Issues of geologically-focused situational awareness in robotic planetary missions: Lessons from an analogue mission at Mistastin Lake impact structure,Labrador, Canada

Remote robotic data provides different information than that obtained from immersion in the field. This significantly affects the geological situational awareness experienced by members of a mission control science team. In order to optimize science return from planetary robotic missions, these limitations must be understood and their effects mitigated to fully leverage the field experience of scientists at mission control.     

Embedded information system re-engineering

Currently fielded embedded information systems face readiness challenges imposed by evolving missions and extended service lifespans. The ability to overcome these challenges is constrained by such factors as shrinking budgets, limited computational capacity and diminished manufacturing sources effects that impact both hardware and software options. Wholesale redevelopment is often cost prohibitive, particularly since large portions of embedded applications continue to fulfil mission requirements. Solutions must preserve prior investments while providing efficient pathways for continued technology refresh. A technology solution for affordable modernization of legacy system software is being development. The Embedded Information System Re-engineering (EISR) project is developing an automation-assisted JOVIAL-to-C re-engineering capability that permits simultaneous modernization of both the structure and source language of legacy embedded applications. Engineers will be able to apply the proven labor-saving visualization and analysis features of modern CASE tools to legacy JOVIAL applications. EISR will thus allow the DoD to recapture previous investments in proven legacy algorithms and mission capabilities while permitting the full exploitation of COTS economies of scale. This paper describes in brief the goals and objectives of the EISR project, and provides the current status of the EISR capability.     

The Huygens Doppler Wind Experiment ' Titan Winds Derived from Probe Radio Frequency Measurements

A Doppler Wind Experiment (DWE) will be performed during the Titan atmospheric descent of the ESA Huygens Probe. The direction and strength of Titan's zonal winds will be determined with an accuracy better than 1 m s⁻¹ from the start of mission at an altitude of ∼160 km down to the surface. The Probe's wind-induced horizontal motion will be derived from the residual Doppler shift of its S-band radio link to the Cassini Orbiter, corrected for all known orbit and propagation effects. It is also planned to record the frequency of the Probe signal using large ground-based antennas, thereby providing an additional component of the horizontal drift. In addition to the winds, DWE will obtain valuable information on the rotation, parachute swing and atmospheric buffeting of the Huygens Probe, as well as its position and attitude after Titan touchdown. The DWE measurement strategy relies on experimenter-supplied Ultra-Stable Oscillators to generate the transmitted signal from the Probe and to extract the frequency of the received signal on the Orbiter. Results of the first in-flight checkout, as well as the DWE Doppler calibrations conducted with simulated Huygens signals uplinked from ground (Probe Relay Tests), are described. Ongoing efforts to measure and model Titan's winds using various Earth-based techniques are briefly reviewed. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Initial estimates of Venus winds from ground-based radio tracking of the VEGA balloons

A global array of 20 radio observatories was used to measure the three-dimensional position and velocity of the two meteorological balloons that were injected into the equatorial region of the Venus atmosphere by the VEGA spacecraft. Initial analysis of only radial velocities indicates that each balloon was blown westward about 11,500 kilometers (8000 kilometers on the night side) by zonal winds with a mean speed of about 70 meters per second. Excursions of the data from a model of constant zonal velocity are generally less than 3 meters per second; however, a much larger variation is evident near the end of the flight of the second balloon. Consistent systematic trends in the residuals for both balloons indicate the possibility of a solar-fixed atmospheric feature.     

Infrared spectroscopic characterization of organic matter associated with microbial bioalteration textures in basaltic glass

Microorganisms have been found to etch volcanic glass within volcaniclastic deposits from the Ontong Java Plateau, creating micron-sized tunnels and pits. The fossil record of such bioalteration textures is interpreted to extend back ～3.5 billion years to include meta-volcanic glass from ophiolites and Precambrian greenstone belts. Bioalteration features within glass clasts from Leg 192 of the Ocean Drilling Program were investigated through optical microscopy and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy of petrographic thin sections. Extended depth of focus optical microscopic imaging was used to identify bioalteration tubules within the samples and later combined with FTIR spectroscopy to study the organic molecules present within tubule clusters. The tubule-rich areas are characterized by absorption bands indicative of aliphatic hydrocarbons, amides, esters, and carboxylic groups. FTIR analysis of the tubule-free areas in the cores of glass clasts indicated that they were free of organics. This study further constrains the nature of the carbon compounds preserved within the tubules and supports previous studies that suggest the tubules formed through microbial activity.     

Detection of weak, subpixel targets using mesh-connected cellularautomata

Effective use of military cellular automata such as military data array processor (MilDAP) and geometric arithmetic parallel processor (GAPP), in weak, subpixel target detection is shown to be possible by using new signal processing regimes based on binary ranking filter theory. By using binary ranking filters, the MilDAP can furnish 6 dB of processing gain against white Gaussian noise while monitoring from one to four million potential target tracks at 10-40 frames/s. GAPP is shown to be capable of monitoring 3.7 million tracks over 216×384 detectors at 14000 frames/s and, in a time sharing mode, 15 million tracks over 432×768 detectors at 24 frames/s. The special case of threatening targets is discussed, as well as alternate cellular architectures which use multidimensional binary ranking filters in multidimensional coordinate systems     

A Coherent Optical Computer System Using the Membrane Light Modulator

A 32-input coherent optical computer system is described which is driven by a membrane Light modulator (MLM). The MLM has an active area of 4 by 4 mm containing a 32 by 74 array of 2368 38-pm diameter light modulating elements. The optical computer calculates the one-dimensional Fourier transform over 32 points of a phase function in 1 ?s. Both the theoretical and actual operating characteristics of the computer are presented.     

Relation between laser flux,temperature and ionisation equilibrium in laser produced plasmas

Laser produced plasmas are a useful source of highly stripped ions for XUV spectroscopy and it is therefore important to understand the relation between the incident laser flux, plasma temperature and ionisation equilibrium.