The ORSER System for the Analysis of Remotely Sensed Digital Data

The main effort of the University of Pennsylvania's Office for Remote Sensing of Earth Resources (ORSER) is the processing, analysis, and interpretation of multispectral data, most often supplied by NASA in the form of imagery and digital data. The facilities used for data reduction and image enhancement are described as well as the development of algorithms for producing a computer map showing various environmental and land use characteristics of data points in the analyzed scenes. The application of an (ORSER) capability for statewide monitoring of gypsy moth defoliation is discussed

Real-time in-flight thrust calculation on a digital electronic engine control-equipped F100 engine in an F-15 airplane

Computer algorithms which calculate in-flight engine and aircraft performance real-time are discussed. The first step was completed with the implementation of a real-time thrust calculation program on a digital electronic engine control (DEEC) equiped F100 engine in an F-15 aircraft. The in-flight thrust modifications that allow calculations to be performed in real-time, to compare results to predictions, are presented

Test and evaluation of the HIDEC engine uptrim algorithm

The highly integrated digital electronic control (HIDEC) program will demonstrate and evaluate the improvements in performance and mission effectiveness that result from integrated engine-airframe control systems. Performance improvements will result from an adaptive engine stall margin mode, a highly integrated mode that uses the airplane flight conditions and the resulting inlet distortion to continuously compute engine stall margin. When there is excessive stall margin, the engine is uptrimmed for more thrust by increasing engine pressure ratio (EPR). The EPR uptrim logic has been evaluated and implemented into computer simulations. Thrust improvements over 10 percent are predicted for subsonic flight conditions. The EPR uptrim was successfully demonstrated during engine ground tests. Test results verify model predictions at the conditions tested

Infrared spectra of the cluster ions H7O⁺₃·H2 and H9O⁺₄·H2

Infrared spectra of hydrated hydronium ions weakly bound to an H2 molecule, specifically H7O + 3 ·H2 and H9O + 4 ·H2, have been observed. Mass-selected parent ions, trapped in a radio frequency ion trap, are excited by a tunable infrared laser; following absorption, the complex predissociates with loss of the H2, and the resulting fragment ions are detected. Spectra have been taken from 3000 to 4000 cm^−1, with a resolution of 1.2 cm^−1. They are compared to recent theoretical and experimental spectra of the hydronium ion hydrates alone. Binding an H2 molecule to these clusters should only weakly perturb their vibrations; if so, our spectra should be similar to spectra of the hydrated hydronium ions H7O + 3 and H9O + 4

Some interactions among driver, vehicle, and roadway variables in normal driving

Effects of road and vehicle conditions, visual warning signs, direction of turns, night time, and skill on automobile driver performance are studied in several experiments. Considered criteria are variability in speed and acceleration

Irrigation management with remote sensing

Two visible/near IR hand held radiometers and a hand held thermoradiometer were used along with soil moisture and lysimetric measurements in a study of soil moisture distribution in afalfa fields on the Navajo Indian Irrigation Project near farmington, New Mexico. Radiances from irrigated plots were measured and converted to reflectances. Surface soil water contents (o cm to 4 cm) were determined gravimetrically on samples collected at the same time as the spectral measurements. The relationship between the spectral measurements and the crop coefficient were evaluated to demonstrate potential for using spectral measurement to estimate crop coefficient

Flight evaluation of modifications to a digital electronic engine control system in an F-15 airplane

The third phase of a flight evaluation of a digital electronic engine control system in an F-15 has recently been completed. It was found that digital electronic engine control software logic changes and augmentor hardware improvements resulted in significant improvements in engine operation. For intermediate to maximum power throttle transients, an increase in altitude capability of up to 8000 ft was found, and for idle to maximum transients, an increase of up to 4000 ft was found. A nozzle instability noted in earlier flight testing was investigated on a test engine at NASA Lewis Research Center, a digital electronic engine control software logic change was developed and evaluated, and no instability occurred in the Phase 3 flight evaluation. The backup control airstart modification was evaluated, and gave an improvement of airstart capability by reducing the minimum airspeed for successful airstarts by 50 to 75 knots