A metrology system to measure the on-orbit movement of a ten meter mast has been built for the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) x-ray observatory. In this paper, the metrology system is described, and the performance is measured. The laser beam stability is discussed in detail. Pre-launch alignment and calibration are also described. The invisible infrared laser beams must be aligned to their corresponding detectors without deploying the telescope in Earth's gravity. Finally, a possible method for in-flight calibration of the metrology system is described.
The Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) is a NASA Small Explorer mission that will carry the first focusing hard X-ray (6 - 80 keV) telescope to orbit. NuSTAR will offer a factor 50 - 100 sensitivity improvement compared to previous collimated or coded mask imagers that have operated in this energy band. In addition, NuSTAR provides sub-arcminute imaging with good spectral resolution over a 12-arcminute eld of view. After
launch, NuSTAR will carry out a two-year primary science mission that focuses on four key programs: studying the evolution of massive black holes through surveys carried out in fields with excellent multiwavelength coverage, understanding the population of compact objects and the nature of the massive black hole in the center of the Milky Way, constraining the explosion dynamics and nucleosynthesis in supernovae, and probing the nature of particle acceleration in relativistic jets in active galactic nuclei. A number of additional observations will be included in the primary mission, and a guest observer program will be proposed for an extended mission to expand the range of scientic targets. The payload consists of two co-aligned depth-graded multilayer coated grazing incidence optics focused onto a solid state CdZnTe pixel detectors. To be launched in early 2012 on a Pegasus rocket into a low-inclination Earth orbit, NuSTAR largely avoids SAA passage, and will therefore have low and
stable detector backgrounds. The telescope achieves a 10.14-meter focal length through on-orbit deployment of an extendable mast. An aspect and alignment metrology system enable reconstruction of the absolute aspect and variations in the telescope alignment resulting from mast exure during ground data processing. Data will
be publicly available at GSFC's High Energy Archive Research Center (HEASARC) following validation at the science operations center located at Caltech.
KEYWORDS: Observatories, Temperature metrology, Space operations, Climatology, Environmental sensing, Radiometry, Sensors, Aerospace engineering, Data archive systems, Global Positioning System
Aquarius/SAC-D is a cooperative international mission developed between the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) of United States of America (USA) and the Comisión Nacional de Actividades Espaciales (CONAE) of Argentina.
The overall mission objective is to contribute to the understanding of the total Earth system and the consequences of the natural and man-made changes in the environment of the planet. Major themes are: ocean surface salinity, carbon, water cycle, geo-hazards, and cryosphere.
This paper reports an attempt in improving surface soil moisture radar algorithm for Hydrosphere State Mission (Hydros). We used a Radiative Transfer Model to simulate a wide range surface dielectric, roughness, vegetation with random orientated disks database for our algorithm development under HYDROS radar sensor (L-band multi-polarizations and 40º incidence) configuration. Through analyses of the model simulated database, we developed a technique to estimate surface soil moisture. This technique includes two steps. First, it decomposes the total backscattering signals into two components - the surface scattering components (the bare surface backscattering signals attenuated by the overlaying vegetation layer) and the sum of the direct volume scattering components and surface-volume interaction components at different polarizations. From the model simulated data-base, our decomposition technique works quit well in estimation of the surface scattering components with RMSEs of 0.12, 0.25, and 0.55 dB for VV, HH, and VH polarizations, respectively. Then, we use the decomposed surface backscattering signals to estimate the soil moisture and the combined surface roughness and vegetation attenuation correction factors with all three polarizations. Test of this algorithm using all simulated data showed that an accuracy for the volumetric soil moisture estimation in terms of Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) of 4.6 % could be achievable.
The NASA/JPL Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar system (AIRSAR) has been in operation since 1988. The original radar configuration consisted of PIL/C-band quadpolarization mode in both 20 MHz and 40 MHz chirp bandwidths. Over the years, we have added the L- and C-band along track interferometry mode (ATI), the on-board processor, the C-band cross-track interferometry mode (XTI) in 199 1 , and the L-band XTI mode in 1995. In addition, we also replaced the GPS receiver as well as the inertial navigation system in 1995 to improve the accuracy of motion compensation and geolocation of the output products. In the 1996 PacRim Campaign, we flew a new digital chirp generator that has significantly better chirp linearity, which should improve the ISLR of the output images. In this paper, we will briefly describe the instrument characteristics, the evolution of the various radar modes, the instrument performance and improvement in the knowledge of the positioning and attitude information of the radar. In addition, we will summarize the progress of the data processing effort especially in the interferometry processing. Finally, we will address the issue of processing and calibrating the cross-track interferometry (XTI) data.
The use of interferometric SAR (IFSAR) to measure elevation is one of the most powerful and promising capabilities of radar. A properly equipped spaceborne IFSAR system can produce a highly accurate global digital elevation map, including cloud-covered areas, in significantly less time and at significantly lower cost than with other systems. For accurate topography, the interferometric measurements must be performed simultaneously in physically sperate receive system, since measurements made at different times with the same system suffer significant decorrelation. The US/German/Italian spaceborne imaging radar C/X-band SAR (SIR-C/X-SAR), successfully flown twice in 1994 aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavor, offers a unique opportunity for global multifrequency elevation mapping by the year 2000. With appropriate augmentation, SIR-C/X-SAR is capable of producing an accurate elevation map covering 80 percent of the Earth's land surface in a single 10-day Shuttle flight. The existing US SIR-C SCANSAR mode provides a 225-km swath at C-band, which makes this coverage possible. Addition of a C-band receive antenna, extended from the Shuttle bay on a mast and operating in concert with the existing SIR-C antenna, produces an interferometric pair. Accuracy is enhanced by utilizing the SIR-C dual polarizations simultaneously to form separate SCANSAR beams. Due to the practical limitation of approximately 60 meters for the mast length, the longer SIR-C L-band wavelength does not produce useful elevation measurement accuracy. IFSAR measurements can also be obtained by the German/Italian X-SAR, simultaneously with SIR-C, by utilizing an added outboard antenna at X-band to produce a swath coverage of about 50 km. Accuracy can be enhanced at both frequencies by processing both ascending and descending data takes. It is estimated that the 90 percent linear absolute elevation error achievable is less that 16 meters for elevation postings of 30 meters. This will be the first use of spaceborne IFSAR to acquire accurate topographic data on a global scale.
The primary purpose of GeoSAR is to demonstrate the feasibility of interferometric topographic mapping through foliage penetration. GeoSAR should become a commercially viable instrument after the feasibility demonstration. To satisfy both requirements, we have designed a dual frequency (UHF- and X-band) interferometric radar. For foliage penetration, a lower frequency (UHF) radar is used. To obtain better height accuracy for low backscatter areas, we proposed a high frequency (X-band) interferometric system. In this paper, we present a possible GeoSAR system configuration and associated performance estimation.
A radar interferometric topography mapper designed to acquire digital elevation maps of the earth's surface from the Space Shuttle is described and its performance estimated. The system described is capable of acquiring a topographic map of all of the earth between 54 degree(s)S and 60 degree(s)N latitude to a height accuracy of 16 meters absolute. This planned mission will be the first use of radar interferometry to acquire topographic data on a global scale, the data of which will have significant impact of many applications. The system uses the previously flown SIR- C C-Band synthetic aperture radar system augmented by a second interferometric antenna deployed 60 meters from the Shuttle. The operation of the system, which requires the simultaneous use of dual polarization radars operating with horizontal and vertical polarizations with electronic beam scanning, is described. Performance parameters which drive the vertical height accuracy of this system and the implementation of solutions necessary to meet the performance objectives are described.
KEYWORDS: Antennas, Data acquisition, Receivers, Signal processing, Radar, L band, System integration, Device simulation, Polarization, Synthetic aperture radar
The Shuttle Imaging Radar—C(SIR---C) is a synthetic aperture radar(SAR) designed to fly on the Space Shuttle as a payload instrument in the Shuttle Radar Laboratory(SRL). To fly together with SIR-C are the German/Italian X-band SAR(X-SAR) and the Data Processing Subsystem (DPS), built by the Applied Physics Laboratory of John Hopkins University. The first mission is scheduled in mid-April, 1994, for an 8-day duration, with one follow-up mission in planning. The instrument itself — its inheritance, mission profile, potential scientific advances, design and performance — has been published earlier"2
Many natural structures possess self-similar multiscales which can be characterized by power law spectra. Under appropriate conditions, knowledge of the strength of these scale sizes provides information on the physical processes which form these objects. In this paper, we investigate wave interactions with continuous fractal layers which model geological and variegated structures. Since fractal characteristics of the layers are embedded in the scattered field, they can be retrieved under appropriate conditions. This inversion can be performed in either the frequency or the time domain as desired.
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