Monitoring water quality from LANDSAT

Water quality monitoring possibilities from LANDSAT were demonstrated both for direct readings of reflectances from the water and indirect monitoring of changes in use of land surrounding Swift Creek Reservoir in a joint project with the Virginia State Water Control Board and NASA. Film products were shown to have insufficient resolution and all work was done by digitally processing computer compatible tapes. Land cover maps of the 18,000 hectare Swift Creek Reservoir watershed, prepared for two dates in 1974, are shown. A significant decrease in the pine cover was observed in a 740 hectare construction site within the watershed. A measure of the accuracy of classification was obtained by comparing the LANDSAT results with visual classification at five sites on a U-2 photograph. Such changes in land cover can alert personnel to watch for potential changes in water quality

Kinematic equations for resolved-rate control of an industrial robot arm

An operator can use kinematic, resolved-rate equations to dynamically control a robot arm by watching its response to commanded inputs. Known resolved-rate equations for the control of a particular six-degree-of-freedom industrial robot arm and proceeds to simplify the equations for faster computations are derived. Methods for controlling the robot arm in regions which normally cause mathematical singularities in the resolved-rate equations are discussed

Mikhailov Stability Criterion for Time-delayed Systems

The valid and invalid application of the Mikhailov criterion to linear, time-invariant systems with time delays is discussed. The Mikhailov criterion is a graphical procedure which was developed to examine the stability of linear, time-invariant systems with no time delays. Two equivalent formulations of the criterion are discussed. Results indicate that the first formulation remains valid for time-delayed systems of the retared type, with the understanding that the Mikhailov curve need not necessarily always rotate in the counterclockwise direction for a stable system. Erroneous results in the second formulation are formed when there are time delays in the systems

Stability boundaries for systems with frequency-model feedback and complacency filter

General parameter-plane equations were derived to generate boundaries for a class of systems characterized by a feedback loop that contains a complementary filter and a model for either the low- or high-frequency portion of the plant. This combination allows those frequencies of the part of the plant that is modeled to be fed back for control while suppressing other frequencies. For all specific examples considered, the stability regions obtained using the complementary filter and frequency model were larger (and in some cases, considerably larger) than those obtained using a low pass filter in the feedback of the system output. Furthermore, higher gain control was possible

Effect of coefficient changes on stability of linear retarded systems with constant time delays

A method is developed to determine the effect of coefficient changes on the stability of a retarded system with constant time delays. The method, which uses the tau-decomposition method of stability analysis, is demonstrated by an example

Power-spectral-density relationship for retarded differential equations

The power spectral density (PSD) relationship between input and output of a set of linear differential-difference equations of the retarded type with real constant coefficients and delays is discussed. The form of the PSD relationship is identical with that applicable to unretarded equations. Since the PSD relationship is useful if and only if the system described by the equations is stable, the stability must be determined before applying the PSD relationship. Since it is sometimes difficult to determine the stability of retarded equations, such equations are often approximated by simpler forms. It is pointed out that some common approximations can lead to erroneous conclusions regarding the stability of a system and, therefore, to the possibility of obtaining PSD results which are not valid

Relative radiometric calibration of LANDSAT TM reflective bands

Raw thematic mapper (TM) calibration data from pre-launch tests and in-orbit acquisitions from LANDSAT 4 and 5 satellites are analyzed to assess the radiometric characteristics of the TM sensor. A software program called TM radiometric and algorithmic performance program (TRAPP) was used for the majority of analyses. Radiometric uncertainty in the final TM image originates from: (1) scene variability (solar irradiance and atmospheric scattering); (2) optical and electrical variability of the sensor; and (3) variability introduced during image processing

Application of a lunar landing technique for landing from an elliptic orbit established by a hohmann transfer

Lunar landing technique for landing from elliptic orbit by Hohmann transfe

Vibrophonocardiograph Patent

Vibrophonocardiograph comprising low weight and small volume piezoelectric microphone with amplifier having high imput impedance for high sensitivity and low frequency respons