Temporal Experiment for Storms and Tropical Systems Technology Demonstration (TEMPEST-D) Mission: Enabling Time-Resolved Cloud and Precipitation Observations from 6U-Class Satellite Constellations

The Temporal Experiment for Storms and Tropical Systems Technology Demonstration (TEMPEST-D) mission is to demonstrate the capability of 6U-Class satellite constellations to perform repeat-pass radiometry to measure clouds and precipitation with high temporal resolution on a global basis. The TEMPEST mission concept is to improve understanding of clouds and precipitation by providing critical information on their time evolution in different climatic regimes. Measuring at five frequencies from 89 to 182 GHz, TEMPEST-D millimeter-wave radiometers are capable of penetrating into the cloud to observe changes as precipitation begins or ice accumulates inside the storm. The TEMPEST-D flight model radiometer instrument has been completed, passed functional testing, vibration testing and self-compatibility testing with the XB1 spacecraft bus. The next steps for the TEMPEST-D millimeter-wave radiometer are thermal vacuum testing and antenna pattern measurements. The complete TEMPEST-D flight system will be delivered to NanoRacks for launch integration in the autumn of 2017, in preparation for launch to the ISS in the second quarter of 2018, with deployment shortly thereafter into a nominal orbit at 400-km altitude and 51.6° inclination

Atmospheric Instrument Systems and Technology in the Goddard Earth Sciences Division

Studies of the Earths atmosphere require a comprehensive set of observations that rely on instruments flown on spacecraft, aircraft, and balloons as well as those deployed on the surface. Within NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) Earth Sciences Division-Atmospheres, laboratories and offices maintain an active program of instrument system development and observational studies that provide: 1) information leading to a basic understanding of atmospheric processes and their relationships with the Earths climate system, 2) prototypes for future flight instruments, 3) instruments to serve as calibration references for satellite missions, and 4) instruments for future field validation campaigns that support ongoing space missions. Our scientists participate in all aspects of instrument activity, including component and system design, calibration techniques, retrieval algorithm development, and data processing systems. The Atmospheres Program has well-equipped labs and test equipment to support the development and testing of instrument systems, such as a radiometric calibration and development facility to support the calibration of ultraviolet and visible (UV/VIS), space-borne solar backscatter instruments. This document summarizes the features and characteristics of 46 instrument systems that currently exist or are under development. The report is organized according to active, passive, or in situ remote sensing across the electromagnetic spectrum. Most of the systems are considered operational in that they have demonstrated performance in the field and are capable of being deployed on relatively short notice. Other systems are under study or of low technical readiness level (TRL). The systems described herein are designed mainly for surface or airborne platforms. However, two Cubesat systems also have been developed through collaborative efforts. The Solar Disk Sextant (SDS) is the single balloon-borne instrument. The lidar systems described herein are designed to retrieve clouds, aerosols, methane, water vapor pressure, temperature, and winds. Most of the lasers operate at some wavelength combination of 355, 532, and 1064 nm. The various systems provide high sensitivity measurements based on returns from backscatter or Raman scattering including intensity and polarization. Measurements of the frequency (Doppler) shift of light scattered from various atmospheric constitutes can also be made. Microwave sensors consist of both active (radar) and passive (radiometer) systems. These systems are important for studying processes involving water in various forms. The dielectric properties of water affect microwave brightness temperatures, which are used to retrieve atmospheric parameters such as rainfall rate and other key elements of the hydrological cycle. Atmosphere radar systems operate in the range from 9.6 GHz to 94 GHz and have measurement accuracies from -5 to 1 dBZ; radiometers operate in the 50 GHz to 874 GHz range with accuracies from 0.5 to 1 degree K; conical and cross-track scan modes are used. Our passive optical sensors, consisting of radiometers and spectrometers, collectively operate from the UV into the infrared. These systems measure energy fluxes and atmospheric parameters such as trace gases, aerosols, cloud properties, or altitude profiles of various species. Imager spatial resolution varies from 37 m to 400 m depending on altitude; spectral resolution is as small as 0.5 nm. Many of the airborne systems have been developed to fly on multiple aircraft

Space-Based Remote Sensing of the Earth: A Report to the Congress

The commercialization of the LANDSAT Satellites, remote sensing research and development as applied to the Earth and its atmosphere as studied by NASA and NOAA is presented. Major gaps in the knowledge of the Earth and its atmosphere are identified and a series of space based measurement objectives are derived. The near-term space observations programs of the United States and other countries are detailed. The start is presented of the planning process to develop an integrated national program for research and development in Earth remote sensing for the remainder of this century and the many existing and proposed satellite and sensor systems that the program may include are described

Aeronautics and space report of the President, 1982 activities

Achievements of the space program are summerized in the area of communication, Earth resources, environment, space sciences, transportation, aeronautics, and space energy. Space program activities of the various deprtments and agencies of the Federal Government are discussed in relation to the agencies' goals and policies. Records of U.S. and world spacecraft launchings, successful U.S. launches for 1982, U.S. launched applications and scientific satellites and space probes since 1975, U.S. and Soviet manned spaceflights since 1961, data on U.S. space launch vehicles, and budget summaries are provided. The national space policy and the aeronautical research and technology policy statements are included

Space Shuttle Earth Observation sensors pointing and stabilization requirements study

The shuttle orbiter inertial measurement unit (IMU), located in the orbiter cabin, is used to supply inertial attitude reference signals; and, in conjunction with the onboard navigation system, can provide a pointing capability of the navigation base accurate to within plus or minus 0.5 deg for earth viewing missions. This pointing accuracy can degrade to approximately plus or minus 2.0 deg for payloads located in the aft bay due to structural flexure of the shuttle vehicle, payload structural and mounting misalignments, and calibration errors with respect to the navigation base. Drawbacks to obtaining pointing accuracy by using the orbiter RCS jets are discussed. Supplemental electromechanical pointing systems are developed to provide independent pointing for individual sensors, or sensor groupings. The missions considered and the sensors required for these missions and the parameters of each sensor are described. Assumptions made to derive pointing and stabilization requirements are delineated

Research and technology 81

During fiscal year 1981, the Goddard Space Flight Center continued to contribute to the goals and objectives of the Nation's space program by undertaking a wide variety of basic and applied research, technology developments, data analyses, applications investigations and flight projects. The highlights of these research and technology efforts are described

Review of the Space Applications program, 1974

The purpose of this review is to provide the participants in the National Aeronautics and Space Administration/National Academy of Engineers' Summer Study in Applications a concise overview of the NASA Applications Program as it stands in 1974. The review covers the accomplishments of the various discipline-oriented programs that make up the total Applications Program, discusses the program plan for the 1975 to 1980 period, and examines the anticipated spaceflight capabilities of the 1980's. NASA has requested the National Academy of Engineers to conduct through its Space Applications Board a comprehensive study of the future Space Applications Program encompassing the following: (1) the Applications Program in general, with particular emphasis on practical approaches, including assessment of the socio-economic benefits and (2) how the broad comprehensive program envisioned above influences, or is influenced by, the shuttle system, the principal space transport system of the 1980's

FluxSat: measuring the ocean-atmosphere turbulent exchange of heat and moisture from space

© The Author(s), 2020. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Gentemann, C. L., Clayson, C. A., Brown, S., Lee, T., Parfitt, R., Farrar, J. T., Bourassa, M., Minnett, P. J., Seo, H., Gille, S. T., & Zlotnicki, V. FluxSat: measuring the ocean-atmosphere turbulent exchange of heat and moisture from space. Remote Sensing, 12(11), (2020): 1796, doi:10.3390/rs12111796.Recent results using wind and sea surface temperature data from satellites and high-resolution coupled models suggest that mesoscale ocean–atmosphere interactions affect the locations and evolution of storms and seasonal precipitation over continental regions such as the western US and Europe. The processes responsible for this coupling are difficult to verify due to the paucity of accurate air–sea turbulent heat and moisture flux data. These fluxes are currently derived by combining satellite measurements that are not coincident and have differing and relatively low spatial resolutions, introducing sampling errors that are largest in regions with high spatial and temporal variability. Observational errors related to sensor design also contribute to increased uncertainty. Leveraging recent advances in sensor technology, we here describe a satellite mission concept, FluxSat, that aims to simultaneously measure all variables necessary for accurate estimation of ocean–atmosphere turbulent heat and moisture fluxes and capture the effect of oceanic mesoscale forcing. Sensor design is expected to reduce observational errors of the latent and sensible heat fluxes by almost 50%. FluxSat will improve the accuracy of the fluxes at spatial scales critical to understanding the coupled ocean–atmosphere boundary layer system, providing measurements needed to improve weather forecasts and climate model simulations.C.L.G. was funded by NASA grant 80NSSC18K0837. C.A.C. was funded by NASA grants 80NSSC18K0778 and 80NSSC20K0662. J.T.F. was funded by NASA grants NNX17AH54G, NNX16AH76G, and 80NSSC19K1256. S.T.G. was funded by the National Science Foundation grant PLR-1425989 and by the NASA Ocean Vector Winds Science Team grant 80NSSC19K0059. M.B. was funded in part by the Ocean Observing and Monitoring Division, Climate Program Office (FundRef number 100007298), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, and by the NASA Ocean Vector Winds Science Team grant through NASA/JPL. H.S. was funded by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) grant NA19OAR4310376 and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Endowed Fund for Innovative Research at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution