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Articles 1 - 11 of 11
Full-Text Articles in Engineering
Adjustment Of Rapidscat Backscatter Measurements For Improved Radar Images, Garrett Scott Mcdonald
Adjustment Of Rapidscat Backscatter Measurements For Improved Radar Images, Garrett Scott Mcdonald
Theses and Dissertations
RapidScat is a spaceborne wind scatterometer mounted on the International Space Station (ISS). The RapidScat mission lasted from September 2014 to November 2016. RapidScat enables the measurement of diurnal patterns of sigma-0 measurements. This capability is possible because of the non-sun-synchronous orbit of the ISS, in which the local time of day (LTOD) of sigma-0 measurements gradually shifts over time in any given location. The ISS platform is a relatively unstable platform for wind scatterometers. Because of the varying attitude of the ISS, RapidScat experiences a constant variation of its pointing vector. Variations of the pointing vector cause variations in …
Improvements, Algorithms And A Simulation Model For A Compact Phased-Array Radar For Uas Sense And Avoid, Adam Kaleo Roberts
Improvements, Algorithms And A Simulation Model For A Compact Phased-Array Radar For Uas Sense And Avoid, Adam Kaleo Roberts
Theses and Dissertations
Unmanned aerial systems (UAS) are an influential technology which can enhance life in multiple ways. However, they must be able to sense and operate safely with manned aircraft. Radar is an attractive sensor for UAS because of its all-weather performance. It is challenging, though, to meet the size, weight, and power (SWaP) limitations of UAS and especially small-UAS while still maintaining the needed sensing capability. A working FMCW radar prototype has been created which meets the SWaP requirement of small-UAS. A simulation model for the radar was developed to test the processing algorithms of the radar and proved to be …
The Effects Of Antenna Coupling In A Mimo Radar System, Benjamin T. Arnold
The Effects Of Antenna Coupling In A Mimo Radar System, Benjamin T. Arnold
Theses and Dissertations
A mathematical model for a multiple-input multiple-output radar system is presented. The model is used to track signals through the system in order to identify the impact of antenna array mutual coupling on radar system performance. Simulations using the model provide quantitative assessment of the performance degradation as a function of antenna coupling strength. Specifically, the results show that coupling can cause a target to appear at an angle notably different than its actual angle and can cause an increase in the side lobe level. A compensation technique is presented that completely removes these effects for practical levels of coupling. …
A Compact Phased Array Radar For Uas Sense And Avoid, Jonathan Cullinan Spencer
A Compact Phased Array Radar For Uas Sense And Avoid, Jonathan Cullinan Spencer
Theses and Dissertations
As small unmanned aerial systems (UAS) are introduced into the national airspace, measures must be introduced to ensure that they do not interfere with manned aviation and other UAS. Radar provides an attractive solution because of its inherent range accuracy and because it works in diverse weather and lighting conditions. Traditional radar systems, however, are large and high power and do not meet the size, weight and power (SWaP) constraints imposed by UAS, and fully integrated automotive solution do not provide the necessary range. This thesis proposes a compact radar system that meets both the SWaP and range requirements for …
Analysis, Validation, And Improvement Of High-Resolution Wind Estimates From The Advanced Scatterometer (Ascat), Jeffrey Richard Blodgett
Analysis, Validation, And Improvement Of High-Resolution Wind Estimates From The Advanced Scatterometer (Ascat), Jeffrey Richard Blodgett
Theses and Dissertations
The standard L2B ocean wind product from the Advanced Scatterometer (ASCAT) is retrieved as a 25 km product on a 12.5 km grid. Ultra-high resolution (UHR) processing allows ASCAT wind retrieval on a high-resolution 1.25 km grid. Ideally, such a high-resolution sample grid provides wind information down to a 2.5 km scale, allowing better analysis of winds with high spatial variability such as those in near-coastal regions and storms. Though the wind field is sampled on a finer grid, the actual data resolution needs to be validated. This thesis provides an analysis and validation of ASCAT UHR wind estimates in …
Developments In Lfm-Cw Sar For Uav Operation, Craig Lee Stringham
Developments In Lfm-Cw Sar For Uav Operation, Craig Lee Stringham
Theses and Dissertations
Opportunities to use synthetic aperture radar (SAR) in scientific studies and military operations are expanding with the development of small SAR systems that can be operated on small unmanned air vehicles (UAV)s. While the nimble nature of small UAVs make them an attractive platform for many reasons, small UAVs are also more prone to deviate from a linear course due autopilot errors and external forces such as turbulence and wind. Thus, motion compensation and improved processing algorithms are required to properly focus the SAR images. The work of this dissertation overcomes some of the challenges and addresses some of the …
A C-Band Scatterometer Simultaneous Wind/Rain Retrieval Method, David G. Long, Congling Nie
A C-Band Scatterometer Simultaneous Wind/Rain Retrieval Method, David G. Long, Congling Nie
Faculty Publications
Using collocated ERS scatterometer (ESCAT), Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) Precipitation Radar (PR), and European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) data, the effects of rain on ESCAT wind-only retrieval are evaluated. Additional scattering from rain causes estimated wind speeds to appear higher than expected. Selected directions of the rain-corrupted wind vectors are biased toward along-track directions under conditions of heavy rain, which is regardless of the true wind direction. Rain becomes more significant for data acquired at a high incidence angle. To compensate for rain-induced backscatter, a simultaneous wind/rain retrieval (SWRR) method, which simultaneously retrieves wind velocity and surface …
High-Speed Data Acquisition And Fpga Detected Pulse Blanking System For Interference Mitigation In Radio Astronomy, Micah Alexander Lillrose
High-Speed Data Acquisition And Fpga Detected Pulse Blanking System For Interference Mitigation In Radio Astronomy, Micah Alexander Lillrose
Theses and Dissertations
Radio astronomy is the discipline dedicated to the study of celestial emissions in the radio band from a few MHz to 300 GHz. In recent years, spurious emissions from man-made devices that operate at these frequencies have made detection of astronomical signals difficult. These harmful RF transmissions are called radio frequency interference (RFI). One strategy to remove RFI is to apply spatial filtering using an array antenna. This thesis documents the development of a high-speed data acquisition system used to record data from 7- and 19-element phased array feeds. The system supports synchronous sampling over all channels and streams data …
Evaluating The Effect Of Rain On Seawinds Scatterometer Measurements, David G. Long, David Draper
Evaluating The Effect Of Rain On Seawinds Scatterometer Measurements, David G. Long, David Draper
Faculty Publications
A simple wind/rain backscatter model is used with co-located precipitation radar (PR) data from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite to evaluate the effect of rain on SeaWinds on QuikSCAT σ° observations. The model incorporates wind-induced surface scattering, the surface rain perturbation, and atmospheric rain attenuation and scattering. The co-located PR measurements afford direct computation of SeaWinds-scale averaged rain rate and atmospheric rain attenuation and scattering. An estimate of the wind-induced surface backscatter is computed via numerical weather prediction (NWP) winds. By synergistically combining the SeaWinds, NWP, and PR data, estimates of surface rain perturbation and combined surface/atmospheric scattering …
An Assessment Of Seawinds On Quikscat Wind Retrieval, David Draper, David G. Long
An Assessment Of Seawinds On Quikscat Wind Retrieval, David Draper, David G. Long
Faculty Publications
The scatterometer ocean wind retrieval process produces several possible solutions or ambiguities at each point, requiring a separate ambiguity selection step to infer a unique wind vector field. An ambiguity selection error occurs when the selected wind vector is not the closest ambiguity to the true wind. The current ambiguity selection routine for SeaWinds is ad hoc, but performs well under most circumstances. Factors such as instrument noise and rain can also cause the estimated wind flow to deviate from the true wind. A quality assurance (QA) analysis is performed to assess the ambiguity selection effectiveness and noise level of …
Greenland Snow Accumulation Estimates From Satellite Radar Scatterometer Data, Mark R. Drinkwater, David G. Long, Andrew W. Bingham
Greenland Snow Accumulation Estimates From Satellite Radar Scatterometer Data, Mark R. Drinkwater, David G. Long, Andrew W. Bingham
Faculty Publications
Data collected by the C band ERS-2 wind scatterometer (EScat), the Ku band ADEOS-1 NASA scatterometer (NSCAT), and the Ku band SeaWinds on QuikScat (QSCAT) satellite instruments are used to illustrate spatiotemporal variability in snow accumulation on the Greenland ice sheet. Microwave radar backscatter images of Greenland are derived using the scatterometer image reconstruction (SIR) method at 3-day intervals over the periods 1991–1998 and 1996–1997 for EScat and NSCAT, respectively. The backscatter coefficient σ° normalized to 40° incidence, A, and gradient in backscatter, B, in the range 20°–60° are compared with historical snow accumulation data and recent measurements …