Optimal Digital Beam Splitting for Radar Beacon Systems

Beam splitting for a radar beacon system that scans in azimuth is investigated from a theoretical viewpoint. The video output is quantized into two levels corresponding to a detection and no detection. Further, the antenna sensitivity profile is described by sin ?/?. For this system, a digital method of beam splitting that minimizes angular error is developed. Prior information about the probable location of targets can be included. Both Bayesian and minimax approaches are developed. The minimax estimate of the target azimuth is the average of the angles at which beacon signals are detected. The antenna beam can be interpolated by a factor of 10 when the signal power is 3 dB above the noise and without prior azimuth information The interaction of beam splitting and detection is discussed.     

Testing a new multivariate GNSS carrier phase attitude determination method for remote sensing platforms

GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite Systems)-based attitude determination is an important field of study, since it is a valuable technique for the orientation estimation of remote sensing platforms. To achieve highly accurate angular estimates, the precise GNSS carrier phase observables must be employed. However, in order to take full advantage of the high precision, the unknown integer ambiguities of the carrier phase observables need to be resolved. This contribution presents a GNSS carrier phase-based attitude determination method that determines the integer ambiguities and attitude in an integral manner, thereby fully exploiting the known body geometry of the multi-antennae configuration. It is shown that this integral approach aids the ambiguity resolution process tremendously and strongly improves the capacity of fixing the correct set of integer ambiguities. In this contribution, the challenging scenario of single-epoch, single-frequency attitude determination is addressed. This guarantees a total independence from carrier phase slips and losses of lock, and it also does not require any a priori motion model for the platform. The method presented is a multivariate constrained version of the popular LAMBDA method and it is tested on data collected during an airborne remote sensing campaign.     

Spacecraft Design-for-Demise implementation strategy & decision-making methodology for low earth orbit missions

Space missions designed to completely ablate upon an uncontrolled Earth atmosphere reentry are likely to be simpler and cheaper than those designed to execute controlled reentry. This is because mission risk (unavailability) stemming from controlled reentry subsystem failure(s) is essentially eliminated. NASA has not customarily implemented Design-for-Demise meticulously. NASA has rather approached Design-for-Demise in an ad hoc manner that fails to entrench Design-for-Demise as a mission design driver. Thus, enormous demisability challenges at later formulation stages of missions aspired to be demisable are evident due to these perpetuated oversights in entrenching Design-for-Demise practices. The investigators hence propose a strategy for a consistent integration of Design-for-Demise practices in all phases of a space mission lifecycle. Secondly, an all-inclusive risk-informed, decision-making methodology referred to as Analytic Deliberative Process is proposed. This criterion facilitates in making a choice between an uncontrolled reentry demisable or controlled reentry. The authors finally conceive and synthesize Objectives Hierarchy, Attributes, and Quantitative Performance Measures of the Analytical Deliberative Process for a Design-for-Demise risk-informed decision-making process.     

Where's Downtown?: Behavioral Methods for Determining Referents of Vague Spatial Queries

Humans think and talk about regions and spatial relations imprecisely, in terms of vague concepts that are fuzzy or probabilistic (e.g., downtown, near). The functionality of geographic information systems will be increased if they can interpret vague queries. We discuss traditional and newer approaches to defining and modeling spatial queries. Most of the research on vague concepts in information systems has focussed on mathematical and computational implementation. To complement this, we discuss behavioral-science methods for determining the referents of vague spatial terms, particularly vague regions. We present a study of the empirical determination of downtown Santa Barbara. We conclude with a discussion of prospects and problems for integrating vague concepts into geographic information systems.     

Mercury Dust Monitor (MDM) Onboard the Mio Orbiter of the BepiColombo Mission

Space Science Reviews - In this chapter, we review the contribution of space missions to the determination of the elemental and isotopic composition of Earth, Moon and the terrestrial planets, with...     

On the nature of coronal loops above the quiet sun network

The structure and dynamics of a box in a stellar corona can be modeled employing a 3D MHD model for different levels of magnetic activity. Depending on the magnetic flux through the surface the nature of the resulting coronal structures can be quite different. We investigate a model of an active region for two sunspots surrounded by magnetic field patches comparable in magnetic flux to the sunspots. The model results in emission from the model corona being concentrated in loop structures. In Gudiksen and Nordlund (2005) the loops seen in EUV and X-ray emission outline the magnetic field, following the general paradigm. However, in our model, where the magnetic field is far from a force-free state, the loops seen in X-ray emission do not follow the magnetic field lines. This result is of interest especially for loops as found in areas where the magnetic field emerging from active regions interacts with the surrounding network.     

Search for the OH (X(2)Pi) Meinel band emission in meteors as a tracer of mineral water in comets: detection of N(2)(+) (A-X)

We report the discovery of the N(2)(+) A-X Meinel band in the 780-840 nm meteor emission from two Leonid meteoroids that were ejected less than 1000 years ago by comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle. Our analysis indicates that the N(2)(+) molecule is at least an order of magnitude less abundant than expected, possibly as a result of charge transfer reactions with meteoric metal atoms. This new band was found while searching for rovibrational transitions in the X(2)Pi electronic ground state of OH (the OH Meinel band), a potential tracer of water bound to minerals in cometary matter. The electronic A-X transition of OH has been identified in other Leonid meteors. We did not detect this OH Meinel band, which implies that the excited A state is not populated by thermal excitation but by a mechanism that directly produces OH in low vibrational levels of the excited A(2)Sigma state. Ultraviolet dissociation of atmospheric or meteoric water vapor is such a mechanism, as is the possible combustion of meteoric organics.     

Automation and Robotics for Human Mars Exploration (AROMA)

Automation and Robotics (A&R) systems are a key technology for Mars exploration. All over the world initiatives in this field aim at developing new A&R systems and technologies for planetary surface exploration. From December 2000 to February 2002 Kayser-Threde GmbH, Munich, Germany lead a study called AROMA (Automation and Robotics for Human Mars Exploration) under ESA contract in order to define a reference architecture of A&R elements in support of a human Mars exploration program. One of the goals of this effort is to initiate new developments and to maintain the competitiveness of European industry within this field.