US Navy submarines collected ice draft measurements under the groundtruth line. Repeat passes directly over the ground-truth line were flown and a grid surrounding the line was also flown to collect altimeter, LiDAR and Photogrammetry data. Five CRYOSAT-2 satellite tracks were underflown, as well, coincident with satellite passage. Estimates of sea ice thickness are calculated assuming local hydrostatic balance, and require the densities of water, ice and snow, snow depth, and freeboard (defined as the elevation of sea ice, plus accumulated snow, above local sea level). Snow thickness is estimated from the difference between LiDAR and radar altimeter profiles, the latter of which is assumed to penetrate any snow cover. The concepts we used to estimate ice thickness are similar to those employed in NASA ICEBRIDGE sea-ice thickness estimation. Airborne sensors used for our experiment were a Reigl Q-560 scanning topographic LiDAR, a pulse-limited (2 nS), 10 GHz radar altimeter and an Applanix DSS-439 digital photogrammetric camera (for lead identification). Flights were conducted on a Twin Otter aircraft from Pt. Barrow, AK, and averaged ~ 5 hours in duration. It is challenging to directly compare results from the swath LiDAR with the

  4. An Overview of New Technologies Driving Innovation in the Airborne Science Community

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Fladeland, Matthew M.

    2017-01-01

    Following a more than a century of scientific aircraft and ballooning there is a sense that a renaissance of sorts is at hand in the aviation industry. The advent of incredibly miniaturized autopilots, inertial navigation systems, GPS antennae, and payloads has sparked a revolution in manned and unmanned aircraft. Improved SATCOM and onboard computing has enabled realtime data processing and improved transfer of data on and off the aircraft, making flight planning and data collection more efficient and effective. Electric propulsion systems are scaling up to larger and larger vehicles as evidenced by the NASA GL-10, which is leading to a new X-plane and is leading to renewed interest in personal air vehicles. There is also significant private and government investments in the development of High Altitude, Long Endurance (HALE) aircraft. This presentation will explore how such developments are likely to improve our ability to observe earth systems processes from aircraft by providing an overview of current NASA Airborne Science capabilities, followed by a brief discussion of new technologies being applied to Airborne Science missions, and then conclude with an overview of new capabilities on the horizon that are likely to be of interest to the Earth Science community.

  5. A Overview of New Technologies Driving Innovation in the Airborne Science Community

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Fladeland, Matthew M.

    2017-01-01

    Following a more than a century of scientific aircraft and ballooning there is a sense that a renaissance of sorts is at hand in the aviation industry. The advent of incredibly miniaturized autopilots, inertial navigation systems, GPS antennae, and payloads has sparked a revolution in manned and unmanned aircraft. Improved SATCOM and onboard computing has enabled realtime data processing and improved transfer of data on and off the aircraft, making flight planning and data collection more efficient and effective. Electric propulsion systems are scaling up to larger and larger vehicles as evidenced by the NASA GL-10, which is leading to a new X-plane and is leading to renewed interest in personal air vehicles. There is also significant private and government investments in the development of High Altitude, Long Endurance (HALE) aircraft. This presentation will explore how such developments are likely to improve our ability to observe earth systems processes from aircraft by providing an overview of current NASA Airborne Science capabilities, followed by a brief discussion of new technologies being applied to Airborne Science missions, and then conclude with an overview of new capabilities on the horizon that are likely to be of interest to the Earth Science community.

  6. Topographic mapping of electroencephalography coherence in hypnagogic state.

    PubMed

    Tanaka, H; Hayashi, M; Hori, T

    1998-04-01

    The present study examined the topographic characteristics of hypnagogic electroencephalography (EEG), using topographic mapping of EEG power and coherence corresponding to nine EEG stages (Hori's hypnagogic EEG stages). EEG stages 1 and 2, the EEG stages 3-8, and the EEG stage 9 each correspond with standard sleep stage W, 1 and 2, respectively. The dominant topographic components of delta and theta activities increased clearly from the vertex sharp-wave stage (the EEG stages 6 and 7) in the anterior-central areas. The dominant topographic component of alpha 3 activities increased clearly from the EEG stage 9 in the anterior-central areas. The dominant topographic component of sigma activities increased clearly from the EEG stage 8 in the central-parietal area. These results suggested basic sleep process might start before the onset of sleep stage 2 or of the manually scored spindles.

  7. The Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (LOLA) on NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) mission

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Riris, H.; Cavanaugh, J.; Sun, X.; Liiva, P.; Rodriguez, M.; Neuman, G.

    2017-11-01

    The Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (LOLA) instrument [1-3] on NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) mission, launched on June 18th, 2009, from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, will provide a precise global lunar topographic map using laser altimetry. LOLA will assist in the selection of landing sites on the Moon for future robotic and human exploration missions and will attempt to detect the presence of water ice on or near the surface, which is one of the objectives of NASA's Exploration Program. Our present knowledge of the topography of the Moon is inadequate for determining safe landing areas for NASA's future lunar exploration missions. Only those locations, surveyed by the Apollo missions, are known with enough detail. Knowledge of the position and characteristics of the topographic features on the scale of a lunar lander are crucial for selecting safe landing sites. Our present knowledge of the rest of the lunar surface is at approximately 1 km kilometer level and in many areas, such as the lunar far side, is on the order of many kilometers. LOLA aims to rectify that and provide a precise map of the lunar surface on both the far and near side of the moon. LOLA uses short (6 ns) pulses from a single laser through a Diffractive Optical Element (DOE) to produce a five-beam pattern that illuminates the lunar surface. For each beam, LOLA measures the time of flight (range), pulse spreading (surface roughness), and transmit/return energy (surface reflectance). LOLA will produce a high-resolution global topographic model and global geodetic framework that enables precise targeting, safe landing, and surface mobility to carry out exploratory activities. In addition, it will characterize the polar illumination environment, and image permanently shadowed regions of the lunar surface to identify possible locations of surface ice crystals in shadowed polar craters.

  8. Airborne and spaceborne lasers for terrestrial geophysical sensing; Proceedings of the Meeting, Los Angeles, CA, Jan. 14, 15, 1988

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Allario, Frank (Editor)

    1988-01-01

    The present conference on airborne and spaceborne remote sensing laser applications discusses topics in atmospheric and geophysical sciences-related sensors, lidar and DIAL component and subsystem technologies, and coherent laser experiments and semiconductor laser technologies. Attention is given to airborne lidar measurement of aerosols, a ground-based injection-locked pulsed TEA laser for wind measurements, chemical/biological agent standoff detection methods, lidars for wind shear erosion, laser tuning to selected gas absorption lines in the atmosphere, the NASA lidar-in-space technology experiment, and the Laser Atmospheric Wind Sounder.

  9. The Role of the NASA Global Hawk Link Module as an Information Nexus For Atmospheric Mapping Missions

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Sullivan, D. V.

    2015-01-01

    The Link Module described in this paper was developed for the NASA Uninhabited Aerial System (UAS) Global Hawk Pacific Mission (GloPAC) Airborne Science Campaign; four flights of 30 hour duration, supporting the Aura Validation Experiment (AVE). It was used again during the Genesis and Rapid Intensification Processes (GRIP) experiment, a NASA Earth Science field experiment to better understand how tropical storms form and develop into major hurricanes. In these missions, the Link Module negotiated all communication over the high bandwidth Ku satellite link, archived all the science data from onboard experiments in a spatially enabled database, routed command and control of the instruments from the Global Hawk Operations Center, and re-transmitted select data sets directly to experimenters control and analysis systems. The availability of aggregated information from collections of sensors, and remote control capabilities, in real-time, is revolutionizing the way Airborne Science is being conducted. The Link Module NG now being flown in support of the NASA Earth Venture missions, the Hurricane and Severe Storm Sentinel (HS3) mission, and Airborne Tropical Tropopause Experiment (A TTREX) mission, has advanced data fusion technologies that are further advancing the Scientific productivity, flexibility and robustness of these systems. On-the-fly traffic shaping has been developed to allow the high definition video, used for critical flight control segments, to dynamically allocate variable bandwidth on demand. Historically, the Link Module evolved from the instrument and communication interface controller used by NASA's Pathfinder and Pathfinder plus solar powered UAS's in the late 1990' s. It later was expanded for use in the AIRDAS four channel scanner flown on the NASA Altus UAS, and then again to a module in the AMS twelve channel multispectral scanner flying on the NASA (Predator-b) Ikhana UAS. The current system is the answer to the challenges imposed by extremely

  10. Early results from NASA's SnowEx campaign

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kim, Edward; Gatebe, Charles; Hall, Dorothy; Misakonis, Amy; Elder, Kelly; Marshall, Hans Peter; Hiemstra, Chris; Brucker, Ludovic; Crawford, Chris; Kang, Do Hyuk; De Marco, Eugenia; Beckley, Matt; Entin, Jared

    2017-04-01

    . Snow simply varies too much. Thus, the snow community consensus is that a multi-sensor approach is needed to adequately address global snow, combined with modeling and data assimilation. What remains at issue, then, is how best to combine and use the various sensors in an optimal way. That requires field measurements. NASA's SnowEx airborne campaign is designed to do exactly that. A list of core sensors is as follows. All are from NASA unless otherwise noted. • Radar (volume scattering): European Space Agency's SnowSAR, operated by MetaSensing • Lidar & hyperspectral imager: Airborne Snow Observatory (ASO) • Passive microwave: Airborne Earth Science Microwave Imaging Radiometer (AESMIR) • Bi-directional Reflectance Function (BRDF): the Cloud Absorption Radiometer (CAR) • Thermal Infrared imager • Thermal infrared non-imager from U. Washington • Video camera The ASO suite flew on a King Air, and the other sensors flew on a Navy P-3. In addition, two NASA radars flew on G-III aircraft to test more experimental retrieval techniques: • InSAR altimetry: Glacier and Ice Surface Topography Interferometer (GLISTIN-A) • Radar phase delay: Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar, (UAVSAR)

  11. In Situ Soil Moisture and Thaw Depth Measurements Coincident with Airborne SAR Data Collections, Barrow and Seward Peninsulas, Alaska, 2017

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Cathy Wilson; Julian Dann; Robert Bolton

    The in-situ soil moisture and thaw depth measurements provided in this dataset were collected coincident with airborne overflights of L- and P-band SAR instruments at the NGEE Arctic study site near Barrow, on the North Slope, and at the three study sites on the Seward Peninsula, Alaska. Field measurements and flights were conducted during the summer of 2017 as a collaboration between the NASA ABoVE Project's Airborne SAR Campaign and the NGEE Arctic Project. ABoVE protocols for establishing field measurement plots were followed.

  12. Erik Lindbergh, grandson of famed aviator Charles Lindbergh, yanks the bunting to reveal the Clipper Lindbergh name on NASA's SOFIA 747SP on June 27, 2007

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2007-06-27

    Erik Lindbergh, grandson of famed aviator Charles Lindbergh, yanks the bunting to reveal the Clipper Lindbergh name on NASA's SOFIA Boeing 747SP on June 27, 2007. More than 250 VIPs, news media and guests joined NASA, DLR, USRA and other SOFIA staff for the debut of the airborne observatory at NASA Dryden.

  13. An Airborne Conical Scanning Millimeter-Wave Imaging Radiometer (CoSMIR)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Piepmeier, J.; Racette, P.; Wang, J.; Crites, A.; Doiron, T.; Engler, C.; Lecha, J.; Powers, M.; Simon, E.; Triesky, M.; hide

    2001-01-01

    An airborne Conical Scanning Millimeter-wave Imaging Radiometer (CoSMIR) for high-altitude observations from the NASA Research Aircraft (ER-2) is discussed. The primary application of the CoSMIR is water vapor profile remote sensing. Four radiometers operating at 50 (three channels), 92, 150, and 183 (three channels) GHz provide spectral coverage identical to nine of the Special Sensor Microwave Imager/Sounder (SSMIS) high-frequency channels. Constant polarization-basis conical and cross-track scanning capabilities are achieved using an elevation-under-azimuth two-axis gimbals.

  14. Airborne precursor missions in support of SIR-C/X-SAR

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Evans, D.; Oettl, H.; Pampaloni, P.

    1991-01-01

    The NASA DC-8 and DLR E-SAR airborne imaging radars have been deployed over several sites in Europe and the U.S. in support of SIR-C/X-SAR (Shuttle Imaging Radar-C/X-Synthetic Aperture Radar) science team investigations. To date, data have been acquired in support of studies of alpine glaciers, forests, geology, oceanography, and calibration. An experimental campaign with airborne sensors will take place in Europe in June to July 1991 which will allow multitemporal surveys of several Europeans sites. Current plans are for calibration and ecology experiments to be undertaken in Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, France, and the United Kingdom. Coordinated multitemporal aircraft and ground campaigns are planned in support of hydrology experiments in Italy, the United Kingdom, and Austria. Data will also be acquired in support of oceanogrqhy in the Gulf of Genova, North Atlantic, Straits of Messina and the North Sea. Geology sites will include Campi Flegrei and Vesuvio, Italy.

  15. Simulating and quantifying legacy topographic data uncertainty: an initial step to advancing topographic change analyses

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wasklewicz, Thad; Zhu, Zhen; Gares, Paul

    2017-12-01

    Rapid technological advances, sustained funding, and a greater recognition of the value of topographic data have helped develop an increasing archive of topographic data sources. Advances in basic and applied research related to Earth surface changes require researchers to integrate recent high-resolution topography (HRT) data with the legacy datasets. Several technical challenges and data uncertainty issues persist to date when integrating legacy datasets with more recent HRT data. The disparate data sources required to extend the topographic record back in time are often stored in formats that are not readily compatible with more recent HRT data. Legacy data may also contain unknown error or unreported error that make accounting for data uncertainty difficult. There are also cases of known deficiencies in legacy datasets, which can significantly bias results. Finally, scientists are faced with the daunting challenge of definitively deriving the extent to which a landform or landscape has or will continue to change in response natural and/or anthropogenic processes. Here, we examine the question: how do we evaluate and portray data uncertainty from the varied topographic legacy sources and combine this uncertainty with current spatial data collection techniques to detect meaningful topographic changes? We view topographic uncertainty as a stochastic process that takes into consideration spatial and temporal variations from a numerical simulation and physical modeling experiment. The numerical simulation incorporates numerous topographic data sources typically found across a range of legacy data to present high-resolution data, while the physical model focuses on more recent HRT data acquisition techniques. Elevation uncertainties observed from anchor points in the digital terrain models are modeled using "states" in a stochastic estimator. Stochastic estimators trace the temporal evolution of the uncertainties and are natively capable of incorporating sensor

  16. Jingqiu Moa and Xinrong Ren check out Pennsylvania State University's Airborne Tropospheric Hydrogen Oxides Sensor instrument during the ARCTAS mission upload

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2008-03-07

    Climate researchers from the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) and several universities install and perform functional checkouts of a variety of sensitive atmospheric instruments on NASA's DC-8 airborne laboratory prior to beginning the ARCTAS mission.

  17. Comparison of Aerosol Optical Properties and Water Vapor Among Ground and Airborne Lidars and Sun Photometers During TARFOX

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ferrare, R.; Ismail, S.; Browell, E.; Brackett, V.; Clayton, M.; Kooi, S.; Melfi, S. H.; Whiteman, D.; Schwemmer, G.; Evans, K.; hide

    2000-01-01

    We compare aerosol optical thickness (AOT) and precipitable water vapor (PWV) measurements derived from ground and airborne lidars and Sun photometers during TARFOX (Tropospheric Aerosol Radiative Forcing Observational Experiment). Such comparisons are important to verify the consistency between various remote sensing measurements before employing them in any assessment of the impact of aerosols on the global radiation balance. Total scattering ratio and extinction profiles measured by the ground-based NASA/GSFC Scanning Raman Lidar (SRL) system, which operated from Wallops Island, Virginia (37.86 deg N, 75.51 deg W), are compared with those measured by the Lidar Atmospheric Sensing Experiment (LASE) airborne lidar system aboard the NASA ER-2 aircraft. Bias and rms differences indicate that these measurements generally agreed within about 10%. Aerosol extinction profiles and estimates of AOT are derived from both lidar measurements using a value for the aerosol extinction/backscattering ratio S(sub a)=60 sr for the aerosol extinction/backscattering ratio, which was determined from the Raman lidar measurements.

  18. Biodiversity and Topographic Complexity: Modern and Geohistorical Perspectives

    PubMed Central

    Badgley, Catherine; Smiley, Tara M.; Terry, Rebecca; Davis, Edward B.; DeSantis, Larisa R.G.; Fox, David L.; Hopkins, Samantha S.B.; Jezkova, Tereza; Matocq, Marjorie D.; Matzke, Nick; McGuire, Jenny L.; Mulch, Andreas; Riddle, Brett R.; Roth, V. Louise; Samuels, Joshua X.; Strömberg, Caroline A.E.; Yanites, Brian J.

    2018-01-01

    Topographically complex regions on land and in the oceans feature hotspots of biodiversity that reflect geological influences on ecological and evolutionary processes. Over geologic time, topographic diversity gradients wax and wane over millions of years, tracking tectonic or climatic history. Topographic diversity gradients from the present day and the past can result from the generation of species by vicariance or from the accumulation of species from dispersal into a region with strong environmental gradients. Biological and geological approaches must be integrated to test alternative models of diversification along topographic gradients. Reciprocal illumination among phylogenetic, phylogeographic, ecological, paleontological, tectonic, and climatic perspectives is an emerging frontier of biogeographic research. PMID:28196688

  19. This photograph shows a stream in the La Selva region of the Costa Rican rain forest, taken during NASA's AirSAR 2004 campaign

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2004-03-05

    This photograph shows a stream in the La Selva region of the Costa Rican rain forest, taken during NASA's AirSAR 2004 campaign. AirSAR 2004 Mesoamerica is a three-week expedition by an international team of scientists that uses an all-weather imaging tool, called the Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (AirSAR) which is located onboard NASA's DC-8 airborne laboratory. Scientists from many parts of the world including NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory are combining ground research done in several areas in Central America with NASA's AirSAR technology to improve and expand on the quality of research they are able to conduct. The radar, developed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, can penetrate clouds and also collect data at night. Its high-resolution sensors operate at multiple wavelengths and modes, allowing AirSAR to see beneath treetops, through thin sand, and dry snow pack. AirSAR's 2004 campaign is a collaboration of many U.S. and Central American institutions and scientists, including NASA; the National Science Foundation; the Smithsonian Institution; National Geographic; Conservation International; the Organization of Tropical Studies; the Central American Commission for Environment and Development; and the Inter-American Development Bank.

  20. NASA Science Flights Target Melting Arctic Sea Ice

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2017-12-08

    This summer, with sea ice across the Arctic Ocean shrinking to below-average levels, a NASA airborne survey of polar ice just completed its first flights. Its target: aquamarine pools of melt water on the ice surface that may be accelerating the overall sea ice retreat. NASA’s Operation IceBridge completed the first research flight of its new 2016 Arctic summer campaign on July 13. The science flights, which continue through July 25, are collecting data on sea ice in a year following a record-warm winter in the Arctic. Read more: go.nasa.gov/29T6mxc Caption: A large pool of melt water over sea ice, as seen from an Operation IceBridge flight over the Beaufort Sea on July 14, 2016. During this summer campaign, IceBridge will map the extent, frequency and depth of melt ponds like these to help scientists forecast the Arctic sea ice yearly minimum extent in September. Credit: NASA/Operation IceBridge

  1. Detecting Airborne Mercury by Use of Polymer/Carbon Films

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Shevade, Abhijit; Ryan, Margaret; Homer, Margie; Kisor, Adam; Jewell, April; Yen, Shiao-Pin; Manatt, Kenneth; Blanco, Mario; Goddard, William

    2009-01-01

    Films made of certain polymer/carbon composites have been found to be potentially useful as sensing films for detecting airborne elemental mercury at concentrations on the order of tens of parts per billion or more. That is to say, when the polymer/carbon composite films are exposed to air containing mercury vapor, their electrical resistances decrease by measurable amounts. Because airborne mercury is a health hazard, it is desirable to detect it with great sensitivity, especially in enclosed environments in which there is a risk of a mercury leak from lamps or other equipment. The present effort to develop polymerbased mercury-vapor sensors complements the work reported in NASA Tech Briefs Detecting Airborne Mercury by Use of Palladium Chloride (NPO- 44955), Vol. 33, No. 7 (July 2009), page 48 and De tecting Airborne Mer cury by Use of Gold Nanowires (NPO-44787), Vol. 33, No. 7 (July 2009), page 49. Like those previously reported efforts, the present effort is motivated partly by a need to enable operation and/or regeneration of sensors under relatively mild conditions more specifically, at temperatures closer to room temperature than to the elevated temperatures (greater than 100 C ) needed for regeneration of sensors based on noble-metal films. The present polymer/carbon films are made from two polymers, denoted EYN1 and EYN2 (see Figure 1), both of which are derivatives of poly-4-vinyl pyridine with amine functional groups. Composites of these polymers with 10 to 15 weight percent of carbon were prepared and solution-deposited onto the JPL ElectronicNose sensor substrates for testing. Preliminary test results showed that the resulting sensor films gave measurable indications of airborne mercury at concentrations on the order of tens of parts per billion (ppb) or more. The operating temperature range for the sensing films was 28 to 40 C and that the sensor films regenerated spontaneously, without heating above operating temperature (see Figure 2).

  2. Experimental and analytical studies for the NASA carbon fiber risk assessment

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1980-01-01

    Various experimental and analytical studies performed for the NASA carbon fiber risk assessment program are described with emphasis on carbon fiber characteristics, sensitivity of electrical equipment and components to shorting or arcing by carbon fibers, attenuation effect of carbon fibers on aircraft landing aids, impact of carbon fibers on industrial facilities. A simple method of estimating damage from airborne carbon fibers is presented.

  3. Turbulence and Mountain Wave Conditions Observed with an Airborne 2-Micron Lidar

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Teets, Edward H., Jr.; Ashburn, Chris; Ehernberger, L. J.; Bogue, Rodney K.

    2006-01-01

    Joint efforts by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Department of Defense, and industry partners are enhancing the capability of airborne wind and turbulence detection. The Airborne Coherent Lidar (light detection and ranging) for Advanced In-Flight Measurements was flown on three series of flights to assess its capability over a range of altitudes, air mass conditions, and gust phenomena. This report describes the observation of mountain waves and turbulence induced by mountain waves over the Tehachapi and Sierra Nevada mountain ranges by lidar on board the NASA Airborne Science DC-8 (McDonnell Douglas Corporation, Long Beach, California) airplane during two flights. The examples in this report compare lidar-predicted mountain waves and wave-induced turbulence to subsequent airplane-measured true airspeed. Airplane acceleration data is presented describing the effects of the wave-induced turbulence on the DC-8 airplane. Highlights of the lidar-predicted airspeed from the two flights show increases of 12 m/s at the mountain wave interface and peak-to-peak airspeed changes of 10 m/s and 15 m/s in a span of 12 s in moderate turbulence.

  4. Utilizing Structure-from-Motion Photogrammetry with Airborne Visual and Thermal Images to Monitor Thermal Areas in Yellowstone National Park

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Carr, B. B.; Vaughan, R. G.

    2017-12-01

    The thermal areas in Yellowstone National Park (Wyoming, USA) are constantly changing. Persistent monitoring of these areas is necessary to better understand the behavior and potential hazards of both the thermal features and the deeper hydrothermal system driving the observed surface activity. As part of the Park's monitoring program, thousands of visual and thermal infrared (TIR) images have been acquired from a variety of airborne platforms over the past decade. We have used structure-from-motion (SfM) photogrammetry techniques to generate a variety of data products from these images, including orthomosaics, temperature maps, and digital elevation models (DEMs). Temperature maps were generated for Upper Geyser Basin and Norris Geyser Basin for the years 2009-2015, by applying SfM to nighttime TIR images collected from an aircraft-mounted forward-looking infrared (FLIR) camera. Temperature data were preserved through the SfM processing by applying a uniform linear stretch over the entire image set to convert between temperature and a 16-bit digital number. Mosaicked temperature maps were compared to the original FLIR image frames and to ground-based temperature data to constrain the accuracy of the method. Due to pixel averaging and resampling, among other issues, the derived temperature values are typically within 5-10 ° of the values of the un-resampled image frame. We also created sub-meter resolution DEMs from airborne daytime visual images of individual thermal areas. These DEMs can be used for resource and hazard management, and in cases where multiple DEMs exist from different times, for measuring topographic change, including change due to thermal activity. For example, we examined the sensitivity of the DEMs to topographic change by comparing DEMs of the travertine terraces at Mammoth Hot Springs, which can grow at > 1 m per year. These methods are generally applicable to images from airborne platforms, including planes, helicopters, and unmanned aerial

  5. History of the topographic branch (division)

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Evans, Richard T.; Frye, Helen M.

    2009-01-01

    From a very early period of the world's existence, man has endeavored to represent the earth's surface in a graphic form for the information of his fellow men, realizing that no oral or written description is capable of setting forth topographic facts so vividly and so clearly as a map. Mapping of the areas of the United States began with the charting of portions of its coast line by early explorers; the need for topographic maps was first recognized during the war of the Colonies for independence from Great Britain. On July 22, 1777, Congress authorized General Washington to appoint: 'Mr. Robert Erskine, or any other person that he may think proper, geographer and surveyor of the roads, to take sketches of the country and the seat of war.' By several acts during the Revolutionary War, Congress provided 'geographers' for the armies of the United States, some of them with the pay of a colonel, amounting to $60 a month and allowances. At the end of the War, a resolution of May 27, 1785, continued in service the 'geographer of the United States' for a period of 3 years. The War Department recognized the necessity of 'geographical engineers' and requested Congress to authorize their appointment, but it was not until the next war that Congress authorized on March 3, 1813, the appointment of eight topographic engineers and eight assistant topographic engineers under the direction of the General Staff of the Army. These officers formed the nucleus of the first Corps of Topographic Engineers in the Army, and that Corps continued to function as an independent unit until it was absorbed by the Corps of Engineers in 1863, during the Civil War between the States. Between the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, and the outbreak of the Civil War, more than a hundred exploring and mapping expeditions were sent into the vast territory lying west of the Mississippi River to investigate the natural resources of this newly acquired country and to find possible locations for wagon roads to

  6. Biodiversity and Topographic Complexity: Modern and Geohistorical Perspectives.

    PubMed

    Badgley, Catherine; Smiley, Tara M; Terry, Rebecca; Davis, Edward B; DeSantis, Larisa R G; Fox, David L; Hopkins, Samantha S B; Jezkova, Tereza; Matocq, Marjorie D; Matzke, Nick; McGuire, Jenny L; Mulch, Andreas; Riddle, Brett R; Roth, V Louise; Samuels, Joshua X; Strömberg, Caroline A E; Yanites, Brian J

    2017-03-01

    Topographically complex regions on land and in the oceans feature hotspots of biodiversity that reflect geological influences on ecological and evolutionary processes. Over geologic time, topographic diversity gradients wax and wane over millions of years, tracking tectonic or climatic history. Topographic diversity gradients from the present day and the past can result from the generation of species by vicariance or from the accumulation of species from dispersal into a region with strong environmental gradients. Biological and geological approaches must be integrated to test alternative models of diversification along topographic gradients. Reciprocal illumination among phylogenetic, phylogeographic, ecological, paleontological, tectonic, and climatic perspectives is an emerging frontier of biogeographic research. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Initial results of detected methane emissions from landfills in the Los Angeles Basin during the COMEX campaign by the Methane Airborne MAPper (MAMAP) instrument and a greenhouse gas in-situ analyser

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Krautwurst, Sven; Gerilowski, Konstantin; Kolyer, Richard; Jonsson, Haflidi; Krings, Thomas; Horstjann, Markus; Leifer, Ira; Vigil, Sam; Buchwitz, Michael; Schüttemeyer, Dirk; Fladeland, Matthew M.; Burrows, John P.; Bovensmann, Heinrich

    2015-04-01

    Methane (CH4) is the second most important anthropogenic greenhouse gas beside carbon dioxide (CO2). Significant contributors to the global methane budget are fugitive emissions from landfills. Due to the growing world population, it is expected that the amount of waste and, therefore, waste disposal sites will increase in number and size in parts of the world, often adjacent growing megacities. Besides bottom-up modelling, a variety of ground based methods (e.g., flux chambers, trace gases, radial plume mapping, etc.) have been used to estimate (top-down) these fugitive emissions. Because landfills usually are large, sometimes with significant topographic relief, vary temporally, and leak/emit heterogeneously across their surface area, assessing total emission strength by ground-based techniques is often difficult. In this work, we show how airborne based remote sensing measurements of the column-averaged dry air mole fraction of CH4 can be utilized to estimate fugitive emissions from landfills in an urban environment by a mass balance approach. Subsequently, these emission rates are compared to airborne in-situ horizontal cross section measurements of CH4 taken within the planetary boundary layer (PBL) upwind and downwind of the landfill at different altitudes immediately after the remote sensing measurements were finished. Additional necessary parameters (e.g., wind direction, wind speed, aerosols, dew point temperature, etc.) for the data inversion are provided by a standard instrumentation suite for atmospheric measurements aboard the aircraft, and nearby ground-based weather stations. These measurements were part of the CO2 and Methane EXperiment (COMEX), which was executed during the summer 2014 in California and was co-funded by the European Space Agency (ESA) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The remote sensing measurements were taken by the Methane Airborne MAPper (MAMAP) developed and operated by the University of Bremen and

  8. Comparisons of Wind Speed Retrievals from an Airborne Microwave Radiometer (AMPR) with Satellite-Based Observations During the OLYMPEX/RADEX Field Campaign

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lang, Timothy J.; Biswas, Sayak

    2017-01-01

    AMPR is an airborne instrument that flew aboard the NASA ER-2 during the OLYMPEX/RADEX field campaign in late 2015. This poster's goal is to explore how well the instrument can retrieve near-surface wind speed over the ocean.

  9. Airborne-Managed Spacing in Multiple Arrival Streams

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Barmore, Bryan; Abbott, Terence; Krishnamurthy, Karthik

    2004-01-01

    A significant bottleneck in the current air traffic system occurs at the runway. Expanding airports and adding new runways will help solve this problem; however, this comes at a significant cost, financially, politically and environmentally. A complementary solution is to safely increase the capacity of current runways. This can be achieved by precise spacing at the runway threshold with a resulting reduction in the spacing buffer required under today s operations. At the NASA Langley Research Center, the Advanced Air Transportation Technologies (AATT) Project is investigating airborne technologies and procedures that will assist the pilot in achieving precise spacing behind another aircraft. This new spacing clearance instructs the pilot to follow speed cues from a new on-board guidance system called Airborne Merging and Spacing for Terminal Arrivals (AMSTAR). AMSTAR receives Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) reports from the leading aircraft and calculates the appropriate speed for the ownership to fly in order to achieve the desired spacing interval, time or distance-based, at the runway threshold. Since the goal is overall system capacity, the speed guidance algorithm is designed to provide system benefit over individual efficiency. This paper discusses the concept of operations and design of AMSTAR to support airborne precision spacing. Results from the previous stage of development, focused only on in-trail spacing, are discussed along with the evolution of the concept to include merging of converging streams of traffic. This paper also examines how this operation might support future wake vortex-based separation and other advances in terminal area operations. Finally, the research plan for the merging capabilities, to be performed during the summer and fall of 2004 is presented.

  10. Glacier Grey in front of The Cuernos del Paine mountains, photographed from Lago Grey (Grey Lake) during NASA's AirSAR 2004 campaign in Chile

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2004-03-11

    Glacier Grey in front of the Cuernos del Paine mountains, photographed from Lago Grey (Grey Lake) during NASA's AirSAR 2004 campaign in Chile. AirSAR 2004 is a three-week expedition in Central and South America by an international team of scientists that is using an all-weather imaging tool, called the Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (AirSAR), located onboard NASA's DC-8 airborne laboratory. Scientists from many parts of the world are combining ground research with NASA's AirSAR technology to improve and expand on the quality of research they are able to conduct. Founded in 1959, Torres del Paine National Park encompasses 450,000 acres in the Patagonia region of Chile. This region is being studied by NASA using a DC-8 equipped with an Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (AirSAR) developed by scientists from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. This is a very sensitive region that is important to scientists because the temperature has been consistently rising causing a subsequent melting of the region’s glaciers. AirSAR will provide a baseline model and unprecedented mapping of the region. This data will make it possible to determine whether the warming trend is slowing, continuing or accelerating. AirSAR will also provide reliable information on ice shelf thickness to measure the contribution of the glaciers to sea level.

  11. Airborne Doppler radar detection of low altitude windshear

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bracalente, Emedio M.; Jones, William R.; Britt, Charles L.

    1990-01-01

    As part of an integrated windshear program, the Federal Aviation Administration, jointly with NASA, is sponsoring a research effort to develop airborne sensor technology for the detection of low altitude windshear during aircraft take-off and landing. One sensor being considered is microwave Doppler radar operating at X-band or above. Using a Microburst/Clutter/Radar simulation program, a preliminary feasibility study was conducted to assess the performance of Doppler radars for this application. Preliminary results from this study are presented. Analysis show, that using bin-to-bin Automatic Gain Control (AGC), clutter filtering, limited detection range, and suitable antenna tilt management, windshear from a wet microburst can be accurately detected 10 to 65 seconds (.75 to 5 km) in front of the aircraft. Although a performance improvement can be obtained at higher frequency, the baseline X-band system that was simulated detected the presence of a windshear hazard for the dry microburst. Although this study indicates the feasibility of using an airborne Doppler radar to detect low altitude microburst windshear, further detailed studies, including future flight experiments, will be required to completely characterize the capabilities and limitations.

  12. DC-8 Airborne Laboratory in flight during research mission - view from above

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1999-01-01

    The DC-8 Airborne Science Laboratroy is shown flying above a solid layer of clouds. The aircraft was transferred from the Ames Research Center to the Dryden Flight Research Center in late 1997. Over the past several years, it has undertaken a wide range of research in such fields as archeology, ecology, hydrology, meteorology, oceanography, volcanology, atmospheric chemistry, and other fields. In this photo, it is shown flying over a bank of clouds. NASA is using a DC-8 aircraft as a flying science laboratory. The platform aircraft, based at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, Calif., collects data for many experiments in support of scientific projects serving the world scientific community. Included in this community are NASA, federal, state, academic and foreign investigators. Data gathered by the DC-8 at flight altitude and by remote sensing have been used for scientific studies in archeology, ecology, geography, hydrology, meteorology, oceanography, volcanology, atmospheric chemistry, soil science and biology.

  13. Airborne Windshear Detection and Warning Systems. Fifth and Final Combined Manufacturers' and Technologists' Conference, part 1

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Delnore, Victor E. (Compiler)

    1994-01-01

    The Fifth (and Final) Combined Manufacturers' and Technologists' Airborne Windshear Review Meeting was hosted jointly by the NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in Hampton, Virginia, on September 28-30, 1993. The purpose of the meeting was to report on the highly successful windshear experiments conducted by government, academic institutions, and industry; to transfer the results to regulators, manufacturers, and users; and to set initiatives for future aeronautics technology research. The formal sessions covered recent developments in windshear flight testing; windshear modeling, flight management, and ground-based systems; airborne windshear detection systems; certification and regulatory issues; development and applications of sensors for wake vortex detection; and synthetic and enhanced vision systems.

  14. Progress in Development of an Airborne Turbulence Detection System

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hamilton, David W.; Proctor, Fred H.

    2006-01-01

    Aircraft encounters with turbulence are the leading cause of in-flight injuries (Tyrvanas 2003) and have occasionally resulted in passenger and crew fatalities. Most of these injuries are caused by sudden and unexpected encounters with severe turbulence in and around convective activity (Kaplan et al 2005). To alleviate this problem, the Turbulence Prediction and Warning Systems (TPAWS) element of NASA s Aviation Safety program has investigated technologies to detect and warn of hazardous in-flight turbulence. This effort has required the numerical modeling of atmospheric convection: 1) for characterizing convectively induced turbulence (CIT) environments, 2) for defining turbulence hazard metrics, and 3) as a means of providing realistic three-dimensional data sets that can be used to test and evaluate turbulence detection sensors. The data sets are being made available to industry and the FAA for certification of future airborne turbulence-detection systems (ATDS) with warning capability. Early in the TPAWS project, a radar-based ATDS was installed and flight tested on NASA s research aircraft, a B-757. This ATDS utilized new algorithms and hazard metrics that were developed for use with existing airborne predictive windshear radars, thus avoiding the installation of new hardware. This system was designed to detect and warn of hazardous CIT even in regions with weak radar reflectivity (i.e. 5-15 dBz). Results from an initial flight test of the ATDS were discussed in Hamilton and Proctor (2002a; 2002b). In companion papers (Proctor et al 2002a; 2002b), a numerical simulation of the most significant encounter from that flight test was presented. Since the presentation of these papers a second flight test has been conducted providing additional cases for examination. In this paper, we will present results from NASA s flight test and a numerical model simulation of a turbulence environment encountered on 30 April 2002. Progress leading towards FAA certification of

  15. Development of Waypoint Planning Tool in Response to NASA Field Campaign Challenges

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    He, Matt; Hardin, Danny; Conover, Helen; Graves, Sara; Meyer, Paul; Blakeslee, Richard; Goodman, Michael

    2012-01-01

    Airborne real time observations are a major component of NASA's Earth Science research and satellite ground validation studies. For mission scientists, planning a research aircraft mission within the context of meeting the science objectives is a complex task because it requires real time situational awareness of the weather conditions that affect the aircraft track. Multiple aircrafts are often involved in NASA field campaigns. The coordination of the aircrafts with satellite overpasses, other airplanes and the constantly evolving, dynamic weather conditions often determines the success of the campaign. A flight planning tool is needed to provide situational awareness information to the mission scientists, and help them plan and modify the flight tracks. Scientists at the University of Alabama-Huntsville and the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center developed the Waypoint Planning Tool, an interactive software tool that enables scientists to develop their own flight plans (also known as waypoints) with point -and-click mouse capabilities on a digital map filled with real time raster and vector data. The development of this Waypoint Planning Tool demonstrates the significance of mission support in responding to the challenges presented during NASA field campaigns. Analysis during and after each campaign helped identify both issues and new requirements, and initiated the next wave of development. Currently the Waypoint Planning Tool has gone through three rounds of development and analysis processes. The development of this waypoint tool is directly affected by the technology advances on GIS/Mapping technologies. From the standalone Google Earth application and simple KML functionalities, to Google Earth Plugin and Java Web Start/Applet on web platform, and to the rising open source GIS tools with new JavaScript frameworks, the Waypoint Planning Tool has entered its third phase of technology advancement. The newly innovated, cross ]platform, modular designed Java

  16. Topographic Map of Pathfinder Landing Site

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1997-01-01

    Topographic map of the landing site, to a distance of 60 meters from the lander in the LSC coordinate system. The lander is shown schematically in the center; 2.5 meter radius circle (black) centered on the camera was not mapped. Gentle relief [root mean square (rms) elevation variation 0.5 m; rms a directional slope 4O] and organization of topography into northwest and northeast-trending ridges about 20 meters apart are apparent. Roughly 30% of the illustrated area is hidden from the camera behind these ridges. Contours (0.2 m interval) and color coding of elevations were generated from a digital terrain model, which was interpolated by kriging from approximately 700 measured points. Angular and parallax point coordinates were measured manually on a large (5 m length) anaglyphic uncontrolled mosaic and used to calculate Cartesian (LSC) coordinates. Errors in azimuth on the order of 10 are therefore likely; elevation errors were minimized by referencing elevations to the local horizon. The uncertainty in range measurements increases quadratically with range. Given a measurement error of 1/2 pixel, the expected precision in range is 0.3 meter at 10 meter range, and 10 meters at 60 meter range. Repeated measurements were made, compared, and edited for consistency to improve the range precision. Systematic errors undoubtedly remain and will be corrected in future maps compiled digitally from geometrically controlled images. Cartographic processing by U.S. Geological Survey.

    NOTE: original caption as published in Science Magazine

    Mars Pathfinder is the second in NASA's Discovery program of low-cost spacecraft with highly focused science goals. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, developed and manages the Mars Pathfinder mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech).

  17. The Tropospheric Wind Lidar Technology Experiment (TWiLiTE): An Airborne Direct Detection Doppler Lidar Instrument Development Program

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Gentry, Bruce; McGill, Matthew; Schwemmer, Geary; Hardesty, Michael; Brewer, Alan; Wilkerson, Thomas; Atlas, Robert; Sirota, Marcos; Lindemann, Scott

    2006-01-01

    Global measurement of tropospheric winds is a key measurement for understanding atmospheric dynamics and improving numerical weather prediction. Global wind profiles remain a high priority for the operational weather community and also for a variety of research applications including studies of the global hydrologic cycle and transport studies of aerosols and trace species. In addition to space based winds, a high altitude airborne system flown on UAV or other advanced platforms would be of great interest for studying mesoscale dynamics and hurricanes. The Tropospheric Wind Lidar Technology Experiment (TWiLiTE) project was selected in 2005 by the NASA Earth Sun Technology Office as part of the Instrument Incubator Program. TWiLiTE will leverage significant research and development investments in key technologies made in the past several years. The primary focus will be on integrating these sub-systems into a complete molecular direct detection Doppler wind lidar system designed for autonomous operation on a high altitude aircraft, such as the NASA WB57, so that the nadir viewing lidar will be able to profile winds through the full troposphere. TWiLiTE is a collaboration involving scientists and technologists from NASA Goddard, NOAA ESRL, Utah State University Space Dynamics Lab and industry partners Michigan Aerospace Corporation and Sigma Space Corporation. NASA Goddard and it's partners have been at the forefront in the development of key lidar technologies (lasers, telescopes, scanning systems, detectors and receivers) required to enable spaceborne global wind lidar measurement. The TWiLiTE integrated airborne Doppler lidar instrument will be the first demonstration of a airborne scanning direct detection Doppler lidar and will serve as a critical milestone on the path to a fixture spaceborne tropospheric wind system. The completed system will have the capability to profile winds in clear air from the aircraft altitude of 18 h to the surface with 250 m vertical

  18. Airborne Measurements of Formaldehyde Employing a Tunable Diode Laser Absorption Spectrometer During TRACE-P

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Fried, Alan; Drummond, James

    2003-01-01

    This final report summarizes the progress achieved over the entire 3-year proposal period including two extensions spanning 1 year. These activities include: 1) Preparation for and participation in the NASA 2001 TRACE-P campaign using our airborne tunable diode laser system to acquire measurements of formaldehyde (CH2O); 2) Comprehensive data analysis and data submittal to the NASA archive; 3) Follow up data interpretation working with NASA modelers to place our ambient CH2O measurements into a broader photochemical context; 4) Publication of numerous JGR papers using this data; 5) Extensive follow up laboratory tests on the selectivity and efficiency of our CH20 scrubbing system; and 6) An extensive follow up effort to assess and study the mechanical stability of our entire optical system, particularly the multipass absorption cell, with aircraft changes in cabin pressure.

  19. Airborne Wind Profiling With the Data Acquisition and Processing System for a Pulsed 2-Micron Coherent Doppler Lidar System

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Beyon, Jeffrey Y.; Koch, Grady J.; Kavaya, Michael J.

    2012-01-01

    A pulsed 2-micron coherent Doppler lidar system at NASA Langley Research Center in Virginia flew on the NASA's DC-8 aircraft during the NASA Genesis and Rapid Intensification Processes (GRIP) during the summer of 2010. The participation was part of the project Doppler Aerosol Wind Lidar (DAWN) Air. Selected results of airborne wind profiling are presented and compared with the dropsonde data for verification purposes. Panoramic presentations of different wind parameters over a nominal observation time span are also presented for selected GRIP data sets. The realtime data acquisition and analysis software that was employed during the GRIP campaign is introduced with its unique features.

  20. Toolsets for Airborne Data (TAD): Improving Machine Readability for ICARTT Data Files

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Northup, E. A.; Early, A. B.; Beach, A. L., III; Kusterer, J.; Quam, B.; Wang, D.; Chen, G.

    2015-12-01

    NASA has conducted airborne tropospheric chemistry studies for about three decades. These field campaigns have generated a great wealth of observations, including a wide range of the trace gases and aerosol properties. The ASDC Toolsets for Airborne Data (TAD) is designed to meet the user community needs for manipulating aircraft data for scientific research on climate change and air quality relevant issues. TAD makes use of aircraft data stored in the International Consortium for Atmospheric Research on Transport and Transformation (ICARTT) file format. ICARTT has been the NASA standard since 2010, and is widely used by NOAA, NSF, and international partners (DLR, FAAM). Its level of acceptance is due in part to it being generally self-describing for researchers, i.e., it provides necessary data descriptions for proper research use. Despite this, there are a number of issues with the current ICARTT format, especially concerning the machine readability. In order to overcome these issues, the TAD team has developed an "idealized" file format. This format is ASCII and is sufficiently machine readable to sustain the TAD system, however, it is not fully compatible with the current ICARTT format. The process of mapping ICARTT metadata to the idealized format, the format specifics, and the actual conversion process will be discussed. The goal of this presentation is to demonstrate an example of how to improve the machine readability of ASCII data format protocols.

  1. Spatial Relation Predicates in Topographic Feature Semantics

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Varanka, Dalia E.; Caro, Holly K.

    2013-01-01

    Topographic data are designed and widely used for base maps of diverse applications, yet the power of these information sources largely relies on the interpretive skills of map readers and relational database expert users once the data are in map or geographic information system (GIS) form. Advances in geospatial semantic technology offer data model alternatives for explicating concepts and articulating complex data queries and statements. To understand and enrich the vocabulary of topographic feature properties for semantic technology, English language spatial relation predicates were analyzed in three standard topographic feature glossaries. The analytical approach drew from disciplinary concepts in geography, linguistics, and information science. Five major classes of spatial relation predicates were identified from the analysis; representations for most of these are not widely available. The classes are: part-whole (which are commonly modeled throughout semantic and linked-data networks), geometric, processes, human intention, and spatial prepositions. These are commonly found in the ‘real world’ and support the environmental science basis for digital topographical mapping. The spatial relation concepts are based on sets of relation terms presented in this chapter, though these lists are not prescriptive or exhaustive. The results of this study make explicit the concepts forming a broad set of spatial relation expressions, which in turn form the basis for expanding the range of possible queries for topographical data analysis and mapping.

  2. Mosaic of Digital Raster Soviet Topographic Maps of Afghanistan

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Chirico, Peter G.; Warner, Michael B.

    2005-01-01

    EXPLANATION The data contained in this publication include scanned, geographically referenced digital raster graphics (DRGs) of Soviet 1:200,000 - scale topographic map quadrangles. The original Afghanistan topographic map series at 1:200,000 scale, for the entire country, was published by the Soviet military between 1985 and 1991(MTDGS, 85-91). Hard copies of these original paper maps were scanned using a large format scanner, reprojected into Geographic Coordinate System (GCS) coordinates, and then clipped to remove the map collars to create a seamless, topographic map base for the entire country. An index of all available topographic map sheets is displayed here: Index_Geo_DD.pdf. This publication also includes the originial topographic map quadrangles projected in Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) projection. The country of Afghanistan spans three UTM Zones: Zone 41, Zone 42, and Zone 43. Maps are stored as GeoTIFFs in their respective UTM zone projection. Indexes of all available topographic map sheets in their respective UTM zone are displayed here: Index_UTM_Z41.pdf, Index_UTM_Z42.pdf, Index_UTM_Z43.pdf. An Adobe Acrobat PDF file of the U.S. Department of the Army's Technical Manual 30-548, is available (U.S. Army, 1958). This document has been translated into English for assistance in reading Soviet topographic map symbols.

  3. NASA DC-8 Ground Support Technician Joe Niquette performs routine maintenance on the DC-8 aircraft in Punta Arenas, Chile

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2004-03-17

    NASA DC-8 Ground Support Technician Joe Niquette performs routine maintenance on the DC-8 aircraft at Carlos Ibanez del Campo International Airport in Punta Arenas, Chile. AirSAR 2004 is a three-week expedition by an international team of scientists that is using an all-weather imaging tool, called the Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (AirSAR) which is located onboard NASA's DC-8 airborne laboratory. Scientists from many parts of the world including NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory are combining ground research done in several areas in Central and South America with NASA's AirSAR technology to improve and expand on the quality of research they are able to conduct. In South America and Antarctica, AirSAR will collect imagery and data to help determine the contribution of Southern Hemisphere glaciers to sea level rise due to climate change. In Patagonia, researchers found this contribution had more than doubled from 1995 to 2000, compared to the previous 25 years. AirSAR data will make it possible to determine whether that trend is decreasing, continuing or accelerating. AirSAR will also provide reliable information on ice shelf thickness to measure the contribution of the glaciers to sea level.

  4. Pilot Bill Brockett (left) and Chilean Air Force Captain Saez with school children in the cockpit of NASA Dryden's DC-8 flying laboratory

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2004-03-10

    Pilot Bill Brockett (left) and Chilean Air Force Captain Saez with school children in the cockpit of NASA Dryden's DC-8 flying laboratory. Brockett explained NASA's AirSAR 2004 mission in Chile. AirSAR 2004 is a three-week expedition by an international team of scientists that uses an all-weather imaging tool, called the Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (AirSAR) which is located onboard NASA's DC-8 airborne laboratory. Scientists from many parts of the world including NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory are combining ground research done in several areas in Central and South America with NASA's AirSAR technology to improve and expand on the quality of research they are able to conduct. In South America and Antarctica, AirSAR collected imagery and data to help determine the contribution of Southern Hemisphere glaciers to sea level rise due to climate change. In Patagonia, researchers found this contribution had more than doubled from 1995 to 2000, compared to the previous 25 years. AirSAR data will make it possible to determine whether that trend is continuing or accelerating. AirSAR will also provide reliable information on ice shelf thickness to measure the contribution of the glaciers to sea level.

  5. A butterfly photographed in the La Selva region of the Costa Rican rain forest as part of NASA's AirSAR 2004 Mesoamerica campaign

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2004-03-04

    A butterfly photographed in the La Selva region of the Costa Rican rain forest as part of NASA's AirSAR 2004 Mesoamerica campaign. AirSAR 2004 Mesoamerica is a three-week expedition by an international team of scientists that will use an all-weather imaging tool, called the Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (AirSAR) which is located onboard NASA's DC-8 airborne laboratory. Scientists from many parts of the world including NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory are combining ground research done in several areas in Central America with NASA's AirSAR technology to improve and expand on the quality of research they are able to do. NASA's AIRSAR technolgy provides two essential elements to the ground-based scientists. First, it tests and provides accurate measurements of the forest structure. Secondly, AirSAR can study a larger area of the forest versus the smaller area that can be tested and plotted by the ground scientists. It also provides a unique one-of-a-kind system of measurement that obtains important information for the scientists, such as where forests are located and what exactly is in them.

  6. A lizard photographed in the La Selva region of the Costa Rican rain forest as part of NASA's AirSAR 2004 Mesoamerica campaign

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2004-03-04

    A lizard photographed in the La Selva region of the Costa Rican rain forest as part of NASA's AirSAR 2004 Mesoamerica campaign. AirSAR 2004 Mesoamerica is a three-week expedition by an international team of scientists that will use an all-weather imaging tool, called the Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (AirSAR) which is located onboard NASA's DC-8 airborne laboratory. Scientists from many parts of the world including NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory are combining ground research done in several areas in Central America with NASA's AirSAR technology to improve and expand on the quality of research they are able to do. NASA's AIRSAR technolgy provides two essential elements to the ground-based scientists. First, it tests and provides accurate measurements of the forest structure. Secondly, AirSAR can study a larger area of the forest versus the smaller area that can be tested and plotted by the ground scientists. It also provides a unique one-of-a-kind system of measurement that obtains important information for the scientists, such as where forests are located and what exactly is in them.

  7. A plant photographed in the La Selva region of the Costa Rican rain forest as part of NASA's AirSAR 2004 Mesoamerica campaign

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2004-03-04

    A plant photographed in the La Selva region of the Costa Rican rain forest as part of NASA's AirSAR 2004 Mesoamerica campaign. AirSAR 2004 Mesoamerica is a three-week expedition by an international team of scientists that will use an all-weather imaging tool, called the Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (AirSAR) which is located onboard NASA's DC-8 airborne laboratory. Scientists from many parts of the world including NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory are combining ground research done in several areas in Central America with NASA's AirSAR technology to improve and expand on the quality of research they are able to do. NASA's AIRSAR technolgy provides two essential elements to the ground-based scientists. First, it tests and provides accurate measurements of the forest structure. Secondly, AirSAR can study a larger area of the forest versus the smaller area that can be tested and plotted by the ground scientists. It also provides a unique one-of-a-kind system of measurement that obtains important information for the scientists, such as where forests are located and what exactly is in them.

  8. NASA Dryden's Lori Losey was named NASA's 2004 Videographer of the Year in part for her camera work during NASA's AirSAR 2004 science mission in Chile.

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2004-03-11

    Lori Losey, an employee of Arcata Associates at Dryden, was honored with NASA's 2004 Videographer of the Year award for her work in two of the three categories in the NASA video competition, public affairs and documentation. In the public affairs category, Losey received a first-place citation for her footage of an Earth Science mission that was flown aboard NASA's DC-8 Flying Laboratory in South America last year. Her footage not only depicted the work of the scientists aboard the aircraft and on the ground, but she also obtained spectacular footage of flora and fauna in the mission's target area that helped communicate the environmental research goals of the project. Losey also took first place in the documentation category for her acquisition of technical videography of the X-45A Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle flight tests. The video, shot with a hand-held camera from the rear seat of a NASA F/A-18 mission support aircraft, demonstrated her capabilities in recording precise technical visual data in a very challenging airborne environment. The award was presented to Losey during a NASA reception at the National Association of Broadcasters convention in Las Vegas April 19. A three-judge panel evaluated entries for public affairs, documentation and production videography on professional excellence, technical quality, originality, creativity within restrictions of the project, and applicability to NASA and its mission. Entries consisted of a continuous video sequence or three views of the same subject for a maximum of three minutes duration. Linda Peters, Arcata Associates' Video Systems Supervisor at NASA Dryden, noted, "Lori is a talented videographer who has demonstrated extraordinary abilities with the many opportunities she has received in her career at NASA." Losey's award was the second major NASA video award won by members of the Dryden video team in two years. Steve Parcel took first place in the documentation category last year for his camera and editing

  9. NASA/Ames Research Center's science and applications aircraft program

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hall, G. Warren

    1991-01-01

    NASA-Ames Research Center operates a fleet of seven Science and Applications Aircraft, namely the C-141/Kuiper Airborne Observatory (KAO), DC-8, C-130, Lear Jet, and three ER-2s. These aircraft are used to satisfy two major objectives, each of equal importance. The first is to acquire remote and in-situ scientific data in astronomy, astrophysics, earth sciences, ocean processes, atmospheric physics, meteorology, materials processing and life sciences. The second major objective is to expedite the development of sensors and their attendant algorithms for ultimate use in space and to simulate from an aircraft, the data to be acquired from spaceborne sensors. NASA-Ames Science and Applications Aircraft are recognized as national and international facilities. They have performed and will continue to perform, operational missions from bases in the United States and worldwide. Historically, twice as many investigators have requested flight time than could be accommodated. This situation remains true today and is expected to increase in the years ahead. A major advantage of the existing fleet of aircraft is their ability to cover a large expanse of the earth's ecosystem from the surface to the lower stratosphere over large distances and time aloft. Their large payload capability allows a number of scientists to use multi-investigator sensor suites to permit simultaneous and complementary data gathering. In-flight changes to the sensors or data systems have greatly reduced the time required to optimize the development of new instruments. It is doubtful that spaceborne systems will ever totally replace the need for airborne science aircraft. The operations philosophy and capabilities exist at NASA-Ames Research Center.

  10. Ozone precursors and ozone photochemistry over eastern North Pacific during the spring of 1984 based on the NASA GTE/CITE 1 airborne observations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Chameides, W. L.; Davis, D. D.; Gregory, G. L.; Sachse, G.; Torres, A. L.

    1989-01-01

    Simultaneous high-resolution measurements of O3, NO, CO, dew point temperature, and UV flux obtained during the NASA Global Tropospheric Experiment Chemical Instrumentation Test and Evaluation (GTE/CITE 1) spring 1984 airborne field exercise over the eastern North Pacific Ocean are analyzed. Mid-tropospheric CO, O3, and NO mixing ratios averaged about 120 parts per billion by volume (ppbv), 50 ppbv, and 10 parts per trillion by volume (pptv), respectively. Statistical analysis of the high-resolution data indicates the existence of two ozone sources, one related to the downward transport of ozone-rich air from the upper troposphere and stratosphere, and the other to the transport of ozone-rich air from the continents. Modeling calculations based on these average levels imply that, from the surface to about 8 km, photochemical reactions probably supplied a net sink of ozone to the region overlying the eastern North Pacific Ocean during the sampling period. However, because the NO levels measured during the flights were frequently at or near the detection limit of the instruments and because the results are very sensitive to the absolute NO levels and their temporal variability, the conclusion must be considered provisional.

  11. Analysis of Airborne Radar Altimetry Measurements of the Greenland Ice Sheet

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ferraro, Ellen J.

    1994-01-01

    This dissertation presents an analysis of airborne altimetry measurements taken over the Greenland ice sheet with the 13.9 GHz Advanced Application Flight Experiment (AAFE) pulse compression radar altimeter. This Ku-band instrument was refurbished in 1990 by the Microwave Remote Sensing Laboratory at the University of Massachusetts to obtain high-resolution altitude measurements and to improve the tracking, speed, storage and display capabilities of the radar. In 1991 and 1993, the AAFE altimeter took part in the NASA Multisensor Airborne Altimetry Experiments over Greenland, along with two NASA laser altimeters. Altitude results from both experiments are presented along with comparisons to the laser altimeter and calibration passes over the Sondrestroem runway in Greenland. Although it is too early to make a conclusion about the growth or decay of the ice sheet, these results show that the instrument is capable of measuring small-scale surface changes to within 14 centimeters. In addition, results from these experiments reveal that the radar is sensitive to the different diagenetic regions of the ice sheet. Return waveforms from the wet- snow, percolation and dry-snow zones show varying effects of both surface scattering and sub-surface or volume scattering. Models of each of the diagenetic regions of Greenland are presented along with parameters such as rms surface roughness, rms surface slope and attenuation coefficient of the snow pack obtained by fitting the models to actual return waveforms.

  12. Airborne imaging spectrometers developed in China

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Jianyu; Xue, Yongqi

    1998-08-01

    Airborne imaging spectral technology, principle means in airborne remote sensing, has been developed rapidly both in the world and in China recently. This paper describes Modular Airborne Imaging Spectrometer (MAIS), Operational Modular Airborne Imaging Spectrometer (OMAIS) and Pushbroom Hyperspectral Imagery (PHI) that have been developed or are being developed in Airborne Remote Sensing Lab of Shanghai Institute of Technical Physics, CAS.

  13. SAR imaging and hydrodynamic analysis of ocean bottom topographic waves

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zheng, Quanan; Li, Li; Guo, Xiaogang; Ge, Yong; Zhu, Dayong; Li, Chunyan

    2006-09-01

    The satellite synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images display wave-like patterns of the ocean bottom topographic features at the south outlet of Taiwan Strait (TS). Field measurements indicate that the most TS water body is vertically stratified. However, SAR imaging models available were developed for homogeneous waters. Hence explaining SAR imaging mechanisms of bottom features in a stratified ocean is beyond the scope of those models. In order to explore these mechanisms and to determine the quantitative relations between the SAR imagery and the bottom features, a two-dimensional, three-layer ocean model with sinusoidal bottom topographic features is developed. Analytical solutions and inferences of the momentum equations of the ocean model lead to the following conditions. (1) In the lower layer, the topography-induced waves (topographic waves hereafter) exist in the form of stationary waves, which satisfy a lower boundary resonance condition σ = kC0, here σ is an angular frequency of the stationary waves, k is a wavenumber of bottom topographic corrugation, and C0 is a background current speed. (2) As internal waves, the topographic waves may propagate vertically to the upper layer with an unchanged wavenumber k, if a frequency relation N3 < σ < N2 is satisfied, here N2 and N3 are the Brunt-Wäisälä frequencies of middle layer and upper layer, respectively. (3) The topographic waves are extremely amplified if an upper layer resonance condition is satisfied. The SAR image of topographic waves is derived on the basis of current-modulated small wave spectra. The results indicate that the topographic waves on SAR images have the same wavelength of bottom topographic corrugation, and the imagery brightness peaks are either inphase or antiphase with respect to the topographic corrugation, depending on a sign of a coupling factor. These theoretical predictions are verified by field observations. The results of this study provide a physical basis for quantitative

  14. Airborne Tactical Crossload Planner

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2017-12-01

    set out in the Airborne Standard Operating Procedure (ASOP). 14. SUBJECT TERMS crossload, airborne, optimization, integer linear programming ...they land to their respective sub-mission locations. In this thesis, we formulate and implement an integer linear program called the Tactical...to meet any desired crossload objectives. xiv We demonstrate TCP with two real-world tactical problems from recent airborne operations: one by the

  15. NASA's Space Lidar Measurements of Earth and Planetary Surfaces

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Abshire, James B.

    2010-01-01

    A lidar instrument on a spacecraft was first used to measure planetary surface height and topography on the Apollo 15 mission to the Moon in 1971, The lidar was based around a flashlamp-pumped ruby laser, and the Apollo 15-17 missions used them to make a few thousand measurements of lunar surface height from orbit. With the advent of diode pumped lasers in the late 1980s, the lifetime, efficiency, resolution and mass of lasers and space lidar all improved dramatically. These advances were utilized in NASA space missions to map the shape and surface topography of Mars with > 600 million measurements, demonstrate initial space measurements of the Earth's topography, and measured the detailed shape of asteroid. NASA's ICESat mission in Earth orbit just completed its polar ice measurement mission with almost 2 billion measurements of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, and demonstrated measurements to Antarctica and Greenland with a height resolution of a few em. Space missions presently in cruise phase and in operation include those to Mercury and a topographic mapping mission of the Moon. Orbital lidar also have been used in experiments to demonstrate laser ranging over planetary distances, including laser pulse transmission from Earth to Mars orbit. Based on the demonstrated value of the measurements, lidar is now the preferred measurement approach for many new scientific space missions. Some missions planned by NASA include a planetary mission to measure the shape and dynamics of Europa, and several Earth orbiting missions to continue monitoring ice sheet heights, measure vegetation heights, assess atmospheric CO2 concentrations, and to map the Earth surface topographic heights with 5 m spatial resolution. This presentation will give an overview of history, ongoing work, and plans for using space lidar for measurements of the surfaces of the Earth and planets.

  16. Standard for the U.S. Geological Survey Historical Topographic Map Collection

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Allord, Gregory J.; Fishburn, Kristin A.; Walter, Jennifer L.

    2014-01-01

    This document defines the digital map product of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Historical Topographic Map Collection (HTMC). The HTMC is a digital archive of about 190,000 printed topographic quadrangle maps published by the USGS from the inception of the topographic mapping program in 1884 until the last paper topographic map using lithographic printing technology was published in 2006. The HTMC provides a comprehensive digital repository of all scales and all editions of USGS printed topographic maps that is easily discovered, browsed, and downloaded by the public at no cost. Each printed topographic map is scanned “as is” and captures the content and condition of each map. The HTMC provides ready access to maps that are no longer available for distribution in print. A new generation of topographic maps called “US Topo” was defined in 2009. US Topo maps, though modeled on the legacy 7.5-minute topographic maps, conform to different standards. For more information on the HTMC, see the project Web site at: http://nationalmap.gov/historical/.

  17. Laboratory test results for an airborne ASTER simulator

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ezaka, Teruya; Kannari, Yoshiaki; Mills, Franklin P.; Watanabe, Hiroshi; Sano, Masaharu; Chang, Sheng-Huei

    1993-08-01

    An airborne ASTER simulator (AAS) is being developed by the Geophysical Environmental Research Corporation (GER) to study land surface temperature and emittance in the thermal infrared. Laboratory tests in October 1992 at NASA's Stennis Space Center (SSC) measured the AAS's spectral, approximate NEdT, and approximate spatial response characteristics. The spectral FWHM for most channels is smaller than 0.3 micrometers ; the NEdT for most TIR channels is better than 0.4 K; and the nominal IFOV is 5 mrad. Flight data was collected over Cuprite and Goldfield, Nevada and near Valencia, California in November 1992. The silicified and opalized zones at Cuprite could be discriminated using decorrelation-stretch images. AAS decorrelation-stretch images agree, qualitatively, with data from NASA's thermal infrared mapping spectrometer (TIMS). These results indicate the AAS may be a good tool for remote sensing studies of geological materials. Lower noise detector arrays and linear variable (optical) filters for the TIR channels will be tested in flights over Cuprite, Nevada later this year. These and other improvements may reduce the NEdT and improve the signal-to-noise ratio.

  18. Test Bed Doppler Wind Lidar and Intercomparison Facility At NASA Langley Research Center

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kavaya, Michael J.; Koch, Grady J.; Petros, Mulugeta; Barnes, Bruce W.; Beyon, Jeffrey; Amzajerdian, Farzin; Yu, Ji-Rong; Singh, Upendra N.

    2004-01-01

    State of the art 2-micron lasers and other lidar components under development by NASA are being demonstrated and validated in a mobile test bed Doppler wind lidar. A lidar intercomparison facility has been developed to ensure parallel alignment of up to 4 Doppler lidar systems while measuring wind. Investigations of the new components; their operation in a complete system; systematic and random errors; the hybrid (joint coherent and direct detection) approach to global wind measurement; and atmospheric wind behavior are planned. Future uses of the VALIDAR (VALIDation LIDAR) mobile lidar may include comparison with the data from an airborne Doppler wind lidar in preparation for validation by the airborne system of an earth orbiting Doppler wind lidar sensor.

  19. NASA-ARC 91.5-cm airborne infrared telescope. [tracking mechanism

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mobley, R. E.; Brown, T. M.

    1979-01-01

    A 91.5 cm aperture telescope installed aboard NASA-Lockheed C-141A aircraft for the performance of infrared astronomy is described. A unique feature of the telescope is that its entire structure is supported by a 41 cm spherical air bearing which effectively uncouples it from aircraft angular motion, and with inertial stabilization and star tracking, limits tracking errors to less than 1 arc second in most applications. A general description of the system, a summary of its performance, and a detailed description of an offset tracking mechanism is presented.

  20. NASA's Observes Effects of Summer Melt on Greenland Ice Sheet

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2017-12-08

    NASA's IceBridge, an airborne survey of polar ice, flew over the Helheim/Kangerdlugssuaq region of Greenland on Sept. 11, 2016. This photograph from the flight captures Greenland's Steenstrup Glacier, with the midmorning sun glinting off of the Denmark Strait in the background. IceBridge completed the final flight of the summer campaign to observe the impact of the summer melt season on the ice sheet on Sept. 16. The IceBridge flights, which began on Aug. 27, are mostly repeats of lines that the team flew in early May, so that scientists can observe changes in ice elevation between the spring and late summer. For this short, end-of-summer campaign, the IceBridge scientists flew aboard an HU-25A Guardian aircraft from NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. Credit: NASA/John Sonntag NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram

  1. A knowledge-based expert system for scheduling of airborne astronomical observations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Nachtsheim, P. R.; Gevarter, W. B.; Stutz, J. C.; Banda, C. P.

    1985-01-01

    The Kuiper Airborne Observatory Scheduler (KAOS) is a knowledge-based expert system developed at NASA Ames Research Center to assist in route planning of a C-141 flying astronomical observatory. This program determines a sequence of flight legs that enables sequential observations of a set of heavenly bodies derived from a list of desirable objects. The possible flight legs are constrained by problems of observability, avoiding flyovers of warning and restricted military zones, and running out of fuel. A significant contribution of the KAOS program is that it couples computational capability with a reasoning system.

  2. The development of an airborne information management system for flight test

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bever, Glenn A.

    1992-01-01

    An airborne information management system is being developed at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Facility. This system will improve the state of the art in management data acquisition on-board research aircraft. The design centers around highly distributable, high-speed microprocessors that allow data compression, digital filtering, and real-time analysis. This paper describes the areas of applicability, approach to developing the system, potential for trouble areas, and reasons for this development activity. System architecture (including the salient points of what makes it unique), design philosophy, and tradeoff issues are also discussed.

  3. Modelling plant species distribution in alpine grasslands using airborne imaging spectroscopy

    PubMed Central

    Pottier, Julien; Malenovský, Zbyněk; Psomas, Achilleas; Homolová, Lucie; Schaepman, Michael E.; Choler, Philippe; Thuiller, Wilfried; Guisan, Antoine; Zimmermann, Niklaus E.

    2014-01-01

    Remote sensing using airborne imaging spectroscopy (AIS) is known to retrieve fundamental optical properties of ecosystems. However, the value of these properties for predicting plant species distribution remains unclear. Here, we assess whether such data can add value to topographic variables for predicting plant distributions in French and Swiss alpine grasslands. We fitted statistical models with high spectral and spatial resolution reflectance data and tested four optical indices sensitive to leaf chlorophyll content, leaf water content and leaf area index. We found moderate added-value of AIS data for predicting alpine plant species distribution. Contrary to expectations, differences between species distribution models (SDMs) were not linked to their local abundance or phylogenetic/functional similarity. Moreover, spectral signatures of species were found to be partly site-specific. We discuss current limits of AIS-based SDMs, highlighting issues of scale and informational content of AIS data. PMID:25079495

  4. Development of Way Point Planning Tool in Response to NASA Field Campaign Challenges

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    He, M.; Hardin, D. M.; Conover, H.; Graves, S. J.; Meyer, P.; Blakeslee, R. J.; Goodman, M. L.

    2012-12-01

    Airborne real time observations are a major component of NASA's Earth Science research and satellite ground validation studies. For mission scientists, planning a research aircraft mission within the context of meeting the science objectives is a complex task because it requires real time situational awareness of the weather conditions that affect the aircraft track. Multiple aircrafts are often involved in NASA field campaigns. The coordination of the aircrafts with satellite overpasses, other airplanes and the constantly evolving, dynamic weather conditions often determines the success of the campaign. A flight planning tool is needed to provide situational awareness information to the mission scientists, and help them plan and modify the flight tracks. Scientists at the University of Alabama-Huntsville and the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center developed the Waypoint Planning Tool, an interactive software tool that enables scientists to develop their own flight plans (also known as waypoints) with point-and-click mouse capabilities on a digital map filled with real time raster and vector data. The development of this Waypoint Planning Tool demonstrates the significance of mission support in responding to the challenges presented during NASA field campaigns. Analysis during and after each campaign helped identify both issues and new requirements, and initiated the next wave of development. Currently the Waypoint Planning Tool has gone through three rounds of development and analysis processes. The development of this waypoint tool is directly affected by the technology advances on GIS/Mapping technologies. From the standalone Google Earth application and simple KML functionalities, to Google Earth Plugin and Java Web Start/Applet on web platform, and to the rising open source GIS tools with new JavaScript frameworks, the Waypoint Planning Tool has entered its third phase of technology advancement. The newly innovated, cross-platform, modular designed Java

  5. Digital control of the Kuiper Airborne Observatory telescope

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mccormack, Ann C.; Snyder, Philip K.

    1989-01-01

    The feasibility of using a digital controller to stabilize a telescope mounted in an airplane is investigated. The telescope is a 30 in. infrared telescope mounted aboard a NASA C-141 aircraft known as the Kuiper Airborne Observatory. Current efforts to refurbish the 14-year-old compensation system have led to considering a digital controller. A typical digital controller is modeled and added into the telescope system model. This model is simulated on a computer to generate the Bode plots and time responses which determine system stability and performance parameters. Important aspects of digital control system hardware are discussed. A summary of the findings shows that a digital control system would result in satisfactory telescope performance.

  6. International Symposium on Airborne Geophysics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mogi, Toru; Ito, Hisatoshi; Kaieda, Hideshi; Kusunoki, Kenichiro; Saltus, Richard W.; Fitterman, David V.; Okuma, Shigeo; Nakatsuka, Tadashi

    2006-05-01

    Airborne geophysics can be defined as the measurement of Earth properties from sensors in the sky. The airborne measurement platform is usually a traditional fixed-wing airplane or helicopter, but could also include lighter-than-air craft, unmanned drones, or other specialty craft. The earliest history of airborne geophysics includes kite and hot-air balloon experiments. However, modern airborne geophysics dates from the mid-1940s when military submarine-hunting magnetometers were first used to map variations in the Earth's magnetic field. The current gamut of airborne geophysical techniques spans a broad range, including potential fields (both gravity and magnetics), electromagnetics (EM), radiometrics, spectral imaging, and thermal imaging.

  7. A unique tree trunk photographed in La Selva region of the Costa Rican rain forest as part of NASA's AirSAR 2004 Mesoamerica campaign

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2004-03-04

    A unique tree trunk photographed in La Selva region of the Costa Rican rain forest as part of NASA's AirSAR 2004 Mesoamerica campaign. AirSAR 2004 Mesoamerica is a three-week expedition by an international team of scientists that will use an all-weather imaging tool, called the Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (AirSAR) which is located onboard NASA's DC-8 airborne laboratory. Scientists from many parts of the world including NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory are combining ground research done in several areas in Central America with NASA's AirSAR technology to improve and expand on the quality of research they are able to do. NASA's AIRSAR technolgy provides two essential elements to the ground-based scientists. First, it tests and provides accurate measurements of the forest structure. Secondly, AirSAR can study a larger area of the forest versus the smaller area that can be tested and plotted by the ground scientists. It also provides a unique one-of-a-kind system of measurement that obtains important information for the scientists, such as where forests are located and what exactly is in them.

  8. A tree frog photographed in the La Selva region of the Costa Rican rain forest as part of NASA's AirSAR 2004 Mesoamerica campaign

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2004-03-04

    A tree frog photographed in the La Selva region of the Costa Rican rain forest as part of NASA's AirSAR 2004 Mesoamerica campaign. AirSAR 2004 Mesoamerica is a three-week expedition by an international team of scientists that will use an all-weather imaging tool, called the Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (AirSAR) which is located onboard NASA's DC-8 airborne laboratory. Scientists from many parts of the world including NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory are combining ground research done in several areas in Central America with NASA's AirSAR technology to improve and expand on the quality of research they are able to do. NASA's AIRSAR technolgy provides two essential elements to the ground-based scientists. First, it tests and provides accurate measurements of the forest structure. Secondly, AirSAR can study a larger area of the forest versus the smaller area that can be tested and plotted by the ground scientists. It also provides a unique one-of-a-kind system of measurement that obtains important information for the scientists, such as where forests are located and what exactly is in them.

  9. This photograph shows a stream in the La Selva region of the Costa Rican rain forest, taken during NASA's AirSAR 2004 Mesoamerica campaign

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2004-03-04

    This photograph shows a stream in the La Selva region of the Costa Rican rain forest, taken during NASA's AirSAR 2004 Mesoamerica campaign. AirSAR 2004 Mesoamerica is a three-week expedition by an international team of scientists that will use an all-weather imaging tool, called the Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (AirSAR) which is located onboard NASA's DC-8 airborne laboratory. Scientists from many parts of the world including NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory are combining ground research done in several areas in Central America with NASA's AirSAR technology to improve and expand on the quality of research they are able to do. NASA's AIRSAR technolgy provides two essential elements to the ground-based scientists. First, it tests and provides accurate measurements of the forest structure. Secondly, AirSAR can study a larger area of the forest versus the smaller area that can be tested and plotted by the ground scientists. It also provides a unique one-of-a-kind system of measurement that obtains important information for the scientists, such as where forests are located and what exactly is in them.

  10. Hydrometeor discrimination in melting layer using multiparameter airborne radar measurement

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kumagai, H.; Meneghini, R.; Kozu, T.

    1992-01-01

    Results from a multiparameter airborne radar/radiometer experiment (the Typhoon experiment) are presented. The experiment was conducted in the western Pacific with the NASA DC-8 aircraft, in which a dual-wavelength at X-band and Ka-band and dual-polarization at X-band radar was installed. The signatures of dBZ(X), dBZ(Ka), LDR (linear depolarization ratio) at X-band and DZ=dBZ(X)-dBZ(Ka) are discussed for the data obtained in the penetration of the typhoon Flo. With emphasis on discrimination of hydrometeor particles, some statistical features of the brightband in stratiform rain are discussed.

  11. Topographic steep central islands following excimer laser photorefractive keratectomy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Krueger, Ronald R.; McDonnell, Peter J.

    1994-06-01

    The purpose of this study is to demonstrate that topographic irregularities in the form of central islands of higher refractive power can be seen following excimer laser refractive surgery. We reviewed the computerized corneal topographic maps of 35 patients undergoing excimer laser PRK for compound myopic astigmatism or anisometropia from 8/91 to 8/93 at the USC/Doheny Eye Institute. The topographic maps were generated by the Computed Anatomy Corneal Modeling System, and central islands were defined as topographic areas of steepening of at least 3 diopters and 3 mm in diameter. A grading system was developed based on the presence of central islands during the postoperative period. Visually significant topographic steep central islands may be seen in over 50% of patients at 1 month following excimer laser PRK, and persist at 3 months in up to 24% of patients without nitrogen gas blowing. Loss of best corrected visual acuity or ghosting is associated with island formation, and may prolong visual rehabilitation after excimer laser PRK.

  12. NASA DC-8 Ground Support Technicians Mark Corlew and Mike Lakowski perform routine maintenance on the aircraft in Punta Arenas, Chile

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2004-03-17

    NASA DC-8 Ground Support Technicians Mark Corlew and Mike Lakowski perform routine maintenance on the aircraft at Carlos Ibanez del Campo International Airport in Punta Arenas, Chile. AirSAR 2004 is a three-week expedition by an international team of scientists that is using an all-weather imaging tool, called the Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (AirSAR) which is located onboard NASA's DC-8 airborne laboratory. Scientists from many parts of the world including NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory are combining ground research done in several areas in Central and South America with NASA's AirSAR technology to improve and expand on the quality of research they are able to conduct. In South America and Antarctica, AirSAR will collect imagery and data to help determine the contribution of Southern Hemisphere glaciers to sea level rise due to climate change. In Patagonia, researchers found this contribution had more than doubled from 1995 to 2000, compared to the previous 25 years. AirSAR data will make it possible to determine whether that trend is decreasing, continuing or accelerating. AirSAR will also provide reliable information on ice shelf thickness to measure the contribution of the glaciers to sea level.

  13. NASA DC-8 Mission Manager Walter Klein poses with a group of Chilean Students onboard the aircraft in Punta Arenas, Chile

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2004-03-17

    NASA DC-8 Mission Manager Walter Klein poses with a group of Chilean Students onboard the aircraft at Carlos Ibanez del Campo International Airport in Punta Arenas, Chile. AirSAR 2004 is a three-week expedition by an international team of scientists that is using an all-weather imaging tool, called the Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (AirSAR) which is located onboard NASA's DC-8 airborne laboratory. Scientists from many parts of the world including NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory are combining ground research done in several areas in Central and South America with NASA's AirSAR technology to improve and expand on the quality of research they are able to conduct. In South America and Antarctica, AirSAR will collect imagery and data to help determine the contribution of Southern Hemisphere glaciers to sea level rise due to climate change. In Patagonia, researchers found this contribution had more than doubled from 1995 to 2000, compared to the previous 25 years. AirSAR data will make it possible to determine whether that trend is decreasing, continuing or accelerating. AirSAR will also provide reliable information on ice shelf thickness to measure the contribution of the glaciers to sea level.

  14. Airborne Observation of the Hayabusa Sample Return Capsule Re-Entry

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Grinstead, Jay H.; Jenniskens, Peter; Cassell, Alan M.; Albers, James; Winter, Michael W.

    2011-01-01

    NASA Ames Research Center and the SETI Institute collaborated on an effort to observe the Earth re-entry of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Hayabusa sample return capsule. Hayabusa was an asteroid exploration mission that retrieved a sample from the near-Earth asteroid Itokawa. Its sample return capsule re-entered over the Woomera Prohibited Area in southern Australia on June 13, 2010. Being only the third sample return mission following NASA's Genesis and Stardust missions, Hayabusa's return was a rare opportunity to collect aerothermal data from an atmospheric entry capsule returning at superorbital speeds. NASA deployed its DC-8 airborne laboratory and a team of international researchers to Australia for the re-entry. For approximately 70 seconds, spectroscopic and radiometric imaging instruments acquired images and spectra of the capsule, its wake, and destructive re-entry of the spacecraft bus. Once calibrated, spectra of the capsule will be interpreted to yield data for comparison with and validation of high fidelity and engineering simulation tools used for design and development of future atmospheric entry system technologies. A brief summary of the Hayabusa mission, the preflight preparations and observation mission planning, mission execution, and preliminary spectral data are documented.

  15. Airborne Windshear Detection and Warning Systems. Fifth and Final Combined Manufacturers' and Technologists' Conference, part 2

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Delnore, Victor E. (Compiler)

    1994-01-01

    The Fifth Combined Manufacturers' and Technologists' Airborne Windshear Review Meeting was hosted by the NASA Langley Research Center and the Federal Aviation Administration in Hampton, Virginia, on September 28-30, 1993. The purpose was to report on the highly successful windshear experiments conducted by government, academic institutions, and industry; to transfer the results to regulators, manufacturers, and users; and to set initiatives for future aeronautics technology research. The formal sessions covered recent developments in windshear flight testing, windshear modeling, flight management, and ground-based systems, airborne windshear detection systems, certification and regulatory issues, and development and applications of sensors for wake vortices and for synthetic and enhanced vision systems. This report was compiled to record and make available the technology updates and materials from the conference.

  16. LIDAR optical rugosity of coral reefs in Biscayne National Park, Florida

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Brock, J.C.; Wright, C.W.; Clayton, T.D.; Nayegandhi, A.

    2004-01-01

    The NASA Experimental Advanced Airborne Research Lidar (EAARL), a temporal waveform-resolving, airborne, green wavelength LIDAR (light detection and ranging), is designed to measure the submeter-scale topography of shallow reef substrates. Topographic variability is a prime component of habitat complexity, an ecological factor that both expresses and controls the abundance and distribution of many reef organisms. Following the acquisition of EAARL coverage over both mid-platform patch reefs and shelf-margin bank reefs within Biscayne National Park in August 2002, EAARL-based optical indices of topographic variability were evaluated at 15 patch reef and bank reef sites. Several sites were selected to match reefs previously evaluated in situ along underwater video and belt transects. The analysis used large populations of submarine topographic transects derived from the examination of closely spaced laser spot reflections along LIDAR raster scans. At all 15 sites, each LIDAR transect was evaluated separately to determine optical rugosity (Rotran), and the average elevation difference between adjacent points (Av(??E ap)). Further, the whole-site mean and maximum values of Ro tran and Av(??Eap) for the entire population of transects at each analysis site, along with their standard deviations, were calculated. This study revealed that the greater habitat complexity of inshore patch reefs versus outer bank reefs results in relative differences in topographic complexity that can be discerned in the laser returns. Accordingly, LIDAR sensing of optical rugosity is proposed as a complementary new technique for the rapid assessment of shallow coral reefs. ?? Springer-Verlag 2004.

  17. Characterizing Aerosol Distributions and Optical Properties Using the NASA Langley High Spectral Resolution Lidar

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Hostetler, Chris; Ferrare, Richard

    The objective of this project was to provide vertically and horizontally resolved data on aerosol optical properties to assess and ultimately improve how models represent these aerosol properties and their impacts on atmospheric radiation. The approach was to deploy the NASA Langley Airborne High Spectral Resolution Lidar (HSRL) and other synergistic remote sensors on DOE Atmospheric Science Research (ASR) sponsored airborne field campaigns and synergistic field campaigns sponsored by other agencies to remotely measure aerosol backscattering, extinction, and optical thickness profiles. Synergistic sensors included a nadir-viewing digital camera for context imagery, and, later in the project, the NASA Goddard Institutemore » for Space Studies (GISS) Research Scanning Polarimeter (RSP). The information from the remote sensing instruments was used to map the horizontal and vertical distribution of aerosol properties and type. The retrieved lidar parameters include profiles of aerosol extinction, backscatter, depolarization, and optical depth. Products produced in subsequent analyses included aerosol mixed layer height, aerosol type, and the partition of aerosol optical depth by type. The lidar products provided vertical context for in situ and remote sensing measurements from other airborne and ground-based platforms employed in the field campaigns and was used to assess the predictions of transport models. Also, the measurements provide a data base for future evaluation of techniques to combine active (lidar) and passive (polarimeter) measurements in advanced retrieval schemes to remotely characterize aerosol microphysical properties. The project was initiated as a 3-year project starting 1 January 2005. It was later awarded continuation funding for another 3 years (i.e., through 31 December 2010) followed by a 1-year no-cost extension (through 31 December 2011). This project supported logistical and flight costs of the NASA sensors on a dedicated aircraft, the

  18. Airborne Sea of Dust over China

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    2002-01-01

    TDust covered northern China in the last week of March during some of the worst dust storms to hit the region in a decade. The dust obscuring China's Inner Mongolian and Shanxi Provinces on March 24, 2002, is compared with a relatively clear day (October 31, 2001) in these images from the Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer's vertical-viewing (nadir) camera aboard NASA's Terra satellite. Each image represents an area of about 380 by 630 kilometers (236 by 391 miles). In the image from late March, shown on the right, wave patterns in the yellowish cloud liken the storm to an airborne ocean of dust. The veil of particulates obscures features on the surface north of the Yellow River (visible in the lower left). The area shown lies near the edge of the Gobi desert, a few hundred kilometers, or miles, west of Beijing. Dust originates from the desert and travels east across northern China toward the Pacific Ocean. For especially severe storms, fine particles can travel as far as North America. The Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer, built and managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., is one of five Earth-observing instruments aboard the Terra satellite, launched in December 1999. The instrument acquires images of Earth at nine angles simultaneously, using nine separate cameras pointed forward, downward and backward along its flight path. The change in reflection at different view angles affords the means to distinguish different types of atmospheric particles, cloud forms and land surface covers. Image courtesy NASA/GSFC/LaRC/JPL, MISR Team

  19. Specification for the U.S. Geological Survey Historical Topographic Map Collection

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Allord, Gregory J.; Walter, Jennifer L.; Fishburn, Kristin A.; Shea, Gale A.

    2014-01-01

    This document provides the detailed requirements for producing, archiving, and disseminating a comprehensive digital collection of topographic maps for the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Historical Topographic Map Collection (HTMC). The HTMC is a digital archive of about 190,000 printed topographic maps published by the USGS from the inception of the topographic mapping program in 1884 until the last paper topographic map using lithographic printing technology was published in 2006. The HTMC provides a comprehensive digital repository of all scales and all editions of USGS printed topographic maps that is easily discovered, browsed, and downloaded by the public at no cost. The HTMC provides ready access to maps that are no longer available for distribution in print. A digital file representing the original paper historical topographic map is produced for each historical map in the HTMC in georeferenced PDF (GeoPDF) format (a portable document format [PDF] with a geospatial extension).

  20. Comparison of Continuous-Wave CO2 Lidar Calibration by use of Earth-Surface Targets in Laboratory and Airborne Measurements

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Jarzembski, Maurice A.; Srivastava, Vandana

    1998-01-01

    Backscatter of several Earth surfaces was characterized in the laboratory as a function of incidence angle with a focused continuous-wave 9.1 micro meter CO2 Doppler lidar for use as possible calibration targets. Some targets showed negligible angular dependence, while others showed a slight increase with decreasing angle. The Earth-surface signal measured over the complex Californian terrain during a 1995 NASA airborne mission compared well with laboratory data. Distributions of the Earth's surface signal shows that the lidar efficiency can be estimated with a fair degree of accuracy, preferably with uniform Earth-surface targets during flight for airborne or space-based lidar.

  1. Quantifying Airborne Allergen Levels Before and After Rain Events Using TRMM/GPM and Ground-Sampled Data

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Stewart, Randy M.

    2006-01-01

    Allergies affect millions of Americans, increasing health risks and also increasing absenteeism and reducing productivity in the workplace. Outdoor allergens, such as airborne pollens and mold spores, commonly trigger respiratory distress symptoms, but rainfall reduces the quantity of allergens in the air (EPA, 2003). The current NASA Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission provides accurate information related to rain events. These capabilities will be further enhanced with the future Global Precipitation Measurement mission. This report examines the effectiveness of combining these NASA resources with established ground-based allergen/spore sampling systems to better understand the benefits that rain provides in removing allergens and spores from the air.

  2. Toolsets for Airborne Data (TAD): Customized Data Merging Function

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Benson, A.; Peeters, M. C.; Perez, J.; Parker, L.; Chen, G.

    2013-12-01

    NASA has conducted airborne tropospheric chemistry studies for about three decades. These field campaigns have generated a great wealth of observations, including a wide range of the trace gases and aerosol properties. The ASDC Toolset for Airborne Data (TAD) is being designed to meet the user community needs for manipulating aircraft data for scientific research on climate change and air quality relevant issues. Prior to the actual toolset development, a comprehensive metadata database was created to compensate for the absence of standardization of the ICARTT data format in which the data is stored. This database tracks the Principal Investigator-provided metadata, and links the measurement variables to a common naming system that was developed as a part of this project. This database is used by the data merging module. Most aircraft data reported during a single flight is not on a consistent time base and is difficult to intercompare. This module provides the user with the ability to merge original data measurements from multiple data providers into a specified time interval or common time base. The database development, common naming scheme and data merge module development will be presented.

  3. Potential Elevation Biases for Laser Altimeters from Subsurface Scattered Photons: Laboratory and Model Exploration of Green Light Scattering in Snow

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Greeley, A.; Neumann, T.; Markus, T.; Kurtz, N. T.; Cook, W. B.

    2015-12-01

    Existing visible light laser altimeters such as MABEL (Multiple Altimeter Beam Experimental Lidar) - a single photon counting simulator for ATLAS (Advanced Topographic Laser Altimeter System) on NASA's upcoming ICESat-2 mission - and ATM (Airborne Topographic Mapper) on NASA's Operation IceBridge mission provide scientists a view of Earth's ice sheets, glaciers, and sea ice with unprecedented detail. Precise calibration of these instruments is needed to understand rapidly changing parameters like sea ice freeboard and to measure optical properties of surfaces like snow covered ice sheets using subsurface scattered photons. Photons travelling into snow, ice, or water before scattering back to the altimeter receiving system (subsurface photons) travel farther and longer than photons scattering off the surface only, causing a bias in the measured elevation. We seek to identify subsurface photons in a laboratory setting using a flight-tested laser altimeter (MABEL) and to quantify their effect on surface elevation estimates for laser altimeter systems. We also compare these estimates with previous laboratory measurements of green laser light transmission through snow, as well as Monte Carlo simulations of backscattered photons from snow.

  4. NASA's Earth Science Flight Program Meets the Challenges of Today and Tomorrow

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ianson, Eric E.

    2016-01-01

    NASA's Earth science flight program is a dynamic undertaking that consists of a large fleet of operating satellites, an array of satellite and instrument projects in various stages of development, a robust airborne science program, and a massive data archiving and distribution system. Each element of the flight program is complex and present unique challenges. NASA builds upon its successes and learns from its setbacks to manage this evolving portfolio to meet NASA's Earth science objectives. NASA fleet of 16 operating missions provide a wide range of scientific measurements made from dedicated Earth science satellites and from instruments mounted to the International Space Station. For operational missions, the program must address issues such as an aging satellites operating well beyond their prime mission, constellation flying, and collision avoidance with other spacecraft and orbital debris. Projects in development are divided into two broad categories: systematic missions and pathfinders. The Earth Systematic Missions (ESM) include a broad range of multi-disciplinary Earth-observing research satellite missions aimed at understanding the Earth system and its response to natural and human-induced forces and changes. Understanding these forces will help determine how to predict future changes, and how to mitigate or adapt to these changes. The Earth System Science Pathfinder (ESSP) program provides frequent, regular, competitively selected Earth science research opportunities that accommodate new and emerging scientific priorities and measurement capabilities. This results in a series of relatively low-cost, small-sized investigations and missions. Principal investigators whose scientific objectives support a variety of studies lead these missions, including studies of the atmosphere, oceans, land surface, polar ice regions, or solid Earth. This portfolio of missions and investigations provides opportunity for investment in innovative Earth science that enhances

  5. View of Glacier Grey from Lago Grey (Grey Lake), with the Cuernos del Paine mountains in the background, seen during NASA's AirSAR 2004 campaign in Chile

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2004-03-11

    View of Glacier Grey from Lago Grey (Grey Lake), with the Cuernos del Paine mountains in the background, seen during NASA's AirSAR 2004 campaign in Chile. AirSAR 2004 is a three-week expedition in Central and South America by an international team of scientists that is using an all-weather imaging tool, called the Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (AirSAR), located onboard NASA's DC-8 airborne laboratory. Scientists from many parts of the world are combining ground research with NASA's AirSAR technology to improve and expand on the quality of research they are able to conduct. Founded in 1959, Torres del Paine National Park encompasses 450,000 acres in the Patagonia region of Chile. This region is being studied by NASA using a DC-8 equipped with an Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (AirSAR) developed by scientists from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. This is a very sensitive region that is important to scientists because the temperature has been consistently rising causing a subsequent melting of the region’s glaciers. AirSAR will provide a baseline model and unprecedented mapping of the region. This data will make it possible to determine whether the warming trend is slowing, continuing or accelerating. AirSAR will also provide reliable information on ice shelf thickness to measure the contribution of the glaciers to sea level.

  6. The Cuernos del Paine mountains in Torres del Paine National Park in Chile provide a backdrop to a herd of guanacos during NASA's AirSAR 2004 campaign

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2004-03-11

    The Cuernos del Paine mountains in Torres del Paine National Park in Chile provide a backdrop to a herd of guanacos during NASA's AirSAR 2004 campaign. AirSAR 2004 is a three-week expedition in Central and South America by an international team of scientists that is using an all-weather imaging tool, called the Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (AirSAR), located onboard NASA's DC-8 airborne laboratory. Scientists from many parts of the world are combining ground research with NASA's AirSAR technology to improve and expand on the quality of research they are able to conduct. Founded in 1959, Torres del Paine National Park encompasses 450,000 acres in the Patagonia region of Chile. This region is being studied by NASA using a DC-8 equipped with an Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (AirSAR) developed by scientists from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. This is a very sensitive region that is important to scientists because the temperature has been consistently rising causing a subsequent melting of the region’s glaciers. AirSAR will provide a baseline model and unprecedented mapping of the region. This data will make it possible to determine whether the warming trend is slowing, continuing or accelerating. AirSAR will also provide reliable information on ice shelf thickness to measure the contribution of the glaciers to sea level.

  7. ARC-1989-AC89-0114-592

    NASA Image and Video Library

    1989-02-28

    Airborne Arctic Stratospheric (Ozone) Expedition Stavanger Norway Jan-Feb 1989: The clouds seen from the NASA DC-8 aircraft at nearly 39,000 feet in the polar regions north of Stravanger, Norway, are representative of what are called 'Type II' polar stratospheric clouds. This type consists mostly of water molecules frozen as ice. These particular clouds are also exhibiting what is called orographic effects - the clouds have taken on a wave-like form because of motion associated with underlying topographic features of the earth's surface; in this case, some mountains in Iceland.

  8. Ontology patterns for complex topographic feature yypes

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Varanka, Dalia E.

    2011-01-01

    Complex feature types are defined as integrated relations between basic features for a shared meaning or concept. The shared semantic concept is difficult to define in commonly used geographic information systems (GIS) and remote sensing technologies. The role of spatial relations between complex feature parts was recognized in early GIS literature, but had limited representation in the feature or coverage data models of GIS. Spatial relations are more explicitly specified in semantic technology. In this paper, semantics for topographic feature ontology design patterns (ODP) are developed as data models for the representation of complex features. In the context of topographic processes, component assemblages are supported by resource systems and are found on local landscapes. The topographic ontology is organized across six thematic modules that can account for basic feature types, resource systems, and landscape types. Types of complex feature attributes include location, generative processes and physical description. Node/edge networks model standard spatial relations and relations specific to topographic science to represent complex features. To demonstrate these concepts, data from The National Map of the U. S. Geological Survey was converted and assembled into ODP.

  9. Spatiotemporal Interpolation of Elevation Changes Derived from Satellite Altimetry for Jakobshavn Isbrae, Greenland

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hurkmans, R.T.W.L.; Bamber, J.L.; Sorensen, L. S.; Joughin, I. R.; Davis, C. H.; Krabill, W. B.

    2012-01-01

    Estimation of ice sheet mass balance from satellite altimetry requires interpolation of point-scale elevation change (dHdt) data over the area of interest. The largest dHdt values occur over narrow, fast-flowing outlet glaciers, where data coverage of current satellite altimetry is poorest. In those areas, straightforward interpolation of data is unlikely to reflect the true patterns of dHdt. Here, four interpolation methods are compared and evaluated over Jakobshavn Isbr, an outlet glacier for which widespread airborne validation data are available from NASAs Airborne Topographic Mapper (ATM). The four methods are ordinary kriging (OK), kriging with external drift (KED), where the spatial pattern of surface velocity is used as a proxy for that of dHdt, and their spatiotemporal equivalents (ST-OK and ST-KED).

  10. A tree trunk structure photographed in the La Selva region of the Costa Rican rain forest as part of NASA's AirSAR 2004 Mesoamerica campaign

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2004-03-04

    A tree trunk structure photographed in the La Selva region of the Costa Rican rain forest as part of NASA's AirSAR 2004 Mesoamerica campaign. AirSAR 2004 Mesoamerica is a three-week expedition by an international team of scientists that will use an all-weather imaging tool, called the Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (AirSAR) which is located onboard NASA's DC-8 airborne laboratory. Scientists from many parts of the world including NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory are combining ground research done in several areas in Central America with NASA's AirSAR technology to improve and expand on the quality of research they are able to do. NASA's AIRSAR technolgy provides two essential elements to the ground-based scientists. First, it tests and provides accurate measurements of the forest structure. Secondly, AirSAR can study a larger area of the forest versus the smaller area that can be tested and plotted by the ground scientists. It also provides a unique one-of-a-kind system of measurement that obtains important information for the scientists, such as where forests are located and what exactly is in them.

  11. Airborne astronomy with a 150 micrometer - 500 micrometer heterodyne spectrometer

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Betz, A. L.

    1991-01-01

    This report summarizes work done under NASA Grant NAG2-254 awarded to the University of California. The project goal was to build a far-infrared heterodyne spectrometer for NASA's Kuiper Airborne Observatory (KAO), and to use this instrument to observe atomic and molecular spectral lines from the interstellar medium. This goal was successfully achieved; the spectrometer is now in routine use aboard the KAO. Detections of particular note have been the 370 micrometers line of neutral atomic carbon, the 158 micrometers transition of ionized carbon, many of the high-J rotational lines of 12CO and 13CO between J=9-8 and J=22-21, the 119 micron ground-state rotational line of OH, and the 219 micron ground-state rotational line of H2D(+). All of these lines were observed at spectral resolutions exceeding 1 part in 10(exp 6), thereby allowing accurate line shapes and Doppler velocities to be measured.

  12. Topographic precursors and geological structures of deep-seated catastrophic landslides caused by typhoon Talas, determined from the analysis of high-resolution DEMs

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chigira, Masahiro; Tsou, Ching-Ying; Matsushi, Yuki

    2013-04-01

    Typhoon Talas crossed the Japanese Islands between 2 and 5 September 2011, causing more than 70 deep-seated catastrophic landslides in a Jurassic to Paleogene-Early Miocene accretion complex. Detailed examination of the topographic features of 10 large landslides before the event, recorded on DEMs with a resolution of 1 m (based on airborne laser scanner surveys), showed that all of the landslides had small scarplets near their future crowns prior to the slide, and one landslide had linear depressions along its future crown as precursor topographic features. These scarplets and linear depressions were caused by gravitational slope deformation that preceded the catastrophic failure. Strains, defined by the ratio of the length of a scarplet to the length of the whole slope (as measured along the slope line), ranged from 5% to 21%, and are the first reliable numerical data relating to the topographic precursor features of large and catastrophic landslides. Careful examination of aerial photographs from another four large landslides, for which no high-resolution DEMs were available, suggested that they also developed scarplets at their heads beforehand, which are not precisely quantified. Twelve of the 14 landslides we surveyed in the field had sliding surfaces with wedge-shaped discontinuities that consisted of faults, shear surfaces that formed during accretion, and bedding, suggesting that the buildup of pore pressure occurs readily in a gravitationally deformed rock body containing wedge-shaped discontinuities. Other types of gravitational deformation were also active; e.g., flexural toppling and buckling were each observed to have preceded one landslide.

  13. School children from Punta Arenas, Chile, talk with Dr. David Imel, an AirSAR scientist from NASA JPL, during AirSAR 2004

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2004-03-10

    School children from Punta Arenas, Chile, talk with Dr. David Imel, an AirSAR scientist from NASA JPL, during AirSAR 2004. AirSAR 2004 is a three-week expedition by an international team of scientists that uses an all-weather imaging tool, called the Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (AirSAR) which is located onboard NASA's DC-8 airborne laboratory. Scientists from many parts of the world including NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory are combining ground research done in several areas in Central and South America with NASA's AirSAR technology to improve and expand on the quality of research they are able to conduct. In South America and Antarctica, AirSAR collected imagery and data to help determine the contribution of Southern Hemisphere glaciers to sea level rise due to climate change. In Patagonia, researchers found this contribution had more than doubled from 1995 to 2000, compared to the previous 25 years. AirSAR data will make it possible to determine whether that trend is continuing or accelerating. AirSAR will also provide reliable information on ice shelf thickness to measure the contribution of the glaciers to sea level.

  14. Overview of the Airborne Tropical TRopopause EX

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Singh, Hanwant B.; Jensen, Eric J.; Pfister, Leonhard

    2014-01-01

    The NASA Airborne Tropical TRopopause EXperiment (ATTREX) is a series of airborne campaigns focused on understanding physical processes in the Tropical Tropopause Layer (TTL) and their role in atmospheric chemistry and climate. ATTREX is using the high-altitude, long-duration NASA Global Hawk Unmanned Air System to make in situ and remote-sensing measurements spanning the Pacific. A particular ATIREX emphasis is to better understand the dehydration of air as it passes through the cold tropical tropopause region. The ATTREX payload contains 12 in situ and remote sensing instruments that measure water vapor, clouds, multiple gaseous tracers (CO, CO2, CH4, NMHC, SF6, CFCs, N2O), reactive chemical compounds (O3, BrO, NO2), meteorological parameters, and radiative fluxes. ATTREX flight series have been conducted in the fall of 2011 from Armstrong Flight Research Center (AFRC) in California, in the winter of 2013 from AFRC, and in the winter/spring of 2014 from Guam. The first two f light series provided extensive sampling of the central and eastern Pacific, whereas the last flight series permitted sampling in the western Pacific. The sampling strategy has primarily involved repeated ascents and descents through the depth of the TTL (about 13-19 km). Over 100 TTL profiles were obtained on each flight series. The ATTREX dataset includes TTL water vapor measurements with unprecedented accuracy, ice crystal size distributions and habits. The cloud and water measurements provide unique information about TTL cloud formation, the persistence of supersaturation with respect to ice, and dehydration. The plethora of tracers measured on the Global Hawk flights are providing unique information about TTL transport pathways and time scales. The meteorological measurements are revealing dynamical phenomena controlling the TTL thermal structure, and the radiation measurements are providing information about heating rates associated with TTL clouds and water vapor. This presentation

  15. Airborne Measurements of NO, NO2, and NO(y) as Related to NASA's Pacific Exploratory Mission

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Sandholm, Scott

    1997-01-01

    The Tropospheric Trace Gas and Airborne Measurements Group's (TTGAMG) efforts on NASA GTE (Global Tropospheric Experiment) PEM (Pacific Exploratory Mission) West A & B field campaign primarily involved the acquisition of NO, NO2 and NO(y) measurements, as well as the subsequent analysis and interpretation of the data base obtained during the PEM West field campaign. These investigations focused on the distribution of trace gases, sources and sinks of ozone, ozone producing precursors with a heavy emphasize on ozone's photochemical state, and the partitioning of the molecules within the NO(y) family over the north western Pacific Ocean. The two components of PEM West were focused on observing air masses as they reached the Asian Continent (PEM West A) or as the air mass departed the Asian Continent (PEM West B). NO(x) concentrations play a pivotal role in controlling the photochemical lifetime of ozone in these environments, and understanding the NO(x) species partitioning is paramount. The transport of NO(x) into the regions, in the form of longer lived NO(y) family members, was examined in relation to the comparison of natural occurring sources of NO(x) (i.e., lightning and stratosphere/troposphere exchange) to those produced as a result of anthropogenic activity (i.e., biomass burning and aircraft emissions). The TTGAMG's measurements of NOx and NO(y), in conjunction with other investigators' measurements of PAN (H. B. Singh's group) and HNO3 (R. W. Talbot's group), have been used to assess the total reactive odd nitrogen levels over the study regions, the partitioning of the reactive odd nitrogen species in their various forms, and the usefulness of the NO, measurement and its measurement technique. The TTGAMG's primary PEM West objectives were the characterization of the factors controlling the distribution and fate of reactive odd nitrogen compounds over the western Pacific Ocean and an analysis of the concentration of various trace gases in the troposphere as

  16. The NASA Carbon Monitoring System

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hurtt, G. C.

    2015-12-01

    Greenhouse gas emission inventories, forest carbon sequestration programs (e.g., Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD and REDD+), cap-and-trade systems, self-reporting programs, and their associated monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) frameworks depend upon data that are accurate, systematic, practical, and transparent. A sustained, observationally-driven carbon monitoring system using remote sensing data has the potential to significantly improve the relevant carbon cycle information base for the U.S. and world. Initiated in 2010, NASA's Carbon Monitoring System (CMS) project is prototyping and conducting pilot studies to evaluate technological approaches and methodologies to meet carbon monitoring and reporting requirements for multiple users and over multiple scales of interest. NASA's approach emphasizes exploitation of the satellite remote sensing resources, computational capabilities, scientific knowledge, airborne science capabilities, and end-to-end system expertise that are major strengths of the NASA Earth Science program. Through user engagement activities, the NASA CMS project is taking specific actions to be responsive to the needs of stakeholders working to improve carbon MRV frameworks. The first phase of NASA CMS projects focused on developing products for U.S. biomass/carbon stocks and global carbon fluxes, and on scoping studies to identify stakeholders and explore other potential carbon products. The second phase built upon these initial efforts, with a large expansion in prototyping activities across a diversity of systems, scales, and regions, including research focused on prototype MRV systems and utilization of COTS technologies. Priorities for the future include: 1) utilizing future satellite sensors, 2) prototyping with commercial off-the-shelf technology, 3) expanding the range of prototyping activities, 4) rigorous evaluation, uncertainty quantification, and error characterization, 5) stakeholder

  17. Topographic precursors and geological structures of deep-seated catastrophic landslides caused by Typhoon Talas

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chigira, Masahiro; Tsou, Ching-Ying; Matsushi, Yuki; Hiraishi, Narumi; Matsuzawa, Makoto

    2013-11-01

    Typhoon Talas crossed the Japanese Islands between 2 and 5 September 2011, causing more than 70 deep-seated catastrophic landslides in a Jurassic to Paleogene-lower Miocene accretion complex. Detailed examination of the topographic features of 10 large landslides before the event, recorded on 1-m DEMs based on airborne laser scanner surveys, showed that all landslides had small scarps near their future crowns prior to the slide, and one landslide had linear depressions along its future crown as precursor topographic features. These scarps and linear depressions were caused by gravitational slope deformation that preceded the catastrophic failure. Although the scarps may have been enlarged by degradation, their sizes relative to the whole slopes suggest that minimal slope deformation had occurred in the period immediately before the catastrophic failure. The scarp ratio, defined as the ratio of length of a scarp to that of the whole slope both measured along the slope line, ranged from 5% to 21%. Careful examination of aerial photographs from another four large landslides, for which no high-resolution DEMs were available, suggested that they also developed scarps at their heads beforehand. Twelve of the 14 landslides we surveyed in the field had sliding surfaces with wedge-shaped discontinuities that consisted of faults and bedding, suggesting that the buildup of pore pressure occurs readily on wedge-shaped discontinuities in a gravitationally deformed rock body. Most of the faults were undulatory and were probably thrust faults that formed during accretion. Other types of gravitational deformation were also active; e.g., flexural toppling and buckling were observed to have preceded one landslide.

  18. The applicability of space imagery to the small-scale topographic mapping of developing countries: A case study — the Sudan

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Petrie, G.; El Niweiri, A. E. H.

    After reviewing the current status of topographic mapping in Sudan, the paper considers the possible applications of space inagery to the topographic mapping of the country at 1 : 100,000 scale. A comprehensive series of tests of the geometric accuracy and interpretability of six types of space imagery taken by the Landsat MSS, RBV and TM sensors, the MOMS scanner, the ESA Metric Camera and NASA's Large Format Camera have been conducted over a test area established in the Red Sea Hills area of Sudan supplemented by further interpretation tests carried out over the area of Khartoum and the Gezira. The results of these tests are given together with those from comparative tests carried out with other images acquired by the same sensors over test areas in developed countries (UK and USA). Further collateral information on topographic mapping at 1 : 100,000 scale from SPOT imagery has been provided by the Ordnance Survey based on its tests and experience in North Yemen. The paper concludes with an analysis of the possibilities of mapping the main (non-equatorial) area of Sudan at 1 : 100,000 scale based on the results of the extensive series of tests reported in the paper and elsewhere. Consideration is also given to the infrastructure required to support such a programme.

  19. An Interdisciplinary Theme: Topographic Maps and Plate Tectonics

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Concannon, James P.; Aulgur, Linda

    2011-01-01

    This is an interdisciplinary lesson designed for middle school students studying landforms and geological processes. Students create a two-dimensional topographic map from a three-dimensional landform that they create using clay. Students then use other groups' topographic maps to re-create landforms. Following this, students explore some basic…

  20. Topographic mapping of the Apollo 16 landing site

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hill, R. O.; Bender, M. J.

    1972-01-01

    The techniques are described for obtaining high resolution photographs from the Apollo 14 lunar orbiter for topographic mapping of the Descartes landing site for use in planning Apollo 16. The Apollo 16 spacecraft landed approximately 250 m from the selected target point, and few topographic surprises were encountered.