The telemedicine spacebridge project: A joint US/Russian venture in long distance medicine via satellite

The Telemedicine Spacebridge Demonstration Project is a joint U.S./Russian program whose purpose is to further the application of telemedicine both internationally, domestically, and in space. The system has been set up to use a Russian satellite over the Atlantic Ocean and a U.S. domestic satellite to allow physicians a two-way video and audio link between various sites of medical centers in the United States and the Central Hospital in Moscow, Russia. This paper contains a description of the project background, the Spacebridge system, the individual pieces of the system, and the operational experience gained thus far in the project

Applications Technology Satellite and Communications Technology Satellite user experiments for 1967 - 1980 reference book, volume 1

A description of each of the satellites is given and a brief summary of each user experiment is presented. A Cross Index of User Experiments sorted by various parameters and a listing of keywords versus Experiment Number are presented

A Feasibility Study of Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles to Survey Avian Abundance by Using Audio Recording

Roadside counts are commonly used to assess songbird abundance, but they result in oversampling habitat edges and underrepresenting core habitats, areas of steep terrain, and wetlands. Accessing off-road habitats can be logistical challenging and time-consuming, resulting in low survey efficiency. Aerial ecological surveys, using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs, or drones) have already proven to be valuable in wildlife monitoring. Previous studies have used photography or videography to provide permanent documentation of wildlife surveys through low altitude aerial imagery. A significant advantage of UAVs over manned aircraft is their greater safety and lower costs. We propose that UAVs can also be used to conduct audio surveys of vocal species. Here, we report on experiments to test the feasibility of using UAVs to conduct point counts of songbirds. To establish the detection radius of bird songs recorded with a microphone attached to a UAV (DJI Phantom 2.0), recordings of the songs of five regionally abundant bird species (Wood Thrush, Eastern Towhee, Song Sparrow, Chipping Sparrow, and Eastern Meadowlark) were broadcast at distances of up to 140m from the UAV, which was flown at three altitudes (20m, 40m, and 60m). We found that detection rates and radial detection distances of the broadcasts did not differ with UAV altitude. Bird recordings were clearly audible at radial distances of 60m. We conclude that it is feasible to use UAVs to conduct aerial point counts that are comparable with traditional terrestrial bird point counts, and describe additional field experimentation needed to refine our survey protocols

An aeronautical mobile satellite experiment

The various activities and findings of a NASA/FAA/COMSAT/INMARSAT collaborative aeronautical mobile satellite experiment are detailed. The primary objective of the experiment was to demonstrate and evaluate an advanced digital mobile satellite terminal developed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory under the NASA Mobile Satellite Program. The experiment was a significant milestone for NASA/JPL, since it was the first test of the mobile terminal in a true mobile satellite environment. The results were also of interest to the general mobile satellite community because of the advanced nature of the technologies employed in the terminal

Mapping the Canyon

In this activity, students will learn about the bathymetry of Hudson Canyon, a submarine canyon on the Atlantic coast of North America. As they study Hudson Canyon, they will compare and contrast topographic maps and bathymetric maps, investigate the various ways in which bathymetric maps are made, and learn how to interpret bathymetric maps. Educational levels: High school

Let's Bet on Sediments

In their investigation of Hudson Canyon sediments, students will discover how sediment size is related to the amount of time the sediment is suspended in water. During this activity, students will investigate and analyze the patterns of sedimentation in the Hudson Canyon off the Atlantic coast of North America. They will observe how heavier particles sink faster than finer particles, learn that submarine landslides (trench slope failures) are sediment "avalanches" that occur in deep-ocean canyons, and infer that the passive side of a continental margin is not as geologically static as scientists previously believed. Students will also discover that when sediments such as sand, dirt, silt, and other fine particles become suspended in water by currents, the water becomes murky, or turbid and then may become a turbidity current, which is a down-slope movements of sediment-laden water that continuously erodes many submarine canyons such as the Hudson Canyon. Educational levels: High school

Communications technology satellite: United States experiments and disaster communications applications

Ground antennas from 0.6 to 5.0 meters in diameter were used as remote earth terminals by the United States for both wideband (television) and narrowband (voice, data) communication in conjunction with the Canadian Hermes satellite's high power transmitter. Experiments summarized cover teleconferencing and duplex videoconferencing for medical, educational, and civic purposes, as well as the remote interpretation of multilingual broadcasts from the United Nations. The capabilities of the system during real and simulated disasters at airports are assessed. Particular attention is given to miniexperiments for flood control in the Mississippi River basin and in Johnstown, Pennsylvania during the 1977 flood

Compendium of Applications Technology Satellite user experiments

The achievements of the user experiments performed with ATS satellites from 1967 to 1973 are summarized. Included are fixed and mobile point to point communications experiments involving voice, teletype and facsimile transmissions. Particular emphasis is given to the Alaska and Hawaii satellite communications experiments. The use of the ATS satellites for ranging and position fixing of ships and aircraft is also covered. The structure and operating characteristics of the various ATS satellite are briefly described

Field trials of a NASA-developed mobile satellite terminal

Various field trials have been performed to validate and optimize the technologies developed by the Mobile Satellite Experiment (MSAT-X). For each of the field experiments performed, a brief description of the experiment is provided, followed by a summary of the experimental results. Emphasis is placed on the two full scale land mobile and aeronautical mobile experiments. Experiments planned for the near future are also presented