Adaptive guidance and control for future remote sensing systems

A unique approach to onboard processing was developed that is capable of acquiring high quality image data for users in near real time. The approach is divided into two steps: the development of an onboard cloud detection system; and the development of a landmark tracker. The results of these two developments are outlined and the requirements of an operational guidance and control system capable of providing continuous estimation of the sensor boresight position are summarized

Autonomous RPRV Navigation, Guidance and Control

Dryden Flight Research Center has the responsibility for flight testing of advanced remotely piloted research vehicles (RPRV) to explore highly maneuverable aircraft technology, and to test advanced structural concepts, and related aeronautical technologies which can yield important research results with significant cost benefits. The primary purpose is to provide the preliminary design of an upgraded automatic approach and landing control system and flight director display to improve landing performance and reduce pilot workload. A secondary purpose is to determine the feasibility of an onboard autonomous navigation, orbit, and landing capability for safe vehicle recovery in the event of loss of telemetry uplink communication with the vehicles. The current RPRV approach and landing method, the proposed automatic and manual approach and autoland system, and an autonomous navigation, orbit, and landing system concept which is based on existing operational technology are described

A MARKOV CHAIN ANALYSIS OF STRUCTURAL CHANGES IN THE TEXAS HIGH PLAINS COTTON GINNING INDUSTRY

Markov chain analysis of changes in the number and size of cotton gin firms in West Texas was conducted assuming stationary and non-stationary transition probabilities. Projections of industry structure were made to 1999 with stationary probability assumptions and six sets of assumed conditions for labor and energy costs and technological change in the non-stationary transition model. Results indicate a continued decline in number of firms, but labor, energy, and technology conditions alter the configuration of the structural changes.Crop Production/Industries,

Performance, emissions, and physical characteristics of a rotating combustion aircraft engine

The RC2-75, a liquid cooled two chamber rotary combustion engine (Wankel type), designed for aircraft use, was tested and representative baseline (212 KW, 285 BHP) performance and emissions characteristics established. The testing included running fuel/air mixture control curves and varied ignition timing to permit selection of desirable and practical settings for running wide open throttle curves, propeller load curves, variable manifold pressure curves covering cruise conditions, and EPA cycle operating points. Performance and emissions data were recorded for all of the points run. In addition to the test data, information required to characterize the engine and evaluate its performance in aircraft use is provided over a range from one half to twice its present power. The exhaust emissions results are compared to the 1980 EPA requirements. Standard day take-off brake specific fuel consumption is 356 g/KW-HR (.585 lb/BHP-HR) for the configuration tested

Use of ERTS data for a multidisciplinary analysis of Michigan resources

The author has identified the following significant results. The results of this investigation of ratioing simulated ERTS spectral bands and several non-ERTS bands (all collected by an airborne multispectral scanner) indicate that significant terrain information is available from band-ratio images. Ratio images, which are based on the relative spectral changes which occur from one band to another, are useful for enhancing differences and aiding the image interpreter in identifying and mapping the distribution of such terrain elements as seedling crops, all bare soil, organic soil, mineral soil, forest and woodlots, and marsh areas. In addition, the ratio technique may be useful for computer processing to obtain recognition images of large areas at lower costs than with statistical decision rules. The results of this study of ratio processing of aircraft MSS data will be useful for future processing and evaluation of ERTS-1 data for soil and landform studies. Additionally, the results of ratioing spectral bands other than those currently collected by ERTS-1 suggests that some other bands (particularly a thermal band) would be useful in future satellites

J0316+4328: a Probable "Asymmetric Double" Lens

We report a probable gravitational lens J0316+4328, one of 19 candidate asymmetric double lenses (2 images at a high flux density ratio) from CLASS. Observations with the Very Large Array (VLA), MERLIN and the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) imply that J0316+4328 is a lens with high confidence. It has 2 images separated by 0.40", with 6 GHz flux densities of 62 mJy and 3.2 mJy. The flux density ratio of ~19 (constant over the frequency range 6-22 GHz) is the largest for any 2 image gravitational lens. High resolution optical imaging and deeper VLBI maps should confirm the lensing interpretation and provide inputs to detailed lens models. The unique configuration will give strong constraints on the lens galaxy's mass profile.Comment: Accepted to MNRAS Letters. 5 pages, 6 figures, 3 table

Stringy Effects During Inflation and Reheating

We consider inflationary cosmology in the context of string compactifications with multiple throats. In scenarios where the warping differs significantly between throats, string and Kaluza-Klein physics can generate potentially observable corrections to the cosmology of inflation and reheating. First we demonstrate that a very low string scale in the ground state compactification is incompatible with a high Hubble scale during inflation, and we propose that the compactification geometry is altered during inflation. In this configuration, the lowest scale is just above the Hubble scale, which is compatible with effective field theory but still leads to potentially observable CMB corrections. Also in the appropriate region of parameter space, we find that reheating leads to a phase of long open strings in the Standard Model sector (before the usual radiation-dominated phase). We sketch the cosmology of the long string phase and we discuss possible observational consequences.Comment: 33pp, RevTeX4, v2. minor changes, added ref